Читать книгу Star Angels. The New World - Viktor Khorunzhy - Страница 2

In the early morning, Katy crept stealthy to her sister’s bed. She had a festively wrapped package in her hands. With bated breath, not to wake Alice up, she thrust her hand to put the present next to the serenely sleeping birthday girl’s pillow.

But then suddenly Alice captured Katy’s hand with a single flash-like move without even opening her eyes.

“Alice!” being surprised, Katy let the package slip to the floor. “What's up with you?”

Her sister opened her eyes and gave a soft stretch:

“Oh, Kat, I’m so sorry. I did that reflexively… And what is that?” she grasped the package. “Is that for me?!”

“Well, whom else?” Katy answered, rubbing her hand, having not completely come to herself after facing her sister’s crisp response.

Meanwhile, Alice tore blatantly apart the elegant wrapping, decorated with a bow.

“Wow!” she uttered breathy, pulling out a red velvet bag, embroidered with beaded ornaments and large rhinestones. It could be worn both over the shoulder and down on the back, like a backpack. It was Katy’s own handmade. It took her almost a moth to create this wonderful accessory in secret from her sister.

“Where did you get it?” Alice has already been trying the purse on atop her pajamas. “I’ve never seen such, not on anyone!”

“And you won’t,” Katy answered proudly. “I’ve made it myself. Happy birthday, sissy!”

Alice gave Katy what looked like a chokehold.

“I adore you,” Alice confessed seriously. “There’s no better sister anywhere in the world. I mean it…You know… Sometimes I feel like I will stop at nothing for you!”

These words made tears come to Katy’s eyes.

“Okay then,” she answered in a deliberately stern voice, having sniveled, “Let’s get dressed… We seem to have a great lot of plans for today…”

The door cracked carefully open, and the girls caught a sight of Michael’s grinning face.

“Can I come in?” he asked. “I’ve been knocking for nearly ten minutes already.”

“Come in, dad!” the girls chorused. “Sorry, we got ourselves talked away…”

They had flung themselves at his neck, and he, as so often when children, threw his arms around his daughters and gave them a lift up almost to the ceiling. The girls shrieked with elation and fell over Michael, turning all of them into a nickering hodgepodge on the carpet.

All tumbled, Michael eventually got himself on his feet. He pulled two envelopes out of his pocket, both a bit crinkled.

“Alice!” he began officially. But then he gave it up as a bad job and just hugged her. “Happy birthday, baby! I won’t be saying anything needless. Just one thing: Katy and I love you very much. But you happen to know that already… Here are the promised presents.” Michael passed Alice two envelopes: one was plain, made of white paper, and the other was gifty, bright and glittery. But as soon as Alice tried to open the white one, Michael stopped her with a gesture: “Not so fast! This present should wait till the evening. Surprises are like sweets: you lose the taste if you eat too much. Will you promise me not to make haste?” Michael had his eyes squinted in question.

“Yes, sir!” Alice nodded willingly. “I love surprises so much!..What about this one?”

“You can open it right now.”

Her clever fingers instantly fished a beautiful birthday card out of the bristol board; several rustling notes were hiding inside the card.

Alice clapped her hands with delight.

“Katy, just take a look at this! It is enough for a whole load of fantastic excesses! Thank you, daddy!”

Michael was remarkably pleased with his birthday girl’s response.

“Okay then, girls, I’m waiting for you at breakfast.” then he left the room.

The girls started dressing up. Well-minded Katy, knowing they would do a great deal of walking, pulled her comfortable grey jeans on and matched them with a green blouse. After some thought she took a malachite bead necklace out of her jewelry-box: it was her sister’s birthday today after all!

Alice was fidgeting at her wardrobe a lot longer. She tried several outfits on, throwing the ill-fitting ones out on the bed. Eventually she found a perfect outfit for her adulthood day: a stylish mini skirt and a celestial blue blouse embroidered with rhinestones, showing off the rare colour of her beautiful eyes. A couple of colourful bracelets and a golden necklace – father’s gift for her last birthday – accomplished the look of a bright bird of paradise.

When, having preened their feathers, the girls got themselves down for breakfast in their elated moods, pancakes with syrup and nosy tea had already been waiting for them. Michael, still wearing his elder daughter’s apron, also joined the girls at their small oval table, blanketed with checked tablecloth. He behaved rather absent-mindedly, having not even paid attention to Alice’s exotic outfit.

