Lorraine has just finished tidying up the last row of the spew. She glances at the gigantic analog clock hung above the church entrance. She has five minutes left, but she still needs to collect some trash and bag it.

"It's time. Leave the rest to me, Lori." Sandra, who is standing next to the podium, smiles at her. "Barb and Rita are helping out with the snacks now. So, don't worry about the refreshment, too."

Lorraine nods. "If you need help, just knock on Pastor Marlon's door." With that, Lorraine takes her bag and starts walking to the pastor's room.

Two knocks and Pastor Marlon answers from the other side of the aging wooden door, letting her in. Lorraine turns the knob, and the familiar room that has become her sanctuary comes into view.

"Judging from your gesture, you're not bringing good news for us, are you?" Pastor Marlon says. He has taken off his pastoral robe. His black shirt contrasts his gray hair that looks almost white, as white as his clergy collar.

"I'm afraid not, Pastor." Lorraine sits down in front of the pastor's desk, her hands fidgeting.

Pastor Marlon closes his book and puts it aside. Leaning forward, he rests both his hands on the table before interlacing his fingers. "Pray tell, what has been upsetting you, my child?"

"It's about... Aubrey–" Lorraine gulps an imaginary lump in her throat "–and Claire."

Pastor Marlon knits his eyebrows, looking intrigued. "Does Aubrey begin to ask more about her mother?"

Lorraine shakes her head. "No. I don't know how to explain this. Aubrey has been acting weird lately. I thought it was just a part of her mental growth as a teenager." Lorraine brushes her already tidy hair backward and tugs it behind her ear. "But this morning, something unusual happened in the house."

"Unusual?"

"I woke up to a sound, it's like someone knocking on the door or maybe the wall. I went out of my room and checked, but I couldn't find anything or anyone. Then I found the television was on."

"Maybe one of you forgot to turn it off last night?"

"That's what I thought, too. So, I turned it off but then, it switched on by itself. This isn't normal." A shiver runs through Lorraine's spine when she replays this morning incident in her head. "And the feeling of being watched was very strong."

If Pastor Marlon is surprised, he doesn't show it. He tilts his head and takes in the information calmly. "And why do you think it has something to do with Aubrey and... Claire?" He slightly stumbles when he pronounces Claire's name.

"Maybe I was reading too much into this, Pastor, but this is just too similar to what happened eighteen years ago when everything started..." Lorraine's lips tremble. "Waking up at three in the morning, three knocks on the wall and the electronic device–"

"I'm sure it's just a coincidence," Pastor Marlon says. "We all randomly wake up in the middle of the night, and the sound can mean anything."

"But it's the three knocks, Pastor. Isn't it an insult to the Holy Trinity?"

"It's possible, but let's not jump to any conclusion here."

"But how do we explain about the television?"

Pastor Marlon pauses briefly while he rubs his gray subtle with his callous fingers. "Did you say you turned it off before it turned on by itself?"

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"Yes."

"Did you use a remote control?"

"Yes."

"Is it possible that your remote control has an issue with the switch-on button?"

Lorraine wants to say further, but Pastor Marlon's theory actually makes sense. She's been told that she should look for all the logical explanations before jumping into the paranormal ones. But what about the box? What logical explanation can clarify that occurrence?

"I saw the box in Aubrey's room."

"The box?"

"The jewelry's box. The one Claire found from inside that house."

Pastor Marlon freezes for a few seconds before carefully asking, "Are you sure it's the same box?"

Lorraine nods, closing her eyes. "Yes."

"But how? You two have destroyed it and threw it away, correct?"

"Yes, Pastor, we did it. But it's there now somehow, sitting on Aubrey's desk." Since Pastor Marlon is still too dumbfounded to respond, Lorraine adds, "She said she found it among Claire stuff from the attic."

"That is strange."

"I know. And–" Lorraine holds her breath "–Aubrey also mentioned that they said I would love to have it back too."

Pastor Marlon straightens up his posture, looking fully alarmed now. "They? Who?"

"I don't know." Lorraine has an idea who they might be, but she refuses to say it. "And I was probably just imagining it, but Aubrey's voice was different. It reminds me of..."

Pastor Marlon raises his eyebrows.

"I'm sorry, I know I should look for some logical explanations first. Maybe she's having the flu."

"That is a possibility, yes. And for the box," Pastor Marlon leans back against his headrest, "I want to see the box myself."

"Would you also bless our home once again, Pastor?"

Pastor Marlon nods. "Of course, I can always do that. And Lori, this evidence can mean anything. It can be just a coincidence, but it can also be what you think it is. All I ask is, stay calm, fear not and keep praying for God's protection. We will get the bottom of it."

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"Look what I found." Claire's eyes twinkled in excitement as she took a small wooden box out of her bag and put it on Lorraine's desk. "It's from that house. I managed to sneak to its second floor."

"You're still going to that place?" Lorraine frowned in disagreement.

Claire rolled her eyes. "Come on, Lori, don't be such a buzzkill. Everyone is going there. It's fun!"

"Everyone, huh? Did you mean you, Franz, Cecilia, and the twins? And what do you guys do exactly?"

Claire shrugs before throwing herself on Lorraine's bed. "Nothing. Just hang out. And chill."

"And smoke and play dangerous games?"

"Life is boring if you don't try dangerous things, you know?" Claire twirled her ginger hair while looking at the ceiling. "The feeling of being at the edge of the cliff is the greatest reminder that you're actually still alive."

Lorraine plopped down next to her friend. "Nope. I don't need that kind of reminder to know that I'm alive."

Claire scoffed playfully. "How can you survive eighteen years living a boring and predictable life?"

Lorraine shot her a glare. "Reminds me again why we are still friends?"

"Because," Claire batted her mascara-coated eyelashes, "I'm the awesomest person you've ever had in your life."

"Awesomest? Is that even a word?" Lorraine scrunched her nose, hiding her smile.

"Oh yeah. I'll add that to the Oxford dictionary soon."

Lorraine picked up the box from the table and examined it. The wooden box was old and rusty with an ancient floral pattern crafted on the lid. A musty odor invaded Lorraine's nostrils, urging her to distance the object from her face.

"Why did you take this with you? You don't know what kind of germs it brings with it."

"Open it. It has a mirror inside and it's black. If you look closely, it gives you some sort of funny feeling."

"Funny how?" Lorraine asked while slowly opening the box.

An oval mirror was attached on the inner side of the lid, encircled by a golden metal frame. The mirror was dark as if there was a black film coating its surface. The inner part of the box was slightly decayed, explaining where the musty smell came from. While Lorraine was tipping and turning the box, the sunlight that was streaming through the window hit the mirror, reflecting a blazing light. Lorraine squinted her eyes.

"Did you feel it? Like it speaks to you?"

"Huh?"

"Nevermind. I'm not sure what it is yet, but I'm going to experiment a bit when I'm home."

"It looks like occult stuff. I don't think Luna will approve of it."

"I don't need her approval." The playful demeanor left Claire's face. "She's just our bible study leader. Not more than that. She can't decide what I want or what I can do with my life."

"Okay, fine. But still, this doesn't look like a normal jewelry box at all."

"Because it's not." Claire propped up with her elbow supporting her body. "It said it knew about Jack and how much I was hurting. It offered me revenge."

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