Scream Me a Dream

“You hung up on me.” Ville accused quietly.

“I know.” Soya whispered. “I’m sorry.”

She heard Ville sigh and prepared herself for the reprimand. “Are you really sorry?”

Soya frowned. “What?”

“Are you really sorry you hung up on me? Because from what I heard on my end, you were pretty determined to leave me out of the conversation. So are you really sorry or so used to saying the words that you say them for everything?”

Soya sighed. “I don’t want to argue.”

“I’m not arguing.” Ville told her. “I’m just stating a fact. You didn’t accidently push the ‘end’ button on the phone Soya, you hung up on me to keep me out and that hurts.”

“I know.” Soya sighed. “I just…” she trailed off not sure what else to say.

“I understand,” Ville started. “That you want to handle your own problems, that you want to keep me shielded from the problems you have with your parents. You told me at Bam’s that you didn’t want me to view you as a child.”

“I don’t.”

“You hanging up on me, to keep me out of something like an argument with your mother is something I view as childish Soya.”

Soya quickly pressed her fingers to her eyes, when she felt the tears start to leak out form the corner of her eyes. “I don’t want to get you…” Soya swallowed the lump that was forming in her throat. “I…”

“I understand that these are problems that you want to solve yourself, Soya, I really do, but this is never going to work if you don’t let me in.”

Soya frowned. “What isn’t going to work?”

“Us, Soya,” Ville chuckled lightly. “We’re not going to work if you don’t learn to let me in.”

“I just don’t want you to go running in the other direction once you see how…messed up my life is.”

Ville chuckled. “And to think I was so close to hearing you say ‘fucked’”

Soya gave a quiet laugh. “Very close.” She admitted.

“Soya, I’ve always known how fucked up your family life is, no offense to your family.”

“None taken.” Soya shrugged.

“If it hasn’t sent me running by now, I don’t think it’s going to send me running in the future.”

Soya bit her lip, before sighing and letting it pour out. “My mother took nearly two million dollars out of my savings and put it in some unknown account in another bank, because she didn’t want the money to ‘tempt’ me into going home.”

Ville was silent on the other end, before a ‘woosh’ of air left his lips. “That is really fucked up Soya.”

“Yes, well, that’s my mother.” Soya sighed. “My father found out though, and he’s fixing it.”

“That’s good…right?”

Soya gave another quiet laugh. “Yes, that’s good; she didn’t tell him about moving the money, so he’s upset.”

“How did you end up finding out about the money being moved?”

“I was calling to make a deposit.” Soya said, keeping to the lie she had told her mother, mostly because she still didn’t want Ville to know about her plan to move to Finland in a month. “I’m not even upset that she moved the money.”

“You’re not?” Ville asked in surprise. “I’d be pissed as all hell.”

“No,” Soya admitted. “I’m more upset about how she moved it without telling me and assumed that moving to Finland was the only reason I’d use the money.”

“Then what is the reason you’re saving the money?” Ville asked amused.

Soya gave a light smile, feeling a bit more like herself. Damn Josef for being right. “Saving it for a rainy day, I guess.” She had the pleasure of hearing Ville laugh and couldn’t help but grin.

“Soya, more seriously, Josef said something before I got hung up on.”

“Oh?” Soya asked, sitting up and moving around on the bed so she was sitting against the headboard.

“He said that after an argument with your mother, it took him days to get you back. What did he mean?”

Soya sighed and ran a hand through her quickly drying hair. “I’ve only fought with my mother twice before today, both were horrible.”

“All right.” Ville said, and she could see him nodding, listening.

“I just, I hate reliving the arguments, I hate trying to sort everything out and burden people with an issue that doesn’t involve them.”

“You go inside yourself.” Ville murmured.

“A bit too much apparently.” Soya said with a shrug. “Josef says I mope around for days before I sort myself out again and most times the only reason I sort myself out is because Josef shakes me out of my mood.” She bit her lip. “The first time I argued with my mother and Josef left me to my own devices I got my tattoo.”

“You did?” Ville laughed.

Soya gave a small nod. “My own form of rebelliousness I suppose, I was going to get something small, but Rosalind said that if I was going to do it, I might as well go big.”

“Rosalind!?” Ville laughed.

Soya smiled. “She was getting her own tattoo, the one on her wrist.”

“Ah, Impi’s.” Ville said in understanding.

“Right, I went along and was thinking of just getting something small, when Rosalind took my sketchbook, flipped it the page where I’d been playing around with the Heartagrams; she said if I was going to rebel once in my life, I might as well do it in a big way.”

“Do you regret it?”

Soya laughed. “I did, when I had to go back to rehearsals two weeks later, but I never regretted actually getting it. The reason I got it wasn’t right either, but actually getting it, never.”

