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‘Well, what’s up?’ The door was adjusted a bit. Gregory came to her for the fourth time that day.
‘It’s ok.’ She answered and quickly and easily smiled, studying the manager’s face. He looked the freckle face of the red-haired girl with such kind and friendly look as if he was up to something. Then he lowered his eyes at the working table of the girl that was covered with pieces of paper drawn in pencil strokes. Vic was enveloped with a wave of confusion. The desk was full of pictures of some overs who made love with lust and lasciviousness.
‘Damn it…’ Vic swore barely audibly and burst herself to order papers.
‘What’s wrong with you?’ Gregory was surprised and quickly came up to the table, having taken pieces of sheet.
The girl’s heart was about to jump out as she was nervous. She pursed her lips and looked at the man as she was horrified to guess what her boss would think of her. But Gregory kept silence and frowned at the picture.
‘What’s it?’ he asked finally and stared at the girl.
‘Mr. Dogmanov, let me say,’ Victoria whispered in a low and squeezed voice, coughing. ‘It’s… How to put it mildly to make you understand right… I… I like graphic arts and… bodies… Yes, human bodies. Well you understand humans are organized very beautiful…’
‘Vic,’ the mad interrupted her excuses. His stare was already changed. It became kinder and softer. There was a hint at a smile on his lips.
‘Yes?’ Victoria lowered her eyes. She felt hurt so much that she wanted to cry. She sniffled trying to hold tears. She felt like a teenager boy whom mother had caught him while he was masturbating.
‘I have nothing against graphical arts and human bodies… You shouldn’t worry about it as if you had pictured something immoral. It’s a pile of drafting strokes.’
‘A pile of drafting strokes?!’ the girl exclaimed being unable to believe her ears. She glanced at the sketches and sank down into her chair because of the suddenness. All the papers were stroked in different directions. There were just strokes. They meant nothing and looked like nothing. There were pictures of psychopath.
‘I didn’t mind insulting you…’ Gregory apologized with surprise in his eyes looked at Victoria’s face and mad worry on it, who was pottering in drawn pieces of paper.
‘Are you ok, Vic?’ he asked mysteriously handing the paper in her hands. ‘You look strange.’
‘Do I?’ she asked.
Her voice was almost hysterical. Something played bad tricks on her. Was it her consciousness or imagination? Victoria was fed up with looking like a fool who was incapable of controlling herself. She got used to everything… But every time something could happen that threw her off her stride. She clearly saw the drawn couple making love and now she had a pile of drawn in pencil paper.
‘Wait,’ Gregory took hold of her trembling hands trying to calm nervous tremor, trying to calm the girl down. ‘Don’t litter sheets of paper. Calm down, Vic. Calm down! It’s ok. It’s ok.’
He stroked her hands and the girl who could hardly hold tears back. He looked at her eyes as he wanted to understand if she was calm.
‘Damn it,’ Victoria whispered again and sobbed.
‘Come with me,’ Gregory opened the door and gave a peremptory nod toward the doorway. ‘Come.’
He walked ahead carefully listening to the steps behind him. Victoria walked quickly after him, being a little bit distracted from her work of art. Gregory took the girl in some ordinary but cosy cafе, sat her in an arm-chair and ordered two fresh drinks.
‘Tell me what’s happening to you.’ The man sat before her with a sigh, doing up his trousers. He did not take his eyes off the sad girl.
‘I don’t know,’ she answered and covered her face with her hands. ‘I just don’t know.’
‘Hey,’ he carefully took off her hands from her face. ‘It’s ok. You shouldn’t be nervous. You can be yourself with me… We’re here not to speak about work…’
‘I think I’m going crazy…’ Vic looked up at her boss.
‘Why? What’s wrong? Can I help you?’ Gregory made a shower of questions.
‘No, no, it’s ok. It’s just little weakness.’
‘Are you sure? In your office you seemed to have been about to go crazy…’
‘No, I’m fine.’ Victoria smiled, ‘I don’t wanna you think that a psycho or idiot working for your company.’
