With Shirley in tow, Skyler went to the bedroom and pulled her to sit on the bed. He made her lean against the headboard.
Seeing sweat on her face, he went to the bathroom and grabbed a soaked towel. Then, he sat next to her and intimately wiped the sweat off her face. Shirley was still in shock, and even though Skyler was caring and gentle toward her, she didn’t pay much attention.
Skyler noticed Shirley wasn’t fine, so he placed. the towel on the table and sat cross-legged on the bed, asking, “Tell me, why are you so afraid of the dark? When you were in Bloomstead, you weren’t this scared. Skyler knew Shirley was timid and afraid of the dark, but he was surprised by her exaggerated response after coming to the hidden clan.
Shirley bit her lip slightly, recalling past events in her mind as she nervously looked around. After sensing Shirley’s discomfort, Skyler’s heart ached.
“It’s a long story…”
Shirley sighed and continued, “Over ten years ago, I encountered evil spirits. Back then, I could see my deceased grandfather haunting me day or night. Also, I wasn’t in the pinkest of health. I was fine during the day, but I had a high fever one night. My parents took me to the hospital, but the doctor said it was just a fever and only gave me an IV drip.”
She added, “Even after receiving treatment for half a month, nothing changed. The same thing. happened when we switched to another hospital. Later on, my parents realized it might’ve been an evil spirit, so they contacted a well-known shaman in the area. According to the shaman, I had a weak aura and came into contact with something evil, so I was given a cure and told to sleep with a kitchen knife under my pillow at night.”
“Sure enough, after that day, I couldn’t see my deceased grandfather anymore, the fever subsided, and life returned to normal.”
At this point, Shirley paused. “My family lived in a remote countryside area, and back then, every household had wooden or bamboo houses, which are similar to the houses here. That’s why I became terrified after coming here.”
Since she lived in poverty during childhood, the people in Shirley’s hometown lived in wooden or bamboo houses. As time went on, those wooden and bamboo houses were replaced by modern buildings.
As such, Shirley had almost forgotten the terrifying memories of her childhood until she came to the hidden clan and saw the people’s clothing and wooden houses. Everything seemed to return to her younger, darker days.
Combined with the terrifying yet real stories she heard when she was younger, Shirley became afraid in this unfamiliar environment.
“So that’s what it is.”
Skyler secretly sighed in relief and comforted. Shirley, saying, “It’s all in the past, so everything will be fine.”
Listening to Shirley talking about her past, Skyler didn’t find it unbelievable.
After all, he had a friend who experienced something similar years ago. Having been frightened, he had a high fever that couldn’t be subdued until he reached out to a few shamans.
But whether it was due to excessive fright causing the hallucinations or if such souls existed, Skyler couldn’t say for sure. He just felt guilty for bringing Shirley to the hidden clan. His heart ached even more, especially when he saw her pale face as she trembled in the wardrobe.
“Tomorrow’s a new day. Let’s go out for a walk, okay?”
He wanted to take Shirley to a nearby church tomorrow. They would pray for her safety and give her peace of mind, perhaps even boosting her courage.
“Okay,” Shirley replied. Skyler moved closer, sitting beside her as he leaned against the headboard.
Then, he thought of something and smiled, saying, “By the way, I suddenly remembered a funny story from my childhood. When I was young, my parents were busy with work every day and had no time to keep me company. I was mischievous and tried to attract their attention, hoping they would spend more time with me, but nothing worked. Once, they promised they’d celebrate my birthday with me, but they took off the moment they received a call from work. My birthday party hadn’t even begun.”
He continued, “I felt terribly wronged that day, so I hid in my room and cried for a long time. After that, I decided to run away from home.”
