Chapter 7
When the cab pulls up outside William’s parents’ house in Sadeln, Filippa catches her breath. A huge pink timber structure looms in front of her. It takes up almost the entire plot of land, and the front, with a wide balcony, is supported by sturdy wooden poles above a steep slope.
It is not exactly a little mountain cottage, which was how Olivia described it when she asked if Filippa would like to come along. The view over the ?re valley is like something out of a movie, as if Disney had shown up with a whole bunch of amazing winter backdrops.
The sun is so bright that Filippa has to shade her eyes with her hand, but the beautiful weather does nothing to dispel the unpleasant sensation left by the train journey.
When she woke up this morning, just over half an hour before they arrived in ?re, she started shaking before she even realized why she felt so uncomfortable.
Then she remembered the night, those fingers groping their way around her body.
Had it actually happened, or was it just a bad dream?
Filippa isn’t sure, and that makes her both anxious and nervous. She glances over her shoulder; if someone really did try it on with her, then she doesn’t want to stay. But what if it was all in her mind? A fantasy that her brain came up with when the vodka fog took over?
She can’t accuse the others if nothing happened, plus she doesn’t know who was touching her in the darkness.
The more she thinks about it, the less certain she is. The whole situation is so difficult. She is ashamed, both of her suspicions and the fact that she got drunk. She can’t even bring herself to talk to Olivia about it, even though they are such close friends.
“Come and get your stuff,” Emil shouts from behind the cab.
They unload their luggage and drag their suitcases down the short slope leading to the front door. Before they left the train station, they stopped by the ICA grocery store, so they are also weighed down with large bags of food.
One of Pontus’s suitcases makes a clinking noise as he picks it up, suggesting that it is full of bottles. Yesterday evening he was boasting about how much he had bought for the trip.
He lets out a little grunt as he hauls the heavy case toward the door.
Filippa glances at him out of the corner of her eye.
He looks seriously hungover; his eyes are bloodshot, his lips flaky.
Hardly surprising, given how much he drank on the train.
No doubt that was why he was so persistent and rude.
Could he have been the one who clambered up to her bunk in the middle of the night?
If anyone did?
“How are you?” she can’t help asking, in spite of his behavior the previous day.
“None of your fucking business,” Pontus replies without looking at her.
Filippa stops dead. What the hell is wrong with him? She turns her back on Pontus and hurries over to join Olivia, who is standing by the entrance with William. The keypad beeps as he enters the numbers, and the door swings open.
“So,” he says. “This is where we’re staying.”
Filippa can tell from his voice that he is enjoying the situation, showing off his fine house for the admiration of his friends.
William’s parents are rolling in money, and he makes no secret of it—quite the reverse.
He comes from ?stermalm in Stockholm, the most expensive area in the capital, and therefore in the whole country.
Just like Olivia, Filippa grew up in V?ster?s, to the northwest of Stockholm.
Admittedly her father is a doctor and her mother is a nurse, but their lifestyle is nowhere near what William is used to.
“Wow, this is amazing!” Olivia exclaims, nudging Filippa in the side. “What a place! Have you had it for long?”
William grins. “It’s not too bad,” he admits.
“My parents had it built a few years ago. Before that we had another place farther down the valley, but they wanted to be higher up. They like being able to look out over the mountain—you can see Renfj?llet from here. It’s sunny up here even when the village is in shadow during the winter months. ”
“I could stay in this house for a very long time.” Olivia laughs. “Is it okay if we don’t go back until Easter?”
She gives Filippa an excited hug and pulls her into a spacious hallway that is about the same size as the rooms in their student corridor. It leads to a large living room with a double-height ceiling and huge south-facing windows.
“This is so cool,” Olivia says, wide eyed.
Filippa can’t stop staring. Lake ?re is spread before them, and the panoramic view stretches across the entire valley, all the way to the mountains in the west. A short distance away she sees the lift known as Sadelexpressen, which enables them to join the ski system.
The track runs below the property, so all they have to do is put on their skis and set off in the morning.
Ski-in, ski-out, as William called it.
Filippa finds it all a bit much. Pontus slams the front door shut as the toilet in the guest bathroom flushes, and Emil emerges. He joins them by the window.
“Were you in there chatting on your phone?” Pontus asks with a grin, as if he had caught him doing something wrong.
Emil ignores him and turns to William. “Fantastic view.”
William is beaming, as if the fact that they are standing here in front of the perfect ad for a mountain vacation is entirely down to him.
“Unbelievable,” Olivia agrees.
“So there are five bedrooms and four bathrooms in the house,” William explains. “So either two of us will have to share or you girls can have the guest cabin to yourselves.” He points to another building about ten yards away. “It has two bedrooms, separate bathrooms, and a kitchen.”
“Nice.” Olivia smiles and tucks her arm through Filippa’s. “A place of our own—this is like a luxury hotel!”
“Okay, come with me,” William says.
The girls grab their luggage and follow him to the cabin. It is built in the same style as the main house, with wood-paneled walls and tall south-facing windows. Filippa feels a little happier once they are inside. This is much better than sharing the house with the boys.
Especially Pontus.
If only she could remember what actually happened last night . . .