And the Object was also strange, because almost nothing was known about him. And Molly couldn’t wait to see him.
Usually she received a photo along with the order, as well as a description of habits, routes of movement, and sometimes even audio recordings. She could look at the photo for hours, listen to the voice on the film, catch barely noticeable intonations and changes in the voice, imagined how the face in the photo would change depending on the conversation.
This time she had nothing! It was intriguing. In addition, she only had to come into contact with an Object a couple of times in her entire practice, and only for a short time. She will have a long communication, and the way of fulfilling the order will be more than extraordinary. It will take time, perhaps a very long time. But Mellie was in no hurry. She enjoyed the beginning and anticipated the pleasure she would get during this whole game. The only thing that darkened her mood, and then quite a bit, was the thought that the Object would turn out to be a feeble, harmful old man with a croaking, rasping voice. Oh, how she didn’t want that! She didn’t want to at all! She preferred worthy opponents capable of resisting. Then the whole game took on a special meaning.
Finally, the wrought-iron gates opened, slowly, as if reluctantly. Mellie got back into the car and drove into the yard under the gaze of numerous video cameras. It was the beginning of an interesting game.
Chapter 3
She was already expected. Mellie had no sooner climbed the steps to the door than it opened hospitably. She saw a woman whose age she could not determine. It was obvious that she was not young, but it was also impossible to call her old. The smile on the face of the person who met her was not on duty, but the friendliest. Mellie smiled back.
And the lady saw in front of her a young girl with large grayish-green eyes, not a beauty in the literal sense of the word, but very pretty. Too big nose for a thin face and somewhat asymmetrical facial features gave the guest a peculiar charm. But the girl’s hair immediately attracted her attention – it was a magnificent waterfall of thick long hair. Mellie was very proud of her hair and took care of it like a mother of a child. Her hair was dark by nature, but she achieved an amazing shade with the help of highlighting and various coloring. Her hair shimmered with pearly mother-of-pearl and sparkled in the sun. This radiant splendor flowed down his back to his knees. The hair was thick and heavy, so the girl usually tried to tie it in a knot or fasten it with hairpins. But in very rare cases, Mellie simply put her hair in a ponytail so that everyone could see the rare beauty. And such a case was just that day. Mellie noticed a note of admiration in the eyes of the stranger who met her.
– Are you Mellie? – the voice was deep and somehow homely. Mellie had been completely devoid of any sentimentality for a long time. She very diligently eradicated the beginnings of any feelings in herself, whether it was sympathy, anger or hatred. She could portray any feeling and reflect it on her face, but not in her soul… However, the girl wasn’t sure if she had a soul. But hearing this voice, for some reason, it seemed to her that it became warmer and more joyful …on the soul? No. It was just that the mood was good, the day was wonderful, and the woman was nice and kind. No soul.
– Come in, please, Mr. Mellone is waiting for you! – the lady stood aside, letting Mellie go ahead.
She found herself in a small but very cozy hall, which seemed to be bathed in sunlight. There were flowers, climbing plants, a minimum of furniture and silence all around… The silence was the same as there, outside the gate, not empty and cold, but peaceful and warm. Passing through the hall, they entered a long wide corridor, at the end of which was a large arch with a heavy door. The woman pointed to the door and said: «This is Mr. Mellone’s cabinet. I hope this office will become your workplace!», and went ahead. If Mellie had been alone, she would have galloped down the corridor, she was so eager to see the Object, but she was forced to trudge like a hobbled horse and feigned indifference. Her trained eye immediately identified the location of the cameras, half of which were artfully hidden, and it became clear that Mr. Devon was right. There was not a single corner in the mansion that would hide from the all-seeing eye. For a moment she felt like a frog, crucified on the glass of a large microscope, which was going to be dissected. The feeling was extremely unpleasant, incomprehensible and somehow new. She had never felt anything like this before. Millie was angry at the unfamiliar sensations that bothered her, and with difficulty refrained from showing her tongue, and with it her middle finger to the nearest camera. It is in the nearest one, so that it can be seen well! Although she suspected that those sitting on the other side could freely count how many breaths she took in a minute.
«Why does he need so many cameras? Fucking paranoid! – Mellie chuckled to herself. – No, he is not paranoid, because I, for example, didn`t come to pay a courtesy call at all…». She had to get used to the idea that her every movement was recorded – a turn, a tilt of the head, a look, a conversation. In addition, there was no doubt that the observers were able to read lips, in case the sound suddenly disappeared or someone spoke in a whisper. She was so lost in thought that she almost jumped, but no, thanks to her experience, when she heard the voice of a friendly companion: «Mr. Mellone, this is Miss Mellie!». The friendly lady again, as at the entrance doors, stood aside, letting Mellie to go ahead.
Chapter 4
The girl had no choice but to enter first. The office was huge, but at the same time very cozy. Rows of books from floor to ceiling occupied countless shelves. Some had magazines and catalogs on them. «Apparently, I’ll have to work with them…», – Mellie had thought. There was a full-length table by the huge panoramic window. «It’s not very smart to sit near such a window, considering how the owner is afraid of an assassination attempt. This is a great target, even a blind man will not miss!», – this thought flashed automatically, because the easiest way to fulfill the order was excluded. Another table was located slightly to the side. It was smaller, in the form of a horseshoe, with a laptop, an organizer and a printer. «Probably, this is my workplace…», – Mellie stated to herself. The heavy peach-colored curtains were pushed in beautiful waves into the corners. There was even more sunlight in the cabinet. It seemed like she could swim in it, like in a warm sea. The parquet, polished to a shine, sparkled all over from the sunbeams. Mellie saw her reflection in the parquet, as in a mirror. And when she raised her eyes to the ceiling, she gasped. There was no ceiling! More precisely, it was, but made of solar mirrors! It took her a while to figure it out! She had never seen such a thing anywhere before.
Due to the abundance of sunlight and the striking beauty and grandeur of the situation, the girl did not notice the man at all. He was sitting at a large table in a comfortable chair with half a turn to the window.
– Mellie… A beautiful name, and it suits you very well, – the voice was quiet, enveloping and the same as everything around, soothing.
The guest almost jumped in surprise for the second time in a short time. «What kind of place is this, it’s just enchanted!», – she was angry at herself for her inexcusable absent-mindedness. Although the brain was still clearly and quickly fixing everything around, there was a feeling of some unreality, as if she was looking at an iridescent postcard – here is a clear image, and everything is clear, but you turn a little, and everything slips away, changes, and you have a completely different picture in front of you. Mellie shook her head resolutely and promised herself not to disperse, briefly noting that her movement did not go unnoticed. There were enough cameras here. In her opinion, there were even an abundance of cameras. And all of them diligently turned their glass heads, accompanying every sigh, every flutter of eyelashes. It was already starting to make her feel a little queasy, but the nausea