Thump... Thump...
Urgent footsteps sounded, and soon after, the door opened. It was a middle-aged woman in her forties.
Judging by her skin, she usually took good care of herself, but at this moment, her eyes were swollen red and her face was haggard, as if she hadn't slept all night.
Mrs. Smith saw Gwen and was exceptionally agitated. She hastily invited Gwen inside.
"Erin locked herself in her room as soon as she came back last night, and she wouldn't come out no matter how much I called her. It's been over ten hours, and she hasn't eaten or drunk anything."
As she spoke, Mrs. Smith began to sob softly.
"Ghost-Spider, can you help Erin? Please."
Gwen looked at Lucas, and Mrs. Smith also turned to look at Lucas expectantly.
Lucas: "..."
Didn't I say I couldn't do anything? Why are you looking at me?
"Yes, Madam, I can help." Lucas affirmed.
"May I see Miss Smith?" Lucas's gentle voice sounded from beneath the grotesque mask.
"Alright, follow me." Mrs. Smith walked to her daughter's bedroom door, knocked on it, "Erin, the doctor is here, please open the door."
A painful, suppressed roar came from the room.
"Don't come in."
"Erin."
Hearing her daughter's response, Mrs. Smith's eyes were swollen red, and she couldn't help but burst into tears.
"Mrs. Smith, don't worry, there will be a way."
Lucas first comforted Mrs. Smith, then instructed Gwen, "Go get the coconut I just bought from the trunk."
Coconut water contains a large amount of potassium and small particulate matter, and its composition is similar to blood plasma. In certain emergencies, it can replace blood.
Lucas pointed to Erin's bedroom door. "Mrs. Smith, do you mind if I damage this door?"
"No."
Lucas turned off all the lights in the room, then observed the sunlight to ensure that no sunlight would enter when Erin's door was opened.
"Miss Smith, I'm coming in." He exerted force with his arm.
Bang!
His fist went through the wooden door, opening the locked door from the inside.
"Don't come near!"
A girl about fifteen or sixteen years old was curled up in the corner of the room, hugging her knees.
Her face was pale, her lips dry, and her clothes dishevelled. Scratches were faintly visible on her exposed arms.
Upon seeing this, Mrs. Smith stumbled forward and embraced her daughter.
She sobbed and comforted her, "It's alright, Erin, it's alright."
Lucas, standing behind her, saw clearly.
Erin opened her mouth several times, revealing her fangs, but held them back. Her body trembled more and more.
"Have some coconut water, you'll feel better."
Kneeling in front of Erin, Lucas offered a full cup of coconut water.
The girl looked at Lucas, paused, then took the cup. Soon, the cup was empty, and Lucas offered another cup.
And another cup.
Erin's complexion became rosy at a visible speed, and the scratches on her arms faded rapidly. Her instinctive craving for blood weakened, and her body no longer trembled constantly.
Fatigue washed over her, and Erin gradually fell asleep in Mrs. Smith's arms.
Only then did Lucas have time to survey the condition of the room, which was in a mess. The once small dolls were torn apart, clothes were ripped, and notebooks were shredded.
Just like the girl's life.
One page of the notebook happened to fall at Lucas's feet.
It was densely written with words like 'persevere,' 'Erin,' and 'don't give up.'
Lucas seemed to see in it the image of Erin struggling alone against the desire for blood last night.
What a strong little girl.
Lucas instructed, "Mrs. Smith, when Erin wakes up, let her drink plenty of coconut water. This will help alleviate her symptoms."
"Remember, it must be all-natural. We'll leave first to find a friend and ask for a cure."
"Okay, thank you, thank you, thank you both so much."
Mrs. Smith repeatedly thanked them, then worriedly asked, "But if something unusual happens, how do I contact you?"
Lucas gave a number and asked her to write it down.
Lucas and Gwen left Mrs. Smith's home and returned to the car.
Gwen, who had been silent, blamed herself, "When I brought her back last night, she was just a little nervous. I didn't expect..."
"It's not your fault, Gwen." Lucas interrupted.
"You've done very well. No one wants something like this to happen."
"Mhm." Gwen responded in a low voice, still silent.
Clearly, she was still blaming herself.
Patting Gwen's arm to offer comfort, Lucas focused on driving.
A moment later, Gwen came back to her senses and noticed that the car was not heading towards the bookstore.
She asked curiously, "Lucas, are you going to see your friend now?"
"Yes."
"Don't you call first to confirm where your friend is? What if she's not there if you just drive over?"
"No need."
Lucas acted mysterious. "If she wants to see us, she will naturally be there."
As he spoke, he took out his phone, ready to send a message to ask.
"Focus on driving." Gwen snatched the phone. "Who do you want to call? I'll dial for you."
"Doctor Yao, a psychiatrist. Send a text to ask if she's in her consultation room."
Gwen glanced at Lucas in surprise, as if saying, 'You still need to see a psychiatrist?'
Although they had known each other for a short time, Gwen trusted her judgment.
Lucas was just a fun-loving person, mentally very healthy.
Unable to free his hands, Lucas could only roll his eyes. "Many people have psychological problems, more or less. Gwen, I suggest you get a psychological consultation when you have time."
"Hehe." Gwen chuckled, not responding.
Does she have psychological problems?
Yes.
Ever since her friend Peter, inspired by her, developed the Lizard serum, but lost control due to side effects after taking it, and then died accidentally in her arms, Gwen had fallen into deep self-blame and sadness.
And Erin's situation once again triggered her self-blame.
Soon, the Ancient One replied: "You can come now."
Yao's Clinic.
Knock!
"Come in."
As Lucas pushed the door open, he saw that the indoor light was soft, and an action movie, "Constantine," was playing on the TV, and several bags of snacks and iced drinks were on the table.
"Sit wherever you like, help yourself to anything you want to eat." A lazy voice sounded from a figure sunken into the sofa.
Sitting on the adjacent sofa, Lucas fell silent.
I didn't expect you to be like this, Ancient One.
However...
It's three o'clock, time for tea.
Lucas was not polite, he poured drinks for himself and Gwen and opened a bag of snacks, which the two shared. Then, leaning deep into the sofa, he watched the movie with Ancient One.
Gwen was puzzled, but still followed Lucas's lead and watched the movie.
For a moment, all three were silent.
Only the sound of the movie remained.
The atmosphere in the room became warm and peaceful.
After the movie ended...
"I already know about the matter."
"I can help but on one condition."