Michka trudged along the winding path to Eero's house, the weight of her backpack digging into her shoulders. She had always been a diligent student, but the task of delivering Eero's homework seemed like an unnecessary burden. Why did Mr. Kaski have to choose her for this chore?
As Michka approached the house, she noticed that the curtains were drawn, casting a gloomy shadow over the entire structure.
She hesitated for a moment, wondering if she should just leave the homework on the porch and be done with it. But something about Eero's situation tugged at her curiosity.
She took a deep breath and stepped onto the porch, the wooden boards creaking beneath her feet.
The door was old and worn, with a large iron knocker in the shape of a lion's head. Michka raised her hand, hesitating for a moment before letting it fall against the door with a resounding thud.
--No response--
The silence that followed was oppressive, and Michka wondered if anyone was even home.
She raised her hand again, ready to knock a second time, when the door creaked open by itself.
"Hello?" Michka called out, her voice echoing through the empty halls. "Is anyone there?"
A faint rustling sound came from upstairs, followed by the creaking of floorboards.
Michka's heart skipped a beat as Eero's pale face appeared at the top of the stairs, his eyes sunken and his skin looking almost translucent.
"Michka" he said, his voice barely above a whisper. "What brings you here?"
"Mr. Kaski asked me to bring you your homework" Michka replied, holding out the folder containing Eero's assignments. "He said you've been... um... sick?".
Eero's gaze lingered on the folder before he nodded slowly and began to make his way downstairs. Michka couldn't help but notice the way he moved with an unnatural slowness, as if every step required great effort.
"Thank you, Michka", Eero said, his voice a little stronger now, as he took the folder from her. "I appreciate it"
Michka nodded, feeling a pang of sympathy for her classmate. "Is everything okay, Eero? You've been absent from school for a while, and... well, you look a bit... unwell".
Eero's eyes flashed with a hint of something – amusement, perhaps, or even warning – before he looked away, his expression unreadable.
"I'm fine, Michka. Just a bit... Look, you gotta leave, Now!".
Michka wasn't convinced, but she didn't press the issue.
Instead, she turned to leave, her mind whirling with questions about Eero's mysterious illness and the strange, almost otherworldly aura that seemed to surround him.
As she reached the door, Eero's voice called out to her, low and urgent.
"Michka, wait!"
She turned back to face him, her heart pounding with anticipation. "What is it, Eero?"
Eero's eyes locked onto hers, burning with an intensity that made Michka's skin prickle.
"You shouldn't be here" he managed to say, darn! that's not what he wanted to say.
He grabbed her hand and walked her out of the corridor but just as he stepped forward, he paused when he sighted his brothers walking up to them.
There was no way out now.
If anything, he knew that Iris had snitched on him... this was her plan all along —to walk them both into this trap.