The beginning of March has arrived. Sara goes outside to get some fresh air. She misses her freedom. Spring is fast approaching, and she dreams that this nightmare is finally over and she can go home. Even if she has to live side by side with a father who doesn't give a damn about her, her stepmother, and her nasty daughter Victoria, she dreams of nothing more than to rub her nose in it again. She wants to tug at her bleached hair.
She looks over her shoulder when she senses someone's presence. Alan puts a sweater over her shoulders, and it reminds her of a moment from last year. Back then she gazed at him like a picture and claimed there was no greater ideal than him.
She was naive.
- Don't believe the psychologist. - These are the first words he says. - I know he is trying to mess with your head. He is not going to help you at all. He is in collusion with the General. They have concocted this to get information from you about uranium.
The girl smiles under her breath and ignores his words, but he does not let go and continues talking to her.
- The general intends to share the jewelry with him and let him go along with his father. They want to end it all. They realize they have little time left, as the end of the school year is fast approaching.
- Here it is not about uranium. It's nonsense. The psychologist explained to me that they could easily get another one. The general is not building a nuclear bomb. He cares about jewelry.
Alan puts his hand to his mouth as the girl's expression amuses him.
- Sara, you're cute, and I would rather not offend you, but start thinking. - After these words, the teenage girl looks at him with indignation in her eyes. - The general is ninety years old. Why would such a man need money when his days are numbered? He cares first and foremost about uranium, to wipe Poland off the face of the earth. His hatred for this country is so strong that he has been planning to do this for more than sixty years, and if it weren't for your grandmother's the bomb would probably have been used back in wartime. Do you know how difficult it is to bring uranium across the border? It's impossible. Besides, it has to be well decomposed to be suitable for use in an atomic bomb....
Sara squints, looking at him suspiciously.
- How do you know all this? You're working with him, aren't you? - Her voice becomes sharper. - Together with him, you are planning to escape!
The boy rubs his forehead and walks closer to her, trying to silence her.
- Allow me to explain it to you.... - The girl does not let him get a word in edgewise, moving away from him to a safe distance. Tears appear in her eyes.
- It was not I who betrayed you, but you betrayed me.... - whispers quietly. - I don't trust you. You cooperate with the General and I have reason to believe the psychologist, not you.
She wants to go inside, but he stops her with him. He grabs the girl's hand, forcing her to stay with him and listen to him to the end.
- You are right... I cooperate with him, but I do it for you. - Sara laughs through her tears.
- For me? For me, you are finished. Go ahead, run with the General abroad. I don't give a damn if you blow us up. You have destroyed me, Alan.
She pulls her hand out of his grasp and throws the sweater with which he had previously covered her shoulders under his feet.
This time he doesn't stop her. He knows there's no point, since he's the one who ruined the relationship.
*
The teenager tries to get air, but can't because she's under the surface of the water. Phantoms circle around her, shrilly whispering in her ear. She longs to surface, but is dragged to the bottom. She struggles with the last of her strength and gives up when a rusty metal box catches her eye. Furthermore, she reaches out her hand to reach it, but gets the impression that it's an illusion because she can't grasp it. Despite her best efforts, there is nothing she can do.
She opens her eyes and realizes that she is lying on the grass. Dressed in pajamas and with bare feet, the girl is frozen and dirty from the ground.
She kneels and leans over the pond, stretching her hand towards the water. She longs to see what hides at the bottom of the pond, as nightmares keep her awake. Furthermore, she can't swim and this is her greatest fear. She closes her eyes and leans more forward, but someone catches her at the last moment and saves her from making a fatal mistake. He forcefully lifts his off the ground and embraces her from behind, placing his hands on her arms. He presses his face into her hair, and even though she can't see him, she can recognize him without any problem.
- Sorry. - Sara clenches her eyelids, trying to stop the tears flowing into her eyes. - Forgive me for all the atrocities I have committed," he announces in a weepy voice, not intending to move away from her. - Nothing can justify my despicable behavior, but I love you so much that jealousy clouded my mind. I went crazy when I saw you with Oliver.... - The teenager is shaking from the cold, so he embraces her even more tightly. - I never intended to hurt you. I said stupid things, but none of them came from the bottom of my heart. Forgive me, Sara.
