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As Long аs I'm With You
Sergey Redkin
Комфортная жизнь Лиззи переворачивается с ног на голову, когда одним прекрасным утром на её глазах убивают её парня, и она встречает точную копию себя из другого мира. Прежде чем она узнает о ней больше, другая Лиззи застрелена таинственными силами, пытаясь спасти их обоих. Кто-то хочет их смерти, но кто?Казалось бы, в самый худший момент своей жизни Лиззи встречает двух человек, которых, как ей казалось, она потеряла. Она узнает об уникальном качестве, которым, как она никогда не думала, она обладала. Со своими новыми помощниками ей придется отправиться в другой мир, чтобы положить конец глобальной угрозе, о которой она даже не подозревала. Сможет ли она сделать немыслимое, чтобы спасти мир?Короткий рассказ на английском с элементами драмы и научной фантастики. Специальная версия для изучающих язык. 170 сносок с переводом сложных слов и объяснениями интересных выражений и структур.
Sergey Redkin
As Long аs I'm With You
Chapter 1
We will figure this out
[1 - Мы разберемся с этим]
.
She could not believe what she was looking at. This is impossible[2 - невозможный, невероятный, невыполнимый]. How could this happen? Only an hour ago, everything was fine. She thought she was one of the happiest[3 - Степень сравнения прилагательного happy (счастливый, довольный, веселый):happy – happier – (the) happiest] women in the world. She had everything: a man who loved her, an excellent job, a bunch[4 - множество] of friends, and a cute car. She could not wait to wake up every morning and go spend her day with a big smile on her face. And now… Well, now she was not sure that her life would ever go back to what it was. No, come to think of it, she was not sure that she had life anymore. How did this all happen?
It all began this morning when he told her that he was leaving her. Things went downhill[5 - to go downhill (выражение) – постепенно становиться хуже]afterwards[6 - впоследствии, потом, позже].
“You what?” she asked.
Having just done her morning yoga routine, she was sitting on a tall stool near the kitchen island in her sportswear. Still on her first cup of the day as the words spilled from her mouth with the coffee.
He was standing near an open window, still in his pajamas with his hair untidy from the night’s sleep. It was a bright day and it looked as if he had a halo over his head. What an irony!
“We can’t be together anymore,” he added and looked out of the window rather nervously.
“What are you looking out of the window for?” she tried to stay cool. “Is your new girlfriend waiting for you out there?”
Staying cool did not seem like an option.
“I’m sorry, but we have to end it today,” he said looking at her.
“What do you mean today?! What? Do you already have a breakup plan[7 - план расставания]? Or did you decide[8 - решать, решаться, принимать решение] just then, while drinking your coffee?” she asked, barely controlling herself and slowly realizing that it was not some sort of joke.
“Listen. We’ll figure this out. Believe me, it’s for the best,” he said.
“Are you being serious right now?[9 - Ты сейчас серьезно?]” Slamming her cup down on the kitchen table, she suddenly[10 - вдруг, внезапно] realized that she could throw it at him right about now[11 - вот прямо сейчас (Прим. авт.: Разница с right now в том, что больше похоже на very soon (очень скоро) ине так срочно, как right now (прямо сейчас). Выражение также имеет довольно неформальный оттенок,потому что в нём смешивается усиливающее слово (right) со словом, смягчающим интенсивность (about),что немного противоречит логике.)].
He opened his mouth and at that precise moment something outside cracked[12 - треснуло (о звуке)], he fell on the floor, his head was covered in blood. Then her phone started to ring.
***
She answered in zombie mode, still not realizing what had just happened.
“You’d better[13 - Тебе лучше] leave now,” a female voice said on the other side of the line.
Ah? was she could master, with her eyes fixed on the motionless body on the floor.
“Go now or you’ll be lying next to him in a minute,” without a hint ofcompassion[14 - намёк на сострадание] in the voice.
“Who are you?” she was almost screaming.
“Don’t believe anyone. Run!” the same coolness[15 - хладнокровие, спокойствие].
Then the phone went dead.
She looked around her apartment. What was going on? She ran to him, still hoping it was a terrible prank[16 - шутка, выходка, проделка]. Nope. This was blood on her floor. And this was one dead man. Her man. Well, her ex-man. She was just about to check his pulse, just in case[17 - на всякий случай], when she heard someone running down the corridor outside her door. She jumped up.
***
The morning street felt strange. How can these people go about their business when he is lying dead on the floor, up there in their apartment? Where is she supposed to go now?[18 - Куда она теперь должна идти? (Прим. авт.: Выражение to be supposed to + глагол используется, когда по контексту от кого-то/ чего-то ожидается какое-то действие, т. е. кто-то/ что-то должен что-то сделать.)] Somehow, calling the police did not seem like a clever idea. But why? She did not do anything wrong. She just had a cup of coffee while her soon-to-be-proposing boyfriend was murdered in the process of breaking up with her. Should she call the police after all[19 - всё же (Прим. авт.: after all (дословно «после всего») используется со значением «несмотря на любые указания или ожидания обратного».)]? Perhaps, she should.
She looked for her phone, but … Oh no! She left it on the kitchen table. All her contacts. She doesn’t remember any numbers by heart[20 - наизусть]. Who does? Are there still payphones on the streets these days? Whom should she call even if she finds one?
“Don’t scream,” the same cold voice from the call, but … behind her.
She stopped in disbelief[21 - в неверии].
“Keep walking,” a slight shove on the back.
She complied[22 - подчинилась (прошедшая форма глагола comply)]. A decision triggered[23 - инициировано, вызвано ((прошедшая форма глагола trigger)] by her survival mechanism[24 - механизм выживания] rather than her brain.
