chapter27：Tom's change

After the dinner - dance ended, Amy returned to her room, her heart filled with exhaustion and her mind occupied with all the events of the day. She gently closed the door, as if to shut out the mysterious and thrilling world outside. The room was so quiet that only the sound of her own breathing could be heard. She sat on the edge of the bed and rubbed her somewhat aching temples.

Just as she was about to relax her taut nerves, the old radio in the room suddenly emitted a noisy electric current sound. Startled by this sudden noise, Amy's eyes darted towards the radio, and an inexplicable tension welled up in her heart.

After the radio's electric current sound lasted for a while, a boy's sobbing voice came from it: "Hello? Is this Uncle Policeman? I'm Tom. I was bullied at school. Those school bullies are so terrifying. They cornered me and kept hitting me."

Amy's heart suddenly clenched, and she hurriedly responded, "Tom? I'm not Uncle Policeman. Have you dialed the wrong number? But don't be afraid. First, tell me where you are now?"

Tom sobbed on the other end of the line, "Hello, sister. I'm beside the abandoned warehouse behind the school playground. They often bully me here. I want to run, but there are too many of them."

Amy said anxiously, "Tom, you have to be brave. You can't let them keep bullying you like this. Try to find a chance to hide or shout for help as much as you can now."

Tom said with a desperate sob, "Sister, I've tried, but no one came to help me. I'm so scared. What should I do?"

Amy took a deep breath and tried to make her voice sound calm: "Tom, listen to me. Although the situation seems bad now, you must believe that you have the strength to resist. You are not alone. I will stay with you and figure out a way."

Tom was silent for a moment on the other end of the line, and then said, "Sister, I feel so weak. They always bully me just because I'm small and thin and I'm a new transfer student."

Amy said gently, "Tom, being small doesn't mean being weak. You have a brave heart, which is more important than anything else. Look at those heroes. Many of them were not strong at first, but they overcame difficulties with courage and wisdom. You can do it too now."

Tom's voice became a little calmer: "Sister, you're right. I don't want to be bullied by them anymore. I want to become strong."

Amy encouraged, "Tom, that's right. You can start from now on and try to learn some methods to protect yourself. And you should believe that justice will always prevail over evil. Have you thought about what you want to be in the future?"

Tom said firmly, "Sister, I've made up my mind. I want to be a policeman in the future so that I can protect myself and also protect people like me who are being bullied."

Amy said with relief, "Tom, that's a wonderful idea. Policemen are very brave professions. They safeguard everyone's safety. Now, first find a safe place to hide, and then when those people leave, you must go and tell the teacher about this, okay?"

Tom replied, "Okay, sister, thank you. I don't feel as scared as before."

Amy smiled and said, "That's right, Tom. Remember, no matter what difficulties you encounter, you must face them bravely."

Just as Amy was talking to Tom, David and Moli happened to pass by Amy's room. They heard Amy's voice coming from the room and, out of curiosity, stopped.

Moli whispered to David, "David, listen. Who is Amy talking to? Her voice sounds very anxious."

David made a silencing gesture and then put his ear against the door to listen more clearly.

In the room, Amy continued to say to Tom, "Tom, if you encounter such things again in the future, you can first try to find some classmates or adults you trust to help you. Don't bear it silently alone, you know?"

Tom said, "Okay, sister. I've remembered. Thanks to you today, I feel like I have hope."

Amy said, "Tom, keep it up. I believe you will become an excellent policeman in the future."

Outside the door, David and Moli looked at each other, and they both saw confusion in each other's eyes.

Moli whispered, "Who is this Tom? Why did he call here? And it sounds like he has encountered a very serious matter."

David whispered in reply, "I don't know either. But it sounds like Amy is encouraging this Tom to bravely face school violence and also encouraging him to become a policeman."

In the room, the conversation between Amy and Tom continued.

Amy said, "Tom, how are you feeling now? Have those bullies left?"

Tom said, "Sister, they've left. I hid behind a big box as you told me, and they didn't find me."

Amy let out a sigh of relief: "That's good, Tom. Now go and tell the teacher about this quickly and let the teacher deal with these bad guys."

Tom said, "Okay, sister. I'll go right away. Thank you again."

Amy said, "You're welcome, Tom. I hope you are happy every day in the future."

After that, Tom hung up the phone.

Amy sat on the edge of the bed, and her mood gradually relaxed. She knew that although this was just a small encouragement, it might change Tom's life.

Outside the door, David and Moli, having heard the end of the call, quickly and quietly left. They didn't want Amy to find out that they had been eavesdropping, but the content of this accidentally overheard call filled their hearts with curiosity. They were both wondering what relationship this Tom had with Amy. And whether this mysterious call had some connection with this mysterious villa.

In this villa full of fantasy and science - fiction elements, every new discovery was like a puzzle piece, and they didn't know what position this Tom - related puzzle piece would occupy in the entire mysterious event.

Amy sat quietly in the room, her mind constantly replaying the conversation with Tom. Her thoughts were like being drawn by an invisible wind, gradually drifting back to her various experiences in the villa that day.

Those strange phenomena flashed through her mind one by one like movie scenes: the rainbow rain as gorgeous as a dream bubble, the people with mysteriously changing identities, the basement filled with a mysterious atmosphere, and the test of finding partners in the dangerous and challenging darkness.

She suddenly realized that whether it was the adventure she had encountered in the villa or the school violence Tom was experiencing, there seemed to be a similar force lurking behind them.

This force was like a lighthouse hidden in the depths of the darkness, faintly but firmly emitting light. It constantly reminded people that no matter what kind of predicament they faced, they must muster the courage to face difficulties directly and strive to explore solutions.

Amy let out a soft sigh. She understood that the future was like an unknown sea area shrouded in thick fog, full of endless variables, and no one could predict what would happen the next second. However, she clearly knew that in this mysterious journey, she had already found something precious and worth holding on to.

Just like the encouragement she gave Tom on the phone, it was not just simple comforting words, but also a persistent adherence to hope and courage, like a seed deeply buried in each other's hearts, waiting to germinate and bloom.

On the other side of time, after listening to Amy's guidance, little Tom felt as if a powerful force had been injected into his heart. He clenched his small fists, and his eyes showed firmness as he bravely walked towards the teacher's office and called the police.

The police soon arrived at the school. Those school bullies were so frightened that they trembled, while Tom stood straight, and there was no fear in his eyes anymore, replaced by a calmness after overcoming fear.

After the matter was dealt with, the teacher looked at Tom, his heart full of worry. Such a thing happened on the first day of school, and he wanted to communicate with Tom's parents about the situation.

The teacher picked up the phone and dialed the number provided by Tom, but all that came from the receiver was endless busy tone, and the phone couldn't be connected no matter what.

After school, Tom silently took out his mobile phone and returned to downstairs of his home according to the mobile phone's location.

He heard bursts of noise coming from the first floor. He walked slowly forward and saw his mother sitting in front of the mahjong table, staring excitedly at the cards in her hand, cheering and shouting constantly, playing mahjong with her mahjong friends with great enthusiasm.

Tom didn't say a word. He turned around and walked up to the second floor.

The door of the room on the second floor was not closed tightly. He saw his father busy with something in the room with an unfamiliar uncle. His father had a look on his face that he had never seen before. They were so immersed in their own affairs that they didn't notice Tom's presence at all.

The corners of Tom's mouth turned up slightly, but there was no warmth in that smile. He chuckled softly in his heart, as if he had expected all this.

He turned around and quickly walked downstairs, picked up his schoolbag, and left this place that he had once regarded as home without hesitation.