Sofia also reached the NYPD headquarters and immediately called her friend who worked in the California Police Department. She gave him Naomi's details and urged him to find out everything about her as quickly as possible, because the more time Sophia and Claire wasted uncovering the truth behind this case, the closer they would get to their own deaths.
Meanwhile, Claire, Stephnie, and Lily were at home packing their bags. Lily was extremely excited about the trip, whereas Claire couldn't understand why the number of supernatural incidents connected to spirits had suddenly increased so drastically. Just then, Stephnie received a call from Robin, who told her that he had seen a terrifying nightmare the previous night. In it, Claire and Stephnie were trapped in a whirlpool of time—one that Lily had started—and after getting caught in it, Claire became imprisoned forever while Stephnie somehow escaped.
But Stephnie knew that even if Lily felt a secret jealousy toward Claire, she would never betray her, nor would she ever intentionally hurt either of her friends. That's why she shut Robin down, telling him that nothing like that was ever going to happen, because the Ghost Mentors team shared a very strong bond.
"Stephnie, I don't know why, but my heart is trembling. I'm getting such a negative feeling… as if something terrible is about to happen," Claire said, locking her suitcase and looking at her.
"What happened, Claire? If there's something on your mind, you can share it with me. I'm your best friend, and I'll try my best to find a solution to your problem. And if you're worried about that curse, then don't. Lily and I will find Naomi and figure out a way to break it," Stephnie said, trying to reassure her.
But perhaps Claire had sensed some approaching danger—that was why her heart was so restless. To comfort her, Stephnie walked closer and pulled Claire into a warm hug. Just then, Lily entered Claire's room to get something, and when she saw Stephnie and Claire so close, her jealousy deepened even more.
The truth was, Lily's father used to love her deeply, but ever since her little stepsister was born, Lily's worth in her own home had diminished. Her father now spent most of his time with the younger daughter, and because of that, Lily had developed a lifelong resentment toward anyone who took away something—or someone—she loved. At that time, she considered Stephnie to be the closest person to her, but the way Stephnie cared for Claire was something Lily absolutely disliked.
Still, she never said anything, because she didn't want arguments between the three of them. A fight could shut down The Ghost Mentors channel, and through that channel Lily was finally seeing her dream of becoming famous come true.
"If you two sisters are done with your emotional bonding, may I come inside the room now?" Lily asked, standing by the door.
"What are you saying, Lily? Since when do you need permission to enter our room? Of course you can come in—and next time, don't ever feel the need to ask like this, not even in your dreams," Claire replied, calling her inside.
Hearing Claire's words, Lily smiled, but there was something behind that smile—something she was trying hard to hide. Something that, in the days to come, would lead to consequences none of them could imagine.
"I actually came to ask if you two have mailed the assignment to the teacher yet, because I just got a call from the principal's office and they said none of our assignments have reached the class teacher," Lily said, sitting down on the bed.
"Oh shit! I got so caught up solving our cases that I completely forgot to finish my assignment. Today is 17th February, and 18th February is the last date to submit it. Look! Lily, is your assignment completed?" Stephnie asked, looking at her.
"Yes, I finished it the same day Claire did. You can copy from mine if you want," Lily said, extending her assignment file toward Stephnie.
"It's okay, Lily. I've already completed my assignment and given it to Stephnie. She'll copy from mine. You go finish your packing," Claire interrupted sharply.
Lily didn't like Claire's tone at all, but she pretended it didn't bother her. She stood up from the bed and walked out of the room. Seeing this, Stephnie followed Lily out of Claire's room.
Meanwhile, Michael, Mercy, and Harry's spirit were standing beneath Divine Heart Hospital, where Harry's son was admitted.
"You're absolutely sure your son is admitted here, right?" Michael asked Harry's spirit while staring at the hospital.
"Yes… yes, I came here just yesterday with my wife. And this morning, I went to the restaurant according to my shift timing. Just go to the reception and ask for Joy Harry Parker—you'll get all the information you need," Harry's spirit replied.
