Oleg Roy, Ekaterina Nevolina

Keys to the dark world

© Rezepkin O., Nevolina E., 2015

© LLC Publishing House E, 2015

* * *

Dedicated to the memory of my son Zhenechka.

Oleg Roy

To everyone who sees dreams.

Ekaterina Nevolina

“There are doors that are better left unopened…”

Alice could never forget this place. Black, viscous, like pitch, earth. Poorly drawn buildings that become sketches and get lost in the inky heights... Dark spaces are a place where the worst nightmares come true. A place where there is never sun or hope.

Against this hidden corner of the world of dreams, even the human mind rebels, and thoughts jump like tiny ping-pong balls and can not come together.

The girl rubbed her temples, trying to concentrate. The head was spinning. Alice remembered that she had fallen into the already familiar funnel, chasing a strange man in the world of dreams, and now she found herself here again. She looked around - no one. The stranger she was running after had left or hid. “Was he even there? Maybe I'm already crazy? Alice thought. We need to get out, she realized. But how?

Getting bogged down in the earth greedily clinging and pulling down, the girl took a few hesitant steps and suddenly heard something.

A groan... a human groan turned out to be the only living sound in this absolutely, Alice would even say, perfectly dead place. The girl went towards the sound. Very slowly, getting stuck at every step and feeling her strength dwindle. She walked, probably for an eternity, bogged down and falling, and each time, with great difficulty, rising to her feet. Alice herself did not understand what was pushing her forward, where else did the audacity to move on come from. Finally, she made out a human silhouette.

A man, it seems a man, was lying on the ground, half immersed in it. It seemed to Alice that the earth was gradually swallowing him up like a boa constrictor, in order to digest him later in her insatiable insides. The thought made the girl wince.

The man groaned again. Very quiet, barely audible.

The last jerk - and the girl was near him, knelt down, touched his shoulder.

- Get up! called Alice. - You can't stop here! Don't you know?

The man tried to rise, but the earth did not want to let go of its prey.

- Get up! Make an effort! Come on! - Panova pulled the man by the shoulders, feeling his weak-willed heaviness. It seems that there is almost no life left in this body.

She should have left someone who does not want to fight for himself, but eternal stubbornness did not allow her to do this. And the girl pulled and pulled with all her last strength, literally winning back the victim from the Dark Spaces by a millimeter. She pulled like a robot, no longer thinking about anything and feeling nothing but boundless fatigue, forgetting why she was here.

And she redirected.

With a frustrated, completely animal champ, the earth let go of its prisoner. The freed man groaned again, staggered, but somehow miraculously managed to stay on his feet.

Alice could almost see his face now. Almost - because it seemed blurry and seemed to elude the eye. It seems that everything is fine - and the forehead, and cheeks, and nose, and eyes, but you start to look closely - the face floats, it becomes like a gray spot.

- Who are you? - Alice shook the rescued, trying to bring him to his senses.

The man's head jerked limply, he shuddered, raised his hand and rubbed his forehead, as if trying to remember something.

“I… I don’t know…” the man muttered. “I… I think I was someone… I don't remember. I do not remember anything…

He looked at Alice with dark holes in his eyes.

- I died? he asked after a pause.

Alice did not have an answer to this question. All she's heard about the Dark Spaces is that the human personality itself is erased here. Obviously, this is exactly what happened to her interlocutor.

- Have you been here for a long time? the girl asked instead of answering.

– Yes… I have always been here… Or not… I don’t know…

He rubbed his forehead again, and then made a ridiculous gesture, as if he was trying to fix something invisible somewhere in the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe eye holes. "Glasses! He once had glasses! Alice guessed. - Already something. He still has shreds of at least reflex memory.

“Come on,” the girl pulled the man by the hand. You need to resist. You must try to remember, otherwise I cannot help you.

“Help?” he repeated. - What does "help" mean? .. - The man frowned and again hesitantly reached for the invisible glasses, this gesture must have been a habit before him. “Help… help… provide support.” This is true? I feel like I helped someone. Or did they help me? .. I'm confused.

Unexpected circumstances

- Can I help you?

Well, of course, I was in the most stupid position, unable to cope with the doorknob, and scattered a stack of papers right on the threshold. Silly. Even at school I was not distinguished by great grace, but what’s there, I aroused ridicule by clumsiness.

“Thanks, I’ll do it myself somehow,” I muttered and looked at her.

First I saw the legs. Well, this is logical, because at that time I just sat down, hastily collecting papers. And the legs definitely deserve attention. Thin ankles, like those of a thoroughbred horse, and two-tone, with a red toe and a black back, shoes with incredible stilettos ... Then the gaze rose higher and captured a black pencil skirt, perfectly fitting without a single wrinkle, a white blouse with modest buttons, fastened in a businesslike way, a narrow face with outlined cheekbones, brown eyes covered with elegant glasses in a transparent thin frame, and finally, a smooth hairdo ... The image is quite strict and businesslike ... if it were not for these same shoes.

Red shoes are already a provocative element in themselves, directly pointing to sex and sin. They have vitality, libido and at the same time danger, war, blood. Black adds aggression, increases the feeling of anxiety, sending us to death. Now it's love and death. I remember a spider devouring a partner immediately after mating. And it’s better to keep silent about the significance of the shape of the shoe, so as not to be accused of excessive concern ... yes, I seem to be distracted.

- But still, let me. She leaned over, letting me make sure that the blouse was buttoned up and really did not support the aggressive coquetry of the shoes, cooling me like a glass of ice water down the collar. - And you, excuse me, Andrey ... Mikhailovich?

On the door at which we were, in fact, it is written “Head. Andrey Mikhailovich Chernov, head of the Department of Psychiatry”, so you don’t have to be Sherlock Holmes.

- I'm sorry. - I took the sheets from her, which she managed to pick up, and got up. - And you?..

- I am Irina. Irina Alexandrovna Pryagova. She stood up and looked at me almost pleadingly. - You do not remember? Your friend, Natalya Mikhailova, said that you need an assistant ...

Well, of course. Now I remember everything. Natasha Mikhailova, the wife of my friend, recently persuaded me to hire some kind of relative or friend. I just needed an assistant, and being a gentle person, although realizing that I was being manipulated, I agreed to see this protégé.

– Of course, Irina, I am very glad to see you. I extended my hand to her. This is a kind of test, because a handshake says a lot about a person.

The girl shook my hand—firmly, not coquettishly or embarrassed, quite businesslike, and I calmed down a bit.

We entered the office. I offered the visitor a chair and, putting the papers on the table, sank into the chair, continuing to watch her, noting her mean gestures and the way she placed her legs evenly. I marked the details out of professional habit.

So far, the language of facial expressions has not told too much about the guest. Quite closed, but not one of the insecure, knows her own worth, most likely a careerist, purposeful, suspicious. However, do not rush to conclusions. Such behavior sometimes indicates only a fear of change; still - the girl came to a terrible Big world to get a job. And the tension can be explained even more simply: the very shoes, ready to give his head to be cut off, are simply exceptionally uncomfortable.

- Will you have coffee?

She shook her head. She also refused water - decisively, which means she was not shy, but simply did not want to. It happens.

“Tell me a little about yourself, Irina,” I asked as softly as possible. It is necessary to strike up a conversation in order to relax the visitor, to show that there is no need to be afraid of me, after all, we are not at a bullfight.

I sent my resume...

No, still not sure. And of course, I forgot to read the resume ...

Please, in your own words. You have a very pleasant voice. - I smiled again - politely, without any hint, just in the style of "good boss".

- Well then. - Irina lowered her eyes for a moment, and then looked at me again (I wonder if she really has vision problems or is she hiding behind glasses? ..). – I am twenty-three years old, studying at the medical faculty of psychiatry. Already the third course. At the evening, it won't interfere with work,” she added hastily.

I nodded. Poor girls, it seems that they themselves often do not suspect what they are signaling with their clothes or shoes. This would be better with ballet flats. Although I understand: the first interview in my life, how not to wear the best shoes! Well, at least I didn’t think of a tight leopard dress ...

– I read your articles, Andrey Mikhailovich…

- Please, no patronymic. Just Andrey,” I interrupted her, catching myself reaching out to adjust my glasses. A bad habit, reflects insecurity, but I just can’t get rid of it.

“Yes, Andrei Mi… Andrei…” she repeated obediently. “And I would be honored to work with you. I'm just writing a term paper on the topic "Perspective methods of treatment of twilight disorders of consciousness."

– Serious topic, Irina. I allowed myself a little chuckle. - I've been doing it for almost twenty years ... it seems, almost as long as you live in the world, and you are going to master it in one year.

I deliberately hinted at the age difference, just in case she might have some hope for more. I won’t say that I’m a model of male beauty, but girls still like me, and forty-two years is a great age for a man.

That's why I would like to work with you. - Irina was worried, and spots of blush appeared on her cheekbones. She obviously has very thin, sensitive skin. – I speak and write English fluently, I lived in the vicinity of London for two summers. I know a little French, I read with a dictionary. And, most importantly, I am ready to learn. No, not like that, I really, really want to learn!

Brown eyes stared helplessly at me, creating an involuntary association with the famous cat from Shrek.

“And you won’t be put off by the fact that I can’t pay you much?” - I clarified, although I understood the hint about London - obviously, the family has the means.

“And I still don’t pull much.” She smiled, and the smile made cute dimples on her cheeks. And Irina herself suddenly became homely, very touching.

In my opinion, the girl is not at all hopeless, smart and with a sense of humor.

We must take. In addition, I do not have a queue of contenders. Unfortunately, scientific work, which I mainly do, does not bring profit, and I do not want to accept patients for the sake of money. For the time being, I can afford to work for pleasure and only with those whom I choose myself.

"Then let's get to work!"

Then I looked again at her shoes, and a strange feeling of unease pierced my heart. Probably, this is due to the association of a thin hairpin with a pin, with which the corpses of bright butterflies are pinned ... I saw such a collection in my childhood, in those years it made a terrifying impression on me.

We discussed the details, and Pryagova left. And I, remaining at the table, closed my eyes for a moment in order to see again this haunting, disturbing black and red spot. Love and death always go together. Really, nasty banality? ..

* * *

“Get off, Marquise!” Alice pushed away the white-and-red cat, which was licking the girl's hands with emery. - Well, stop it! I woke up, everything is fine.

The cat meowed in displeasure and moved its tail from side to side.

- No offense. - The girl scratched her furry pet under the chin, and she purred, immediately forgetting the offense. - I understand that you always pull me out. You know, sometimes I even think that you are some part of me.

Marquise meowed, but with a completely different intonation, in the affirmative.

They really were similar - a girl and a cat. Alice's eyes, of a golden hue and with a vertical pupil, like those of the Marquise, a triangular face with a narrow chin, long reddish hair, in perfect harmony with the cat's hair.

Pulling the blanket up to her chin, Alice stared thoughtfully into space. It wasn't the first time she'd traveled to a distant region of the dream world called the Dark Spaces. And it was strange, because they said about this place that they did not return from there. Why was she able to enter there and return back? Maybe thanks to Marquise? And now the cat clearly pulled the mistress out of a nightmare. But it seemed to the girl that there was something else, something that she herself did not yet understand.

Wrapping herself in a blanket, Alice went to the window. It was already dawn, the night was receding, pressed by the morning. There was heavy snow. Snowflakes fell to the ground like fluff from a torn pillow.

Looking at their monotonous flickering, the girl thought.

More than three months have passed since the disappearance of Oleg's father, Alexei Mikhailovich Volkov, and there is still no news about him. Oleg and Alisa visited the laboratory where Volkov Sr. worked, who worked at the intersection of bioengineering, genetics and cybertechnologies, but it turned out that they were ahead of them - everything he worked on disappeared. Day by day Oleg became gloomier and gloomier.

Of course, not only they were looking for a scientist. Initiates are members of an order that has been operating since the time of the Inquisition, for whom, in fact, he worked in Lately Volkov Sr., worried no less. One day, Alice accidentally heard a fragment of a conversation between two teachers in the corridor of the academy.

“Mark my word, we'll hear about the guy who's doing his thing right under our noses. I'll bet my best tie that this case is very closely connected to that missing scientist.

“Do you think this Volkov is a double agent?” We did check it out.

- Check something checked, but ...

Then the speaker noticed Alice and abruptly fell silent, and she could only mutter an apology and hurry to hide. Of course, she did not tell Oleg about this conversation. There is nothing worse if relatives, the closest people turn away from a person. Alas, the girl knew about it from her own experience.

She liked Alexei Mikhailovich, although he was too self-absorbed, as happens with scientists. The girl really hoped that they would find him and everything would be explained in the simplest way. In the meantime, oddly enough, studies have become an excellent outlet. They were loaded to the very top and even higher, in fact, leaving no free time. The headmistress of the academy found it possible to control problem students personally. But it was even good. Alice was afraid that Oleg would do something stupid and therefore rejoiced at the distraction of her studies.

The alarm went off, signaling that it was time to focus on business. Alice sighed and went to the bathroom to take a shower to unwind a little. After a strange meeting in the world of dreams and sad reflections, my soul was restless.

The morning turmoil, as always, had its healing effect. The four of them had breakfast - Alisa Panova, Oleg Volkov, Yulia Krasitskaya and Vlad Astov ... Vlad, a somewhat reserved guy with long dark hair, appeared in their company recently. It was he who first spoke about the dream navigator - a strange device with which an unknown manipulator was drawn into his game different people, skillfully exploiting the weaknesses of each of the "clients". Together with Vlad, they were looking for a manipulator and entered the office of a digitization company. After that, fearing that the initiates would become interested in Vlad, they hid him in the hostel of the academy for three whole days, thinking that they were acting skillfully and subtly.

But disappointment befell literally on the fourth day, when Professor Melnikov, who teaches a subject with a strange and meaningless name "Theory of Knowledge", suddenly asked, as if so, in between times:

“Why is your friend skipping lectures?”

Alice, Oleg and Yulia looked at each other.

- What friend? Volkov asked in a tense voice. He did not know how to lie at all, and this touched Alice very much.

