Tribute to Elegba... chapter three...

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The parade, the celebratory music, the cheering of the townsfolk lined up on both sides of the main street of Riddlehill, all this noise and uproar annoyed Uther insanely. However, the most annoying thing was the fact that on this accursed day, the thirty-first of August, Uther could not hide from everyone's fun, hypocritical and deceitful, in his opinion. Well, what kind of joy is this? Hanging out and celebrating in honor of some guy from the old days who supposedly founded this small, godforsaken town? And what does it even mean to found a city? This Thomas Riddle, who also had a monument erected almost a hundred years ago, did he build all the buildings himself, settled the first settlers here, developed the infrastructure? What are the merits of this man and the meaning of this useless holiday?

Uther had friends: Max and Antonella. Basically, the guys spent all their free time together. Their friendship was very strong and lasted for at least five years. The guys were the same age: they were twenty years old, but Antonella was two years older than them. None of them studied or had a permanent job, only intermittent earnings and a few attempts to get the simplest job, which were never crowned with success. Perhaps the guys were not bad and did not want to lead such a lifestyle, but there was something that greatly burdened their life path, but at the same time, paradoxically, it was in a sense the most important link. All three had been drug addicts for a long time. No, of course, they weren’t in a painful state when a debilitating addict with a knife breaks into the bank to steal money and somehow pay for another dose. Rather, with banned substances, they simply plunged into a bright and serene world, and at the end of the effect they returned to the real world, which they saw as extremely lousy, disgusting. Escape from reality - that was the main addiction of Antonella, Uther and Max, and then physiology.

The lack of pills or weed made Uther, Max, and Antonella quite irritable. In the moments of jonesing, they began to actively look for a dealer, dig home first-aid kits in search of at least some “wheels”, and having found the treasured pills, they hid in the shade of city parks and could disappear for days. Once their spree dragged on for two weeks. The guys took a lot of risks, but so far none of them got a real punishment or arrest. So today, Uther and Max sat on the grass behind the bushes in the park, located near the bridge near the statue of the founder Thomas Riddle, and waited for Antonella, who sent an SMS an hour ago that she would bring "excellent grass", but still has not appeared yet. The boys were nervously impatient, but they made no noise. They have long understood: the quieter you behave, the less likely it is that the sheriff will break off the buzz for the guys.

After another hour, the music of the orchestra began to subside. But in the central park, a party for young people began. The DJ put on dance tracks, lights and lanterns were lit, which decorated the neighborhood, although twilight had not yet fallen on the city. Around this time, Uther's cell phone started ringing non-stop.

“I thought you sold your cell phone,” Max grunted, leaning back on the grass and looking up at the sky. “Didn’t our party last week take place with pawnshop money?”

"My mother bought me a new one. Told her that the old phone had been stolen. Unbelievably, but it worked..." Uther once again dropped the call, clearly not wanting to answer.

"Is she calling? Your mother?" Max asked.

"Not. Brother," Uther rolled his eyes, as if it were not his brother’s attempts to call, but annoying fans. "I’m ready to run to the end of the world from this nerd, honestly. I had to pawn this one too. And there would be money and peace..."

"Does your mother still believe in this crap? Your parents are naive.. It’s crazy," Max was surprised. No matter how much trouble Uther got into, his parents kept believing in all the bullshit their son was telling them, and it was pretty incredible by now. Therefore, Max's surprise was always sincere and appropriate.

"But your folks still believe you're straight," Uther urged his friend on.

Touche! Of course, Uther, as Max's best friend, knew almost everything about him, including his orientation. Max was gay, and not by choice, as many might think, but as long as he knew himself, and to his friends, with whom relations were built, first of all, on honesty, he, of course, immediately told everything. It's funny that neither Antonella nor Uther believed this from the very beginning: contrary to stereotypes, Max did not wear heels, did not make up and feminine him too could not be called by word. Still, this guy figured out his preferences for a long time, and there was no doubt about this for a long time. However, Uther and Antonella didn't care who their friend slept with. The maximum that sometimes happened regarding this was rare jokes, as now. But never more.

"That’s right," agreed Max. "It's good that some people find it easier to believe in a world that exists only in their heads, although it does not intersect with reality. They are easily deceived without harm or consequences".

Only Antonella was an orphan and grew up in a Catholic boarding house named after St. Paul, and after reaching the age of majority she was forced to leave the orphanage and now lived in a small house in the area of abandoned buildings. By the way, it was forbidden to live in abandoned houses, and the sheriff periodically checked this, but such raids did not promise problems at all. And all because it was difficult to call home: there was never any coziness decoration there, reigned disorder and even unsanitary.  Still, some kind of roof over his head for the orphan Antonella.

