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“B-but you said the witch died during the early 1800s.” You said. "How can this cottage still stand like this?”

“I don’t know.” Luhan answered with his back facing you. “But it makes perfect sense. All of the Hwang princesses died in this mansion. It was as if they were lured back here when it was time for them to meet their deaths.”

“Wait, you don’t suppose Tiffany came back here because of that, right?” Kai asked. “Does that mean she gave birth to a baby girl?”

“What?” D.O. interrupted.

“Tiffany has a baby?” Baekhyun did as well. The boys continued throwing in questions that neither you, nor the HunHan brothers even had answers to.

“Hey, look! There’s light coming from inside.” Tao pointed at the cottage. You felt your hands moisten with sweat. What exactly were you expecting to find inside that cottage? Please, let it be Tiffany. You prayed.

All of you walked to the cottage. As you did you heard faint sounds coming from inside – chairs moving, objects falling to the floor, and the cries of a woman.

The cries of a woman.

Could it be?

A great shock of electricity hit you, and without thinking you brushed through your friends and ran to the door. You pushed it wide open, and without a doubt, there she was.

Before your eyes laid Tiffany at the far end of the cottage. You slowly walked closer and examined your friend with wide teary eyes. She was covered in blood. Her blood.

Her clothes were torn and creased. Her hair looked like the product of countless aggressive pulling. Her arms and legs were covered with many deep cuts. Her neck was also bleeding due to what appeared to be caused by scratching. Growing up with a sheriff as a father, the little you knew in the forensic field was enough to assure you that Tiffany’s wounds were self-inflicted.

“T-Tiffany…” You called in a whisper. You couldn’t control your tears. And soon enough, you felt them fall harder as you heard your friend call out to you.

“Minnie” You ran to her and pulled her in a tight embrace as you both cried in each other’s shoulders. “You came.” Tiffany said in her tired, raspy voice.

You pulled yourself away from Tiffany and gently wiped the tears off her face. “What happened to you?” You asked as you cried and removed the stray hair away from her face.

“I-I… I” Tiffany choked as she shook her head, never leaving your stare. She looked terrified. It bothered you all the more as you saw that she wasn’t relieved at the tiniest bit when she saw you.

Tiffany’s voice cracked, and you had to read her lips almost all throughout to know what she was saying.

“She’s here.” She kept saying, her bloodshot eyes widened even more in fear as she tried to talk. “She’s here. I’m gonna die Minnie, I can’t I-I… I tried.” She said in between sobs.

“What are you talking about, Unnie? Calm down, I’m right here.” You tried comforting her, but even you were having doubts about who was more scared between the two of you.

Luhan clutched the antique key in his hand. He cursed himself mentally. He knew a lot about the Hwangs’ history, but why was he so useless now? How come everything he knew has not once been able to help at the very least?

What is this stupid key for?! He screamed in his head.  He walked towards Tiffany and kneeled down beside you. Gently, he took Tiffany’s arm and looked at it intently. “You… know about the curse… don’t you?” He asked as softly as he could. Tiffany looked away.

“And you tried to stop the curse… by trying not to kill yourself.” Luhan continued. More tears started to form on Tiffany’s eyes as her faced cringed in pain.

“Where’s the baby?”  He asked. Surprised, Tiffany met eyes with Luhan. “She took her… M-my baby.” Tiffany cried. Luhan was lost yet again. Nothing made sense to him now.

“Who did?” He asked, trying to keep his composure. But this time Tiffany didn’t answer. She fell into your arms again and continued crying. You shook your head at Luhan, instructing him to stop with the questions already. He didn’t fight and backed away.

You turned your head to your friends as you rubbed Tiffany’s back. You nodded your head at Kris signaling him to come over, and so he did. He bent down and carried Tiffany’s frail and injured body. Tiffany soon collapsed in Kris’s arms. You stood up and headed to the door.

Again, Kai was the last one to leave. He was about to step foot out of the cottage, until he saw something glisten at the corner of his eye. At the spot where Tiffany was seated laid something that looked like a box. He went towards it, and as he got closer, the hair on the back of his neck rose. Am I seeing things? He asked himself. He bent over and picked it up. It was a box. It looked exactly like the music box you found in Tiffany’s room earlier, but it was