- Vladislav. Astov, it seems. Melnikov rubbed his temple with a perfectly manicured finger. - What's happened? Did I mix up my last name? Sorry, it happens. Scattered.

No one would have called him absent-minded, but Vadim Petrovich, obviously, was amused by trying on different, sometimes completely opposite to his personal qualities, masks.

The guys were silent. Vlad's stay in the hostel was a huge secret. In addition, they had already been punished for their arbitrariness and the fact that they were engaged in a case related to the dream navigator without informing any of the teachers. And now a new fault.

- Don't worry. Melnikov spread his hands. - Personally, I think the guy is promising. He has already encountered some unusual things, passed the first stages of a very peculiar training ... In my opinion, it's time, as they say, to come out of the underground. We won't eat it in the end. Let him take documents from his economic, especially an economist from your Astov, about like a blacksmith from me. – Vadim Petrovich allowed himself an ironic smile. - So now let him work off the eaten bread with successful studies.

- You're not kidding? Julia looked pleadingly at Melnikov.

Alice noticed that a relationship was developing between her and Vlad, which was still too fragile to talk about, but Krasitskaya was worried about him.

- In every joke ... - Melnikov suddenly winked at Yulia. - Bring your Astov, there will be a place for him and his own room. Otherwise, they will say that we oppress our students. Volkov has a separate room, without a neighbor.

Oleg, who really sheltered Vlad and is now forced to adapt to a joint secret residence, noticeably cheered up.

And now Vlad has already received a completely legal status of a student, his own room and all the delights of studying at the academy.

- Well, you have orders here! Just like in the game, - Vlad said on the second day of training, and more experienced students looked at each other knowingly and did not even tell him that all the delights were yet to come.

After two lectures, which passed calmly and without surprises, the students were gathered in Melnikov's office.

- Well, you have grown to practice, - Vadim Petrovich announced, walking between the rows. In general, he very rarely took his place at the pulpit, and usually such officialdom did not bode well. – I am pleased that you have already begun to form working groups. In the future, each of these groups can become a task force, so it is very important that you learn how to work together now. And the mistakes that always happen when adjusting to each other will turn out to be less painful during study and will not lead to catastrophic consequences ... Ideally, - he added, glancing at Alice and her friends. - Although, as we well know, the ideal is unattainable ... But what am I? Let's move on to distribution.

In any other educational institution such words would cause a surge of emotions and whispers, but not in the academy. The students were silent, waiting for the continuation - behind the most impatient doors slammed shut a long time ago.

As Panova hoped, this time they decided not to experiment with the composition of the groups, and their group included all of their own - Alisa, Oleg, Yulia, Vlad. The only surprise is Nika, the niece of the headmistress of the academy, who specializes in suggestion. Indeed, the group turned out to be good, and with the advent of Vlad, one can be calm on the strength side.

They were assigned to do internships in some supernumerary department in Valdai. Alice has never been to this city, and Oleg, having loaded the map, demonstrated it. Valdai was not too far from Moscow, but not so close that it was easy to drive back and forth. Moreover, the road ran through the ever-busy Leningradka and Khimki, glorious for its traffic jams.

- They also came up with - "practice" ... - Volkov muttered, frowning at the map.

Alice perfectly understood why he did not want to leave Moscow. Oleg is not one of those who give up, and all this time, despite the failures, he continued to look for his father and hoped to stumble upon at least some trace.

“They don’t ask us if we want to go or not,” Nika chuckled. “And don’t even worry, they’ll figure it out just fine without you.

Alice glanced sideways at the former headman - with her, it seemed, it became dangerous to think. In general, it is somewhat strange that after one major joint adventure, Nika was included in their group. But what about her own retinue? Nikina's retinue huddled uncertainly in the corner, feeling boundless sadness from the break with their leader.

Apparently, the initiates nevertheless decided on a small experiment of shuffling. Why?..

Irina turned out to be a very nice girl - exactly the way I wanted to see my assistant. Always fit, impeccably dressed, with no need for a deep cleavage or bare knees, she was punctual, diligent, polite, and unfailingly friendly. Finally, my documents are in order.

Before she appeared, my table resembled the mines of King Solomon, in which only I could find gold. Irina put things in perfect order and taught me to use specially signed folders. And, most importantly, acted imperceptibly and unobtrusively. I was somewhat afraid that she would try to build me up and begin to show the syndrome of the general on the parade ground, and I was ready for the inevitable parting that should have followed in this case, but no, it did not happen. She turned out to be just the right one.

In the morning she brought me coffee in a paper cup, and when I thanked absently, she smiled.

- Don't get distracted, Andrew! You have so many things to do!

She also read mine. new book- each new chapter, which I wrote, and even made sensible edits there.

- You have described a very interesting case, but, in my opinion, it needs to be opened more widely, - she said, after reading the next piece. - Of course, a specialist of your level will understand everything anyway, but there are only a few of them. Details are important for readers so that they can follow the course of your thought.

And I even somehow got involved. I have never discussed with anyone so often the materials I have been working on. Frankly, it turned out to be damn enjoyable. I even started to worry if I was building too strong a bond. Irina is a very attractive girl, and here you won’t get carried away for long. Probably, it was not worth taking such an assistant for yourself ... But, on the other hand, there is nothing personal between us, I monitor the situation and keep it under control. Perhaps if she crosses some boundaries, we will have to part, but there is still time. Irina does not demonstrate in any way that she is interested in me differently than the scientist and her boss, so there is no reason to worry, but I still worry.

Strange dreams began to torment me. Today I dreamed that someone's hand was reaching out to me, from somewhere below it was reaching out, as if from a black quagmire. As if a person needs help; I wanted to give him my hand and pull him out, but suddenly I got scared. It became very creepy. I look, his fingers are stained with black oil, and it seems that there are membranes between them, and I cannot touch his hand from horror and disgust.

I woke up with a pounding heart - it hasn't happened in a long time - and wrote down this dream. He hints at the troubles that he got into or is about to get into, obviously myself. In dreams, you often see yourself in different images. In any case, this fuel oil is not good.

But so far everything is going smoothly, without surprises ...

But no, the surprise did happen. Literally an hour ago, Irina said that a person from the authorities was looking for me, who, you see, urgently needed to talk to me.

We talked.

Major Vitaly Streltsov came to me with an unexpected request. I state everything as I heard from him, so as not to lose important details that will be required in the future.

There is a person who had access to state and commercial secrets and managed to steal seven million dollars from government accounts and some especially important documents, the content of which “should not bother me”, fled, but was soon discovered and caught. It would seem that there is nothing unusual - everyone who can reach at least something is stealing from us. I suppose the authorities were going to take him seriously and shake out everything that he knows and does not even know, but they did not succeed.

This man was found prostrated, in fact, in the state of a vegetable.

Doctors took him up, conducted tests, but did not find traces of substances or poisonous gases that could bring him into such a state.

There were also no injuries recorded.

“You must bring him to his senses or at any cost extract information from him on money and especially on papers,” Streltsov told me.

Do you think I'm a wizard? I asked. Sometimes these apparatchiks have very inadequate ideas about reality. “And why, by the way, is it me?”

“You are the best,” he said gloomily. “And you will try very, very hard to do everything to solve this case.

- This is a threat? - I always did not like when they tried to put pressure on me.

- Not. - Streltsov got up from the chair on which he sat exactly as is typical for the military - with a straight back and knees bent exactly at an angle of 90 degrees. – This is an interesting case just for your book.

Yes, the case is curious, but how unpleasant it is to be under a cap. So don't say that the state apparatus is not interested in work on psychiatry. Follow. Well, if they didn’t put “bugs” in my office ... However, these were already paranoid symptoms, and I immediately pulled myself together. I thought about this case all day, and in the evening I suddenly realized that I had not taken any coordinates of this Streltsov.

“Irina,” I called my assistant, “a man from the authorities came to me today…

Yes, an ugly guy. She chuckled and handed me a cardboard rectangle. He left a business card for you.

Well, it looks like it's worth looking into this case. I sat in my office...

I called Streltsov, and we quickly agreed on everything. The subject of interest to us was kept not in the capital, but simply in the middle of nowhere, in the provinces. But nothing, I have a decent car, so that's not the point.

The fact is that the smell of fuel oil from my sleep became simply unbearable, but I was not going to refuse. If the Major isn't lying, and there doesn't seem to be any reason to lie to him, the case is indeed quite interesting.

Having made a decision, I called Irina and gave her a short leave for Good work, but she refused to let me go alone, showing unexpected determination.

"I won't let you go, Andrei," she said firmly. - You will need help. And, if anything, it will be more difficult for them to cope with two than with one.

“But it can be dangerous…” I took off my glasses and turned them over in my hands.

“That’s why I’ll go with you,” the girl snapped.

So those aggressive shoes showed up - she seems to need adrenaline. Even now, at the mere thought of the dangers and what seems to her adventures, Irina subtly changed. His eyes sparkled, his nostrils fluttered like those of a naughty mare. So it seems that now it will explode from the spot and into the quarry. I know this type.

And I agreed. And because you can’t argue with her, and because I will certainly need help.

In the evening I was already packing my suitcase. Only the essentials - underwear, a couple of changeable shirts, ties, one suit just in case, an electric razor and all sorts of little things.

Lying down in bed, I thought about the upcoming business. Streltsov refused to provide me with the materials in advance, emphasizing their extreme secrecy. This is bad - better be prepared. But there are already enough oddities in this case, why not let another one… I sighed. It seems that I also have a penchant for adventurism and a need for adrenaline. Didn't notice before. I am a bad psychologist and specialist. Although you can not immediately put stamps. I'm not bad at all, that's a fact. The major is right, I'm the best and I can handle everything. All medical reports must be prepared by my arrival. I'll start with them. Then I will observe the patient with the help of cameras. There are simply amazingly talented simulators, this version cannot be ruled out ... And then ... we'll figure it out on the spot ...

Because of these thoughts, I again had a nightmare.

A black man, as if all smeared with fuel oil, stood behind me - I saw him in the mirror - and there was something very wrong, unnatural in him.

I woke up again with a pounding heart and covered in sweat. This time, the ability to analyze seemed to evaporate. I was scared. Like it hasn't happened since childhood.

Vlad drove the car skillfully, Oleg was able to appreciate it and thought with irony that the dangerous game did bring benefits, and the method of learning in dreams, obviously, has its undeniable advantages.

However, the farther they left from Moscow, the more restless their hearts became. Looking at the flowing road, Volkov thought about his father, and his thoughts were very sad. The father disappeared again, as if he never existed. Mom said that recently he was not himself, he drank liters of coffee and actually did not sleep. The question was: what did he do? Unfortunately, the laboratory did not give an answer. Meanwhile, somewhere in the depths of consciousness, not yet released to the surface, like an ancient monster, the thought tossed and turned: wasn’t the father himself behind those events? Isn't he the puppeteer they were looking for? Too many matches. Oleg did not allow these thoughts to come out, but they tormented him, taking away sleep. He did not share this with others, even with Alice, but something like visual hallucinations, apparently caused by anxiety and fatigue, began to manifest even in reality. This morning, he again saw a dark silhouette in the mirror behind him. Maybe it's time to look for a good psychiatrist.

Saddened Oleg and separation from the Miracle. The headmistress was adamant, stating, “And no animals in practice. Don't think you'll have time to mess with them there."

AND faithful dog, and Alice had to leave her beloved cat in Moscow in the care of her parents. Mom, accepting the Miracle, even burst into tears, as if she was afraid that her son, having left, would not return, would disappear, like his father. And Chud looked understanding and very sad, as if he really said goodbye. In the meantime, they had already turned off the road and entered the town, which seemed to Oleg provincial because of the low houses, many of which were wooden or had an added wooden floor. The road became much worse, and snowdrifts piled up on the sides, from some of them it was quite possible to sled.

“There is a monastery nearby. - Oleg tried to drive away unnecessary thoughtfulness, and therefore spoke deliberately cheerfully. “Over there, across the lake. We will definitely go there later. In general, there are a lot of interesting things in the vicinity - several abandoned estates, although I don’t know if it is possible to get there in winter.

The rest of the passengers were silent. Judging by the past load, they might not be left with time - at least for the purpose, as the headmistress said, so that they do not get into new troubles.

Hasn't smelled bad yet. There was a smell of gasoline and fresh snow, and the sky was unusually clear.

“Ecology,” Nick nodded. - Wouldn't any of you want to give up everything and settle in such a quiet and magnificent place?

“It’s too quiet,” said Alice.

They settled into a hotel that seems to be completely empty - and not surprisingly, the season is not at all touristy. If they come here, then either in the summer or on the winter holidays.

Vlad and Oleg stayed in one room, Alice and Yulia in another, and Nike got a separate one. Leaving their bags, everyone went down to the cafe, where a bored red-haired cook prepared decent coffee and mouth-watering pancakes with jam.

Now he had to go to the local branch of initiates, located on the outskirts of the city. Oleg and Vlad once again studied the map and, just in case, called the number given to them, but no one answered.

“What if this department is no longer working,” Yulia suggested, looking at the boarded-up shutters of the building next to the hotel. They went outside and stopped on the porch.

- And it's okay - consider then, we have a legal vacation. Vlad yawned and stretched. - We will not go to Moscow right away in any case. Our rooms are paid for, and the driver, that is, me, needs a rest. And in general, what are you sour?! - Vlad bent down, scooping up the snow with his hand, and shot a snowball at Oleg.

- Do you think the most accurate? - A response snowball flew into Vlad from Yulia and flattened out on the guy's back.

- Ah well! Are you hitting in the back? - He brought down a silver fountain of snow on Yulia.

The girl screamed.

- They beat us! Let's show these security forces where the crayfish hibernate! - Nika shouted fervently and rushed to Vlad, raking snow along the way.

Both Alice and Oleg somehow imperceptibly joined this snowy battle. Snow flew in all directions, the cheeks of the players flushed, their hats went off. The guys shook themselves and snorted from the snow, but continued to attack.

Finally, Vlad was surrounded, attacked from all sides, meaningfully shaking snowballs.

