Читать книгу Star Angels. The New World - Viktor Khorunzhy - Страница 1

Flitton, a small town our story had begun in, had not been any different from other places as cozy and settled that surrounded large and noisy metropolises.

Modest double-storey houses were stretching in rows along narrow streets, competing in the neatness of their front gardens. Well-fed cats were strolling down the lawns, guarding their territory vigilantly.

High hedges were out of favour here. Neighbouring yards were separated by squatty, neatly cut barberry and hawthorn bushes. Perhaps that was the reason for neighbours knowing all about each other’s lives, savouring the details over evening tea with great pleasure.

Flit, a hasteless rivulet, separating the town into two parts, was the source of overall pride, and its esplanade was the favourite strolling place.

Flitton’s life itself had been as calm and hasteless, with no incidents disturbing it.

That’s why unbelievable events, witnessed by the residents of town’s Alley Street, burnt into their memories for a long time. As the time had passed, the story had lost its realness and turned into a legend…

* * *

… Alice dashed along the cliff. The wind whipped her on the face, and flaps of her cloak resembled wings. That rush could not last long; she was starting to get tired. And the persecutors, have been chasing her from the very forest, nosed her weakness instantly; a pack of black wolves, starving and relentless. Their leader roared and clanged his fangs, almost reaching her ankle.

Alice put all of her strength on, jumped as high as she could and… found herself floating in the air! She didn’t entirely realize how in the world she had done that – she had just forgotten for a moment this to be impossible.

The pack was stopping abruptly, flocking up as they did. The wolves were barking and whimpering with confusion, having not the slightest idea of how such a close and easy prey could ever escape.

Alice looked at them top down, feeling herself to be completely safe. “It appears I’m capable of anything!” the girl thought, triumphing. “I just needn’t to be afraid of believing in it!”

The thought seemed so wonderful that she burst into laughing…

“Alice!” a familiar voice appeared to be Katy’s, broke into her dream, threatening to dispel all the magic. “Wake up; you can’t sleep through the whole time!”

Alice started tumbling in bed, burying herself deeper into the pillow as if it could save her from her sister and let her watch that interesting dream to the end…

… The wolves – proud hunters a minute ago – now resembled a pack of flocked watchdogs. Without any understanding of what was going on, they were leveling terrified eyes at the girl that was floating freely in the air. A moment later they dashed back to their homey forest, stumbling and pushing each other on their way. Only the leader, which resembled a big black sheepdog, remained still. He just sat there, puffing and blowing, eyeing up at Alice.

And she suddenly realized she had no reasons for being afraid of the persecutor: they were equal in fortitude and battle skill. She came down smoothly and settled herself onto the ground right beside him. The wolf, still recovering its breath after a scurry, was glaring with its pitch-black eyes right in her face, and opened its frightful chaps…

“Now this is downright outrageous!” the wolf suddenly spoke in Katy’s voice. “Get up, I say! If you think I’ll let you get late for classes, you are terribly wrong…”

A pillow flew into Alice, well-aimed by her elder sister.

The move came in useful: the junior sister cracked one eye open, then the other one.

“Katy…” Alice gave a nice yawn. “You can’t imagine what an extraordinary dream I had…”

“Oh, yes, I can,” Katy answered, planting the pillow – which had taken its toll – back on her perfectly made bed. “You chuckled in your dream as if tickled”.

“There were… wolves, I was running away from them, and then… What was it?… I did something and then some clever thought came in a flash…” Alice wrinkled her forehead forcing herself to remember. “Ugh,” she said peevishly. “Your pillow kicked it out of my head…”

“This clever thought seemed to be your last one…” Katy uttered mockingly. “What a terrible loss! All right, hurry up; I don’t want you to make me blush!”

Alice got up, gave a stretch, and shuffled off to the bathroom, flapping her bare feet against the floor.

Katy was going to make her sister’s bed as she did ever so often when Alice was to be late, but then she stopped herself. How long could she take it anyway? Alice always was “the baby one”, even though they had only a year of age gap! But Katy got used to her the-elder-sister role, not only taking care of the junior one, but also helping her out when in need. Katy was doing it even now, though both of them had grown up long ago.

So it happened: their mother passed away soon after Alice’s birth and girls had very little memories of her. They knew of her only from their father Michaels’ scanty stories.

All that was left as a remembrance of their mum were the indelible drawings on the girls’ left shoulders.

