Mary drove faster than the sheriff, so we arrived at Port Ao Xiang at four o'clock. It's been a while since my last girl went out at night, so the estrogen rushing through me makes me feel great. We listened to annoying rock music, and Mary muttered about the boy we were playing with. Mary and Jack's dinner went pretty well, and she hoped that on Saturday night they could progress to their first kiss. I smiled happily at myself. Rillis was just happy to go with the flow, but didn't really have much interest in Ike. Mary tried to extract the type of boy she liked, but was interrupted by me with a question about clothes and let her go. Reilis threw me a grateful glance.

Port Ao Xiang is an exquisite scenic spot for tourists, more beautiful and interesting than Vidonia. But Mary and Reilis knew the place well, so they didn't waste their time on the sightseeing boulevard on the shore. Mary drove straight to a large department store in town, just a few streets away from the coastal area with its tourist-first mask.

The poster says it's a semi-formal ball, but we're not quite sure what that means. When I told Mary and Reilis that I had never been to a ball in Dracon, they were both shocked and couldn't believe it.

"Have you never been with a boyfriend or anything like that?" Mary asked suspiciously as we walked through the front door of the store.

"Really." I tried to convince her of this, and I didn't want to admit frankly that I was stumbling. "Never have I ever had a boyfriend, or anything like that. I rarely go out. ”

"Why don't you go out?" Mary asked.

"No one invited me." I replied truthfully.

She still looked skeptical. "You've been invited out here," she reminded me, "but you've said no to them." "We're in the youth fashion district, looking at the rows of party costumes.

"Well, except for Moore." Reilis silently corrected.

"I'm sorry," I gasped. "What are you talking about?"

"Moore told everyone he's going to go to the official ball with you." Mary told me with a skeptical look.

"What did he say?" My voice sounded like it was going to suffocate.

"I told you it wasn't true." Reilis whispered to Mary

I was silent, still reeling in the blow, which quickly turned to anger. But we've found hangers, and now we have work to do.

"That's why Mesha doesn't like you." Mary giggled at me as we rummaged through our clothes.

I gritted my teeth and gurgled loudly. "Do you think if I had run over him in my truck, would he no longer feel guilty about the accident? Will he give up on making amends for his mistakes or even go back and ask me to make amends to him? ”

"Maybe." Mary snickered. "Maybe that's why he did it."

There weren't a lot of dresses here, but both of them had found quite a few clothes to try on. I sat on a low stool in the locker room, leaning against the three-sided mirror, trying to control my anger.

Mary struggled between two dresses—a long, strapless, classic black gown, and a knee-high spaghetti saucer blue gown. I recommend her to choose the blue one, why not catch people's eyes? Reilis chose a pale pink dress, which hugged her slender figure just right, adding a bit of sweetness to her light brown hair. I didn't hesitate to praise them and help hang their unwanted clothes back on the hanger. The whole process was much shorter and easier than when I was shopping with Tia at home. I guess, if anything, is because the options are limited.

We rushed to buy shoes and accessories again. When they tried them on, I was just watching and giving advice, and I wasn't in the mood to buy anything for myself, even though I did need to buy new shoes. The girl's night was almost gone by the time I recalled my dislike of Moore, leaving room for melancholy to come back.

"Reilis?" I hesitated as she tried on a pair of pink leather-adorned heels. She was ecstatic to have a dance partner tall enough so he could wear high heels.

Mary had already walked to the jewelry counter, leaving the two of us together.

"What's wrong?" She stretched out her leg and turned her ankle to get a better look at the shoe.

I ran out of courage again, so I had to give up. "I love this pair."

"I think I could buy them - though they don't fit anything but a dress." She said thoughtfully.

"Oh, don't hesitate - they're on sale." I encouraged. She smiled and closed the box containing a pair of white shoes that looked more functional.

I'll try again. "Uh, Reilis......" she looked up curiously.

"Isn't that normal...... For the Wright children, "my eyes were on her shoes. "It's like, you don't come to school often?" I tried to make my voice appear indifferent, but it ended miserably in failure.

"Yes, when the weather is nice, they spend all their time hiking – even the doctors themselves. They all love the outdoors. She told me calmly, still checking her shoes. She hadn't even asked a single question, let alone the hundreds of questions Mary would ask in a row. I'm really starting to like Reilis.

