Ruby climbed out of bed, noticing Milo still sleeping peacefully, his chest rising and falling in a calm rhythm. Stretching her stiff body, she ran a hand through her hair and walked out of her room toward the living room. The house was quiet, eerily so, with no one around. She decided to step outside, feeling the late afternoon sun warming her skin.
As she glanced around, she heard a cheerful voice call out, "Hi, Miss Ruby!"
Turning toward the sound, she saw Max, Angeline’s husband, approaching her. His black hair was neatly combed, and his hazel eyes sparkled brightly. He was holding a small container, his expression warm and kind.
"I heard Brother Karl and Adrian are sick," he said, his voice full of concern. "So, We made some soup together for their wellness. Can you pass it to them?" He blinked up at her, his big hazel eyes radiating sincerity.
Ruby smiled softly, touched by the gesture. "Sure, but why don’t you and the others come to see them in person? It might cheer them up even more."
Max’s face lit up with excitement. "Really? Can we come in?"
"Of course," Ruby said with a nod and a small laugh.
Max didn’t waste a second. "I’ll go get them!" he exclaimed, spinning around and running back to his home.
Ruby chuckled as she watched Max dash off, her amusement growing when he returned moments later, leading a group. Each one offered her a polite smile as they approached.
"Can we go inside?" Jace asked, his golden eyes warm and his black hair neatly tied back. He was Angeline’s second husband, and his composed attitude made him seem approachable yet dignified.
Ruby nodded, impressed by how polite they all were. She turned and led the way toward the house.
"Where are they?" Leo asked, tilting his head curiously. His blonde hair shimmered in the light, and his soft blue eyes gave him a boyish charm. Ruby recognized him as Angeline’s sixth husband.
She pointed toward the room where Karl and Adrian were resting. "That room," she said simply.
"Thank you!" they all said in unison, their voices overlapping with sincerity, before heading inside together.
Ruby followed them inside, quietly pointing to the room where Karl and Adrian were resting. As they entered, Ruby noticed both of them were still awake, looking a bit better than before. Julian, who had been sitting on the edge of Karl’s bed, stood up in surprise when he saw the others.
Ruby decided it was best to let them have their moment. "I’ll leave you all alone," she said with a small smile, turning to leave the room.
Before she exited, she glanced back at Karl and Adrian, noticing their faces light up slightly at the sight of the soup. She quietly closed the door behind her, not wanting to disturb them further.
"How are you? What happened suddenly, Brother Karl and Adrian? You both were fine yesterday, what happened?" Kenji asked, his dark green eyes reflecting deep concern.
Karl, now sitting up and resting his head against the headrest, muttered angrily, "That’s because of Madame Shades... We went to her house to pay our debt, but she actually made us eat some expired, bad cookies..." His voice cracked, and he started crying. "I shouldn’t have even slept... I was feeling so nauseous..."
Everyone in the room exchanged pitiful glances, their expressions softening as they saw Karl’s distress.
"I heard she is rich and mysterious and she has her own company and no one knows what the company is about, and there are only a few people who work there," Jace said, his expression showing that he was trying to figure something out.
"Oh my goodness! She must have a black heart! I hope death kisses her until she is unable to breathe..." Hugo said viciously.
And Karl, with his eyes still red and puffy, looked touched. "Thank you, Brother Hugo. Can you write more poems for her so she won’t be able to sleep without going to the bathroom seven times a night? And look at our Brother Adi, who is always in good health, and now he’s in bed today," Karl said, holding Adrian’s hand. Although he didn’t like speaking too much in front of strangers, he felt comfortable with these people and nodded his head.
"But why would she give you expired cookies?" Max asked, his face filled with confusion and a hint of disbelief. He couldn’t understand the situation at all.
"Revenge?" Adrian replied, after a moment of quiet thought, his voice sounding a little unsure.
"Yes, yes... She must be angry because of how we insulted her son. To get back at us, she used a sneaky way to make us eat those bad cookies," Karl said, his voice breaking. He wiped his tears with the back of his hand. "She even gave us a note, probably because she knew what was going to happen to us. I even drank water from her house... I felt like I was going to die any second..."
"Please don’t say such things, little Karl..." Hugo said softly, pulling him into a comforting hug as he sat next to him. His face showed deep concern. Julian, along with the others, stared at Karl, worry etched across their faces.
"Okay, okay, don’t get too emotional now, little ghost. Drink the soup we brought for you, alright?" Jace said, trying to change the mood, his voice light but still caring. He smiled, though it wasn’t cheerful smile—it was more like an attempt to distract them all from the tension in the room. "And by the way, Pillu heard someone new moved into the area. So he invited all of you to his house to watch Soulstream."
"Soulstream?" Julian’s voice suddenly brightened, his eyes sparkling with excitement. Even Adrian’s posture straightened as he perked up.
"Really? Can we really go?" Karl asked, his tears stopping as his face lit up with excitement. His earlier sadness seemed to vanish, replaced by a joy.
"Of course! He specially invited all of you, especially you two." Jace gave them an encouraging smile. "By the way, where’s little Milo?"
—To be continued...🪄