Saturday, 12:24 p.m. – Rossi Estate

  The scent of coffee, warm butter, and freshly baked bread floated through the air as midday light timidly slipped through the dining room's tall windows. Kali came downstairs barefoot, hair still messy, wrapped in one of Nicco's sweatshirts—one of those big enough to hide her hands.

  Dahlia was already at the table, flipping through the newspaper like she actually cared about local politics. Enrique moved through the kitchen silently, like a ghost trained in etiquette.

  —"Morning, nocturnal creatures," Dahlia said without looking up from the pages.

  —"Feels like I slept for a week," Kali murmured, stretching with an exaggerated yawn.

  —"I slept well. Must be the air here," Nicco said, entering behind her in a tight shirt that did not go unnoticed by Kali.

  —"Or the king-sized bed with built-in heating..." she added with a crooked smile, not hiding anything.

  —"Built-in heating?" Dahlia raised a brow.

  —"Me," Nicco said, taking a bite of toast. "I am the heating."

  Kali threw a napkin at him.

  —"You're such a clown."

  —"But an efficient clown," he replied, winking.

  Breakfast lingered longer than usual—full of jokes, bites, and glances. It felt like a moment of peace. But it wouldn't last.

  4:07 p.m. – Nicco's Study

  They headed to the study after lunch. There, among antique shelves and the faint scent of old paper, the atmosphere grew more serious. Dahlia sat by the window, Kali sprawled out on a thick rug, and Nicco approached his desk.

  He opened the first drawer, pulled out a small white napkin... and placed it on the table.

  Viki's earring was still there, carefully wrapped.

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  —"You didn't throw it away," Dahlia said, staring at the object but not moving closer.

  —"I couldn't," Nicco replied. "Something tells me its story isn't over."

  Kali sat up a bit, watching him closely.

  —"Viki... do you think this could all be connected to her?"

  —"I don't know," Nicco said, voice lowering. "But it all started right after she vanished. The dreams. The water. The necklaces."

  —"And what she said that day... that 'we're not alone,'" Dahlia added, clearly remembering.

  Kali frowned.

  —"It's not just the earring. It's her. It's like something of Viki is still here with us. Like she's waiting."

  —"Then we'll follow this to the end," Nicco said, gently clenching his fist. "But first... we're getting your stuff. I'd rather you both have everything at the estate in case we need to run again."

  7:45 p.m. – Shared Apartment

  The afternoon faded slowly as they arrived at the building. The sky had started to deepen into a rich blue and the streetlights cast long shadows along the sidewalk. The apartment felt more silent than usual, as if it had been holding its breath since they left.

  Kali unlocked the door. The inside smelled stale, but everything was in place.

  —"Alright, grab what we need and let's go," Dahlia said, stepping in with purpose.

  Each girl went to her room. Nicco stayed in the living room, waiting. But something... was off. The atmosphere. The temperature. The silence.

  And then came a sharp noise.

  The living room window... burst open.

  Kali ran out of her room at the same moment a figure slithered in through the window like a nightmare with long limbs.

  It was gaunt. Emaciated. Its eyes glowed like burning coals. Skin hung off its bones, cracked and dry. Its jaw opened, revealing sharp, blackened teeth.

  A wendigo.

  —"KALI!" Nicco shouted, lunging toward her as the creature pounced.

  It happened in a flash.

  The wendigo leapt with unnatural speed. Kali instinctively fell back, hitting the floor. Its claws nearly scraped her face.

  And then... something inside Nicco ignited.

  Like a spark in the depths of his chest.

  —"DON'T TOUCH ANYONE ELSE!"

  His hands lit up, first with flickers, then with raw electricity—like the sky funneled a storm into his body.

  He blasted the wendigo with a brutal surge. A blue lightning bolt struck its chest, making it screech with an inhuman sound.

  It tried to recover, but Nicco didn't stop.

  He raised both hands and released a wave of energy that slammed it into the wall. The wendigo convulsed. The air filled with the scent of burning flesh.

  One final scream. A sharp crack.

  And the wendigo disintegrated into ash, spreading across the floor like old dust.

  Silence.

  Kali, on the floor, stared at him speechless.

  —"Are you okay?" Nicco knelt beside her, sparks still dancing on his fingers.

  —"Yeah... yeah. I think so," she murmured. "Did you see that?"

  —"I don't know what I did," he admitted, looking at his hands. "But I felt like it wasn't the first time."

  Dahlia appeared in the hallway, eyes wide.

  —"That was... a wendigo?"

  —"And it knew where to find us," Kali said, standing with Nicco's help.

  —"This is no longer a coincidence," Dahlia added, eyeing the ashes. "We're being hunted."