Reid didn't get a response from Calvin.

He stopped and looked over to the bed.

His beloved angel, the fragile and slender Calvin, had remained in a side-lying position, sunk in the soft bedding, and fell asleep with a pale face. Calvin curled up unconsciously, trying to maintain his fragile shell while he was awake, but when he fell asleep, he was as endearing to Reed as a desperate animal.

He made Reed feel a hunger and thirst that came from the depths of his soul.

Reed's throat rolled a little, and he reached out to Calvin, carefully stroking Calvin's hair with his fingertips.

He then leaned down, initially just trying to leave a kiss on Calvin's forehead. But when his lips touched Calvin's skin, he felt like he had fallen into another dimension for a moment, and the hunger and thirst became even stronger, and he took Calvin's ear with his lips instead, his teeth gently gnawing back and forth on the small piece of cartilage-covered flesh, and finally leaving a half-moon bite mark on it.

Blood oozed from the skin.

Reed looked up, gasping heavily, glancing at the wound in Calvin's ear.

He'd have to find a way to explain this to Calvin when he wakes up—but Reed doesn't pay much attention to the little troubles that will follow.

When the bright red blood beads came into his eyes, the heat of his body burned fiercely like a flame meeting gas.

"I'll take care of everything for you, baby, don't worry. ”

Then, the man spoke in Calvin's ear in a hoarse voice.

******

(hours ago)

Location: House of the Sisters of the Advent Sect

"Isa, wake up. ”

"Hmm......"

"Isha, Isa, wake me up!"

"Let me ...... Get some sleep...... Five minutes ......"

"Isha!"

With a muffled grunt, Isha opened her eyes in pain, and she heard Madeleine wake her up.

Her mother was pushing her harder, and during this time Madeleine had lost a lot of weight, and the warm hands in her memory were as hard and thin as firewood, and when she pushed Isha as hard as she did now, Isha could only feel pain.

"Mom?"

Isha rubbed her eyes and struggled to pull herself out of her sleep, her head like mush, her temples pounding from lack of sleep.

The room was dimly lit, except for a spotlight above the cross on the wall.

Isha subconsciously glanced at the alarm clock and saw that the hands were pointing at half past three.

"Yes...... Pray?"

Isha asked vaguely.

She saw that Madeleine had changed into a full black dress, the black fabric of the formal religious costume that enveloped her whole body tightly, and if it weren't for the fact that her face was as white as a stone statue in a cemetery, her whole body seemed to be about to merge with the darkness of the room.

Isha frowned, vaguely sensing something was wrong.

The children in the sisterhood were allowed to attend morning prayers at half past five in the morning, which was not the time she should get up.

"What happened?"

Isha asked in a daze.

There was an unsettling panic in the air. Despite everyone's light movements, Isha could hear many people walking back and forth in the hallway outside the door. Madeleine had already brought her the clothes, which she threw on the thin quilt and lowered her voice to reproach Isha anxiously.

"Don't rub around, get me up and get dressed quickly. ”

Isa's shoulders shuddered as she bit her lip and glanced up at Madeleine, her heart beating a little faster.

Madeleine didn't look right, of course, she usually looked pale, but now she was almost completely bloodless, she stood in front of Isa's window like a faded ghost, her pupils wide open, her eyes fluttering involuntarily as she spoke. Sweat soaked through her thin hair, which clung haphazardly to her damp, sunken cheeks.

"Mom?"

Isha was infected by this panic, and she clumsily dressed herself, even though she knew that it would probably only attract scolding, she couldn't help but continue to ask.

"Did something happen?"

"No, nothing, we just need to change places to live first. ”

At that moment, the door of their room was silently pushed open.

The shadow of another nun appeared in the crack of the door, and her face was extremely ugly. When she saw the other nun, Isha was putting on her robe, and she was almost frightened by the ghostly shadow and fell to the ground. But Madeleine didn't seem to see her daughter's figure swaying at all, and she walked up and down the room anxiously......

"Madeleine. ”

The nun whispered to Madeleine, her throat as dry as if she had been burned.

Madeleine's form shook violently, and she walked past Isha as she scurried toward the door.

The two of them almost touched their heads and whispered to each other.

Isha subconsciously wanted to eavesdrop, but their voices were so rapid and low that even if they were in the same room, there were only a few fragments that Isha could hear.

"How's that...... My responsibility ......"

"No one will blame you...... The Death of the Pastor...... Tragedy ......"

……

And the clearest sentence she heard was the nun's last word.

