Напряжение / Voltage: Глава 3

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"Did you eat all the sugar?" Said a rather affirmative voice from above.

Camrad_RIP 25.02.23 в 21:22

"N-no," I blurted out in response, experiencing a little shame and a lot of joy at the same time. "I hadn't been eaten in the night after all."

Camrad_RIP 25.02.23 в 21:23

"Then who did?" Smirked the scarred face as he continued to hover over the bed.

Camrad_RIP 25.02.23 в 21:23

"Co-cockroaches?"

Camrad_RIP 25.02.23 в 21:23

I squinted in anticipation of the slap.

Camrad_RIP 25.02.23 в 21:24

"Get up, you chief cockroach," the man responded with some warmth. "You've eaten your sugar for the next week."

Camrad_RIP 25.02.23 в 21:25

The mood leaped towards a slight sadness, as everyone knows - new sugar is always sweeter than eaten sugar.

Camrad_RIP 25.02.23 в 21:30

"Help yourself," he nodded towards the table with the steaming cups.

Camrad_RIP 25.02.23 в 21:30

You don't even have to get up - sit closer to the window, and you're at the table. I put my palms around the cup and looked suspiciously at the watchman, taking my time drinking. The Tale of the Sleeping Princess was also read to us. It's not the apple, though, but the giver is also very suspicious.

Camrad_RIP 25.02.23 в 21:36

"Let's get acquainted, I guess." The watchman emptied his portion in two gulps and set the empty mug aside. "Uncle Kolya."

Camrad_RIP 25.02.23 в 21:38

"Vanya."

Camrad_RIP 25.02.23 в 21:39

If I run away, he won't catch me.

Camrad_RIP 25.02.23 в 21:39

"'What Vanya'?" resented the reply.

Camrad_RIP 25.02.23 в 21:40

"I-ivanov?" I timidly suggested.

Camrad_RIP 25.02.23 в 21:40

The watchman stared at me and made a scary face.

Camrad_RIP 25.02.23 в 21:41

"P-petrov?"

Camrad_RIP 25.02.23 в 21:41

"Tell you what, Maxim, don't twist my brain."

Camrad_RIP 26.02.23 в 08:39

I shook my head sharply and even set my cup aside to stretch my hands out with my palms forward - let him see that I wasn't twisting anything.

Camrad_RIP 26.02.23 в 08:39

"Let's stay calm," Uncle Kolya closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Your name is Maxim. Is it? Don't answer! Nod. Here. Maxim, can we be friends?"

Camrad_RIP 26.02.23 в 08:41

Have you ever been offered friendship by a horrible ogre monster?

Camrad_RIP 25.02.23 в 21:34

"NOOOOOO!"

Camrad_RIP 26.02.23 в 08:41

"Quiet! Silence! Shut up!" He shouted in a way that made my ears hurt.

Camrad_RIP 26.02.23 в 08:42

I fell silent but looked suspiciously in his direction, ready to shout again.

Camrad_RIP 26.02.23 в 08:48

"We're going to live nearby..." he hesitated mid-sentence, clearly noticing my skeptical expression.

Camrad_RIP 26.02.23 в 08:49

I will definitely run away.

Camrad_RIP 26.02.23 в 08:49

"Push-up!" he barked so sharply that I only realized myself doing push-ups on my fists. "Who are we?!"

Camrad_RIP 26.02.23 в 08:51

I sniffed diligently, looking wistfully at the door.

Camrad_RIP 26.02.23 в 08:51

"Who are we?!" barked again at the hundredth repetition.

Camrad_RIP 26.02.23 в 08:52

"H-humans." I had no doubts about me, but about...

Camrad_RIP 26.02.23 в 10:41

"Who are we?" an already calm voice from above asked and slurped tea from the mug.

Camrad_RIP 26.02.23 в 10:43

"I don't know," it was hard to push off the floor. The score was lost in the middle of the second hundred.

Camrad_RIP 26.02.23 в 10:58

"We're friends," Uncle Kolya prompted contentedly, putting his foot on my back. "Go on."

Camrad_RIP 26.02.23 в 10:59

To hell such a friend.

Camrad_RIP 26.02.23 в 11:00

"Who are we?" Bored, the watchman clarified after a minute.

Camrad_RIP 26.02.23 в 11:01

"F-friends," I conceded defeat.

Camrad_RIP 26.02.23 в 11:01

"That's another matter. Have a seat at the table, friend."

Camrad_RIP 26.02.23 в 11:01

I peeled myself off the floor and moved onto the bed.

Camrad_RIP 26.02.23 в 11:02

"Since we're friends now, here's a present for you." A calloused hand moved a coarse bracelet woven from three wires to the middle of the table. "It's to keep you from killing anyone."

Camrad_RIP 26.02.23 в 11:06

I looked from the bracelet to the watchman and back again in surprise. I wasn't going to kill anyone, so why would I...

Camrad_RIP 26.02.23 в 11:07

"The way you scattered your abusers, remember?" He encouraged me to think. "It was your Gift. It protected you. But it can also kill because you have no control over it. You don't want to be a killer, do you?"

Camrad_RIP 26.02.23 в 11:09

I shook my head hastily. The police once came to the boarding school and explained how bad it was to be a criminal - they gathered the whole boarding school in the gymnasium and put us, the youngest ones, in the first row. So the pictures they showed us were memorable for a long time.

Camrad_RIP 26.02.23 в 11:26

"The bracelet will become very hot if your gift is awakened again. The gift cannot harm you, so it will extinguish on its own when the metal of the bracelet burns your skin."

Camrad_RIP 26.02.23 в 11:27

"Does it hurt?"

Camrad_RIP 26.02.23 в 11:27

"It hurts," Uncle Kolya nodded in agreement, "but it's better than killing someone."

Camrad_RIP 26.02.23 в 11:27

It was hard to argue with that. I sighed heavily and reached for the bracelet, but froze midway, jerked my hand away, and moved away from the table.

Camrad_RIP 26.02.23 в 11:28

"What is it again?" The watchman asked with barely contained irritation.

Camrad_RIP 26.02.23 в 11:28

"What if I am attacked again?" I cocked my head bravely.

Camrad_RIP 26.02.23 в 11:29

"There are other ways to punish the abusers," he smiled with one corner of his lips.

Camrad_RIP 26.02.23 в 11:30

"I'm not snitching!" I scowled, folding my arms across my chest.

Camrad_RIP 26.02.23 в 11:30

"Kiddo, what were you listening to?" The creepy guy was openly grinning. "You have a Gift. And you can do this." He folded his hand in a handful and shoved it subtly in my direction.

Camrad_RIP 26.02.23 в 07:59