4

In one fairy tale, a girl was walking in the woods and met bears...

The alarm clock on the phone played some kind of cheerful melody, urging you to wake up cheerfully and greet the morning joyfully. We need to change the tune. A funeral march would be fine. I grope for my gadget in the dark and randomly poke buttons. Finally, the alarm is silenced. I throw off the covers and, dipping my body into the cool air of the room, wander into the bathroom. I scream sharply from a strong blow with my little toe on an unknown, but terribly hard object. And finally I wake up. I look around the room in bewilderment, and my memory showers me with yesterday's memories like a cold shower. I'm not at home. In general, God knows where, in a luxurious school for rich kids, lost in a dense forest. And it all sounds damned unbelievable. Outside, the pre-dawn twilight colors the sky dark grey. I listen to the silence in the corridor, and I understand that everyone is still sleeping. Exactly Lessons will only start after lunch. I try to go back to bed, but I can't sleep.

- Okay, take a nap, while I'll conduct reconnaissance on your territory, - I resolutely get up and go to the shower.

I walked down the corridor quietly on tiptoes so as not to wake anyone. The dorm was in darkness. She reached the front door and tried the handle unsuccessfully. Locked up. Well, don't back down now. I looked around and found that the door to the old commandant's room was ajar. I quietly walked over and peered inside. Yep, sleeping on duty. It's wonderful. After a short inspection, I saw the keys hanging on the wall almost at the very door. She turned back to the sleeping woman. She carefully unhooked her keys and slipped out of the room.

The paths twisted, converged and diverged. One led to the men's dormitory, another went somewhere deep into the garden. I breathed in the fresh autumn air and remembered how at that time I had climbed out of the house through the attic window to escape to the cemetery. Stinging in the nose. Shaking her head to cheer herself up and drive away dreary thoughts, she resolutely headed down the second path. I walked slowly for about twenty minutes, when the outlines of a large house flashed behind the tall golden trunks of pines. Rather, it was a huge modern luxurious mansion. So what did Patrick say about this house? That's right, the head of the Western clan lives there! I mean, my fiancé. Why didn't I think of going straight to his house? Here will be a surprise for this invisible man, who ignores his bride, who, you see, has been waiting for “a whole month”! I already smiled evilly imagining his surprised face at the sight of the uninvited bride. I'll tell this idiot everything in the face for dragging me into this wilderness, deceiving me with promises to introduce me to my father. Although, the one who dragged him was actually Patrick, and he didn’t say anything about his father ... But it doesn’t matter! I'll still speak up! Was it not on his orders that all this fuss was started? And then you can roll. I think I've already thought about running away.

Up close, the house was even more stunning. Snow-white, in a Mediterranean style with a terracotta tiled roof, large panoramic arched windows and a spacious terrace, it was the creation of a brilliant designer. I broke away from admiring and pushed the door. She, to my surprise, was not locked.

- Stand! Hell, I even jumped. An ominous shout made me turn around.

And how did you find me? Oh god, witch. Clara moved with long strides too briskly for her age. In a second she was standing in front of me, wildly drilling unnaturally yellow eyes. Instead of being frightened, I began to remember why I had not noticed this strange color from the very beginning.

- You, Alicia Kedano, stole the keys and left the hostel without permission!

- I admit that I took the keys, and for that I apologize, but no one warned me that we were prisoners.

- Sorry?

- You said that I arbitrarily left the hostel. Is it forbidden?

Clara began to turn purple.

"I'll figure it out myself," I shuddered again. The voice sounded familiar.

Turning around sharply, she almost hit her nose right in the chest ... Zarka!

"Clara, you're getting old," Zark nailed the old woman to the spot with a heavy look.

She transformed before her eyes. Her hands began to tremble, and her head bowed low.

Sorry sir, my mistake. The hunt was hard, I dozed off.

“If some girl managed to steal your keys, I would call it a deadly dream,” Zark growled, or was it my imagination?

I didn't understand anything again. What were these two talking about? Hunting?! She imagined an old woman with a gun at the ready and could not help laughing.

