Helma's heart warmed as she descended the stairs. Cole was there in the living room, lounging on the couch with his legs stretched out, a bag of Helma's beloved kettle corn at his side.She could not help but smile. "You're back."Cole rose from the couch as she walked in. "How are you feeling?"She
A photo suddenly made her stop dead in her tracks. She downloaded it and zoomed in, her heart pounding. It was a shot of an old, abandoned car shed, walls crumbled, smoke hanging in the air. There, among the rubble, was a glint of something. She zoomed in, and there it was, clear as day—a mask. The
Guller Mansion was a stone's throw from Forest Park, a mere half-hour drive. The staff had been tipped off, and with one look at Helma, they waved her through and tipped off the villa's occupants.Helma pulled up to the villa's entrance and parked. Stepping out, she was met not by the usual butler b
Rana was not like Ximena; she was a Greenville native, her ears always to the ground, picking up whispers and rumors that others missed.Even if her brother Cole tried to keep secrets, Rana could feel the tension crackling in the air of Greenville like a gathering storm.Helma turned to face her, "R
While they chatted, they were left undisturbed.Upstairs in the cozy side hall, Madam Guller was cradling Smiley, gently rocking him, as Rana watched with a gleam of excitement."Mom, do you think Helma and my brother are close to making up?"Madam Guller's face was lit with a contented smile. "I th
"Artemis, that's quite a lovely name."She glanced over and saw Old Madam Guller's face unchanged, then turned to Cole.Cole's face was unreadable as he mused, "Yeah, it has a nice ring to it. Maybe the next kid can be a Guller."Helma's eyes widened. Next kid? What was he talking about?After dinne
Helma bit her lip, taken aback by how sharp Master Jones was.William, reading her silence, scoffed: "Fine, keep your secrets. Just so you know, Mrs. Jones and I are quite cozy here in Greenville. We're not itching for a trip to Lystria. We get that you care; let's skip the vacation talk."Helma's s
William saw how adamant Helma was and dropped the subject of the Book Of Medical Remedies.After a moment's thought, he suggested, "If they're after the book so badly, why don't you just turn it in?""I can't do that. I just don't trust them," Helma said, biting her lip.She only shared bits and pie