Eve couldn't understand it; how was it possible that she had burned the quilt? She had heard about certain people capable of pyrokinesis, but she never expected she was one of them. "Does that make me a mutant?" Eve thought. The young woman didn't sleep in the bed anymore but in the chair in her rented room.

Despite what had happened, she still felt very tired due to the tranquilizers she took, so she fell asleep. She was awakened by the first rays of sunlight falling on her face. Also, the birdsong on the other side of the window. Eve observed the burn mark on the quilt; it had a hand-shaped form.

"I've lost the deposit," Eve said.

The smartphone began to ring again. Eve picked up the phone from the table and answered.

"Carl."

"Oh, Eve! Thank goodness you answered. I've been trying to reach you all day, yesterday."

"What's going on, Carl?" the young woman asked.

"You'll have to cut short your vacation because the director said he wants your presence for the Christmas party."

Upon hearing those words, Eve once again felt a chill imagining the director touching her body.

"I can't, Carl. You'll have to convince him that..."

"I don't think I've made myself clear," the man on the other end interrupted. "Either you come back this afternoon, or you come back later to clear out your office."

"Is the director seriously considering firing me because I won't go to the damn Christmas party?"

"Yes," Carl replied. "You'll have to give me a very good reason to let you stay there."

"Isn't searching for my daughter a good reason enough?" Eve asked again.

"No, it isn't. Everyone in the office thinks you're having a nervous breakdown."

So, Eve sighed deeply and then decided to speak.

"Okay. I've got a scope that might work," the young woman replied.

"Let's hear it," Carl replied quickly.

"I stumbled upon a human trafficking network between this small town and a certain Monsignor Casteglio," Eve replied swiftly.

"Casteglio? Are you talking about monsignor Martin Casteglio?"

"I think so," Eve answered.

"Damn, Eve. You must be very careful... Martin Casteglio is the prime candidate for the bishopric here in New York," Carl responded.

"Is this story enough for me to stay here in Ström?"

"Yes, it is," Carl replied. "But you have to have the story ready for the program on December 26th."

"I'll have it ready," Eve replied.

"Alright, take care there. We can't let anything happen to our star presenter up there."

Eve ended the call.

"What a mess I've got myself into now, Eve... now I have to gather evidence of what's happening inside Saint Emilie." She said to herself.

Eve then left the hotel room, but at the entrance was Sheriff Barreda.

"Oh, Miss Night, I'm glad I found you," the sheriff said. "How did it go yesterday with the gypsy in the abandoned area?"

"Sheriff, about that..." Then she felt that strange sensation in her throat again, just like in that vision where Zintra cut her neck. Immediately, Eve touched her neck to check that there was indeed no wound. She was surprised by her body's ability to suggest pain and sensation.

"What's wrong? Is everything alright, Miss Eve?" the sheriff asked.

"Yes... don't worry, sheriff," Eve said, then tried to focus on the conversation with the sheriff instead of the strange sensation in her neck. "I talked to Madam Zintra... but she was loony; she just told me a bunch of incoherent things and a prediction."

"I see," the sheriff replied. "Nevertheless, I think it would be wise to check there again." The sheriff said. "Was there anything else?"

"Yes, I'm convinced my daughter is around here," Eve said and took out her smartphone, showing the sheriff the image she had received. As well as the audios from her daughter when they called.

The sheriff put on his headphones and listened to the audio content. Then he looked at the image... I've seen this symbol before...

"Yes, it's the same one we saw in the abandoned area," Eve replied, surprised that the sheriff had forgotten.

"No, this symbol is different," the sheriff said, then looked up at Eve and noticed she had a strange mark on her left hand. "What happened to your hand?" the sheriff asked her.

"Madam Zintra..." Eve replied.

The sheriff then took Eve's hand and examined it closely. "Oh, this mark looks familiar!" the sheriff immediately responded. "Come, I think I know where we can find more answers."

"Alright, but can we stop to buy something first? I haven't eaten anything since yesterday," Eve said.

"Of course, Miss Eve, I have a box of donuts and freshly made coffee in the car," the policeman said.

They both got into the police vehicle, and on the way, Eve noticed a box of donuts on the dashboard, she opened it and ate a jelly-filled donut. It had been years since she had one, the taste was too sweet for her liking, but as she hadn't eaten since yesterday, she settled for that and the second-rate coffee.

"And where are we going?" Eve asked the sheriff.

"To Laras Croma's house," the sheriff replied.