For this reason Katy, as the older one, felt herself bound to patronize Alice. She had even gone to school a year later to be closer to her junior sister. And now they were studying at the university together. Alice paid this care off with whole-hearted love, implicit trust and… a complete mess pretty much everywhere she cropped up. How long should Katy let her junior sister be that careless?

Having uttered a sigh, Katy swept her eyes over the room’s part, which had been Alice’s domain: books and CDs lying scattered, her whole wardrobe towering on the chair in a crumpled heap, an old shabby toy – seemed to be a hare far back in its past – dwelling in the corner of her bed… As if she was about to turn eight, not eighteen! Alice’s perfect babel was dramatized by perfect tidiness of Katy’s half of the room: all the books were ranged orderly on the shelf, her wardrobe resembled a toy boutique, with all the clothes hanged up neatly on the hangers, and her desk was so clean, that it could reflect sunlight into eyes. Even pens and pencils were placed into an elegant, seed-bead-decked pencil cup. This was the essence of Katy. Perhaps she was being too pedantic, but it was better than Alice’s slackitude…

“Whatever! It’s time to learn to be in charge of herself!” Katy snorted in anger to the mess in the room and headed for the door decisively, having secured her bag.

“Hey! Where do you think you’re going?” she heard from upstairs.

Katy lifted up her head. Alice peered out from the mansard window, not really sleepy anymore, but still in pajamas.

“What about me?”

“Catch up!” the elder sister called as she dashed to the exit.

* * *

Katy walked along the narrow side street, called the Alley Street. The drives, leading from neighbours’ houses, were streaming into it like runlets.

Here was the small, well-kept house of the Tartles. There was the residence of Mr. Rain, Mrs. Olivia, their twin sons – Tom and Peter, the seventh-graders – and their three setter dogs. Last year Katy witnessed Tom falling down a tall tree and breaking his arm. Katy called an ambulance and the boy’s parents, and held on to him like a limpet until they came. The time had been enough for Peter to fall ardently in love with his savior and before long the whole Alley Street was aware of it. Writings on the pavement – a kind of “Katy, I love you” or “Katy is a supergirl” stuff – were often misspelled, although leaving no doubts about their author’s feelings.

Opposite the Tartles there was Alley Street’s biggest house – the dwelling of Professor David Marlow, a chemist. He had a shaggy St. Bernard-dog-like head, black-rimmed glasses and always-dirty-with-some-mixtures hands. Mr. Marlow was a bachelor. He had no time to clean his lodging, so the house looked like the scientist himself – quite scruffy. Professor’s absent-mindedness had become a legend. For example, he had recently mistaken sunset for sunrise and set off for work, wearing slippers on top of that…

Sometimes Katy saw her neighbour walking across his weedy lawn, muttering to himself. Then she usually passed him by without even saying hello, not to distract him – perish the thought – from some highly important chemical discovery.

The older Tartles were saying that professor had been stargazing, but nevertheless they always treated him with the highest level of respect. What couldn’t be said about his other neighbour, Mrs. Agatha Thompson; she was often having fights with him over his untrimmed lawn.

And there was Mrs. Thompson herself – a passionate cat-lover and main news and gossip agency in the town. If you wanted to learn about Adamson spouses’ vacation plans or gender of Mrs. Birch’s baby that was to be born the following month; if you wanted to find out the colour of the Doyles’ new carpet or the Barkers’ yesterday dinner menu – then you’d just have to ask Mrs. Thompson. She would always give you chapter and verse.

No one had the slightest idea of where that beady-eyed woman got all the information. She was sitting her days through in her big old chair with knitting-pins in her hands and a fat spotty cat Smoky lying at her feet.

Probably she had been getting her knowledge from Flitton homeless cats she fed up daily on her lawn. Or, perhaps, she collected it from the neighbours coming up for tea to find out something new… For what it was worth, the turnover of Flitton gossip started and ended at Mrs. Thompson’s.

This time she had already beset her watch-post, having settled herself in the chair, looking as though she had no business at all in anything going on in the street.

Usually Katy was delighted to stop and chat with Mrs. Thompson, and to ruffle the fur of her pet, resembling an air-cushion. But today she had been feeling annoyed and weirdly anxious since the very morning. So, having given her a polite greeting, Katy got a move on.

Crisp autumn morning breathed some chill at her face and relished a cheerful chirrup somewhere over her head. Katy turned to the river-walk. She didn’t notice her mood going better and her face brightening with a smile again.

