Chapter 2 Chapter 1

There is never enough time in the morning to get ready.You can get up at seven or six.But it was always five minutes short. Interesting, why is this happening?I stand in front of the mirror and paint my lips hastily.It's the same thing again—you always get uneven lipstick when you're in a rush, like a little schoolgirl who sneaks up on mom's lipstick for the first time.Just don't start it... just walk out without any makeup on.I have no prejudices in this respect, appearances allow me to. "Alia!" voila. It happens every time! "What, Mommy?" I replied, hastily putting on my sandals.

"Wait, kid." "Mom, I'm standing here with my sandals on," I straightened my big belt that was tilted to one side, and shouted, "Mom, I'm late!" "Alia." There is no point in arguing. I went to the kitchen and slammed the heels of my high heels on purpose, even though I wasn't angry at all.It turned out that my mother was sitting in front of the turned-on TV, eating the routine cake and drinking the routine tea.What did she find in these nasty Danish cakes?Terrible stuff!Not to mention the bad for the figure. "Are you going to stay outside for a long time again today?" Mom asked without even turning in my direction.

"have no idea." "Alyssa, I think you have the right not to tolerate this. There are working hours. But let you work until one o'clock in the night..." Mom shook her head. "This is for money." I said pretending to be indifferent. Then my mother glanced at me, and her lips trembled. "You're blaming me, aren't you?" Mom's voice is always as good as an actor's voice.She should go to the theater to act. "Yes, we live on your wages," Mom said sadly. "The state ransacked us and left us on the side of the road to die. Thank you, sweet girl, for not forgetting me. Your father and I are very grateful to you. But don't keep reminding us..."

"Mum, that's not what I meant at all. Mum, you know, my working days are unlimited!" "Workday!" Mom raised her hands and patted them lightly.Some cake crumbs stuck to her chin, "You better say work night! I don't know yet, what are you doing!" "mom……" Of course, she didn't think anything bad.On the contrary, she always proudly told the group of female companions what a model and lovely good daughter I was.She just wanted to scold a few words early in the morning.Maybe just watched the news and heard mean, ugly things about our lives.It's also possible that he quarreled with his father early in the morning, otherwise why would he go out so early.

"I don't plan to be a grandmother at the age of forty!" Mom continued without changing the subject.Yes, why did she change the subject?Now she is afraid that I will get married and leave home, then she and my father will have to live alone.Maybe not, because I've seen the reality line once, and there's a good chance Dad's going to find another woman.The father is three years younger than the mother... and unlike the mother, he pays attention to his appearance. "You're turning fifty this year, Mom," I said, "I'm sorry I'm in a hurry."

I had already reached the door, and I heard my mother's cry full of excusable grievances: "You never want to talk to your mother like a normal person!" "So I thought about it for a while," I jumped out of the door and whispered to myself, "I thought about it when I was a normal person. But where were you then..." It is understandable that my mother is now thinking about how to find fault with me at night, and chat to masturbate.I can't wait to bring my dad in too.When I thought about it, my mood suddenly became very bad. What is it to involve a loved one in a conflict?You must know that mother loves him.Love him to this day, I know it, I checked.But she didn't understand, she used her bad temper to kill the love in her father.

I will never do that. Don't allow mom to do that either! The corridor is empty, even if there are people, they can't stop me.I turned towards the door and, in a peculiar way, squinted my eyes a little...so that I could see my own shadow. real shadow.The kind of shadow produced by the twilight world. It looked like the darkness ahead had condensed into one mass.The light was extremely dim, so dark that even the night without the starry sky around it would become day. Against this dark background, a not very large and not very smooth gray outline rolled up tremblingly, as if it had been cut from dirty cotton.But it's also possible that it's just the opposite—a large swath of darkness is cut open, leaving a door leading to dusk in the darkness.

