Ghost of you

A/N: Thank you for everyone who reviewed, it means a lot!!


Please review ^_^

Betad by: Teeta
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Chapter 14

Aino gasped in shock, she noticed the dead man on the ground, the man that had his pants undone, then she saw her brother. Alexander held him; he was naked, unconscious, bruised and battered, blood everywhere. She ran to them, calling his name in despair, wanting to wake him up.
“We have to get him home.” Alexander said, still holding him. “May I use your jacket please, to cover him up.” He asked Nils, Hanna’s father.
“Yes, of course.” The man answered with trembling voice as he started to remove his jacket. He felt sick, it was quite clear what had happened there and he felt really sorry for the poor boy. He glanced towards the dead body, his mind filling with hatred towards the man that was no longer.

“What should we do with that?” Nils asked gesturing towards the thing. Both the girl and Alexander turned to look.
“I take full responsibility; he did not deserve to live after what he did. If someone asks, it was I who did it.” He said and stood up, scooping Olavi into his arms. “Now we must hurry, he needs a doctor.”

“Don’t worry about that body, no one here would blame you for killing him, I think I might have done the same thing, had I found that animal on that poor child. We’ll simply bury him; hope that no one misses him.” Nils said then. “I’ll take care of it, you two go.”


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“Why did you let him go with that stranger?!” Aino screamed. She was sick with worry; the doctor had been with Olavi for some time but that felt like forever. Emma cried.
“Believe me; I do blame myself for it.”
“This is not the time to be blaming anyone.” Alexander spoke. Aino glared at him.
“Everything was fine before you!” She screamed. “Fine before you came and ruined his life.”

“Aino, Alexander just saved your brother’s life, how can you blame him?” Emma asked.
“He did more than that Emma; he has bedded my brother, more than once as I understand.”
“What?” Emma gasped. “What do you mean bedded?”
“What do you think I mean by it? He had sex with him.”
“But he’s a man! They… they both are.” She stammered.
“Indeed.” Aino merely answered.


Emma looked at Alexander with question in her eyes, with shock.
“It is true, we are lovers.” The man admitted. Aino humphed.
Emma hardly found any words, she couldn’t understand it; lovers? She was silent, what could she say? How should she act?

“There is more to be said.” Alexander said finally, it was either Aino or him to tell the rest and he rather told himself. “And I shall begin my story as soon as I find out the news of Olavi’s condition.” He looked at Aino. “I know, he is young, I know what you think of me. There was a time, longest time, when I thought that my heart had shut itself for ever loving another, time when I thought it to be too badly broken. Olavi changed that, his energy woke me, he is sweet, caring, warm, so much things that I cannot help but to love.”
Aino listened to him quietly, different emotions running through her, not sure which one she should grasp.

It was then that the doctor stepped out of Olavi’s room. Wiping sweat from his forehead, a worried frown upon his features. He looked at them, looked at the fearful wait on their faces, questions they were too afraid to voice.
“He sleeps, hasn’t come to, I am not sure when he shall wake.” He said and sat down, taking the drink that Emma offered to him.
“Will he survive?” Aino asked with fearful, childlike voice. The man who had seen a lot during his 60 years, smiled at the girl, a gentle smile, a fatherly smile that one would give in a sad circumstances as this to comfort.
“He will live…” He told them. “But this is a severe trauma that he has gone through, he will need a lot of time to recover physically. Mentally he will need an even longer time... At war time, I saw few cases such as this, such things are hardly spoken, but they do happen. Circumstances might have been different, but many times the trauma of it is the same. It may somewhat comfort him to know that he is not the only one who has had a horrible experience such as this.” Silence followed. “He needs you all to conquer this, give him time, listen, but do not ask for questions that he is not ready to answer, when the time is right he will tell you, but not sooner than that. It is likely that he will have nightmares, best not leave him alone with those, especially at first; be with him, make him feel save again. I will check upon him tomorrow. If he wakes, I advise you not to move him, his injuries… “ The man sighed, took another gulp of the drink that had been offered to him. “He has taken quite a beat physically, whoever did this to him…” He shook his head. “Such a sweet boy, it’s hard to understand the monster that would hurt that child so severely.”

“I am drifting off, I apologize. It’s hard for me to be objective when I’ve known your parents since they were children.” He said, speaking to Aino, he smiled just a little, it was a sad smile. “Do not fear little one, we will get him fixed, we will get your brother smile again one day.” Then he stood up.
“Now, I must take my leave, if anything comes up, I am at your reach 24hours per day. And I shall call on you tomorrow noon.”

