I felt like a wretch, and I couldn't think of any excuse for my tardiness. I felt an overwhelming desire to justify myself, even though I had never justified myself to anyone, especially not to people. I'd forgotten that I was a vampire, and Viper was just a mortal.
– Hi," was all I could say.
The girl raised her head and looked at me. My blue eyes met her dark brown ones: my unexpected ward's gaze was angry and contemptuous, and her pale lips were tightly pressed together; her beautiful face breathed surprise mixed with insult.
– Are you Viper? – I asked a stupid question. Just to start a conversation.
The girl didn't answer. She gave me a scornful look, jumped up from her chair, and started packing her bag.
I watched my ward in silence, unpleasantly amazed at her stupidest act, though I understood her motives in my heart: the girl felt extremely offended by my lateness for a whole hour. And while she was preparing to run away and not looking at me, I had an opportunity to look at her again, this time in the light of day.
The stranger from Nusle Bridge (Viper, as I now knew) was dressed modestly: a dark green pullover, somewhat tight on her slender frame, and black straight jeans, strict, classic in style. She looked like an office worker. But her thick, straight, dark hair adorned her appearance and gave the strict clothes a deliberate contrast, indicating that she had no primness at all and was not trying to look official. This time I saw her without her coat, and she seemed to me even more unusual than on the bridge: there was mystery and femininity in her whole appearance, her movements, her look, in spite of her anger at me, and it seemed as if I saw before me a magical elf with unusually bright brown eyes.
– And where are you going? – I asked calmly, sitting down across from her and trying to look calm and indifferent.
– Actually, class is over! – Viper sarcastically said in a pleasant, but full of steel voice, without dignifying me with a glance. The girl had already stashed her things in her bag and was about to leave my company.
– It's still thirty minutes until class ends," I remarked.
For some reason, I felt terribly awkward. Why would that be? Had my revenge, out of sweetness, become a reproach to me, as soon as I realised that my ward was a stranger from Nusle Bridge?
– It's too late to study, don't you think? – Viper sneered and looked at me angrily, but I honourably withstood her beautiful, angry gaze.
I rose from my chair and blocked the passage to the exit.
– We still have half an hour," I said insistently.
Why do I have to harp on her?
Viper smiled wryly.
– Twenty-three minutes," she said dryly, glancing at the library clock on the wall.
– Exactly. So let's not waste them and at least get to know each other," I suggested.
– Why? – She asked mockingly.
– If we have the opportunity to be in each other's company…
– Or rather, we are forced! – she interrupted me.
– Even so, we should know each other, at least by name," I finished my thought, realising the absurdity of the situation and the consequences of my deliberate tardiness.
– Thank you for the offer, but I know your name! Your name is even in my message, in my phone, I think that's enough! – said the girl and tried to go round me, but on a sudden impulse I grabbed her wrist impolitely.
– 'That's fine, but it's not enough. We need to sit down and talk," I said insistently.
