by Nelly Asher
***
Once in her room, Selena took out of the drawer one of the used exercise books that remained there since high school and tore out an empty sheet. She digged in her purse, took out a pen and pressed it to the paper. Thoughts were scattering. Each sentence that came to her mind seemed awfully dumb. Silver had a guess as to what she should do, but didn't like that idea. However, after a minute of staring at the paper she gave up. Clenching her teeth, the girl took a pen with the left hand and started writing:
You've always been so
Each letter was a struggle. Selena was barely holding herself from starting to write fast, with huge unreadable scribbles. But she went on carefully writing out:
observant, but this time, I got it first.
The girl knew why Kevin didn't realize it before she did – everybody around him didn't go on about how he's not the one he considers himself to be. At first she was fighting that thought, but eventually accepted that it's true... Selena didn't remember much about Mery Wesson, but reluctantly accepted that she was that person some time ago. Silver couldn't deny it any longer once she got home and realized whose place she took.
I don't know how you ended up as professor's nephew, but you're a real child of Adeline and her husband, Trevor.
That was quite straightrorward, but is there any good way to put it? Her hand was getting tired. Biting her lip, Silver went on:
And I really am Mary Wesson. I don't want to get you even more involved in my troubles, I'll go deal with them myself. You can get to know your parents.
She looked at the paper, not knowing what else to add. This is probably it – nothing else came to her mind. Suddenly, the girl realized what else she could wrap up.
Selena took Any Key and came up to the door. There was no keyhole, so she just touched the lock with the key, opened it and stepped into the already familiar corridor. Calmly closed the door behind her, opened the opposite one and found herself in the darkness of “Obsidian”.
Tenko looked at her, smiling silently. He didn't seem to be surprised that Selena came out of the storage room.
“You're back,” he said softly.
“Not for long,” Silver shook her head. She decided to be brief and came straight to the point: “I've realized that at some point I really was Mary Wesson...”
“See,” smiled the man behind the counter.
“...It was damn hard for me to accept it. But everything has changed long ago. Mary Wesson is gone, she died a few years back. And this is something you have to accept,” Selena's black eyes were piercing him. “But you seem to be the only one who loved her. I must tell you the truth and say you have to move on, I think I owe her that much. Goodbye. You'll never see me again.”
Silence fell. Tenko's face darkened, but then took a blank expression again.
“I knew that this day will come,” the guy's voice was giving away that he wasn't actually that nonchalant. “You're drawn to death more than to love... Have you decided to put an end to it, after all?”
“Consider it a guess,” Selena replied dryly. “Of course, we'll see who will finish whom, but I'm not going to give up easily.”
“You're just as much of a daredevil as before,” there was a bitter smile on his lips. “Do you still have my gift? I hope it will help.”
“I hope so... Anyway, gotta go. I want to return something to you,” the girl took the key off the trinket and gave the four-leaf clover to Tenko. “Your heart is at your disposal now. We owe nothing to each other. I don't have you here,” she touched the left side of her chest. “But I can say that you will remain in my head. I will never forget you... No, not like that. I will always remember you.”
“So, you're leaving just like that? You won't even kiss me goodbye?”
“I recalled something from the past, but I'm still not Mary, not at all... I understand your feelings, but... Well, I just don't want to kiss you, sorry,” she honestly admitted. This weird guy wasn't attracting her at all, and Silver didn't have a slightest wish to touch him. “It must've seemed strange to you that I appeared from inside the shop? It's a long story... I know, you would've believed me if I told you, but there's no time to explain. It won't happen again,” she was slowly backing down to the door. Once Selena finished that sentence, she waved her hand goodbye and walked out.
Silver returned to her room just as easily. Now, there's just one thing left... She put the paper in the bag and went out.
…Once he heard the door opening, Kevin sat straight on the bed, looking askew at Selena.
“Can you close your eyes?” said Silver, getting closer.
“Why?” Evanford frowned.
“You'll see,” she grinned. “Come on, there's nothing to be afraid of! Just close them, ok?”
He shrugged and obliged. A minute ago Kevin desperately wanted to shut his eyes tight and was afraid of doing it, but now the weird sensations were gone. Young man heard Selena putting something on the bedside table. Then he suddenly felt the girl sitting onto his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck and pressing her lips onto his. Kevin opened his eyes and looked at his reflection in Silver's dark pupils.
“Haven't you ever been curious?” she asked quietly.
Evanford decided not to inform her that he was already forced to have that experience, both with her and her twin. He kept silence, waiting to see what happens. After lingering for a few seconds, Silver looked away, got up and ran up to the door.
“Farewell!” she smiled wryly and disappeared in yellow electric light, slamming the door behind her.
Kevin was staring at the door, baffled. An equation with three unknown quantities is more comprehensible than the behavior of his companion... And did he actually see a gun in her hand? Evanford looked at the bedtable. There were the book, Any Key without a trinket, and a sheet of paper under the family photo. Professor's nephew picked the paper, frowning more and more as he read the scribbles.
So, Selena left to deal with her demons, and it looks like she doesn't expect to come back. And she kindly leaves him alone in strangers' house with his “parents”. Maybe he really is their child – at this point, this guess is no crazier than any other. But why did she come to such a conclusion? Is there any proof? He took a photo, but didn't pay attention to the baby's clothes or eye color – there was something else he was interested in. Without much hope, Evanford took the picture out of a frame and looked at the back. To his great surprise, there actually was a writing saying: “Kevin's first birthday. Mirror Pond, April 3, 1985.” So, Selena was right – but even more baffling was the date on a picture. The day and month of birth were indeed accurate, but in 1985 he was supposed to turn four...
But there are more pressing issues than that. What to do now? Go and meet the “parents”? Adeline has no idea that she is his mother, and will demand explanations where her daughter went. If he presents her the letter and the picture, it will only make the situation even more complicated. Evanford couldn't stay here. There's nowhere to retreat now – sooner or later he will end up in the Pocket anyway... Kevin picked up the book and the key and was about to leave the room, but stopped and looked at the half-opened door of the closet. He approached and opened it wider. There was some old stuff inside, nothing special. Theoretically, there's enough room for shaggy balls to hide. Kevin closed the door. He didn't even touch it with Any Key – it was obvious what will be behind it when he opens it again. Squeezing the round handle so hard that it almost began to hurt, he turned it and went out.