"The man who left a fortune at the Knock Out Bar?"

"Laras Croma was more than that; he was an influential man in the town. I'd say even more than Cornelius Coaster himself. He had many plans for the city, but he disappeared 11 years ago during the autumnal pandemic," the sheriff responded. "The last time I saw him, he also had that mark."

"Do you think he was taken by the pandemic?" Eve asked.

"To be honest, I wouldn't know, Miss Night. Laras was a good man, but the epidemic took many people. He was a genius, but I suppose even great men meet their end," the sheriff replied.

They were driving north towards a plain, from where they could see the blue sea, roaring with force and crashing against the rocks. A house stood in the plain, it didn't look very neglected, except for the overgrown grass around it. In the front garden was a statue in the shape of planet Earth, already rusted and covered by seagull waste.

"This place... doesn't look as abandoned as I expected," Eve said.

"Twice a year, the mayor sends a group of gardeners to maintain the garden and facade," the sheriff replied.

"I think this looks like a better place for the Saint Emilie orphanage than the one at the entrance of the town," Eve said.

"There was a plan to relocate the orphanage to Laras Croma's house, but someone opposed signing the papers," the sheriff replied.

"Martin Casteglio?" Eve asked.

"That's right, Monsignor Casteglio refused to move the address."

"Sheriff Barreda, what would happen if hypothetically I decided to expose the story of everything that happens at Saint Emilie? About the young girls taken to New York and..."

"I'm going to stop you, Miss Eve. You're not the first to try to expose Saint Emilie's disgusting affairs inside the orphanage. Everyone who has tried before has disappeared..."

"Oh, I see..." Eve said, somewhat disappointed by the veiled threat the sheriff had given her.

"But, if anyone could bring out the story, that would be Eve Night, the star presenter at New York Fast News," the sheriff replied with a smile. "Miss Eve, if you are willing to break in this story, then I'll support you with everything you need. It's personal to me," the sheriff said.

"Ah, I see. Why?"

"I promised it to Laras," the sheriff replied.

Then a noise was heard in the garage of the house. Immediately, the sheriff drew his gun.

"A drifter?" Eve asked.

"Or it could be our kidnapper," the sheriff replied.

Then from the garage came the boy with short brown hair, holding a broom and a trash picker.

"What are you doing here?" the teenager asked.

"That's what I should be asking you. What are you doing here, Faux?" the sheriff asked the boy, who simply raised the working tools he had.

"I came to clean the house," the boy replied.

"Suspicious," the sheriff replied.

"What's suspicious?"

"A 17-year-old boy who decides to do the cleaning of a dead man's house at Christmas Eve," the sheriff replied. The boy then turned his head and looked at the rusty metal statue. "I owe it to Mr. Croma," the boy replied. "He was the only one who took care of me when no one else did. I owe it to him, just as I owe it to myself to retrieve his silver dagger."

"Ah-ha! So, you came to search for where Laras Croma kept his money," the sheriff retorted.

"Of course not, Sheriff. I did that years ago; there's nothing here. Mr. Croma was the smartest man in town. If he said only the one who removed the silver dagger would know where his fortune is, then there's no other way," Faux replied. "Now, what are you all doing here?"

"We're on police business," the sheriff replied. Then Faux observed Eve. The young mother felt like Faux's eyes could see through her.

"I saw you outside Madam Zintra's shop," said Faux. "You healed too quickly, ma'am," the teenager replied.

"What?" Eve asked, confused by the boy's argument.

"Yes, after Madam Zintra slit your throat," the boy replied.

"It can't be... then it was real!" Eve thought, immediately placing her hands on her neck and starting to tremble.

"Miss Eve, what does he mean by that? Did the gypsy harm you?" the sheriff asked.

"No, it's not possible," the young woman replied. "She showed me a vision... but..."

"Don't worry, ma'am. If Madame Zintra brought you back, it's because she needs you for something," Faux replied. "However, I can't help but wonder what it feels to die."

"Enough!" Eve finally exclaimed. Then the young mother turned to the sheriff. "Remember why we're here, Sheriff Barreda," the young mother replied.

"Right, right!" the sheriff replied. Then the man looked at the boy. "Leave, Faux. We have things to do."

The sheriff and Eve walked toward the stone porch of the house. Eve felt surprised; whoever this Laras Croma was, the had a lot of money to build such a polished stone porch. Sheriff Barreda took out a keychain with multiple keys from his pants pocket, moving the various keys between his fingers.

