Page 5 of Mysterious Teacher : Arrival
“Isn’t it the most beautiful color you’ve even seen in a teacup? That deep, rich blood red.”
“My favorite.”
“Oh, well then you’ll love the room that I do all my experiments in. It’s entirely red.”
“I can’t wait to see it,” Sonya said. “And that reminds me; your father asked that I teach you a bit about science. He specifically mentioned biology and physiology. Are you working on something in one of those fields?”
Excited, April set her teacup down and stood. “Indeed, I am.” With animated gestures, she went on. “I’m working on something that is to help mankind, and I do hope to discover something remarkable soon. For the time being, my work revolves around the workings of the human body, and I’m focusing namely on human blood.”
Surprised by the focus of April’s project, Sonya gasped, effectively spitting out the sip of tea she’d just taken. The red tea splattered the rose-colored sofa as well as the pale gray rug at her feet. She quickly picked up a white linen napkin from the tea tray and wiped her mouth. The hibiscus tea left blood-like stains on the pristine white fabric.
“Are you all right?”April asked.
Finding it hard to breathe, Sonya fought to regain control of herself. She set the linen napkin down, embarrassed by the mess she’d made of it.
“Can I get you something? A glass of water?”
Sonya shook her head as she pulled a handkerchief from her pocket and wiped her mouth. Only a few spots of the bloodred tea remained. “I’m fine. Truly. I just had a sip gone down the wrong pipe.” She forced a smile as she got to her feet. “I really do apologize for frightening you. I believe my trip here has worn me out. I must be a little more fatigued than I thought.”
“Of course,” April said. “How insensitive of me to not offer you time to rest from your trip. I’ll show you to your room right away.”
Chapter 2
Igor and Boris
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“THE SUN IS GOING DOWN,” Igor said. “It’ll make it easier to move about unnoticed.” After briefly fingering the bruise on his temple, he raked his fingers through his barely-there crewcut.
“I don’t understand why you’re so worried,” Boris said. “We got out of our Soviet uniforms. In these civilian, and might I add ugly, clothing, no one would ever suspect we’re communist agents.”
Igor glared at him. “And you don’t think our Russian accents might tip them off?” But he grew concerned with the haircut that was a dead giveaway. They’d neglected to Americanize their hair.“Tensions between our countries are heightened.The Cold War had started, we must be inconspicuous.”
Boris shrugged.
“Keep moving,” Igor said as he walked on. “We need to find a vehicle before dark.”
