The Numbers That Brought Our Fates Together 99 First And Last.

What did Daniel mean when he said that he would call for her after the bedtime signal? Richard clearly said then that she should sit inside and leave only when called. The girl was thinking of the consequences of such a decision.

Knock-knock.

A light knock on the door interrupted her thoughts. She jumped out of bed, straightened her clothes and hair, and walked to the door. Polina was already asleep and did not hear that someone had come.

Lena opened the door and saw him. The moonlight coming through the windows in the corridor was falling over Daniel's hair in gentle waves. And his eyes were sparkling with mystery in the twilight. The girl froze for a second, spellbound by his magical appearance.

"h.e.l.lo. Are you ready?" The young man was glad that the girl was waiting for him.

"Yes, but .. Daniel, and if someone sees us? I don't want you to have problems because of this," Lena was incredibly pleased to see him again beside their usual meetings in the dining room, but the worrying about the possible consequences of this unplanned meeting was bothering her.

Daniel pulled the girl by the arm to his side so that she left the room, and with the other hand gently closed the door behind Lena. He was standing so close that the girl's head was almost pressed to his chest. Daniel whispered, "Don't worry. Everything will be fine. I have permission, so there will be no problems."

He squeezed her hand in his palm firmly and led her along the corridor. The only light in the corridor was the moonlight falling inside through the windows. Lena watched as this light was playing through his hair, every time they were pa.s.sing by the next window, and with every step, she wanted to touch his hair more and more.

Without noticing it, Lena raised her hand and stroked his head. From such an unexpected action from the girl's part, the young man stopped abruptly, and Lena crashed into him.

"Oh, sorry, sorry. Are you okay? Didn't you hit yourself hard?" Daniel began to examine the girl as if she had slammed into some kind of wall, and not into a person.

Lena wanted to fall through the ground from embarra.s.sment, "No, you forgive me. It was... um... impolite of me."

"Khem, no. Everything is good. I just did not expect, and now...," Daniel tried to defuse the situation, but it only got worse, and awkwardness hung in the air.

"Um, let's go ahead. It's dark here, so if you don't mind...," the young man hugged the girl by the shoulders and pulled her close to him to help her go down the steps.

'What pitch darkness! How can he see anything here? I don't see anything at all,' Lena was wondering to herself as they were going down in total darkness.

"So, there are two steps ahead, then stop," Daniel instructed her. Lena complied with all his instructions and stopped.

"There is a small pit ahead, but it will be inconvenient to get around it, so you will need... well, hold on to me," the young man hugged the girl by the waist, pulled her close and lifted her above the ground. She felt his hot breath near her neck and a pleasant wave of the sensations, new for her, ran through the girl's body.

How nice that they were in complete darkness; otherwise she would not know where to take her eyes off from embarra.s.sment. But if the darkness hid her cheeks flushed with blush, then she could not hide her mad heartbeat. And Lena was sure that Daniel also heard very well how fast it was beating.

The young man stepped over the pit and went on, without letting the girl out of his hands. 'Stop, we already seem to be walking on a flat surface, why doesn't he let me go?' Lena thought to herself but did not dare to ask this question out loud.

So they kept on going in total darkness and silence. He was holding her in his arms, and she was holding onto his shoulders and was afraid even to breathe.

Two minutes later, Daniel stopped and put Lena to the ground, while continuing to hold her by her waist.

"Did you take the hat with you?" he asked.

"No, just a sweater. I don't have a hat," the girl replied.

The young man turned her face to him and began to fasten b.u.t.tons on her sweater. Then he straightened her hair, pulled his hat out of his pocket and put it on Lena's head.

"How can you see anything at all here?" the girl asked, surprised by the confidence and accuracy of his actions as if it was day and not night.

"Haha, it's a secret," the young man laughed.

He took the girl by the hand, and with his second hand, he began to open the lock of the ma.s.sive metal door in front of which they were standing.

The door creaked, and a stream of cold air rushed in, forcing the girl to cringe in surprise.

"That's why I told you to dress warmly. Although the cold is not a problem for us, right?" Daniel winked playfully and took Lena outside.

The picture that she saw before her eyes was like nothing she had seen before. From the outer side of the western wall, there was an observation point, from where a view of the forest and the city behind it was opened.

The castle was located on a hill, and there was an arbor, from where one could watch everything that was happening at the foot of the mountain. The river, s.h.i.+mmering under the rays of the full moon, the lights of the houses of the people living a few kilometers from the castle, a thick and dark forest covered with fresh snow. And clear starry sky. It all looked so fabulous and beautiful that Lena had tears in her eyes.

"Do you like it?" Daniel asked quietly, watching the girl.

"Yes, very much," Lena turned to him and lit him up with a radiant smile.

The young man's eyes glittered, and he smiled shyly in response. "Hmm, I'm glad," he answered, and squeezed her hand.

From the moment he took her out of the room, Daniel did not let go of her hand, and the warmth that Lena felt from his palm became so natural for her that there was not even a thought or desire to let him go. The girl squeezed his hand tightly in response.

