A Missing Friend

The school began with the routine Monday flag-raising ceremony. Under the blazing sun, Karin endured Mr. Ali's lecture about the importance of being good students and obeying the rules. For some reason, Karin's dislike for this teacher seemed to grow each day, blossoming like an unwelcome weed.

Speaking of breaking rules, Karin's thoughts drifted to Heri. She glanced around, searching for him. Predictably, he wasn't there. Karin had already figured as much—Heri would rather sleep than participate in the ceremony. He never seemed to fear anything. Well, except Selin.

Next to her, Selin was absorbed in her phone. Karin felt uneasy, worried a teacher might notice Selin with her phone instead of paying attention to the speaker.

"Put your phone away," Karin whispered, nudging Selin's arm. "Someone might see you."

"Just a sec," Selin replied, her attention still glued to the screen. "Heri's mom just texted me, asking if I've seen him."

"What?" Karin's heart began to race. A wave of unease swept over her.

Selin now looked at her with concern. "He hasn't come home since yesterday."

"Wait, hold on." Karin struggled to process the sudden revelation. "First, why do you even have Heri's mom's number?" She tried to stay calm, knowing she needed a clear head as Selin started to panic.

"Heri gave it to me himself." Karin nodded, her thoughts beginning to piece things together.

"And now he's missing?"

"Yeah, his mom said this has never happened before." Selin's face was etched with worry. "She tried calling him, but he's not answering. What should we do, Rin?"

A suspicion began to creep into Karin's mind. Her thoughts darted to Heri's unfinished punishment. Could his disappearance be connected to that? She glanced toward the speaker's podium, where Mr. Ali continued his monotonous speech.

For a brief moment, their eyes met. Mr. Ali gave her a faint smile, one that froze Karin in her tracks. Suddenly, everything felt connected.

Karin didn't want to jump to conclusions, but it was hard to ignore how everything lined up. Without a second thought, a single look between her and Selin was all it took—they both bolted to the back of the assembly lines, heading toward a teacher stationed there.

They quickly asked for permission to leave and, without waiting for an answer, dashed toward the school gates. Luckily, Selin had her motorcycle keys with her, so they could leave immediately.

Their abrupt actions drew the attention of nearly every student present, including Mr. Ali. From the podium, he watched the two girls with that unsettling smile.

***

For three days, Heri had been missing without a trace or word. The police had been dispatched to search for him, but the results were still nil. As one of Heri's close friends, Karin had visited his house several times with Selin, if only to check in on his parents.

Things at Heri's home were far from well. His mother looked gaunt, her worries about Heri consuming her completely. His father, on the other hand, came home late every night after spending his mornings searching for their missing son.

As Heri's friends, neither Karin nor Selin could find peace. Even during class, their minds were filled with thoughts of Heri. Karin could see Selin's puffy eyes, which Selin wasn't even trying to hide anymore.

The Social Studies classroom, once known for its lively chaos, had fallen into an eerie silence. No one dared crack a joke, and everyone seemed lost in their own thoughts. The class once crowned the noisiest in the entire school, was now the quietest of them all.

Everyone had tried, in their own way, to search for Heri, but no one had found a single clue. Even the teachers were doing their best to help.

The police had questioned a few of Heri's friends who were with him the night before he disappeared, but the leads were insufficient. In the end, those friends were likely the last people to see him before he vanished.

"Quiet today, aren't we?" Mr. Ali's voice broke the stillness as he stood in the doorway, observing the room. Leaning casually against the doorframe, his gaze swept across the class.

Usually, when Mr. Ali entered the room, he'd be greeted by jokes from the boys and unnecessary questions from the girls vying for his attention. Now, all he saw were hollow faces, lifeless and somber.

Karin felt a surge of irritation at his presence. Ever since he had replaced Miss April as the English teacher for their class, everything had changed. Miss April had been abruptly transferred, and now, here he was.

"I see you're not in high spirits today. I understand," Mr. Ali said, placing a stack of books on the desk. The pile wobbled and fell, scattering the books across the floor.

Sitting in the front row, Karin noticed something peculiar. Among the fallen books was a black notebook, its cover catching her eye. On it, she spotted Heri's name, along with those of other students she didn't recognize.

What struck her most was that Heri's name had been crossed out.

Karin instinctively reached for the book, but Mr. Ali was quicker. Snatching it up, he shot her a glance that betrayed a flicker of unease.

Clenching her fists, Karin's suspicions about him grew stronger by the second.

"Please return to your seat, Karin," Mr. Ali said firmly, slamming the notebook shut with a resounding thud.

"Yes, Sir," Karin replied, forcing a polite smile.

"Alright, let's begin today's lesson."

But nothing Mr. Ali said registered in Karin's mind. Her thoughts were consumed by the crossed-out name in that black notebook and Heri's unexplained disappearance three days ago. Karin was convinced there had to be a connection between the two.

But what could she do? She was just an ordinary high school student with no resources or connections.

Should she investigate Mr. Ali's background? It seemed impossible. She wasn't a detective, nor did she know anyone who could help.

Lost in thought, Karin didn't notice Mr. Ali standing in front of her desk.

"Karin. Can you explain what a narrative text is?"

"Huh? Uh, yes, Sir?" Karin stammered.

"Narrative text," Mr. Ali repeated patiently.

Panicking, Karin grabbed Selin's notebook and skimmed through it. "A text that tells a series of events that are interconnected, Sir."

"And an example?"

"Um ...." Karin frantically searched the notebook again. "A novel, Sir."

Mr. Ali nodded. "What were you thinking about that made you so distracted?"

"Nothing, Sir," Karin replied.

"Nothing?"

"Yes, Sir," she affirmed with conviction.

"Very well," he said with a faint smile. "Since you weren't paying attention, I'll add your name to my book."

Mr. Ali opened the black notebook again, and Karin's heart pounded as she saw her name being written down. A wave of nausea hit her, and her hands began to tremble. Cold sweat threatened to break out as a terrifyingly familiar sensation washed over her. It was the same dread she had felt on that fateful day.

Her ears rang, and her body froze, preventing her from escaping the suffocating atmosphere of the classroom. Trying to steady herself, Karin clenched her skirt tightly, forcing herself to remain calm despite the overwhelming fear.

She wanted nothing more than to flip him off.