Annie awaited her first guests. She waited in her art room. The other creatures writhed and squirmed, but made no noise. She sat alone looking at the surreal ceiling painted with many clashing colors. It helped her think.

She knew that the girls named Anne and Nina would be very receptive to coming by her letters. While Annie never personally met them, she maintained a close watch over them. And not just them, but all the other Light Guardians using her spiders. However, none of them grabbed her attention.

She sat awaiting their arrival. She knew it would be soon. Either today or tomorrow, she hoped. There was no desire to rest until her first two guests came. Of course, she knew that those two would be cautious about it, so she didn't get her hopes up too much. It was night as well, so she wondered whether they would come in the morning. Annie was sleep deprived, but still looked radiant and longing for her guests. Annie was certain that they would especially enjoy her art gallery.

Jack entered and saw Annie waiting patiently. Annie smiled at her presence and asked, "So, assistant, have those two girls arrived?"

"Yes. They are outside, but they are looking around the area as they enter."

"Hmm. I know the outside of the gallery isn't anything special. Didn't want to put up a sign just yet. Give them a little eye candy," Annie said, "Show them a glimpse of what they want to see and bring them in."

Jack nodded her head, but didn't leave. Jack remembered when she chased Annie for ages just to make her suffer, but now she didn't feel anything like that at all.

Jack approached Annie.

"What is it, assistant?" Annie asked before Jack grabbed her by the throat.

Jack lifted her up with both hands and began to choke her. Annie coughed loudly before all the air in her lungs were gone.

Jack looked at Annie's dying eyes, but she still felt nothing. Not hate nor satisfaction. There was just nothing.

And then, Annie looked back at Jack and smiled. She didn't try to struggle. And then Jack knew that Annie enjoyed it. She wanted to die by Jack's hands rather than to whatever illness she contracted.

When Jack realized that, her grip loosened, and Annie's smile faded. Jack dropped her down to her knees. Both of them were disappointed.

Jack left to make sure that Annie's guests would enter.

And then Annie stood up and followed suit. She wanted to greet her guests when they came. She looked at a mirror in the corner and made sure her hair was nice and even. She conjured her rod and walked out.

As Annie looked at her art one last time before the guests would arrive, she began to remember how they came to be.

For Annie to get all of these art pieces, she needed bodies. She didn't care whether they were human, Light Guardian, or Night Demon. To her, they were all important parts.

She just waited for them to die, so she could pick them up later for her art projects. Then, Tendra would worry about adding the memories that were required using whatever the spiders reported.

But there were those who only came recently. The three guardians of darkness. Annie's orders were explicit in watching Light Guardians, so the spiders never felt the need to watch or report Jack, Yune, and Mary. The spiders didn't see them as anything but shrouds. The spiders were like machines only following orders rather than thinking for themselves. Occasionally, they would be given freedom to control others to cause chaos in the world, but that was it. If Annie knew of their existence, she would have been most interested in them, especially Jack.