I stepped over the shadow, and the shadow swept forward to accept my body.Then the world changed. The color is almost gone.Everything freezes in the gray hazy haze that sometimes happens when the TV's color and contrast are turned down to their lowest levels.All kinds of sounds slowed down, and the silence came, leaving only the clattering sound that could barely be caught... weak, like the sound of the waves of the distant sea. I am in the twilight world. So I saw the whole room filled with mother's grievances.The sour lemon-yellow color mixes with self-pity and utter distaste for the father who runs to the garage at an inopportune time to fix the car.

A black whirlwind formed unconsciously on my mother's head.For the time being, it's only a weak curse, a small-scale curse on the level of "telling you to go to work to be confused, you don't know what to do!", but it's the mother's curse.Especially powerful and effective. Oh, don't do it, good mother! Your father suffered from a stroke at the age of thirty-seven because of you. His illness relapsed three years ago. I managed to save him... It cost me so much, I can't bear to look back.Are you going to deal with me wholeheartedly now? I stretched my body through the darkness with all my strength, my shoulders aching.I grab mom's consciousness.She was hit and froze for a moment.

ok... let's do this... Even though it's always cool in the dark, I'm still drenched.I used up energy that I could have spent on work.But after a while, my mother didn't remember quarreling with me anymore, and she was very happy, because I was so hardworking, everyone in the unit valued me and loved me, and I left early and returned late. that's it. This is only a temporary effect, and I don't want to get too deep into my mother's consciousness.But the days of peace and tranquility are guaranteed for these few months.Only children have difficulty answering, father or mother, who do you love more, it is too easy for adults to answer this question...

After that, I drove away the black vortex that was about to form. It passed through the wall, looking for whose body to attach, and I converted the soul.He glanced at the corridor entrance with reproachful eyes. Yeah, it hasn't been cleaned some days.There is moss all over the ground again, and the door on our side is the most.That's easy to understand... just because of mother's hysteria, they always have something to live on.When I was a child, I thought the moss was planted by the Lightbringers to annoy us, but it was later explained to me that the moss was an aborigine in the semi-darkness, a parasite that devours human emotions. "Ice!" I waved my hand and ordered.The ice gathered obediently to the fingertips, like a strong brush brushing the surrounding walls.A frozen layer of moss fell to the floor, and in an instant everything was reduced to ashes. That's it! This can't be done with the little tricks of human beings! This is real power—the power of the Other. In a few seconds, I have walked out of the twilight world and came to the human world.I got my hair done.There was sweat on my forehead, so I had to take out my small handkerchief and wipe it away.Of course, when I looked in the mirror, I realized that the mascara was all messed up. There is simply no time to work on appearances.The seductive sheer blouse I throw on hastily and casually will not draw anyone's attention to the flaws in my make-up.We call this kind of thin shirt "cover shirt".No one on the surface misses an opportunity to laugh at the "masquerade".Still, when time is short but good impressions must be guaranteed, when it's for fun, it's taken advantage of.A young sorceress from Pskov, who can do nothing but wear a "masquerade", has been modeling for nearly three years.She lives off of it.But there is a bit of trouble - the "cover-up shirt" spell does not work for photography and videography, so she had to decline countless invitations to shoot commercials... Everything is against me today.The elevator has been going for a long time, and another elevator in our place has been broken for a long time. As soon as I came out of the corridor, I met Vidalik—a young man who lives upstairs