- Larisa Arkadyevna, I' m not some kind of relative to her - I'm already starting to boil slowly - I remind you that I am her brother and I have every right to take my sister away from here, and I will do it. - I filter through my teeth, trying to maintain the remnants of composure. It was not enough to break all the furniture in this concentration camp for youngsters.

- Yes, of course, Andrey Petrovich, you are absolutely right - the manager clearly caught the angry notes in my voice, because her own begins to tremble and she looks at me warily. “I am not trying to disturb you in any way. I just want to make sure you understand what you're getting into, a woman is trying to persuade me. The girl spent 9 years with us, most of her life - this phrase hurts my heart. “Understand that our children, so to speak, are not the easiest ones,” Larisa Arkadyevna continues delicately. - Katya does not know life outside the shelter. They live here in their own little world and are far from everything that happens outside. These children need a special approach. I don't want to scare you, but it won't be easy, to put it mildly, especially with Katerina. She is a complicated girl.

- I understand, Larisa Arkadyevna. I assure you, I will do everything to make Katya feel comfortable and safe. But her place is at home, with me. - I firmly answer, making it clear that the dialogue is over.

- Well. Then come along, I'll take you to your sister. the woman sighs. Rising from our chairs, we leave her office.

I'm terribly nervous because I don't know how Katya will take the meeting with me. Suddenly she will cry, or she will feel bad? God, she's still just a child, a little defenseless girl. I was snapped out of my thoughts by the manager's scream.

- Well, stop it! Sokolova, what are you doing here again?! Get off Izmailova immediately! I said now!

I come out from behind the headmistress and observe an interesting picture - two girls are fighting among themselves on the floor. Moreover, on the one on top, there is nothing but a bath towel. Her wet hair, down to her waist, was scattered in different directions. With her cheeks flushed with zeal, she presses some mare-like blonde into the floor, it seems she is trying to break the girl's head on this floor. For some reason this fact struck me as funny. Try to understand me, she is so small and fragile. Damn sexy in her militancy, but at the same time completely innocent. I see how hard it is for her to keep the opponent under her, but she does not give up, and in her eyes there is a firm intention to hold on to the victorious end.

Hearing the headmistress's screams, the girl raises her head. For a moment, her gaze lingers on me, but after a second she looks away, rises from the floor with a calm look and, staring at us with an indifferent look, crosses her arms over her chest. Finally, I can see this young Amazon in her full glory. A girl of miniature stature, with a neat, fine figure and a thin waist, which is very surprising, given her warlike disposition. On a cute doll face are large gray-blue eyes framed by thick eyelashes and mouth-watering plump lips. For a second, admiring the girl, I forget where the hell I am and why I came here at all. The director's voice brings me out of the trance:

- Sokolova, get dressed, they came to you.

Looking around in search of my sister, I understand that the manager is addressing the girl in the towel. Wait... KATYA??? Is this my little sister??? It can't be... "What did you expect, idiot?" my subconscious speaks to me. "She is already seventeen years old. Or did you expect to see the same six-year-old baby that you once left in your parents' house?" Yeah...really a nerd.

- What kind of a man is this? - the sister asks with displeasure, and I realize with bitterness that she does not recognize me.

I stand and, like a complete idiot, I am silent, because, damn it, I don’t know what to say. I don’t want to scare her, I’m not used to mumbling either, life made me become tough. In short, I just don’t know how the fuck I should behave with her, she’s a child, after all. In short, I remain silent.

- This is Andrey Petrovich Sokolov, your brother - interrupts the silence of the headmistress, the existence of which I had already forgotten. - I understand that you don’t recognize him, so many years have passed ...

With an indifferent look, the sister climbs into the closet for clothes and, embarrassing no one, begins to pull on her panties without taking off her towel.

“I warned you that it would not be easy with her. - Larisa Arkadyevna whispers and adds louder - Sokolova, do you have a conscience? There is a man in the room, and you are shining with cowards!

- This is my brother - the girl shrugs her shoulders, by this time having managed to masterfully cope with the rest of the clothes, pull everything on herself, without showing a single millimeter of her naked body. - He has seen my panties before. Besides, you yourself told me to get dressed, so what's the problem?

