Tick, tick, tick. Clang!
The chime of the Junghans D'Clock echoed throughout the entire house, announcing to every resident that the time had struck exactly midnight. Its sharp sound disturbed the sleep of several family members, yet no one dared to remove the massive clock from the main hall — as though its presence was part of an unspoken rule.
Inside her bedroom, Leci was wide awake. Tomorrow was the weekend, so she spent the night binge-watching a mystery drama series on Nutflix. The lights were turned off, and she was cocooned beneath her blanket with her laptop and a few snacks — her own little ritual.
Her enjoyable activity was interrupted by a notification lighting up her phone screen. It was a new phone, bought with her savings after the previous one couldn't be recovered. The name 'Taryn Fidelma' appeared above the message.
Sender: Taryn Fidelma Message: Tomorrow I'm going to my family's villa! You have to come! I've invited the others too.
Leci pouted at the sudden announcement — especially since it came in the middle of the night, when she had planned to stay up until morning. She fell silent, thinking hard. If she went, that meant she had to sleep now. There was no way she could go out without rest. She might even fall asleep in the middle of an activity.
Ding!
Another message arrived from the same sender. Leci immediately opened it.
Sender: Taryn Fidelma
Message: There's a huge library there. My aunt has a collection of rare mystery novels.
Wow. Taryn really understood her. Her best friend knew exactly how to persuade her. Despite her gentle demeanor, Taryn was actually quite… manipulative.
She really knows my weakness, Leci thought as she paused the mystery series. When it came to horror and mystery, refusing was impossible for her.
Recipient: Taryn Fidelma
Message: Fine. You'd probably be lonely if I didn't come.
Status: Sent
In the end, Leci gave in. She completed her small nighttime routine — brushing her teeth, washing her face — before going to bed. She even put on a sheet mask so her skin wouldn't look dull the next day.
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When morning arrived, Leci immediately got ready. After showering, she chose a cream-colored jumpsuit with a black T-shirt underneath. This time, she tied her hair into a simple ponytail and applied natural makeup. After spraying her perfume, she grabbed her sling bag and slipped into her Vans shoes.
As she was about to leave the house, Leci ran into Norris. Her cousin was already dressed neatly, as if he were heading somewhere important. She narrowed her eyes suspiciously.
"Where are you going?" she asked, scanning him from head to toe. He smelled even better than she did. How much cologne had he used?
"Single people don't need to be nosy. I have a date today," he replied smugly. Norris lifted his chin proudly while adjusting the collar of the maroon shirt he wore as an outer layer. His expression was thoroughly irritating.
Does he even have friends besides Taryn and Jayden? Leci thought. Then her eyes widened as something clicked. Taryn had clearly said she had 'invited the others.'
"Are you going with Taryn?" Leci asked uneasily. She had been happy, thinking she'd be going with Taryn and maybe other girls. But if Taryn had invited Norris…
As if ignoring Leci's disgusted stare, Norris answered proudly, "Hehe. Taryn asked me out to her family's villa."
BOOM!
Leci's mood shattered completely. For some reason, she no longer wanted to go. Forget the mystery novels. She'd rather spend the whole day lying in bed.
Noticing that Leci also seemed ready to leave, Norris studied her suspiciously. "And you? Where are you going? Don't tell me you're dating Mr. Kieron?"
A moment later, he shook his head. "No. There's no way you'd go on a date with him dressed like that. Tell me—who are you going with?"
Leci let out a heavy sigh. Norris was right — she couldn't possibly go on a date dressed like this. Sometimes, he was annoyingly perceptive. More than that, why hadn't Taryn told them earlier? Judging by Norris's reaction, Leci was certain he didn't know Taryn's real plan either.
Beep, beep!
A car horn sounded from the street in front of the house. When Leci opened the door, she saw Taryn waving cheerfully from inside the car, its window rolled down.
"You two, hurry up! We need to leave now!"
Leci struggled to hold back her laughter at the shocked look on Norris's face when he realized his 'date' had failed. He had really been confident Taryn wanted to go out with him alone.
"Pfft… a date, huh?" Leci couldn't resist teasing him. She secretly snapped a photo of Norris's stunned expression.
Norris glared at her, his face flushing with embarrassment and irritation. "Leciara!"
Before he could catch her, Leci dashed toward Taryn's car and climbed inside. Norris followed, still grumbling as he took the front seat, casting a warning glare at Leci sitting in the back with Taryn.
During the drive, Leci showed the photo to Taryn, and the two of them laughed together. Afterward, they chatted lightly until the car turned onto a forest road leading toward the foot of the mountain. The atmosphere suddenly grew quiet — there were barely any vehicles passing by. Fog blurred the view ahead.
It didn't take long before they arrived at a large villa on the mountainside. A dense forest stretched widely behind the luxurious building.
Norris stopped complaining when he spotted Jayden waving at them from the villa gate. At least he wasn't the only guy there. Leci hadn't expected Taryn to invite Jayden either.
"So, why did you suddenly gather all of us?" Leci asked as she walked beside Taryn into the villa grounds. Don't tell me this is a double date.
Taryn only smiled, placing a finger over her lips. "Isn't today Norris's birthday?"
Leci knew — but she didn't care. "You should've told me from the start!" she protested. It wasn't about anything else; the gift she'd prepared for Norris was left at home. If this continued, Norris might misunderstand and think she'd forgotten his birthday.
"If I told you, you definitely wouldn't have come," Taryn deflected. Seeing Leci pout, she laughed and gently pushed her toward the front terrace.
Leci should have been suspicious when she noticed Norris and Taryn wearing the same color — maroon. Maybe at first, Taryn had only planned to invite Norris, then changed her mind, embarrassed to go alone with him. Setting that aside, Leci wondered how they had grown so close. Had they been secretly spending time together behind her back?
"Morning, Leciara!" Jayden greeted her, handing her a villa access card. Even without his school uniform, he still looked fresh with his baby-faced appearance.
Leci returned the greeting. She actually felt a little awkward walking beside Jayden, but she couldn't show it openly. In the end, she let him walk next to her into the villa. They placed their bags on the sofa — Norris even tossed his carelessly.
The villa was huge — too huge. But many staff members moved about inside. They walked around briefly while deciding what activity to do first.
"Rafting or hiking?" Norris asked, glancing at his friends one by one.
"Don't be reckless, kid. If we go rafting right away, all your breakfast will come back out," Leci mocked. She knew Norris wanted to look cool in front of Taryn — but this wasn't the way.
Norris shot her an offended look before leading the way toward the mountain trail. Behind them, Jayden whispered, "You're really talented at making Norris annoyed."
Of course. Leci had spent sixteen years watching Norris grow up. There was nothing about him she didn't know.
"If you ever want to make him angry, just call me," Leci said proudly, pointing at herself.
Jayden laughed. The two of them followed Norris and Taryn along the hiking trail lined with pine trees.
Swooosh…
A gust of wind seemed to welcome Leci as she walked between the rows of pines. The sound of leaves and branches brushing together created a calming, natural rhythm.
And then—
"Kwak! Kwak!"
A crow suddenly emerged from between the leaves. It circled Leci once before landing on her shoulder without hesitation — like a pet that knew its owner all too well.
"Kwak!"
Leci's body tensed as a familiar presence washed over her.
She wasn't stupid. From its aura alone, she knew who was truly behind the crow's form.
It could only be… Kieron.