… No, Alice’s slackitude had nothing to do with her inner strain – her junior had always been like that. But what had that been all about, Katy had no idea. Some imponderable disquieting apprehension stuck in her heart like an invisible nagger.

The way to the university led along the Flit’s river-walk, so Katy was delighted to watch ducks, amusingly diving into the water for some fish.

* * *

The ancient university building – profusely decorated with molding – looked more like some royal residence than like the sanctuary of sciences. Students had already been creating much crowd and noise at the entrance. With great animation they were chattering, joking and debating on something.

Katy couldn’t help noticing some students darting apprising glances at her. It confused her as usually. Being fit, green-eyed, with wavy chocolate-chestnut hair now scraped back into a sleek ponytail – she did often attract guys’ interested glances. But it had never gone any further: seriousness and modesty were definitely not the right features for gaining popularity. Especially, if a girl was shy.

Even her stylish, delicately-rimmed glasses seemed to be sort of a barrier between her and the rest of the world. Put her diligent studying on top of it and you would get Keener Katy – which, in fact, she was to the opinion of her more thoughtless age mates.

What a difference Alice was! Being amicable and cheerful, she always hit the highlights. Many young hearts had fallen victims to her blue eyes.

The sisters even dressed differently: Alice liked colorful outfits showing off her delicate stature; Katy preferred classical-styled dresses, loose trousers and plain blouses.

* * *

Katy was still going up the stairs to the entrance door when she heard a familiar voice jingling behind: her sister had already been greeting her friends. How in the world could she get here that soon?

Alice caught up with Katy. Folds of her mini-skirt flying sideways, her blond hair showering her shoulders and her eyes sparkling with cheerful twinkles as they always had: she was an amazing mix-up of an angel with a devilkin. She wasn’t anything someone would call a keener!

Alice was good at studying, although her teachers always told her she could do better.

“Here I am!”

“How did you manage to get here so soon?” Katy wondered in astonishment.

“Didn’t you know I can fly?” Alice made her pretty face look surprised for a moment, and then burst into laughing.

The sisters entered their well-lit and noisy classroom together and seated themselves next to each other as always. So different – both in temper and appearance – they were almost inseparable. Their classmates knew: it was enough to find one of them and you would find both. The other one would surely be somewhere around.

Another day begun, as ordinary as the whole caravan of student daily routine. Mr. Blake, a history teacher, entered the classroom, and all the noise went down instantly. Katy opened her work-books with some kind of relief, to plunge into her studying and stop listening to that odd feeling within. She succeeded: the something’s-wrong-feeling, have been harassing her since the very morning, drowned in the swirl of new experiences.

It all went on further, following the regular round: study – friends – library… Afterwards Katy attended her dance studio and her sister went to her karate class. She had joined trainings only recently, but she worked out with great joy and gained a good ground in it. Her dexterity and swift reaction were the subjects of envy even among guys, and sensei himself called her Fearless Alice.

However Katy only waved off all of her sister’s it-is-so-cool-in-there attempts to lure her in! What a pleasure could it possibly be in jumping and flapping your arms and legs? And to keep fit, it was way more enjoyable to perform dancing pas then scamper across the gym shouting “Hiii-yaah!”

But if one of them had finished her classes earlier, she was waiting for the other sister at the river-walk to go home together.

A walk home was a part of their usual course of the day as well. Though today they weren’t chattering about anything and everything as they did every day; they were just walking side by side in complete silence, each deep into her thoughts. Now nothing could distract Katy from that odd feeling of some inexplicable longing and unshaped anxiety that had been back. As if there was a hole somewhere within; she had nothing for it to be filled.

Alice suddenly stopped and stared at the sky.

“What are you looking at?” Katy asked in a surprised voice, having lifted up her head.

“The birds… Look, how many there are of them! They are likely to fly home,” Alice said, glaring to the heights. Somewhere in the clouds, a bird skein was swooping overhead.

“I wonder how do they know it is already time to leave?” Katy uttered quietly, whether addressing her sister or herself.

“I suppose, at a sudden moment they just feel… they have to be somewhere else. And everything becomes alien and delusive. They are drawn somewhere far away. Perhaps, to their true home… They give up everything and just fly away,” Alice answered in the same soft voice.

Katy glared at her sister wide-eyed.

“I feel the same, however odd it may seem,” Katy wanted to come clean but then she didn’t say anything out loud. She had just thought it would sound nutty as a fruitcake out of her lips.