Surrender or be destroyed! Oleg announced, rolling the snowball from hand to hand. The cane with the silver head of the griffin had been left lying on the ground for a long time, he did not even think about it.

- Never! Vlad shook his long dark hair, on which the snow gleamed.

- Well, then you're worse off!

Oleg threw a snowball, but Vlad, easily spinning, got away from the blow, and instead the snowball flew into the man standing right behind the guy. Volkov barely had time to realize this, when the stranger suddenly put out his hand in a black leather glove and caught a flying snow projectile.

Everyone was instantly silent, staring at him.

It was a young man, perhaps in his thirties, give or take, as they say. Tall, dark-haired, bare-headed, wearing a short black jacket with a checkered scarf wound over it, and black jeans. Looking alien against the backdrop of provincial wooden houses. He looked too confident and stylish for Valdai, at least Oleg thought so. Judging by the fact that Alice hurriedly reached out to straighten the strands that had come out of her hair, he also made a similar impression on her.

- Well done, just arrived, and have already begun to practice. The stranger smiled kindly.

- What kind of practice? Julia asked, looking at her friends.

- Exactly! The young man laughed and slapped his forehead with a gloved hand. “I didn’t introduce myself. Igor, head of the Valdai branch. Welcome fellow practitioners!

Oleg glanced at Alice. She looked at Igor as if spellbound.

* * *

- Nice. - Alice touched the wall of blood-red brick, and through the glove it seemed to her that the wall was warm, as if alive.

“Just a palace,” Nike quipped. – And I thought our high-tech people prefer it.

The building on the outskirts of Valdai was really impressive. Not too big, it nevertheless managed to resemble a fortification, with narrow, heavily barred windows and four turrets along the edges. If we compare it with the building of the academy, where the guys studied in Moscow, entirely made of glass and concrete, the difference was, as they say, obvious.

- Come on. - Igor, without commenting on the mockery, opened the door and stepped aside, letting the guests through.

Alice liked that he didn't make excuses. And the building, to be honest, she liked it too. Despite everything, it did not look kitsch, but looked quite organic. Maybe this is because there were no crowds around, climbing on top of each other, at home, and further on the lake covered with snow stretched at all. It feels like being transported centuries ago or to some other, maybe parallel universe, and everything is exactly as it should be: gloomy black trees, white snow, a lonely red tower. And all this is piercingly sharp, beautiful, like a razor across the skin, like a finger pricked by a disobedient spindle. “Like in a fairy tale,” the girl found the correct definition.

Her friends had already gone inside, and she was still standing on the porch.

Alice, is something wrong? Igor asked, stepping towards her.

“No, everything is all right,” the girl answered hastily, feeling with annoyance that, as always, she was blushing. It was annoying to be sentimental all at once.

It was out of embarrassment that she looked back, looking at the cast-iron fence, gracefully, as if with foamy lace, decorated with soft snow, and froze. A woman was standing by the fence. A very strange woman, dressed in some kind of tattered sheepskin coat, or a long quilted jacket. On the shoulders, one on top of the other, several colored shawls were tied, completely out of harmony with each other. And on top of all this lay long, below the waist, tangled hair. At first it seemed to Alice that the old woman was in front of her, but looking closer, the girl did not notice the wrinkles, only white strands shone in her black hair, like frosted strands.

Ding-ding-ding... something tinkled.

Only now Alice noticed in the hands of a stranger a huge bunch of old keys on a huge rusty iron ring.

The woman quickly, quickly sorted through them, as if looking for the right one.

Ding-ding-ding-ding...

- Crazy.

- What? Alice shuddered and looked back at Igor. He stood very close, very close.

“The local lunatic,” he repeated. - He wanders around the neighborhood, muttering something under his breath and sorting out his keys. I don’t know where I got such an antique value from ... But it is quiet, harmless.

- She is one? Is there no one to take care of her? the girl asked sympathetically.

The woman at the fence shook her head as if she hadn't found the right key, sighed, and wandered on.

“One,” Igor confirmed, kneading an unlit cigarette in his hands. - When I came here, I even thought about whether to attach her to the hospital, but did not. There they will stuff her with medicines, bring her to the state of a vegetable - so what? Let her live in her own world, it's better not to touch her. We took something like patronage over her - we bring food. She sometimes even eats it ...

Alice nodded, feeling strange gratitude. Not many would have acted like Igor. Most simply would not pay attention to the crazy woman, and if they wanted to do a good deed, they would really be put in a hospital, and it would only get worse.

- Well, let's go, shall we? Your friends are probably already intrigued by our long absence, - Igor said, putting a cigarette that was not lit into the pack.

- Certainly. - Alice realized with surprise that in this strange, almost fabulous place she forgot about her friends, even about Oleg.

She stepped through the door and found herself in a hall that was rather dark and left with a feeling of emptiness and homelessness.

At the same moment, a large chandelier under the ceiling flared up with a warm yellowish light, it immediately became more comfortable.

The entrance hall consisted of a small dressing room, where the outerwear of Alice's friends already hung on elegant wrought-iron hangers, next to the wardrobe there was a wooden stand for umbrellas, the room turned into a hall with a real fireplace.

The guys were not visible, as if they had disappeared, having entered an enchanted castle.

“Natasha dragged everyone to drink tea,” Igor said with a smile.

Alice didn't know if he had read her mind or just guessed the cause of her unease, which, in general, was also not difficult.

Natasha is my assistant. The department here, as you must have been told, is quite small, - Igor continued to tell, accepting her down jacket from Alice, - only three people. Me, Natasha and Sasha, he is on vacation now. There are few of us, but there is no need for more. Nothing special happens, there is barely enough work for us. And you will quickly rake up the accumulated documentation for us. What else do you need interns for?

He was clearly joking - a smile lurked at the corners of his lips, marked barely noticeable dimples on his cheeks.

- We will try. Alice smiled to show that she understood the jokes.

- That's good! Then follow me! The first and very important task: to get acquainted with Natasha and drink tea with her buns. They are amazing, you won't regret it!

Igor also took off his jacket, and under it he found himself in an informal black and red sweater with a high neck and an abstract ornament on the chest.

They went to the kitchen, where Oleg, Yulia, Vlad and Nika were already sitting at a large wooden table. In front of each of them stood a solid earthenware mug, and in the middle of the table there was a whole exhibition of muffins: pies, cinnamon-scented buns, and cookies.

A plump red-haired girl, to Alice's surprise, absolutely ugly, but kind of sweet, inviting, poured tea from a large funny teapot - white, with red peas. Alice, when she first heard about Natasha, for some reason presented herself as a tall, thin, beautiful bitch, and never before did the discrepancy with expectations turn out to be so pleasant.

“Alice, this is Natasha, I’m sure you will get along,” Igor announced and looked around the audience. - Why are you so sour? Consider the official part of the acquaintance ended. Now we will drink tea, eat buns and get acquainted. If you don't like us, that's okay too: just three weeks of practice and you're free. But personally, to be honest, I think it is more interesting and more useful to spend this time without waging a guerrilla war against each other.

The contrast with the academy grew stronger and stronger. It’s even interesting, did Igor really study there at one time!

Yes, the Valdai branch was really different from the Moscow one, and so far Alice liked it much more, but for some reason Oleg did not look at her, bending over his mug.

Dangerous Approach

I have reviewed and re-read all available materials several times. I enlarged the image on the camera, analyzed every fold of the face, the position of the body, the expression of the eyes. Either in front of me is the most brilliant actor, or the soul of this person really hovers in other areas. Without going into details, here is what I managed to find out about him.

Vladimir, my patient, is still quite young, he will be thirty-seven this year. At the same time, he managed to work in the authorities and participate in several sensational operations, which I, in order to avoid further problems for myself, will not even mention. He has always been characterized as a promising, thinking, reliable person. Judging by old photographs and records, he was very handsome and charming.

And suddenly, during the next operation, which, as I understand it, is of great importance, something unexpectedly does not go according to plan. As a result of some extraordinary circumstances, it is Vladimir who must obtain a secret password and send the data to higher authorities. No one doubts the employee, but neither the data nor the money comes. It turns out that Vladimir himself disappeared. Examination of his apartment does not provide an explanation for this mystery: it does not seem that the owner was preparing to escape or had hiding places, and his apartment, no doubt, was searched to the speck of dust.

All forces were already involved here. Searches were conducted at the federal level and ... did not give any results. At the same time, they checked and rechecked all the details related to Vladimir - again, completely fruitless. Mystic! Only our state machine does not like and does not recognize mysticism, the order was: even from under the ground, but get it.

And - a new incredible twist. A simple policeman draws attention to a strange type wandering around the city with a blank look. He pulls the poor fellow almost out from under the wheels, considering him stoned, tries to bring him to himself, then makes inquiries ...

Well, then the case returns to the hands of the office of my new friend Streltsov. As if in reality I see how they come to the place in their black cars, interrogate the unfortunate policeman, pulling out everything that he knows and what he does not know, shake their former employee, drag him to the doctors and so on. And, as usual in this case, absolutely in vain.

I, of course, looked through all the medical reports and tests. No pathologies. Vladimir's health can only be envied, all indicators are normal, only the pulse is slow, with a strange amplitude, which is more typical for deep sleep. But he does not sleep - the body can move, is able to perform the simplest biological functions, if directed in the right direction. For example, if you put a spoon in his hands, he will fill it with soup, bring it to his mouth and chew. True, when the soup in the bowl is over, the movements will not stop. Once I watched him with a camera for an hour and a half. All this time, Vladimir monotonously scooped up air from an empty plate, brought the spoon to his mouth, chewed and swallowed.

So it seems that in front of you is a perfect biorobot.

Outwardly, he also changed. I compare the patient with his old photograph and once again I am convinced how much depends on the expression of the eyes. There they are lively and attentive, give the face a courageous and attractive expression. Here - dead, empty, like black holes, and the face immediately begins to resemble a mask cut out of paper, it even becomes frightening.

His eyes are truly dead. The pupils contract in response to light, but apparently there is no contact with the brain. The pain threshold is greatly reduced. Only at a very high discharge the body twitches, a pin can be driven into his hand almost to the very head.

Sounds do not cause reactions, even the most annoying, at special frequencies, unpleasant to the human ear.

All day Vladimir sits in the position in which the warden will place him, even if this position is uncomfortable.

In general, everything does not look at all optimistic. I had never had to deal with anything like this before. Enthusiasm in me instills only Irochka. I can't even imagine what I would do without her. During these days, she, imperceptible, like air, became necessary to me, like the same air. She makes sure that I eat on time, brings coffee, pulls me away from the monitor and even takes me out into the fresh air.

- You ruined one, now you want to ruin the second one ?! she said to the duty sergeant.

I caught this scene completely by accident and stopped watching them.

Irochka looked like a small, angry and therefore disheveled little sparrow. She fearlessly jumped on a huge sergeant in relation to her, it seems, wholly and not very diligently hollowed out of a gray granite block. And, most brilliantly, the sergeant retreated, looking at her with obvious apprehension.

“We didn’t kill anyone, Irina Alexandrovna ...” he muttered.

- So ditch it! Andrey works all day! Do you think this is normal?

“But he is…himself.”

- Oh, myself! Yes, you are all soulless machines here! - Irochka raged and, suddenly noticing me, she was terribly embarrassed.

When she is embarrassed, she is just as cute as when she is angry. She has a very expressive face, moreover, thoroughbred, narrow, with sharply defined cheekbones. You can watch it almost endlessly.

On that day, she literally pulled me out for a walk.

Oh yeah, getting carried away, I didn't even describe where we ended up.

I don’t know what this institution is called in official papers, but personally I would call it a prison. It is located in some kind of bearish corner, far from human habitation, in the middle of the forest. Closer to the building is a large right-of-way, carefully cleared of any vegetation, viewed and, I believe, shot from all the towers around the perimeter. Two concrete fences with wire and electric voltage, between them there is also a strip where dogs run. The gates seem to be taken from a book about medieval fortifications - massive, ready to withstand an assault. I'm far from an expert in military matters, but it's impressive. Several booths of guards, a barracks and the three-story building itself - that depressing gray color that will drive anyone into the deepest anguish. The windows are small and barred. Everywhere there are video cameras and more security, bypassing the territory.

The right wing is for prisoners. I don’t know and I don’t want to know how many there are and who exactly is sitting there. But Vladimir is right.

The left one is administrative, there are so-called guest rooms in it, in which Irochka and I were settled. The windows there, by the way, are also barred, the furniture smells of bureaucracy. For a long time I could not get rid of the feeling that I myself was put in prison. Didn't sleep here the first night. So it seemed that just about - and heavy steps would be heard outside the door, iron bolts would clang and I would be dragged to interrogation or to be shot. Such sensations are alive, very reliable, no methods of psychological relief work against them. I never tire of repeating that the basic human feeling is fear. It sits at the very core of our being, governing us. It makes us create around ourselves the appearance of comfort, build our own material world, start a family, continue the family line. All this is based on that same animal primordial fear. Fear is not only a signal of danger, “a negatively colored emotional process”, as my colleagues would say, it is part of our being, our ancestral and childhood memory. Do not think that we, psychiatrists, are easy. On the contrary, most of the tricks that easily work on our patients do not work on us. You can be aware of the origins of your fear, but this does not give you a shield against it ... You can overcome the local manifestation of your fear, but this is a hydra that grows new and new heads.

However, I thought again and went somewhere in the wrong steppe.

In general, I more or less figured out this fear and slept almost normally the following nights, but the building itself still caused a constant feeling of anxiety.

The only area more or less suitable for staying there is the same pine park that I already mentioned. Of course, it is also all visible, but it is easier to abstract from the situation there and feel at least relatively free. Yes, the air is good. The building smells terribly unpleasant - something musty, disturbing. Here - the smell of the sun and pine needles. It makes you want to inhale it quickly, quickly, as if you can collect and leave in reserve.

It's already evening. Coarse sand crunched underfoot, pine branches creaked... Irochka walked very close, and I could inhale the smell of her perfume - something light, like clouds floating across the sky, pleasant, almost out of place in this gloomy and as if forgotten by God place.

