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Her parents clung to the dean's legs, wailing for" justice", chaos erupting. The police and school officials tried in vain to calm them down.
"The priority is finding Sarah, not demanding money. Is this what normal parents do?" The police sternly stopped their theatrics.
Sarah's parents toned it down, sniffling," If you don't find her, you pay."
Sarah was the neglected child at home, with twin younger brothers favored. Her parents squeezed her dry. I never expected they'd care more about compensation than finding her.
After silencing them, the police turned to me kindly."Please tell us about the last time you saw Sarah"
I nodded." She said she was traveling. Last I saw, she was packing..."
Before I finished, her parents shrieked," Travel? Where'd she get the money!"
"She has the nerve to study away and hide money from her poor parents to go on a trip! Let her rot out there!" They beat their chests, and the police immediately sensed something was off.
"Quick, check her ticket records!" The officer called a colleague urgently.
I added," Sarah's ticket wasn't bought normally—it was through a shady app, along with a one-cent hostel."
The police's eyes lit up."Do you remember the app's name?"
"It's called'Save Daily Travel.'"
The officer searched the app store on his phone, finding nothing.
"It's not there. I don't know how Sarah got it."
The officer's face grew graver.
My suspicions from previous life were right.I'd doubted the cheap ticket, but Sarah dismissed it. Her disappearance now proved the danger.
"Okay, we'll keep investigating."
"If you hear from Sarah, contact us immediately."
The police, swamped, instructed me before leaving.
After they left, Sarah's parents kept arguing with the dean." You raise kids like this? Disrespecting parents, chasing fun!"
"She's immoral, hoarding money instead of giving it to us. You owe us emotional damages!"
I couldn't listen anymore.
If her parents hadn't drained her, Sarah wouldn't be so obsessed with deals, falling for a scam.
The young counselor, furious, snapped," You dare say that? What kind of parents are you?"
Another fight broke out, but I left, done with it.
Sarah's plight made me sigh.
But last life, I stopped her from danger—what did I get?
She could've escaped her family but chose to mirror them, turning on those who helped her.
Life brings countless hardships, but who you become is your choice.
I took a deep breath and walked out of the office, eager to escape the suffocating mess.
On the sixth day of Sarah's disappearance, I got a WeChat from her.
"Jessica, I'm exploring a forest. The hostel's great—wanna come"
"The owner and I are friends. She says if you come, she'll cover your ticket and stay."
It sounded like Sarah, but I was skeptical.
"You're not missing? Why not message your family? The school's going crazy looking for you"
She paused."What are you thinking? Missing"
"Don't joke. I just couldn't reply—bad signal in the forest.I'll let them know I'm fine."
"Come on, Jessica, I'm not lying. It's so fun. Bring some classmates—it's free"
"Free stuff—why pass it up"
She typed rapidly, as if worried I'd doubt her, and sent me photos of clear streams, red maple trees, impressive rock formations, and dense jungles... The only thing missing were pictures of herself.
The only thing missing was a photo of her.
"The views are gorgeous—why no pics of you?"
She went quiet again.
