A brief pause hung between us, and the air seemed to hum with unspoken tension.
"What phone?" Stanislav's surprise sounded almost genuine, and I couldn't help but smile inwardly.
I tore myself away from the microscope, leaving my work unfinished, and reached into the back pocket of my jeans to pull out my phone.
"This one."
"Mm," Stanislav murmured, raising his eyebrows in a theatrical arch, yet there was recognition flickering in his gaze. "Nice. Is it new?"
I ignored the question, asking the one that burned at me. "Where did you find it?"
"I couldn't find anything," he muttered, scribbling in his notebook before deftly pulling the microscope toward him. His thin fingers replaced one glass slide with another as if it were second nature.
"You're mistaken," I said, "I know it was you."
A strained smile curved his lips—a predator's grin hidden behind civility, teeth flashing like polished ivory. The mask of the friendly neighbor slipped for a moment, revealing the real Stanislav.
"I don't follow."
"Why the act?"
Stanislav snorted softly. "I'd make a dramatic bow, but alas… we are in class. Anyone could've stumbled on the phone in the forest and turned it in to the duty teacher."
For a moment, doubt gnawed at me—did I really have proof? But then clarity returned, sweet and certain. My smile widened, savoring the taste of triumph. Gotcha.
"Only the person who found it could have known where it was. I never mentioned the forest."
Stanislav faltered. His mouth moved faster than his brain could keep up—opening, closing, and failing again. I held his almond-brown gaze, feeling a surge of pride. But Stanislav simply reached for another slide, his expression softening into an almost casual ease.
"Interesting guess, Mrs. Holmes," he said, leaning over the microscope. "Too bad to disappoint you, because the forests of Kserton are everywhere. The city was built on them, after all. I just guessed—and look at that—I'm already the first villain in the district."
His sly grin paired with the mock-serious tone was infuriating. Smirnov played by rules I didn't yet know. My triumph turned to irritation. Who did he think he was?
"Here," he said, sliding his notebook across the table. "Transfer it. The lesson's almost over."
I glanced at the clock—less than five minutes left. Hurriedly, I copied the lab notes, finishing just as Kirill Nikolaevich rose and began checking the desks. He reached ours last, glanced at my notebook, and seemed satisfied.
"With a neighbor like him, you'll catch up in no time," the teacher said with a patronizing smile, patting Stanislav on the back. Smirnov stifled a laugh. When Kirill Nikolaevich moved to the board to assign homework, Stanislav whispered:
"See? Good neighbor." He tapped himself on the chest with his finger.
"Oh, sure," I said dryly. "Watching over me, taking walks in the woods, returning my things through others… the perfect, incognito hero-neighbor. No laurels, obviously."
"I watch over you? Where on earth did you get that from?" Stanislav's confusion and indignation were genuine—well, almost. His earlier disclaimer made me skeptical.
The bell rang. Stanislav didn't wait for my answer and began packing. I pulled out the unread volume of The Garnet Bracelet by Kuprin, opened to the bookmarked page, and immersed myself in the story.
"Bye," Stanislav said, rising.
I didn't even glance up. Why bother? Any reply would have been just another layer of his riddles, another veil of lies.
"Goodbye," I murmured, eyes on the page.
He lingered for a moment by the table.
"Who knows what stories you've spun for yourself. I wish I could read you as easily as Kuprin reads his bracelet."
I forced myself not to snap. Luckily, he finally left. I returned to the book, though my concentration faltered, distracted by the persistent voice in my head. Anger lingered, and a seed of doubt sprouted: what if I had been wrong? What if someone else had found the phone? Perhaps Stanislav had been watching me for countless reasons—boredom, curiosity… not necessarily obsession.
A dangerous thought flickered: Maybe I just want him to notice me.
I barely had time to entertain it before the school day swallowed me back into its rhythms.