CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX - *SECRET RESEARCH*

One evening, as she was finishing up a shift at the Ivory Tower, Lisa approached her cautiously. "Hey, Anna," she said softly. "I just wanted to check if you're okay. You've seemed really stressed lately." Anna felt a lump form in her throat at Lisa's kindness. "I'm just... going through a lot right now," she admitted. Lisa nodded sympathetically. "I can imagine. Look, I know Mark's been a real jerk lately. Don't let him get to you, okay? Some people just can't stand to see others happy." As they talked, Anna felt some of the tension she'd been carrying start to ease. It was a relief to know that not everyone at work was against her. Their conversation was cut short by the arrival of a group of boisterous customers – Erik's friends. Anna's heart skipped a beat as she scanned the crowd, but Erik wasn't among them. As she served their table, she couldn't help but overhear snippets of their conversation. "...full moon's coming up..." "...Erik's been acting strange lately..." "...