She woke up slightly disoriented but generally in a good mood. The man’s words still lingered in her mind, though he hadn’t really told her anything she didn’t already know. Still, the fact that he had appeared in person meant she had gone much further than she’d realized, and that didn’t bode well. She could have done without that little spectacle at the university.

  She got up, took a shower, and went to the kitchen to make breakfast. She hated breakfasts. She hated mornings. But common sense had long since won that argument. She was a witch. She had consciously chosen to become a villain in this world. She had to stay in good shape. God was her witness, fainting on the job was the last thing she needed. Actually, the first thing, if it meant all her problems would be solved… permanently.

  Anyway, there were probably a few things worth thinking over.

  She ate three slices of toast with cheese and tomato, drank her coffee, and prepared a glass of lemon water. It was a pretty good morning. Peaceful, quiet, almost pleasant for such an early hour. She had some papers to look over, so she took the glass of water from the kitchen and walked into the living room.

  “Fuck, you’ve got to be kidding me,” she groaned when she saw the man sitting on the sofa. “Can’t I have one peaceful day lately? Is that really too much to ask?”

  She sat down, furious, in the armchair across from him, placed the glass on the table, and gave her guest a pointed look.

  He had black hair that reached his chin, prominent cheekbones, and thin lips. His chin was unusually sharp, his cheeks hollow. Small but distinct wrinkles framed his eyes and mouth, giving him the appearance of someone worn down by life.

  “Well?” she snapped when he remained silent.

  The man laughed loudly, then looked at Alice with amusement.

  “Exactly how I imagined our first meeting,” he said with a broad smile. “Full of arrogance and contempt, right to the very end.”

  Alice watched him in silence. He looked dangerous.

  Anyone capable of materializing in a foreign world could safely be considered a serious threat, so she didn’t even bother probing the energy around him. What worried her more was how much power the bastard was hiding. She was certain he was concealing it, and doing it well. She hadn’t even felt him arrive.

  Yet in all this madness, she couldn’t bring herself to worry about her own safety. The only thing occupying her mind was how irritating it was that Not-a-Doctor was almost never wrong.

  She hated that.

  She hated him too.

  She hated the world for dancing to that bastard’s tune. God was probably in on it as well. Just to be safe, she hated Him too.

  “Who the hell are you?” she asked, taking a sip of coffee.

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  “You’re not very cultured,” the stranger replied, slightly irritated.

  “I’m listing things I sincerely hate. I just got to you, and I don’t know what to call you in my thoughts yet,” Alice shot back.

  The man sobered instantly. His face remained blank, but his eyes revealed clear disbelief. Not-a-Doctor never showed doubt. This was refreshing. Watching someone’s certainty crumble into dust was deeply satisfying. And best of all, there was none of that infuriating smirk, as if she were some mentally challenged child discovering that mouths could close and spit could be swallowed.

  “Are you planning to sit there in silence forever?” Alice asked. “Why did you come here?”

  Shock quickly gave way to anger. Rage, even.

  She had probably gone one step too far. But then again, she didn’t really have time to worry about that. In fact, there might never be another moment to think about certain things. That thought had been creeping into her mind more and more often lately.

  “Watch your mouth when you speak to me, you bitch,” the man said with exaggerated calm.

  At that exact moment, as if to underline his words, one of the windows in Alice’s living room exploded. Glass shards tore through the air, cutting into her shoulder and the side of her head. She didn’t move an inch. The fragments missed her eyes and most of her face, embedding themselves mainly in her right shoulder and temple.

  “Is that all you’ve got,” she asked calmly, “or are you still warming up?”

  Even as she spoke, she formed a mental image of every window in the neighboring building shattering at once.

  If I’m going to die, at least let it be spectacular.

  Enough, her intuition whispered. Don’t waste power at a time like this.

  The image vanished instantly. Yes. The power she possessed could still be useful. Right now she was like a three-year-old wearing boxing gloves and expected to defeat a professional fighter.

  Then it came.

  A wave of energy struck her.

  The world blurred.

  Everything went dark and unfocused.

  A moment later she realized she was lying on the floor. There was blood in her mouth, and dozens of small shards of glass were embedded painfully throughout her body. After a moment it occurred to her that this made perfect sense. After all, she was lying on the floor.

  Disoriented, she looked at the man. What exactly had just happened? He was watching her with clear satisfaction. His expression said everything now looked exactly as it should have from the start.

  She felt like laughing.

  “Still not enough?” he asked, his voice dripping with self-satisfaction.

  That was too much. Alice burst into loud laughter.

  The whole situation felt absurdly theatrical. Like she had wandered into some terrible novel written by someone who had no idea where the plot was going but had plenty of dramatic action scenes and cliché lines prepared. Right about now she should hit the wall a few more times, and then her knight on a black horse would appear, rescue her, heal her, and take her brutally in the shower.

  “Are you even listening to me?” the man asked, clearly losing patience.

  “Not really,” she admitted cheerfully. “I’m thinking about wild shower sex. Though I’m almost embarrassed to admit with whom, because that would be about as cliché as your speeches.”

  “I’ve just made a decision.”

  Her guest suddenly seemed calm, as if some inner revelation had settled the matter for him.

  “You see, I happen to be an Executioner. I’ve been observing you for some time. You seemed… not entirely human. However, your file indicates that you are fully human, yet somehow possess an inappropriate level of life energy.” He smiled faintly. “My superiors see no issue with your continued existence. But let’s say that outside working hours, I occasionally enjoy making the world a bit more rational.”

  His gaze hardened.

  “So I’ve decided to break your neck personally, you bitch. What do you say to that?”

  “Hey, why does everyone keep calling me that lately?” Alice muttered irritably.

  She closed her eyes.

  “Too bad I don’t have time to count properly. So let’s keep it simple. Three. Two. One. And do something already. Just make it quick.”

  She had no idea what would happen. She left everything to her subconscious, hoping it would come up with something useful.