After two days back at the apartment building, I lay in bed, my bones nearly limp. Rachel Lan was sleeping next door, in 409, still unable to move. According to Basil Bertram, her soul root was injured.
That Taoist, Tang Cai, had forcibly ripped her three souls and seven spirits from her body with a spell. She might not be able to move for days.
After everything ended, Wang Quan and Wang Li disappeared, while Sandra Yu had been caring for Rachel Lan these past two days. Earlier, her ghost soul was nearly dispersed, but after arriving here, she recovered quickly. John Chou gave her one of those black flowers from the yard.
I really didn’t want to sleep anymore. I forced myself up from bed.
"Ethan Zhang, Rachel Lan is calling for you."
Just as I got up, Sandra Yu drifted through the wall. I was so startled, I lost my balance and nearly fell to the floor. Luckily, Sandra floated over and steadied me.
"Can you not do that? It’s too sudden."
Sandra Yu laughed and shook her head.
"Ethan Zhang, why are you still so scared? Everyone here except you and Rachel Lan isn’t human."
I sighed, put on my clothes, and walked to 409. The door was open.
As soon as I entered, I saw Rachel Lan, pale-faced, looking at me with a blanket over her.
"Is there something you need?"
"Ethan, could I trouble you to help me with something?"
I nodded.
"Go ahead."
Rachel Lan reached out from under the blanket, her smooth, pale arm holding a set of keys.
"Help me..." Rachel Lan looked at me awkwardly.
I looked at her, puzzled.
"Could you bring me some clean clothes? And, um, some... personal ones."
I agreed, asked her where to find them, took the keys, and left. For now, Rachel Lan was staying here to recover, which was good for both company and safety.
I drove, using Rachel Lan’s car. No matter how I drove, no one stopped me. Especially since I didn’t have a license, and the license plate was odd—just four digits, no capital letters.
It was midday, and seeing the traffic police made me nervous. Even though some officers tried to stop me, once they saw the license plate, they just smiled and let me through.
I wandered around the city center for a long time but couldn’t find the place. Rachel Lan said she lived in Jinxiu Garden Community, but after searching for ages, I still couldn’t find it.
Helpless, I pulled over to the side of the road to ask for directions. That’s when I suddenly felt like someone was watching me.
"Officer, that’s the guy. I don’t know what he did to my friend. That car belongs to my friend."
I turned around abruptly and saw a girl who looked like a young schoolgirl—delicate features, shoulder-length hair, a purple skirt, and a red vest. She looked kind of cute.
"I—no, I..."
Two police officers started walking over as they spoke.
"Sir, please show us your ID."
I hurried to explain that Rachel Lan was sick and in the hospital, and I was just picking up some clothes from her house for her.
"You’re lying." The girl’s voice suddenly shot up.
"Rachel and I just had dinner together a few days ago. She wasn’t sick. She even called me two days ago, said she was going on a business trip and would be gone for half a month. Tell me, what did you do to her?"
The girl in front of me suddenly got emotional, swinging her pink fists and trying to hit me.
"My name is Ethan Zhang. Has Rachel ever mentioned me to you?"
The girl hesitated for a moment. I wondered, shouldn’t Rachel’s friends all be used to dealing with ghosts and spirits? But this girl didn’t seem special at all.
Then I took out my phone and dialed Rachel’s number.
It wasn’t until I explained everything that the two police officers left. But the girl kept complaining, saying Rachel had lied to her.
In the end, she insisted on coming with me to see Rachel.
When we arrived at Rachel’s room, it was spotless and simply furnished. The girl’s name was Mona Tong, Rachel’s childhood friend and confidante.
"You’re not allowed in here. This isn’t a place for men. Wait in the living room."