We were silent until we moved far from the gloomy gray bulk. The pines obligingly concealed her coffin-like outline.

“Andrey, I’m sorry,” Irochka finally spoke, looking imploringly at me. “It’s my fault, I shouldn’t have let myself…

There was a slight blush on her cheeks, and I thought how young she was. There was no need to drag Ira here, such a place is not for her ...

“No need to apologize,” I said hastily. Especially when you don't feel guilty.

“Did you guess…?” She blushed even more and pressed her hands to her chest. By the way, shirts on women can look very sexy if you choose them correctly. In my opinion, Irochka is a master in the selection of shirts.

“Well, I don’t eat my bread in vain,” I chuckled. - You have remorse - like that bird over there.

On a branch, a bird, invisible from the ground, chirped really cheerfully.

- But I'm right! - Ira turned to me and went on the offensive. You don't think about yourself at all! You can never eat for a whole day! And the water in the decanter, and the napkins, and the handkerchiefs, and the pens, where do you think they come from in your office?! I can't even imagine how you ever lived without me!

- I don't see it either.

- What? .. - She froze and looked at me with suddenly widening eyes. In the pupil, a glare of light trembled from the sun falling through the carved pine paws.

“I can’t imagine how I lived without you, and I don’t even want to imagine it in the future,” I answered clearly.

For me, this was nothing new. Of course, having looked closely at Irina for a long time, I appreciated her and, after analyzing, I realized that I was really drawn to her. Not like any pretty young lady - no, the feeling for Irochka was, although premature, but serious. I didn’t so much want to be in the same bed with her as to keep this incredible girl around me, to build a relationship with her on a solid foundation.

I have long been aware of this desire. Of course, if we ordinary people, you should have courted the girl before stunning her with such a statement. Invite to a restaurant, ask about relatives up to the tenth generation inclusive ... but ... but we were both unusual people. We are not ordinary people, and I believed that Irochka would understand everything. Who else, if not her?!

And she understood, taking the last step separating us, and we finally kissed.

Oleg did not like the branch simply categorically. Neither the branch nor its staff. It's all too pretentious. The building is too gloomy, the friendliness is too intrusive, the cookies are too fatty and sweet. “Although cookies, of course, have nothing to do with it,” thought Volkov, washing it down with tea.

The rest seemed to enjoy it.

Igor led table conversations. I had to admit that he knew how to speak: he almost told some stories in person, made fun of himself and his own organization, but did not leave his guests without attention either - he asked questions, expressed sincere interest. Alice listened to him with lively participation, although a couple of times Oleg caught her worried looks on him.

In the middle of the conversation, Igor got a call, he went out into the hall, and the table immediately became bored.

“Your building is interesting,” Vlad remarked, when the silence was clearly beginning to drag on.

“Yes, it was built thanks to Igor,” Natasha perked up.

The beginning was intriguing, and a hail of questions immediately fell upon the assistant, and she, with obvious pleasure, began to tell what terrible conditions the Valdai branch was in before the appearance of Igor, how he courageously rushed to raise it literally from the ashes, spending his own money and attracting his connections to capital.

According to Natasha's story, the local chief was a kind of cross between an angel and a superman.

Only one question remained: why was such a brilliant specialist entrusted with just a provincial department? ..

Meanwhile, Igor returned. Oleg thought that he seemed to be absent on purpose just long enough to let his assistant tell all the most flattering things about the boss.

Everyone unanimously agreed with this postulate.

“So, here we have the opportunity to do small, but good deeds,” Igor continued enthusiastically. - I will not insist, this is done solely at the behest of my own heart, but if one of you wants, you can participate in the activities of my corporation "Happiness" during practice.

- What? Oleg asked.

- "Happiness" - that's how I called my branch, in a simple provincial way. The chief smiled disarmingly and spread his arms. I don't promise big things. But is it really bad to comfort a frightened child, to help a sick old woman, to suggest a solution to a disappointed teenager?..

He said the right and understandable things, and at the same time it seemed to Oleg that all this was too chocolate-candy, or something. From the sweetness, even the jaw cramped.

"I think that's right," said Alice. - I myself, especially earlier, when there was more time, often went to sleep - looking for sick and frightened children, trying to calm ...

– Good idea Julia supported. - For once, at least someone to benefit.

And even Nika and Vlad nodded in agreement.

Oleg gloomily took the pie, put it in his mouth and chewed it without feeling the taste. To be completely honest, his suspicions about Igor are similar to ordinary jealousy. And, unfortunately, it has some grounds. From the moment of the spectacular appearance of the head of the Valdai branch, Alice seemed to have been replaced.

After a protracted acquaintance procedure, Igor began to distribute work to the trainees. The entire paper and computer part, which the boss jokingly mentioned, fell on Oleg.

- This is your specialization, - Igor announced smiling as if nothing had happened.

There really was a lot of paperwork. It was necessary to disassemble and systematize them, organize the archive, check the availability of electronic versions ... In general, as Oleg estimated, he was provided with the most boring work until the very end of the practice.

- And what, no one was involved in the archive before me? Volkov asked his assistant Natasha, who, at the end of the feast, sat down at the table and began to paint her lips with bright cherry lipstick with a businesslike look.

“You see, there are very few of us and we are busy,” Natasha announced, pouting her lips and once again running lipstick over them.

“That's what I thought,” Oleg agreed, returning to the papers.

The rest got a more fun, but also more dubious, according to Volkov, work: to participate in Igor's good deeds.

“It is still unknown who is worse off,” Oleg muttered, systematizing statements about employees' vacations over the past four years, “apparently, just from the moment the representative office was organized. – Does this nonsense also need to be scanned? Yes, I feel that I will not forget this practice soon! ..

* * *

– Oleg Volkov is a very capable young man. I read his description and I understand that sending him to fiddle with papers is a crime. – Igor contritely looked at the four trainees gathered around him. But I don't know what else to do with him. I just don't have a case for him, nothing for him...

“You are a democratic boss, you even explain it,” Vlad drawled.

- It's good to tease. Igor chuckled. - You think I don’t understand that the scale is generally small for you here - after your previous adventures, and suddenly a boring, sleepy province. But nothing, just for you, I found something. Let's go to the rehab today. The help of Nika and Alice will be very useful to me, and there is something to do in Yulia's part.

It took them a long time to get to the place along the skidded and pitted roads, with which even Igor's cool Land Rover, driven by Vlad, happy from the honor rendered, coped with difficulty.

Igor himself sat next to the driver and managed not only to show the way, but also to entertain the three girls who sat in the back seat. This time he was telling stories about the academy.

“Well, then, we are sitting on the top floor of a high-rise building,” he said. - Mission: get out within ten minutes. What to do is completely incomprehensible. And then one girl comes up to the window, stands on the windowsill, says: “Wingardium Leviosa,” and in all seriousness is going to jump down. We are her barely dragged away.

“I re-read Harry Potter,” Nick nodded.

- That's right, - the head of the Valdai department grinned. She was actually a Potter addict. Otherwise, a nice girl, such a pretty one, but a little hmmm ... a dreamer. Do you want gossip? - He winked and immediately continued: - She had a crush on Professor Melnikov. She said he looked like Professor Snape. Comedian, honest! Where is Melnikov, and where is Snape!

“Well, Vadim Petrovich is also charming,” Yulia stood up for the professor.

- Vadim Petrovich - sheer charm, if he needs it. – Igor suddenly became serious. - And to be honest, he is one of the most dangerous people that I know. If he wants something, he will achieve it.

There was a tense silence in the cabin.

What about that student? Alice asked, mostly to break the awkward silence.

- With Christina? She seems to have been kicked out of her third year. We just started to form teams. She held out for a long time ... I say, she was not of this world ... Soon the turn, there is a difficult road, - said Igor and, turning away, began to command Vlad.

Alice would have forgotten this conversation, but as they got out of the car, Nika whispered to her:

There is something personal with this student. It closed, but I managed to feel it.

“Personal is something that is not interfered with,” Alice reminded her, she suddenly felt uncomfortable.

- Come on. Nike shrugged, and the two girls followed the others.

The rehabilitation center turned out to be in an old, still Soviet-era, shabby building. Igor was known and welcomed here.

My interns! - he proudly announced, introducing the guys to the elderly manager.

They were handed white coats, slippers and masks, told what to do and what not to do, and finally led to the children's department. Tears welled up in Alice's eyes when she saw the very young children lying on the beds.

- I'm leaving you with Igor Anatolyevich. - The manager looked at the head of the Valdai department. - Under your responsibility.

“Don’t worry, I’ll follow,” Igor promised, and when she left, he looked seriously at the guys. “There are children here who are not even able to say what is wrong with them, so it is we who can help them. You, Nika, Alice, Yulia... You are really needed here. You can look around. There will be questions - ask.

The children were excited by the appearance of unfamiliar adults, but very quickly found with them mutual language. Alice was struck that even the sickest of them easily respond to attempts to cheer them up, to interest them. Children remained children even in the grip of the most severe illness. They wanted to play, they forgot about the bad and wholeheartedly strived for the good. Perhaps that is why the gloomy atmosphere did not reign in the children's department, which happens where adult seriously ill people lie. But from this courage of the children and the realization of some kind of global injustice, I wanted to cry.

- Do not worry. - Igor's hand covered Alice's fingers, and the girl shuddered. We don't do miracles, but we'll try our best. You have arrived very opportunely.

Alice did not understand what to do, but Igor, as if nothing had happened, removed his hand and continued:

"Come on, I'll show you someone..."

While Nika, Yulia, and Vlad, who helped them, were taking care of the children, Igor led Alice through the corridor to another room.

It was a very tiny room, full of sunlight. On the bed, entwined with a net of appliances, like a small silver fish caught by a fisherman, lay a girl, perhaps seven years old. She was monstrously thin. Her eyes were closed, her face was pale, emaciated, with sunken cheeks. Her skin was like thin waxed paper, and there was a huge crimson scar on one cheek.

- What with her?! Alice whispered so quietly, as if she was afraid to wake the girl.

- Accident, fire. This happened over three years ago. Her relatives died. The girl was saved, but since then she has been in such a state, - Igor answered just as quietly. “Lethargy, but at least she breathes on her own.

Alice froze, looking at the thin child's hand, tightly covered with dry skin. The hand was like a twig. Panova bit her lip until it bled. How unfair is the world in which children suffer! And Alice suddenly felt ashamed of her own experiences: how often she complained about her hardships, so insignificant in the face of real grief.

- The body has fully recovered, the heart is working, other important organs, too, - Igor continued in the meantime. Everything seems to be fine, but she never regains consciousness.

- Why is she here? Alice was surprised. Why not in the hospital?

– They couldn’t help her in the hospital, but you can keep her on the machines here. There is a problem with places. - Igor came up and stopped over the sleeping woman. She's somewhere very deep.

– In the Dark Spaces? Alice asked, peering intently into the child's face.

- Do you know about this place? – Igor sharply turned to Alice. – In our time, the academy did not talk about this.

- It happened. The girl looked away. “I'll try to find her.

Just don't risk it. Remember that if you fall into a trap, you will not be able to benefit anyone. You must return. For yourself, for your friends, for all the people you can help, who need you. Understood?

He looked into her eyes, and this look gave strength. It seemed that they had known Igor for many years ... it was even strange that they had actually met only recently.

"I'll be careful," Alice promised.

- Well done. He smiled and lightly touched her hand again, as if transferring a piece of his warmth and strength.

Pulling up a chair, Alice sat down next to the bed, closed her eyes and, concentrating, reached out to the girl.

Fire. He was everywhere. He buzzed, it seems, even in her head. It became impossible to breathe even through a wet rag.

"Mum! Mum!" she wants to scream, but the scream gets stuck in her throat, and a hard cough turns inside out, tearing the insides.

The yellow-scarlet world is the world of fire, the world of pain. Now she knows what pain looks like, how it smells—sweet, fire, and burnt flesh.

This is the world beyond. Beyond good and evil. Beyond life and death.

- Nastya! Nastya, are you there? I am now, I will save you, I will succeed ... now, wait ... - a voice is heard from somewhere far away, it seems, from another galaxy, from another world ...

And then a flaming beam collapsed from above, and the world turned from yellow-scarlet to black.

…The sound of the chair falling was like a thunderclap.

Alice seemed to be screaming, still feeling pain and fear, still seeing yellow and scarlet flashes before her eyes.

“It's all right, you're safe, it's all right,” said a vaguely familiar voice.

Someone pressed her to his chest, cradling her like a baby, and stroked her head, and constantly repeated: "It's okay, you're safe." So that Alice herself began to believe in it. Lungs still hurt from the smoke, the girl coughed, gradually coming to her senses, and suddenly realized that she was in Igor's arms, and sharply recoiled.

- Sorry. – Igor defiantly raised his hands up. I shouldn't have agreed. You shouldn't have done this.

Alice took a deep breath. The air seemed unusually sweet to her, almost intoxicating. It turns out that breathing is so wonderful!

"It's all right," she said, realizing she could barely speak. The throat was dry and the tongue unruly.

Igor immediately understood this, because he left and immediately returned with plastic cup filled with beautiful cool water. Alice swallowed it in one gulp and asked for more.

Igor brought. He did not rush the girl, patiently waiting for her to calm down. Alice, already slowly, sip by sip, drained the second glass and looked at Igor.

“You saw the fire,” he said without questioning intonation.

The girl nodded. It was still hard to speak.

- She lived in the suburbs of Valdai, and no one spoke to her since the fire. The whole family died,” Igor repeated.

- Whole family? Alice frowned. “I thought there was someone behind the door. Someone wanted to save the girl... Nastya... Her name is Nastya, right?

- Nastya Koltsova, everything is correct, - Igor nodded. It must have been one of her relatives. Alas, they all died in the fire. The mother tried to save the girl and was very burned herself. She was taken to the hospital while still alive, but she died on the third day without regaining consciousness. My sister burned out completely. And Nastya is stuck somewhere. The body is closer to life than to death, but the soul is lost and cannot seem to find its way back to its shell.

- I'll try again ... - Alice clenched her teeth - at the mere thought of returning to where the eternal fire burns, it hurt like hell.

