9. The ghost

Precious had eyes that could easily sway someone's decision. When she asked the two in front of her for help, she used her eyes to her advantage. It wasn't clear if she did it on purpose or not, but her bright eyes were truly captivating, like the sky. They touched the hearts of the two beasts, but couldn't break through their strong will.

"Little one," Lucas was the first to snap out of whatever trance he didn't know he was in and spoke to Precious. "Listen, we don't have any control over you," Lucas said and added, "Edgar is your Master, so ask him to let you talk to your father. We're just workers here."

Hearing this, Precious pouted. She didn't have high expectations from them, to begin with, but she had some hopes. Maybe they could help her, but unfortunately, her attempt didn't lead to anything positive.

"But you called yourselves his family, hmph!" Stroking her cat, Precious walked away, keeping her thoughts hidden from the two beasts, but her actions showed she was probably upset with them. "I thought we were friends, but…"

"We didn't agree to be friends," Lucas said to her as he and Chris followed her from behind.

Precious then glanced back at them. "Whatever, if I see Edgar, I'll ask him." She whispered, "I have a feeling that he likes me."

"You're completely wrong. Do you want me to be very honest with you?" Chris asked and held her arm to stop her.

"What do you mean by being honest?" She asked with a pouty face.

"He only wants to devour you because you're precious and innocent," Chris smirked because he also had a liking for innocent girls.

"What do you mean?" Precious was still confused, so Chris walked closer to her. "Edgar only wants you as his pet. He wants complete control over you and he'll devour you as well. That beast desires you for his nightly feasts once he reveals himself to you."

This made Precious stare into space for a while, but she wasn't surprised because the night she was suddenly brought to the place she was staying in, her father explained everything to her. "I know," she said, raising her gaze to Chris. "I know why he wants me, and I'm not happy about it, but... you never know."

Her straightforward and honest reply, however, shocked Chris and Lucas. They expected their words to hurt and surprise her, perhaps even make her cry. But instead, she surprised them by smiling. Yes, smiling. Wasn't she innocent? Or were hostages nowadays bold enough to smile at those who took them captive?

"Humans. Such weak and strange creatures," Chris shook his head and appeared by her side with Lucas the next moment.

Precious had left Chris and Lucas behind and was already far ahead of them in the long hallway. Chris and Lucas quickly caught up with her, making it seem like they teleported.

Not caring whether they were following her or not, Precious focused on her cat, Rainey. But then something unexpected happened—someone put their arm around her neck. It caught her off guard and made her lose her balance, causing her to fall on her bottom.

She looked up and realized there was no need to be scared of these supernatural beings. Sitting on the floor, she covered her face, feeling both afraid and embarrassed about falling. She felt a strong dislike toward them, but she had to endure this miserable life. Finding peace seemed impossible.

The thought of them being nothing more than beasts made her take back what she had said earlier. Upset and ignoring whatever Chris was trying to explain, Precious refused to pay attention to Lucas as well. Their laughter at her fall only made her angrier.

Keeping her eyes on her cat, Precious got up and reached out to pick him up. Without facing Chris and Lucas, she told them, "I can find my way to my room, thanks!" and walked away.

Chris shook his head and teased, "Since you want to talk to your father so much, you can pray to Edgar. He's always around you. It's only been two days, but who knows? Maybe he'll be nice to you if you ask him nicely!"

Though his words interested her, Precious held her head high as she found her room. Inside, she wondered if she could really pray to Edgar for help. "Why is Edgar being so secretive?" she asked Rainey. "He doesn't want to show himself."

Suddenly, she gasped. "Maybe he's... ugly and scared that I'll praise Chris and Lucas more because they look better?" Precious laughed. "Well, he deserves to be ugly because he took me away from my comfortable life to be with terrible beasts like him, who wants me to ask..." Her words trailed off, and she looked around, remembering Chris's earlier words. 'He's always around you.'

"Maybe he's dead?" she whispered. "And he's a ghost I can't see?" Precious wondered.

After a few seconds of silence, she cleared her throat and stopped walking. "Edgar?"

Precious knew it was silly to call out to a ghost, thinking that she might become one too. But the foolish girl still said his name and looked around, searching for any sign of Edgar.

Precious found herself alone in the long corridor, realizing that she should actually be scared as it wasn't morning. She stopped acting creepy, understanding the need to be cautious.

Suddenly, Rainey leaped out of her arms and sprinted away. His actions startled her, leaving her wondering why he would run like that.

"Edgar?" she whispered. "Did I summon his ghost?" Trembling with a stiffened neck, she glanced around, murmuring to herself.

Fear engulfed Precious, making it difficult for her to swallow. Before she knew it, she found herself running after Rainey. Her actions seemed absurd, especially the way she ran.

Why on Earth did she call out to a ghost? So Edgar was a ghost all along! If that was true then her life would be over. How could those handsome beasts be afraid of a ghost?

As Precious reached her room, she extended her arm and grasped the doorknob tightly.

Rainey was so clever! He had saved her from the mysterious creature, Edgar. Precious swiftly closed the door behind her once she was inside her room as if she was being pursued by a zombie.

Upon realizing that she hadn't locked the door, she turned around and inserted the key into the keyhole.

Precious's gaze fell upon Rainey, who was busy grooming himself. "Oh, Rainey! You saved my life!" With a pounding heart and ragged breath, Precious approached Rainey, who was seated on her bed. "I could have died!" She continued to shiver, her emotions spilling over into sobs.

If only Rainey could speak, he would likely tell her how foolish and absurd she appeared at that moment. How could a sane human behave in such a manner?