“Aren’t you going to be late for work?” she suddenly asked with surprise, having looked at the big clock in the kitchen’s corner.

“Me? Oh… I took a day off today.” Michael seemed to be deep into his own thoughts.

“Listen, are you all right?” Katy asked. “You seem different since yesterday…”

“I’m fine!” Michael answered after a holt. “Eat faster either you won’t have time to have a proper fun!”

The sisters agreed at once after throwing a simultaneous glance at the clock. So they had hastily finished off a couple of pancakes each, drank up their tea and bustled out of the house.

“Bye, dad!”

“See you in the evening!”

They had already been in the middle of their drive, when Michael leaped up to the door:

“Girls! Listen what I have to say: today is not a usual day. Spend it the way you want. Forget about all the work, have the best time of your life and don’t regret anything!”

“That’s okay!” Katy gave a wave of her hand. “We’ll finish celebrating tomorrow if we can’t make everything today!”

“Here’s another advice, and it’s rather for you, Katy. Don’t sacrifice your ‘today’ for your ‘tomorrow’. You never know what ‘tomorrow’ will be,” Michael added in a soft voice.

“Right, dad: let’s go off the limit!” Alice swooped and jerked her sister’s hand. “Let’s hurry up!”

* * *

Passing by Mrs. Thompson’s and Professor Marlow’s houses, the girls witnessed another morning duel of their owners.

“Mr. Marlow,” Agatha spoke in a lecturing tone, never addressing his neighbour as ‘professor’ on purpose, “Your lawn is making a shame of our street!”

Professor rearranged his glasses:

“If you have only known, what a discovery I’m up to make, you wouldn’t have bothered me with such nonsenses as an untrimmed grass… I might change the course of the whole planet’s life! This includes yours, by the way!”

Agatha Thompson snorted in anger:

“I’m pretty much satisfied with my life… It’s your lawn that empoisons it!”

Professor Marlow shook his shaggy head and went off inside his house, to his countless vials. Mrs. Thompson also went inside, to her fat cat Smoky.

“I wonder who will eventually win this fight?” Alice asked cheerfully. “I suppose, this round has ended in a tie…”

Katy gave a laugh as well:

“I think these two would be bored to live without each other.”

Thus, laughing and joking, the girls approached the river-walk, and then turned towards the centre.

* * *

“Well, what do we start with?” Katy peered at Alice questioningly.

Today was her junior sister’s day. And Katy would be obeying and indulging her at everything. Well, or nearly at everything…

“We stick to our plan,” Alice told her in a bossy manner. “We start from cinema. I’ve wanted to watch that movie for a long time… I was invited to it by Eddie Hopes from our parallel class. But you’re a much more preferable company for me!”

“Poor Eddie Hopes,” Katy thought. For some reason none of the boys hadn’t asked her out to the cinema yet. But she was flattered to know she was a better entertainment companion for Alice. So the high day twirled around. After cinema the girls went shopping. There were only a few shops in Flitton, and Alice jammed Katy through all of them, whether big or small. After shopping they went to an ice-cream parlour, which offered thirty kinds of that splendid dainty.

The sisters were wandering along the street, licking the colourful ice knickers, biting off the edges of wafer cups. They felt good to be together, and they felt happy…

Suddenly Alice rooted herself at the show-window of the weapons-shop.

“Oh, boy!” she swished. “I’ve never seen this shop before… Look at that beauty! Let’s go inside!”

Katy approached the window. Frightening razor-blade objects were lying on the shelf stand. Katy shrugged:

“Now that’s indeed a beauty… As if in a cannibal’s basement…”

“Well, Katy, darling! You’ve promised to be at my orders today,” Alice moaned and her elder sister gave up.

They entered a cool, obscure room. Numerous cases contained hanging and lying knives, cutters and hoofs – from small Swiss ones, with sets of advanced accessories to about meter-long machetes, the mere sight of which could fill you with fear. A bit farther there were sabres, swords and court swords – both new and used ones. They were laid out under the glazing glass, shining gloomily with their steel and decorated handles.

Alice started telling Katy everything she knew about knives. Comparing to her sister she was a real expert when it came to weapons.

“Want to have a closer look at something?” the shop-assistant – a tall brawny guy in camouflage – appeared practically out of nowhere. “What is that you’re interested in?” he granted both girls with a dazzling smile.