Max lived with his father and mother, who constantly fought and never really paid attention to the older child. By the way, the younger one was also not spoiled by parental care and most often wandered around the neighborhood, finding regular troubles for himself. And now, when the eldest son had already become an adult young man, and the youngest did not seek to share his teenage difficulties, it was easier for parents of such independent children to believe that the guys were doing something useful somewhere, so, as Max himself said, it wasn’t that hard to trick them.

Uther had a father, a mother, and a brother. The Uther family was respected and famous for its good reputation, and they tried to hide the black sheep of their family from others, along the way trying to set the twenty-year-old irresponsible fool "on the right path." Of course, without success. Uther’s relationship with his family, lustrous, disgusting in its perfection, irritated the lad insanely. Perhaps this was one of the reasons why he once preferred the street to the coziness of home and became addicted to drugs, even though after five years it didn’t really matter. At least for him.

"Answer your brother. Say it's all right. Promise me you'll come back tonight, sober and unharmed. And he will fall behind," said Max, when Uther's mobile phone vibrated again. “It has always been that way. Such predictability certainly has its advantages".

"I just don't want to talk to him right now," Uther replied.

"Why do you even live with them? I would have already collected some money long ago, then I would have moved to any large city. For a bus ticket, I think it’s easy to get money".

Max turned to his side with his hand behind his head. Uther shrugged. He himself still did not understand the reason for his stay in Riddlehill. It couldn't be said that he hated his life, but it could be improved.

"Why didn’t you go to London with your pervert who asked you there last year?" Uther answered with a question.

Max smiled thoughtfully. Of course, Uther's question was rhetorical, and both guys knew it. The story was that last year, Max got into a love story comparable to those shown in snotty teen romantic comedies. A grown businessman came to Riddle Hill on business that neither Max nor Uther could understand, even with brainstorming efforts. This same businessman fell madly in love with Max, although there seemed to be no reason for this. Max was a lanky, gloomy young man, far from sociable and even unfriendly. Nevertheless, this businessman charmed him with his "thank you" and "please", wide romantic gestures and promising confessions, and finally invited him to leave for the capital of Great Britain. Then Uther and Antonella were sure that Max would definitely take advantage of such a chance. However, Max himself did not believe in the reality of the stories a la Richard Gere and Julia Roberts, from mud to riches, as they say. Nevertheless, the main argument for refusal was, oddly enough, friendship. “Exchanging friends for a strange stranger? No, you assholes!" Max argued then. Now, to Uther's question, he repeated the same thing.

“I’d love to go somewhere with you,” Max added. "Even tomorrow. I’d like to pack my things, although we can do without them, and I’d like to go anywhere. And Antonella, of course, drag along. Where we without her. The three of us would live together forever and happily".

“And would have become such a Swedish family of perverted drug addicts," Uther laughed sincerely.

At that moment, Antonella finally appeared in the clearing. She was a tall, slender girl with thick curly dark brown hair, quite pretty. She had plump lips that stood out quite strongly against the background of the rest of her facial features, and they sometimes annoyed the girl, although a lot of guys who hit on her periodically, noted lips in the first place. Antonella was also a rather rude girl, she could stand up for herself and held a blow no worse than any peer of the opposite sex.

"Having fun?" she asked, looking down at the guys. "So now you will be even more fun. I have a surprise for you!"

The girl held out her hand. A small transparent bag with dried grass was clamped in his fingers. Antonella shook it in the air with a beaming smile.

"Nice to see you're on time.... Why is it taking so long? We have been waiting for two hours already," Uther asked without indignation, but with a slight reproach.

"Shut up and let's spin it. I want to smoke so hard I could die. Be thankful that you managed to get a portion at all. My dealer was in good spirits. Apparently, the holidays have a good effect on everyone, even complete scumbags. Hey Max. How are you?" Antonella sat down on the grass and took the roll paper out of her backpack.

"Good. And now it will be even better," Max answered, rising from the soft green grass. "Grass all around. Weed inside. And you, my caramels, are right there. Complaining is a sin - I'm happy".

"Oh, how cute. Stop talking this shit, and use your mouth for something useful," Antonella replied, handing Max the first ready joint.

"Ew, the dirty girl," Max pushed Antonella in the shoulder and laughed.