"Oh." I dropped the topic when Mary folded back to show us the artificial gemstone necklace she had found that would go well with her silver shoes.

We planned to go to a small Italian restaurant on the Sightseeing Boulevard for dinner, but it didn't take as long to buy clothes as we expected. Mary and Reilis planned to take their clothes back to the car and walk to the harbor. I told them to wait for them in the restaurant in an hour - I wanted to find a bookstore. They were happy to go with me, but I encouraged them to have fun - they didn't know how obsessed I would be when I was surrounded by books. It's something I'd rather do alone. They walked to the car, chatting happily, while I headed straight in the direction Mary was pointing.

I had no trouble finding that bookstore, but it wasn't the kind of bookstore I was looking for. The windows are filled with crystal balls, dreamcatchers, and books on spiritual healing. I didn't even want to walk in. Through the glass, I could see a woman in her fifties, her gray hair hanging straight on her back. Wrapped in a skirt that had been outdated in the sixties, she stood behind the counter with a warm welcome smile. I think I could have skipped talking to her altogether. There must be a more normal bookstore in town.

I strolled through the streets, wishing I was heading towards the downtown, which was crowded with commuting traffic. I didn't pay much attention to which direction I was going. I'm trying my best to deal with the loss in my heart. I tried so hard not to let myself think about him. And what Reilis is talking about...... There are many more things trying to knock down my hopes for Saturday.

When I looked up and saw someone else's silver Volvo parked on the side of the road, I felt an even more painful disappointment that almost crushed me. Stupid, unreliable vampire, I thought to myself.

I walked further south with heavy steps, towards a few shops with glass-walled fronts that looked more reliable. But when I walked over, I realized that it was just a repair shop and an unused storefront. I still have a lot of time, and there's no need to go back to Mary and Reilis right now. And I really need to adjust my emotions before I meet them. I ran my fingers through my hair, took several deep breaths, and continued around the corner.

As I crossed another street, I began to realize that I was going in the wrong direction. The few cars I saw were heading north, and the buildings here looked more like warehouses. I decided to head east at the next intersection and walked a few blocks around in place, trying to try my luck and finding another way back to Sightseeing Boulevard.

A couple of men came out of the corner I was walking to in groups, dressed so casually as if they were on their way home from work, but they were all dirty and didn't look like tourists. When they walked up to me, I realized that they weren't a few years older than me. They were joking loudly with each other, laughing harshly, pushing each other's arms. I ducked to the inside of the sidewalk, gave them a way out, and quickly walked over them, trying to walk past them and cross the corner.

"Hey, here!" As they passed, one of them shouted. He could only talk to me because there was no one else around. I subconsciously looked up, and two of them stopped, and the other two were still walking slowly. The burly dark-haired man closest to me looked to be in his early twenties, and seemed to be the one who had just spoken. He wore an open flannel shirt with a dirty T-shirt underneath, tattered jeans, and sandals. He took a step towards me.

"Hello." Purely subconsciously, I whispered. Then I quickly looked away and accelerated around the corner. I could hear them laughing loudly behind me.

"Hey, wait!" One of them shouted behind me again, but I continued to rush forward until I turned the corner, and I was relieved. I can still mention their smug laughter coming from behind.

I found myself standing on a sidewalk that led behind several large, dark-toned warehouses, each with a garage door for unloading the supply carts, locked at night. There are no sidewalks on the south side of the street, except for a high, enclosed wire mesh with thorns on it, guarding the important goods stored behind the high walls. I could see that, as an unfamiliar visitor, I was quite far from the port of Osho. I realized that the sky was getting darker and darker, and the clouds were eventually gathering again, piling up on the western horizon, allowing the sunset to come early. The eastern sky was still clear, but gray, covered with pink and orange streaks of light. I left my jacket in the car, and suddenly I was clasped my arms tightly to my chest. A single van drove past me, and then the road became empty again.

It was suddenly getting darker faster, and then as I looked over my shoulder at the annoying clouds, I was shocked to notice two men quietly walking towards me 7 meters behind me.