- Not. Igor shook his head. “I can't let you take risks. I think that only a miracle can bring her back.

“People do miracles. The girl looked into his eyes. “You said yourself that we should help.

- If possible…

“Something must be done,” Panova repeated stubbornly. “I won’t forgive myself if I don’t even try.”

Igor sighed.

“Well, okay,” he agreed. – Just not now. You need to gain strength and act gradually. I'll try to help, but don't expect too much. This kind of work takes time. You may feel that everything is going too slowly.

- I'll be patient.

“Then we have a chance,” Igor nodded. "Now let's go to the others." In addition to Nastya, there are still those who need help.

Alice looked back at the door. And again the girl seemed to her a fish caught in the net. A poor fish pulled ashore by cruel fishermen. The reflection of the sun lay on the parchment-white forehead, like a terrible mark, like a reflection of the very fire that had taken the girl's family and life itself.

Entrance to the dusk

I once again checked all the indicators of the patient. "Twilight obscuration of consciousness" - this is how his condition can be called, based on the preservation of outwardly ordered behavior. However, it was a much deeper and more lasting state than usual. The reason I would call a very strong stress. This area is almost unexplored and is capable of presenting many surprises. And the case seemed to be specially for my work ... If only I could somehow get through to the patient! If only it could...

It's been almost two weeks since I've been dealing with this case, and no significant progress has been made.

Andrew, you need to rest! - Irochka put a mug of tea on the table and, sitting opposite, looked into my eyes. “You don’t look like yourself anymore.

Nothing, no results. - I dropped my head into my hands, I didn’t even want to look at the tea.

I wandered in the labyrinth, feeling that the exit was somewhere close, but could not find the right direction.

“You need to take more care of yourself. Just think, even if it doesn’t work out ... - Ira said and immediately fell silent in fright. - Well, relax, you're so tense! Here Vladimir is really relaxed. He doesn't care that you're so stressed out.

Hearing this, I literally jumped up and, grabbing Irina by the waist, spun her around the room.

- You clever! You are my smart one! - I whispered in her ear and kissed her pink lobes, cheeks, lips ...

- Crazy! She jokingly fought back and laughed. Andrey, you are completely crazy!

- Yes! And it should have been done a long time ago! I replied, without interrupting my mad whirling.

- You are crazy! She looked into my eyes. "But that's why I love you." - And she herself clung to my lips with a dizzying kiss.

Feeling her supple body, smelling unobtrusively sweet and intoxicating, I again felt like a winner.

She was right. Vladimir is relaxed, I'm tense. We can say that we are in antiphase. No wonder it can't be reached. Everything scientific methods tested, it's time to move on to those that have not yet fully entered the official science, and therefore enjoy dubious fame.

For example, sensory deprivation. Why not try it out? This is still a young industry, being mastered only since the middle of the last century. True, usually such experiments are directed at oneself, or rather, inside oneself.

The essence of this method is more or less complete deprivation of human sensory sensations. The subjects in the supine position were locked in a special chamber, isolating them from all external stimuli. Hands and feet were inserted into special muffs, sounds were cut off, eyes were covered. In this position, consciousness, not being distracted by stimuli, turned inward, and the most bizarre images and sensations began to emerge from the subconscious. Scientist John Lilly successfully tested the sensory deprivation method on himself, without getting negative sensations and focusing on internal state. Of course, the unprepared cannot cope with this, but the practice of meditation and the habit of focusing have already prepared me for such an experience.

The only difference is that I don't have to focus on myself.

Rave! That's what any of my colleagues would say. But I'm not just anyone, and I'm willing to take the risk. I have a reliable rear provided by Irochka. She'll make sure everything goes well, and if the experiment goes wrong, she'll get me out of it.

"We're going to try sensory deprivation," I said, kissing her temple, where small beads of sweat glistened. “I'll try to feel his mind.

- Are you sure? - Ira rose on her elbow and gently ran her hand through my hair. - Andrey, is it not dangerous?

“In the worst case, I won’t succeed. – I shrugged my shoulders and began methodically buttoning my shirt – also, by the way, a great way to focus and calm down: a shirt with a number of small, small buttons and narrow tight loops, an excellent way. - And if it works...

- It will be a revelation! You are a real genius! She laughed and kissed me loudly on the lips. - And I, Irina Pryagova, will be present at this opening in person! So write it in your book!

“I will write that without you, nothing would have happened. And it is true. - I pressed my forehead against her shoulder for a moment, in order to inhale her such a familiar smell once again. I wouldn't have been able to do it alone.

* * *

Alice flew into the room like a whirlwind. The red jacket is unbuttoned, the reddish hair is disheveled, the cheeks burn with frost and excitement, and candles can be lit from the eyes.

Well, at last we can do something! - the girl spoke, shaking off the snow like a cat - splashes flew to the sides, and some of the droplets fell on Oleg. - Everyone just talks, talks, talks - and to no avail! And here's the real deal!

You might think we haven't done anything before. Oleg took a sheet out of the scanner and carefully put another one in there.

“Well…” Alice thought. - Not this way. At the academy we had either theoretical classes or these stupid tests. Either way, it's not like it's real.

- And now for real? .. - Volkov pressed the scan button, without noticing it, for the third time.

- Well, Oleg! Alice grabbed his hands and looked pleadingly into his eyes. - Don't be so mean! That is, I understand that they put you on paper... It's not fair. If they need to be dealt with, we will change, take them apart one by one!

- It won't. Oleg shook his head. “They made it clear to me that this was a job… in my area of ​​specialization. You save children and drowning kittens, I do scans. - And he, taking his hand out of Alice's cold after frost fingers, pressed the button again.

The joyful gleam of Alice's eyes faded, and her upper lip twitched offendedly.

And then Volkov realized that he was behaving like the last cretin, taking out his own bad mood on the girl.

- Sorry. Oleg hugged Alice. A sunny, sweet-smelling curl of disheveled hair nuzzled his nose. Volkov blew on it, the curl rose funny and fell again.

The girl looked incredulously at Volkov.

"I'm serious," he assured. “I don’t know what came over me. Are you angry?

Alice shook her head, but there was still an imprint of sadness on her face, the first autumn ice.

“You’re angry,” Oleg touched her cheek with his palm, pulled a naughty curl behind her ear. - But nothing: I know one remedy. No one can get angry when they kiss him.

He leaned down to her lips, smelling of some kind of fruit gum, and began to kiss. Gradually, Alice softened, even her lips seemed to have thawed from a deep freeze.

And at that moment, of course, there was a delicate cough.

Alice, as if she had been hit with a whip, recoiled from Volkov.

“Sorry, I interrupted. - The assistant to the head of the Valdai branch examined both with her head slightly bowed to her shoulder, without the slightest shade of embarrassment. - Igor asked to invite you to the evening debriefing.

- We will come. - Oleg tried to pull Alice to him, but the girl looked at him and barely perceptibly shook her head.

- Come on. - Natasha looked at Oleg with irony, as if she found it very funny that such guys can still like girls.

As if on purpose, when Volkov walked into the hall, his leg did not particularly obey, and instead of a confident and graceful gait, like that of the same Igor, there was an awkward waddle.

“So what,” Oleg decided angrily, “as if I need to compete with him. He is on his own, we are on our own. Let's go and forget."

"Debriefing" Oleg listened with half an ear. When the meeting was already coming to an end, Alice, as if at school, raised her hand.

- It seems to me that Oleg Volkov should also travel with us. He is not interested in fiddling with papers,” the girl said, again out of school habit, rising from her seat.

- This is not quite according to his profile ... - Igor also stood up and looked point-blank at Oleg. But if you're not interested...

“I’m fine,” Volkov muttered, regretting that Alice even started this conversation.

- Well, - Igor shrugged his shoulders - the question is settled. Oleg is currently busy with work in his field, but I, of course, will try to find something more interesting for him.

On that they parted. While the girls were still chatting with Igor, Oleg put on his jacket and went out onto the porch. It smelled of snow - it does not smell like that in a big city, where this barely perceptible smell is completely clogged by the stink of gasoline. It was already dark, and a large white moon peered through the trees like an indifferent eye.

Volkov descended from the porch, sweeping snow from the heavy metal railing. In the morning, it seemed like an eternity had passed.

He went to the gate and suddenly noticed a crouching figure behind the fence.

It was a woman. At first she seemed to Oleg an old woman, but, coming closer, he was surprised to see by the light of a lantern that she was apparently still young - there were no wrinkles on her face, and her hair, although tangled, was not at all gray.

The woman was mumbling something, and a metallic chime came from her, as if talking to copper bells.

Volkov listened.

“Not the one, not the one, not the one,” she said quickly.

- Everything is fine? Can I help you? he asked, opening the gate.

The stranger recoiled in fear.

- Do not be afraid! I won't hurt you! Do you need help? he repeated.

“Not the one, not the one, not the one…” the woman muttered again.

Oleg saw that she was sorting through the keys, suspended on a large rusty ring.

- Do you need a key? - he asked.

Volkov did not wait for an answer, realizing that she was abnormal in front of him, but she suddenly looked at him and answered:

Everyone needs a key. I can do it, I can do it.

And again she began to feverishly touch her bundle.

What is the key for? What's the key? Maybe you should be escorted home?

She either did not hear, or did not want to hear him, and suddenly, shuddering, stepped back and, sliding and almost falling, ran along the path.

What key is she looking for? Oleg asked.

– Yes, who knows. Apparently, the key that opens all the doors, - Igor grinned.

“I wouldn’t say no to that either! - Nika intervened in the conversation, which, along with the others, went to the gate.

* * *

Alice again fell into the black abyss.

It seemed to her that the unfortunate woman was somewhere nearby, but no one responded. His throat tightened with a sense of hopelessness. Here, beyond the borders of the familiar world of sleep, even in the throat it was bitter, and the saliva in the mouth became disgustingly viscous, resinous.

- Nastya! Alice called out again. Behind him, something disgusting squelched. Looking around, the girl noticed bubbles on the black surface of the earth - such bubbles swell in the swamp, and the soil under her feet seemed unsteady - and you look like you will fall through.

Trying not to think about it, Alice looked closer and noticed a human silhouette a little further away. Nastya? But running up, the girl felt a pang of disappointment: no, man. Perhaps the one with whom they had already met in this place, or perhaps another - the face seemed like a smeared mask, and you can’t make out.

- You remember me? The girl squatted down in front of the man.

“I remember,” he said suddenly. You are like a flashlight. I don’t remember what it is, but for some reason it seems to me that you look like him ...

Have you seen the girl here? Her name is Nastya.

Who here remembers his name? He chuckled. - Though…

The man fell silent. He did not seem to be looking at Alice and seemed to have forgotten her presence.

- We talked about Nastya ... - the girl tried to remind.

“Names matter,” the man muttered, speaking into space. - Nastya, Nastenka is a good name. It disposes. And short, hard names, for example, Ada, are alarming ... Nastenka is blue or, rather, cornflower blue ... What is cornflower blue?

Alice sighed. Clearly, he did not meet the girl. And even if he met, he immediately forgot about it. It's useless to ask.

In a good way, he himself needs to be saved, that's just how. Or rather, where. You need to find the body, and then the lost soul will have somewhere to return. Now she is homeless.

After the last meeting, Alice already tried to find out at least something about this man, but can you find him among the thousands of sick and dying, lying unconscious? .. Even Oleg, for the first time in Alice's memory, failed. In response to a search query, he found only articles by a psychiatrist signed by the name of Andrey Mikhailovich Chernov, who worked on twilight disorders of consciousness. Perhaps it is this person who is able to give a lead, but he was away and answered the letter that he did not advise and did not see the need to meet.

The thread has broken.

If only he could remember his own name!

- And what is your name: calm or disturbing? What color is it? The girl asked leading questions.

The man was silent again for a long time.

- I think it's red. Anxious red,” he finally said…

Like last time, Alice was thrown out of her sleep abruptly, as if she had been pushed. Rising on the bed, the girl did not immediately understand why the unfamiliar environment was around. The state-owned hotel room did not at all resemble an already settled cozy room in a hostel. And the Marquise was also very much missed. The girl quietly, so as not to wake Julia sleeping on the next bed, got up, went to the window and peered into the darkness, as if hoping to find answers in it. But, of course, there were no answers.

Frozen, Alice went back to bed and fell asleep again, this time calmer.

And in the morning the bustle began. They, having barely looked into the office, went to a rehabilitation center. It was a pleasure to do business. Finally, Alice felt needed and useful. Julia, Nika and Vlad thought the same way. The children already recognized them and rejoiced at their arrival. Vlad, by the way, discovered acting talent, and the guy began to play small puppet shows for children, which gathered the entire department. Soon, not only children, but also adults came to watch the performances.

Little patients took away all the attention, therefore, taking care of them, Alice forgot about the problems. The only thing that bothered her was Nastya. In the state of the girl, no changes were noticed, Alice could not break into her nightmare, and therefore for hours she looked at the pointed childish face with the skin tightened in scars on her right cheek. If only we could help the unfortunate woman!.. But how?..

After a day spent in a rehabilitation center, everyone was tired, but joyfully excited.

Alice, you are great! - said Julia, leaning on Vlad's hand - it seems that their relationship was developing rapidly. “It’s good that you were able to penetrate the dream of a sick baby and help her.

Alice is very capable. Igor smiled not at all bossily, but as if he were one of them. I have no doubt that she has a great future. And in general, you are all great and a great team. This is the first time I see such a well-coordinated work.

“I had to get used to each other,” Vlad grinned.

“Lucky you got along right away. Igor gallantly opened the car door for the girls.

- Straightaway? - Here Nika could not stand it and burst out laughing at the top of her voice. You should have looked at us when we first met. There was such a war - mother do not worry!

– Are you kidding? - Igor did not believe.

“If only,” Yulia shook her head. - We just recently started working together ... under the influence of circumstances ...

Alice was afraid that Igor would demand details and that he would have to explain something long and difficult, but he did not ask a single question. It's nice to still communicate with a truly intelligent person.