"This one!" said the sheriff. He then inserted the key into the lock, turned the knob, but nothing happened; the key just spun in the lock. "Damn it, it must be broken," the sheriff replied. Then he took a step back and kicked the door. But nothing happened; he gave it another hit.

"Stop!" Faux exclaimed. "There's a way to enter without breaking the door," the boy said. He then moved up to where Eve and the sheriff were, he removed the key from the lock. "Mr. Laras was very secretive about his privacy, so his house is designed for that purpose. If you seek to enter, the door won't yield... but if you don't seek it..."

"Son, we don't have time for this," the sheriff responded. Faux exhaled and turned the key, grasping the toothed part of the key and inserting the handle into the lock. Then he turned it left, and instantly the lock opened.

The door opened.

"After a long time, we finally entered Laras's house," said the sheriff, removing his cowboy hat. "You must be the only person who knows how to enter the mansion."

"Not really. Madam Zintra, Elsie, and the bearded man also know how to enter," said the boy.

"What did you say!" Eve exclaimed. Then she grabbed the boy's arms, shaking him, and said, "Elsie, a brunette girl with green eyes! Elsie Night-Castellares!"

"Yes, that's right, ma'am, but stop shaking me," the teen replied.

"Where is she? Where is Elsie?" Eve exclaimed.

"A bearded man brought her here," the boy replied. "Alexander Noelius! Right? A tall man with a gray beard!" Eve said, almost shouting.

"I don't know who that is... but I guess it must be him," Eve replied.

"And how did you not think to inform the police that there was a lost girl in the mansion!" Sheriff Barreda exclaimed.

"Because many strange things happen around here, due to that strange rock," Faux said. "Honestly, I don't know if they're people, visions, or ghosts," the boy said.

"What the hell are you saying, boy?" the sheriff asked. "Faux, do you think this is a joke or what?"

"It's not a joke..." Eve said, then pointed her hand in front of them.

Hovering in the middle of the room was a young girl with black hair and pale skin. Eve recognized her as the girl who was at the Saint Emilie orphanage.

"It can't be..." the sheriff said, starting to cross himself. "Virgin Mary, please protect me from all evil," the sheriff said in Spanish.

"She won't harm you, Missy is a tranquil girl" Faux said. "As long as we don't harm her," the boy said.

Eve then tried to approach, but the young girl disappeared...

"What the hell is going on here?" the sheriff asked Faux. "What was Laras Croma doing here?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you, sheriff," said Faux.

Then Eve turned to the boy. "Where is my daughter?" she asked Faux again.

"Let's go then," said Faux. They then climbed a massive spiral staircase. Hanging on the stone walls were several paintings. Eve noticed how the eyes of the characters in the paintings followed her, giving her chills. However, Sheriff Barreda was the most frightened, continuously praying in Spanish.

"Ignore them; they do nothing," Faux replied. When they reached the second floor, they walked down a long hallway, and at the end of the hallway was a door with a piece of paper that read "Elsie."

"My girl!" Eve exclaimed and quickly opened the door. She realized the room was empty, but there were a bunch of drawings made with crayons on the floor. In those drawings, Elsie could be seen with her mom.

"However, there were more drawings scattered on the floor, some with strange figures, women with spiraled horns, vagabonds with a fur coat, elves and goblins, snowmen, and giant gingerbread men."

The sheriff picked up one of the drawings from the floor. "Well, at least the girl has a big imagination," the sheriff said.

Eve then noticed that on the back of the paper the sheriff had, there were several scratch marks made with black crayon. "Sheriff, on the back of the sheet, look!" Eve exclaimed.

The sheriff turned over the sheet he had and saw the scratch marks. "What does it mean?" the man asked. Then Eve picked up another drawing from the floor and realized it also had scratch marks on the back. "This one also has the scratch marks!"

Faux then took another of the drawings. "This one too," the boy said.

"Quick, we have to take the drawings! It might lead us to where Elsie is," Eve said.

The three began to pick up the drawings and then stuck them on one of the walls. When they finished, they realized it was a circle with a cross.

"Isn't that the symbol of the abandoned neighborhoods?" the sheriff asked. Eve raised her hand and confirmed that it was the same mark she had on her palm.

"It's the symbol of Avon," then a familiar voice said. Eve turned around; at the edge of the door was the gypsy.

"Zintra..." Eve said.

"We meet again, Eve Night," the woman replied. "Are you ready?"

"Ready for what?" Eve asked.

"To reunite with Elsie," the gypsy replied in a calm voice.