A huge clock hung above the front door of the magazine barn, the time read 3:17 and Esme Crane was just in time. She stood still for a moment to catch her breath and surveyed the scene around her by the faint illumination of the sky. Simon was taken aback, for there were few women in this business, and he could not help looking Esme Crane up and down, and then said to Owen, very ungraciously, "Man, I advise you to find a more reliable candidate; how can a woman do our business? Not physically fit to begin with." She couldn't help but wonder if Brielle Campbell's were using this ride to deliver the newspaper? Esme Crane washed up quickly, put her hair up, put on the not-quite-fitting men's clothes again, and walked quickly downstairs. She was hungry again by now, and her eyes were glazed over. All that food she had eaten last night had disappeared to who knows where, and when she got up this morning she noticed that her body seemed less skin and bones, and seemed to have gained some

Because the wooden floor in her room rattled with noise at the slightest movement, she arranged her workout on the rooftop of the apartment she rented, which was open for residents to dry their clothes every day during the day, although basically no one would go up there to dry their laundry, and Fuller, the apartment's elderly caretaker, remained diligent and followed the rules. Amelia works odd jobs for little income and her daughter Helen is still out of school. With long brown hair and freckles, Amelia is not a good-looking woman, excessively thin, with an intimidatingly slender body and legs, a protruding belly that adds to the incongruity, and a somewhat nervous look that makes her unapproachable. The following day, November 20, Obsidian Day, Esme Crane was awakened by her alarm clock at the usual time of 3:45. Dazed, she went to the washroom and finished washing up, and after a quick breakfast, she grabbed her Brielle Campbell uniform jacket, threw on her large cummerbund, and

Checking her kitchen basket of vegetables and rice, there was still one carrot, two potatoes and one cabbage left, and Esme Crane planned to make it all and cook a pot of stew with a piece of chicken breast she had bought and marinated yesterday, and cut two meals' worth of bread to make do with. This pot of stew would probably last her until tomorrow. "And what about Mr. Davies? Is he aware of his wife's current condition?" "I have tried to get in touch with Jefferson, I have telegraphed the mine and written letters, but there has been no reply to the stone. Two months ago was the last time Jefferson returned home and we haven't seen him since, the last time I contacted the mine was seven days ago and the mine people said there had just been a collapse and Jefferson was missing down the mine and may have met his demise." Mrs. Sutton was clearly wary of Jefferson's disappearance; it was too much of a coincidence to feel like a premeditated assault. "What will the Church of Good Coun

Dennis's home was to the northwest of the barn, and while there were no buildings around the barn, there was an old apartment complex about five hundred meters to the northwest where the railroad workers lived, and Esme Crane had learned from talking to Dennis that his father was a railroad worker and that his family lived in the old apartment complex. The top floor of the magazine barn was the high point of this open area, and standing on the top floor of the barn, one could see clearly above the road around the barn. At this moment all was silent around, not a sound could be heard, only the wind was whistling. It was already dark, and the fog was so thick that visibility was poor. But Esme Crane's night vision was excellent, and she could still see the road around her in such unfavorable conditions. Not missing a single detail, she carefully sifted through the surroundings, unfortunately failing to find anything out of the ordinary. Esme Crane's neighborhood, the East Side of Emers

"Huh? Oh, good." Esme Crane's cheeks flushed slightly, feeling nothing but shame that she didn't know anything. She held the book in both hands and stood behind Anna, able to watch her movements from the top of her head because she was a good half a head higher. And then, across the room, Paulina's group of three looked at full alert and took several more steps back, their eyes fixed on the bulging belly. Anna left Esme Crane alone as she looked to her assistant, Dr. Lenny Mason, on the other side of the room and said. "Because it seems to me that you have other ideas about her, and I don't understand what you mean, but I respect your choice, Professor. It's just that whoever brings her in will be responsible for her safety. After all, although she has something special about her, she's still a fledgling in the end and doesn't know anything." Paulina Donze said. "That's right." "Wake up! Wake up Esme Crane!!!" Paulina took a few steps back protecting Bella, and hearing Anna have t