in my house.Seeing me in this "cover-up shirt", he was simply stunned, and he smiled dully.He has admired me since he was thirteen years old, foolishly in love, hopelessly silently in love.If I'm being honest, I can only blame my negligence.I learned witchcraft and swore to practice it on the little boys next door, since they wouldn't miss a chance to spy on me while I sunned myself on the balcony in my bathing suit.That's it... I try to practice.I left out some heart-wrenching facts.He fell in love with me instantly and forever.When he didn't see me for a long time, everything seemed to be over, but as soon as we met, even just passing by, he became excited again.He will never be happy in love. "Vidaric, I'm in a hurry." I said with a smile. But the young man kept standing, blocking the way.Then he dared to say a compliment. "Alyssa, you are so beautiful today..." "Thank you." I pushed him aside.He shuddered when he felt my hand touch his shoulder.I'm afraid he'll recall this light touch all week... "I passed the last exam, Alyssa!" he said hurriedly behind my back. "It's over, I'm a college student now!" I turned around and gave him a serious look.Is this hairy guy still using acne cream constructing some sort of fantasy?Something he hoped to pursue by going to college "to start life as an adult"? "Are you avoiding military service?" I asked. "Men are becoming half-female. They're all worthless. Why don't you serve in the military first, get some life experience, and then go to school." The smile on his face faded away, and he could see the gods. "Goodbye, Vidalica." As I said, I jumped out of the corridor and entered the sweltering summer day.But I feel a little better. Watching these puppies fall in love is always hilarious.Flirting with them is tedious, and making love is even more disgusting, but watch - it's a pleasure!Someday I should kiss him... After a minute, though, the young man in love had disappeared from my mind.I waved my hand to the passing cars.The first car drove by—the driver, his wife sitting beside him, eyed me sadly and greedily.The next car stopped. "I'm going downtown," I said, leaning slightly toward the window, "to Happy Valley." "Get in the car." The driver was a chestnut-haired man in his forties who looked like an intellectual. He leaned over and said, "Such a cute girl must be picked up." I quickly got into the front seat of this somewhat old 2109 "Ziguli" car, and rolled the window glass to the lowest position.The breeze is blowing on the cheeks - it's not bad to have this kind of relaxation. "It's faster to take the subway." The driver reminded me sincerely. "Didn't like the subway." The driver nodded.I kind of liked him because he didn't stare hard at me, even though I was obviously hot enough in this "cover-up shirt".The car is well maintained.There are also a pair of beautiful hands, very strong, gently but firmly on the steering wheel. Too bad I'm in a hurry. "Are you late for work?" the driver thought so.He used "you", but somehow it was both affectionate and ambiguous.Should I leave a phone call for him?This girl is now a free person and can do whatever she wants. "right." "Interesting, what kind of jobs do these pretty girls do?" It didn't even sound like an attempt at acquaintance or flattery, more like genuine curiosity. "Don't know what they do. But I'm a magician." He laughed. "Work is work..." I took out my cigarette and lighter.The driver gave me a slightly disapproving look, so I didn't ask him if I could just smoke it. "What is the duty of a magician?" We turned onto Lusakowski Avenue, the driver picked up speed, maybe I'll be there on time. "That depends on when," I replied vaguely, "it's basically a force against the light." The driver seemed to accept that the joke was not a joke at all. "So, you are on the side of the dark forces?" "yes." "Great, I have an acquaintance who is a sorcerer, my mother-in-law," the driver laughed, "but thankfully she's retired. Is there anything about the Light Force that you don't like?" I quietly checked his bioelectric field.No problem, everything works, he's human. "They get in my way. Tell me, what is the main thing in life for you?" The driver