“No, sorry,” Katy got confused. “We’re just looking.”

The shop-assistant was eyeing her closely.

“Oh, can I have a look at this dagger?” Alice shifted her admiring glance from the handsome shop-assistant to a no less attractive narrow dagger with a long straight blade and ornate handle.

The shop-assistant opened the case:

“That’s dirk, a Scottish cutlass,” he explained, handing it over to Alice. “Carefully, it’s sharp!”

Alice took the dirk with delight. The shop-assistant then turned to Katy.

“Well, what would you like to see, young lady?”

She shook her head.

“I don’t know a thing about weapons…”

The guy glared at her with a strange grin.

“I don’t think that’s really so,” he uttered in a soft voice, as if talking to himself. Then he added. “I would like to show you something anyway…”

He approached a short wooden stand in the far corner of the room, beckoning Katy to follow. She followed him, feeling strangely worried.

A sword of wondrous beauty was resting on black velvet. It was about half a meter long, but the fact had not diminished its grandeur one bit. Hemispherical blade was made of greenish metal, its handle made of ivory. Massive and elegant at the same time, it held thousands of unbelievable stories of the battles won and lost, of the great warlords, of life and death…

“That’s khopesh,” the guy said, “an Egyptiac short sword. It even has a name: Miracle… Can you see the metal’s colour? That’s copper.”

Katy couldn’t turn her eyes away from the blade. Then she thrust her hand out and took the sword. The cool handle lied in her hand as if it had always been there. Katy made several quite confident kick-offs and lunges. She felt highly weird: as if all of a sudden the sword became a part of her. Perhaps, not her herself, but a part of her memory – the one that had been passed from generation to generation over thousands of years and was now secured somewhere in the farthest corner of her consciousness.

Katy gave the sword back to the shop-assistant, though she felt no desire to part herself from khopesh. Her body quivered, as if some electrical impulses were running through it.

The guy in camouflage pretended nothing had happened. As if skillful moves with an ancient sword, performed by a girl that couldn’t make head or tail of weapons, was something quite common and beneath notice. Without looking at Katy, the guy took khopesh and put it into its place.

Being like in some kind of a magic dream, Katy proceeded to the exit past swords, sabres, daggers and court swords. She felt it – something had changed… She had somehow changed. Having been a slug to her only five minutes ago, the thing came to life now. The weapon had addressed her, now she knew it. Somehow Katy knew that if a rapier, a spear or a dagger had come to her hands, she would have managed either of those weapons as easily as she managed her pans and pots in the kitchen.

It resembled some kind of delusion, but none the less… “Maybe, should I test it?!” she thought, feeling somehow anxious. She was sure that, as soon as she pointed to any weapon, the shop-assistant would instantly give it to her. What if these feelings were true?… Then her world would turn upside down and her rational and logical mind would fall…

“Let’s do without adventures,” she grabbed hold of her own escaping argument and sped outside, where Alice had been already waiting for her.

As in a fog, Katy approached her sister.

“Where have you been? I’ve lost you,” she said cheerfully. “Have been talked away be the shop-assistant? He’s quite a hottie, just like some kind of a superhero from an action movie!”

Out in fresh air, Katy felt entirely different. As if charms, had brought up by that magic shop, lost its power over her here, in her usual noisy human world.

Katy pulled herself together. “Now that’s a kind of imagining…” she thought, feeling glad she hadn’t told her sister anything. Alice would have poked fun at her all day long!

But still something was happening within, slowly and imperceptibly, leaving her soul with that common anxious feeling of fatal changes…

The girls had approached a cozy mini-park. Feeling pretty tired, they settled themselves onto a bench opposite a large fountain that rumbled joyfully throwing up water sprays, shining in sunlight.

“Phew… Now that was one great walk!”

“Yeah, not bad,” Katy admitted.

“What do we do now?”

“Have you forgotten about the report?”

“Oh, that’s it!” Alice slapped her forehead. “Indeed, how could I forget?”

“Let’s go!” Katy ruled the roost, having gone up from the bench determinedly. She had her common sense fully recovered: talking about education, she felt on her own ground.

“Okay then, let’s go,” Alice agreed, less than enthusiastic though. “But after the library we are going for amusement ride. Is that settled?”

“That is settled,” Katy agreed.

Striding the alley airily and chattering cheerfully, the girls hadn’t known yet that nothing was settled and their plans were not meant to come true…