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STANDING BEFORE a quaint house nestled in the midst of the autumn leaves, your breath catches in your throat as a shiver races down your spine. The scent of rotting leaf litter underfoot and the rustling of maple leaves as they drift down from the trees behind the house fill your senses with a foreboding feeling.
Unable to tear your eyes away from the house, you reach for your phone and dial Caelus's number. Your mouth goes dry as you wait for it to ring, and your heart pounds like it's about to leap out of your chest. When he finally picks up, you manage to get out a quavering, "I'm in front of his house... Where are you?"
As you wait for Caelus to answer, the weight of anticipation feels like a physical force pressing down on you. Finally, you hear his familiar voice on the other end, and the tension in your body begins to slowly subside, "Oh! You're here! Wait!..."
A wave of relief washes over you, and you realize that you've been holding your breath. You take a deep gasping breath as your heart rate slowly returns to normal.
The autumn wind blew, ruffling your hair and carrying the scent of rotting leaves. The maple trees behind the house, their leaves turning brilliant amber and crimson, rustled in the breeze, sending a flutter of nerves through your belly. You cupped your cheeks in your hands, trying to will your racing heart to slow down. Why had you agreed to come here? It was all that stupid raccoon's fault.
Unable to shake the knot of anxiety in your chest, you called Caelus for the third time in as many minutes. This time, the phone was picked up on the first ring. "You're where?" His voice boomed down the line, the mischief evident in his tone.
"Will you hurry up and open the door!" You responded meekly, feeling the blood drain from your face. Suddenly, your mouth was dry, and the butterflies in your stomach felt like they were trying to escape.
You tried to take a deep, calming breath, but the image of Dan Heng's reaction to finding you at his own house sent a chill down your spine. You couldn't deny that, in the moment you agreed to meet the raccoon wherever he was, but the thought of him being at Dan Heng's house had never crossed your mind. You were naive, you realized that, and now the consequences of your actions loomed over you like a dark cloud.
You clutched your bag and paced back and forth on the sidewalk, feeling like your heart was about to burst. The fall evening air was growing colder, but you were too busy panicking to notice. If anyone from the neighborhood saw you here, they would certainly think you were breaking into Dan Heng's house, and that was the last thing you needed. "I'm so stupid, so stupid," You muttered to yourself, wringing your hands together.
Just as you were about to turn around and give up, you heard a faint click from the gate. Your heart skipped a beat as the metal latch sprung open with a faint creak. You froze, staring at the slowly opening door, too afraid to move.