She can't make a sound. Her voice is stuck in her throat.
- I promise that I will do everything to make sure that you leave this place whole and healthy. I will protect you until the very end.
Tears flow from under her closed eyelids. She wants to trust him, but he has done her too much harm in recent times, so she can't. Although he still holds a place in her heart as one of the most important people in her life, something has changed. Their relationship is worse. They have moved away from each other. Too much has happened for her to trust him again.
- How did you know I was here? - This is not what he expects to hear from her mouth, so it pains him when she entirely ignores his words and changes the subject. - It's the middle of the night, so how did you find me here?
He moves away from her. Biting his lip, he takes three steps back, disappointed that she ignored his confession.
- I noticed that you were going underground, so I followed you. I was worried.
He wipes tears from his cheeks with the top of his hand.
- Do you sleep at all? - she asks, turning to face him. Even though it's dark, she notices how pale his face is. - You look bad.
- I would like to ask you the same thing. I see that the ghosts still do not give you a break.... This could have ended very dangerously for you," he says, pointing to the pond. - You can't swim Sara, so what did you want to do?
She doesn't answer. She is not going to reveal the truth to him because she does not trust him at all. He cooperates with the monster. He is slowly becoming just like him.
- I don't know what I wanted to do.... - she whispers. She lifts her face and looks at the starry sky. She sighs. - But one thing is certain. - She plunges her gaze into the boy standing in front of her. - I will never forgive you.
*
She still thinks about the previous night and the words she heard from Alan's mouth. She can't erase them from her memory, even if she'd like to. Furthermore, she feels that something is wrong, yet she can't solve it. It scares her to think that every time she sees his eyes, she is convinced he is telling the truth.
- Why don't you look at me? I've been talking to you for five minutes, and you stare at the wall as if you saw a ghost there. - Oliver's sarcasm amuses Laura, who is sitting next to him. - First you tell us about your dreams and say that you want to fish out the box at all costs, and when I agree, you remain silent. - He moves closer to the girl and plunges his gaze to the same point as her. - Who do you see there? Did the ghost of a renowned artist come to you?
Laura laughs and pats the boy on the knee. He throws her a disgusted look, informing her that they are still not at this stage of acquaintance.
- I just don't know if it's a good idea for you to jump into the pond. I'm worried about you, Oliver," she declares, turning her face toward him. He is too close, making them almost collide with their noses. The boy does not react in any way, instead Sara feels confused at one point.
He grunts nervously.
Laura runs her fingers through her hair, trying to ignore their close relationship, and completely loses interest in it when she sniffs her hand and realizes that she hasn't washed her hair in a long time.
- It's disgusting," she mutters and puts her hand to her friend's nose. - It's about time I washed my hair, isn't it? Because of this situation in the building, I completely neglected myself.
The boy croaks and pushes her hand away.
- Good thing you at least brush your teeth...
- And what should I do, as I'm slowly running out of products? My parents used to send them all the time, and now I don't get them.
- Do you think anyone will bring your stuff to your room? They dump everything in the storage room on the first floor. I recently brought some products to Sara," he announces, glancing at her fleetingly. - And don't even think about picking them up for her! - he jumps on her, making her open her eyes wider. - Go ahead and bring yourself all the things you need.
The girl crosses her arms and snorts with great indignation.
- Do you really think you can do it? Aren't you afraid? - Sara turns directly to Oliver, ending their pointless dialogue.
The boy nods without hesitation.
- I swim well, and besides, I can hold my breath underwater for a long time. This is nothing difficult for me," he declares, shrugging his shoulders.
- Nevertheless, I feel apprehension. I get the impression that there is something evil hiding there, and it can hurt you.
- The only thing that can hide there are ghosts. I can't see them. - Oliver puts his hand on her back and strokes her reassuringly. - Let's do it tonight. You can't relive these nightmares every night. You need peace and quiet.
The girl lowers her head and nods uncertainly.
*
The sound of the wind arouses in her an indefinite fear. She looks carefully around the area, stopping her gaze a moment longer at the trees behind the fence, which look particularly disturbing in the gloom.
She looks at Oliver and again feels a strange fear. He fears that something is hiding at the bottom of the pond.