"I have a birthday today, I wanted to celebrate it with you. Don't you mind?"

"Birthday?" Lena was confused by the unexpected news. How could she be against that if she followed him and came here? Standing here with him was the happiest moment in her life since the war began.

"Of course I do not mind, I am very happy that you called me here. It is incredibly beautiful here. Thank you very much," the girl said with tenderness.

"Thank you, Lena," Daniel whispered back. "I am very glad that you are here with me."

They were standing and looking into each other's eyes, and no one dared to be the first to look away.

Daniel suddenly remembered that he did not come here empty-handed. The young man took out a small cube wrapped in foil from his pocket and handed it to Lena.

"What is it?" The girl asked with interest, picked up the cube and unrolled the foil. "Is this... is this chocolate?" Lena did not believe her eyes. The last time she ate chocolate was when she was in Leningrad. A little more than half a year has pa.s.sed since that moment, and it seemed as if it happened to her in her past life.

"But how? Where did you get it from?" The sweetest thing they were given was fresh cookies, very hard as well. How could he have chocolate?

"It's a secret," Daniel smiled slyly. "This is for you, help yourself."

"You have a birthday, and you are treating me? It's not fair." Lena bit off half and handed him the second part. But instead of taking the chocolate from the girl's hands, Daniel opened his mouth.

The girl's heart sank. She took the second half of the treat in her hands and brought it to the mouth of the young man, lightly touching his lips. All this time he did not take his eyes off her. Daniel closed his lips, leaving a light kiss on the fingertips of the girl. "Thank you. It's delicious."

Lena took a step forward and gently kissed him on his cheek, "Happy birthday, Daniel."

Having been embarra.s.sed by her action, she stepped back and turned away from the young man. She did not notice how small tears of happiness appeared in his eyes, and the young man hurriedly brushed them from his face.

"Khem, do you have anyone at home? Anyone, who's waiting for you?" Daniel asked her all of a sudden.

"My mother, sister, and little brother are in Leningrad. The only thing...," Lena paused for a moment, swallowed a lump that came to her throat, and continued, "The only thing is, I do not know if they are alive."

Daniel stretched out his hand and gently stroked the girl on the head, "Believe in them and they will be stronger. They will cope with all the difficulties." He didn't know what to say, because he understood perfectly well what situation they were in. But he wanted to support Lena at least that way.

"Yes, thank you, I will try to believe in them with all my powers," the girl replied, and her heart filled with warmth. Daniel's words gave her little hope for the best.

"So, hmm... Do you have a, hmm, well, a boyfriend?" he asked anxiously. He wanted to know the answer to this question the most.

A blush broke out on the girl's cheeks, and she replied quietly, "No, there's no boyfriend."

"Oh... Well, it's... um... it's good," Daniel could hardly restrain a smile, "aah, no, it's not that it's good that you don't have... d.a.m.n, what am I saying?" the young man was confused by the joy that filled his heart from knowing that the girl's heart was free. He turned away from Lena in the other direction so that she would not see his smile of a happy fool.

"So what about you? Do you have anybody?" The girl asked the same question and stared at the young man in antic.i.p.ation of an answer.

"Who? Me?" Daniel scratched his head in confusion, "Ha, how can I have anybody, even if my own parents sold me to the n.a.z.is for experiments?" He laughed, but in his laughter, there was deep pain and resentment.

"W-what?" Lena's heart sank at his words, "How is this possible? Why?" It didn't fit in her head that parents could do this to their own child.

"Well, they adopted me, so they didn't really treat me with much love either. And when they were offered a good price for me, they didn't even bother thinking about what choice to make. They preferred money immediately," the young man added bitterly.

Lena looked at him, shocked by what she heard, and tears appeared in her eyes. The mere thought of what he had to go through caused wild pain in her heart.

Suddenly the silence of the night was filled with music. The couple reflexively turned toward the source of the sound. One of the upper windows was open, and the waltz melody spread over beautiful surroundings around the neighborhood.

Daniel glanced at Lena, took a step back, leaned over and extended his hand to her, "Do you agree to dance with me, my lady?"

"I do not know how to dance," Lena was confused by the unexpected proposal.

He took her hand and pulled her to him, "Do not think about anything and just follow my lead."

The young man put his hand on the girl's waist and squeezed her other hand in his palm. He took a step to the side, and Lena followed him, he took a step back, and the girl took a step in unison.

"Well done! You're doing great!" He praised his partner.

They began to dance slowly to the sounds of a night waltz as if only they and this music were in this world.

"You know, I was different from other children since childhood," Daniel began his story, "I didn't see this world like other people did. You, probably, noticed that I can see well in the dark?" Lena nodded her head, confirming his words.

"So, when it's pitch darkness, I can see everything just as well as you see in the daylight."

"True? It's awesome!" This young man surprised Lena more and more.

"Haha. Well, yes, probably. Although today I really enjoyed this ability," Daniel added and winked at the girl.