Sokolova, you're driving me crazy. The headmistress rolls her eyes. - Thank God, you don't have long to play on my nerves. Pack your things, Andrei Petrovich is picking you up.

- What does it mean to take away? - Katya's coldly calm face instantly flashes with anger - did I leave some thing today, and take it tomorrow? I won't go anywhere! She screams and in anger begins to rush from corner to corner around the room.

And then I finally decide to vote.

- Katya - I try to speak calmly so as not to irritate my sister, who is already furious - Please, let's talk about this at home.

- Fine! You can start talking because my home is HERE! she yells, putting special emphasis on the last word. - Although I do not need any talk! Came? Have you seen? Well done. See you in another eleven years.

Great, now I at least understand what she feels - hatred. While it certainly doesn't make it any easier, it's still better than her indifferent tone. Let her scream, let her swear, but this means that she still feels something for me, that she is not indifferent to me.

- I understand that you are angry - I am trying with all my might to calm my sister - But I promise you that I will not leave you again. Please pack your things.

I'm still sticking to my plan to stay calm. Katya has every right to be angry, but I don’t want to frighten the child, who already probably experienced quite a few fears in this damn menagerie in which she lived for so many years without me.

- Shove your fucking promises in...

Yes, that's all. Without letting my sister finish, I grab her in an armful and throw her over my shoulder.

- What are you doing, goat? Katya yells, jerking her legs and pounding me on the back with her little fists. “Let me go now!”

“Andrei Petrovich…” the manager began, but I didn’t let her finish.

- Larisa Arkadyevna, I am very grateful to you, but then we will figure it out ourselves. We have drawn up the documents with you, you can buy new things - without saying goodbye, I turn around, and with a screaming sister on my shoulder, I step towards the exit.

Chapter 3. Katya

"Hasn't my whole life been preparation for defense?" Socrates

I want to get up off my knees.

I know no one will help,

except for the white stone walls.

I'm still weak. Anyway,

I don't believe you anymore,

I drank in full.

People are worse than animals,

I'd rather be alone.

I will close all the doors, I will

raise the Black flag.

I don't trust you anymore

, no one, no one.

sullen river

Kate

Andrei, with an impenetrable face, drags me on his shoulder, not paying the slightest attention to my screams and the fact that I continue to furiously beat him with my hands and feet on everything I can get into. Damn dude. Of course, with such a mountain of muscles, my miserable attempts are felt no stronger than mosquito bites.

Finally exhausted, I limply hang in his arms. We come to a big tinted black jeep. I'm not very good at cars, but you can see that this one is expensive. You don't have to be a pro in cars to immediately understand this, because her whole appearance screams that she cost the owner a huge pile of money. I wonder where the brother got them? Maybe it's not his car? Maybe he works as a driver for some important uncle?

Immersed in my thoughts, I don’t immediately notice that Andrey is starting to lower me, and I shudder when he carefully puts me in the passenger seat, fastens me, and sits next to me in the driver’s seat.

I look at him imperceptibly, he has changed a lot. Instead of the boy with whom we secretly ate cookies in bed at night from our parents and giggled softly, trying to shake off the sticky crumbs that did not want to leave the crime scene, an adult man is sitting next to me. He has hard, facial features, a stern look, he looks serious and intimidating, but at the same time there is something about him .... I can’t even explain it, something very attractive. Male charm, as Nina Aleksandrovna would put it. I didn’t understand what this meant before, but now I look at Andrei, at his malachite eyes, high cheekbones, clearly defined lips, and I begin to understand.

I look down at his pumped up arms and notice incomprehensible tattoos on them, similar to flames, descending over his shoulders, and reaching almost to the elbows. But the big picture is not visible to me, since most of the drawing is hidden under the T-shirt. But I think it's something big. I wonder what is shown there?

I catch myself thinking that I no longer look, but brazenly look at my brother, staring at him point-blank, and embarrassedly turn away to the window. Andrei continues to remain silent, since he threw me on his shoulder, I also have no desire to talk to him. After a while, I myself do not notice how I quietly fall into a dream.

I wake up, from the cold air caressing my face and the measured swaying of my own body, and I understand that I am no longer in the car. I quietly open my eyes, I feel a strong grip of male hands under my back and knees, and frightened, I open my eyes completely.