Howard seemed amused by my reluctance to let him go, smiling warmly at me. "Are you really that scared?"
Isn't that obvious? Who wouldn't be scared in this situation?
He reached out and gently placed his hand on my chest, where the tattoo was, and it seemed to start burning again.
A gentle smile appeared in his eyes. "Don't worry, as long as you have this tattoo, you can call for me anytime, and I'll be there to protect you."
"Really?" I stared at him intently. "If I call for help, you have to come right away."
Howard nodded firmly. "I promise. And don't forget, you still have the Novice Talisman that Aiden gave you."
He was referring to the item Aiden had given each of us before we set out. Since it was our first solo mission, Aiden couldn't be completely at ease, so he prepared a Novice Talisman for each of us to use in case of emergency.
Howard's reminder brought my attention back to the Novice Talisman placed against my chest.
With it, all my worries and fears felt like they were melting away.
"Everything's set up outside. How about here?" Wesley walked in from the door, knocking on the wide-open door.
They had set up crosses in the hallway, each adorned with holy water and Bibles.
We had just learned this trick.. If any supernatural presence was nearby, the crosses would shake, alerting the others in the rooms so they could come to my rescue.
Before leaving, Howard gently reminded me, "If this thing moves, no matter what sounds you hear, don't open the door, okay?"
I nodded.
This was serious—life and death serious—so of course, I would remember that.
The room was quiet, and I couldn't take the tension anymore, so I buried myself under the covers, wrapping them tightly around me.
I could hear even the faintest noise outside, but there was none, and I eventually drifted off to sleep.
"Wake up, wake up!"
In the morning, someone woke me up. I opened my eyes to find a face close to mine. I immediately sat up. "How did it go? Did you catch it last night?"
A cold snort came from the doorway. I saw Wesley leaning against the door, looking exasperated. "You slept so soundly that if it had come last night, you probably wouldn't have woken up."
Hearing this, I felt a wave of disappointment wash over me. "So, you mean it didn't come last night."
I couldn't believe I had wasted a whole night being scared for nothing.
"Maybe we startled it when we went to the well l last night, so it didn't show up," Amelia analyzed softly.
I frowned. "What should we do then? Maybe we should switch up our strategy. Since it's hiding, we should go find it."
I figured that would be a better plan than just waiting around for it to come to us.
"We didn't catch it last night, so let's try again tonight," Howard spoke firmly, pulling me out of bed. "Get up first, let's have breakfast."
I reluctantly agreed.
When I got up for breakfast, I was surprised to see Luna. When she saw us, she shot me a glare before rushing over to Howard.
"Howard, did you sleep well last night? This place is noisy and uncomfortable, you probably didn't sleep well, right?" Her voice was dripping with concern.
"I brought a bunch of useful stuff, like earplugs and aromatherapy. If you need anything, just let me know." She uttered, pulling out a handful of small items from her backpack.
Seeing Luna's eagerness, I couldn't help but roll my eyes.
Even if Howard didn't say a word, she could still carry on a whole conversation by herself.
This person really had perseverance; someone like that could succeed in anything.
I couldn't help but yawn as I sank into the sofa, feeling completely drained.
The anxiety from last night had kept me awake, and I only fell asleep when the sun rose. However, my sleep was short-lived as they woke me up soon after.
"Didn't sleep well last night?" Amelia's voice was gentle and concerned as she handed me a sandwich.
I smiled bitterly, taking the sandwich. "How could I sleep well in that situation? I barely fell asleep at dawn, and you woke me up soon after."
As soon as I finished speaking, a sarcastic voice piped up from the side. "Girls shouldn't stay up late; it ages you. Look at your poor skin at such a young age. I don't know what Howard sees in you."
I frowned, glaring at Luna in displeasure. Her sharp tone made me very unhappy. "That's none of your business. Mind your own."
"How can you be so rude?" Luna looked at me with disdain.
I couldn't be bothered with Luna and ignored her.
Seeing that I wasn't responding, she turned to Howard, trying to please him.
"Howard, you probably didn't sleep well last night. This sandwich is good; let me get you one."
I scoffed, expecting Howard to refuse as usual. However, to my surprise, he didn't reject her coldly but accepted the sandwich she offered.
At that moment, I couldn't believe my eyes.
"Thank you," he spoke flatly.
Luna looked surprised but couldn't hide her delight. "There's no need to thank me. I'm happy to help you."
She smiled so widely that it was like her face just lit up.
Amelia frowned slightly, shooting me a confused look.
I pretended not to notice her gaze, lowering my head to continue eating my sandwich, trying to appear indifferent.
But honestly, this meal was torture.
I was boiling inside, watching Luna fawn all over Howard.
"I'm full!" I got up to leave.
Luna looked at Howard, noticing he had no intention of following me, and a spark of glee lit up her eyes.
I returned to my room, and Amelia followed. "Did you and Howard have a fight?"
I buried myself under the covers. "You saw what happened this morning. When did I fight with him?"
"Then why did he accept Luna's..."
I shook my head irritably. "How would I know what he's thinking? Maybe he couldn't resist Luna's flattery. Amelia, please let me alone. I didn't sleep well last night and really need to catch up."