There was a hard dance beat, which was replaced by softly playing music. Looks like the dancing is about to start. But this did not distract the guys. From the first puff, they flew into the sky and broke away from reality.

Aywa was not in the mood for joy at all. The girl even forgot that she had invited that nice stranger to the party. Even before the end of the parade, her boyfriend Kelvin was depressed and could not overcome the obsessive anxiety. And there was a reason for that. His brother, Uther, who promised not to do anything stupid or rowdy on the day of the city, suddenly disappeared, and God only knew what a trick this madman could throw if he was not stopped in time. Most recently, he disappeared for two weeks, ended up doing many not-so-good things, and miraculously avoided trouble with the law thanks to Aywa’s father, with whom she arranged to shield the violators from liability. Now the disappearance of brother Kelvin promised new problems and inconveniences. Of course, it might have seemed to some that Uther was already twenty and he was responsible for his own life, but his brother and parents still believed that this troublemaker could still be changed, turned into a respectable and responsible citizen. However, if you delve into the essence of the problem, then the desire of the Klein family was primarily dictated by selfishness and ambition: the family for them was a holy, ideal phenomenon, and everything that has tarnished the reputation, even blood relatives, should either be corrected immediately, or liquidated in the end.

"Do you want me to tell my father? Will he help find Uther in no time?" Aywa suggested. Actually, it was a good choice. But Kelvin immediately refused.

"What if he already got into some shit?" he answered confused and irritated. "The second time your father will not help him, no matter how holy a man he is".

There was logic in this statement. Aywa always helped Kelvin with the search for his brother and never complained. Moreover, several times the girl met Uther in the city and tried to talk, convince him to return home and change her attitude towards relatives. Moreover, once even managed to talk. The conversation was short and not particularly productive: Uther considered Aywa a deliberately bad person and did not need arguments for this. That day Uther sent Aywa to a certain place, and so it was.

Hermia and Victoria - Aywa's best friends - were, to put it mildly, not happy with what was happening. These girls were great girlfriends, of course, but recently their relationship with Kelvin has gone wrong, though it wasn’t always obvious. Hermia was, in fact, the first to speak on this subject. There was nothing surprising in this, because it was she who was the toughest and most straightforward person in this company. Hermia said that Kelvin and his family were wrong about Uther and the Klein family should let this grown-up guy control his own destiny. And, of course, be responsible for your antics. Victoria, too, supported this view, but was not so categorical in its statements, being rather cautious.  Everyone knew Victoria as a fairly rational and gentle person, devoted to friends at all costs.

Now, when it was already dark and the search for Uther was unsuccessful, Aywa, her friends, and Kelvin were gathered by the four of them in a small gazebo, one of those that were very often located in the city park. The gazebo was also decorated with small light bulbs, emitting a yellow-white light, which gave the twilight a pleasant coziness. Rick, a school friend of Kelvin’s, arrived a little later. He brought the punch for everyone in tall paper glasses.

"Well, what, no news about your junkie?" Rick asked and immediately caught Victoria's reproachful look.

To be honest, it was difficult to call Rick a tactful person, but this was one of his few shortcomings, but in general, he was a good-natured and simple guy. Rick looked like a tall, burly young man with short blond hair and blue eyes. Rick has been involved in various sports since childhood, so by the age of sixteen he looked so that his friends simply called him “the closet”. Rick has been friends with Kelvin for a long time, so he periodically spent time in the company of his friends.

"What’s the big deal?" Rick was genuinely surprised, waving off and handing Victoria a glass of punch. “We all know that Uther is a junkie, is that a secret? Hey Kelvin, you're not offended, are you?"

"He's also a total asshole," Kelvin added, dropping another call on his cell phone that went unanswered. “God knows, I promise I’ll kick his ass this time.”

"He always came back. And this time he will, I'm sure," trying to reduce the excitement in the company, said Victoria. “Maybe we should relax a little. It’s a celebration after all".

Aywa walked up to Kelvin and hugged him, patting him on the shoulder. The situation was far from unique, and Aywa was grateful to Victoria for mentioning the relative predictability of her boyfriend's troubled brother.

"He's twenty years old, Kel," she said. "He's older than you, after all".

"And you’re treating with him like he’s still in diapers," said Hermia sarcastically.

“Well, we can’t know for sure,” Rick joked, but no one appreciated his joke, although the guy himself hardly understood this, and, in fact, his own laughter was enough for him.

