Everyone stood outside the house to say goodbye to Alina as Celeb arrived to take her back to the devil’s house.
“Take care, sweetheart,” Mr. Cole said, pulling away from Alina’s hug.
“Yes, Dad,” Alina smiled, then turned to hug her mom, who was sobbing.
“Mom, please stop crying,” Alina said softly, wiping her mother’s tears.
“Be a good girl, Alina. Don’t provoke the devil,” Mrs. Cole said, her voice trembling.
“Yeah, I won’t,” Alina whispered.
The next person was Grandma. As Alina hugged her, Grandma whispered something into her ear, something only Alina could hear. Alina nodded before pulling away.
She waved at them one more time before getting into the car Celeb had opened for her. He closed the door gently and got in, then drove off. From the window, Alina kept waving until she
