Saint Anne Abbey had a total of two telephones.
One was in Director Elma's lounge, and the other was in Sister Gurdin's archive.
The night was already very late, and the monastery on the high mountain was silent. Hesta hid between the floorboards of the suspended corridor and the mountain rocks, tightly covering her mouth with her hand and striving not to make a single sound.
She had cried so hard that her eyes were aching somewhat by now. She heard the Chelated Being slowly pass overhead and gradually disappear at the end of the corner.
This place was about a fifteen-minute walk from the children's living quarters and ten minutes from Sister Gurdin's archive. The fatal problem was that the directions to these two places were opposite.
Between notifying the others and calling the police, she could only choose one.
Hesta did not hesitate for too long—most of the children at the abbey left for society to make a living after turning fourteen, so there were not many people here who could calmly take charge. Running over to wake everyone up now might lead to an even worse outcome amidst the panic.
Then there was only one choice—call the police and notify the Chelated Being hunters.
She and Boheng used to frequent Sister Gurdin's archive. Boheng was fourteen this year and the oldest child in the abbey. Whenever a newcomer entered the abbey, Sister Gurdin always had him organize and record the newcomer's materials. Later, Hesta was also chosen to enter the archive, and she and Boheng became close as a result.
In all her years of living here, Hesta knew of at least three paths leading to Sister Gurdin's archive—the fastest one might not even take ten minutes, seven were enough.
No.
No... wait.
Director Elma knew about these things too.
Was she perhaps waiting in Sister Gurdin's archive right now?
A chill rose from Hesta's stomach, and her tears silently welled up and spilled from her eyes. On this quiet night, Hesta slowly crawled out of the shadows. The dark blue moonlight spilled over her, and she hunched her back, trembling as she returned to the ground.
Those terrifying scenes from just a moment ago flashed uncontrollably before her eyes, nearly pushing her spirit to the verge of collapse. She could feel every inch of skin on her body screaming—yet with every step, she was still walking back, sprinting toward the director's lounge she had just fled from.
Fear surged like a tidal wave. Under the immense pressure, any threat could easily shatter her courage to pieces. She was like a person running wildly on a tightrope, unable to look back and even less able to stop, as if as long as she ran fast enough, fear couldn't catch up to her.
The door to the lounge was ajar. The time right now was so precious that it allowed for not the slightest hesitation, and Hesta braced herself and slipped inside.
If the Chelated Being was waiting right behind the door, then she would follow in Sister Gurdin's footsteps—if Sister Gurdin was waiting in heaven, then death was nothing to be feared either...
The pushed-open door let out a slight creak.
Behind the door was a reassuring silence.
The candle by the head of the director's bed was still burning quietly. On the floor lay the bloody Sister Gurdin and Flosang. Hesta suddenly felt a rush of hot blood surge into her hands and feet. She cast a guilt-filled glance at Sister Gurdin, then quickly ran to the cabinet beside the desk and took down the receiver of the old-fashioned telephone.
There was no need to dial any area code, just press 1 and 7 directly—but Hesta's hand was trembling uncontrollably. She made mistakes repeatedly and pressed redial on the phone over and over again.
By the time she succeeded, she suddenly heard a heavy bang!
"You actually dared to come back, Jane... You've got some nerve..."
The door to the lounge was pushed open heavily, and the Chelated Being holding a sharp blade stood there grinning.
Hesta's body instantly stiffened.
"Beep—"
A signal tone carrying static came from the receiver.
Countless scenes flashed through Hesta's heart—all of them were the wonderful and precious memories she had of her four years at Saint Anne Abbey.
"Beep—"
She grew up under the care of Sister Gurdin and Director Elma. The two sisters accompanied her like mothers and guided her.
Although their tempers were vastly different, in one thing they were the same:
When danger descended abruptly, they would place the children's lives at a position far, far above their own.
"Beep—"
Hesta slowly placed the receiver on the desk beside her.
At a moment like this, she suddenly felt her breathing grow smooth.
...Sister Gurdin was just then, so now, it was her turn.
"&%#@... Hello, this is the AHgAs Help Center, how may I help you?"
The Chelated Being's gaze turned abruptly sharp, and it lunged toward that old-fashioned telephone at an unprecedented speed. Hesta actually kept up with this rhythm and crashed toward the direction of the Chelated Being. Amidst the impact, the black coiled cord suddenly stretched out, and the receiver was swept off the desktop, swinging in the air like a tiny pendulum.
Hesta screamed at the top of her lungs: "A Chelated Being has been found at Saint Anne Abbey in Tanyi City, District 3!!
"The mutated person is—Director Chevalier Elma—"
Before her voice faded, she felt an unfamiliar pain. The dagger that had once pierced Sister Gurdin's body pierced directly into her heart as well.
The Chelated Being's mouth split open, silently breaking into a victorious smile. It pushed Hesta's body away and reached out to grab the telephone receiver dangling in the air, yet—Hesta did not fall.
With the dagger stuck in her chest and her disheveled hair blocking her face, her strength was nonetheless even more formidable than before. Hesta clamped her hands tightly onto the Chelated Being's arms, trapping her opponent and rendering it unable to move for a moment.
"District 3, Tanyi City... Saint Anne Abbey... found a... Chelated Being...
"There are still... over twenty... children here...
"Please... hurry..."
It seemed to be in the midst of a lengthy dream when Hesta felt pain.
First intense pain, then peace.
She felt a scorching wave of heat, as if a boiling blaze was burning beside her. Within the blaze, she saw a young, smiling face.
The surrounding environment was at times noisy and at times quiet. Hesta occasionally heard low conversations, only the sounds felt as though they were coming from beneath the water, vague and hazy.
She jumped from one dream to another, trying to find the person she had seen initially, yet in the infinite darkness, she was like a wandering ghost, never able to find them and never able to stop.
In her dream, she plunged headfirst into a sunny afternoon. This was not Duanming Alley, but Saint Anne Abbey.
Once again, she stood before the door to Director Elma's lounge.
Lowering her head, she saw herself barefoot in a white cloth dress, holding a stack of newspapers in her hands.
For a moment, a familiar warmth welled up in her heart. Hesta forgot everything and stood on tiptoe to knock gently on the door.
Director Elma's voice came from behind the door, "Who is it?"
"Good afternoon, Director," she said in a childish voice, "Sister Gurdin asked me to deliver a newspaper."
The sound of drawers opening and closing came from behind the door, "Please come in."
Hesta pushed the door open.
In Director Elma's lounge, there was always a faint scent of pine wood. This was completely different from the stench she always used to smell in Duanming Alley—this pine scent came from a whole wall of bookshelves on the north side of the lounge. To prevent insects, Director Elma hung many fragrant woods near the bookshelves.
Hesta handed the newspaper over with both hands, and Director Elma accepted it with both hands as well.
The girl glanced at the director's desk, on which sat a notebook and an uncapped fountain pen, yet no open books. Hesta suddenly understood. She glanced back at the empty doorway, smiled, and walked around to the elderly director's side.
"Are you reading books again that you aren't supposed to let Sister Gurdin find?"
Director Elma chuckled, taking it as an acknowledgment.
Hesta walked to the old woman's side, "Can I take a look too?"
"There's no helping it, since you've caught me..."
The old woman sighed lightly and pulled open the drawer nearest to her. She took out the book previously hidden in the drawer, placed it gently on the table, and then picked Hesta up, letting the girl sit in her lap.
"Do you recognize the words on it?" Elma asked.
"From the Wilderness..." Hesta spelled out with difficulty, "An... Anthropologist's Notes...?"
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