They met near the metro station. A bus arrived.
— Wait… why a bus? — Egor asked. — Where's the helicopter?
— There is no helicopter access, — his mother replied calmly. — The bus goes directly to the camp.
The children frowned and dragged their suitcases forward.
Alex frowned.
— No headphones? Seriously?
— You won't need them, — one of the parents said.
— What do you mean we won't need them?! — Alex shouted. — What if we want music or games?
No one answered. The parents simply left.
Inside the bus, Alex leaned against the window.
— This is already boring, — he said.
— We're not even there yet, — Kirill replied.
Behind them, Vlad sat quietly.
In front, Maxim sighed.
— Three months of this…
On the left side, ordinary children read books silently.
Alex looked over.
— Hey, — he said.
A girl raised her head.
— Yes?
— How long is the trip?
— About two or three days, — she replied calmly.
Silence fell.
— Two or three days?! — Maxim repeated in shock.
— No phones… no music… for that long? — Egor whispered.
A counselor stood up in the middle of the bus. She smiled warmly.
— Good morning, children. How are you feeling?
Kirill immediately said:
— I want black caviar.
Alex added:
— I want octopus.
Vlad said calmly:
— Oysters.
A soft laugh spread through the bus.
A girl with glasses asked:
— Do you even hear yourselves?
Alex shrugged.
— What?
— We don't have that kind of food, — the counselor said gently.
— Of course you don't, — Kirill muttered.
The counselor smiled again.
— My name is Esmeralda.
She pointed.
— This is Kirion.
— This is Alla, — Kirion added.
— That is Vova, — Alla said.
— Oleg, — Vova continued.
— And Mildred, — Oleg finished.
— There are more of us waiting at the camp, — Esmeralda said.
Maxim leaned toward Alex.
— We should escape tonight.
— Obviously, — Alex replied.
Vlad muttered:
— This place is a joke.
Egor nodded:
— A very bad joke.
A boy suddenly turned around.
— Hi. I'm Vaska. What about you?
Kirill frowned.
— What did you say?
Maxim laughed.
— We don't understand poor language.
Denis spoke up.
— He just said hello.
Kirill leaned forward.
— Watch your tone.
Denis replied calmly:
— Or what?
Kirill smirked.
— You'll see.
Elizabeth said softly:
— I like books.
Adalin added:
— She reads all the time.
Vaska smiled.
— That's nice.
Alex muttered:
— Whatever.
Denis sighed:
— Can you all stop acting like this?
Egor snapped:
— Mind your business.
Suddenly, Denis stood up and punched Alex.
— Bad idea, — Alex said coldly, wiping blood from his nose, and hit him back.
— Stop it! — the counselor shouted. — Sit down immediately!
Denis said:
— We are not friends.
Alex replied:
— And we never will be.
The counselor separated them and gave them water.
Later, soft music started playing through the bus.
— What is this…? — Vlad yawned.
— It's… calming, — Maxim murmured.
— I feel sleepy… — Egor whispered.
— Don't fall asleep… — Alex tried to say, but his voice weakened.
— Fine… just for a minute…
One by one, they fell asleep.
When they woke up, the music was still playing.
— How much longer? — Adalin asked sleepily.
— About one hour, — Esmeralda answered.
Vaska looked at Elizabeth.
— Do you really like books?
— Yes, — she nodded.
— I'll remember that, — he said quietly.
Vlad turned to her.
— You read too?
— Yes.
— So do I, — he said. — Russian classics, philosophy, horror, fantasy.
— Murakami? — she asked.
— Yes, — Vlad nodded.
She smiled.
The bus slowed down.
— We've arrived, — Esmeralda said softly.
— Wake up, children.
The camp awaited them.