Chapter 49: Project Arcana
Damon and Phoebe were both unsure of what to do with Claire. Although the young girl seemed trustworthy, they still couldn't be certain. Deep down, Damon also didn't want someone as young as Claire—who still had so many other things to focus on in life—to suddenly get involved in the chaos he had started.Perhaps in Claire's eyes, Damon appeared to be a hero for eliminating the wicked people in the world.
"So... can I see the tarot card you mentioned in your diary? Please?" Claire suddenly asked out of nowhere, catching Damon off guard.
Phoebe was also surprised and immediately shot Damon an annoyed glance.
Almost every piece of information about them was written in that diary—there seemed to be nothing left for them to hide.
And since Damon had nothing more to say—and didn't want all of them staying outside where someone might overhear their conversation—he decided to bring Claire and Phoebe to his small apartment instead.
Phoebe's face lit up with excitement—it was her first time visiting Damon's apartment. However, she couldn't help but feel a bit annoyed as she glanced at Claire, thinking she should've been the only one invited. Still, she brushed the thought aside, happy with Damon's gesture.
Damon added that they might be hungry, and since he still had some supplies at home, he offered to cook for them. After all, this would be the first time he'd ever have guests over at his apartment.
"Yey!" Claire shouted excitedly, clearly overjoyed by what she heard from Damon.
Damon, on the other hand, didn't seem annoyed by Claire at all. In fact, he felt quite at ease with the young girl—it was as if her presence didn't weigh on him the way he thought it might.
As they were walking home together, Claire suddenly stopped in her tracks. Her expression shifted to a serious one.
"This is it... This is the place where it all began, right, Damon?" she said solemnly, her eyes fixed on the ground they were passing.