"Yes," Kelvin sighed and kissed Aywa on the forehead. “Perhaps you were right. This asshole ruined the whole holiday for us. Tomorrow is an important day. I need to have a good rest today. A difficult year lies ahead. When are we gonna have this much fun?"

“Well, thank God, it finally dawned on you,” Hermia exclaimed joyfully. "I thought that we would sour until the end of the holiday! I'm out of punch. Who's with me for more?"

Rick volunteered even though his glass was still half-full. He probably liked Hermia, there were such rumors, but there was nothing real at the basis of these assumptions. Hermia was a strong-looking girl and in everyday life looked completely unfeminine. However, by putting on a beautiful dress and doing her hair, she suddenly turned into a real beauty. There was an obvious charm in her thick black hair and caramel-colored skin, which the girl, to be honest, sometimes did not think about, although she was aware of its presence. Victoria and Aywa were sure that many guys were simply afraid of Hermia (by the age of thirteen, that girl already had a black belt in karate), but there was absolutely no problem in this. «They are afraid - they respect», said Hermia in her usual sarcastic grin.

"I need to find my parents. I'll tell them everything's fine, so they don't have to worry. And I'll be right back, okay?" Kelvin said. He needed to get away.

Kelvin's best quality was that he didn't even care about himself as much as he did about his family members. He always took care of Aywa and proved many times that he would not quit in difficult times. It was impossible not to love such a guy, and in some ways this was a piece of great happiness that many people are looking for all their lives. Aywa nodded and kissed Kelvin back, but in a grown-up way. After that, the guy left in search of his mother and father, leaving the two girls alone. Victoria had her lips sealed, choosing her words to say. Of course, the plans for the holiday were completely different. It was necessary to correct the situation. Usually at such moments it was Victoria who went on stage and saved the situation.

"Well, what do you think about all this?" Victoria spoke softly, as if afraid of being heard. However, the music began to play loud enough to create a great background noise. No one could hear this conversation.

"What are you talking about?" Aywa rubbed her forehead: her head ached a little, and her mood was far from festive.

“About all this,” Victoria's tone of voice was as if she was talking about obviously obvious things, about sunrise, for example, or about the four seasons of the year. But this girl had the talent to read moralizing in such a way that it did not cause irritation. "How long will you be doing this?"

"Yes, what is it?" Aywa asked, smiling at her friend.

"Gosh. The fact that you constantly rake up other people's problems, take responsibility for what you should not. Talk to Kelvin. It's time for you, dears, to take care of your own happiness. And you seem willing to do anything but that".

Victoria was right. And Aywa couldn't even say something in refutation. She was nodding, sipping punch.

"I'm your friend. I wish you well. Judge for yourself: a year ago, you and Kelvin could not leave for your planned weekend vacation, you had to return tickets, although they cost a pretty penny to your father. A month ago, Mr. Atlantis was threatened with dismissal for the same reasons, although, of course, he did the right thing and nobly. Today is a holiday, the last day of the summer, when we are still schoolchildren. You are sixteen. You have everything to live a full and wonderful life. So what are you doing? Over and over again, obsessing over junkies and losers who, by the way, don’t care about your help..."

Aywa abruptly stopped the stream of words that her friend had burst out and hugged her tightly. And when that little hug opened, Aywa looked into her friend’s eyes and said.

"Vicky. I love you very much. More than that, I appreciate you no less than Hermia and Kelvin. And no less than his own father. You all are my family. My family's problems are my problems. I myself am not happy that I have to do all this..."

Aywa stepped aside and leaned on the edge of the gazebo. After sipping the rest of the punch, she continued:

"It sucks, I agree. But what can I do?"

"Talk to Kelvin. I already told you,” Victoria shrugged, drawing a tick in the air with her finger. "But that's tomorrow. Today - relax already at last. We missed the parade. Missed the mayor's speech. At least let’s not neglect the opportunity to rock our butts to a tune that, for the record, is awesome".

Victoria took Aywa by the hand and pulled her towards the crowd of young people who were already dancing and singing along to the familiar tune. Aywa, of course, was not particularly inclined to dance now, but she could not refuse her friend and, putting on a smile, succumbed to persuasion. Hard club beat was replaced by a smooth transition to a melodic song. Played "Heaven has a place on earth". The girls liked this song since childhood.

Someone inaudibly approached from behind and covered Aywa's eyes with his hands. The girl, however, was not afraid at all.

“Here I am,” a male voice said.

The girl turned.

"Thank God, Kel. Well, how are your… parents…"

“Actually, I’m Tristan,” the guy smiled. "If you want, I will remind you of this regularly".

