Victoria dared to look up when she was near the very Arbat and bumped into Kharon with her eyes.
He was standing near the first building, looking up at something there.
He looked like an angel, looking at the heaven which he had been thrown down from for a long time ago. Here he was, wearing the black, having a bunch of bright blood-burgundy roses and a strange smirk, looking at the azure clouds.
The hot sun was gently touching his black shirt, feeding with its unmerciful warmth, tendering his face which was so unscrupulously looking at it and even didn’t narrow his eyes.
The man saw nobody, he was interested in nothing but in the blue height.
Victoria was stock-still and staring the demonic creature of an unbelievable beauty and unusual behaviour.
There was a woman wearing a swinging dress in the wind. It was light turquois colour and shining. The woman passed by Kharon so closed that beneath of her dress grabbed the demon’s legs into its tender embraces. Kharon gave a smiling look at the smoothing dress over his trousers and then at the woman walking away. She looked at him back playfully and disappeared in the underground passage.
Victoria, staying near the passage, was waiting for the fabulous woman to obtain a better view of her. But she didn’t appear like if she disappeared into a thin air.
Suddenly Kharon sharply turned his head in the direction where Victoria was, his frown took her, and he smiled. Victoria smirked, shook her head and went down to the underground passage. She was rushing to her beloved at full speed and even didn’t notice her bump into a man.
What astonishment was when she understood that that man was Kharon who had been staying at the Arbat with no motion for a moment ago.
‘Are you running to me?’ he asked, embracing her.
‘How did you get here?’ Vic closed her eyes, pressing herself to him. ‘People can notice your sudden appearance.’
‘No, they can’t. They are too busy with their life streams where they must dabble. You noticed me at once, didn’t you? I felt your devouring stare at me. How strange it was crawling over my face, shamelessly trying to look under my shirt… Victoria… Your thoughts are luxurious, I’m looking forward to your letting them come out… no, capture the reality.’
The man kissed her. Victoria was melting in his arms, because of his curious kisses, of his words and whispers. She enjoyed every second that Kharon gave her.
‘Let’s have a walk, you’ll tell me how wildly you hated people in queue in the tax agency.’ Kharon slowly took her by the hand and led to the exit out of the passage in the direction of the Arbat. ‘Oh, I’ve forgotten,’ he stopped and stared at the girl at the loss. ‘I saw men give the woman flowers… Is it romanticism?’
Kharon stretched the bunch of flowers to Victoria. Finally, the girl had a chance to examine the flowers and she was shocked with the beauty of their petals. They were really of blood colour like if someone put a brush into a venous stream and then painted the flowers. The tips of the petals were velvet literally. There were specks of dust, weightless but visible ones of endearment which a human could scrutinize. The buds were very thick full of life energy.
‘Kharon,’ Victoria whispered being fascinated, unable to tear herself from the flowers. ‘They’re so beautiful. I’ve never seen such prodigious colour.’
‘That’s ok,’ the demon smiled. ‘These flowers weren’t grown up on the earth.’
‘What do you mean? Are they from Mars?’ Vic asked seriously.
‘Of course, no, they aren’t. I took them from the place, as you like calling it – hell. We have such flowers there. There are no such on the earth and it’s hardly they’re gonna be.’
‘The flowers from hell. Form the demon. Kharon, am I ok?’ the girl confusingly looked at her companion.
‘Absolutely. You believe in my existence, but you don’t believe in the world where I live, and such flowers can be? You’re so strange.’
‘Strange is better than insane. You see, that’s you and you know yourself all your entire life, you’re not surprised with yourself. And I’ve known different things all my life. I’ve been grown up like an atheist for my 20 years as well as sceptic and materialist. I’ve been laughing at others who believe for 20 years. My mother is resuscitation specialist. She will never believe that a dead body has a soul and it goes somewhere to travel. Of course, I feel stupid when you appear.’
‘I always had fun at the way people react to my appearance. I’m something unusual in their lives. But I don’t usually need to prove them anything. It’s different with you… I’m in your world with you, in your life… in reality.’
They were walking along the Stariy Arabat, hands in hands. They were like other millions over the world, they weren’t different. The demon in the shape of a man stayed unnoticed as the girl with her sold soul.
Kharon examined the world having no tiredness. He observed people doing that or this, dressing, combing, what bags and jewellers they had. He had been building the picture, immersing himself into a human life, trying to understand what social cell he needed to get to be comfortable.
Victoria was thinking of his warm hand, his fingers between hers, how pleasantly his thumb was gently and rhythmically touching her index finger and how pleasantly his finger could have been touching her body…
The demon smiled as he heard the girl’s thoughts. He liked the things she imagined, and he looked forward to having all those spilled out of her mind into reality.