They didn’t talk until they reached home. And both of them would be very surprised to find out they had been thinking the same thoughts…

* * *

When girls came back home, their windows had been already lit. It meant their father had already been home from work.

Michael was a policeman; he had definitely been involved with the job, having earned a perfect service record. However he had also earned a reputation of a pilot light among his colleagues. It was no surprise: being constantly on the move, he never had time to make any friends. He spent his leisure at home, with his daughters, cooking some wickedly good meals and reading his favourite detective stories.

For Katy and Alice he wasn’t just a father, but a best friend. Michael did his best for fear of his girls feeling lonely without their mother. That’s why he pampered them in all possible ways he could. He was the one to discuss book with, to share a secret or a problem. There hadn’t been one case of him not helping out, at least with some advice. So Alice and Katy now called him father and then Michael – like an old pal.

“Look, mail’s here!” Alice shouted, pointing at the mailbox with something whitening in its split. She had returned to her cheerfully-blusterous mood. Having run up to the mailbox, Alice extracted a small narrow envelope out of it.

“To Michael Johnson,” she read. “I wonder who’s been writing him? There’s no return address.”

“Well…” Katy drawled. “I don’t remember him ever to receive mails… at least except bills and official invitations”.

“Maybe…” Alice pulled a mysterious face, “He is seeing someone.”

The thought seemed not that ridiculous at all to Katy. Michael was a quite handsome man: a tall brunette with excellent body. His grey eyes were shining with kindness, always showing some cheerful sparks in his glance. Moreover, he was strong: he could put a fallen tree out of the way, though it took several men only to lift it. Fooling about with his daughters, Michael tossed both of them up at the same time easily, like some balls.

But neither Katy nor Alice had ever seen Michael dating someone.

“Hold on!” Alice stopped suddenly – the envelope in her hands – and snuffled.

“What’s wrong?” Katy got a bit alerted at once.

“Don’t you smell it?” Alice raised her index finger and snuffled even louder. “Chicken wings! Let’s go, I’m starving!”

Michael was indeed taking steaming chicken wings out of the oven. Their fuzzy-wuzzy – a red cat called Boniface – was reeling in his way, hoping some bit might fall off accidentally.

“Hey there, students!” Michael uttered cheerfully. “You’re right on time…

The girls pecked him on his flushed in the oven heat cheek as they usually did.

“Dad, your dish has probably been discussed by all the neighbours already; the smell is magnificent… And what’s for side dish?”

Michael put the saucepan off the stove and took the lid off triumphantly:

“How about that?”

Alice peered into the pan.

“My favourite vegetable stew!” Alice delighted. “Daddy, I absolutely adore you!”

“Enough talks then,” Katy told her sister sternly. “Let’s lay the table…”

“Yes, Sir!” Alice snapped a playful salute. And only now had she remembered of the letter. “Dad, there’s a letter for you,” she passed it out to Michael.

He dried his hands on his apron and took the envelope.

Was Katy imagining things or had his face really been clouded with a shadow? But even if so, Michael got a grip on himself fast.

“Girls, you go ahead with serving the cutlery, and I’ll be right back…” having said that, he went off to his room.

A couple of minutes later Michael popped into the kitchen. Alice had already been sitting at the table and Katy was filling their father’s plate.

“Sit down, quickly,” Katy put the dish on the table. “And… why in the world are you wearing a jacket? Are you leaving somewhere?”

“Have dinner without me.” Michael did well and yet he couldn’t hide his anxiety. “I’ll be back soon. I’ll make it for tea with lemon cupcakes…”

He broke into what was not a really genuine smile – Katy thought – and rushed out the door.

* * *

“How do you think, where did he go?” Alice wondered, feeding the last wing off to Boniface.

Katy shrugged her shoulders.

“I don’t know, but he did seem strange to me…”

“Everything always seems like that to you,” Alice razzed her. “That’s because you’re thinking too much.”

Katy wanted to sneer but then she changed her mind.

“Yeah,” she admitted instead, “Name but a few our perpetual moves. What are they for? As if we’re running from somebody…”

“Well,” Alice drawled. “Michael has explained those: he is being offered nicer jobs…

“For almost every year?” Katy wondered mockingly.

“Listen,” Alice took the plates away, “let’s discuss something more interesting. Tomorrow, for instance…”

Katy slapped her forehead:

“I’m so sorry, Alie! Don’t you dare thinking I have forgotten your birthday… How are we celebrating?”

