Quinn was still on the fence about bringing Sprout and Brandy along. After mulling it over, she decided against it. Having two kids with her if things went south would be a hassle. Plus, Briar was already a pro at looking after them. Sprout was way more well-behaved now, and Briar could handle him.


    There was even less to worry about with Brandy.


    Once everything was set, Alexander and Quinn hit the road.


    First, they hopped on a ne, then switched to a boat afternding, and kept changing up their transportation until they finally rolled into a seaside fishing vige.


    Quinn took in the view-sea in front, mountains behind and shot Alexander a puzzled look. "Is Calvin here?"


    Alexander shook his head. "Nope, he''s not here. Just hang tight."


    He set the suitcase down for her to sit and chill.


    Quinn hadn''t expected it to be such a hassle. Good thing she didn''t bring Sprout and Brandy. After two days of travel, they still hadn''t reached their destination. She wondered where Calvin could be hiding. The vige looked deserted. Not a soul in sight, and the paths were overgrown with weeds. The houses peeking through the grass were in shambles.


    As night crept in, Quinn started to get the creeps. "What are we waiting for here? This ce is giving me the heebie-jeebies."


    Alexander plopped down next to her. "Waiting for someone to pick us up."


    He nced at his watch. "At this hour, they might be lost at sea."


    He tried tofort her, "They''re not familiar with these parts, and you insisted oning. Let''s just crash here tonight."


    Quinn instinctively nced back at the vige. The setting sun cast an eerie orange glow over the buildings, making them look both beautiful and unsettling.


    The sea stretched out endlessly in front, and the vige behind was eerily quiet, except for the asional rustle of wind through the weeds.


    It felt like a scene straight out of a horror flick, full of terror and weirdness.


    She nervously asked, "There aren''t any ghosts here, right?"


    Alexander gave her a mysterious look and suddenly said, "Yep."


    Quinn''s face went pale, and she scooted closer to him. "Don''t mess with me. I''m kinda scared."


    Alexander wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. "It''s okay. I''m here. I''ll protect you."


    Quinn asked, "Can you fight a ghost?"


    Alexander replied, "Nope, but I can run with you."


    Quinn forced a smile. Seeing the teasing glint in his eyes, she yfully punched him. "You''re scaring me!"


    Alexander said, "Alright, alright. Don''t worry, they''ll find us. It might just take a bit. The scenery here isn''t bad; think of it as a mini-vacation."


    Quinn asked, "Are you sure the scenery is good?"


    Alexander nodded. "Don''t you think so?"


    Quinn looked back at the weeds taller than herself andughed dryly. "Not really."


    Alexander''s expression suddenly turned serious. "Something''s off."


    Quinn asked nervously, "What now?" She was already scared enough to want to bail.


    Alexander exined, "It''s getting dark, and the tide''sing in. We might need to head into the vige."


    Quinn protested, "No way! I don''t want to!"


    "It''s okay, just that house over there," Alexander reassured her, pointing to the nearest house. Quinn looked over; that house was surrounded by weeds, and who knew what was lurking in the grass. Quinn shook her head. "I don''t want to go. Can we not go?"


    Alexander said, "I''ll go check it out for you."


    He stood up, found a stick on the ground, and started walking towards the house.


    Quinn looked around nervously. She didn''t dare stay on the beach alone, so she quickly stood up and followed him with the suitcase.


    Alexander reached the weeds and used his stick to push them aside. It wasn''t too bad; no scary creatures.


    He stepped on the weeds and walked in. There was an old stone path, but grass had grown through the stones. After he trampled the grass, the stone path became visible.


    He walked in, and Quinn followed closely behind, looking around nervously. She felt like some wild animal might jump out of the grass.


    This ce was kinda like the woods near Municity, but at least there, they could hear birds. Here, it was eerily quiet, with not even a bird''s call.


    It was so quiet it felt lifeless.


    Soon, they reached the door of the house. The wooden door was locked but barely hanging on. With a push, the door fell open, revealing that the ce had been abandoned for years.


    Grass had grown inside the house too, though not as much as outside. As they walked in, they were quickly covered in cobwebs.


    Quinn left the suitcase at the door and grabbed Alexander''s arm, sticking close to him.


    He wanted to go further inside, but Quinn held him back. "Let''s not go in. It''s so dark and scary."


    The living room had a bit of light, but the room inside was pitch ck, with a slightly ajar door and some indistinct shapes. Who knew what was lurking in there?