- Go, sleep, leave Viola instead. I'll deal with the girl, - Zark turned away from Clara, and she disappeared among the trees.

- I hate sticky, are you following me? Zark looked at me with contempt again.

- Don't flatter yourself, and don't expect me to fall on my knees and call you mister! I almost suffocated from indignation.

- You have already heard my advice - get out of here, I didn't call you, and you don't belong here, - Zark moved menacingly towards me.

My knees trembled, but even under pain of death, I would not show my weakness in front of this insolent psycho. I stubbornly raised my eyes, returning his contemptuous gaze, and rested my hand on the firm pumped chest. It was like an electric shock hit me at the touch. A pleasant hot wave began to spread over his arm, spreading further. Zark turned his heavy gaze to his chest, where I now held it. I bit my lip and hurriedly removed my hand, tucking it behind my back for safety.

To be honest, I don't like it here either. I was dragged against my will, I hope that didn't sound like an excuse.

Zark tensed.

“First of all, don’t touch me. And about not on their own ... This can not be. Nobody asked if you want to go?

I blushed and hesitated. They asked, actually.

- Not exactly, they asked, but ... it was about my father and home, but not about the groom! I shut up and lowered my eyes.

Yes, what is wrong with me? Why am I standing in front of this psycho, and explaining all this. And the explanations sound like pathetic excuses. What does he care about where I am and what I do? We should talk about this with the one who started everything - my fiancé.

- Okay, I understand, go, we'll talk at school. And stop wandering in the semi-darkness, let everyone sleep!

- Wait! I wanted to see someone.” Belatedly, I remembered the purpose of my visit.

"Go, I said," Zark slammed the door in my face.

I fidgeted nervously at the hem of my new shape skirt. She was brought into my room by Aina just an hour before the lessons and ordered to urgently change clothes. For a long time I could not decide to wear this expensive set of a dark blue skirt, tie and snow-white blouse. But Aina convinced that it was impossible to go to school without a uniform. The skirt sat like a glove, but the blouse seemed small to me. She fitted the figure, emphasizing the already formed breasts. I looked at myself in the mirror and shook my head in horror.

- Nope, Aina, I'm not going in this.

Aina laughed out loud.

- You have an awesome body! All the boys' jaws will drop, you'll see.

- That's it! Everything stands out too much, I'll put on my old trusty sweater.

I reached for the closet. Indignant, Aina put her hands on her hips and bravely pushed herself between me and the closet.

- No old sweaters! Can you imagine, we will come together, and what will the others say about me? The fashion trendsetter of the Western Clan School couldn't dress her friend decently!? A shame for the rest of my life, - her look became pleading, - well, Fox, have pity on me!

- I understand, in your opinion, my sweater looks indecent, - I muttered with displeasure.

Aina continued to flap her eyelashes plaintively, and I gave up.

Can you put on a jacket? - tried to win back their positions at least a little.

- You can have a jacket! But with the condition that I myself do your hair.

Aina conjured over my hair for about fifteen minutes, but did not calm down on this. Then she wanted to “slightly emphasize the dignity of your pretty face with a light make-up.” Half an hour later I stood in front of the mirror, barely recognizing myself. Starting with the fact that for the first time I put on something ten times more expensive than all my clothes put together, and ending with a beautiful voluminous braid that Ina built from my thick black curly hair. The hair was too open at the neck, and I involuntarily covered two tiny white scars near my shoulder with my palm.

- What's there? - Aina jerked my hand, and I abruptly pulled away.

"Sorry, I shouldn't have," she looked confused, "so it's true?"

- What? - I asked again, not understanding what she meant, and rather hastened to reassure. - I was not offended, I always had these scars. I don't know where they come from. Mom avoided answering. It seems that these points upset her, - a lump came up in her throat from the memories of her mother.

Aina saw that I was about to burst into tears and jumped up with hugs.

- Forget! Better tell me, how do you like my makeup? I did a great job, didn't I? You look super!

She continued to chat incessantly, and I involuntarily smiled.

- Very cool!