Antihero

A black, tinted Mustang pulled into the driveway of the Montegro estate. The driver got out, stepped around the car, opened the back door, and held out his hand. First one long leg, clad in expensive Manolo shoes, stepped onto the pavement, and then its owner appeared to the world. The girl stepped a little away from the car, fixed her sunglasses on her eyes, and nodded: - Thank you, Ulrich. You can give the luggage to Anwar. - Yes, Madam, Montegro, - the driver nodded and returned to the cabin. - Maya, my girl! - A pleasant female voice from the side of the entrance distracted the young mistress. Maya turned round sharply, causing her chocolate curls to whip lightly across her face and neck, and broke into a smile. She ignored the expensive shoes and manners instilled in her from childhood and stormed off. - Auntie! - and swooped down on the woman with a hug. - Oh, my girl! You've come at last! Come in soon, or your Uncle Arthur will go crazy with anticipation, - the woman took Maya under her elbow and led her into the house, asking about little things. The house, as it had always been for as long as Maya could remember, was abuzz with the servants and the noise of the guests who kept visiting the Montegro couple. Uncle, as was his custom, was in an armchair with a newspaper in his hands. Inga felt a twinge in her chest, as if she had returned to her childhood. Nothing changes over the years, at least not in this house. - Maria! How long can we wait? - Arthur called out to his wife, shaking the newspaper. - Wasn't it me you were waiting for, Uncle Artie? - The niece called out, just as she had when she was a child and couldn't pronounce the name Arthur. The man tossed the newspaper on the coffee table, almost hitting the tea cup, and rose abruptly from the sofa. - Maya! Daughter! - Hush, uncle, your back! - The guest exclaimed brokenly, but she hugged her relative and smiled when he lifted her up. - Back and back, what's the use of muttering, - Arthur said smilingly. - "Back and back for you, and then I'll have to treat it," Maria said indignantly from somewhere far away. Maya smiled wider, realising that she was home. At dinner, as Maya said hello to each guest, she was asked about her university, her parents who had stayed in England, and some of the ladies of high society slyly inquired about fiancés. Maya skilfully concealed her irritation and fatigue, mentally making a mental note in her head not to forget to introduce the unpleasant Lady Badkiss to the scolopendra of the night, so that from now on she would not ask unnecessary questions and would not stick her big unfeminine nose into other people's business. - Get some rest from the road, sweetheart, - Maria smiled softly at her heiress. Maya looked at her guiltily, and the woman only sighed reproachfully and waved her hand - I know, I know! You can't go without your pumpkin latte at Othello's, just go. Maya nodded happily, kissed her aunt on the cheek and rushed off towards the exit, where Ulrich, who was used to taking the young lady to Stockholm, was traditionally waiting for her. Her favourite coffee shop, where they made the best pumpkin latte in the city, with the strange name "Othello", overlooked the Jurgården Canal. Unlike in the suburbs, where it was scorching hot on the segoday, Stockholm itself was very cloudy, though no rain was expected, and the air was cool. Maya took a seat at the long counter, tightly adjoining the window, ordered her favourite drink and started to look at the view from the window with rapt attention. To get to the canal itself, one had to cross the pavement, then the narrow carriageway, which was mostly used by motorbikes, bicycles and less frequently by cars. Maya nodded gratefully to the waiter as he placed a tall glass of latte in front of her and returned her gaze to the window, but something made her shiver, shudder, when she came upon a motorcyclist who had stopped right in front of her. The man turned his head in her direction, and they just met eyes, but it made Maya gasp heavily. While the traffic light was red, the motorcyclist stared at the girl with a dark, prickly gaze, and she couldn't physically take her eyes off him, staring as if mesmerised. When the red changed to green, the guy blinked his eyes, saying goodbye to the brown-haired girl, and rushed away, and Maya finally exhaled. Turns out she hadn't been breathing all those seconds. She made a gesture with her hand, and when the waiter approached again, she asked hoarsely: - Can I have some water? Cold, no gas. After the café, Maya visited the new library on the outskirts of town, fulfilling her little tradition of being in each new storehouse of knowledge and tranquility. Montegro wouldn't say she was impressed with the new building, but her favourite was the library near Kungsträdgören Park, or as the locals say, Kungsan, which overlooked it. It's springtime, which means that the park is literally enveloped in a cloud of pink, when the Japanese cherry blossoms are at their peak. Taking Yasensky's book "The Conspiracy of the Indifferent", which she couldn't find anywhere else, but had long dreamed of reading, Maya went home. Sitting in the library, the girl did not notice that it was already dark, and still need to get to the suburbs. Or else... - Auntie? - Fumbling for her keys in her pocket, Maya dialled her aunt's number. Maria answered after a few