There was a moment of silence before Ville asked. “How are you feeling?”

Soya smiled. “Better, much better.”

“Good, I like to see you annoyed, but I don’t think I like hearing you upset.”

Soya laughed. “Then it’s a good thing I’m not upset often.” Soya frowned when she heard a beeping coming from the speaker, pulling the phone away she looked at the screen and saw she had a call waiting. “Ah, Ville, my father’s on the other line.”

“Oh,”

“I have to take it; he probably just finished at the bank.”

“All right, call me later?”

“I will, and Ville?”

“Yes?”

“Thank you.”

“Nothing to be thankful for kulta, I’m here when you need me.”

“I know.” She said before she bid Ville goodbye and switched calls. “Papa? Sorry, I was on the other line.”

“It’s fine, love, how are you?”

“Better.” Soya admitted.

“Good, I’ve fixed everything at the bank.”

“The money’s back?” Soya asked.

“Not exactly.” Jonah admitted. “When I say I fixed everything, I mean I fixed everything. I cancelled your savings account and opened another, with just your name on it.”

Soya blinked. “What?”

“I don’t want this happening again Soya, so I closed your old account with all of our names on it, and opened one that’s solely yours, neither your mother or I will be able to touch that money.”

“But…” Soya frowned. “I don’t understand.”

“Soya,” Jonah said patiently. “The only reason our names were on your savings account was because you weren’t old enough to be the sole owner of the account.”

“But what about when I turned eighteen? Wasn’t I old enough to be the only person on the account then?”

“That was my decision.” Jonah admitted. “I didn’t think that at eighteen you were ready to handle that money on your own, especially with the amount you were putting in each week, I also thought that you’d be calling every week wanting money out of the account, I did not think you would actually save as much as you did.”

“And now? Now I’m old enough?”

Jonah sighed “I hear the bitterness Soya, I know you’re trying to hide it, and I’m sorry for that. I believe it’s time for you to handle your own money now, yes, but in reality it’s always been your money to do with what you please.”

“But you’ve always put money in as well papa.”

“And?” Jonah asked. “I’ve never put in the amount you do each week, and I only do it once a month, and only because I felt like I should continue adding to it when I make a deposit into Aida’s savings. That money has always been yours, no one else can touch it but you. If it’s to bring you to Finland, all the better, but it’s yours Soya.”

Soya sniffed. “Thank you.”

“Now, what is it you were trying to do with the money that got us into this mess in the first place?”

“I uh…” Soya bit her lip. “I have a bit of a confession to make.”

“Oh?”

“You know my friends? The ones I met in the music store? The ones in the band?”

“Yes.” Jonah said slowly.

“I actually saw them again, back in May, I’ve been in contact with them.” Soya said carefully.

“That’s wonderful Soya!” Jonah laughed.

“Excuse me.” Soya asked bewildered.

“It’s wonderful you’ve been in contact with old friends, they must be ecstatic that you’re coming home.”

Soya blinked rapidly, still in shock over the turn of events. Hadn’t the entire reason she’d been sent to New York was because her father had deemed it necessary to pull her away from a friendship that had meant everything to her. “Uh…yes, they are.” Soya said. “I actually have two of them helping me in my search for a flat.”

“Oh Soya, I told you I would take care of that for you.” Jonah told her.

“I know, I just, I wanted to do it on my own. I had them look for a place; they’ve found one and sent me pictures. They were at the bank today, to withdraw the money for the down payment.”

“I want to talk to your friends.”

“Why?” Soya asked quickly.

“So I can meet them at the flat and I can inspect it Soya, do you even know where this place is?”

“It’s on Huvilakatu.”

“Really?” Jonah asked surprised.

Soya laughed. “Linde and Mige wouldn’t put me up in a hovel Papa, they know what I like. I trust their judgment.”

“I still want to look at this place; I’d like to meet with them.”

Soya bit her lip. “I don’t know Papa,”

“Soya, I want to make sure the flat is acceptable, nothing more.”

Soya gave a sigh of defeat. “Fine, I’ll give you Linde’s number.”

“Is that the boy’s name, Linde?”

Soya laughed. “Linde isn’t a boy anymore, papa, he’s a man, and yes we call him Linde.”

“And his given name?”

Soya couldn’t help but laugh at her father’s insistence. “Mikko, papa, his name is Mikko.”

“Good, now his number.”

Soya shook her head and recited Linde’s number to her father. He repeated it back to her, causing her to nod. “Yes, that’s it.”

“Perfect, I’ll call him tonight, and I’ll set up lunch.”

“You sound excited about the idea.”

“The fact that my daughter is coming home, has me very excited my love. Now I’ll let you go, so I can make this phone call.”

Soya shook her head. “All right, and papa, thank you.”

