Give me a sign

– Who remembers what? Romka asked, scratching his short buzz cut hair.

– Well, we were all on the list, right? Maria looked around nervously. We were all invited to participate in the project, weren’t we?

“I wasn’t there,” Nikita replied. – I … – he thought. – I remember that a passer-by asked for directions and… that’s it, I don’t remember anything else.

– Likhomanov Nikita, seventeen years old.

– Why did you send an application for participation in the project?

– I want to invest in a startup. I have the developments of the program, but to bring it to mind, a lot of money is needed. I stream, I want to break into eSports.

Nikita turned to the silent Lily, who was looking ahead of her, as if delving into her own consciousness. And with renewed vigor, I felt inside the prickling of a tiny lightning, which seemed to be an electrical discharge that appeared before my mind’s eye. Nikita with gloomy determination repeated her words to himself: “A strange time is coming…”.

“I don’t remember anything at all,” Dimka remarked ironically. – I was so drunk, like the last time in my life. Also, Masha rebuffed.

“But I didn’t get involved with rogues,” Maria spat contemptuously, smoothing out the wrinkles on her blouse in the décolleté area. A small chest was emphasized by an impressive push-up and a deep neckline on the blouse. The girl looked well-groomed, obviously did not save. An expensive skirt, a high-quality blouse and high-heeled shoes are the peak of fashion. The father-governor never cheated his daughter, satisfying all her wishes. The blond hair was styled in careless waves and filled with tons of varnish, so that the styling held like in the advertisement “even in a hurricane”, and a hairpin completed the look. The pronounced cheekbones only added emphasis to the already plump unnatural lips, and the faded blue eyes under the huge extended eyelashes created the look of a typical goofy blonde. Looking at her, one could feel that behind this mask hides more than one outstanding and extremely thoughtful soul. It resembled the process of building a computer based on computer programs. At first, a computer was shown as a set of programs, each of which was a separate program that implemented some algorithm of actions.

– Well, yes, well, yes, remind you of the draining of photos? Dimka chuckled, remembering how the indecent content of the photographs that the girl sent to her boyfriend, who turned out to be a dishonorable person, were discussed throughout the school.

Nikita just rolled his eyes.

– Semushin Dmitry, eighteen years old.

– Did you stay for the second year? The casting director raised an eyebrow questioningly.

“I don’t like to study,” the guy replied calmly.

– Why did you decide to participate?

– I live one day, and this is an opportunity to try something new.

– Do you have something that will prevent you from achieving victory?

– No. I’m ready for anything.

– And I did not drink, – Vlad shrugged his shoulders.

– Then what did you do at the check-in? – Maria asked sarcastically, as if the guy was guilty of all mortal sins. Everyone in the class knew that Vlad was an athlete, leading a correct lifestyle and, in general, tried to remain “correct” in the eyes of those around him.

– I was called in honor of the opening of the project, – without reacting to the first beauty of the school, the guy answered, turning more to the others. Tall, strong build with pronounced, but not pumped muscles, only emphasizing excellent physical shape. Gray eyes, well-defined facial features added severity for the growing guy, giving the impression of a serious man. But sometimes those eyes reflected uncertainty and confusion when he noticed someone else’s gaze on him. Another sign that the boy has not yet fully become an adult. He knew from experience how painful it can be if that look suddenly catches on you.

– What did you forget about the project? Dimitri chuckled. Too right for games.

“I forgot to ask you,” a classmate answered, hiding his inner irritation.

– Antonov Vladislav, eighteen years old. We moved to this city with my family last year, because of missing two weeks, my parents decided to leave me “for the second year”, having agreed with the teachers.

– Why were you absent for two weeks?

– Competition.

– What sport?

– Chess.

– You can’t tell by your complexion, – the woman smiled.

– We adhere to the right way of life. Exercise, proper nutrition, sports, – his gray eyes seemed empty, as if the guy was not on fire.

– Why did you apply?

– I’m used to winning.

The flickering lights were getting annoying. The stale air made the heart beat faster, causing anxiety. The head was spinning. The dream pressed on the brain with such force that it seemed that someone invisible with malicious pleasure beats the gong and laughs mockingly at each blow. And then it started. What should I do now, how long can this last? There will come a moment when he loses his temper and turns his back on the danger.

I wasn’t at the party either. I was returning from the library.

– Oh-oh-oh, our nerd spoke, – Dmitry crossed his arms over his chest. – So what? Was it crushed by a book?

“Actually, in case you forgot, we were given an essay on history,” Evgeny adjusted his glasses on the bridge of his nose, arrogantly looking at the repeater. “Unlike you, I don’t give a damn about studying.

– Let’s see where your red diploma is useful, – Maria laughed. “Money rules the world, boy.

– Good knowledge is expensive, – proudly answered a classmate, trying not to succumb to provocation.

– Evgeny Teplukhin, eighteen years old.

– Why did you decide to participate in the project?

– I want to prove that the intellect can open any door.

– Commendable. You indicated that you won the All-Russian Olympiad.

“It’s only this year,” the boy said smugly. – I constantly participate, and only twice took third place. Well, it’s always the first.

Alena wrinkled her nose. She had a bewildered smile. The girl diligently tried to pull herself together, but nothing worked. Once again she sniffed loudly and piercingly. And suddenly she looked like a child again. Even stronger than when she was five years old.

– I want to go home.

– Go, nobody keeps you here, – Dimka mockingly nodded at the locked door. – How did they even take such a project. Does everyone understand that we are already participating?!

– The rules were not announced, – Vlad drawled doubtfully.

– It was necessary to look at what you were signing, – Irina smoothed her already slicked hair, gathered in a tight bun. – In black and white it is indicated that we can be collected at any moment.

– I’m scared, I want to go home, – Alena cried. Fragile, close to anorexia

– Crybaby, – Masha turned away from the girl, who irritated her very much with her behavior.