Mercy still wasn't speaking to Michael because she was completely unhappy with his decision to help Harry's spirit. Together, Michael, Mercy, and Harry's spirit entered the hospital and headed toward the elevator to go up to the seventh floor, where the hospital's cardiothoracic surgery department was located.
"I really don't like coming to hospitals," Michael said as they stepped into the elevator. "I can feel the pain of the souls who died here—their regrets, their grief over being separated from loved ones—it makes me restless."
"I'm still telling you, stop helping this Harry's spirit and do the work Lucifer actually sent us to earth for," Mercy replied harshly.
But Michael ignored her words. Even though he punished wandering souls and sent them back to Hell—sometimes burning them in hellfire—some small part of humanity still remained inside him. A part that compelled him to help others, whether they were humans or spirits.
As soon as the elevator reached the seventh floor, Michael, Mercy, and Harry's spirit walked to the cardiology section's reception desk and began asking about Joy.
Back at the NYPD headquarters, the officer Sophia had asked to investigate Naomi called her back at 6 PM.
"Hi Sophia! I hope I'm not disturbing you. You weren't busy with anything important, right?" the officer from the California Police Department asked.
"No, I was just about to leave for home since my shift is already over—it's 6 PM. Actually, I was about to call you myself. Did you manage to get any information about Naomi?" Sophia asked the officer, her voice filled with curiosity.
"Yes, that's exactly why I called. Look, I did manage to find Naomi's address, and I'll text it to you as soon as we hang up. But the thing is, the police here in California received a tip about a major drug deal recently, so everyone has been forced to work extra shifts. Because of that, I couldn't personally go check her house," the officer said, sounding disappointed.
"Oh, come on, Felix! Finding Naomi's address for me is more than enough. I'll go there myself and get the rest of the details by meeting her. By the way, thanks a lot for your help," Sophia replied gratefully.
Just as the officer was about to cut the call, he suddenly called out her name, as if something important had slipped his mind and returned at the last moment. Then he continued, "Sophia, two years ago the police received an emergency call from that same house. Officers went there, but since nothing suspicious was found, the complaint was dismissed."
Sophia took this lightly and said, "Of course they must have received an emergency call—Naomi's stepfather used to physically and mentally abuse her."
"No, you're misunderstanding. Naomi was actually an adopted daughter. The family that adopted her—Gloria and Benjamin—couldn't have children of their own, so they adopted Naomi from an orphanage. And the complaint you're thinking about wasn't filed by Naomi against her father… it was actually filed by Gloria against her daughter, Naomi," the officer explained while reading from the notes in his diary.
"What? How is that even possible?" Sophia asked, shocked by what she heard.
"Yes, that's the truth. Anyway, I have to go now. If you ever need anything else, don't hesitate to ask. Bye, take care, Sophia." Saying that, the officer ended the call.
Sophia also said goodbye and hung up, but she was still unable to believe what she had just heard. Standing there, she started thinking—"why did Gloria file a complaint against Naomi? That could only mean one thing: Gloria knew everything about the torture Benjamin inflicted on Naomi, and when Naomi finally tried to speak up against the injustice, Gloria must have intentionally filed a false police complaint to silence her. I need to inform the Ghost Mentors team about this as soon as possible. How much suffering must that poor girl Naomi be going through—tortured by her father, while her mother supported him instead of saving her?"
"Sophia, your shift ended already, didn't it? Then what are you still doing here at the office?" NYPD Police Chief Matthew asked, noticing her lost in deep thought.
His words snapped Sophia out of her thoughts, and she replied nervously, stumbling over her words, "Nothing, sir. I was just about to leave for home. Actually… I haven't been feeling well for the past few days. If you don't mind, may I take a ten-day leave starting tomorrow?"