beeps. - Yes, darling? - Mary's voice was heard, and in the background there was some noise, apparently a lot of guests gathered in one room. Maya furtively sighed, and the idea that had come to her half a minute ago seemed much better than it had at first. - Auntie, I'm in the neighbourhood of Stockholm University now. - My God, that's the complete opposite direction, darling! How will you get there? - Maria exclaimed worriedly. Maya pointed her fingers "4,3,2,1" and almost laughed when she heard it: - You'd better go to your flat, baby. That was exactly the outcome Maya had hoped for when she called her aunt. When Montegro just graduated from school, saying that she would go to study in England, but will not live there, her parents gave her a flat in her favourite historical district - Gamla Stan, in other words, in the heart of Stockholm. Her aunt and uncle's estate was in the north, in the suburb of Solna, and it was difficult to get there in the evenings without a driver. Maya didn't want to disturb Ulrich, nor did she want to return to the noisy manor. So after quickly saying goodnight to her aunt and uncle, Montegro went to her home with a clean soul and a sly smile. Initially the idea was to call a taxi, but the weather turned out to be so wonderful, and the soul missed Stockholm in the evening, so the girl decided to walk to her favourite playlist, carefully selected from a variety of different songs in her phone. If you wanted, you could walk around the whole neighbourhood in 10 minutes, according to Internet reports, but Maya liked to loop through the historical narrow streets, where the traffic was blocked. They didn't drive there, so Ingrid was particularly fond of her neighbourhood. She went into Othello's, bought another pumpkin latte to go, and wandered the streets leisurely, as if for the first time. Maya was distracted from one of her favourite songs on repeat by an extraneous noise. It was quite crowded at this time, because the evening had just come, and the streetlights were not even fully lit, so the girl did not focus her attention on the noise. Montegro's keen hearing recognised in the repeated sound a scolding and a heavy thump. It seemed to be happening a couple of alleys away from her, not that far away. Maybe someone needed help? Maya moved towards adventure and brave justice, sending her inner voice to hell when it started screaming about the possible consequences of such madness. Are there not enough maniacs out there? The girl peered cautiously round the corner. There were no maniacs, but she saw four young men who were clearly at odds over something very important, judging from the way they were waving their fists. One of them, clearly different in build and demeanour, turned around. He was a couple of inches taller, his black curly hair dishevelled, and his leather jacket lying on the pavement near the stone ledge. Maya guessed it was his, because the other three were wearing theirs, while this one was brushing his face in a black T-shirt. When he saw Maya, he tried not to make a show of it, but his black barbed eyes ordered him to get the hell out of the way so he wouldn't get picked up. Angry and frightened enough from her appearance, but it was quickly replaced by a furious look, worth one of his opponents striping his side. The other, a blond man, noticed Maya, and his eyes didn't seem so kind anymore, gleaming with a playful light. Cute. Might as well have some fun. - Finish him up, guys, - he tossed to his mates and headed towards the girl. His instinct for self-preservation screamed that Maya had better rush out of the way before it was too late. Where had that instinct been when she was coming here? Ah, yes! Montegro had personally sent it to the devil then, that's right. - Hey, sweetheart, come join us, - the blond man reached out and grabbed the edge of the floral sundress Maya was wearing. The girl jerked and tried to punch him in the arm. It didn't work. But he could bite her. - Bitch! - The black-eyed maniac shouted, sharply releasing the shawl from his grasp. She, obeying her gut, ran away from the guy with the black eyes. - Hands. From her. Get them off. - The brunet growled, shoving Maya slightly behind him and pulling the knife from its sheath. The blond raised his hands, stepping back, - I'll cut off everything that's valuable. Get out of here! Maya noticed that the black-haired man was moving with difficulty, apparently well hit, and was afraid that he might be killed, but the three men were safely away. - We'll meet again! - The brunet threw in his last words. When they were alone, he turned to the girl, - What the devil did you do that for? What if you'd been hit? Maya only now allowed fear to take hold of her more. Shuddering, she wrapped her arms around herself. - I wanted to, but... I couldn't. My legs felt stiff, and my whole body felt heavy. The young man's gaze softened. - It's fear, it happens. You weren't hurt? He didn't do anything? - Releasing his hand from her side, the brunet scanned Maya with his eyes from head to toe, checking for abrasions and wounds Clear. She shook her head. - No... - she ducked her head down, but her eyes immediately widened when they fell on the hand the guy was holding at his side, - You're bleeding! The brunet followed the direction of her eyes and scowled. - Bitch, you got stabbed, - he hissed, lifting the edge of his T-shirt to expose