thought for a moment. "Life. Also, don't let others hinder my life." "By the way," I agreed, "everyone wants to be free. Right?" He nods. "We witches are fighting for freedom. Fighting for everyone to do what he wants." "And what if one wants evil?" "That's his right." "But what if he does this to the detriment of other people's rights? For example, if I chop someone up now, I'm detrimental to his rights." I find it ridiculous.What we are having is almost a classic academic discussion on the proposition "what is light and what is dark".Be it us dark emissaries or those who call ourselves light emissaries—all of us use this theme to brainwash newcomers. "They try to undermine your rights, you stop them. You have the right." "Understood. The law of the jungle. Whoever is strong will be right." "Stronger, wiser, farsighteder. It's not the law of the jungle at all, it's the law of life. Could it be any other way?" The driver thought about it and shook his head. "No, there won't be. So I have the right to abduct you somewhere now, jump on you, and rape you?" "Are you sure you're stronger than me?" I asked. We stopped right at the intersection, and the driver gave me a serious look and shook his head. "No...not sure. But I'm not going to stop attacking girls just because they can fight back!" He was starting to get a little excited.The conversation seemed joking, but something was wrong with him. "And because they'll send each other to jail," I said, "that's all." "No." He said decisively. "Yes." I smiled slightly. "That's why. You're a normal, healthy man, and your reaction is correct. But there are laws, so you'll be biased not to attack the girls, but to attack the girls first." They are courteous." "Magician..." The driver grinned and forced a smile, then stepped up the accelerator. "Magician." I confirmed his words. "So I'm telling the truth, and I have no conscience. You know, everyone wants to live as he wants, to do what he wants to do. But it's impossible to have all of them, because everyone has their own desires, and everyone's Such are the aspirations, and in their antagonism there arises freedom! A harmonious society in which everyone wants everything, though each has to compromise with the wishes of the others." "What about morality?" "What morals are there?" "The common morality of all mankind." "What?" I asked. The best way to get people into a desperate situation is to ask the other party to express their thoughts accurately.Most people don't think about what they say. They think the words express the truth. They think that when they hear "red", they will imagine ripe marlin berries instead of blood. What emerges are Shakespeare's sonnets, not Playboy porn.When what is said doesn't get the response it deserves, it's a desperate situation. "The basics are there," said the driver. "The basics, the taboos. These... are like people's... commandments." "Do you mean?" "No stealing." I laughed.The driver also smiled. "Don't have unreasonable thoughts about your good friend's wife." Now he laughed desperately. "Does it work?" I asked. "That depends on when." "Even the absence of extravagant thoughts? How well do you control your instincts?" "Magician!" He said meaningfully, "Okay, I confess, I confess..." "No need to repent!" I stopped him. "It's normal. This is freedom! Your freedom. Stealing is also... so is unreasonable desire." "Don't kill people!" - the driver said irrefutably, "Right!? What else can you say? A commandment for all mankind!" "Maybe there's 'Do not cook a goat kid in its mother's milk'. Do you watch TV and read the newspaper?" I asked. "Occasionally. Not much interest though." "Then why do you call 'don't kill' a commandment? Don't kill... It was said on TV in the morning that the South took several more hostages, and the hostages were cut off to show that their request was not a joke. finger. And one of the hostages was a three-year-old girl. But she also had a finger cut off." The driver's fingers holding the steering wheel were tightly pinched until they turned white. "These thugs..." he said in a low voice, "the scum. I've heard, I've heard... But these are black sheep, these are villains, and they are