Mathew knew that Sophia was a single mother and that she had lost her only son just a year ago, so he always felt a sense of sympathy toward her. That was why, when Sophia asked him for ten days of leave, the police chief immediately approved it. As soon as her leave was granted, Sophia left the office and headed toward the Ghost Mentors' house to meet the team. Her mind was flooded with questions, and she desperately wanted answers. At the same time, she wanted to leave for California as soon as possible to meet Naomi and help her.
Meanwhile, on the other side, Michael had been waiting for quite a while for the receptionist to get free. The girl had been busy on the phone with her boyfriend for a long time. Mercy, however, found the receptionist's behavior extremely annoying. In anger, she snatched the receiver from the nurse's hand and disconnected the call.
"You come to the hospital to perform your duty, not to discuss lingerie with your boyfriend," Mercy spat, her voice thick with fury. "And tell me this: whether you wear red panties and a pink bra, or a white bra and black panties, what does it matter to your boyfriend? Because when the two of you meet tonight, he will undress you completely anyway. So, do not waste our time trying to decide which lingerie you should wear for five or ten minutes."
Mercy delivered the tirade to the nurse at the reception desk in an intensely angry tone. Observing her rage, not only the receptionist nurse but also the surrounding people were slightly stunned. However, Michael skillfully managed the situation in the very next moment.
"Please forgive my friend. Actually, we're police officers, and we just finished transferring a prisoner to the prison, so my partner is in a bit of a bad mood. And she just broke up with her boyfriend a little while ago, so she's a bit angry. I hope you understand what I mean," Michael said with a smile, glancing at Mercy as he spoke to the nurse.
"Oh, so that's the case. No problem at all—mood swings are normal for girls. And maybe your partner is also on her periods, because I can see dark circles under her eyes. Anyway, what information do you need?" the nurse asked, giving Mercy a quick glance before turning back to Michael.
Hearing her words, Mercy was filled with rage. A part of her wanted to slice not only the nurse's body but also her soul into a thousand pieces with her blades. But Lucifer had forbidden her from attacking any human. Still, the nurse's comment made Michael smile.
"I appreciate your understanding. By the way, I came here to meet Joy, who was admitted two days ago because of a heart problem. His mother's name is Frida, and his father's name is Harry," Michael said, sharing Harry's son's details.
The nurse checked the data on her computer for a few seconds, then pushed up her glasses and said, "Sorry, sir. The boy was taken home by his mother just yesterday. He was supposed to undergo surgery, but she hadn't deposited the surgery fee."
Hearing this, Michael immediately understood that Frida hadn't willingly taken Joy home. The hospital must have pressured her to remove him from their care because she didn't have enough money to pay for his treatment.
Michael muttered quietly under his breath, "This human world is becoming worse day by day. We call the place beneath the earth—where wandering souls drift—Hell. But humans, with their greed, lust, selfishness, laziness, anger, envy, jealousy… have turned this very earth into a living hell."
At that moment, Michael remembered Harry's spirit—the poor soul standing right beside Michael and Mercy—with tears in his eyes.
Michael silenced Harry's restless spirit and said, "Don't worry. I'm sure Frida has taken Joy back home. We'll go there and tell her everything about the money. Until Joy's surgery is complete, I promise I'll stay with your family. This is a Demon Slayer's vow—like the fire of hell itself. It will burn until the promise is fulfilled."
But Mercy didn't like what Michael had just said. She had been standing quietly, swallowing her anger, but the moment she heard Michael making such a vow to Harry's spirit, she couldn't hold back anymore. Fuming, she turned and walked straight toward the elevator.
On the other side, Sophia was speeding down the road, desperate to meet Claire, Stephanie, and Lily so she could tell them what she had discovered about Naomi. They needed to get to California as soon as possible if they wanted to help her.
Meanwhile, at the Ghost Mentors' house, Lily was alone in her room, boiling with jealousy and rage. She hated how quickly the bond between Stephanie and Claire was growing.
What was going to happen next…Only God knew.Or perhaps… the devil did.