- You can opt out at any time.... you don't have to do it. - The boy looks over his shoulder and raises his hand, in which he holds a waterproof flashlight. He found it in the storeroom when they were cleaning for punishment last year and took it with him, thinking it might be helpful in the future. He was right. Furthermore, he needs it now.
Laura bites her finger nervously. She looks around, as if she is afraid someone is watching them.
Sara runs up to Oliver when she notices that he has prepared to jump. She grabs his hand, so he lowers his gaze and looks into her eyes. She notices the panicky fear in them. Furthermore, she smiles because she sees how worried she is about him.
- You can give me a kiss, then I will know that it was worth risking my life for you. - The teenage girl wrinkles her eyebrows and slaps him on the shoulder. - You'll still cry when I don't emerge," he jokes, but she's not laughing.
- I want to see you back shortly. - She looks deeply into his eyes, and a smile appears on his face.
He nods.
*
The psychologist paces around the room, smiling cynically. He stares at the mentally ill man, who is viciously pounding his hands on the glass. He is mute. Furthermore, he has listened to many conversations, so he knows what lies behind his relativity. He has tried repeatedly to warn Sarah, but he doesn't know the way to do it.
He plunges his curious eyes into the teenager, who descends into the underground part of the office. The boy sits down in a chair and sighs deeply.
- Does anyone know where the hell the General has gone?
- Do you think the General is a person who discusses every step he plans?
Alan squints his eyes, looking at him suspiciously. The person who heard that day what he talked about with Sara repeated every word to him. He is not stupid and realizes that he plans to use the girl for his purposes. What matters to him is money. Alan cannot fathom how Sara trusted him so easily, but he has no intention of letting her be harmed by him.
- Well, I don't know... the three of you are particularly close to each other. You, daddy and uncle," he mocks, smiling arrogantly. - Although I'm his grandson, I feel spurned. I don't think he trusts me enough to hide most of the information from me....
- Previously, you cooperated with your colleagues. Sara was your girlfriend, so do you think he would tell you everything?
The teenager raises an eyebrow in curiosity.
- How do you know I'm not in a relationship anymore? Ah, these rumors spread so fast," he announces, stretching in his chair. - It even bounced off my ears that you are working with Sara behind our backs.
The man swallows his saliva harder and forces a nervous smile.
- So that means you were the one who bugged us.... You had great timing. What are you going to do with this information?
- It depends on what you are up to. Tell me what your plans are and I'll think about it.
He sits down opposite him. He rests his chin on his hands, remaining silent for a long moment. Furthermore, he contemplates what kind of answer he should give.
Alan warns him.
- Let me answer for you. - His eyes shine with anger. - I don't know what reason you might have, but you would never side with a teenage girl. This is absurd. The general told you about the jewelry, and the thought of money so consumed you that you dreamed of finally getting away from here, going abroad and starting a new life. Am I right?
The psychologist points his finger at him, admiring him for figuring it out so quickly.
- Pretty good... although you didn't capture everything. There was a period of time when I was protecting Sara. I found out that she was the daughter of a person close to me, so I intended to help her. Unfortunately, the General found out about everything. He gave me a choice to take this opportunity to get all the information about uranium from her. I agreed because I heard about the jewelry. He promised that he would reward me and eventually free me from myself, so there was nothing to consider. I realized that Sara was really only her daughter, and that the girl's father was a man I hated. Would I have to die for her? Now that I have a chance for a new life?
Alan rubs his forehead and looks at him with amusement in his eyes.
- Money has power over people, right? My father always used to say that when he beat my mother," he announces, smiling sourly. - Are you going to use Sarah, then destroy her to get money? - He puts his head on the backrest of his chair, looking up at the ceiling. - Nazis are extremely heartless.
- Whose side are you on? - The man squints his eyes, as if trying to x-ray his insides.
Alan rises from his chair. He remains silent for a long time. He only speaks up when he removes a knife from his pocket.
- Certainly not after yours. I won't let you hurt her. - He unexpectedly attacks him, unscrupulously thrusting the tool into his body. He doesn't even hesitate for a moment. Since he started it, he decides to finish it. Nothing can stop him anymore.
The phantom was right. The image from her future came true, and the boy killed another man, only that he had to do it to protect the person he cared about.
He has no regrets, because he knows that after death he will go to hell anyway.