“Who are you?” she asked quietly. “In a minute,” the stranger said. “Turn right here,” with another nudge the back.
They stepped into a quiet alley where most of the benches were occupied with elderly people and mothers rocking their baby strollers[25 - детские коляски].
“Here’s good,” the stranger said when they reached an empty bench. “Sit down.”
“May I turn around?” she asked, sitting down.
“If you want,” the stranger said.
She did.
Perhaps, it is not a good comparison, but what she saw shocked her almost as much as the death of her boyfriend.
***
She was looking at herself. Well, she was looking at a young woman who looked exactly like her, as if they were identical twins in different outfits. The stranger was wearing a plain dark blue hoodie, a pair of black jeans, and, what looked like, Dr. Martens black leather boots. Her hair was a bit shorter.
“Yes, I know,” the stranger said. “It took quite some time for me to wrap my head around this[26 - понять (прим. авт. понять что-то, особенно что-то странное или из ряда вон выходящее; принять то, что не особо хочется принимать)] too!”
“Are you …?” she began.
“You?” the stranger finished her sentence. “Yes. I am you.”
“From the future?” in bewilderment.
“Not really,” the other she said. “I’m your other copy.”
“My other copy?”
“Yes. Some of us come with a back-up copy, but they never tell us that,” the other she said as if it was common knowledge[27 - всем известный факт, общеизвестно].
“Who are they?” she was confused.
“They,” the other she shrugged[28 - пожала плечами]. “The ones who make and control us. And now they are trying to erase[29 - стирать, подчищать, вычеркивать] us for some reason.”
What?!
“I haven’t done anything illegal. What is happening?” she said.
“Listen, we don’t have much time, so let’s get the hell out of here first and then we can properly catch up[30 - наверстать упущенное, обменяться свежей информацией],” the other she said, looking around.
“But I don’t understand …” she started.
“No talk. Let’s go,” the other she said quickly and stood up.
The stranger extended[31 - протянула (прошедшая форма глагола extend)] her hand and … her head exploded[32 - взорвалась (прошедшая форма глагола explode)] like a watermelon.
***
Two dead people in one morning might seem like nothing on the global scale of things but seeing your boyfriend and ‘your other copy’ getting shot in front of you could make anyone go insane[33 - безумный, душевнобольной, ненормальный].
Is that what it was?
She was going crazy and was seeing things that weren’t there? Nope. The moms are screaming, and the grandmas are trying to run away. There was definitely some shooting just now. Was she the next target?
The other she said that they were trying to erase them. Click. The brain started to work again.
It took her a couple of minutes to get into the endless stream[34 - бесконечный поток] of people hurrying to their work. She stopped by the curb[35 - обочина] to catch her breath when a car tire screeched[36 - завизжали (прошедшая форма глагола screech)] next to her, and the passenger door opened.
“Get in fast,” the driver yelled.
What next?
Will it ever end?
Why does this voice sound so familiar?
“Come on, Lizzy. We don’t have much time!” he sounded agitated[37 - взволнованный, возбужденный].
He knows her name!
***
She gaped[38 - уставилась, пялилась] at him. It was him. Her man. But how could that be?
“I know,” he said without taking his eyes off the road. “It took me awhile to understand this, but I’m not who you think I am.”
“You’re his copy,” it dawned on her[39 - её осенило, до неё дошло].
He nodded.
She couldn’t stop looking at him. He looked exactly like the man who was going to marry her. Only his hair was combed in a different way, to the right side, and he wasn’t wearing pajamas, but a white T-shirt and a pair of blue jeans. Also, he was wearing a rather chunky[40 - маcсивные] diver’s watch with a steel bracelet on his right hand, unlike her boyfriend who had his dress watch on a leather strap on the left hand.
“He was trying to make you leave the apartment this morning. To save you,” he said. “He just needed a bit more time.”
What?! He knew?!
“We found him first and told him everything,” he said. “He thought we were from the future,” he added with a sad smile.
He kept quiet for a while. Only the sound of the accelerating[41 - ускоряющийся] engine.
“He was adamant[42 - непреклонный, твёрдый] to keep you out of it,” he said breaking the silence.
She felt tears running down her cheeks and his face became blurry[43 - расплывчатый].
“How do you … Did you know him?” she asked.
“We just met him last night,” he said after a pause.
He looked at her for a second.
“Listen, we both lost important people today,” he continued. “I know this is all messed up[44 - запутано], but we need to stay together. At least for a while to get to the bottom of it[45 - узнать правду о (ситуации) (идиоматическое выражение)].”
She couldn’t see and hear him anymore. Emotions finally broke through the barrier of shock.
He took her hand and quietly said: “Don’t worry, Lizzy. We’ll figure this out.”
Then he took a ramp to merge into the highway out of the city.
Chapter 2
Lizzy’s Diary
6 DAYS BEFORE THE JUMP
I guess the most difficult thing in this crazy story was to accept the reality of it and get used to wearing the other Lizzy’s clothes. The latter wasn’t a big problem because we were the same size and she had good taste. I have 6 more days before the jump, and I must put all my memories together while they’re still fresh and painful. Yes, pain. I don’t know if I feel it after the jump. It connects me to the past. My past. My life seems to be so long ago. Will I still be me if I lose it?
In any case, I’d better start from the beginning.
I was in the car with Mark, or Mark’s copy, and my life was disappearing[46 - исчезала, терялась (The Past Continuous Tense)] in the rear-view mirror[47 - в зеркале заднего вида]. When we put a good hundred kilometers between us and the city, he started to slow down.
I had no more tears in me and was just staring out of the window thoughtlessly[48 - бездумно].
The car stopped.