a puncture wound under his ribs. Not fatal, but deep. - We have to go to the hospital! - Maya looked around frantically, trying to find out where they were and how long it would take to get to the nearest hospital. - No! - the wounded man cut her off too abruptly. - I can manage on my own, I don't need a hospital. It's not fatal. Montegro would have objected, but when she saw the look in his eyes, she shrank back and bent down to the pavement to pick up his jacket and the red braided strap lying beside it. - This seems to be yours, - she said. - What makes you think that? - hissed her defence counsel. - They were wearing jackets, and you have a bracelet on your arm. There must be a second one, I guess. - Smart, - the brunette smirked, - Come on, I'll walk you out. The girl didn't argue, just nodded. - What's your name, desperate? -He asked, moving away from the unfortunate alley. - Maya. What's yours? - Ross. - I live here, - Montegro smiled as they reached the stairs, walking through the courtyards. Ross nodded, going to say goodbye, - Wait! I should at least clean my wound. Come in. - I'm not far away, - he objected, taking a step away, but Maya grabbed him by the sleeve of his black jacket with surprising courage. - At least I'll have peace of mind that my saviour got there without incident. Don't be silly, you'll lose a lot of blood. Ross nodded after a moment's thought. - Lead the way, beautiful. The stairs weren't very comfortable with the wound, but I'd seen worse, so Ross didn't move. Maya opened the door, letting the wounded man inside and switching on the light. - Aren't you afraid I'm some kind of maniac? - You may be a maniac," she said, sitting him down on the couch, "but you're a bleeding maniac. You can't do anything to me with these losses. Stay here, I'll get the first aid kit. While the landlady was gone, Ross looked around. Cosy. Bright furniture he was about to stain with his worthless blood, a fireplace. A piece of the kitchen was visible behind the wall, a vase of wisteria on the table between the sofa and armchairs. It is obvious that a woman rules in the flat. Ross grinned, remembering his den, which was cosy but empty. Unlike Maya's flat, his place wasn't filled with little things, like the wisteria or the statuette candles on the shelves. - Here. Can I get you a vodka? - The landlady returned with a weighty first-aid kit. Ross raised his eyebrows. - Have you got any vodka? - Just in case, – she shrugged her shoulders. The boy nodded. He could use some. Maya disappeared behind the very wall from which part of the kitchen was visible, and came back with a bottle of vodka, obviously not yet opened. She handed it to him. - Drink more. And take off your shirt. The guy, squirming, pulled off the ruined piece of wardrobe, grinning as he watched the girl blush to the tips of her ears and started rummaging through the medicine cabinet for antiseptic, and sucked on the neck of the pungent-smelling drink. Shit, it's not vodka, it's fucking alcohol. But that was even better. Just in case, Maya wiped the wound with a damp cloth, wiping away the street dust, and then began pouring the antiseptic on the cut. Ross gritted his teeth. - It needs stitching, - he hissed through gritted teeth. The beautiful healer stared at him fearfully. - Me? I can't! I've never done this before, - she wailed, carefully blotting the bleeding hole with cotton wool. - May... - Ross said, - did you learn to embroider at school? - Yes, cross stitch... - Maya, if she was surprised by the strange abbreviation of her name, didn't pay much attention to it. The boy laughed at her confused answer and then hissed. - Pretend I'm your very favourite bunny, - Maya was confused by the wording, and Ross grinned. That sounds weird, - and do the same. The girl looked doubtfully at the guy's face, afterwards at the wound. It should be stitched up, really. - What if I can't do it? - At least I won't die of blood loss, May," - Ross said, resting his head on the back of the couch. Maya just nodded. - Are you sure you're going to get home okay? - Montegro asked for the hundredth time as they stood outside. Ross nodded. - Yes. Listen, - he pulled out a black knife in a leather sheath from somewhere. Maya moved backwards on inertia, - Hush, you coward. Here. So no one dares touch you without permission. He held out the knife to her. Maya looked him straight in the eye in surprise. - Always keep it on your left side, so that you can pull it out and strike with your right hand. Use it when you're sure, don't just pull it out. Stick it in your leg or arm, twist the handle. You won't kill him, but you'll give yourself a chance to get away. He took her hand, put the weapon in it, and clenched it into a fist. - Who are you? - Maya asked hoarsely for some reason. - You'd better forget about me, Maya, -Ross nodded goodbye and disappeared into the darkness of the courtyards before the girl could react. Maya looked at the knife in her hand, shuddered, and quickly went into the flat, locking the door. During the night, the girl didn't sleep a wink from the overabundance of emotions from the previous evening. She had only flown in from England this morning, and it felt like an eternity had passed. "May." The girl smiled. He thought she was beautiful. She cast a glance at the gift weapon lying on the bedside table and sighed. Ross's black eyes seemed vaguely familiar.