Chapter 9: Kirsty
With nothing much to do in the afternoon, Marcus went to the boxing gym on Victory Boulevard in Staten Island. He found a private room without surveillance cameras and began to familiarize himself with his body. He possessed immense strength, but hadn't yet mastered proper fighting form, and this was finally his chance to train.
During his workout, the detective sent him information about the house.
One picture caught Marcus's attention:
A black-and-white sketch, torn in one corner and stained with blood.
It depicted a young Asian man with regular features, a slightly thin face, and naturally grown hair that covered his eyebrows, giving off a sense of quiet intensity.
He bore a striking resemblance to the overweight man from his previous encounter.
Marcus was astonished that, despite their brief encounter, this woman had managed to recreate his appearance from a single moment of memory. He reminded himself never to underestimate anyone.
Fortunately, the woman was now dead. This photograph meant she had no chance of survival.
Marcus burned the photograph and continued training.
By evening, Marcus had returned to close the shop.
"Boss, are you still hiring tomorrow? We have the day off tomorrow."
The three girls asked excitedly, each clutching four hundred dollars, marveling at how easy it was to make money.
"Yes, come at 9 AM tomorrow."
Although Kirsty was moving to Staten Island tomorrow morning, she probably wouldn't be looking for work immediately.
After tidying everything up that night, carefully reviewing the detectives' intelligence, and organizing his plan, Marcus went to sleep.
The next morning.
"Dad."
"Hasn't the moving truck arrived yet? I'm going out to look for work."
Kirsty's striking features—brown curly hair cascading over her shoulders, a white shirt under a brown leather jacket—made her look beautiful and somewhat adventurous.
The residents of Staten Island were already busy at work, and the number of pedestrians on the streets had dwindled rapidly.
Only a few women, children, and elderly people were slowly strolling along the streets.
Kirsty walked along the side of Victory Boulevard, looking around listlessly.
The surrounding restaurants and clothing stores were still closed at this time of morning.
Having just moved to Staten Island, she'd quickly found a rental apartment. Although the place was small, at least it was her own private space.
Her father's house, while large enough, didn't appeal to her stepmother Julia, which was why she was in such a hurry to move out.
Since her father didn't want her to move out alone, she needed to find a job quickly to cover the $500 monthly rent.
After wandering around for half an hour, she finally found her target.
A job posting hung outside a pet shop called "Whiskers & Wings," which read: "Wanted: Animal Caretaker, Female Only, Must Love Animals, Weekly Salary $2000."
Kirsty approached the door.
Next to the shop entrance sat a young man with an artistic air.
He wore a black coat, open to reveal a white casual shirt underneath, the fabric flowing naturally. He wore clean, straight black pants, tall and slender, with wispy hair falling across his forehead.
He sat casually in the chair, seemingly lost in thought. The slightly wrinkled coat draped over the chair didn't look disheveled, but rather gave off a carefree and unrestrained vibe.
Kirsty recognized him at first glance.
It was Marcus Dean, the artist hailed as one of the most accomplished young talents, who had been featured in the New York papers for days.
She wanted to say hello, but Marcus's imposing presence made her feel a little intimidated. She decided that applying for the job was more important.
Kirsty nervously walked toward the shop entrance, peering inside.
The owner was offering such a high weekly wage yet was still hiring—she wondered what kind of strict and demanding requirements they might have.
But for the sake of rent, she decided she could tolerate any reasonable work requirements.
Surprisingly,
there were only three young girls playing with the cats and dogs in the shop. She didn't see anyone else.
"Hi, excuse me, do you know where the owner is?"
Kirsty waved and asked softly.
"Huh?"
The three playful girls turned around simultaneously—they hadn't heard her clearly.
Was she looking for the owner? Wasn't the owner sitting right next to her?
"Hello, that's me. May I ask what brings you here, miss?"
Marcus recognized Kirsty the moment she arrived.
The woman he had been waiting for had finally arrived!
This wasn't just because she was the protagonist. It was also because she would later become the Hell Priestess, the second-in-command of the entire Labyrinth.
Furthermore, she was a Hell Priestess who preserved her human memories. Right now, she was just an ordinary young woman—the easiest stage to befriend.
What was Marcus now? He was an escaped supernatural entity from Hell, a fugitive. He absolutely couldn't miss this opportunity to befriend someone who would essentially become the warden of Hell!
Just like friendships formed during college days, forging a bond now wouldn't hurt in the future!
At the same time, a notification appeared in his mind:
[Contact with major plot character detected. Plot exploration progress increased.]
Marcus finally understood how the woman in the baseball cap had identified Frank.
"Oh!"
Kirsty mimicked the girls' actions, looking at Marcus in surprise.
"Excuse me, are you Marcus Dean, the famous young artist?"
"You—"
Her mind simply couldn't process how the renowned Marcus Dean could be running a pet shop in Staten Island.
"Yes, I'm just here in Staten Island for a break. This shop is also one of my investments. The manager just quit, so I'm just keeping an eye on it for a few days."
Marcus explained with a smile.
"It really is you! I saw you in the Times. Um…"
At this time, Kirsty was still a naive young woman.
She suddenly didn't want to talk about the job application anymore. She just wanted to get to know Marcus.
But thinking about the rent, the young woman matured a bit in that instant.
"Um, I saw the job posting. Are you still hiring? I really need this job!"
"I'm not afraid of hard work. I just moved here and rented a place. My father…"
Kirsty was like an open faucet—she just wanted to tell everything at once.
"Start working tomorrow," Marcus interrupted Kirsty.
"Huh?"
Kirsty didn't expect to get a job so easily.
"What 'huh'? This shop has a new, unique rule: No 'huh's."
"Oh—I mean, thank you, boss!"
Kirsty quickly covered her mouth, saying happily, while also letting go of her worries about the difficulty of the job.
"We need to hire people anyway, so let's go with what the posting says. Two thousand a week, okay?"
"That's way too much!"
"I think you're worth it. You said you just moved to Staten Island, so I'll give you an advance on a week's salary."
Marcus pulled out a stack of bills and handed them to Kirsty.
Looking at Kirsty's happy face, and thinking about how this woman would spend her life fighting against the monstrous denizens of Hell,
only to become the new Hell Priestess and be controlled by Leviathan, Marcus couldn't help but feel a little sorry for her.
But he didn't have the power to change anything. Instead, he had to find a way to get close to this future powerful figure.
Kirsty accepted the money shyly. She really needed it right now.
"Staten Island is a beautiful place with many sights and attractions. You don't have to work today, so would you like me to be your guide and show you around?"
"Wouldn't that be too much trouble for you?"
Kirsty's eyes were full of hope. As for the boy from her father's construction company colleague's family, she'd already forgotten about his invitation that afternoon.
"No trouble at all. I'm here for a break anyway."
Marcus took Kirsty on a nice tour of the beautiful neighborhoods of Staten Island.
(End of Chapter)
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