- Let's go to a restaurant! - unexpectedly suggested the head of the Valdai branch. - I know a decent place. We all need to re-energize. Consider it an order!

Not listening to any objections, Igor took the guys to a restaurant located outside the city. It took probably an hour to get to it, but the restaurant was worth it. Alice also liked the hall itself, designed in strict colors, with comfortable leather sofas, cozy niches and an abundance of fresh flowers, and the menu, which turned out to be a lot of delicacies. It was noticeable that Igor was not here for the first time. They greeted him, fawned over him and tried to please him. He himself made an order for each of the guests and did not make a mistake with a single dish. The beautifully presented food literally melted in your mouth. Alice appreciated the light, almost airy sturgeon cutlets, supplemented with a slice of lemon, a fluffy sprig of dill and green pea puree, Yulia ate salmon in cream sauce, and Nika and Vlad ate meat steaks, fried just right and, obviously, also incredibly tasty.

Igor was on a roll. He told funny stories, causing the whole company to bouts of sincere laughter, poured red wine into glasses - as he himself said, “to restore nerves and blood”, and generally rallied the audience in an amazing way. Soon it seemed that they had known each other for a thousand years. Laughing, they started talking about serious topics - about the rehabilitation center and its patients, about the isolation of initiates from everyday life. Approximately in the middle of the conversation, Igor got a call. Glancing at the screen, he sighed and apologized, "Governor... I'll be here for a couple of minutes," and, picking up his phone, walked away.

Alice watched Igor's expression as he spoke. He was serious and, as it became quite clear, did not fawn, talking with the governor on an equal footing. On the contrary, it seemed that the governor was asking Igor for help.

“I see that our Igor is here, if not the first person, then far from the last,” Yulia remarked.

- You like him? Vlad jumped up jealously and even pushed his plate of half-eaten steak away from him.

- Can't you like him? Julia raised her eyebrows in defiant surprise. – Young, charming, wealthy, popular. I think it's just perfect for any girl.

Vlad turned slightly pale and turned away, and Yulia laughed:

- And, let's be honest, Yulia is a beauty, but Igor is interested in someone else. It’s more likely that Oleg needs to worry, ”Nika interjected.

Alice shuddered. They got so carried away that they completely forgot about Volkov, who pored over paperwork in the office and did not go to the rehabilitation center with others. The girl pulled out a mobile phone from her bag and saw five missed calls from Oleg. It was already past nine, and Volkov was evidently looking for them.

Embarrassed, Alice went out into the corridor so as not to talk in the presence of friends, and dialed Volkov's number.

- Hi Oleg! she spoke into the phone in a deliberately cheerful voice.

- Something happened? He seemed worried.

"No," said Alice hastily. - We were tired, very hungry, and Igor took us to dinner ...

“We… didn’t go into the city. - Alice was embarrassed and, speaking the truth, for some reason felt as if she was lying desperately. - You are not offended? Will you have dinner somewhere?

“No, I’ll die of hunger and annoyance that your Igor doesn’t favor me,” Oleg said dryly.

“It just happened that way…

“Yes, everything is clear with your addition and division, too,” Volkov quipped.

Alice suddenly got angry: she explained everything, but he didn’t seem to understand on purpose and forced her to apologize, as if she were really to blame.

How are you, asking for forgiveness on your knees? she replied no less sarcastically. “Or bang your forehead on the floor?”

- Bye, see you later. - Oleg hung up, not listening to Alice's further words.

And from such boorish behavior, the girl became even more insulting, and angry tears welled up in her eyes.

- Something happened? - Igor approached inaudibly, almost like a cat.

Alice tried to turn away, but he already noticed the tears glistening in the light of the lamp, turned the girl towards him and gently brushed the salty drops from her cheeks with his finger.

"Don't cry," he whispered. Girls like you don't cry.

- What kind? - through tears, but already calming down, asked Alice.

- Strong. Gentle and strong. Which look like steel covered with silk. Looking at them, you don’t even think what they are capable of,” Igor answered seriously, but immediately frowned: “Sorry, I chatted something. Let's go to the others, they are waiting for us. By the way, don't worry about Oleg Volkov, I asked Natasha to take care of him, - Igor added and, without waiting for an answer, returned to the hall.

Alice followed him, feeling vaguely disappointed at the understatement. It seems that Igor really likes her, and it is very exciting and pleasant, excites and tickles the palate, like bubbles in champagne ... But why doesn’t he actually highlight her and go beyond the usual, in general, compliments.

Thinking about this, the girl immediately felt like a traitor. It was as if these thoughts alone burned a brand on her forehead, poisoned their relationship with Oleg Volkov. “And this Natasha is a fool and is clearly in love with her boss,” thought Alice with irritation.

In the darkness of the night

I fell into a deep well. And fell, fell, fell. Slowly, as it happens in a dream, but at the same time it seemed to me that this was not a dream, that I had gone beyond it.

Absolute darkness reigned around, this does not usually happen. In a dark room, if you look closely, you can see your hands and the contours of objects. This darkness turned out to be impenetrable and suggested thoughts of primevalness, initial chaos. I imagined how our world arises from such a clot of darkness, living, breathing, flowing ... Gradually, as a skillful jug is created from a lump of clay at the hand of a potter, what has now become familiar to us was formed from this darkness.

And also, strangely, but for some reason it seemed to me that the darkness was thick, oily, or, more precisely, reminiscent of fuel oil. It stains clothes, sticks to hair, clogs the lungs with a viscous mass, so it becomes difficult to breathe.

I fell and fell into this darkness, making these observations and at the same time realizing that all this is the fruit of my consciousness, and I myself am lying in an anatomical bath, similar to a spacesuit immersed in water, the temperature coinciding with the temperature of my body.

Actually, there are not so many chances for success, but this is an opportunity to enter into one rhythm with the consciousness of my patient and thus try to reach him.

Pushing a vague anxiety away from me, I began to breathe deeply and measuredly, making more and more pauses between each breath. One two Three……. four……….

And at that moment the fall ended. I landed on my feet and took the first step.

The ground felt a little springy under my feet, something like resin stuck to my boots, pulled me down like I was in a swamp. Noting in passing that it was better not to stay here for long, just in case, I slowly moved forward.

The landscape around was strange. It would resemble an ordinary urban landscape - stunted trees, tall houses, if not for the feeling of some unfinished picture. As if they started drawing it, and then abandoned it. Trees, squat, gnarled, also bled this black resin, as if they had been doused with it.

There were no smells and sounds, and only two colors: black and white. It's probably easier for the subconscious. In general, we tend to divide the whole world around us into black and white, yes and no, truth and lies. We easily set stamps and select stable definitions. We live by associations and past experiences, we erect barriers ourselves and avoid stepping over them, and the slightest knock out of the familiar zone, which has become a comfort zone, leads to breakdown and stress. By the way, if I had to draw human life, I would draw it as a black and white checkerboard.

Thinking about it, I managed to walk half the distance to the nearest tree. And under it, suddenly, only now, I saw a man. It was a man, he stood with his back to me, and, strangely, there was no tension in his pose, he seemed to me more like a shadow than a person. Although in this world, of course, not people should roam, but flat shadows.

– Volodya?! I called out to him.

The man looked back. His face seemed roughly molded from a black plasticine mass - only outlined, as if blurred features, blind eyes ...

Are you Volodya? I repeated the question.

“Yes, I think so,” he finally said. - I can't remember...

– How long have you been here?

What is "a long time ago"? he asked. - I do not understand.

– Do you remember anything?

He was silent for an eternity. And then he nodded.

I was afraid even to move, so as not to frighten him away, and meanwhile my legs sank into the sticky soil already up to the ankles.

“I remember… documents… important documents… concerning weapons. I had to deliver them ... this is a secret ... a state secret ...

- I'm listening to. I nodded, accommodating him. In such cases, patience and slowness are important. The person himself is ready to open up, the main thing is to push him a little.

“I… don’t remember… I don’t know…”

- Do you remember. - I abstracted from all annoying factors and felt as if I were in my office. - Let's go back a little. Can you take a step back and remember where you just stood? ..

He nodded and actually stepped back. The involvement of motor skills, by the way, is an important stage in memory recovery. One way to find a thing is to restore your actions and movements step by step, connecting fine motor skills.

“Great,” I rejoiced. - Now…

And at that moment something strange happened. It was like a spring unfolded under my feet and I was thrown upwards.

I twitched, hit my forehead on the lid of the bathtub... Appliances squealed...

- Andrey?! - The lid flew off to the side, an alarmed Irina bent over me, even her hair, usually flawlessly styled, was disheveled. - What's happened?

My forehead hurt. Feeling it, I realized that the bumps, most likely, cannot be avoided. I was a little dizzy and my head was spinning.

Irina, as if with a sixth sense, realized that I was now unable to talk, so she helped me out, wrapped me in a dressing gown and escorted me to the couch, where I walked, stumbling at every step. As I sat down on the hard mattress, I felt lighter and looked down at my feet to see if there was any resin left on them. While walking, there was a feeling that he had left, but no, his legs, of course, turned out to be clean, albeit pale. “Like a dead man,” I thought inappropriately.

Irina brought water and glucose, then hugged me and froze beside me, warming me with her warmth. This, frankly, is much more effective than any glucose. Gradually, I let go.

“Andrey,” the girl gently stroked my wet hair, “you scared me. Do not do this anymore! You don't have to risk yourself! Well, promise me you won't do it again!

“I can’t,” I melted in her arms, but still showed firmness, “the experiment was successful. I seem to have found it.

- Truth? - Irina jumped up and sat down on the couch, looking at me excitedly and admiringly. - You could! You know, I never doubted for a minute! You are a genius! I knew you could! Who else, if not you!

Those who say they are indifferent to good words and compliments, shamelessly lie. We all need approval and stroking. Of course, I am no exception, especially since - and I felt it absolutely exactly - Irina spoke sincerely. Joy, admiration, impatient expectation was in her every gesture, in her posture, in the turn of her head, in the sounds of her voice.

- You are a genius! Well, tell me soon! I'll die now! she parted.

I smiled and started talking...

- Oleg! Oleg! Can you hear me?

Volkov looked around and saw his father. He looked emaciated—even worse: his eyes were sunken, his cheeks sunken in, and his skin was an unhealthy white. Volkov Sr. was dressed in the usual shirt that hung on him in a bag, and the shirt turned out to be buttoned crookedly, which his father, an imposing man, never allowed himself.

Read the beginning of this story in the novel "Navigator of Happiness".

There are moments in the fate of the world when the proportion of good changes sharply towards evil. It is then that wars, epidemics, natural disasters happen. A group of students from the Academy of Initiates, which included Alice and Oleg, going to practice in Valdai, thought: “At last, we have real business ahead of us!” But they were destined not only to perform a number of useful deeds - they are destined for the mission of locking those doors through which the forces of evil can burst into our world. Where can I find the keys for these doors? Perhaps they are kept by a little girl who has fallen into a coma, the horrors of which Alice is trying to overcome with her? Or father Oleg, a well-known scientist, to whose search even teachers of initiates join?

Oleg Roy, Ekaterina Nevolina

Keys to the dark world

* * *

Dedicated to the memory of my son Zhenechka.

To everyone who sees dreams.

Ekaterina Nevolina

“There are doors that are better left unopened…”

Alice could never forget this place. Black, viscous, like pitch, earth. Poorly drawn buildings that become sketches and get lost in the inky heights... Dark spaces are a place where the worst nightmares come true. A place where there is never sun or hope.

Against this hidden corner of the world of dreams, even the human mind rebels, and thoughts jump like tiny ping-pong balls and can not come together.

The girl rubbed her temples, trying to concentrate. The head was spinning. Alice remembered that she had fallen into the already familiar funnel, chasing a strange man in the world of dreams, and now she found herself here again. She looked around - no one. The stranger she was running after had left or hid. “Was he even there? Maybe I'm already crazy? Alice thought. We need to get out, she realized. But how?

Getting bogged down in the earth greedily clinging and pulling down, the girl took a few hesitant steps and suddenly heard something.

A groan... a human groan was the only living sound in this absolutely, Alice would even say, perfectly dead place. The girl went towards the sound. Very slowly, getting stuck at every step and feeling her strength dwindle. She walked, probably for an eternity, bogged down and falling, and each time, with great difficulty, rising to her feet. Alice herself did not understand what was pushing her forward, where else did the audacity to move on come from. Finally, she made out a human silhouette.

A man, it seems a man, was lying on the ground, half immersed in it. It seemed to Alice that the earth was gradually swallowing him up like a boa constrictor, in order to digest him later in her insatiable insides. The thought made the girl wince.

The man groaned again. Very quiet, barely audible.

The last jerk - and the girl was near him, knelt down, touched his shoulder.

- Get up! called Alice. - You can't stop here! Don't you know?

The man tried to rise, but the earth did not want to let go of its prey.

- Get up! Make an effort! Come on! - Panova pulled the man by the shoulders, feeling his weak-willed heaviness. It seems that there is almost no life left in this body.

She should have left someone who does not want to fight for himself, but eternal stubbornness did not allow her to do this. And the girl pulled and pulled with all her last strength, literally winning back the victim from the Dark Spaces by a millimeter. She pulled like a robot, no longer thinking about anything and feeling nothing but boundless fatigue, forgetting why she was here.

And she redirected.

With a frustrated, completely animal champ, the earth let go of its prisoner. The freed man groaned again, staggered, but somehow miraculously managed to stay on his feet.

Alice could almost see his face now. Almost - because it seemed blurry and seemed to elude the eye. It seems that everything is fine - and the forehead, and cheeks, and nose, and eyes, but you start to look closely - the face floats, it becomes like a gray spot.

- Who are you? - Alice shook the rescued, trying to bring him to his senses.

The man's head jerked limply, he shuddered, raised his hand and rubbed his forehead, as if trying to remember something.

“I… I don’t know…” the man muttered. “I… I think I was someone… I don't remember. I do not remember anything…

He looked at Alice with dark holes in his eyes.

- I died? he asked after a pause.

Alice did not have an answer to this question. All she's heard about the Dark Spaces is that the human personality itself is erased here. Obviously, this is exactly what happened to her interlocutor.

