When Vadik found out what had happened to his younger sister, he rushed home at once. He’d heard stories like this before, but never could have imagined it could happen to someone of his own blood.
His mother had called a couple of hours earlier and told him everything. It turned out that classmates had attacked Anyuta at school and beaten her badly. Only God knows what got into them, but he was determined to get to the bottom of it.
Vadik had been living in another city for a couple of years. His little sister was ten years younger than he was. She was still in the ninth grade. He’d adored her since she was a child.
Three hours later he pulled up to his parents’ house. He was even a bit afraid to go in, but his legs carried him on their own. His mother opened the door. She looked frightened and upset.
“Where’s Anechka?”
“In her room…”
“I’m going to her!”
“Just try to look calm, she’s already in shock!”
“Okay, I’ll try.”
His mother’s words alarmed him even more. Was his sister really in that bad a shape? When he opened the door, he didn’t expect to see what he saw. Anya was sitting on her bed, white as a sheet, and only the blue-red marks on her face stood out sharply under the lamp. But the worst was something else.
Not long ago, when he’d come to visit, his sister had had beautiful long, golden hair. Now there were only clumps left. You couldn’t even make a short haircut out of what remained. It looked as if it hadn’t been cut, but torn out by hand.
“Hey, kiddo,” he said quietly, trying not to look too pitying.
“Big brother!” his sister cried, tears in her eyes, and threw her arms around his neck. “I’m a freak now!”
“Not true! You’re still the most beautiful girl in the world. You’ll be just like before soon. You just have to be a little patient!”
“I’m afraid I’ll never be able to leave the house again!”
“You will, absolutely! Don’t worry, my little one,” he answered and hugged her tightly.
They sat in her room talking for a long time. His sister said that some girls from school had decided to get back at her because she had warned the homeroom teacher about a stunt they were planning to pull.
Anya had accidentally overheard their conversation in the restroom. They were planning to poison the teachers on Teachers’ Day. They were going to order a cake and drinks for them and mix in some kind of medication so the teachers would all be laid up for a few days.
It was all because Marina—their classmate—was angry at the teachers for what she believed was them humiliating her in front of the entire class at the September 1 assembly.
Over the summer she’d gotten a tattoo on her face—with her mother’s permission, of course—but neither the homeroom teacher nor the principal appreciated her efforts.
A little pentagram on her right cheek seemed to them too provocative and out of place. Marina had a beautiful voice. She was supposed to sing at the assembly, but they wouldn’t let her. They asked another girl to perform instead. And although that girl sang much worse, it seemed preferable to them than a tattooed girl in front of the whole school.
Naturally, Marina took the teachers’ attitude too much to heart, so she came up with her plan of revenge and talked her friends into it. And they would’ve carried it out if not for Anya.
She told Irina Nikolaevna everything at the last moment. Disaster was averted, only someone then told Marina and the other girls who had betrayed them.
That same day after classes they cornered Anya in the girls’ restroom and beat her up, and then took revenge on her beautiful hair, turning it into something like an old, ragged broom. She’d never been so terrified.
By now all those girls had been caught and questioned, and they were awaiting punishment, but did that make Anya feel any better? She was afraid to go back to school, even after her face healed. And how could she even show herself outside with hair like that? People would laugh at her.
Vadik did his best to comfort his sister. She felt a little better. She even managed to fall asleep, though not without the help of calming pills.
He drove home that same evening but promised his sister he would return the next day. At home, Kristina, his girlfriend, was waiting for him. After hearing the story, she was moved.
“We have to help your sister.”
“But how?”
“I have an idea!”
“You’ll help?”
“Yes, but I’ll take care of it tomorrow morning. Everything’s closed now.”
When she woke up the next day, Kristina left the house. She came back a couple of hours later with two gift boxes in her hands.
“What’s in there?” Vadik asked.
“May I come with you? As a girl I’ll be able to explain things to her better.”
“Of course, I’ve been wanting to introduce you. And to my parents too!”
“Oh, I didn’t think that part through. Then we should buy a cake or something.”
“We’ll buy one in town. I know a good shop.”
Vadik and Kristina had met only a couple of months earlier and had been living together for a week. He really liked her, he’d fallen in love—he was even thinking it was time to take a more serious step.
They had a bite to eat and drove to his parents’ house. They arrived after lunch.
His parents greeted them very warmly. His mother knew her son had a girlfriend, but she didn’t push him. If it was serious, he’d bring her to meet them himself. If not, there was no point.
And now they’d come. Violetta was happy to meet her. Only the story with Anechka gave her no peace.
“Mom, we’re going to see the kid.”
“Go, but she’s not in the mood today…”
“Understandable, but we’re going to fix that!” Kristina said with a smile.
“Well, give it a try…”
When Vadik came in, Anya smiled, but the moment she saw his beautiful girlfriend, she became downcast. She could never be as pretty as her. It hurt.
“Hi, Anyut, I’ve been wanting to meet you for a while.”
“You just picked not the best moment for it!”
“Don’t worry, you’ll feel much better soon! We brought gifts!”
“Gifts? What are they?” the girl asked in surprise.
Kristina perched on the edge of the bed and smiled. She handed her the first box. When Anya opened it, she saw a bunch of different jars and bottles, and also some strange little stones.
“What’s this?”
“This is Baikal cosmetics. There’s stuff for your face and for your hair. The masks and lotions will help your skin heal faster, and this special shampoo and hair oil are the best way to grow your curls back.”