the only ones who can do such harm! I wish I could do it myself." strangle them one by one..." I'm silent.The driver's bioelectric field was illuminated red.Don't get caught up.He could hardly contain himself.My attack was too successful, because he himself has a daughter... "Nail them!" the driver went on emotionally. "Burn 'em with napalm!" I don't say anything.I waited until the driver calmed down slowly, and then I asked: "Then why are we talking about the commandments of all mankind? If you were to hand over a submachine gun now, you would pull the trigger without hesitation." "There are no rules against scum!" growled the driver.Where did his intellectual gentleness go!A torrent of energy surged out of him and rushed around... So I absorbed this energy and quickly replenished the strength that was consumed in the morning. "Simply terrorists, not scum," I said. "They're human. You're human. There's no commandment for a human. It's a scientifically proven fact." He calmed down as I drained his excess energy.In fact, of course, it will not be quiet for long.In the evening the emotional swing would return, and anger would take hold of him again.This is like a well, the water can be drained from the well quickly, but the water will come back again. "You're still wrong," he replied more calmly. "Of course. The logic is still there, yes. . . "Hey, come on!" I shook my head. "What an improvement...there were strict rules about honor even on the battlefield. War, it was real war, kings were with the army, with Crowns and heads to risk. But now? The big powers want to suppress the small ones, bomb it for three months, and at the same time clear the stockpile of ammunition. Soldiers don't have to risk their lives! It's the same as you drive your car to the sidewalk now It’s no different than hitting a pedestrian like a bowling ball.” "The law of honor is a matter among nobles," the driver resolutely objected. "The common people die in great numbers." "But isn't it different now?" I asked, "when there is a reckoning between one oligarch and another, there are certain rules of honor that follow! Because both sides have idiot enforcers, slandering each other Smelling each other, sometimes for common interests, sometimes for blood relatives and other relations. It’s still the same kind of aristocratic government, the same as before! It’s still the king of the rich. But ordinary people—all work for their lives. A sheep with fatter hair, but a sheep with richer fat when slaughtered. Nothing has changed. There were no precepts before, and there are no precepts now!" The driver stopped talking. Just like that, he didn't say a word.We turned from Kamelgorsky Avenue to Tverskaya Street, and I told him where to park.I paid and deliberately gave more.Only then did the driver start talking again. "I'll never drive a witch again," he sneered casually. "It's a mind-boggling business. I didn't think chatting with a pretty girl could be so damaging." "I'm sorry." I smiled. "Work...successful." He slammed the car door shut and drove the car away. As for?No one has ever seen me as a whore yet, but he seems to see me that way.It's all about the "cover up shirt"...and the block, of course. But I have recovered the energy I spent in the morning, and there is more than enough.He, this intelligent, intellectual, strong man, was a wonderful donor.It's just...just through the medium of power I can do everything better. Thinking of these, I can't help but shudder. How stupid it all was... stupid. Whole lives are upended.In an instant, everything was lost. "Silly woman! Greedy fool!" Fortunately, no one can see my real face.I'm afraid it's as pathetic as my stupid neighbor's face now. Forget it, what has been done has been done.The past cannot be undone.No matter the state, no matter... no matter the interest.Of course, it was my own fault.The good news is that Zawulong didn't hand me over to the Lightbringers. He loved me once, and I loved him too... It would be ridiculous for a young and inexperienced sorcerer not to fall in love with the leader of the Watchmen who suddenly gave her a loving look... I clenched my fist so hard that my nails almost dug into the