“I’ve got a whole bunch of plans,” Alice brightened in a clap. “It’s not just any birthday, it’s ADULTHOOD! That’s why I’m offering: cinema, amusement ride, an ice-cream parlour, and as for the evening – an awesome party with dancing till the break of dawn! I’ve already invited mates from our class.”

“Could we make all this for the only tomorrow?” Katy wondered suspiciously. “Consider that we have classes!”

“We’re skipping them,” Alice stated, giving her sister a glance of her innocent blue eyes. “You’re having adulthood only once in your life, you know!”

Katy kept silent, indecisive to object. Skipping classes was contrary to her every idea of responsibility. But she really didn’t want to spoil her sister’s celebration tomorrow.

“What would Michael say about that skipping?” she made a faint attempt to bring Alice to her senses.

“Michael wouldn’t mind,” their father had suddenly interfered, entering the kitchen. He looked a bit tired. Or was he upset?… “Indeed, you have adulthood only once in your life. So, girls, have a good blast…And, one more thing, Alice… Add shopping to your list. I thought that only you can pick the best present for yourself. That’s why I want to grant you… some finances for it. Oh, yeah, and something else more,” he added in a hushed voice.

Alice had turned a deaf ear to that “something else”, being more interested in the finances promise.

“Daddy, that’s wonderful!” she jingled in a melodious voice. “And… may I ask how… significant would those finances be? I’m asking to make my mind about the shop to go to,” she added quickly so her father – perish the thought – would not hold her for a plinger.

Michael burst into laughing:

“Enough for you to have a wander round the best Flitton shops. Besides, there will be enough for cinema, amusement ride, and some ice-cream.”

“Fine,” Katy gave up, “we’re skipping classes tomorrow. But promise me we’ll turn to the library to pick up some material for our report… Haven’t you forgotten that, I hope?”

Of course, how could Alice not recall that? She volunteered herself today at Mr. Blake’s class. But the topic was too interesting: Ancient Egypt. And Katy was assigned to assist her.

“Yeah,” Alice had to admit it, “we can’t let Mr. Blake down. Fine, we’ll drop in. I guess it won’t take a lot of time.”

Katy sneered to her sister’s carelessness.

Michael had dinner and lied down on his favourite sofa next to the TV. He had never actually watched the TV itself but he liked lie reading some book or newspaper.

This time, while Katy was washing the dishes, Alice went off to her father’s room and brought him a new detective story they had recently bought at the book store.

* * *

Katy was lying in her bed while Alice was combing her hair before going to sleep.

“Alie…” Katy gave way. “You’ve been talking about the birds today… as if the feeling is common to you.”

“What feeling?”

“Well… when you realize you don’t belong here… That you are awaited somewhere else, and everything surrounding you now is not yours, not real…”

Katy bated her breath. She was afraid of her sister laughing at her, always so rational and sober. But Alice remained serious.

“It’s weird…” she answered after a while of silence. “I thought I was the only one to have that feeling lately. I thought I was probably just growing old to have these thoughts popping into my head.”

Katy spluttered with laughter:

“You? At your short eighteen? What am I then? An ancient geezer? Just like Mrs. Thompson?”

“Pretty much, when you’re lecturing me on…”

Alice didn’t manage to finish the sentence. The pillow, thrown by Katy, tumbled her hair again. Alice didn’t remain owning so, having ditched all dreary thoughts, they were soon giving a good hearty laugh, holding a pillow fight they used to have when children.

That serious and disturbing conversation was lost somewhere in their scattered beds.

Having chilled out, the girls lied down. The wind was roaring outside the windows.

“Listen, Katy,” Alice suddenly said in a soft voice, “I’ve seen what was in that dad’s envelope.”

Katy turned to her:

“Have you read his letter?” she whispered with a rise.

“I didn’t mean to… Dad wanted me to bring him the book, and it was lying on the table and the letter was lying open next to it. Well…”

“What did it say?” Katy gave way as her curiosity got the better of propriety.

“It said: ‘Time has come! Come back!’ And a lettering: either Mater or Nuter, I don’t recall exactly…”

Katy’s sleepiness vanished as if by magic.

“What the ‘time has come’? Where do we have to ‘come back’?” she thought, staring into the gloom of the room.

There were too many questions, each and every answerless. Thoughts where hustling in her head chaotically.

Trees were rustling outside the window, bringing drowsiness upon her. Soon Katy has closed her eyes.

“What an odd day today was,” she had a chance to think before falling into a deep sleep.