- Have you been here for a long time? the girl asked instead of answering.

– Yes… I have always been here… Or not… I don’t know…

He rubbed his forehead again, and then made a ridiculous gesture, as if he was trying to fix something invisible somewhere in the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe eye holes. "Glasses! He once had glasses! Alice guessed. - Already something. He still has shreds of at least reflex memory.

“Come on,” the girl pulled the man by the hand. You need to resist. You must try to remember, otherwise I cannot help you.

“Help?” he repeated. - What does "help" mean? .. - The man frowned and again hesitantly reached for the invisible glasses, this gesture must have been a habit before him. “Help… help… provide support.” This is true? I feel like I helped someone. Or did they help me? .. I'm confused.

1

Unexpected circumstances

- Can I help you?

Well, of course, I was in the most stupid position, unable to cope with the doorknob, and scattered a stack of papers right on the threshold. Silly. Even at school I was not distinguished by great grace, but what’s there, I aroused ridicule by clumsiness.

“Thanks, I’ll do it myself somehow,” I muttered and looked at her.

First I saw the legs. Well, this is logical, because at that time I just sat down, hastily collecting papers. And the legs definitely deserve attention. Thin ankles, like those of a thoroughbred horse, and two-tone, with a red toe and a black back, shoes with incredible stilettos ... Then the gaze rose higher and captured a black pencil skirt, perfectly fitting without a single wrinkle, a white blouse with modest buttons, fastened in a businesslike way, a narrow face with outlined cheekbones, brown eyes covered with elegant glasses in a transparent thin frame, and finally, a smooth hairdo ... The image is quite strict and businesslike ... if it were not for these same shoes.

Oleg Roy, Ekaterina Nevolina

Keys to the dark world

© Rezepkin O., Nevolina E., 2015

© LLC Publishing House E, 2015

* * *

Dedicated to the memory of my son Zhenechka.

Oleg Roy

To everyone who sees dreams.

Ekaterina Nevolina

“There are doors that are better left unopened…”

Alice could never forget this place. Black, viscous, like pitch, earth. Poorly drawn buildings that become sketches and get lost in the inky heights... Dark spaces are a place where the worst nightmares come true. A place where there is never sun or hope.

Against this hidden corner of the world of dreams, even the human mind rebels, and thoughts jump like tiny ping-pong balls and can not come together.

The girl rubbed her temples, trying to concentrate. The head was spinning. Alice remembered that she had fallen into the already familiar funnel, chasing a strange man in the world of dreams, and now she found herself here again. She looked around - no one. The stranger she was running after had left or hid. “Was he even there? Maybe I'm already crazy? Alice thought. We need to get out, she realized. But how?

Getting bogged down in the earth greedily clinging and pulling down, the girl took a few hesitant steps and suddenly heard something.

A groan... a human groan was the only living sound in this absolutely, Alice would even say, perfectly dead place. The girl went towards the sound. Very slowly, getting stuck at every step and feeling her strength dwindle. She walked, probably for an eternity, bogged down and falling, and each time, with great difficulty, rising to her feet. Alice herself did not understand what was pushing her forward, where else did the audacity to move on come from. Finally, she made out a human silhouette.

A man, it seems a man, was lying on the ground, half immersed in it. It seemed to Alice that the earth was gradually swallowing him up like a boa constrictor, in order to digest him later in her insatiable insides. The thought made the girl wince.

The man groaned again. Very quiet, barely audible.

The last jerk - and the girl was near him, knelt down, touched his shoulder.

- Get up! called Alice. - You can't stop here! Don't you know?

The man tried to rise, but the earth did not want to let go of its prey.

- Get up! Make an effort! Come on! - Panova pulled the man by the shoulders, feeling his weak-willed heaviness. It seems that there is almost no life left in this body.

She should have left someone who does not want to fight for himself, but eternal stubbornness did not allow her to do this. And the girl pulled and pulled with all her last strength, literally winning back the victim from the Dark Spaces by a millimeter. She pulled like a robot, no longer thinking about anything and feeling nothing but boundless fatigue, forgetting why she was here.

And she redirected.

With a frustrated, completely animal champ, the earth let go of its prisoner. The freed man groaned again, staggered, but somehow miraculously managed to stay on his feet.

Alice could almost see his face now. Almost - because it seemed blurry and seemed to elude the eye. It seems that everything is fine - and the forehead, and cheeks, and nose, and eyes, but you start to look closely - the face floats, it becomes like a gray spot.

- Who are you? - Alice shook the rescued, trying to bring him to his senses.

The man's head jerked limply, he shuddered, raised his hand and rubbed his forehead, as if trying to remember something.

“I… I don’t know…” the man muttered. “I… I think I was someone… I don't remember. I do not remember anything…

He looked at Alice with dark holes in his eyes.

- I died? he asked after a pause.

Alice did not have an answer to this question. All she's heard about the Dark Spaces is that the human personality itself is erased here. Obviously, this is exactly what happened to her interlocutor.

- Have you been here for a long time? the girl asked instead of answering.

– Yes… I have always been here… Or not… I don’t know…

He rubbed his forehead again, and then made a ridiculous gesture, as if he was trying to fix something invisible somewhere in the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe eye holes. "Glasses! He once had glasses! Alice guessed. - Already something. He still has shreds of at least reflex memory.

“Come on,” the girl pulled the man by the hand. You need to resist. You must try to remember, otherwise I cannot help you.

“Help?” he repeated. - What does "help" mean? .. - The man frowned and again hesitantly reached for the invisible glasses, this gesture must have been a habit before him. “Help… help… provide support.” This is true? I feel like I helped someone. Or did they help me? .. I'm confused.

Unexpected circumstances

- Can I help you?

Well, of course, I was in the most stupid position, unable to cope with the doorknob, and scattered a stack of papers right on the threshold. Silly. Even at school I was not distinguished by great grace, but what’s there, I aroused ridicule by clumsiness.

“Thanks, I’ll do it myself somehow,” I muttered and looked at her.

First I saw the legs. Well, this is logical, because at that time I just sat down, hastily collecting papers. And the legs definitely deserve attention. Thin ankles, like those of a thoroughbred horse, and two-tone, with a red toe and a black back, shoes with incredible stilettos ... Then the gaze rose higher and captured a black pencil skirt, perfectly fitting without a single wrinkle, a white blouse with modest buttons, fastened in a businesslike way, a narrow face with outlined cheekbones, brown eyes covered with elegant glasses in a transparent thin frame, and finally, a smooth hairdo ... The image is quite strict and businesslike ... if it were not for these same shoes.

Red shoes are already a provocative element in themselves, directly pointing to sex and sin. They have vitality, libido and at the same time danger, war, blood. Black adds aggression, increases the feeling of anxiety, sending us to death. Now it's love and death. I remember a spider devouring a partner immediately after mating. And it’s better to keep silent about the significance of the shape of the shoe, so as not to be accused of excessive concern ... yes, I seem to be distracted.

- But still, let me. She leaned over, letting me make sure that the blouse was buttoned up and really did not support the aggressive coquetry of the shoes, cooling me like a glass of ice water down the collar. - And you, excuse me, Andrey ... Mikhailovich?

On the door at which we were, in fact, it is written “Head. Andrey Mikhailovich Chernov, head of the Department of Psychiatry”, so you don’t have to be Sherlock Holmes.

- I'm sorry. - I took the sheets from her, which she managed to pick up, and got up. - And you?..

- I am Irina. Irina Alexandrovna Pryagova. She stood up and looked at me almost pleadingly. - You do not remember? Your friend, Natalya Mikhailova, said that you need an assistant ...

Well, of course. Now I remember everything. Natasha Mikhailova, the wife of my friend, recently persuaded me to hire some kind of relative or friend. I just needed an assistant, and being a gentle person, although realizing that I was being manipulated, I agreed to see this protégé.

– Of course, Irina, I am very glad to see you. I extended my hand to her. This is a kind of test, because a handshake says a lot about a person.

The girl shook my hand—firmly, not coquettishly or embarrassed, quite businesslike, and I calmed down a bit.

We entered the office. I offered the visitor a chair and, putting the papers on the table, sank into the chair, continuing to watch her, noting her mean gestures and the way she placed her legs evenly. I marked the details out of professional habit.

So far, the language of facial expressions has not told too much about the guest. Quite closed, but not one of the insecure, knows her own worth, most likely a careerist, purposeful, suspicious. However, do not rush to conclusions. Such behavior sometimes indicates only a fear of change; still - the girl came to the terrible big world to get a job. And the tension can be explained even more simply: the very shoes, ready to give his head to be cut off, are simply exceptionally uncomfortable.

- Will you have coffee?

She shook her head. She also refused water - decisively, which means she was not shy, but simply did not want to. It happens.

“Tell me a little about yourself, Irina,” I asked as softly as possible. It is necessary to strike up a conversation in order to relax the visitor, to show that there is no need to be afraid of me, after all, we are not at a bullfight.

I sent my resume...

No, still not sure. And of course, I forgot to read the resume ...

Please, in your own words. You have a very pleasant voice. - I smiled again - politely, without any hint, just in the style of "good boss".

- Well then. - Irina lowered her eyes for a moment, and then looked at me again (I wonder if she really has vision problems or is she hiding behind glasses? ..). – I am twenty-three years old, studying at the medical faculty of psychiatry. Already the third course. At the evening, it won't interfere with work,” she added hastily.

There are moments in the fate of the world when the proportion of good changes sharply towards evil. It is then that wars, epidemics, natural disasters happen. A group of students from the Academy of Initiates, which included Alice and Oleg, going to practice in Valdai, thought: “At last, we have real business ahead of us!” But they were destined not only to perform a number of useful deeds - they are destined for the mission of locking those doors through which the forces of evil can burst into our world. Where can I find the keys for these doors? Perhaps they are kept by a little girl who has fallen into a coma, the horrors of which Alice is trying to overcome with her? Or father Oleg, a well-known scientist, to whose search even teachers of initiates join?

The work belongs to the genre Modern Russian literature. It was published in 2015 by the publishing house AUTHOR. This book is part of the Dreams series. On our site you can download the book "Keys to the Dark World" in fb2, rtf, epub, pdf, txt format or read online. Here, before reading, you can also refer to the reviews of readers who are already familiar with the book, and find out their opinion. In the online store of our partner you can buy and read the book in paper form.

© Rezepkin O., Nevolina E., 2015

© LLC Publishing House E, 2015

* * *

Dedicated to the memory of my son Zhenechka.

Oleg Roy

To everyone who sees dreams.

Ekaterina Nevolina

“There are doors that are better left unopened…”

Alice could never forget this place. Black, viscous, like pitch, earth. Poorly drawn buildings that become sketches and get lost in the inky heights... Dark spaces are a place where the worst nightmares come true. A place where there is never sun or hope.

Against this hidden corner of the world of dreams, even the human mind rebels, and thoughts jump like tiny ping-pong balls and can not come together.

The girl rubbed her temples, trying to concentrate. The head was spinning. Alice remembered that she had fallen into the already familiar funnel, chasing a strange man in the world of dreams, and now she found herself here again. She looked around - no one. The stranger she was running after had left or hid. “Was he even there? Maybe I'm already crazy? Alice thought. We need to get out, she realized. But how?

Getting bogged down in the earth greedily clinging and pulling down, the girl took a few hesitant steps and suddenly heard something.

A groan... a human groan was the only living sound in this absolutely, Alice would even say, perfectly dead place. The girl went towards the sound. Very slowly, getting stuck at every step and feeling her strength dwindle. She walked, probably for an eternity, bogged down and falling, and each time, with great difficulty, rising to her feet. Alice herself did not understand what was pushing her forward, where else did the audacity to move on come from. Finally, she made out a human silhouette.

A man, it seems a man, was lying on the ground, half immersed in it. It seemed to Alice that the earth was gradually swallowing him up like a boa constrictor, in order to digest him later in her insatiable insides. The thought made the girl wince.

The man groaned again. Very quiet, barely audible.

The last jerk - and the girl was near him, knelt down, touched his shoulder.

- Get up! called Alice. - You can't stop here! Don't you know?

The man tried to rise, but the earth did not want to let go of its prey.

- Get up! Make an effort! Come on! - Panova pulled the man by the shoulders, feeling his weak-willed heaviness. It seems that there is almost no life left in this body.

She should have left someone who does not want to fight for himself, but eternal stubbornness did not allow her to do this. And the girl pulled and pulled with all her last strength, literally winning back the victim from the Dark Spaces by a millimeter. She pulled like a robot, no longer thinking about anything and feeling nothing but boundless fatigue, forgetting why she was here.

And she redirected.

With a frustrated, completely animal champ, the earth let go of its prisoner.

The freed man groaned again, staggered, but somehow miraculously managed to stay on his feet.

Alice could almost see his face now. Almost - because it seemed blurry and seemed to elude the eye. It seems that everything is fine - and the forehead, and cheeks, and nose, and eyes, but you start to look closely - the face floats, it becomes like a gray spot.

- Who are you? - Alice shook the rescued, trying to bring him to his senses.

The man's head jerked limply, he shuddered, raised his hand and rubbed his forehead, as if trying to remember something.

“I… I don’t know…” the man muttered. “I… I think I was someone… I don't remember. I do not remember anything…

He looked at Alice with dark holes in his eyes.

- I died? he asked after a pause.

Alice did not have an answer to this question. All she's heard about the Dark Spaces is that the human personality itself is erased here. Obviously, this is exactly what happened to her interlocutor.

- Have you been here for a long time? the girl asked instead of answering.

– Yes… I have always been here… Or not… I don’t know…

He rubbed his forehead again, and then made a ridiculous gesture, as if he was trying to fix something invisible somewhere in the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe eye holes. "Glasses! He once had glasses! Alice guessed. - Already something. He still has shreds of at least reflex memory.

“Come on,” the girl pulled the man by the hand. You need to resist. You must try to remember, otherwise I cannot help you.