skin.I fought my way out and made it through last summer.It was dark at the time, as you can imagine, but we got through it. Now there was nothing to recall, nothing to cry about the past, no need to try to punch Zaburon in the eye.He hasn't spoken to me since the hurricane that broke out on the day of my ignominious capture last year.I am sure he will not speak to me for the last hundred years. A car came slowly along the side of the road, and stopped with a rustling sound of tires.The car was fine, a "Volvo" and it wasn't dirty.A smug face emerges from the car.It looked me over, a face full of smug smiles.The man said vaguely and slowly: "How much?" I was stunned. "Two hours, how much?" asked the shaved idiot more precisely. I glanced at the license plate number, it wasn't a Moscow car.No wonder. "Go get whores, idiot," I said affectionately, "Get lost!" "Either think about it, do you want to do it or not," said the disappointed idiot slowly but trying to save face, "Think about it, I'm very generous today." "Spare your pennies," I advised him, snapping my fingers, "you'll need them for stitches." I turned away, with my back to him, and walked leisurely towards the house.Due to the power output, I feel a little soreness in the palm of my hand. "Making a car break down" isn't a very difficult spell, but I've tangled up the car too much.On the hood of that new "Volvo" suddenly writhed a disembodied creature, not even a creature, but an energy controlled and gathered by a passion to destroy technology. If he's lucky, it's just the engine dying.If you're unlucky - those bourgeois precision electronics, the carburetor, the ventilator, the various pinions, and the little belts that stretch the car's guts will all fly.I've never been interested in what's inside a car, just know a thing or two.But the consequences of using the "make a car breakdown" spell are now well understood. The desperate driver didn't spend much time in the abuse and had already pulled ahead.Interesting, wonder if he will remember my words when his car breaks down?Maybe soon.He would shout: "Dead witch, it's all because of her crow's mouth!" But he could never even know how right he was. The thought made me happy, but the day was ruined and hopeless. Five minutes late for work, and arguing with my mother, plus this idiot in a Volvo. I thought as I walked past the glitzy and extravagant shop windows, pulled my shadow up from the ground - quite like a reflex, without even a moment's hesitation, and entered the building through a door invisible to ordinary people . The bright headquarters located in the "Eagle" building is decorated like an ordinary office building.But our decor is far more respectable and lively.There are seven floors of residential buildings in this building, and below it is a shopping mall that is luxurious even by Moscow standards.The third story was taller than all thought, and it had been built as such for the residence of the Sun-Watchers, and the building, enchanted to conceal its true form, was installed in brick and marble.Those who live in the building, mostly ordinary people, may experience a strange feeling when taking the elevator, as if the distance between the first floor and the second floor It dragged on for a long time... The elevator does take longer than normal to get up.Because the second floor is actually the third floor, the real second floor is invisible, and there are rooms for the on-duty personnel, technical rooms and technical service departments.We also have two floors at the top of the building. Although no one among ordinary people knows about these two floors, others with considerable magic power can see through the darkness the black granite walls of the fortified barriers and the thick and thick walls that are always used. Bow windows covered by heavy curtains.Air conditioning was installed in the building about ten years ago, so there are a lot of absurd isolation systems against the background of black marble.Spells have been used to regulate the climate in the past, but why waste those spells, electricity is so much cheaper. I have seen pictures of our building taken through the dark by brilliant magicians.What