They were the same group of people who had just passed me on the street corner, but not the dark-skinned man I had just spoken to. I immediately turned my head and quickened my pace. A chill that had nothing to do with the weather got me up again. My purse was slung cross-body with a strap, and I held it tightly around my body, the kind of position you can think of, so that it wouldn't be easily snatched away. I knew exactly where my wolf spray was - still in my hiking bag under my bed, unopened. I didn't have much money on me, just a little over twenty dollars. I thought about "accidentally" letting my bag fall and walked away briskly. But a small, scary voice in the back of my head warned me that they might be worse people than robbers.

I listened intently to their quiet footsteps, but it was too quiet compared to the loud noises they had made before. It doesn't sound like they have any intention of speeding up or getting closer to me. Breathe, I had to remind myself. You don't know if they're really following you. I continued to walk briskly, almost as fast as I could run, staring intently at the corner on my right, which was now only a few yards away. I could hear them, and they were still at my distance. A little blue car drove into the street from the south and sped past me. I thought about jumping in front of the car and stopping it, but I hesitated. I resisted my urge because I wasn't sure if I was actually being followed. Then, it was already too late.

I walked around the corner and took a quick glance to see that it was just a dead-end road to another building. I changed my mind halfway through. I had to quickly change direction, rush through that narrow driveway, and get back onto the pavement. The road broke off at the next corner. There's a stop sign there. I focused on the faint sound of footsteps behind me, contemplating whether to run away. However, they sound farther behind the scenes, and I know they're going to run past me anyway. If I tried to run faster, I would have tripped and fallen to the ground. Footsteps were apparently coming from farther behind. I ventured and glanced behind my shoulder, and was relieved to see that they were now about 13 meters away from me. But they were all staring at me.

I never seem to be able to go around the corner. I tried to keep my steps as steady as I could, and the two men I had left far behind walked so lightly with every step. Maybe they realized they were scaring me and were sorry. I saw two cars heading north into the intersection I was heading to, and I breathed a sigh of relief. By the time I leave this deserted street, there will be more people around. I briskly jumped around the corner and sighed gratefully.

Then the foot slipped, and it stopped there.

The street is completely blank on both sides, with no walls of doors and windows. I could see street lights, traffic, and more pedestrians beyond the two intersections in the distance, but those were too far away. For in the middle of the street, hanging out beside the buildings on the west side, were the other two of the group. They all looked at me with excited smiles as I froze on the pavement. Then I realized that I wasn't being followed.

I was blocked.

I paused for only a second, but it was as long as a century. I turned around and rushed to the other side of the road. I had a heavy feeling that it was just a futile attempt. The footsteps behind me were louder now.

"You're here!" I was startled by the deep voice that came out of the mouth of the muscular dark-haired man, breaking the silence. In the gathering darkness, he seemed to be looking behind me.

"yes." I tried to speed through the street.

But suddenly a voice shouted from behind me, "We just took a little detour." "It scared me again.

Now I have to slow down. I had shortened the distance between myself and the two loitering people too quickly. My scream was quite loud, and I took a deep breath, ready to put it to use. But my throat was so dry that I wasn't sure how loud I could make. I quickly took my purse off my head and clutched the belt tightly with one hand, ready to hand it over or, if necessary, use it as a weapon.

As I slowly walked down the street as I stopped vigilantly, the stocky man shrugged his shoulders over the wall.

"Stay away from me." I warned, guessing that my voice sounded powerful and fearless. But I was right when my throat was too dry - not loud enough.

"Don't do that, sweetheart." He shouted, and a hoarse laugh rang out behind me.

I mustered up the courage and stood on my legs, trying to remember, in fear, the meagre self-defense skills I knew. The outside of the wrist is stabbed upward, hopefully breaking the bridge of the nose or squeezing it into the head. Fingers stabbed into the eye socket - try to hook upwards and gouge out the eyeball. And, of course, the standard knee to the groin.

The same pessimistic voice aloud in my head, reminding me that there was a good chance that I wouldn't have a chance of winning against one of them, let alone four of them.

Shut up! I rushed to the voice before fear knocked me down. If no one helped me, I wouldn't have survived. I tried to swallow a little to scream loud enough.

The headlights sped around the corner, and the car almost crashed into the stocky man, forcing him to jump back onto the pavement. I rushed into the road - the car was either going to stop or it was going to hit me. But the car unexpectedly took a sharp turn and came to a halt a few feet away from me, the passenger door open.

"Get in the car!"

- An angry voice commanded.