Renee spent a few more days at Joyner Village, and it was the most relaxing time she'd had lately. She woke up early to watch the sunrise and enjoyed the sunset too. She even went out to the sea with Ava and her family sometimes, and if she was lucky, she could see dolphins and swim with them. After a while, her injured heart started to heal, and eventually, the pain had almost faded completely.One day, she was chatting with the villagers, and heard the legend of the sea witch again. They would always mention the horrible story of an adopted son killing his entire foster family whenever they mentioned the sea witch, and Renee always wondered if the boy in the story was Quinton, her brother. Curious, she decided to go to the village her brother had stayed at because she wanted to know more about her brother's past. However, she wasn't familiar with the area, so Jeffrey readily agreed to go with her when he found out her plan. When Cole and Ava heard that, they chose to support her eve
Renee wondered if the fisherman's family had adopted Quinton willingly or been forced to. Maybe they knew something about Quinton's family background. There was no point in listening to rumours—she had to go there and find out herself."Your brother?" Ava tilted her head, looking puzzled. "Shouldn't your brother be living with you? Why would he live in Garcia Village? Did you live there when you were young? I'm sure you would have mentioned it if you did.""It's a long story. I'll tell you in detail when we're free." Renee didn't say much because she herself didn't know why Quinton had ended up in Garcia Village. She had to find out the truth on her own.After a while, Jeffrey finally finished cooking the seafood and kept everything in a cooler box. "Let's go, Renee. I've made enough food for several meals for the both of us." Jeffrey smiled brightly, looking like an eager child going out to play. However, Ava looked worried and could not stop sighing. "Son, you must be careful wh
"It's… you?" Renee's eyes widened in surprise when she turned around and came face-to-face with Daisy."Ah, I'm sorry, Miss..." Daisy ducked her head awkwardly. "I overheard that you both were going to Garcia Village, so I hid on the boat early so I could follow. I didn't scare you, did I?" Renee was speechless. "Why did you follow us?""Garcia Village is infamous for being dangerous, but you both decided to come here for an adventure. I also wanted to come here, but the most important thing is..." Daisy shoved Renee's hands away and said righteously, "I have to keep an eye on you so you don't harm Jeff!" She firmly believed that the sea witch had possessed Renee and that Renee would harm Jeffrey, so she felt that she had to watch Renee at all times. "How could you...".Renee smacked her forehead and complained, "Your imagination certainly runs wild. Don't you have to go to school?" "I stopped going to school ages ago. My mom said I'll marry Jeff when I'm eighteen years old, so
Delighted, Renee hurried toward the house, but abruptly stopped as she got closer. A chill ran down her spine. "Renee, the lights are on in this house, so someone should be living here, right?" Jeffrey had been walking beside Daisy during the journey, but hurried to catch up with Renee. When he and Daisy arrived at the door of that house, they gasped, the blood draining from their faces."Umm... Isn't that a coffin? There are candles around it too… Did… someone die here?" Daisy grabbed Jeffrey's arm and stammered."What bad luck! We should leave." Renee had been through a lot already, and knew she couldn't afford any more bad luck if she offended any spirits in the house."Yeah, let's... look for another house." Jeffrey swallowed in fear. The three of them turned around to leave, but Renee bumped into something the moment she turned around. Renee was shocked to see an old woman with gray hair and dark clothes standing behind her. They hadn't even seen her or heard her approach!
When the old woman noticed Renee's sympathetic gaze, a kind smile dawned on her wrinkled face. "Miss, you don't have to pity me. I feel quite blessed to have been able to live until this age. The truly pitiful people are the ones who died young..." A long sigh escaped the old woman. "My Garcia Village has always had bad luck. Many unfortunate things happened, and those kids are the pitiful ones!""What happened?" Renee asked curiously."It's a long story. Come in, it's dark outside and you all should get some rest." The old woman enthusiastically invited them into her house."Thank you." Renee thanked the old woman and followed her into the house.Jeffrey wanted to follow suit, but Daisy grabbed his arm, her face pale. "Don't go, Jeff! The house is so dark and scary, and that old woman... We don't know who or what she is. We'd better not go in." There were many horrible legends about Garcia Village, and the worst was the one about the sea witch who took revenge on the whole villa
When the old woman went to get them water, Jeffrey turned to Renee worriedly. He had seen all kinds of dangerous animals in the sea like sharks and sea snakes, but he had never been as frightened as he was now. "Relax, I think she's a nice person. She's just poor, so this place looks a little primitive, but it's safer here." Renee tried to console the two teenagers, but wasn't so sure herself. She believed that the old woman meant no harm, but the house was very strange. She kept feeling like a ghost might emerge from one of the rooms at any moment.The old woman carried a pot of water and a few cups into the hall. "I'm sorry, nobody's visited me in years, so it took me a while to find some cups. I'm sure you all are thirsty—have some water." The old woman poured water for them, looking happy to have guests.Renee took the cup of water and hesitated briefly before boldly downing the whole cup. However, Jeffrey and Daisy were more cautious, and didn't drink it because they were worr
"George..." The old woman trailed off gloomily, her gaze unreadable as she recalled the past. "He was a famous and powerful figure in Garcia Village back then. Everyone avoided him.""What do you mean?" Renee urged."It's not what you think. He was unreasonable and very nasty…" The elderly woman's tone became angry. "He was a tyrant in our village, and he bullied almost all the families here. He would either take other people's things away and even beat them up.""Was he really that arrogant?" Renee frowned. "Such a person should have been in jail.""If we could, we would have done it ages ago, but he had connections. He would be released after being locked up for a few days every time the villagers called the cops, then he would take revenge on the person who reported him. So... nobody dared to say anything."Jeffrey frowned. "I heard about his family when I was young because my village is only nearby. Mom always told me not to sail my boat too far while fishing in case I acciden
Renee knew that Quinton had suffered a lot, but she had no idea that it was that bad. They were both siblings, but while Renee's parents doted on her and loved her greatly, Quinton had gone through hell."Yes, George was despicable, and his family got their karma..." The old woman hesitated, then continued softly, "His family members were all wicked except for his youngest daughter. We called her Joanne, and she was a nice girl who always took care of her foster brother. Unfortunately, George's eldest son tried to take advantage of the girl, even though he was her biological brother, and then... a sudden fire burned down their house. All of them ended up dead! Honestly, most of George's family were better off dead, but Joanne and the adopted child didn't deserve such a fate. They were very kind, but their lives were ruined."Daisy listened to the old woman attentively, then chimed in, "But it seems like that girl had been possessed by the sea witch, and purposely seduced her biologic