Lena immediately recalled their walk in total darkness. 'Stop, that is, all this time he saw my face as if it was in the daylight?' And she was still happy like a fool that he did not see her emotions... The girl lowered her head, there was no limit to her embarra.s.sment.

Daniel noticed the awkwardness of the girl and felt a little guilty, but the memories of her embarra.s.sed face when he was carrying her in his arms were a true delight to him.

"If you see well at night, how can you see in the daytime?"

The young man leaned toward Lena and whispered playfully in her ear, "Very well." A sly smile shone on his face. "I noticed you when you just approached the castle. Judging by the look on your face it was obvious that you were not particularly impressed with this place. And then, when you went out into the garden, I also saw you right away..." he stopped and looked at the girl.

"Lena, you know, I can see a person's soul, some people still call it an aura," Daniel gently touched the girl's cheek and whispered, "Your aura is the most beautiful thing I've ever seen in my life. Blue and clear like the sky. Your soul is the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. You are my sky."

Lena touched his hand, pressed it to her cheek, and whispered in response, "If I am your sky, then you are my sun," she smiled and closed her eyes, enjoying the warmth of his palm.

The young man froze. Her peaceful face lit the moonlight, and in his eyes, she was like an angel. He leaned over and closed his eyes.

Their lips were trembling slightly, and the movements were awkward, but lack of experience did not prevent them from putting all their tenderness and love into their first kiss. The hearts of both of them were beating like mad, while the two were touching each other with their lips, and the heat of their bodies was transferred from one to the other through a strong hug.

Daniel pressed Lena closer to him and lowered his head on her shoulder. The girl felt something hot rolling down her skin. She was scared and wrapped her arms around him, "Daniel, is everything alright? What happened? Are you c-crying?" she added, barely audible.

"You silly, men don't cry. It's just a snowflake melted," he answered, and hugged her tightly. She began to gently stroke his hair, 'G.o.d, how can it be a snowflake, if it's not even snowing. The one who is silly here is you.'

"Lena…"

"Mmm?"

"I love you."

The girl's hand froze in the air... and again sank on the young man's soft hair. "I love you too," Lena whispered back, and tears appeared in her eyes. The girl buried her face in his shoulder, "d.a.m.n, it seems to me that the snowflake hit my eye too."

Daniel straightened up and looked at the girl. He tenderly kissed each of her tears, her cheeks, her forehead, and touched her lips.

Snow began falling down.

The music began to play even louder.

"How about another dance, my dear lady?"

"With pleasure," Lena replied, and Daniel whirled her into a waltz, enjoying every moment he could spend with her.

. . .

"Siegfried, how are things going with testing of the equipment?" Richard opened the folder and began to study the results of the latest tests.

"To be honest, not very well. All subjects do not withstand the pressure. We have already got rid of about fifty people but didn't move further," commandant Taubert replied.

"The only person who can do it is Daniel Arenson. But after the last test, he spent two days in a coma. I was very surprised when he came to himself two days ago. Although, in his case, it no longer matters. An autopsy of this object is scheduled for tomorrow evening. Doctors do not want to postpone the opportunity to examine his organs. He is the too unusual sample," Siegfried commented on their plans and yawned lazily.

"Richard, do you imagine what was the last wish of this idiot?" Marcus entered into the conversation. He felt like an important member of the group when he spent time with his father and Steiner. "He asked for a piece of chocolate and permission to go for a walk after the end of the day. Isn't he a complete blockhead? Who is asking for such things before death?" Marcus added and laughed out loud.

Richard raised an eyebrow in surprise, "Seriously? Hmm, it's amusing... Very amusing." He put the papers on the table and got up from the chair. "Marcus, change the music. I'm sick of Wagner."

"Well, my father has nothing in the room except Wagner and Strauss," the young man reported.

Richard cast a frown on the guy. Marcus immediately began to fuss, "I got it, I got it. I am stopping Wagner and switching on Strauss."

Richard went to the window, opened it and inhaled the cool air. After which he lit a cigarette and drew it in deeply. Slowly exhaling smoke, he glanced at the street and froze. A devilish smile slid across his face.

"Siegfried, you said that people do not stand the test? Maybe they just have a weak will to live, what do you think?" he turned to the commandant. Ominous lights played in Steiner's eyes.

Taubert leaned back in his chair and thought, "Hmm, maybe you're right. Finding someone with a strong will to live among prisoners is a big problem."

Richard grinned, "Well, it depends on what feelings drive this will. Fear, hatred, or maybe... love."

"Love?" Siegfried asked him. The last version seemed extremely strange to him.

"Marcus, please make the music louder," Richard asked and looked out the window.

The young man executed the order immediately. "Does it only seem to me, or did anything cheer you up all of a sudden?" he asked Steiner.

Richard drew in on his cigarette and replied with a pleased expression on his face, "Exactly. It seems I have found the ideal candidates for the Eden project."

He exhaled the smoke, and his cold eyes were closely watching a couple of people dancing under the falling snow. Dancing their first and last dance.