Victoria came to the rescue, glancing flirtatiously at her friend and apparently silently asking her what kind of stranger it was. Remembering that Riddlehill is a small town and everyone relatively knows each other, the appearance of a completely new face could not but arouse interest.

"Tristan, this is Victoria. Victoria, this is Tristan," Aywa immediately introduced the guy to her friend. "I met him yesterday at a morning jog. He's new here".

“I arrived yesterday,” Tristan smiled charmingly and shook hands with Victoria: in all his gestures he was incredibly gallant. "And I will say without embellishment: your town is very, very cozy. Perfect place. By the way, Aywa, I was looking for you at the parade. But I just found you now. Have you been hiding from me?

"Did I miss something?" Victoria hissed in surprise. The girl was clearly intrigued by what was happening.

"I'm sorry," Aywa lowered her gaze, embarrassedly lowering the tone of her voice. "There were some problems. Because of them I completely forgot about everything, even about the holiday".

"Well, now how are the problems over?" Tristan asked.

The girls looked at each other. Aywa nodded uncertainly. Why would this friendly guy dive into other people's problems? He probably has plenty of his own.

"I'd like to take a little walk. The local park is very beautiful. Come with me?" Tristan suggested. "Many people say that I'm a bore, but I promise to try to cheer you up".

"You go, and I'll meet the guys," Victoria whispered coquettishly. "And then they will return - then we are not here. It’s not gonna be pretty, I think"

"Don’t make up anything that isn’t real," said Aywa.

Surprisingly, with the advent of Tristan Daveraux, the excitement and even the headache disappeared. Aywa felt some kind of magical lightness inside, and she really enjoyed being in the company of this person. The girl promised Tristan only a short walk and several times looked back at Victoria, who with all her appearance showed her approval of what was happening.

Tristan and Aywa went deep into the park through a small bridge and ended up at the pond, where there were footpaths lined with light bricks. They didn’t go far, because Aywa didn’t want her friends to start looking for her too, so Tristan decided to invite the girl to sit on the grass by the water so that she could return at any moment.

Tristan was a pleasant, but rather strange young man. All because he constantly asked and listened, but practically did not tell anything about himself. He was keenly interested in Aywa's life, and at one point, the conversation began to resemble a kind of interview. The girl noticed this and tried to change the subject.

"You're a very secretive person, aren't you?" she said instead of answering another question from Tristan.

"And very inquisitive," the guy nodded and broke into a smile. “A lot of people tell me that. But what can we do with our habits? I prefer to have information, curiosity is not a vice".

"What are you going to do in Riddlehill? Are you going to do anything at all?" Aywa asked.

"I'm sixteen years old," Tristan shrugged his shoulders in a theatrical way. "Like you and your friends. Therefore, like you, I will study. They say you have a good school here. I have already dealt with the documents. You know, I used to go to the really pompous, just annoyingly good school. You could get such a reprimand from the principal for a crumpled tie, then no psychologist would help. It seems to me that my foster family put me in this concentration camp on purpose so that life would not seem like a fairy tale. Then they expelled me, not without my efforts, and I missed half a year, I did not study anywhere. Now you have to actively replenish knowledge. But I can handle. I'm smart".

“Well, if it’s really so, then our teachers will carry you in their arms,” Aywa said embarrassedly, throwing a small flat stone into the water. "There are very few students in our school, and new ones appear infrequently. There will be excitement, you have to be ready for it".

"It's not the worst thing that can happen," honestly said Tristan, and then, slightly thinking, added. "You were looking for your boyfriend's brother, right? Uther, I think?"

Aywa's jaw dropped for a moment in surprise. Before she had time to utter a word, the guy, shaking his head, continued:

"Your city is really small. Therefore, information can be found here without much difficulty. And adding one to the other is the minimum that absolutely everyone is capable of. As I said, I love to know what's going on around me. Of course, I did some research on what Riddlehill was doing long before I got here.

"You're starting to scare me," Aywa confessed either jokingly or seriously.

"On the contrary, I wanted to reassure you. If that's who I'm thinking of, he's not far from here. On the other side of the pond, literally ten minutes to walk from the very place where we are now sitting," Tristan pointed his finger in the direction where only a few lanterns shone on the opposite side and nothing was visible except park trees, "three young people are sitting : two guys and one girl. They smoke, if I'm not mistaken, marijuana and have absolutely no plans to rowdy. So you can calm down and calm down your boyfriend. Kelvin, right? By the way, is his real name Kelvin Klein?"

