Victoria was walking with lowered eyes, being afraid of seeing something unusual and strange. She didn’t want to see anything like this. She hated all the mysterious and mystical, that had attracted her before. Sometimes it was unbearable. But she still kept on considering Kharon to be from another world was the best and the strangest that could have ever happened to her. That wouldn’t be a problem if now Victoria admitted that the attendant circumstances were really complicated.
Vic was on her way to the metro, pressing the red package firmly in her hand. It seemed to her to be radiating the warmth of her beloved man and she could feel him at whole. She thought about nothing but walked aloofly to the entrance to the tube.
People went towards her whom Vic tried not to see. Obviously, people didn’t want to see her neither and in several seconds someone pushed the girl. Victoria in her fright jumped away and stared at the offender indignantly.
‘It’s a really small world.’ She said in surprise looking at the man.
‘Vic?’ he smiled. ‘What a meeting! How on earth did you get here?’
‘Hi, Daniel. I work here. What’re you doing here?’
‘Business.’ He answered modestly, carefully studying the girl.
The dark-olive eyes were looking at his face and the recollections of the time Daniel and she had spent together were streaming through her memories. It was a great time! Victoria lifted up the corner of her lips, feeling her memory digging the past, bringing in sentiments. Smiles. Laugh. Night walks. The first love confession. His love and cares. Worry. Tears of happiness and grief. Meeting with parents. Confusion and shame. The first sexual experience. Suspiciousness. Victoria stopped smiling. Remembering her bed scenes with Daniel she understood those two years had been so dull and languid. She remembered Daniel being awkwardly selfish in bed. He was just pathetic.
The breeze, coolly, touched and made a mess with her hair, without caring the girl’s attempts to order the curls. She screwed up her nose, twisted around trying to catch the direction the wind was blowing in. She pursed her lips and narrowed the eyes but kept on staring at Daniel.
‘Why are you looking at me like this?’ Vic asked, hooded the head.
‘It’s been a half of the year passed, hasn’t it? You’ve been changed so much since I saw you last time, like it’d been past several years…’
‘How can you say like this?’ Vic smiled.
‘How?’ the young man smiled back. ‘I got used to see you to be so… modest, perhaps shy and now I see a very self-confident girl. Ambitious and cocky…and beautiful.’
Daniel got confused not understanding why he spoke all those things, but he was telling the truth.
‘Well, that’s a good change,’ Vic took a sigh, ‘Ok then, Daniel, it’s nice to meet you but I’d like to go home. I’m tired a bit.’
‘I wish you hadn’t been in a hurry,’ Daniel said sorrowfully and took the girl by the hand.
The darkness hit Vic’s eyes, making them close and her hand instinctively squeezed the man’s one. The smell of alcohol, spirit. Cigarette smoke. Tears. Terrible male tears. Desperation. Self-reproach. A woman. Another one. Some unfamiliar faces. Fuss and fuss around. Work record was at home in dust. Hopelessness. All the faces were tuned away. They were laughing. The car was sold. His mother. Her warm hands and invaluable help…
‘You’ve been dismissed!’ Victoria whispered hypnotizingly still holding the young man’s hand.
‘How did you get it?’ Daniel shouted in his fright and pulled his hand.
‘What?’ Vitoria came back to reality from her uncontrolled state.
‘The last time you were telling me about the woman who I saw almost for the first time in my life. Now you’re telling me about my work which you’re not supposed to have known about!’
‘I gotta go, really!’ the girl quickly took steps forward, having realized that she had made a mistake again.
‘Vic!’ Daniel called.
But the girl intently rushed forward having no wish to speak with anyone. She heard her name for several times, but she didn’t turn to him.
Being on the moving stair Victoria, lost in the crowd, desired for getting home quickly, unexpectedly found herself in a man’s arms. She felt a relief when she understood her be in Kharon’s ones.
‘It’s been a horrible day,’ she sighed with a smile on her lips, pressing herself to the man. ‘What’re you doing here? We agreed to meet at home, didn’t we?’
‘Aren’t you happy to see me now?’
‘You know the answer.’
‘I do, that’s why I’m really surprised why I see astonishment and even the touch of rebuke, as you get used to speak, instead of enjoyment?’ he smiled, taking the girl aside. ‘I’m here because I’ve been worrying that I would see you not as soon as I want.’
‘Why?’ Vic was surprised again.
‘Well you’ve had meetings with your worshippers the whole day. The blonde guy, your ex-lover, who has realized only today the loss of you. Your man whom you always go to cafes with and who’s always sticking in your office and he has barely beaten off his tongue, begging himself not to kiss you.’
‘I know nothing about it.’
‘I do.’
Vic looked at him. There was a smiling face covered with a malignant mask. His eyes were empty and overwhelmed with indifference. The girl took a sigh when she understood that the demon still had no feelings. He did his work in a cold-mind way.
‘You’re squeezing the stone so strong. Can’t you really hear it screaming with pain? I didn’t think you’re so heartless!’
‘What’s screaming? The stone?’ Vic asked and unclenched her fist.
There was a red, cut stone on her palm and nothing more. It was just a stone and the carats were the only thing that made it different form others.
‘Yes,’ the demon nodded and took the mineral with two fingers and put it on his palm. ‘It’s hurt.’
‘It’s a stone! How can it be hurt?’
‘People can’t feel and hear any pain but their own. This is what Lucifer tried to prove to his father. And then his father told: “I’ve created them in my own likeness and if they are not able to behold pain of other then give them more time, my son”. Has enough time passed, Victoria?’
The girl looked nowhere still trying to realize and believe that stones could feel. The man touched her gentle cheek mysteriously studying her eyes. He smiled so mean and foully but at the same time his smile was unbelievably beautiful… the smile of the angel, mudded with black.
‘Hey, love?’ he asked, ‘why are you silent? You still can’t hear, can you?’
Vic shook her head. She didn’t still hear. She didn’t believe! Stones couldn’t cry!
‘You’re so hopeless!’ Kharon accused. ‘And I like it. He doesn’t, but I do!’
He pressed his lips against her greedily, immersing them into silence and peacefulness. The destroying bee noise was gone. People groaning from life were gone. The world went on its fascinated life but without dully surrounding. Kharon’s touches were what Victoria had been waiting for. So had Kharon…
The sun. The warm, gouache yellow sun was in the clear azure sky. The noise of water. The songs of Paradise birds, which to be honest couldn’t sing at all. The breeze. The smell of the sea water. The sand under the feet. It was heated by the glaring sun and its farsighted rays. It was so pleasant.
Victoria knew exactly that she was on a beach. It was deserted and free completely. There was just a unique music of nature and Kharon. He was massaging her hand. Pleasure… He pressed some trigger areas that brought more pleasure. He stroked her hands and didn’t stop massaging her thumb base. Victoria looked up at the sly and naughty smile wandered her face.
‘What a perfect illusion!’ Vic whispered and closed the eyes.
They were too hurt to look at the azure sky lightened by the sun. Besides Kharon worked wanders more and more. She just wanted to close the eyes.
‘Come with me,’ Kharon whispered and took the girl into his arms.