a breathtaking view!The streets are bustling with people, well-dressed people are walking on the streets, and the traffic is passing by.Rows of shop windows...windows... A dignified old lady poked her head out of one window, and at another sat a cat—a discontented, sullen cat.The animals could feel our presence... Parallel to these scenes were two entrances from the direction of Tverskaya Street, and one of the entrances was open, and a young vampire from the security department was polishing the gate with a nail file.Just above the mall were gleaming blocks of black marble, with speckled crimson windows... The top two floors weighed down on the building like a heavy stone hat. How nice it would be to show this photo to the residents!Still, the consensus will be unanimous: mediocre photomontages!The talent is mediocre, because the building looks ridiculous... When everything between me and Zaburon was normal, I asked him why our office buildings were placed in such a strange way, mixed with human housing?The boss sneered, explaining that this could make any possible action in the Light Realm difficult, since innocent people might die in battle.Needless to say, the messengers of the Light Realm have no mercy for human beings, but they have to lay a lot of hypocritical tricks around, so the seven-story residential building is a completely reliable shield. The small duty room on the first floor was empty, and there were two elevators (again, unknown to the residents), and a fire escape staircase inserted into it.The armchair in front of the TV by the table was empty.It was a second later that I saw two people who were supposed to be security guards.One is a vampire——his name seems to be Kostya, who just came to the Sun Watcher patrol team not long ago, and the other is a wolf-shaped shapeshifter—Vidari, who is also a hired non-staff, he comes from the ancient city of Kostroma, Been working here for a long time.They are both security guards.They hunched over low and stayed in corners.Vidal snickered softly.At that moment I had in mind the most grotesque reasons for their strange behaviour. "Boy, what are you doing there?" I asked bluntly.There's no good manners with these vampires and shapeshifters.Primitives, working breeders, vampires—they're all just goblins.But they think they are no worse than magicians and witches! "Aliska, come here!" Vidari didn't turn around, and greeted me: "It's fun." And Kostya straightened up, and for some reason took a step back shyly. I walked over, staring at the floor in amazement. A small squirrel was scurrying about at Vidalee's feet.For a while it froze, for a while it jumped up and down, for a while it squeaked and screamed, and for a while it clawed desperately in the air with its little paws like beating a drum.I didn't recover for a moment, and then I remembered to look through the twilight world. That's right. Next to the terrified little mouse was a huge, sturdy cat with shiny fur.For a while, he stretched out his paws towards the mouse, and for a while, his lips and teeth trembled.Naturally, this is just a trick to confuse people, and only simple and primitive rodents can do it. "We'll see how long it can survive!" Vidal said cheerfully, "I bet it will be scared to death in a minute." "That's what it is," I said, becoming ferocious too. "Of course, we're here to amuse ourselves, aren't we? Hunter's instinct kicking in?" I lowered my hand and grabbed the frightened mouse.The fluffy little thing trembled in my hand, and I blew on it gently, whispering a word of comfort.The little mouse stopped trembling, and then stretched out and fell asleep in my palm. "Pity it, don't you?" Vidal asked aggrievedly, "Aliska, in your business, these animals should be boiled alive in a pot!" "There are several similar spells," I admitted, "but there are also spells that require the liver of a wolf-shifter killed at the time of the full moon." The security guard's eyes gleamed fiercely, but he fell silent.He's not high enough to argue with me.Even though I'm just an ordinary patrol witch, I'm not a hired wolf shapeshifter. "Okay, boys, report to me the action procedures when rodents, cockroaches, flies, mosquitoes... are