Aywa was still at a loss for words in surprise and simply nodded.

"If there is Victoria Secret in this city, then I will finally award Riddlehill the title of the most original city of all where I have stayed. By the way, to dissuade a drug addict from using illegal substances and to convince him that he is wrong is a disastrous business, believe me. Also, to be honest, Uther and his friends don't look like drug addicts. Rather, they are infantile, unwilling to grow up teenagers".

"You sound like you’ve already met him," said Aywa.

"Looked from the side. Listened. You can trust me, I've seen drug addicts. These are people who do not think about anything and do not want anything but a dose, do not feel and do not want to feel anything but their addiction. That's who the real drug addicts are. They look different, they talk different. I think your boyfriend's brother and his friends need proper freedom than bans and reproaches. Therefore, in my humble opinion, it is better to leave them alone for now," Tristan said simply.

"A guy nobody knows comes into town, knows everything about everyone, and shows he cares about what’s going on? This is really surprising," Aywa reasoned, although she did not agree with Tristan in everything.

"I hope I didn't scare you. I have no evil intentions. A display of friendliness, nothing more".

"Yes thank you. It was, of course, unexpected, but pleasant. But it's better for Kelvin not to tell now that you've found his brother. Kelvin is impulsive, and at these moments he becomes uncontrollable. He could unravel. And I don't want him to ruin his evening completely. So it's better to remain silent".

"Well, you know better," agreed Tristan.

There was a sound of footsteps behind him. Someone was running towards the shore of the pond. It was Victoria, who saw the guys and hurried to them.

"They’re waiting for us. Frank Simpson rode in his dad's car. He offered to go out of town. To the coast. Are you with us?" The girl was enthusiastic.

"Did Kelvin agree?" Aywa asked with the lion's share of doubt. She exchanged glances with Tristan, who again glanced at the opposite side of the pond and pursed his lips.

“Actually, it was his proposal,” Victoria nodded. “I was surprised when I heard it. So are you eating? We can take Tristan too. I'm sure the guys won't mind. More people means more fun".

The girls stared at Tristan for an answer. The guy, without thinking twice, agreed, to Aywa's surprise and delight. Victoria noticed her friend’s smile and gave her a touch of a finger to the side.

"Only I need to tell my father that I will be back late. We won't be there until dawn, will we? Tomorrow is the first day of school," Aywa noted.

"I think we'll be back in the city by two a.m., don't worry. I saw Mr. Atlantis not far away. Let me take you to make it faster. I'm sure he'll let you go without any problems. Well, let's go?"

Victoria was clearly in a hurry. By the way, she even forgot that paper lanterns would be launched into the sky at ten p.m., and this, by the way, was her favorite annual spectacle. Obviously, the desire to go to the coast outside the city blocked all the others.

The three of them hurried back to the park. Tristan was the first to suspect something was wrong, and quickened his pace. There was something very lively going on in the park: there was a scream and there was a lot of excitement. A numbers of people surrounded by something that caught their attention. And something bad happened. Swear words were heard and curses were thrown. Aywa and Victoria immediately recognized one of the voices and hurried to the formed crowd at a run.

"Fucking junkie! Get it motherfucker!" Kelvin shouted, knocking his brother to the ground and giving him strong slaps in the face.
The people surrounding the fighting brothers clearly did not know what to do: everyone had long understood what was happening in the Klein family, but getting into their problems is a dubious enterprise. However, Aywa had a different opinion. Deftly slipping through the crowded onlookers, pushing people aside with her hands, the girl quickly grabbed Kelvin's shoulders, pulling him away from the already battered Uther. His lip was smashed, through his teeth the guy spit blood saliva, and his T-shirt was torn in the collarbone area.

"Kelvin!" Aywa exclaimed. "Well, what's gotten into you! Stop it now!"

"Stop what?" the guy exclaimed, still allowing Aywa to be pulled aside, but continuing to cast angry glances at Uther. He's dishonoring me! Shame on my family! Do you want me to tell you where I found it? To tell? In the bushes! He and his junkie friends made fucking orgy! Threesome! Right on the grass! What dirty stray dogs!"

"THAT. NO. EXCUSE. TO BEAT. HIM!" said Aywa tartly, looking into Kelvin’s eyes.

"Don’t you ever come home again!" Kelvin growled. His voice started snapping, as if the guy was about to cry. Nevertheless, that did not happen. Only anger oozed out of Kelvin now, nothing more. He pointed his finger at his brother, who was still lying on the grass, apparently not quite in a sober state, and added. "Just show up! I'll tell my parents what you did in the park today. You can't get away with this, you stoned piece of shit!"

