Butterfly's Year

29. Julia returns

The sound of a door closing pulled me out of the shallow sleep that was more of a state of vigilance. Entangled in the blanket, I nearly tripped as I sprang to my feet. Dawn was breaking outside, and beside me, a sleepy Victor struggled to open his eyes, so the unexpected noise startled me even more.

I disentangled myself from the cover and realized I was completely naked, so I hurriedly threw on a robe and ran to the hallway. Almost colliding with Julia, who was entering the living room, I jumped back like I had been burned. I began inspecting her, running my hands over her arms and chest in search of bruises, but there were no signs of physical harm. She looked perfectly normal, still in her running clothes, with slightly dark circles under her eyes indicating she hadn't slept much.

– Where have you been? – I asked in a hysterical voice, finally hugging her so tightly that Julia struggled for breath. – I was losing my mind.

– I met a nice guy on the running trail. He invited me for coffee, and time just flew by. Then he took me to an interesting place, and time just flew by...

– Who? Him? – I waved the printout of the surveillance camera still from the cemetery that Victor had brought from the concierge the previous day, showing a somewhat clear image of a curly-haired blond man in a baseball cap standing behind a tree. – Were you with him?

– What? Do you know him? – she asked calmly, holding my hand still to get a better look at the printed photo.

– And you? – I responded, unable to believe she was standing in front of me safe and sound, even though my fears that the mysterious second blond had a hand in her sudden disappearance seemed confirmed.

– No – Julia said, examining the printout with interest. – I mean, I didn't know him until yesterday. Where did you get his picture?

– Christ, Julia... – I cried, feeling all the blood drain from my face and my heart pounding wildly as the little creature inside me kept repeating: "This really happened". – This man is... We don't know who he is. He was at the funeral. He was hiding behind a tree, watching us. When Vic tried to talk to him, he ran away. Where were you? Were you alone with him? What did he want from you?

– We just talked – she said quietly, her voice trembling. – He seemed nice. I had no idea...

– What did you talk about? – Victor interjected.

– Nothing special – Julia replied, still glancing confusedly between the photo and me. – He was very nice. I didn't know...

She trailed off, and I couldn't think of any words to break the silence that settled between us.

– You couldn't have known – Victor finally said, almost snatching the printout from my hand. – None of us knew. The important thing is that you're back and safe.

He quickly crumpled the paper with the image of the blond man, then after some thought, smoothed it out and tore it into pieces, throwing them into the smoldering fire in the fireplace.

Julia stood motionless, and I frantically wondered how real the threat from this guy was and who the hell he was, given that the other one was dead. Some kind of secretive brother or what?

– Are you sure he didn't do anything to you? – I asked, scrutinizing her again from head to toe.

– No,– she shook her head. – We just talked. It was... pleasant.

– He didn't threaten you? – Victor asked in a matter-of-fact tone.

– No – she denied once more. – We just talked. He was very polite.

She kept shifting her gaze from me to Victor, as if looking for an answer that even we didn't know. The silence that fell between us stretched endlessly.

– This doesn't add up – Victor finally said, more to himself than to us, sinking onto the living room couch. – It doesn't make sense. He's dead. I saw the documents. They even showed me a photo of the body.

– But it's good that she's okay – I voiced the obvious.

– Of course it's good – Vic agreed. – But where did this second guy come from? He didn't do anything to her, but what guarantee do we have that if he runs into her next time, he won't pull some stunt? We have no idea who he is. Because, for sure, we know he's not a ghost.

He frowned deeply, thinking intensely.

– Maybe it's just a misunderstanding – I suggested.

My boyfriend looked up at me and nodded briefly.

– Maybe – he muttered, not very convincingly. – Anyway, we can't take any risks.

– You're right – I immediately agreed. – Julia, sweetheart – I addressed my sister directly, – it would be better if you left here and made sure he doesn't know where you're going. He's dangerous.

Julia didn't protest. She packed quickly, and Victor, wanting to be as cautious as possible, arranged for her to fly to London. The three of us agreed that since nothing was holding my sister here after finishing her studies, she might as well stay with Mom while looking for a job. She would disappear for a while and return once she found employment, and the blond number two would lose her trail at the airport if he tried to get close to her again.

She stayed with us until the day of her departure and didn't go anywhere alone, just like me. Victor personally drove me to and from my classes, and the building's security was thoroughly informed about who to keep out at all costs and what to do if that person appeared nearby. We had more safety measures than ever before, but blond number two didn't show up again, or at least we weren't aware of it.