Gregory grinned.
‘You know every man has his hobby-horse and bad mental thoughts. You’re not an exception. I just wanted to tell that if you need any help, moral or financial, you can always come to me at once. I’m your friend.’
Victoria silently listened to the sentences about friendship, pretended to be smiling. But there were still pictures that she had drawn before her eyes. She felt tired. All that mess of hell representatives drove her mad. Victoria was sure that it should have been enough to give Lucifer her soul and then rejoice at free life with Kharon. She didn’t expect Lucifer’s mark to have provoked issues with her body and mind.
‘I remember that day when I saw you for the first time ever.’ Gregory dreamily closed his eyes. ‘I was on my way to my office and you were with marketing managers, smiling and twittering about something. Then I thought: “What a cheerful girl!”. It was some time ago. Then something started happening to you. You were darkening, growing dim and the smile more seldom came to you. I’m speaking about your genuine smile but not about the one which you cover yourself with, saying that you’re ok. I don’t believe you, Victoria. You’re not that girl who you were before. You’re worrying about something and no matter how you try to hide from people, it’s still obvious.’
‘Humph, it seems that I have no chance to hide anything from you.’ The girl sighed.
‘I know that I have no sort of rights to ask you such things. Business custom and so one… But I took you here on purpose to help you relax and distract from everyday care. Here is no place for business custom and style.’
‘Do you care of all the employees of the company in such way?’ Vic glanced at the manager.
Gregory was silent. Unexpected question confused him a bit despite that he, at his position on in the company, had heard more terrible questions, and he had always slyly answered them.
‘No, actually.’ He was honest.
‘Why did I deserve such respect?’
‘Victoria,’ Gregory grinned, realizing that Victoria was trying to drive him into a corner. ‘You’re treating the situation in a wrong way.’
‘Why?’ All her shyness and bashfulness disappeared. Vic was fed up with that that she couldn’t understand. ‘Mr. Dogmanov, I just wanna sort out and get why you are so tender with me. You’ve come to me this morning… What did you want to speak about? Don’t lie please. My probationary period has nothing to do with what you wanted to say, did it?’
The man was serious. His Adam’s apple nervously spasmodic moves and that was the only part of his body which moved in any way.
‘Your sudden changes sometimes throw me off my stride. Honestly. A half an hour ago you were about to cry but now here is a cocky and fearless girl. You surprise me.’
Victoria cast down the eyes. She gave a little time to herself to calm down. Due to the fact, that she didn’t understand herself, aggression appeared which Vic forgot to control completely. Why the hell did she decide that the country manager had to answer to her?
‘I’m sorry.’
‘Oh no, don’t be! This is not what I wanted to hear.’
‘Really, I’m sorry. It’s true something happens to me sometimes and I become unbearable.’
‘Victoria, please…’
‘We should go, Mr. Dogmanov. We both have to be at work. I’d like to finish my sketches… actually, to start them. And… Forgive my provocative behaviour. I must learn to control my emotions.
The girl rose up, Gregory jumped up at once. He didn’t want to finish the conversation, but he couldn’t make her. Doubtlessly he was glad that Victoria came to herself finally. Gregory didn’t have any ideas that Vic had some intentions to blub with him but the meticulous spirit of his mother, demanding to leave her son alone, annoyed her totally.
Victoria liked speaking with Gregory indeed. What was special about it? He was an intelligent and clever man, who was always good-looking and smelled cool. He was sometimes unobtrusive and even a little bit shy. His speech was good and grammatically right. Victoria didn’t miss any minus while she spoke to him but only the one. That exact morning Gregory came into her office and started talking incoherent nonsense, Vic suspected that their friendship wasn’t the topic of the conversation. But what could she do? To dismiss? She didn’t like it. She decided not to think about it and put the things into her head when they came. Until Gregory annoyed her, she could say that all of it was about friendship.
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.