They said their goodbye’s. Aino didn’t waste any time, she went straight into her brother’s room. He looked so small under the covers. She cried when seeing him more closely, there was bruising on his neck, his lips were swollen slightly, a cut on his lower lip. His left cheek; reddish from where he had been hit. There was a bandage to cover his forehead, circling his head. With trembling lips she kissed his unbruised cheek, a tear of hers falling down on his skin; gently she wiped it away. He was dressed in pyjama. She carefully took his hand from under the coverlet, warm, felt so fragile, she saw the bruise around his wrist. She held his hand and kissed it, bringing his hand on her cheek then. She touched his face, stroking the skin gently.

“I love you little brother, please get well, I’ll die if I lose you.” She whispered, hoping that he would open his eyes, that he would be alright and he would smile that sweet smile of his. She tried to remember a day when she would have seen him unhappy, a day when he would have been mad. Lately there had not been such days, they were all in the long ago past. Here he had been so happy, just yesterday she had seen that sparkle in his eyes, would it be lost forever now?

Anger burned her soul as she thought of the man that done this. How could he? It had not been enough to take one time pleasure of an unwilling body, no, the man had taken more than that. How many hours? Minutes? She remembered what they had done to Elias, and now Olavi had been forced to go through almost the same experience. She thought of him crying alone in the forest with the monster, begging for help that had not come.

She heard a sound and turned to look. It was Alexander who stood at the doorway, his gaze on Olavi, who still was lying motionless. There was worry in his eyes, true worry, true fear, true… love? She questioned in her mind before turning towards Olavi once more.

“I’m glad he’s dead.” She said suddenly, still looking at her brother and not the person that she spoke to.
“I am too.” Alexander answered quietly. She started crying then, still holding Olavi’s hand in hers, almost afraid to let go.
“He’s my whole world. All those years ago, Elias asked me to take care of our little brother and I have, I made up my mind to always take care of him, never let something…” Her sobbing broke her voice. “…Something like this to happen. I have failed, only 16 and I already failed.”

“He loves you Aino, I don’t think that no one can ever mean more to him than you do. You have not failed him.” He spoke carefully, not sure when or if she would jump in his throat again.

She looked at him again, thinking. So many different thoughts, so many different emotions. Battle in her mind. This man was the reason for the bright smile on Olavi’s face, the cause of the sparkle in his eyes, she hadn’t seen it before, could it be that they really loved each other? The man had beaten and killed the monster and on the other hand, hadn’t he been the reason for this monster to get here in the first place? And then there was Elias…

“How and when did Elias die?” She asked finally with quiet voice. Alexander sighed deeply, he took a chair and sat down.
“Are you sure that this is the right time? Are you sure you wish to know?”
“I am. I want the truth, all of it. I want to get my peace with all the questions that I’ve asked myself for all these years. And maybe… Maybe it will help me understand.” She said, looking at her younger brother and stroking his hair gently.

“I’ll start it over, from the start as I remember it.” He said, she glanced at him, but remained quiet. Emma had appeared to the doorway. “Please sit down, this is not an easy tale to listen.” Without a word, slightly trembling, Emma did so.

“It was late evening when they brought him there. Our lieutenant, I knew him before, I knew of his perverted desire to hurt, war, as I feel, woke the true monster inside of him. But had I expected him to bring a 15 old boy, an enemy's child to the camp to…? Well, I hadn’t, none of us had. But they did, saw it to be fun I guess… I…” He had to stop for a minute. “I was young, it did shock me to see how fast the men who I had thought to know, changed into non caring animals. I wanted to help Elias, but I had no clue of how to, without putting my own life at risk… I tried to do what I could, Elias faked illness so that they would not touch him. I was ordered to take care off him. You have to understand, that he was feeling quite lonely and unsafe, he was frightened and I was the only person whom he could at the time rely on. And I must say that I found some inner peace by his side, a world that was so filled with misery and pain, people doing crazy things, turning into monsters like I just told you. But Elias, in that darkness he was my light, and I guess I was his. I did fall for him, in love I mean, we didn’t speak the same language, but understood each other despite it. We tried to escape, and were so close to succeed, it’s something always weighting on my mind and my heart. But we were found. Elias, I have never known someone so brave, especially thinking how young he was, he saved my neck, I failed to save his… Your brother died on 8th of April, he ended his own life rather than have it taken by them, with himself he killed the man responsible; our lieutenant.”

