21: Chapter 21 The "Orphan" Next Door and the Ruby in the Museum

The next day, in the classroom.

Qin Ming pulled out a chair and sat down.

Beside him, Wednesday was using a pair of small silver scissors to trim excess paper from the edges of her textbook.

"Here."

Qin Ming took a glass bottle containing werewolf blood from his storage space and slid it across the desk.

Wednesday stopped what she was doing.

Her pale fingers pinched the glass bottle, shaking it gently.

The blood coated the walls of the bottle, thick as mercury.

"Hmm?"

She uttered a single-syllable query, the end of her tone rising slightly.

"Just a little trick," Qin Ming said, flipping open his textbook.

Wednesday didn't press for details on the process.

To a member of The Addams Family, the process was often more boring than the result.

She uncorked the bottle and brought it to her nose to sniff.

The coppery sweetness mixed with the scent of beastly hormones made her nod in satisfaction.

"This blood is very active."

"I can try feeding my man-eating plant. Cleopatra has had some indigestion lately; maybe she needs a bit of wild stimulation."

The school bell rang.

The balding history teacher walked in carrying a thick stack of materials, excitedly announcing some news.

"Students, next week, we're going on a field trip to the City Museum!"

"We will witness the glory of the Persian Empire and those legendary idols with our own eyes!"

The classroom instantly erupted in excitement.

For these over-energetic kids, it didn't matter where they were going.

What mattered was not having to sit in a dull classroom listening to this old man drone on.

Only Qin Ming and Wednesday remained expressionless.

Recess.

The corridor was bustling with noise.

Qin Ming leaned against a locker, watching the crowd running on the playground outside.

"Wednesday, do you have plans for the summer?"

"Robert signed Emma and me up for Crystal Lake summer camp."

Wednesday was oiling her guillotine model.

"Crystal Lake?"

She looked up. "The feng shui there is terrible."

"I heard there's a killer in a hockey mask who comes out to cull the population every few years."

Qin Ming shrugged and spread his hands.

"Who knows."

"Maybe that's a local specialty, a recurring show to promote tourism."

The corners of Wednesday's mouth twitched upward by a single millimeter—an extremely rare occurrence.

"I might not be able to go."

"This summer, I'm going to Romania with Uncle Gomez to visit some distant relatives."

Qin Ming raised an eyebrow.

Romania.

That was the stronghold of vampires.

"Sounds like a place full of magical creatures," Qin Ming commented.

Wednesday put on her backpack and whispered as she passed Qin Ming, "I'll bring you a souvenir."

"Maybe a mummified bat or a century-old fang."

"Thanks."

Qin Ming watched her walk away, a slight curve appearing at the corner of his mouth.

The week passed quickly.

The large villa that had been caught in the crossfire of the gas explosion was finally repaired.

Robert drove Qin Ming and Emma back to the upscale neighborhood.

Just as they moved their luggage into the house...

There was movement in the white house next door.

The Allen family.

The painter's family with the beautiful garden.

He had heard before that they adopted a young girl who had lost her family from an orphanage.

Through the second-floor window...

Qin Ming saw Mrs. Allen leading a little girl in a dark blue velvet dress into the yard.

That was Esther.

Though she looked only nine years old, with two neat pigtails and a ribbon tied around her neck...

The maturity and coldness in those eyes were not something a child should have.

Esther

"Oh, look."

Emma stood behind Qin Ming at some point.

Her cheek was pressed against the glass, staring intently at Esther below.

That look...

It was like a beast seeing an intruder of its own kind on its territory.

"A new toy."

Emma's voice was sickly sweet enough to make one's skin crawl. "She looks... like she has a lot of secrets."

"And her dress is prettier than mine."

That was the key point.

In Emma's world, anything that receives more attention or is prettier than her deserves to be destroyed.

Qin Ming turned around and rubbed Emma's head.

"If you want to play, suit yourself."

"But don't get blood on our carpet; Robert will have a breakdown."

Emma curled her lip disdainfully.

"Don't worry, Qin."

"She's mine."

Qin Ming said no more.

After being modified by the Basic Gene Enhancement Fluid (Defective Version) he had exchanged with points, the current Emma dealing with Esther—who was merely a psychopath with a still-frail body?

That was simply a dimensional strike.