Chapter 2: Call for Help

Thursday, December 7, 1995

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The next day at school, Krafta's announcement is all anybody talks about. The students seem firmly divided into the two camps of students who believe the story Herr Lidman told is true and those who believe it's been made up to hide some other conspiracy. Despite the school being plastered with posters for the St. Lucy's Festival and reminders that the votes are going to be held tomorrow, that doesn't seem like a very popular topic this year around.

During the first lesson of the day, Rektor Järnek made a schoolwide announcement repeating the basic information from the press statement and urging any student who has been part of this break-in or who is suffering any strange effects to turn themselves in to Krafta so they can be treated. He however also emphasizes that there is no need to panic and that everyone should just focus on the festival and make up their minds for the vote.

Especially during the breaks, arguments and disagreements about this situation flare up. Håkan and Stina come across Mia Järnek and Kristina Eklund having a fight in a secluded part of a hallway during lunch break which ends with Mia stomping off, though they can't make out what the fight was about.
Mikael notices that during lunch, Kristina seems to be watching him. At one or two points, he gets the feeling that she wants to approach him and talk to him but she doesn't. And when he attempts to approach her, she turns around and hurries off.
Sitting outside on their bench with Kajsa, Sabine briefly thinks she spotted the mysterious wheelchair woman drive past in a car, slowing down next to the school but not stopping.

It's now the end of classes for the day and you're all ready to head home when you find yourselves hanging around your lockers all at the same time. There are still some students around but many have already left and the hallways are emptying out slowly.
"Have you noticed all the weird Krafta guys in suits running around in the streets these days?", Kajsa asks Sabine, but loud enough that the others can hear her as well. "Makes me scared to go home alone. Kurt said he was stopped by a patrol of them and they wanted to take a blood sample from him. Isn't that creepy? He was lucky that Officer Granfors was around and got him out of that situation."

Stina shakes her head. "This doesn't seem right... What authority have Krafta got? Shouldn't this type of announcement come from... the government? Or the police?"

Then she overhears Kajsa. "Officer Granfors, you say? Isn't that Lars' father? Lars has been missing all week - and we know he wouldn't miss this St Lucy circus for the world... maybe his father knows more about this story?"

He looks around the lockers, spots Håkan. "Oh. You guys met Håkan? He's my cousin, he only recently moved here."

"Who else do we know that's been missing from school for a while?" she adds, asking the others. "We could start by paying them a visit... or calling them?"

Håkan is thinking over the fight he saw between Mia and Kristina. I know there's something there. I'll have to see if I can find Mia later and talk to her. She knows something. At least she'll talk to me, unlike the other girl. As he's deep in thought it takes him a moment to see Stina wave him over. He shakes himself mentally, Later, before grabbing what he needs for the next period out of his locker and slamming the flimsy metal door shut. "Tja, Stina," he says walking over with an easy smile. He turns to Sabine and Kajsa, raising a large hand in greeting. "I'm Håkan. Nice to meet you. Were you guys talking about the Krafta announcement? What a load of garbage, right?"

"Tja." Sabine returns Håkan's greeting. "Sabine." She gives her name.

"Granfors is the only person I know of who has vanished. I highly suspect that it has something to do with a woman who has been lurking just off the school grounds lately. I saw him speaking with her after school last Friday. He's not been back to Berggården since." She confides leaning in conspiratorially.

"Mikael," Mikael offers, "I think we, uh, met. Briefly." He holds out his hand, "Sorry about that. I knew you were on the hockey team, didn't know you were Stina's cousin." He nods to the motorhead, "Stina helps out at the record store sometimes, fixes customers' equipment."

"Yeah, I only know of one other person that's flat disappeared," he says, "Jonas Hed. Otherwise seems to me like the Lucy candidates are acting really odd, like something is really bothering them. Especially Kristina and Mia. I don't like any of this one bit, especially this bullshit with Krafta." He says the last bit with a look of agreement to Håkan.

"Yeah though," he continues, "Jonas hasn't been in class for about a month now. I had just assumed he got sick, but maybe its connected to this whole thing?" He sees the looks on the other kids faces as if they don't recognize the name. "Jonas," he says again, "Jonas Hed?" he can see it's not clicking and he sighs, "Most of the kids call him Pimples, the kid with all the acne." He sees the recognition on their faces at the nickname. "I share a couple classes with him and I usually chat with him, otherwise I probably wouldn't have noticed him missing. He usually keeps to himself unless I drag him into a group or a conversation."