    Alexander said, "It''s cool. Wait here. I''ll go check it out."


    Alexander was seriously brave. Quinn watched as he turned on his shlight and walked into the house. The living room was still dim, with the setting sun casting eerie shadows through the windows and cracks, making the room even creepier. Quinn didn''t dare stay there alone. She quickly caught up to him, tightly grabbing his arm.


    As they approached the door, Alexander pushed it open and shone the shlight inside. When Quinn saw what was inside, she screamed and clung to Alexander.


    Alexander frowned and directed the light onto the object. It was a piece of ck cloth, but judging by the shape underneath, it was likely a coffin.


    A coffin in the room-was this meant to scare anyone who wandered in?


    Alexander wanted to go inside, but Quinn held him back tightly. "Don''t go in. It''s too scary. Let''s go outside."


    Alexander tried to reassure her. "Don''t worry, I''ll just take a look. It might be empty."


    Quinn''s face twisted. He actually wanted to check inside the coffin? Was he really that brave?


    Alexander didn''t find it particrly frightening. After all, he''d faced death twice already. What could scare him now?


    Quinn pleaded, "Please don''t go. There must be something inside. What if you provoke some ghost or spirit?" Alexander sighed. "Why are you so superstitious?"


    Quinn insisted, "It''s not superstition. Even science can''t exin these things. Please don''t go."


    Seeing her trembling with fear, Alexander sighed. "Alright, I won''t go. Let''s check another room."


    Quinn was at a loss for words. After a moment of silence, she said, "Maybe we should go back. I don''t need to see Calvin." Alexander looked back at her. "Really?"


    Quinn hesitated, sensing something was off.


    She asked, "Are you tricking me?"


    Alexander replied, "What?"


    Quinn used, "You brought me here to scare me so I''d give up on seeing Calvin. Did you never intend to take me to him?" Alexander chuckled. "How could that be? We just happened to end up here. Don''t you find this ce interesting?"


    Quinn protested, "Who would find this ce interesting?"


    Alexander said, "Alright, I''m not tricking you. If you''re scared, wait here. I''ll check the other rooms."


    Quinn looked conflicted, holding onto him and pleading with puppy eyes, "Please don''t go."


    Alexander reassured her. "Trust me, okay?"


    Quinn thought Alexander must be crazy, seeking thrills in a ce like this.


    In movies, people like him always ended up dead.


    Quinn clung to him, refusing to let him go. "No, I won''t let you go."


    Alexanderughed. "Alright, I won''t go. But let go of me first. I''ll take the door apart to make a fire."


    Quinn finally let go.


    He went back to the entrance and pulled the door off its hinges. The door, weathered by the elements, was as brittle as paper and easily broke into several pieces. Feeling that one door wasn''t enough, he took down a few more doors to use as firewood.


    Quinn watched the dark, doorless rooms, feeling increasingly uneasy.


    She turned her back to the rooms, not daring to look.


    By now, the sun had set. While there was still some light outside, the inside of the house was pitch ck.


    Alexander lit the door pieces, filling the room with firelight. The mes dispelled some of the fear, as long as you didn''t look back at the rooms.


    If you did, you''d see coffins covered in ck cloth in each room.


    Quinn hugged her knees, leaning against Alexander. "Do you think something will appear behind us?"


    Alexander asked, "Why do you say that?"


    Quinn exined, "That''s how it always happens on TV."


    Alexander advised, "If you''re bored, read a book instead of watching those shows."


    Quinn frowned, feeling a chill down her spine, and clung to his arm even tighter. "I should''ve brought Abigail and the others. It wouldn''t be so scary with more people." Alexanderughed. "You don''t think I can protect you?"


    Quinn replied, "That''s not what I mean. This ce is too creepy. More people would make it livelier, and maybe those things would be scared off by the human presence." Alexander asked, "Where did you hear that?"


    Quinn admitted, "I''m just guessing."


    Alexander said, "If this were a movie, I should be telling you a story right now."


    Without thinking, Quinn covered his mouth. "Don''t say it!"


    Alexander''s eyes twinkled with amusement, and he took her hand from his mouth. "Alright, I won''t. Aren''t you tired?"


    Quinn shook her head. "How could I sleep with three coffins behind us?"


    Alexander remarked, "Good thing we didn''t go into that building. There might be even more inside."


    Quinn pleaded, "Stop talking about it."novelbin