"Take it easy!" Aywa thundered. “And leave him alone!”

The girl looked back. Victoria and Tristan stopped not far from her. Horror was read in the eyes of the girlfriend, but the guy stood with a stone face, as if he didn’t care or he just hung in a trance, but Aywa nevertheless blushed. For some strange reason, she experienced a brief but monstrous surge of shame and embarrassment. Beads of sweat covered the girl's forehead.

"Let's go!" she muttered, pulling Kelvin aside, away from the crowd.

To put it mildly, Aywa was frightened: Kelvin was often angry with Uther, throwing endless recriminations at him, many of which were more than just. However, for the first time, Kelvin went to the assault. It was like an invisible line, that Aywa thought Kelvin would never cross. Kelvin rarely fought at all, although he was strong and able to stand up for himself at the right moment. Then suddenly, in front of several dozen people, he became the instigator of a fight, and even with his own brother. Whatever Uther did wrong again, it was definitely not worth hitting him. Aywa was sure that Kelvin himself would understand this when he calmed down a little and came to his senses.

Selena was approaching the dispersing crowd. The old woman was a teacher at the school, so she was present at the celebration as an overseer. Of course, she was a little late: apparently, the fight was born as quickly as it ended. Selena approached the guys, keeping her eyes on Tristan.

"What happened here? Fight?" she asked indignantly.

"That's it, Mrs. Santana," Aywa answered hurriedly. "Everyone is alive, no one was hurt. It’s a simple skirmish, nothing serious, trust me".

"Are you sure?" Selena whispered, pointing her finger up.

The park was filled with a piercing scream. Aywa looked around and froze in horror. Uther was thrown into the air. His body glowed as if it was on fire. No one understood what was happening, and everyone just stared up. Only Kelvin rushed back to his brother, and his anger suddenly disappeared. This time, Tristan pulled Kelvin aside.

"Selena," he said firmly and almost in a commanding tone. "Get the people out!"

"What’s going on? Is that you’re doing?!" asked the old lady.

"I said, take the guys away! Quicker!" Tristan screamed. Then the guy rushed towards Uther hanging in the air.

No one from the outside noticed, but after performing several hand manipulations in the air, Tristan forced Uther’s body to fall to the ground. At the same time, his eyes frantically searched for someone specific in the crowd. And they found it fairly quickly. Just a few seconds after Uther was on the ground, Tristan quickly approached Rick, Kelvin's friend, who was literally a hundred meters from what was happening, grabbed him by the neck, and the two guys vanished into thin air, making a loud, dull thud.

Tristan did not fully understand whether he is still in Riddlehill, or moved far beyond the borders of the country. But most likely, the first option, since his magic would definitely not be enough for long-range teleportation. Transit magic was always difficult for Tristan: after many years, he never found the strength to develop this skill to a decent level. Moving an object from point A to point B is still all right, but moving your own body is a much more complicated thing. Then there's the effect of surprise. Blood was gushing from his nose again. Tristan collapsed onto a hard surface. Rick was next. He too crashed down a few paces from Tristan. But unlike him, Rick was in excellent condition and quickly got to his feet. Shaking off his trousers from dirt and dust, he walked slowly towards Tristan, looking down at him with a smile.

"Transit magic?" Rick grinned, putting his foot to the body of the bent Tristan and with a rather sharp push of the leg, forcing him to roll over onto his back. “And I thought even light magic was killing you now. Although I may not have been far from the truth. You look lousy, Daveraux".

Tristan didn't fail. His fears were justified, although consciousness still could not believe what was happening.

"Vasilevsky…" growled Tristan, spitting blood. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"What the hell?" Rick was surprised, passing Tristan around and standing at the edge of the roof.

Tristan transferred himself and this guy to the roof of a two-story building, on one side of which there was an impenetrable forest and a road, and on the other - several more similar buildings. Rick looked around and then returned to Tristan, who had risen a little and sat down. He did not yet have the strength to stand up: his body was filled with heavy, invincible fatigue.

"You and I have an open case," continued Rick, looking around Tristan, assessing his condition. “Your debt, if you remember. But how can you forget? You yourself see how magical forces leave you and how insignificant a creature you become in this world. Are you thinking of running away from your duties? Thought I couldn't find you in this outback, you little asshole? You're playing with fire, brat".

