When they got dressed and walked into the cafeteria, a strange place opened up before them. It was large, spacious… but too perfect. Too clean. Too beautiful to be real. This was not an ordinary school cafeteria.
On the tables stood food — pizza, burgers, fries. But everything looked as if it had been arranged on purpose. As if someone already knew what they would choose.
The spoiled children walked in calmly and took two burgers each, along with fries and water. They sat near the exit, as if they already knew where they needed to be.
The other children behaved differently. They took more, greedily, hastily. Denis grabbed five burgers — at home, his parents rarely took him to McDonald's, and now it was as if he was trying to make up for everything at once.
They sat behind the spoiled children.
And Alex quietly, but loud enough, said: — God… how much that Denis eats…
Denis froze. Slowly raised his head. His взгляд became heavy.
He walked up to Alex, placed his hands on the table, and slowly leaned toward him, almost face to face.
— What is it… that you don't like again? — he said quietly, but there was something unpleasant in his voice.
Alex stood up sharply, as if something pushed him from the inside: — I don't like you. You're ugly. And not cool at all.
For a second, there was silence.
Denis didn't answer.
His face seemed to go empty.
And suddenly — a punch.
Straight to the nose.
Alex staggered, but almost immediately hit back. The blows came one after another — to the stomach, to the face, to the arms. The fight became chaotic, dirty, almost animalistic.
Someone screamed. Someone stepped back. But no one interfered.
Except Kirill.
He approached calmly. Too calmly.
— Stop, — he said almost in a whisper.
But instead of separating them, he suddenly reached out and pressed hard on Denis's neck — on the carotid artery.
It all happened in a second.
Denis had already raised his hand for another strike… but his eyes rolled back.
And he collapsed.
Silence.
Too sudden. Too heavy.
Esmeralda and Oleg appeared almost immediately, as if they had been waiting for this.
— This is not allowed… — they said softly.
And smiled.
Their smiles were… unnatural. Too perfect. Too calm. There was something in them that was both alluring… and terrifying at the same time.
The children looked at them.
One second.
Two.
And as if on command, they all said at once: — Sorry… we'll try to make sure this never happens again…
Even their voices sounded the same.
Alla suddenly turned: — Adalin, do you want to bake a pie?
Adalin nodded. Too quickly. Too obediently.
She went to the kitchen.
Started cooking.
Her movements were precise… but not entirely her own.
When she turned away to grab a whisk, Esmeralda quietly approached. Her steps made no sound.
She took something out.
And slowly poured it into the batter.
A white powder. Like sugar.
Or salt.
Or…
Something else.
Adalin returned. Didn't notice anything. Continued mixing.
As if everything was exactly as it should be.
When the pie was ready, she brought it to the table.
The smell was sweet. Too pleasant.
Even the spoiled children became interested.
Vlad tried it first. After all, it was made by Elizabeth's sister.
He froze for a second.
Then smiled.
— Very tasty…
And everyone began to eat.
Piece by piece.
Slowly.
Silence fell over the room again.
But now it was different.
Heavy.
Thick.
When they finished eating, something changed.
Their movements became slower.
Their gazes — emptier.
Their breathing — steadier.
Their faces became calm.
Too calm.
As if inside them… something had been switched off.