The next morning, just as Auntie Dina said, they went to church. It was still dark outside since they attended the first mass of the day, and people looked like they had just rolled out of bed, still half-asleep.

"We should thank God first for all the blessings," Auntie Dina said as she sat down in the very first row. "Especially on Sundays, a day for rest and gratitude."

Naia brought Prada, the cat she had placed in a small cage, and had decided on the name herself. Auntie Dina said they take Prada to the vet after mass, knowing of a clinic that opened early, around 7 AM.

When the priest entered, a soft murmur spread through the church. Naia overheard whispers about Father Sev, who was known for his blunt and sometimes harsh sermons. It was clear he wasn't a favorite among the parishioners.

"No one really likes it when he gives the homily," someone whispered nearby. The people seemed to long for the previous priest, who had been reassigned.

"You can't choose your priest," Auntie Dina said, overhearing the murmurs. "And you better not complain—God might be listening!" she added, making sure the gossiping churchgoers hear it.

Despite the discomfort, most stayed seated. Their faith outweighed their doubts. The mass continued, and the people quietly accepted Father Sev's presence, as tradition and devotion held them in place.

As the mass concluded, Auntie Dina turned to Naia, asking her to wait while she had an extra offering for Father Sev. It seemed Auntie Dina had taken a liking to the priest, especially since most people didn't care for him, but she remained kind and respectful.

Naia and Rina, while accompanying Grandma, walked over to Auntie Dina. As they neared, Auntie Dina was just finishing up her conversation with Father Sev. She walked toward them with a smile.

"Do you know Father Sev personally, Auntie? You two seem pretty close," Naia asked, her curiosity piqued. It was clear they shared some kind of bond.

"Yes, he was a classmate of mine in high school. He also knows your mom," Auntie Dina replied.

"Really?" Naia asked, glancing back at Father Sev, who was still watching them as they walked away.

"Yes, he's always had a calling to serve the church. We've known him since then. You might hear rumors about him being strict and brutally honest with his sermons, but just be patient with him," Auntie Dina said, her voice gentle and sincere.

"But why do you say that?" Naia asked, intrigued.

"You know... it must be difficult for him, being assigned to the town where his sister passed away," Auntie Dina said softly, her expression changing.

"His sister died here?" Rina asked, surprised. Auntie Dina seemed caught off guard, as if she hadn't meant to bring it up.

"It's okay, Auntie," Naia reassured her. "Rina already knows about what's been going on here. I told her last night." She paused. "So, his sister died here?"

"Yes, but I don't think it's something we need to discuss further," Auntie Dina said quickly, trying to shift the conversation away from the topic.

Naia and Rina exchanged a glance, then shrugged. They decided to respect Auntie Dina's wish not to go further. It seemed like a personal matter, and they understood she might not want to share more.

They walked to the vet, just a five-minute walk from the church, which had just opened.

"We're here," Auntie Dina said. "Take Prada inside, the vet is waiting. By the way, your grandma and I are heading home now. I need to do some laundry and prepare breakfast."

"Got it, Auntie. We'll be home after this," Naia said, waving goodbye.

Naia and Rina walked into the vet's office, surprised to be greeted by a young, handsome man. Rina couldn't help but think, Who is this cutie?

"Good morning, mister. We're here for the vet. My cat needs an anti-rabies vaccine," Naia said casually.

The man smiled as he looked at them.

"I think I'm melting," Rina whispered, still admiring him. Then she shook her head, "No, I'm loyal to Santi," she murmured to herself.

Naia raised an eyebrow. "Rina," she warned with a look.

"You must be Auntie Dina's niece?" the man asked.

"Yes, I am," Naia replied. The man looked to be in his 20s. "Is the vet here? Sorry we came so early; my aunt wanted Prada to get vaccinated right away."

"I'm Ares, the vet," the man said.

"You're the vet?!" Naia and Rina said in surprise.

"Yes. Can I see the cat?" Ares asked, smiling as they were still processing everything. He chuckled, noticing their surprise. "Is something wrong with my face? I'm starting to get conscious," he joked.

"Uh, sorry," Naia apologized. "We didn't expect the vet to be so young."

"I'm used to it. Everyone says that," Ares replied with a grin. "Your cat looks healthy, but she has an injury. Did you treat it?"

"Yes," Naia nodded.

"I see. You know your way around. Let me change the bandage before we give the vaccine."

He quickly changed the bandage and then gave Prada the vaccine. The whole visit was quick and straightforward.

"Thanks, vet. How much is it?" Naia asked.

"No charge," Ares said with a smile. "It's my way of giving back."

"Giving back?" Naia asked, confused.