"I'll do what I have to. I need time!" threw with obvious contempt in his voice Tristan. The guy was aware of his colossal helplessness at that moment and did not dare to try to fight back.

"You don't have time anymore. When you made the deal, you knew what you were getting into. If you want to live forever and stay young for centuries - pay. If you can't pay, be prepared for the consequences. You are already a grown boy, although you are stuck at the age of sixteen".

"I told you, I'll do what I have to!" Tristan exclaimed as his hand could not remove the still-walking nose blood. "Why did you kill that guy in the park? Why are you doing this circus? Why are you here this way?"

Rick let out a loud laugh. He walked very close to Tristan and sat down next to him. Somehow, even in a brotherly way, he threw his arm over the shoulders of the interlocutor, hugging him in a very strange way. Tristan glanced at Rick warily. He smiled suspiciously and said:

"No matter how miserable a coward and a jerk you are, Daveraux, we have a lot in common: for example, we both love spectacular appearances. In some ways, I can't even outdo you. I keep an eye on my people, you know, and I remember very well how you caused a brawl in Chicago in 1984. In addition, in 1999, on New Year's Eve, at the stadium in Montreal, you scared half the audience of the concert with your pyrotechnic tricks. Mindless fun, as I understand it. This is how I am having fun too".

"Leave me alone. And free the schoolboy, don't harm him. I promise that I will do everything. Don't touch anyone else," Tristan said, avoiding Rick's gaze. It was impossible to disguise the fear at all: Tristan's voice was shaking and sounded completely uncertain.

"Since when do you worry about mere mortals? Are you a complete selfish and narcissistic peacock? Is not it so? Who better than me to know this," continued Rick, hugging Tristan. "Do you know? I'm in a good mood today. And I won't kill you today. Moreover, I will give you time. Exactly ten days. Consider it an attraction of unprecedented generosity. If in ten days you do not do what you must, I will return, but then my mood will already be one hundred percent bad. That time I won't stand on ceremony. How do you like this opportunity? Last chance, you might say. A chance to save your young skinny ass. How are you, huh?"

Tristan took a deep breath. Silently he scolded himself. You'd have to be a complete idiot to think that it's so easy to hide from the elegba. Elegbas were called the supreme magicians, who laid the foundation for immortality many centuries ago. Tristan had heard a lot about the Elegbas in his almost century-old life, but he personally knew only one: Dmitry Vasilevsky. This supreme magician once very long ago gave Tristan the opportunity to stay forever at the age of sixteen and in complete invulnerability from weakness and decrepitude. According to legends and rumors, all the Elegbas were able to kill any, even a very strong magician, or to reward, in their opinion, a worthy one, with immortality in no time. But meeting the real elegba was a problem, so Tristan spent most of his life believing that he had been more fortunate than the others, even despite the horrendous terms of the deal. Now, Tristan's whole gut was beating in fear of uncertainty, because he knew that only with a simple snap of his fingers Vasilevsky could kill him without doubt and regret. There was nothing left but to agree with the proposal of the elegba, because in fact Tristan had no choice now. The guy nodded, wiping away the remaining blood above his upper lip. The bleeding finally stopped.

"You're a lucky asshole, Tristan Daveraux. You kind of remind me of me, a long time ago, when I was such a dumb jerk. Everyone makes mistakes, and I will generously forgive you for trying to hide from your duties. Now listen carefully, motherfucker!"

The tone of the elegba suddenly changed from friendly and derisive to harsh and menacing. Vasilevsky removed his hand from Tristan's shoulder, and continued in the same hostile tone.

"I'll be back in ten days. Don't think about running and hiding. I think you've finally figured out that it's useless. Wherever you hide your pathetic carcass, I will find you. And if by that time I do not get what is rightfully due to me, I will have to kill you, my dear Tristan. And if you expect a quick painless death, then I will have to disappoint you".

"I will do! I said I'll do anything!" Tristan exclaimed angrily.

Vasilevsky got to his feet and took a deep breath, looking around.

"Wonderful night," he said. “Sometimes I forget the simple joys that mortals experience. But don't forget about them. Maybe then you will finally begin to appreciate the gift that you received from me. After all, you could lose him any minute, suddenly realizing how short your eternity has been. I will find you in ten days. See you soon, Tristan Daveraux.

Rick's eyes rolled back and he collapsed unconscious. And at that moment, Tristan breathed a sigh of relief: the elegba Dmitry Vasilevsky had just unbound, left the body of the schoolboy Rick and was probably already very far from Riddlehill.