“That’s all good, but while it grows back I’ll have to stay home!” Anya still looked upset. “But thank you, I’ll try it.”
“Definitely try it! I really like this brand. I’ve been using it myself for a year. Haven’t found anything better so far. I’m sure it’ll help you too. And as for the other problem—the solution is in this box!”
Anya looked at her brother’s girlfriend with curiosity. She took the second box and opened it. Inside was some strange contraption, and a wig with pink hair.
“A wig?” the girl said, surprised but, for some reason, delighted. The idea hadn’t even crossed her mind.
“Want to try it on? Vadik said you wanted to dye your hair pink last year, but your mom wouldn’t allow it. I think she won’t object to this.”
Vadik stood off to the side, watching them with interest. Good for Kristinka! She’d thought of everything.
“Will you help me?” his sister asked.
“Of course!”
A minute later Anya was sitting in front of the mirror, gazing in delight at the pink wavy locks on her shoulders. She loved it. This was exactly the hairstyle she had wanted not so long ago. You could hardly tell it wasn’t her own hair. The wig was very high-quality.
“While your hair grows back, you can wear this! Do you like it?”
“Yes, a lot! If only these bruises would heal faster.”
“Don’t worry, in a week there won’t be a trace left!”
“Yeah, only they’ll give me some new lumps when I go back…”
Anya was afraid to return to school. Very afraid.
“Maybe talk your parents into transferring you to another school?” Kristina suggested.
“I’ve thought about that too, but it’s farther from home. I’m not sure they’ll agree.”
“Better to spend a few more minutes on the bus than live in fear. Right?”
“Right. Will you help me talk to Mom?”
“Of course—and it’s best to do it over cake. Your mom promised us tea. Ready to show her your new look?”
“I guess so,” Anyuta smiled. “If only…”
Kristina immediately understood what she meant.
“It’s better not to use makeup for now. You’ll heal faster that way. I’m serious. Bear with it a little.”
A couple of minutes later they came into the living room, where Violetta Sergeyevna had already set the table. The head of the family hadn’t come back from work yet, but that wasn’t a problem.
“Well, would you look at that!” her mother smiled when she saw her daughter with pink hair. “Dreams do come true, huh?”
“You don’t mind, do you?”
“No, it suits you! Sit down, or the tea will get cold.”
Anya waited until her mom had had a bit of her favorite cake, then started the conversation.
“Kristina brought me another present. There are special things to make my hair grow faster, and also to help my face heal quicker.”
“Great, you’ll show me later? I should read the ingredients.”
“The cosmetics are completely natural!” Kristina smiled. “But do read them, of course. I think you’ll like it.”
“Mom, only this won’t solve my problem completely…”
“And what will?” her mother asked.
“I want to transfer to another school. I’m afraid to go back to my old one.”
Violetta thought for a moment. Everything had happened so quickly that she hadn’t had time to consider it.
“You’re probably right, but let’s first wait until your face and the scrapes on your body heal. All right?”
“Yes, of course!” her daughter agreed.
The introduction between Kristina and Mom went well. They didn’t exactly become best friends on the spot, but they said goodbye warmly.
A couple of weeks later the reflection in the mirror made Anechka much happier. All the wounds had healed, her complexion even looked fresher than before. The blackheads had disappeared, and the enlarged pores were gone as well. It was surprising, really. Apparently that Baikal cosmetics really worked.
Anya had already gone out several times wearing her new pink wig. The strange contraption in the box turned out to be a special stand for it. Kristina had thought of everything—smart girl.
She stopped by a few more times to check on her new friend, and Anyuta was only glad she could see her and her brother more often than usual.
Her mother agreed to transfer her to a new school, where no one knew what had happened to her. The new class welcomed her warmly. Anya even confessed to her new friends that her hair wasn’t real, and they took it in stride.
Six months later her own hair had grown back nicely. That “magic” oil was doing its job little by little. Violetta even allowed her daughter to dye her real hair pink so it wouldn’t be as noticeable when she stopped wearing the wig.
Everything was gradually getting better. The fears faded, her hair grew, her skin healed.
And no, Anya didn’t regret warning the teachers that someone intended to poison them. She believed she had done the right thing, no matter what. Those girls were punished severely: they were expelled and placed under supervision. Their offense was too serious. You can’t forgive something like that and simply forget it.
Be that as it may, life went on. And although Anya had to endure a lot, she coped. Her family and her new friend Kristina helped her—Kristina listened to all her worries and hurts, became the shoulder to cry on that Anya so badly needed. And of course, she helped her transform—Anya had needed that very much.
Every girl wants to be beautiful, especially at such a young age. It’s good that Baikal cosmetics suits women and girls of any age. Everyone can find something in the catalog to help her become more beautiful.
One day, when her brother came to visit again, Anyuta threw her arms around his neck.
“You’re the best brother in the world! If it weren’t for you…”
“I thought Kristina was your fairy godmother!” he joked.
“She is, but you’re the one who found her!”
“Want me to tell you a secret?”
“Of course!”
“I want to marry her!”
Anya beamed. The news made her happy.
“Just don’t wait until my hair grows out. I’ll wear the wig if anything!”
“Maybe we should get you one with blue hair too?” her brother teased.
“Can we?” she brightened.
“Uh-huh. I really want to see Mom’s face when she sees it!” Vadik smiled.
“Oh yes!” his sister agreed, and the idea definitely appealed to her. “I’ll wear it to the wedding!
