12
The last class of the afternoon was physical education.
it was my
turn to organize the equipment. Afterward, I put the rackets back in the equipment room.
<
rn to organize the equipment. Afterward, I put the rackets back in the equipment room.
It was my turn
Just as I was about to leave, the door was suddenly locked from the outside. I twisted the handle hard, but it wouldn’t open.
After a moment, a voice from outside said,
“Elara, you got lucky last time. This time, you can stay in there and rot!”
My face fell. I heard hurried footsteps outside, then silence.
They must have figured the equipment room was secluded and that no one would come after school, which is why they were so brazen,
It wasn’t the first time I’d been locked in a dark room.
I tried to rummage for a wire to pick the lock.
After fumbling for a while, I realized the door wasn’t locked from the outside with a key, but with a padlock.
How would they have gotten the equipment room key?
I frowned, banging on the door and shouting a few times, but there was no response.
The sky grew darker, and coupled with the small, confined space of the equipment room, I started to tremble all over.
It was then that I remembered the original Elara being locked in the girls‘ restroom for a day and a night.
That was shortly after she returned to the Richard family. She had disappeared for an entire night, and no one even noticed.
The Richards family had eaten dinner happily together.
As if she had never existed.
This only made Jessica more brazen.
She constantly hinted to those around her to secretly bully Elara.
The poor girl had thought coming home would be a fresh start, a new life. Instead, it was the beginning of another nightmare.
No wonder my body was reacting so strongly
My upper abdomen began to cramp, and I vomited.
The pain made me curl up on the floor.
Jux waited in the classroom for the girl to return.
She hadn’t eaten anything all day; he had to force her to the cafeteria.
After learning she had stomach cancer, he’d researched a lot.
Food was essential for nutrition and building resistance; she couldn’t just stop eating.
Half an hour passed. Everyone in the classroom had left, but the girl still hadn’t shown up.
Jay’s bad feeling grew stronger.
He was afraid the girl had fainted somewhere.
Jax began frantically searching, envisioning all the places the girl might have gone.
He ran to the girls‘ restroom, calling her name on each floor, outside each stall.
Liam was about to head home when he happened to hear someone calling Elara’s name.
<
Liam was about to head home when he happened to hear someone calling Elara’s name.
He squinted. It was the guy who had held Elara that other day.
“What do you want with Elara?”
Jax saw the same annoying guy who’d blocked him before. He was already anxious, so he snapped back.
“None of your business! Who are you to her, anyway?!”
Liam choked. He wanted to explain he was her third brother.
But he was worried it might get out and be bad for Jessica, so he just mumbled, unable to speak.