Ares nodded. "Your Auntie Dina has always been kind to me."

"You seem to know her well. How do you two know each other?" Naia asked, a little curious. She is starting to wonder if they had a closer romantic connection but quickly dismissed the thought, thinking the age gap was too much.

"I grew up here," Ares explained. "My parents are often abroad and Auntie Dina has always been kind to me. She was like a mother figure to me before I went to study vet medicine."

"Oh, I see," Naia said, nodding. "It's nice to know my aunt has good friends. I just didn't expect her to have a friend so young." She chuckled. "By the way, are you sure you don't want us to pay? I know the vaccine might be expensive."

"I'm sure," Ares replied with a smile. "It's on me. Please give my regards to your aunt."

"Alright, thanks again," Naia said, turning toward the door. "We should get going. My aunt must be waiting."

"Goodbye, Doc!" Rina called out, still taken by the handsome vet.

On the walk home, Rina couldn't help but tease, "I think he likes you. The way he looks at you."

"What? Rina, please don't start with that. Don't drag me into your 'destiny' talk," Naia replied, rolling her eyes. "And besides, Doc Ares is older than us."

"And so? We're almost in college. A few years isn't a big deal. He just got licensed, so he's probably around 23, and we're 17. It's not a huge gap. Some people even have 10-year age gaps in marriage."

"Do you even hear yourself? Please," Naia groaned, trying to steer the conversation in a different direction.

"Fine," Rina said with a grin. "But he's cute. If I met him before Santi, maybe he'd be my crush. But since I'm loyal to Santi, I'll stick with him. You don't like Doc Ares, do you?"

"No, I don't like him. Why?"

"He's my plan B," Rina joked, winking.

Naia facepalmed. "You really enjoy having a crush on everyone, don't you?" she said.

"You should try having a crush. It feels different. There's this pull you feel toward a person," Rina replied, her voice teasing.

Naia paused, recalling her encounter with Calix. Was that the pull Rina was talking about? She remembered how close Calix's face had been to hers and couldn't help but smile. It had been a brief moment, but it stuck with her.

Rina noticed the smile and raised an eyebrow. "Why are you smiling like that?"

Naia quickly wiped the smile off her face. "I'm not."

"Perhaps you already have a crush and you're not telling me!" Rina teased, grinning knowingly.

"N-no," Naia stuttered, shaking her head.

"Come on, tell me who it is! Is it Doc Ares? Who?" Rina pressed, eager for answers.

Naia blushed, trying to hide her embarrassment. "You haven't met him."

"So you do have a crush!" Rina grinned.

"I said no! It's just... when I'm around him, I feel this pull. You know, like what you were talking about," Naia admitted.

Rina smirked. "Ah, that pull? More like a red string."

"Red string?" Naia asked, puzzled.

Rina explained, "They say people who are meant to be together are connected by a red string. No matter where life takes them, they'll always find their way back to each other."

"Do you really believe that? I thought you didn't believe in superstitions," Naia asked.

"It's not superstition; it's more like fate," Rina said with a shrug. "Now, come on—who is it?"

Naia laughed and shook her head. "Ah, you're really making me think! Is it someone from school? A guy you met here? Spill!" Rina kept pressing, but Naia just chuckled and didn't answer.

"Maybe it's Damian!" Rina teased.

"Hell no, I'm not crushing on that pervy sidekick," Naia replied. "By the way, speaking of him, we're talking to his master Santi later. Did he reply to my message last night? About his availability and the meeting location?"

"You're trying to change the subject, huh? Hold on, let me check. I haven't looked at my phone yet since we've been in a rush this morning," Rina said, pulling out her phone to check her online messages. "Yes, he did. He said he's available after lunch, same place as yesterday."

"The cafe?" Naia asked.

"I think so," Rina replied.

"Tell him we'll be there," Naia said.

"Alright, but I might throw in a 'good morning' first and chat a little more," Rina said, clearly excited to text Santi.

"Do whatever you want," Naia sighed, relieved that Rina wasn't asking about her crush anymore. But she couldn't help wondering—was that feeling she had with Calix a crush? She still wasn't sure.

***

SANTI sat at a table by the window, though it wasn't exactly secluded. What stood out, however, was that he was the only person in the cafe aside from the barista behind the counter. Normally, this place was busy, so it felt strange.

Naia and Rina approached him. "Hi," Rina greeted.

"Hey, you're right on time," Santi said, acting like showing up on time was something special. "I was starting to think you two wouldn't come."

Naia glanced around. "Your sidekick's not here."

"Sidekick?" Santi raised an eyebrow.

"Don't mind her," Rina quickly said, trying to act cool. "Anyway, we're here to talk about... you know, the message I sent last night."

