29

An anxious tension came over me for the second or third time when I watched Adrian sing the sixth song.

The light was now directed from below and reflected in his eyes like a starry sky... Oh, how hard it is to turn away!

Such a sight really looks very beautiful...

— And now I need a person from the audience, because I can't sing this song alone. I'm not doing well...—Adrian suddenly sighed.— Maybe Mrs. Novak will agree to sing with me?—

I froze, my mouth hanging open.

What a request!

— Go ahead...—Cornelius nudged me lightly on the shoulder.— Otherwise you will look very stupid.—

I stepped onto the stage, feeling the atmosphere heating up with my awkwardness and the stares of those who were here now.

Adrian held out his hand to me, smiling.

— Of course you don't know, but I've never sung in my life!—I whispered.

— It's okay. I also went to sing unprepared once.—Adrian grinned and suddenly began to sing:

— If only I could be closer to you... I want to become your firefly, So that there is no more darkness in your life...—

I can feel my heart skipping a beat. Daddy's lullaby!

How does he know her?

— I'll cover you on your path, I don't want our day to stop shining...—I echoed, and realized with horror that I had missed a line out of fear.

Without stopping singing, I turned my gaze to Cornelius and Ryan.

My beautiful lover was smiling, and my father was scared. His eyes had become much darker, now they resembled blue bells in hue.

Afraid, but of what? Adrian? The man in the mask? Someone else?

— You were great.—Adrian held out his hand and helped me off the stage.

My hand was in his hand and, jumping off the stage, I found myself in his arms for a split second...

There is something native about him... And why is he looking at me with such sadness?

It's like he wants to say something, but for some reason he can't...

— It was really amazing.—Cornelius said.

— Next time we will sing together with Darek.—Adrian smiled at the younger Kaminsky.

— No, it's definitely not...—It was noticeable that Darek blushed at such a frank look.

It's unclear what's going on in Adrian's head...

— You owe me an apology for messing with my dad...—Adrian smiled.

Dariusz exhaled loudly and, looking after Adrian, grinned.

— Where did he come from? And it is unclear whether the interest in his gaze is serious or not?— He said.

I laughed and said,

— We'll see about that...—

If he really has designs on Darek, I can easily understand Adrian.

Dariusz is handsome...

***

At night, the strangeness began, more than interrupting all the others - someone started throwing stones at the window.

The usual thing, you say? Nothing like that!

This could be normal if the stones were knocking on the window from the bottom up.

And it was... from top to bottom.

The one who knocked on the window of the third floor, where there are no tall buildings nearby at all, threw stones from about the level of the fifth floor.

At first I wanted to wake Cornelia up, but in the end I just decided to get up myself and lower the metal curtains on the windows so that they would not be broken.

Looking out the window, I froze in horror: Adrian was hanging in front of the window!

He pointed his finger down. Adrian's look was scared and I quickly saw the reason for his fear.

Something was going down the drain.

Horror. A nightmare. The likeness of a man. It was already crawling away, but it seems that one second of looking at it is enough to go crazy.

I stepped back and almost screamed in horror.

There was someone behind me...

— Cornelius... Damn, you scared me so much!— I sighed. —You...—

— Yes, I saw it...—He replied gloomily.— And Prior is here... Who is he spying on? For Darek?—

— History is silent about this...—I chuckled.

We didn't fall asleep that night. I talked to Cornelius and he talked about his family, about Uncle Shimek, who caused so much pain to the family, but his everything

everyone loved it very much anyway.

— Is he your father's brother or your mother's?—I asked, stroking my lover's disheveled hair.

— Dad's brother, like Mariusz. Only Shimek is as small as Darek. A late child, I've seen him several times, he has beautiful eyes like Dad's... And I used to have blue eyes too...—Cornelius sighs.

— I want to be like you too. The extent to which our power ranges are different sometimes tears my mind to pieces.— I snuggle up to him.—I can't defend myself the same way you can...—

— Is it really a matter of defense? I find advantages in this, because I have to... —

***

When we went out to the hall in the morning, Darek was already sitting there, hugging his father's guitar.

Cornelius told me that the guitar case was on the ship when they escaped from Gloriaterra.

— I heard the song... I don't know if I'm dreaming or awake... Damn, why can't I remember it!—He slapped the guitar.

— Darek! Don't do that! When you bang on the guitar, I feel like you're hitting Dad...—Cornelius waved his hand.

— I'm sorry, brother...—Dariusz suddenly ran his palm over the inside of the guitar.— I think Dad had a stash here...—

— Yes, the inner side...— Cornelius took the guitar from his brother.— Now, I'll try to find how to open it...—

Cornelius gently and almost imperceptibly slapped the part of the guitar that was adjacent to the body if you put a belt over your shoulder.

An empty sound rang out.

— I get it!—Cornelius's voice suddenly jumped to a high pitch.— Do you remember how Dad knocked on the door?—

He gently tapped twice, then three more times with the palm of his hand on the place where he had heard an empty sound.

The wooden panel opened.

— Photos!—Cornelius' eyes turned red.— Part of our real home... And you, Darek, carried a piece of our past with you all the time...—

I sat down next to Cornelius on the armrest.

— What a handsome man next to you!—I said to my beloved.

— Dad...—Cornelius sighed.— Yes, he is very handsome... And very kind... And this kid on my lap is Dariusz!—

— Well, well, don't shame the mercenary!—Darek laughed, but there was a sparkle of the past in his eyes.— Lizzie...—

He looked at the photo of the blonde girl with sadness and... with love, or what?

Cornelius also noticed his look, but also did not voice it in any way.

I watched Cornelius leaf through a notebook with photos, some of them commented on by Darek.

— I remember this one.— Dariusz pointed out at this moment.— That's so absurd! You've changed your color to white! Horror! —

— Yes...—Cornelius smiled.— I just wanted to be like my father. Even your hair is lighter, Darek!—

Lukasz's shout interrupted their playful exchange.

Cornelius' best friend, stout and short, but at the same time fairly fast, ran into the hall, shouting loudly. There was a knife sticking out of his liver.

— Lukasz, who was that?—Cornelius runs up to his friend and, noticing that in such a state he could not get a word out of him, began to pull a curved and curved knife.— I'll close your wound now...—

Lukasz rolled his eyes as the knife emerged from the wound.

— Be patient, be patient...—Cornelius presses his fingers against the wound, the blood mixing with the black mist.

Lukas exhaled as the knife came completely out of the distorted wound.

— Mariusz is there...— He said with a grimace.— Or what's left of it... It's such a horror...—

Cornelius wiped his hands on his T—shirt.

— Where is he?—The elder Kaminsky asked.

— There, in the bathroom...—Lukasz waved his hands in fright.— No, don't go there!

Cornelius ran up the stairs.

— Oh, I'm telling you, don't go...—Lukasz watched him go.— And you are there too...—

I almost bumped into Cornelius when we reached the bathroom.

There was no bath here anymore, water was pouring on the floor, reaching the stairs.

A distorted semblance of a golden mean between a skinned human arm and a robot limb protruded from the shattered pipe.

Cornelius turned pale, but immediately threw the hammer into the hand hiding in the pipe.

Pieces of wires scraped against the metal.

Cornelius immediately covered us with himself and materialized clumps of his power in his palms.

— Did I have to cut your stupid friend so that you would notice me? —

This voice resembles a death scream.

I felt a little dizzy from fear, but I did not run away and give vent to cowardice.