‘Kharon,’ suddenly the girl stopped. ‘I gotta tell you something. Yesterday when you left, I saw a girl be killed…’
‘Are you speaking about your vision? I’ve seen everything already through your memories and eyes that happened to you yesterday.’
‘Then you have to know what it was.’
‘It was a vision of a past.’ Kharon shrugged his shoulders.
‘Do you think it’s ok?’ Vic couldn’t understand imperturbable calmness of the man.
‘Yes, it is. I see the same every day.’
‘Kharon,’ Victoria pressed to him, trying to get to his ear. ‘What if I tell you that it is not ok to see any past in vision for people? We can’t see past, present and future… We have no visions.’
‘What if I tell you,’ Kharon stooped to her ear and whispered in the same way as she did, ‘that you can’t know everything that happens to other people? The thing that you think normal or abnormal, happens to you, can happen to others and they’re ok with it.’
Victoria was looking at his amber-brown eyes and getting him right. Kharon tried to explain in a veil way that that hadn’t been the worst thing that could happen to witches. But he didn’t want to tell her who she was. He didn’t want to explain that the dying old woman managed to give Vic her gift under Lucifer’s pressure.
‘Have I calmed you down?’
‘Yes.’
‘Do you want to see my flat?’ he smiled. ‘I’ve concluded the agreement already… wait… Agreement of accommodation leasing for two years.’
‘What an awkward hint.’ Victoria couldn’t help smiling. ‘Then you ask me for tea?’
‘Yeah, I can. I have tea. And coffee as I remember.’ Kharon was confused.
He was serious and even offended a little bit with the girl’s mocks and he tried not to look at her. Then Victoria understood that “wanna see my flat” meant to see his flat and nothing more. It never occurred him to blow the girl’s mind with the help of such terrible human step to get her into bed.
‘Let’s go.’ Victoria felt stupid again.
How could that be? Even the demon of sex sometimes thought of something else except sex and people were always thinking of it. They also tried to hang their desires on others.
‘Why did you act so strange?’ Kharon asked.
‘Nothing, don’t pay attention to.’ The girl answered by a quick smile.
The demon stopped again and carefully looked at Vic’s face.
‘I’ve been like a young fellow, haven’t I?’ he asked in surprise.
‘Kharon, stop poking into my mind.’ Vic got more ashamed.
‘No, dear, explain it to me!’ he insisted. ‘I’m gonna be on earth for a long time. I have to know all not to look like a young fellow!’
‘Usually when a guy offered a girl to see his apartments, it means that most likely he wants to show only his bed and himself in doing. These are stereotypes. I’ve never met and heard anyone who really wants to show only his flat.’
‘Oh,’ Kharon looked aside. ‘Did you really think that I suggested you get lain? Do I really look like a failure in your opinion?’
He was still smiling, embracing the girl, biting off her parts with his unbelievable eyes. She seemed to be going to blow up because of confusion.
‘Kharon…’
‘What?’
He was looking at the red-haired sun in his arms. Yes, he liked her definitely. He observed her nice smile and her smiling freckles. Her eyes. How much true happiness was there! The ocean of life. The demon heard her heart beating, filling with her beloved man’s energy. Kharon couldn’t believe were people really capable of being in love with someone else so much than themselves?
‘You’ve embarrassed me.’
‘Well here I’ve got some achievement at least! I almost got upset that I’m not your emotional experience.’
‘You know about emotions better than me.’
‘True. But first you have your crazy desire to touch my body, feel my lips on yours and you want me to undo my next button on the shirt, squeeze stronger your hand and all the other things in your heads… and the second thing is your behaviour in reality… you’re like two absolutely different people. You reject me and run away… I’ve started mistrusting my own powers to read correctly your mind. Tell me, dear, do I understand you right? Am I reading your mind correct?’
‘People are looking at us,’ Victoria whispered and didn’t let his hands get through where they wanted to.
Kharon stepped back. Victoria smiled, the passion flame was burning inside her, and the demon couldn’t read it wrong. He perfectly understood everything, but he didn’t understand the girl behave in such a strange way. Now it was people.
‘Why are they looking at us? Don’t they do the same?’ Kharon surprised, having taken the girl’s hand, kept on their way to the Manezhnaya Square.
‘They do. They sometimes do worse things. As a rule, they exculpate themselves, why they can do this and why we can’t.’
‘Do you always eat out of people’s hands?’
‘No. I don’t. I just don’t like people looking at us.’
