Immortal Ash

Chapter 8

A persistent knock on the door interrupted her sleep. Sonya rummaged on the nightstand for her glasses and, yawning, went to open the door. On the threshold stood Tanya, dressed in a colorful airy dress and a wide-brimmed hat with a flirty ribbon. Her friend was in her repertoire. She flew into the cottage, unceremoniously dismissed Sonya with her shoulder, sank into a wicker chair and put her leg over the leg.

"Stop sleeping! The trumpet is calling! Are we on vacation or what?"

"Exactly, on vacation," Sonya stretched out and, shivering from the coolness, wrapped her arms around herself.

"I've already let you sleep! It's ten o'clock in the morning! Come on, let's go to breakfast! I called a cab!"

"Why a cab?" Sonya was surprised. "I have a car!"

"You can wait for me," snorted her friend.

"And your husband?"

"He freaked out and left at night."

"What do you mean?" Sonya unclenched her hands in surprise and straightened up. "Freaked out about what?"

"He wanted to sleep, you see, not to drive around the city at night looking for someone else's child," Tanya replied, her lips curling contemptuously. "Well, and with such an insensitive chump I fu..."

"I got it, I got it," Sonya interrupted hastily. She wasn't a prude, but she didn't want to discuss her friend's intimate life. So there was one less person in their company. And, hand on heart, Sonya was not sad about it. And her friend didn't seem to be upset by the spat with her boyfriend. Only one thing was alarming: her friend's light outfit, which was too bright for the weather, made it clear that she was already out on the hunt.

"Tanya, I need time. I feel broken after the night."

"That's why I called a cab. And you come over when you're ready. I'll be at last night's restaurant."

"I'll be at last night's restaurant. Okay. Have you seen Eugenie and Volodya?

"Your Eugenie woke up a long time ago and went for a walk. Where to - I do not know," reported Tanya. "And Alexei went jogging with Wolf even earlier. You're sleeping alone! Let's get ready."

With these words her friend nimbly jumped up and gracefully twisted around so that her skirt flared up, exposing her legs almost to her thighs, and flew outside.

Sonya closed the door and leaned her back against it. So everyone had gone about their business. That suited her just fine: they didn't have to follow the general recreation program. It was good that both Eugenie and Alexei understood that. She looked out the window, behind which the sky was frowning, and sighed: such a gray and cool day is good to spend at home with a book, and not to walk. But her friend wished to have breakfast with her. Sonya answered Alexei and Eugenie's messages and quickly got ready.

Unlike Tanya, she dressed for the weather and comfortably - in yesterday's hiking pants, boots and a bright red T-shirt, over which she threw a windbreaker. In the office Sonya Kymikina a is a refined business lady, but on vacation she is a patsanka. She didn't put on makeup, nor did she arrange her hair, which was wet after a shower, she just combed it back and went out into the yard.

The street smelled pleasantly fresh. Sonya lingered near the car, wondering whether to walk: there was no such delicious and thick, even if you cut it with a knife, clean air in the capital. But Tanya was probably already waiting. Getting into the car, Sonya involuntarily looked back at the last house. Alexei was right: their neighbor was a strange man. Igor spoke in riddles, leaving behind some ambiguities. Sonya seemed to annoy him in some way, yet he led her out of the woods. When she realized that she had been looking at other people's windows for too long, she started the engine.