“…… The police are probably coming, and they must not be brought to their attention anyway. You need to get out of here. ”

The moment she heard the words "Holy Child", Isha felt like she had been punched in the stomach by an invisible fist. Her body froze in the suddenly cold air, unable to move.

A few seconds later, Madeleine saw off the nun, and she looked back to see Isa, who was stiff all over, her facial muscles jumping.

"Isha, how many times do you need to say this? Hurry up! I've had enough of you—"

Her face looked so hideous at that moment, and the vicious roar brought Isha back to her senses.

"Sorry, sorry......"

Isha stammered.

She was one last button to fasten, but her trembling fingers seemed to belong to someone else, and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't fasten it.

Madeleine stepped on the floor.

Sudden fear struck Isa, and she didn't even dare to look up at Madeleine, she felt like she was almost crying.

"You're getting more and more disobedient, Isha- forget it, leave it alone, we have to go. ”

Madeleine said anxiously, then reached out and grabbed Isa's hand.

Feeling the temperature of her mother's palm, Isha couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

"Let's go, where are we going......" she couldn't help but ask.

"There's something wrong with the sisters' house, and there will probably be a lot of police officers later. The selection of the Holy Child is imminent, and the priests and nuns do not want you to be targeted by that disgusting group of unbelievers...... You are of a very special age, and we all know what a sacred undertaking it is, but there are always many ignorant people in this world. Madeleine walked briskly down the hallway with Isha in her hand, explaining a few words in a whisper and quick.

Behind them, door after door opened, and seven or eight white children with the same blonde hair and white robes rubbed their eyes and yawned as they followed Madeleine and Isha under the leadership of their mother.

Isa's lips twitched, and she felt cold and frightened.

Why did the police come? Why did the children have to leave because the police came? What was the "death of the pastor" and "responsibility" that she had just heard...... But looking at Madeleine, who was obviously not in a normal state, she still forced herself to keep silent.

Descending the stairs, Isha saw all the priests and nuns of the House of Sisters in the hall, their expressions as pale as Madeleine's and the nun's, and the unconcealable panic of the mask of composure leaked out.

"One, two, three......" a nun counted with her finger at the group of children, much to Isha's discomfort. She felt as if she had become some kind of livestock, being kept and trafficked in captivity. This association made Isha can't help but hold Madeleine's hand tighter, but Madeleine seemed in a trance, and she ignored Isa's small movements.

"It's all here, it's good, it's time to go, we need to hurry. When the count was finished, the nun said with a blank expression, and she turned to the back door of the large house, where Madeleine dragged Isha towards her.

A black van stopped under the porch of the back door at some point, the motor honked slightly, but there were no lights. Isha struggled to see that the driver was sleeping, but the man remained in shadow.

"Brush-pull—"

A nun stepped forward and pulled the door of the car open, she patted Isha on the shoulder vigorously, and kept whispering, "Quick, quick, quick, get on, get on." ”

"Wait......"

Startled, Isha instinctively tried to grab Madeleine's hand, but the latter pushed Isha into the car the moment the nun spoke, and Isha almost fell to the ground. The nun at the door grabbed her by the collar like a chick and shoved Isha into the cramped seat.

Isha suddenly realizes that Madeleine doesn't seem to be leaving with her.

No matter how precocious she usually behaved, at this moment, Isha was completely in a panic. She sat in the car, looking at Madeleine through a shadowy figure.

"Mommy, Mom—"

"Shut up!"

The nun grabbed Isa by the shoulders in a bit of frustration.

Isha froze reflexively, she, and the children were somewhat "naughty" before entering the sisters' house, but the people of the sect apparently didn't think this was a good thing, and everyone was "educated" to a certain extent before long enough to know what "proper manners" were. For so long, the fear of nuns and priests has been imperceptibly carved into the marrow of children. The best proof of this was that there was some commotion among the other children, but when the nun told them to be quiet, the frightened sobs suddenly stopped.

"Don't be afraid, Isa, you are going through a test that will make you more mature, strong and pure. ”

Madeleine noticed Isa's panic, and she leaned into the car and said to Isa.

"But, Mom...... Mom, aren't you coming?"

Isa's voice finally got a cry in her voice.

Madeleine reached out and touched Isa's cheek.

"You should be thankful for this trial, although I will not be by your side, but you will always be bathed in the love of the Children of Light. ”

"But ......"

"Don't let me down, Isa, you will always be my dearest darling. ”

Madeleine said softly.

In this short moment, Isha seemed to see the former Madeleine, the mother who loved her deeply with countless problems. 166 Reading Network