“Nothing to thank me for Soya, I’m just sorry this all happened in the first place.”

Soya bit her lip. “Papa?”

“Hmmm?”

“Why doesn’t mamma know I’m coming home?”

Jonah sighed. “I think it would be best if your mother didn’t know of these plans. I’ll let her know when the time is right but for now we’ll keep it our secret, all right?”

Soya nodded. “All right.”

“Now go, I’ve kept you tied up long enough; your day is just starting.”

“Bye papa.” Soya whispered, before hanging up the phone. She leaned her head back against the headboard and looked up at the ceiling, trying to figure out when talking to her father had actually become a joy instead of a chore. She wondered when her source of comfort had shifted from Josef to Ville. She wondered why with just the sound of his voice, Ville was able to make her smile and feel better about herself, when Josef labored for days just to get her to feel a semblance of herself.

Sighing, she crawled out of bed and rummaged through her suitcase for a pair of shorts and a tank top to change into. Going into the bathroom she changed quickly, braiding her dried hair, knowing it would be pointless to do anything else with it. She grabbed her purse and made sure she had her key card, before leaving her room.

She’d decided not to worry about her father’s abrupt change in attitude, she was still a bit wary about it, and didn’t want to get her hopes up that he would continue acting as he’d been acting. As for Ville, well really, Ville had always been her source of comfort, even when he hadn’t been with her, hearing his voice in his music had always helped her feel better.

She made her way down to the lobby, finding the dining room where they had all planned to have breakfast, quickly finding the three tables they had claimed as their own, as well as a free seat next to Josef. Sliding into her seat, she set her purse on the ground and poured herself coffee from the carafe sitting at the table.

“Better?” Josef asked, against his own cup as he took a drink of coffee.

Soya took a deep breath and nodded. “Much.”

“Good.”

Soya rolled her eyes. “You can say it Josef.”

“You sure? I don’t want to rub it in.” Josef smirked.

“Just say it.” Soya sighed.

Josef laughed and leaned closer to her as he whispered, “I told you so.” in her ear.

XxxxxxX

“Olivia! Wait!” Linde called, chasing his daughter down the hall with a towel in his hand. With him on break from touring, it gave him the chance to do the nightly rituals he usually missed with his daughter. Who knew his daughter liked to jump out of the shower and avoid any thing that had to do with sleep, including drying off?

He followed the water droplets on the floor, only to laugh when he found her giggling behind her bedroom door. “There you are you little troublemaker!” he laughed, wrapping her in the towel, picking her up and taking her back to the bathroom.

“Are you going to read me a story before I go to bed?”

“I’ll read you two.” Linde said, kissing her temple as he helped her into her pajamas. He hung the towel over the shower rod, before he and Olivia went to the kitchen, so he could warm her some milk before he put her to bed and read her some stories.

“Isi?”

Linde looked over at the counter and saw Olivia holding his vibrating cell phone. Taking it from her hand he answered as he poured the milk into the pan. “Hei?”

“Is this Mikko Lindström?”

Linde frowned at the familiar voice, but nodded as he answered. “This is Mikko.”

“Ah, Mikko, this is Jonah Toivonen.”

Linde’s hand wobbled on the milk carton, nearly dropping it, before he set it on the counter. “Mr. Toivonen.”

“I’m sorry to inconvenience you so late.”

“No.” Linde said quickly. “No inconvenience, I…what can I do for you?”

“Soya has told me that you found her a flat in Huvilakatu.”

“We did.” Linde agreed.

“If you don’t mind, I’d like to take a look at it before Soya gets it. If you’re free for lunch tomorrow, I’d like to get together.”

Linde stared at the milk in the pan in surprise. “It’s not just me doing this for Soya.”

“Yes, she told me a….Mige is also helping her.”

Linde couldn’t help but chuckle. “His name is also Mikko; we use nicknames to avoid confusion within the band and life in general. I’m sure Mige is free, I’ll call him later.”

“Perfect, do you know where La Petit Maison is?”

Linde blinked at the name of the fancy restaurant, “Yes, I do.”

“We’ll meet there then, noon tomorrow.”

Linde nodded, finally knowing what Soya felt when talking to her father. It really was impossible to say ‘no’ to the man. “We’ll be there.”

“Great, see you then.”

Before Linde had a chance to say goodbye, Jonah had already hung up.

“Isi!”

“What?” Linde asked, putting his phone on the counter.

“The milk!” Olivia cried, causing Linde to look down at the burning milk and curse.

“Sorry, Liv, I’ll start it over again.” Linde said pouring the milk into the sink and washing the pan. He’d never met Jonah Toivonen in person, and he wasn’t sure if he had ever wanted to meet the man. Now he didn’t have a choice.