Prologue
Two long, agonizing months since she vanished without a trace. Everyone has given up on finding her—everyone except me. It was supposed to be a day of celebration, her birthday, the day I planned to surprise her. Instead, it became the day she disappeared, leaving behind nothing but questions and shattered hearts.
The police have abandoned the case, hitting dead end after dead end. Her father, once resolute, has succumbed to despair, and her mother… she hasn't been herself since that day. Life has slowly returned to its routine, people are forgetting. They're erasing her from their memories as if she never existed. But she did—she existed for me, and for her mother. Every night, she haunts my dreams, pleading with me to find her, to bring her justice so she can finally rest.
I can't shake the guilt. If only I had walked with her that day… if only I hadn't let her go alone.
In the sterile silence of the chemistry lab, I fumbled with a test tube, my hands clumsy with the weight of my thoughts. It slipped from my grasp and shattered on the floor, shards scattering like my fractured heart. I knelt to gather the pieces, the world around me a blur of white noise. That's when I heard it—a scream, distant and muffled, like the echo of a nightmare.
I froze, glancing around, but the lab was as still as a grave. I shook my head, trying to dispel the eerie sensation crawling up my spine, and returned to my task. But then, the scream came again, louder this time, piercing through the haze of my thoughts.
I stood, my breath catching in my throat, and that's when I noticed it—everyone was gone, the lab deserted. I stumbled out into the corridor, following the sound of hurried footsteps and frantic voices.
They led me to the old bathroom, the one that had been sealed off for as long as I could remember. A crowd had gathered, students and teachers alike, their faces pale with fear. Security guards stood at the entrance, blocking anyone from getting too close.
My heart pounded as I pushed through the throng, a knot of dread tightening in my chest. "What's going on?" I demanded, grabbing the arm of a nearby student.
"They found her body," she whispered, her voice trembling. "The girl who went missing two months ago… they found her."
I didn't wait to hear the rest. I shoved my way to the front, desperation driving me forward. The paramedics emerged from the bathroom, their stretcher bearing a body shrouded in white linen. I had to know—I had to see if it was really her.
Ignoring the shouts of the guards, I darted forward and yanked back the linen.
"…no…"
My voice caught in my throat, strangled by the horror of what I saw. Tears welled up, spilling over in a silent cascade down my cheeks. There she was, the girl I had known and loved, her face—once so full of life—now pale and marred by dried blood. Her uniform was torn and stained, her body battered and broken.
She had suffered.
I couldn't move, couldn't speak. My world had collapsed in an instant, leaving me standing in the ruins, staring at the lifeless body of her. The girl I should have protected, the girl who haunted my dreams, now lay before me, her once vibrant life extinguished.
For the first time in my life, I stood face to face with death—and it was the death of her.