"Yeah, take a seat," Santi replied, motioning for them to sit. The barista watched them quietly.

"Why is it only us here?" Naia asked.

Santi smiled, clearly proud of himself. "I rented out the whole place for us. Pretty thoughtful, right?"

Naia was surprised. He really did that?

"Uh, you're such a sweetheart," Rina said, visibly impressed.

"It's nothing for me," Santi boasted.

Naia's expression faltered. She wasn't buying it. Really?

"Go ahead, get your orders in before we start," Santi said, calling the barista over. "Please take their orders." The barista came over, and they placed their orders. Santi continued, "By the way, I'm sorry about yesterday. I didn't know you girls were new in town and kind of involved in the murders—especially you. I heard you might be next. What's your name again?"

"Naia," she replied briefly.

"Right, Naia. So, what do you want to know about the murders?" Santi asked, leaning back in his chair.

The barista quickly returned with their orders. Rina took a sip, and Naia got straight to the point. "Can you tell us everything that's going on around here? People are saying we might be next, and we're just trying to stay cautious."

Santi smirked, clearly enjoying the attention. "Sure, but what's in it for me?" he asked, expecting something in return.

Naia raised an eyebrow, recognizing the familiar game. "Ah, so you agreed because you want a scoop from us since we're apparently next on the list?"

"Sweet, you're catching on fast," Santi replied with a sly grin. "So, it's a deal?"

"Deal," Naia said, nodding. "But you have to tell us everything."

Santi then shared everything he knew about the killings in town. He explained that the rumors about Calix and the Cat King had come out of nowhere, and people had begun to believe them. There had been seven murders so far, all linked to the nearby lake, with the first one occurring six years ago. Santi also mentioned that he had a few leads, but none pointed to Calix. He had a theory but didn't want to reveal too much until he had more confirmation. He said that it might be featured in an upcoming episode of his online channel.

After the conversation, Naia went to the restroom. Just as she was about to return to where she left Rina and Santi, someone grabbed her. When she turned around, it was Calix. What was he doing here? she wondered.

"What are you doing? Why are you with that man?" Calix asked.

"Wait, are you stalking me?" Naia asked, confused.

"Come with me," Calix insisted, pulling her by the hand and leading her out of the coffee shop.

"Wait, where are we going?" Naia asked, trying to understand why he was dragging her away again.

They stepped outside, toward the back of the shop, where they were out of sight.

"Don't get involved with him," Calix said as he stopped, facing her.

"Santi? Why?" Naia asked, still confused.

"He's dangerous," Calix said bluntly.

"What? He's not. If anyone's dangerous here, it's the killer," Naia retorted.

"The killer? Who, me?" Calix sneered.

"No! In fact, Santi doesn't think it's you. He believes it's someone else and has a couple of leads. Why do you think he's dangerous? Isn't your behavior more concerning? You keep grabbing me like you're going to kidnap me!" Naia said, growing angry. "I'm going back in," she added, trying to turn, but Calix grabbed her arm again. "What now?" she asked, clearly irritated.

"He doesn't think I'm the killer? Do you know why he says that? Because he's a freaking liar!" Calix snapped.

"What? What are you talking about?" Naia asked, surprised. "Look, I judged Santi at first because of his arrogance, but he seems alright. Don't call him a liar. Maybe my best friend was right—he can be a bit full of himself, but I understand. Fame does that to people. But what I don't get here is you. Why do you keep telling me what to do? Like I'm about to die or something? I'm still here, and the killings have stopped. Shouldn't we be thankful for that?" she continued.

"So you think you know everything, huh?" Calix shot back. "Maybe he didn't tell you the full story. Did you even know that he was the one who started that ridiculous rumor. But go ahead, believe everything he says. I've been trying to protect you, but I'm done. You trust everyone around here so easily? Fine. Believe whatever you want. If something bad happens to you, it's on you," Calix said bitterly, turning and walking away.

Naia stood there, confused. What was he talking about? Did Santi really start the rumors? And if so, why didn't he say anything?

Naia took a deep breath and walked back into the coffee shop and went straight to Santi and Rina.

"Santi," she said firmly. "If we're going to make this deal, I need the truth. If you can't give us that, the deal is off."

Santi raised an eyebrow, surprised. "What do you mean? I have already told you everything."

Naia's eyes narrowed. "You said the rumors came out of nowhere, but it doesn't seem like that. I want the full story, Santi. No more lies. Did you start the rumors?"

"Naia," Rina said, trying to calm her. "What are you talking about?"

Santi hesitated but Naia caught the flicker of unease in his eyes. She took a step closer, her tone growing colder. "Tell us, Santi. Who are you really?"