Island Has Ghosts

Chapter 5

Rina was brought to her senses and sat down with her back against a tree. Violet tore off the hem of one of her robes, soaked it in water, and, having wrung it out, applied the cool compress to the back of her head. Then with Vsevolod's knife she chipped a piece off the sugar block. Rina gratefully put the sugar in her cheek and squeezed her eyes shut with pleasure.

When she felt better, she said that she and Kostya were sitting by the fire, then the guy went to get some branches, and at that moment someone hit her on the back of the head. Rina found out that Kostya had been kidnapped only now.

"Are we going to find him?" she asked and looked around at everyone. There was more worry than fear in the girl's dark eyes. Elvira and Violet looked at each other, and Vsevolod sighed heavily, went to the abandoned things and returned with three mops.

"Here. This is for you just in case," he said, holding them out to his companions.

"And where are you going?" Elvira alarmed.

"Where, where, where... To look for our business card designer!"

"But it's dangerous! How can you go when..."

"I gave you mops! I hope you can defend yourselves with them. If not, you'll sit on them and fly away."

"That's not what I mean! It's dangerous to go alone. We don't know how many attackers there were!"

"We can't count them from where we're sitting."

"I'm coming with you! - decisively declared Elvira."

"And in the camp, who will remain in charge?" Vsevolod raised an eyebrow with piercings and nodded at Rina and Violet, who were watching the argument. "One of them was bruised, the other had to be rescued."

"And someone else came earlier from the 'reconnaissance' wounded," Violet was not in debt. Vsevolod grinned, as if he was amused by the remark. Ignoring their objections, he checked his knife in his pocket, re-tightened the hair at the back of his head with a rubber band and nodded toward the fire:

"Make sure the fire stays lit."

"While the men hunt the mammoth, the women keep the hearth. Time passes, nothing changes," Violet muttered quietly.

"Next time you'll go mammoth hunting," Vsevolod said mockingly and turned to leave.

"Wait!" Violet called him. "Give me the knife!"

She broke off another piece from the sugar block and gave it to the redhead along with the knife. Then she held out her mop.

"Take it. You can't beat a mammoth with this stick, but it'll do for a walking stick."

Vsevolod held her gaze, and his lips suddenly touched a smile - a slight, fleeting smile, but a smile. Without another word, he turned and, leaning on the mop like a staff, walked away. Violet followed his gaze until the redhead was out of sight, then headed for the abandoned bales. Household chores are the best medicine for anxiety and fear! Not only did they calm one's mind, switch one's thoughts to another, but they created some illusion of a familiar life. Perhaps it was not only her, but also Elvira, and after Elvira - and Rina, but at the sight of the bag with spoiled macaroni the girl squeaked:

"I won't eat that!"

"Then that leaves frogs, snails and worms," Elvira replied nonchalantly and winked at Violet, who smiled. "The worms are already here, in the packet! Brrr!"

"And to keep them away, you need to overcook the cereals," Violet parried, picking up one of the pots and carrying it to the water to scrub it clean. She expected that only she and Elvira would be working, and Rina would cite an injury and go to rest, but the future star had already dragged a bundle of blankets and bathrobes to the water.