‘Can you imagine how strong they hate us kissing in such a beautiful evening among the old narrow streets of Moscow? Maybe many of them want to get the same…’
‘Maybe.’ Victoria was adamant. ‘But many of them are looking disapprovingly. This all is so intimate and shouldn’t be observed by unfamiliar faces.’
Kharon stopped again.
‘You surprise me! You, in particular! How now, dear? I don’t understand! How can you speak about shame and confusion when there is so mind-blowing sex in your head that I’ll hardly be able to see it come true?’
‘That’s just the point. I want it to come true but when I’m with you face to face but not to be observed by the whole Arbat street.’
‘I got you. Got it.’
They came up to an amazing house architecture of which was different from the modern one. It was a building of Soviet Period, surviving nowadays. Looking at this building, you could hardly say that people lived there.
Kharon greeted the concierge and led the girl inside. The woman looked at Victoria with scrowsy eyes, called her a prostitute to herself. The demon smiled after he had heard the label.
‘On foot a little bit… On the third floor. There’s no lift.’ The demon warned about the forthcoming trip.
‘I can stand it… just three storeys.’ She smiled and went ahead.
Kharon opened the door and let the girl come in.
‘This is my emergency accommodation among the people…’ The man closed the door.
Victoria put off the gymshoes and went into the living room of a huge size. Kharon was following her with keeping his eyes open at her back of the head.
‘Would you like some tea? You asked about it.’
‘Yes, thank you.’ The girl turned to him and creamed in a voice not her own, breaking into a run.
In her fright without seeing a projected wall, the girl flew into it with her forehead. Having fainted she fell flop in the floor and unexpected silence came out.
In surprise Kharon looked the girl lying on the floor, understanding nothing. What could frighten her so much that she wanted to run away?
He put her up and brought to bed. Here she was, unconscious in the night fantasy world. Just a second and Kharon would be there. But Vic was in his bed, defenceless, having a growing up clour on her forehead and with embryonic insanity inside. Her tender shoulder was denuded, there was an expression of fear and desperation on her face.
Kharon brought a wet, cold towel and put it on Vic’s forehead. He hopped her clour was going not to be so big. He was confused with the denude part of her body. Despite of his lust and barely controlled passion Kharon adjusted her tee, having covered the part of nudeness.
He adjusted her pillows and sat into the arm-chair near, looking up at the ceiling. His thoughts brain storm attacked him immediately. He had a woman from the earth, reality and two years vacation. Would he be able to give to that woman all she wanted? Was he capable of that?
Someone cleared his throat in the living room. The demon smiled. He came out of the room, having closed the door behind and at once he found a handsome man at his table.
‘My friend.’ He said and stood up, ‘I wanted to check up on you… To find out whom you’ve brought this bunch of lovely roses to. Is it for Victoria, I hope?’
‘Lucifer, I’m glad to see you in such a good mood. According to the deal I have to make these two years gorgeous and if I am successful, they’re gonna be ideal.’
‘You’re right, yes.’ Lucifer was staying near the window.
‘How’s it going at home?’ Kharon finally got tea. ‘Would you drink something?’
‘Oh, no,’ the man turned to him. ‘I’m on business here. It’s been hampering me in my back two days already. You’re my dearest friend. Be a good soul and look what there’s…’
Lucifer pulled off the shirt and…
Many times, Kharon saw his Lord in such a way but every time his heart got frozen, admire covered his face, barely stand pain was in his eyes.
Lucifer was staying his back to him and there were huge white wings elevated. They were so majestic, powerful and Kharon imagined how much the master of the wings got through while he had coming down, Kharon kneeled more and more before his Lord with his respect and loyalty. You shouldn’t look at the lord’s face nor his eyes but only at his powerful wings. What a snow-white colour they were! In a dull weather, impregnated with melancholy they burnt eyes with their divine whiteness. If the sunrays fell onto the powerful wings any eyes were about to be blind. The flat and white surface reflected the rays, let them travel back to the space, depriving wretched persons from ability of seeing.
Of course, demons were stronger than people, but their eyes were also burnt. The wings had too bright light. It was like a lightning flashed in eyes but didn’t disappear as it had to, and it stayed in the eyes, firmly having covered pupils with its merciless shroud.
There was eye pain pulsing in the head. Lucifer was spreading his wings. Having left his tea Kharon headed to Lucifer through the light, torturing his eyes, to get known what disturbed his Lord.
Examining the powerful spine, smooth roots of the wings, crying, the demon noticed a long feather stuck out, pointed into the waist. Despite its softness and gentleness, it was too hard. If Lucifer hided his wings, the feather stuck into skin, like a dagger, on the right from his vertebral column.