Pulling into the first open spot on the street, I walked into the apartment building. "Good evening, sir, who are you visiting tonight?"

  "I'm here to see Luana," I said, approaching the desk.

  All the color drained from the doorman's face, his brow furrowing with concern. "Take my advice, son. There are plenty of good women out there. She's not the one, boss. That woman is pure evil."

  "I'm just here to collect her ex-boyfriend's things," I said.

  How crazy is this chick if the doorman is giving me a warning?

  "Oh, you mean Karlo? He was such an awesome lad! I'm glad he was able to separate from her."

  "Well, not compl…"

  "Sorry for taking so much of your time. Here's your visitor's pass." The doorman cut me off, sliding me a piece of paper. "Have a great night, sir. I am leaving soon, and the next guy is a real stickler about the rules."

  On the paper, it read, "Don't tell me the plan. She could be watching us right now. Whatever you do, don't eat or drink anything that she gives you. Especially if it's red!" It was the same message Karlo gave me before I came here. I flipped it over, and it said visitor pass with the room number.

  How did he write this so quickly? I didn't even see him write anything.

  "Thank you, sir. Have a good night," I said as I went to the elevator.

  Approaching Luana's door, I gave a gentle knock. The door eerily opened with no one behind it. "Hey Tom! Come on in!" I heard Luana shout from somewhere in the apartment.

  I walked in and saw Karlo's stuff near the couch. "Hey Luana, I see Karlo's stuff. I'll just grab it and go. I'm kind of in a hurry."

  The door behind me slammed shut, sending a shiver down my spine.

  Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.

  Luana came out of what appeared to be the kitchen, rubbing her hands in a dish towel. All things considered, Luana was a very pretty woman. Her dark black hair was choppy and layered in an untamed wolf cut, the messy texture contrasting with her pale skin covered in red glowing runes. She wore a black top with a pentagram on it and jeans that were ripped. When we made eye contact, I could see the kindling of a fire in her pupils.

  What the fuck, man. She's a literal witch. You sure know how to pick them, Karlo.

  "We've only met like once before. You're one of Karlo's closest friends. We should get to know each other more. Stay for dinner. You must be exhausted from such a long trip. I insist on treating you to a meal. But before that, can I get you something to drink? I just made fresh cranberry juice." Luana said, starting to walk back to the kitchen.

  I remembered Karlo and the doorman's warnings. "No, that's quite alright. I really need to get going," I said, picking up Karlo's box.

  Luana let out a deep sigh. "Fine, but please let me ask you a quick question," she said, turning around and meeting me at the door once again.

  "Uh, sure. What's up?" I said, feeling every hair on my body start to stand up.

  "Do you think you can talk to Karlo for me? I think if you talk to him, it might be possible for us to get back together."

  "That's not going to be possible. You've already done some horrendous things."

  "Don't listen to Karlo. He exaggerates all the time. I'm not nearly as crazy as some of the stories that he has probably told you."

  "You tricked him into eating one of your enchanted brownies mixed with molly and made him run through the streets naked, in the snow."

  "He thought that was funny."

  "He didn't."

  Luana rolled her eyes. "Whatever. He's forgiven me about it already. Since we broke up, I've been nothing but sweet and caring about him even after we broke up."

  "You put a hex on two of his exes that led to their deaths."

  "I agree. I did go overboard with putting a hex on two of his exes, which inadvertently led to their deaths. But it's not like it's completely my fault for what happened to them."

  "They both walked up to the top of the tallest building in the city and jumped off at 3 a.m."

  "That's just a coincidence," Luana said, shrugging it off.

  "There is no such thing as coincidence in this world. Everything is hitsuzen."

  "And you watch too much anime, nerd." Luana rolled her eyes. "Come on, I made spaghetti and meatballs, and it's getting cold," she said, waving her hand toward the kitchen.

  "No, I already ate with a friend. I really should get going," I said, opening the door behind me. I turned around to close the door and I was met with a furious Luana glaring at me. I could see fire start to ignite at the end of Luana's hair with a deep scowl transforming her face. I slammed the door shut and started to run for the elevator.

  When I reached my car, I texted Syd that I was okay and started to drive to the theatre.