Quote:

"Jonas hasn't been in class for about a month now."

"A whole month? Jeez, this thing is serious, whatever it is..." She comments, surprised.

She listens to Håkan telling them about Johan Berglund of the hockey team, also missing.
"Okay... Jonas, Lars, Johan. We need their phone numbers. Addresses too," she thinks out loud. "And maybe it wouldn't harm asking Kristina and mia about them?"
She listens to Sabine, and asks "Sounds suspicious. Anything more about this mystery woman? Sounds like someone we want to be avoiding..."

Henry floats on the outskirts of the conversation. Something had been clawing at him all day. All day and all night, in fact. Something Kris had said about going down for something Henry didn’t do.

Was it a threat? Was it tied into all this? And now this story of random blood tests on the way home…

Would Henry get wrapped up in all this against his will? Or maybe Kris would orchestrate some trouble as revenge for the rejection?

Henry, eager to jump into a group and make himself less vulnerable to Kris and his antics chimes in:

"Is it jump young people getting impacted? And just from this school, I wonder? Do we even know?"

"As far as I know it's only students, and only from this school," Kajsa says. She looks at Sabine. "My mother is talking about taking me out of school until this whole thing ends. In case it's contagious..."

Before any of you can react further, you hear the sound of someone nervously clearing their throat. You turn and see Kristina standing close by. She's wearing a long coat over a turtleneck sweater. She's also wearing the same beanie she seems to have not taken off all day today, as far as the ones of you that have seen her around before now can tell. She's never been someone who felt like she needed to show off a lot of skin but she also never hid in her clothes like she's doing today.
Kristina takes a couple of hesitant steps towards you all, primarily but not exclusively focused on Mikael. "I, uhm, might be able to answer some of your questions. If you promise not to tell anyone. And to help me." Her voice shakes nervously as she speaks. Then she pauses briefly before she quickly adds: "Please!"

Håkan blinks quickly,"Yeah. Of course we'll help." He looks around to the group. "We should probably go where we won't be overheard easily. Does anyone know where we can go and not be bothered?"

"Of course we'll help, Kristina." Sabine assures her. "Håkan is right though. We should find a more discreet place to talk. Until we all get this sorted out, we should be very careful who we trust." She adds and looks around at the small group gathered around the lockers. "I trust none of the adults here at school. They know something is going on and are pretending everything is fine, except this obvious fabrication about young corporate spies trying to steal Krafta secrets."

She thinks for a minute. "We should be on the lookout for the woman in the wheelchair as we leave. We could use the music store to talk. Be careful you aren't followed." Sabine suggests.

"The music shop sounds ideal," she nods at Sabine. "You OK with that, Kristina?"

She gets a little shiver at the mention of the mysterious woman. "And we'd better all go as a group, it might be safer," she adds.

Sabine gives Kajsa a look of concern. "I hope this ugliness is not contagious or we may both have to drop school until it passes. I wouldn't want to risk infecting you by staying in classes."

"You two shouldn't have anything to worry about," Kristina says to Sabine and Kajsa. She looks both of them over for a moment as if judging them, then she says: "I hope, at least." She shrugs. "The music store sounds fine. Any place where we can have a private conversation."

Together, the seven of you head over to Hål i Öronmask and into the back room where you can expect to have some privacy. Kristina sits down and looks slightly uncomfortable when she sees all of your eyes on her, expecting her to explain what's going on. After a moment, she says: "Okay, first of all, that press release is a complete lie. There were no activists and no people breaking into Krafta. It's all made up to hide what's really going on."

Mikael steps towards Kristina and places a hand on her arms, a worried look passing over his face. He nods in agreement with the others, "I told you I'd help if you needed something. I meant it."

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A short time later in the back room of Hål i Öronmask, Mikael listens intently as Kristina begins. "It's okay," he encourages her and glances to Sabine, "I think we all knew it was a crock of B.S. anyways. It honestly looked like a crappy attempt at damage control...sounds like you might know what that damage actually is? What's going on here?"