If You Find Me, I'll Let You Heh Heh Heh

Edward had finished another day at school. The moment he entered the house, he headed straight for his mother Sarah, who was busy in the kitchen, and urgently asked how things were going with Carrie.

Sarah paused what she was doing and turned around with a gentle smile. "It's been settled. Carrie's mother is mentally unstable and will be placed in a psychiatric hospital for treatment. As for Carrie, she'll be staying with us for the time being."

Edward nodded slightly at the news. Just then, his father John called everyone over to the dining table for dinner.

The family sat around the table. The fragrance of the food filled the air, but it failed to dispel the somewhat stifling atmosphere.

John made a few polite remarks, trying to help Carrie relax, but she seemed not to have recovered from the shock. She remained timid and withdrawn, merely lowering her head and taking small bites of her food.

After dinner, John smilingly linked arms with Sarah. "Honey, let's go enjoy some time alone tonight." Sarah readily nodded, and the two left hand in hand.

At that moment, only Edward, Lily—who was Malkis—and Carrie remained in the house.

Edward looked at Carrie, his eyes full of encouragement, then turned to Lily. "Malkis, guide Carrie. Teach her how to control her superpower."

Carrie froze slightly, unease and doubt flashing through her eyes. "I... can I do it?"

Edward looked at her firmly, his gaze filled with trust. "I believe in you, Carrie. You can definitely do it."

Carrie lightly bit her lip. After hesitating for a moment, she slowly nodded. "Mm."

The corners of Malkis's lips lifted slightly into a confident smile.

For a demon like her, teaching Carrie to control her superpower was child's play. She walked over to Carrie and patiently began explaining and demonstrating.

Under Malkis's careful guidance, Carrie gradually immersed herself in the practice.

After practicing for a while, a miracle happened. Carrie was actually able to simply control the movement of lighter objects. A small teacup slowly slid across the tabletop under the control of her thoughts.

"Carrie, you're amazing!" Edward praised excitedly from the side.

At Edward's praise, a blush instantly spread across Carrie's cheeks, red from embarrassment.

She raised her head, her eyes shining with surprise and pride. At that moment, it was as though she had seen a new hope in life.

Just as they wanted to continue practicing, the telephone rang.

Edward frowned and strode over to the landline, picking up the receiver. "Hello, this is the Connor Household!"

"Heh heh heh, Edward Connor, your parents have left, haven't they?" An eerie distorted voice came from the other end of the line. It seemed to rise from the depths of a dark valley, carrying an indescribable chill.

The instant Edward heard it, he realized the caller had deliberately altered their voice. He knitted his brows and snapped, "Who are you? Stop putting on an act!"

"Heh heh heh, why don't you Guess Who I Am?" The caller seemed determined to toy with Edward. That strange laughter echoed through the receiver, making his skin crawl.

Edward gave a cold snort and replied without hesitation, "I'm not guessing." Then, with a click, he hung up.

Carrie looked at Edward worriedly and asked softly, "Who was that?"

"Just a prank call. Don't worry about it." With that, Edward turned and returned to sit by the sofa.

However, before he could settle down, the phone rang again with a piercing shriek.

Edward helplessly picked up the receiver again. The same deep, distorted voice was still on the other end.

"Who the hell are you? Pranks have limits!" Edward's tone now carried obvious anger.

"You can guess!" The caller remained relentless, the teasing tone seeming to deliberately test Edward's patience.

"Guess whether I'll guess." Edward could no longer be bothered to deal with the caller and decisively hung up again.

But as if the phone had been enchanted, it rang again soon afterward.

This time, Edward simply pressed the answering machine button. Beep beep beep. "This is the Connor Household. Please leave a message after the beep!"

"Oh, Edward, do you think pressing the answering machine will do you any good?" The voice came again.

Edward's heart tightened. How did he know? Is he watching the house from somewhere nearby right now? The situation gave him an inexplicable sense of familiarity, as though he had seen it in some movie before. Yet no matter how hard he tried, he could not remember which movie it was.

"Kid, this joke's gone a little too far! You'd better hope I don't find you."

Edward picked up the phone and warned the caller through the receiver while striding to the floor-to-ceiling window in the living room. With a swish, he pulled the curtains shut, then turned and gave Lily a look, signaling her to hide with Carrie.

Then, with a thought, Edward retrieved the Ebony and Ivory Pistols from the system space.

"Heh heh heh, Edward, do you think I don't know what you're doing just because you closed the curtains? What are you doing with those guns?" The eerie voice came through the phone again, as though it could see Edward's every move.

Could this guy be hiding somewhere inside my house right now? Edward immediately scanned the entire living room warily, his gaze sharp as he tried to identify every possible hiding place.

The space beneath the sofa looked highly suspicious. The cabinets could hide someone too. Or perhaps the guy was hiding upstairs near the bedrooms?

But if the guy really was inside the house, he should have been able to hear him talking.

Edward held his breath and said nothing, listening intently as he tried to catch the source of the mysterious person's voice.

Yet apart from the voice continuously coming from the phone and tugging at his taut nerves, the surroundings were deathly silent.

"Edward, want to play a game of hide-and-seek with me? If you find me, I'll let you heh heh heh!"

(Ghostface—Scream)