“Help?” he repeated. - What does "help" mean? .. - The man frowned and again hesitantly reached for the invisible glasses, this gesture must have been a habit before him. “Help… help… provide support.” This is true? I feel like I helped someone. Or did they help me? .. I'm confused.

1
Unexpected circumstances

- Can I help you?

Well, of course, I was in the most stupid position, unable to cope with the doorknob, and scattered a stack of papers right on the threshold. Silly. Even at school I was not distinguished by great grace, but what’s there, I aroused ridicule by clumsiness.

“Thanks, I’ll do it myself somehow,” I muttered and looked at her.

First I saw the legs. Well, this is logical, because at that time I just sat down, hastily collecting papers. And the legs definitely deserve attention. Thin ankles, like those of a thoroughbred horse, and two-tone, with a red toe and a black back, shoes with incredible stilettos ... Then the gaze rose higher and captured a black pencil skirt, perfectly fitting without a single wrinkle, a white blouse with modest buttons, fastened in a businesslike way, a narrow face with outlined cheekbones, brown eyes covered with elegant glasses in a transparent thin frame, and finally, a smooth hairdo ... The image is quite strict and businesslike ... if it were not for these same shoes.

Red shoes are already a provocative element in themselves, directly pointing to sex and sin. They have vitality, libido and at the same time danger, war, blood. Black adds aggression, increases the feeling of anxiety, sending us to death. Now it's love and death. I remember a spider devouring a partner immediately after mating. And it’s better to keep silent about the significance of the shape of the shoe, so as not to be accused of excessive concern ... yes, I seem to be distracted.

- But still, let me. She leaned over, letting me make sure that the blouse was buttoned up and really did not support the aggressive coquetry of the shoes, cooling me like a glass of ice water down the collar. - And you, excuse me, Andrey ... Mikhailovich?

On the door at which we were, in fact, it is written “Head. Andrey Mikhailovich Chernov, head of the Department of Psychiatry”, so you don’t have to be Sherlock Holmes.

- I'm sorry. - I took the sheets from her, which she managed to pick up, and got up. - And you?..

- I am Irina. Irina Alexandrovna Pryagova. She stood up and looked at me almost pleadingly. - You do not remember? Your friend, Natalya Mikhailova, said that you need an assistant ...

Well, of course. Now I remember everything. Natasha Mikhailova, the wife of my friend, recently persuaded me to hire some kind of relative or friend. I just needed an assistant, and being a gentle person, although realizing that I was being manipulated, I agreed to see this protégé.

– Of course, Irina, I am very glad to see you. I extended my hand to her. This is a kind of test, because a handshake says a lot about a person.

The girl shook my hand—firmly, not coquettishly or embarrassed, quite businesslike, and I calmed down a bit.

We entered the office. I offered the visitor a chair and, putting the papers on the table, sank into the chair, continuing to watch her, noting her mean gestures and the way she placed her legs evenly. I marked the details out of professional habit.

So far, the language of facial expressions has not told too much about the guest. Quite closed, but not one of the insecure, knows her own worth, most likely a careerist, purposeful, suspicious. However, do not rush to conclusions. Such behavior sometimes indicates only a fear of change; still - the girl came to the terrible big world to get a job. And the tension can be explained even more simply: the very shoes, ready to give his head to be cut off, are simply exceptionally uncomfortable.

- Will you have coffee?

She shook her head. She also refused water - decisively, which means she was not shy, but simply did not want to. It happens.

“Tell me a little about yourself, Irina,” I asked as softly as possible. It is necessary to strike up a conversation in order to relax the visitor, to show that there is no need to be afraid of me, after all, we are not at a bullfight.

I sent my resume...

No, still not sure. And of course, I forgot to read the resume ...

Please, in your own words. You have a very pleasant voice. - I smiled again - politely, without any hint, just in the style of "good boss".

- Well then. - Irina lowered her eyes for a moment, and then looked at me again (I wonder if she really has vision problems or is she hiding behind glasses? ..). – I am twenty-three years old, studying at the medical faculty of psychiatry. Already the third course. At the evening, it won't interfere with work,” she added hastily.

I nodded. Poor girls, it seems that they themselves often do not suspect what they are signaling with their clothes or shoes. This would be better with ballet flats. Although I understand: the first interview in my life, how not to wear the best shoes! Well, at least I didn’t think of a tight leopard dress ...

– I read your articles, Andrey Mikhailovich…

- Please, no patronymic. Just Andrey,” I interrupted her, catching myself reaching out to adjust my glasses. A bad habit, reflects insecurity, but I just can’t get rid of it.

“Yes, Andrei Mi… Andrei…” she repeated obediently. “And I would be honored to work with you. I'm just writing a term paper on the topic "Perspective methods of treatment of twilight disorders of consciousness."

– Serious topic, Irina. I allowed myself a little chuckle. - I've been doing it for almost twenty years ... it seems, almost as long as you live in the world, and you are going to master it in one year.

I deliberately hinted at the age difference, just in case she might have some hope for more. I won’t say that I’m a model of male beauty, but girls still like me, and forty-two years is a great age for a man.

That's why I would like to work with you. - Irina was worried, and spots of blush appeared on her cheekbones. She obviously has very thin, sensitive skin. – I speak and write English fluently, I lived in the vicinity of London for two summers. I know a little French, I read with a dictionary. And, most importantly, I am ready to learn. No, not like that, I really, really want to learn!

Brown eyes stared helplessly at me, creating an involuntary association with the famous cat from Shrek.

“And you won’t be put off by the fact that I can’t pay you much?” - I clarified, although I understood the hint about London - obviously, the family has the means.

“And I still don’t pull much.” She smiled, and the smile made cute dimples on her cheeks. And Irina herself suddenly became homely, very touching.

In my opinion, the girl is not at all hopeless, smart and with a sense of humor.

We must take. In addition, I do not have a queue of contenders. Unfortunately, the scientific work, which I mainly do, does not bring profit, and I do not want to accept patients for the sake of money. For the time being, I can afford to work for pleasure and only with those whom I choose myself.

"Then let's get to work!"

Then I looked again at her shoes, and a strange feeling of unease pierced my heart. Probably, this is due to the association of a thin hairpin with a pin, with which the corpses of bright butterflies are pinned ... I saw such a collection in my childhood, in those years it made a terrifying impression on me.

We discussed the details, and Pryagova left. And I, remaining at the table, closed my eyes for a moment in order to see again this haunting, disturbing black and red spot. Love and death always go together. Really, nasty banality? ..

* * *

“Get off, Marquise!” Alice pushed away the white-and-red cat, which was licking the girl's hands with emery. - Well, stop it! I woke up, everything is fine.

The cat meowed in displeasure and moved its tail from side to side.

- No offense. - The girl scratched her furry pet under the chin, and she purred, immediately forgetting the offense. - I understand that you always pull me out. You know, sometimes I even think that you are some part of me.

Marquise meowed, but with a completely different intonation, in the affirmative.

They really were similar - a girl and a cat. Alice's eyes, of a golden hue and with a vertical pupil, like those of the Marquise, a triangular face with a narrow chin, long reddish hair, in perfect harmony with the cat's hair.

Pulling the blanket up to her chin, Alice stared thoughtfully into space. It wasn't the first time she'd traveled to a distant region of the dream world called the Dark Spaces. 1
Read the beginning of this story in the novel "Navigator of Happiness".

And it was strange, because they said about this place that they did not return from there. Why was she able to enter there and return back? Maybe thanks to Marquise? And now the cat clearly pulled the mistress out of a nightmare. But it seemed to the girl that there was something else, something that she herself did not yet understand.

Wrapping herself in a blanket, Alice went to the window. It was already dawn, the night was receding, pressed by the morning. There was heavy snow. Snowflakes fell to the ground like fluff from a torn pillow.

Looking at their monotonous flickering, the girl thought.

More than three months have passed since the disappearance of Oleg's father, Alexei Mikhailovich Volkov, and there is still no news about him. Oleg and Alisa visited the laboratory where Volkov Sr. worked, who worked at the intersection of bioengineering, genetics and cybertechnologies, but it turned out that they were ahead of them - everything he worked on disappeared. Day by day Oleg became gloomier and gloomier.

Of course, not only they were looking for a scientist. The initiates - members of the order, which has been operating since the time of the Inquisition, for whom, in fact, Volkov Sr. had recently worked, were no less worried. One day, Alice accidentally heard a fragment of a conversation between two teachers in the corridor of the academy.

“Mark my word, we'll hear about the guy who's doing his thing right under our noses. I'll bet my best tie that this case is very closely connected to that missing scientist.

“Do you think this Volkov is a double agent?” We did check it out.

- Check something checked, but ...

Then the speaker noticed Alice and abruptly fell silent, and she could only mutter an apology and hurry to hide. Of course, she did not tell Oleg about this conversation. There is nothing worse if relatives, the closest people turn away from a person. Alas, the girl knew about it from her own experience.

She liked Alexei Mikhailovich, although he was too self-absorbed, as happens with scientists. The girl really hoped that they would find him and everything would be explained in the simplest way. In the meantime, oddly enough, studies have become an excellent outlet. They were loaded to the very top and even higher, in fact, leaving no free time. The headmistress of the academy found it possible to control problem students personally. But it was even good. Alice was afraid that Oleg would do something stupid and therefore rejoiced at the distraction of her studies.

The alarm went off, signaling that it was time to focus on business. Alice sighed and went to the bathroom to take a shower to unwind a little. After a strange meeting in the world of dreams and sad reflections, my soul was restless.

The morning turmoil, as always, had its healing effect. The four of them had breakfast - Alisa Panova, Oleg Volkov, Yulia Krasitskaya and Vlad Astov ... Vlad, a somewhat reserved guy with long dark hair, appeared in their company recently. It was he who first spoke about the dream navigator - a strange device with which an unknown manipulator drew different people into his game, skillfully using the weaknesses of each of the "clients". Together with Vlad, they were looking for a manipulator and entered the office of a digitization company. After that, fearing that the initiates would become interested in Vlad, they hid him in the hostel of the academy for three whole days, thinking that they were acting skillfully and subtly.

But disappointment befell literally on the fourth day, when Professor Melnikov, who teaches a subject with a strange and meaningless name "Theory of Knowledge", suddenly asked, as if so, in between times:

“Why is your friend skipping lectures?”

Alice, Oleg and Yulia looked at each other.

- What friend? Volkov asked in a tense voice. He did not know how to lie at all, and this touched Alice very much.

- Vladislav. Astov, it seems. Melnikov rubbed his temple with a perfectly manicured finger. - What's happened? Did I mix up my last name? Sorry, it happens. Scattered.

No one would have called him absent-minded, but Vadim Petrovich, obviously, was amused by trying on different, sometimes completely opposite to his personal qualities, masks.

The guys were silent. Vlad's stay in the hostel was a huge secret. In addition, they had already been punished for their arbitrariness and the fact that they were engaged in a case related to the dream navigator without informing any of the teachers. And now a new fault.

- Don't worry. Melnikov spread his hands. - Personally, I think the guy is promising. He has already encountered some unusual things, passed the first stages of a very peculiar training ... In my opinion, it's time, as they say, to come out of the underground. We won't eat it in the end. Let him take documents from his economic, especially an economist from your Astov, about like a blacksmith from me. – Vadim Petrovich allowed himself an ironic smile. - So now let him work off the eaten bread with successful studies.

- You're not kidding? Julia looked pleadingly at Melnikov.

Alice noticed that a relationship was developing between her and Vlad, which was still too fragile to talk about, but Krasitskaya was worried about him.

- In every joke ... - Melnikov suddenly winked at Yulia. - Bring your Astov, there will be a place for him and his own room. Otherwise, they will say that we oppress our students. Volkov has a separate room, without a neighbor.

Oleg, who really sheltered Vlad and is now forced to adapt to a joint secret residence, noticeably cheered up.

And now Vlad has already received a completely legal status of a student, his own room and all the delights of studying at the academy.

- Well, you have orders here! Just like in the game, - Vlad said on the second day of training, and more experienced students looked at each other knowingly and did not even tell him that all the delights were yet to come.

After two lectures, which passed calmly and without surprises, the students were gathered in Melnikov's office.

- Well, you have grown to practice, - Vadim Petrovich announced, walking between the rows. In general, he very rarely took his place at the pulpit, and usually such officialdom did not bode well. – I am pleased that you have already begun to form working groups. In the future, each of these groups can become a task force, so it is very important that you learn how to work together now. And the mistakes that always happen when adjusting to each other will turn out to be less painful during study and will not lead to catastrophic consequences ... Ideally, - he added, glancing at Alice and her friends. - Although, as we well know, the ideal is unattainable ... But what am I? Let's move on to distribution.

In any other educational institution, such words would have caused a surge of emotions and whispers, but not in the academy. The students were silent, waiting for the continuation - behind the most impatient doors slammed shut a long time ago.

As Panova hoped, this time they decided not to experiment with the composition of the groups, and their group included all of their own - Alisa, Oleg, Yulia, Vlad. The only surprise is Nika, the niece of the headmistress of the academy, who specializes in suggestion. Indeed, the group turned out to be good, and with the advent of Vlad, one can be calm on the strength side.

They were assigned to do internships in some supernumerary department in Valdai. Alice has never been to this city, and Oleg, having loaded the map, demonstrated it. Valdai was not too far from Moscow, but not so close that it was easy to drive back and forth. Moreover, the road ran through the ever-busy Leningradka and Khimki, glorious for its traffic jams.

- They also came up with - "practice" ... - Volkov muttered, frowning at the map.

Alice perfectly understood why he did not want to leave Moscow. Oleg is not one of those who give up, and all this time, despite the failures, he continued to look for his father and hoped to stumble upon at least some trace.

“They don’t ask us if we want to go or not,” Nika chuckled. “And don’t even worry, they’ll figure it out just fine without you.

Alice glanced sideways at the former headman - with her, it seemed, it became dangerous to think. In general, it is somewhat strange that after one major joint adventure, Nika was included in their group. But what about her own retinue? Nikina's retinue huddled uncertainly in the corner, feeling boundless sadness from the break with their leader.

Apparently, the initiates nevertheless decided on a small experiment of shuffling. Why?..