found in the jurisdiction." I said lazily. "Register a ward against rats," Vidari told me reluctantly, "some animals are immune to the ward if found, so show vigilance, catch it, and hand it over to the magician on duty. Teacher check." "You know...then don't forget. Have you filed a case to register evil spirits?" I asked. The shapeshifter squinted at the vampire, then looked away. "No……" "Understood. Did not complete the duty regulations. You will be punished as the one with the highest rank in the duty task. Report this to the magician on duty." The security guard was silent. "Please repeat, Security!" He understood that it would be foolish to resist, and he repeated it. "Then perform the task now..." I walked towards the elevator with the sleeping mouse in my hand. "Bon Appetit..." the security guard muttered behind me.These animals don't have any discipline because the animal part of them is too strong. "I hope that in a real battle, you can have at least half the bravery of this little mouse." I replied as I walked into the elevator.I caught Kostya's eye—it seemed to me that the young vampire was embarrassed, perhaps satisfied that this cruel pastime had ended. I showed up to my department with a rat in my hand, and there was a round of applause. The elder of our group, Anna Remensheva, was about to deliver her customary high-pitched tirade to undisciplined youngsters: "In Stalin's time you would be five In a few minutes, I will send you to Colemton Prison, to a concentration camp, and let you cook poison..." But when she saw the little mouse, she was so surprised that she didn't make a sound.Lenka Kireyeva screamed, then yelled: "Yo, that's so cute." Jeanna Golomova laughed and asked me if I would be interested in making "Stealing Liquid" Well, boiled rats are a necessary ingredient in it, and it just so happens that I am planning to rob in the future.Olga Menlinikova, who had painted her nails, congratulated me on my successful acquisition of this prey. I acted as if nothing had happened, as if I had never brought a live mouse to work.I put the mouse on my table and told the security guard about the game. Anna shook her head: "Is that why you're late?" “也因为这个吧，”我老实承认，“安娜·季洪诺芙娜，我今天坐车倒霉透了。再说又撞上这些不务正业的无聊的家伙！” 安娜·列缅舍娃是位年长的、经验丰富的女巫，没有必要装出年轻的样子去欺骗她。她都快一百岁了，见过世面的，拿老鼠寻开心的游戏她未必会觉得残忍。可即便是她，也紧咬着嘴，冒出一句： “这些保安根本就不尊重自己的职责。当我们在雷瓦尔站岗时，流行一句俏皮话：'安排了保安去巡逻——但得派女巫去监督。'在撞见两个保安盯着啮齿动物看时该怎么办呢？抓住这一群光明界的使者？老鼠有可能是他们故意放出来的。岂有此理。我认为，阿利莎，你应该要求更严厉的处罚。” “用鞭子抽。”基列耶娃悄声说，甩了甩一头蓬松浓密的红发。连卡的这头浓发……真是羡慕死人了。一件事情让人安慰——其他事情就砸锅了。 “不对，完全没有必要使用鞭笞的这种惩罚办法，”安娜冷冷地说，“把这只小动物扔到窗外去，阿利莎。” “太可怜了，”我表示反对，“就是因为这些傻瓜才在大众的心目中形成了黑暗界的可笑形象！凶手，暴徒，恶棍……干吗折磨老鼠呢？” “会失散一点能量，”奥莉加拧紧指甲油的瓶子说：“不过只是一点……点。” 让娜嘲讽地噗嗤一笑： “失散！造一只虚幻的猫他们耗费了那么多的能量，为的是来折磨一大堆的老鼠吗！” “可以这么想，”奥莉加提议，“我们把这只老鼠折磨到底，将此举视为力量的总释放……不过最终还得权衡一下。” “你们这些人啊……”莲娜气愤地说，“你是好样的，阿利斯卡。我把这只老鼠带走可以吗？” “为什么？”我吃醋地说。 “送给我女儿。六岁的小大人了，她该有照顾和关心的对象了。这对女孩很有益。” 刹那间出现了一种尴尬的肃静。当然，这是常有的事。他者生出属于另一个世界的孩子这种情况很少……极为罕见。吸血鬼的情况简单一些，因为他们可以激发自己的孩子，变形人也很简单，因为他们的孩子几乎总是能遗传变形能力。而我们，还有光明界的人也是，机会不大。这不，莲娜就不走运。尽管她丈夫是位黑暗魔法师，曾经是守日人巡查队的队员，现在因伤退休做生意了。 “老鼠命不长，”奥莉加指出，“到时候她会哭的……” “没关系，在我家会长命的，”莲娜微微一笑，“至少活十年。我和帕维尔可以保证这一点。” “那……你拿走吧！”我指着老鼠做了一个慷慨的手势，“哪天我去做客，探望它。” “睡得还真死啊？”莲娜往上提住老鼠的小尾巴说道。 “晚上前肯定会醒的。” "OK." 她把老鼠提到她桌旁，把磁盘从硬盒里抖落出来，将小老鼠藏到盒子里。 “买个笼子，”奥莉加一边欣赏着修过的指甲，一边建议，“要不就买个玻璃缸。要是跑出来——会把所有的东西啃烂，还会到处拉屎的。” 安娜·季洪诺芙娜若有所思地观望着所发生的一切，接着她双手一拍： “好了，姑娘们。别再分心了！不幸的小动物得救了，找到了新家。妙哉——没有比这更美妙的了。现在开始下达指示。” 她是位很严厉的女上司，但并不凶巴巴的。不无缘无故撵人走，也允许大家搞笑，如果有需要，也允许大家离开岗位。但一讲到工作，那就没必要跟她拗着干了。 姑娘们坐到各自的座位上。我们的办公室很小，只能塞下我们用的四张小桌和安娜·季洪诺芙娜的一张大桌子。当初建大楼时毕竟未考虑到巡查队现在的规模。不知为什么，办公室总是使我想起某个小村庄里容得下四个学生和一个老师的小学教室。 列缅舍娃等了等，让大家都启动电脑，上网，接着用她那训练有素的嗓子说道： “今天的任务很普通：巡视莫斯科东南地区。从那些空闲的作战队员中给自己挑选搭档上岗。” 我们总是成对地去值勤，一般是一个女巫和一个变形人或吸血鬼。如果是加强性巡逻，那么就会用伟大的魔法师或者某个年轻一点的魔法师来取代一般的作战队员。不过这种情况不多。 “莲娜，你巡视威欣诺和柳勃林诺一带……” 基列耶娃悄悄地在自己的电脑上下载了一个纸牌卦，她哆嗦了一下，打算争辩。我理解她。两个大区，而且还挺远。她当然不会有结果，安娜·季洪诺芙娜总是坚持己见，不过要基列耶娃不愤怒那简直不可能。 就在此时列缅舍娃桌上的电话铃响了。我们相互对视了一眼，连基列耶娃的目光都变得严肃起来。这部与值日作战队员直线联系的电话没有特殊情况是不会响的。 “好的，”列缅舍娃说，“好的。当然，明白。我接受任务……” 她的眼神顿时阴郁起来——值勤的魔法师根据所发生的情况传发给她一个心灵感应。 这意味着——情况严重。这意味着——有活干了。 “各就各位……”莲卡低声说道。出自动画片的这句话是我们传统的命令，“有意思，派谁来了呢……” 当安娜·季洪诺芙娜放下话筒时，她脸上的神情严厉而刚强。 “姑娘们，上车。全体出动。快！” 没说什么“各就各位……” 这意味着——情况十分严峻。这意味着——战斗。

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Notes: