The Perfect Match
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Lizzy checked the places they needed to go first. Those were two domestic destinations and did not even require travelling by plane.
“We are working on the way to use the uniqueness of your blood in, say, a less dramatic way. So, we will be meeting at some point soon to do some tests.”
Obviously, the news about how Lizzy got rid of Dolion, and his virus spread to this world as well.
Lizzy went over the highlights of the meeting in her head one more time: the gang was around the world, she will go through some tests, and they will travel. So far, things didn’t sound complicated. The thought was both comforting and disturbing. Today’s list of things was also straightforward 29 : they would go to a specified address, change cars and someone would drive them to a research facility the Committee had. They would take some of her blood and would do a few tests.
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простой
Her life changed so much over the short period of time. Those changes were making her a new person. She was not sure whether she liked that person, but she had to accept and embrace 30 the metamorphosis to survive. She felt a pang of nostalgia for the life she had, and a tear spilled down her cheek.
“Should I make us some breakfast?” she heard Mark’s voice.
She wiped the tear, turned to Mark, and smiled. “Good morning, sleepyhead.”
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When she said that- just for a split of a second – she saw a man, standing behind Mark. It was the man from her dreams. She suddenly remembered that she had seen him again last night in her dream. She shut her eyes and opened them again. The man was gone.
“Are you ok?” Mark said.
“Yeah, just a …I’m hungry. Let’s eat already!”
They started to make breakfast together and the image of the man started to slowly fade from her memory. She could still remember what he was wearing though – a black kimono.
Chapter 2
Super Lizzy
The place they arrived with their new driver, Tom – a young man who picked them up not too far away from the cottage – looked like a regular bakery. There were some patrons 31 inside, enjoying freshly baked pastries and hot beverages. Lizzy tried to remember what day it was and why there were so many people out of office so shamelessly 32 enjoying this nice weather and this cozy place. She couldn’t. It didn’t really matter.
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клиенты, постоянные посетители
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бесстыдно
Any day you are alive is a good day.
They entered the place and approached the counter. Tom ordered three espressos to go, without asking Lizzy and Mark whether they wanted anything. Then he showed them to the table in the corner, next to a female customer who was reading a book. They sat down and waited for the order without exchanging as much as a few phrases. Tom was taciturn 33 all the way to the bakery and didn’t seem like he was going to turn into a chatterbox 34 any time soon. So, Lizzy and Mark were just sitting and waiting for whatever was going to happen.
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молчаливый, неразговорчивый
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болтун, говорун, балаболка, пустомеля
“Tom,” the barista from behind the counter announced. “Your order’s ready.”
Tom stood up, took the order, and proceeded to the exit, without returning to the table. Lizzy and Mark watched him with surprise. When they were about to stand up and follow him, a lady who was sitting at a table next to them turned and smiled.
“Hi Lizzy, Mark,” she said. “It’s good to finally meet you. I’m Irene.”
Irene was a white lady, about the same age as Yana. She had an intelligent face and looked like a university professor in her brown horn-rimmed glasses, a beige jacket over a white blouse. She was the second leader of The Committee.
“Tom is leaving and I’m afraid you’ll have to spend a bit of time with me now,” Irene said. “Would you actually like something to drink?”
Lizzy ordered a macchiato and a scone, which she had been craving for some time. Mark got himself a cup of tea and a chocolate croissant, which for some unfathomable 35 reason he had never had.
“How on earth have you never tried it?” Lizzy couldn’t give it a rest on the way back to the table.
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непостижимый, необъяснимый
“I don’t know,” Mark said, sitting down. “Let’s see if I missed anything.”
Irene was patiently waiting for them to enjoy their beverages and food with a smile on her face. Mark realized that he did miss a lot and announced that he was going to have a chocolate croissant every day for the rest of his life. Both ladies applauded his decision.
“Well, let’s talk shop 36 ,” Irene said when the beverages and food were gone. “We’ll have to take a few samples of your blood and do a few tests. There’s this new technology that we’re still working on, but getting closer each day, that will allow us to eradicate any threat that viruses from the Two Moons may pose 37 .”
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поговорим о делах (прим. авт.: разговор на профессиональные, деловые, служебные темы)
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“The Two Moons?” Lizzy asked.
“That’s what we call the other world,” Irene said.
“Have you been there?”
“A few times.”
“How do you explain the very existence of it?” Lizzy asked.
“Without getting too deep into the parallel universe theories and trying to explain unresolvable metaphysical issues, I can only shrug and say there it is, and I have no clue why it’s there. Your father, though, spent quite a bit of time researching the phenomenon. I believe he shared some of it with you. I can tell you one thing though. I don’t have a copy there.” She ended with a smile.
“You’re unique then,” Mark smiled.
“I suppose I am, but we aren’t going to talk about my uniqueness today. You, Lizzy, have Ro subtype, which makes your blood very special because it can treat some blood-related disorders, but its ability to disintegrate viruses makes it unique. It’s something that we still don’t know much about, but we are working very hard to understand it. We believe it’s some sort of a mutation and we’re planning to make it work for our cause.”
“So, I’m a mutant,” Lizzy said and looked at Mark. “How does it feel to live with one?”