chapter 8

On the first weekend after the start of high school, I got a new phone and this month's 50-thousand-dollar allowance.

I headed to the café where I'd agreed to meet Barry.

Barry was a senior this year. After not seeing him for a summer, he'd grown even taller. Looking up at him, I guessed he was about 6.1 feet.

With Barry's grades, he could easily get into Kingswood School after the SSAT. The reason he was at this so-so private school was because I was here.

"Did you find out about things in Tinco Land?" I asked.

Barry replied, "Yeah, I've got all the info and made contact with the right people. Just tell me when you're ready to go."

I said, "Next week then. I only have two days. If it's any longer, the Wrenley family will get suspicious."

"Sure, I'll make the arrangements. We'll go next week," he agreed.

After parting ways with Barry, I wandered around the bustling streets alone for a long time. Having lived two lives, this was the first time I'd been able to stroll freely around the outside world.

In my past life, from the orphanage to the Wrenley Villa, I'd always been stuck by Rebecca's side, doing her bidding and suffering her abuse. Even after I died, I was buried in the Wrenley family's garden, never having a moment of freedom.

On this day, I visited boutiques, clothing stores, and snack joints one by one.

It was evening by the time I took a taxi back to the Wrenley Villa.

Rebecca was sitting in front of the dining area, stabbing a bloody steak with a dinner knife.

When she saw me come back, she said in a condescending tone, "Sevyn, have you no shame? Right after school started, you went to meet Barry. Don't you think you're being so cheap?"

"Cheap? I don't think so. Barry was quite nice and treated me to coffee," I shot back.

Furious, Rebecca swiped the steak off the table.

In the process, the knife sliced a long, thin gash across her hand.

Evelyn, her face full of concern, glared at me and snapped, "Sevyn!"

"Mom, it hurts so bad. Will this cut leave a scar?" Rebecca whined, holding out her bleeding hand.

"Don't worry, honey. I'll find the best doctor. You won't have a scar," Evelyn soothed, her voice laced with worry.

That very night, Michael and Evelyn hopped on a flight to Tinco Land.

Two days later, they returned looking dejected, clearly having come up empty-handed on their trip.

Early on the weekend, I met Barry at the airport. He'd managed to arrange a distraction for the Wrenley family's watchdogs. So, we were set to head to Tinco Land undetected.

Upon my return, Michael and Evelyn bombarded me with questions. "Where've you been for two days? And why didn't you take your phone?"

I shrugged it off, saying, "Went out with some classmates and forgot my phone at home."

They'd been beside themselves with anxiety. After all, my life was intertwined with their daughter's.

If I'd been any later, they'd have pulled out all the stops to find me.

Thankfully, things in Tinco Land had gone off without a hitch. Barry would take care of the rest.

I promised over and over that I'd never stay out overnight again and even offered to take my punishment, which finally calmed them down.

The following year, Barry got into Capitol Edge University, the top-notch college in the country. With a hint of gloom on his face, he headed off to college in style.

But it didn't really matter whether he was around or not, as most of the groundwork had already been laid.

Just like in my previous life, Rebecca and I ended up at an ordinary local university.

During my freshman year, I was on the verge of turning seventeen.

There was a noticeable shift in Michael and Evelyn's demeanor. The pent-up anger had faded, and now they regarded me as if I were an old, tattered piece of clothing that could finally be tossed away.

Initially, the wizard had stated that for Rebecca to live, she had to be tied to me for life, using my spiritual energy field to suppress the evil spirit.

But after Michael and Evelyn shelled out a fortune, the wizard revealed an alternative. Rebecca and I needed to stay together for ten years. During this time, Rebecca should take good care of her body. Then, a magic formation would be built, and I'd be buried alive in it. The formation would amplify my spiritual energy field, and as long as Rebecca spent some time in the formation regularly, her life would be secured.

On the day Rebecca cut her hand with the steak knife, Michael and Evelyn had inquired if the sacrifice could be advanced. Clearly, they got a no.

So, in my tenth year with the Wrenley family in my past life, they embarked on a major construction project, tearing down the villa we were living in and rebuilding it.

The reason wasn't the so-called old-fashioned decoration and discomfort, as they claimed. It was to build the magic formation to bury me alive.

Sure enough, this year, Michael and Evelyn proposed rebuilding the villa, and we'd move to another one for a while.

Before the move, under the cover of night, Michael and Evelyn hauled a truckload of stuff from the basement themselves, keeping even Samuel in the dark.

Barry had his men secretly tail the truck and found out where they stored the items.

He didn't act rashly. After all, the items would be stored outside for a long time. Building the magic formation was no easy feat. From the blueprints to the materials and even the start time, everything had specific requirements.

Michael and Evelyn paid extra attention to the villa reconstruction project. In my past life, I'd foolishly thought it was their way of showing family-oriented values.

Unbeknownst to the Wrenley family, Barry secretly placed the things he'd prepared for a long time within the villa's foundation.