Aino was quiet, concentrating on Olavi, her head ached, her heart felt heavy, lump in her throat. She remembered the soldiers who had found her and Olavi and took them to safety. She had begged them, telling the same thing over and over again; three men came and took Elias, save him, you must safe him.’ But it felt like no one listened, they just comforted them, telling that everything would be alright soon. Three months, they would have had three months…

“This can’t be true, what on earth are you talking about?” Emma breathed out, standing up. She looked at them in disbelief. “It’s not true!” She screamed and ran out. Alexander stood up, trying to force the tears away. It was hard. He looked towards the bed, at Olavi. It pained him to see him like that, just that same morning… He remembered, the worry in his voice then the way he had smiled and kissed him.
“Alright, I’ll see you in the evening then.” And now he laid there bruised and unconscious…

He hesitated, not wanting to leave him, but knowing that he had to. He had to speak to Emma, besides, Aino looked like she wouldn’t let anyone close to Olavi but herself, not now.

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He found the woman at the porch, sitting on the bench, arms wrapped around herself, gazing at the sky tears in her eyes. she did not look at him.
“Emma, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you this sooner.” He spoke quietly, silence. She took a deep shaking breath.
“He loved me. Elias loved me.”
“I know.” Alexander said coming closer.
“Go away! Leave!” She screamed looking at him, tears running down. Her breathing was tense. She didn’t want to believe that the boy that she had loved had met such an afoul end, nor did she want to believe that he had loved this man.
“This is for you, it’s from him, I have not read it, since it had been addressed to you. I’ll leave you alone, if you want to talk, then…” She took the letter from his hands, looking at it, not saying a word. Sighing Alexander left her.

She opened the piece of paper with trembling hands.

“Dear Emma.” A drop of her tear fell on the paper, paper that was yellowish after the time.
“This is my last letter to you, my goodbye. I am dying, I’m not sure how many hours I have left, but I know it’s only matter of hours. I do not wish to shock you, but knowing you, my friend, my love, you will want the truth. They brought me here on January, it’s been hard. Language I cannot understand, men that treat me like an animal. But I’ve found comfort. Alexander, Sascha as I call him, I hope he can deliver this to you. He’s been very good to me. He is a good person Emma; you would like him, I’m sure.
My thoughts are running. I hope you will be able to read my handwriting, I’m trembling so bad, I can hardly hold the pen: the truth, I know you want the truth.
I thought of you last night, I could not sleep; my body does not need it anymore. I thought of the summer, I thought about how we kissed by our tree, remember the kiss in the forest, our promises to wed. The smile on your face, laughter; you are so beautiful. Your golden hair, your warm eyes; I miss you Emma. I miss the summer, my family, everything. I miss the time when… When there was no war, when it was just a far away thought to us.
There’s not much time, they come for me soon. I love you, never doubt that I hadn’t. I hope you’re happy, I hope you’ve found a good man by your side, a man that treats you as an equal, accept no less Emma. I loved your craziness, never change to please others, be the wild child you are in your heart, and be the girl that I have always loved. Life is too short to live it to please them, what matters is you. All the good small moments and the people you love are what matters.
My last confession, it will come as a shock, but I feel I must tell it to you before I don’t have the chance to do so. I fell in love with Sascha, it sounds strange I know, but it doesn’t lessen my love for you. He has been good to me, he held me, and he tried to save me. It can’t be wrong, love can never be wrong, that’s what I’ve learned. Just remember that I do love you, it has not changed, and it will not die. You always had me and you always shall, even after I am gone, I am there. Goodbye Emma, I love you.
Yours: Elias.”

After finishing the letter there was no stopping her tears. She cried for him, and yet she started to understand, she wanted to understand…

TBC.

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teeta; Yes it was horrible what happened, maybe Aino will start opening her eyes a little. Loved your long review!

Midnighteyes; thanks hon, I’m glad you still like ^_^

Beloveless; thank you, Slowly Aino starts warming up to be more kind to him :)*hugs*

Yblue; it was indeed the worst way of finding out… In next chapter he will wake. Thanx for reviewing.

keyonnamc: I hope you liked this chapter as well, now Emma knows too. Thanks!

Mitts; Thank you, Aino is bit more accepting now towards the end of this chapter, next will have Olavi’s reaction.

Star: You made me blush, thank you. So glad to here you like and I hope you liked this chapter too