Oslo
1380 Words
It was mid June. Three weeks after Tobias had visited Havdal.
This time, he was there to take Freya with him to Oslo.
They moved at night. Quietly to the river where they took a boat.
Two boats, and then a train. It was a long night for them.
Freya had waited up all day after packing up all the stuffs she knew she would be needing. Most importantly, an old necklace from her late grandmother. She thought about leaving a note for the townspeople but soon changed her mind.
The train ride to Oslo was quiet and peaceful.
With Tobias by her side, she slept all through the journey.
She felt alive. This was the first time she was going to be in another place that was not Havdal.
“You sure you don’t want to eat anything?” Tobias asked her again.
“No. I just want to enjoy the moment” she beamed, staring out the window, the snow looked so good and alive than the one back at home.
She could see cars and tiled road on other ends.
“Thank you” she whispered occasionally in the train.
“I can’t wait to see Soren again” she added.
“She also can’t wait to have you there.” He responded
“But quick one before we get there” he stated.
She adjusted herself on the seat to turn to him properly.
“I want you to be careful there. Not withstanding the fact that your job might not require too much from you. And remember u didn’t quite get the whole detail about the job, I’m sure there might be more to it cause there are so many popular painters but he insisted on a lonely one” he paused to see if she was following. She nudged for him to continue.
“When we get there, you will see how things work there. But not to worry, you will always have I and Soren to look after you. Anything you need. I’ll always be close” he finished saying.
“I’ll be careful. And I’ll be sure to let you in on anything” she assured.
“About that” he scratched the nape of his neck
“It might not be possible… I mean, I don’t talk about my job and they might get you to sign an NDA too” he stated.
“We’ll see how it goes. By the way, you and Soren live in the same building?” She asked, curious.
“Yes but we barely spend nights together since I’m always busy. The promotion I got allowed for her to be close and that’s more than enough compared to her remaining in Havdal” he explained.
“I see” Freya nodded, resting her head on his shoulders.
“We’ll be in Oslo in exactly forty five minutes. Brace up” he stated.
///
In exactly forty five minutes, they arrived Oslo. Tobias made few calls prior to that and a car was sent to pick them up.
The drive to the villa was quiet. Tobias didn’t talk as much as he did on the train, he only exchanged few reassuring glances and Freya took notice of that. She didn’t dare to talk to.
If Tobias wasn’t going to talk, neither was she. The driver only said few words too.
Soon, they were at the villa. The high walls gave it away. The amount of check points they had to pass to get to the high walls.
On certain occasions, Freya was brought out and patted down along with Tobias. She complied and allowed them work.
They soon got to the huge gate. She knew instantly that they were at their destination. The gate has the prime minister’s initials. “E.S”
“We are here” Tobias announced softly.
“It’s huge” she whispered back, capturing every view with her eyes as the car drove slowly into the garage.
“Is Soren also here?” She whispered again, cautiously.
“It’s fine to speak Freya” Tobias responded. She scoffed, sinking back into the car seat.
“I thought we were meant to be quiet” she murmured. He chuckled softly.
“No, we can talk. And Soren isn’t here. But you can see her today” he said
They were out of the car in no time, their shoes making a crunch sound as it touched the gravel.
“It’s so big compared to what I imagined” Freya noted again, spinning round slowly as she took note of every building.
It was a four storey building with high walls and glasses. Painted grey with a huge Norway flag just at the entrance of a huge tall steel door.
There were so many cars and there was a fountain just at the middle of the compound that looked like a roundabout.
Many workers passed. Some hurriedly while some walked calmly. None spared any glances at them.
She noticed some set of workers wore blue while some wore red.
she recalled Tobias telling her blue were administrative staff, red were the security detail and how everyone knew which side to respect.
“Ouuu… you have a lot to tell me” she muttered to Tobias walking briskly to him.
“Of course” he smiled back. He exchanged a hand shake with the driver before turning to her.
“I’ll take you to Ingrid now” he announced. She gasped softly.
“Ingrid?” Freya asked
“Yeah, Ingrid. I mean, she will definitely need to see you first” he explained.
He held her close as he walked towards the huge door. Her palms were sweaty and he could feel that. She looked around occasionally, and her grip on his hand was very tight too.
He turned to her, holding both her shoulders as he brought her close.
“Relax… okay?” He assured. She nodded abruptly before exhaling in and out.
“I’m shocked to see you this way” he teased as they kept walking. She gave him a soft pinch, before letting out a soft laugh.
She was calm now.
“How do I address her?” She asked before he reached for the door.
“Just like every other person?” He chuckled.
“Just Good day Ma’am will do. She’s chill” he assured.
“Okay” she responded and he nodded before pushing the door.
It opened up and the warmth that came from inside sipped through her skin, followed by the scents of almond.
They stepped in and Freya wallet out a soft gasp. The marble tiles and oak ornaments was too beautiful to resist occasional glance.
“Follow me” Tobias instructed, walking ahead. They walked through a long hall way, down to the far end until they got to another door where two men stood outside. They were on blue.
“Is she in?” Tobias asked them.
“I’ll let her know you are here. Hold on” one of them said.
Freya stood closely, almost behind Tobias as she watched one of them go in.
At exactly two minutes, he was out and opened the door for them to go in.
Inside the room was Ingrid and another man at the corner. He was obviously not the prime minister.
There was also a fat cat meowing close to the window. The room looked rich and expensively furnished.
“That’s Emil, the prime minister’s son” Tobias whispered immediately. She gulped and nodded.
“Tobias” Ingrid called. Her voice soft and had a little bit of soprano to it.
“Ma’am” he responded, stepping aside for her to get a clear view of Freya.
“Ma’am” Freya bowed slightly, nervous. She looked up, to meet his eyes.
Emil.
He had a stick of tobacco up his lips and between fingers. He looked like he was judging.
The rings on his knuckles had his initials engraved on them. It was huge and screamed authority.
“Freya” Ingrid called out, in an accent.
“Your last name?” She asked, squinting her eyes.
“Hawthorne” Freya responded.
“Lame” Emil broke in, bits of smoke escaping through his nose.
- Writer
