Page 42

If Oskar fails to stand up to the bullies, his ultimate fate is independent of his initial fantasies. If they are not vindictive, Eli will write him off as a hopeless case; otherwise, she will initially accept him, but then she will dump him when his cowardice in the face of the bullies shows her that her hope for him was misplaced. Either way, the bullying will eventually stop and he will live out a normal lifespan, but he will endure two failed marriages, work far beneath his academic qualifications and die alone.

If Oskar does stand up to the bullies, he can maintain a relationship with Eli if he makes the following four choices. He must initially have vindictive fantasies and he must let Eli in when she asks him to; otherwise she will move away. Then he must continue their relationship when he finds out that she is incapable of doing "anything special" and he must challenge the man who breaks into her apartment; otherwise she will be killed by the intruder. Without Eli's protection, Oskar will be killed by Conny's older brother Jimmy.

If Oskar keeps Eli onside until Jimmy attacks him, Eli will rescue him, whether or not he tries to fight back, and she will ask him to accompany her on her travels. If he declines, they will part. She will be killed by her new boyfriend but he will live a normal life: he'll never again be bullied, he'll become a teacher, he'll get married and have three kids but he will never stop loving Eli. If he agrees to accompany Eli, she will ask him to replace Håkan as her provider.

If he agrees, he will be beaten up by his first intended victim and be put in the hospital, where Eli will visit him and ask him to let her drink his blood. If he agrees to sacrifice himself for her, she will make the last few minutes of his life as happy as she can. Otherwise, she will inform him that unless he makes that sacrifice, she will die, and then he will agree to make it.

If Oskar does not agree to kill for her, she will ask him to sacrifice himself instead. If he declines, she will inform him that she can hold out for one more day, after which, if he fails to bring her blood, they will have to part. He will buy blood from people, first with her money and then, after he graduates from high school and gets a job, with the money he earns. At the age of seventy-six, he will get sick and realize that he will no longer be able to provide for her, at which point he will make his final exit by letting her drink his blood.

If you want to read the details of the consequences of any of the other sequences of choices, either turn to page 2 to start at the beginning or return to the page that contains the decision you want to change. Otherwise, turn to page 43.