Chapter 2

Mrs. Peterson, our neighbor, opened the door.

The sound of laughter and chatter spilled out of her home.

She paused when she saw me.

I fought back the sting in my eyes and asked, "Mrs. Peterson, have you seen my mom, dad, or sister?"

I thought I'd finally get the answer I desperately needed from a neighbor I'd known for over a decade.

But the next second, Mrs. Peterson's face clouded with confusion.

"Aurora? Haven't you always been by yourself?"

She said it gently, but I immediately understood what she meant: "Are you saying I'm an orphan?"

Pity. Averting her gaze.

Mrs. Peterson's expression said it all.

My legs felt like jelly, and I thought I might collapse right there.

Her daughter, Mia, came wandering out and slipped some cookies into my hand.

"What's wrong with her? Why don't you come celebrate with us?"

"The more, the merrier! It's just one more plate at the table!"

Her warm invitation only made me feel colder.

I don't remember how I politely turned down Mrs. Peterson and her family. I just stumbled back home.

The house, not too big, not too small, felt ordinary yet cozy.

My family of four had lived here for over ten years.

I'm graduating college next year. How could I possibly be an orphan?

I looked around. Traces of my family were everywhere.

On the dining table, the four place settings from our New Year's dinner were still laid out.

Mom, Dad, and Skylar's rooms were full of their things, brimming with life.

Even the spots where Mom and Dad had been sitting still held a faint warmth.

My gaze landed on the bathroom directly opposite me.

There were height marks on the wall for Skylar and me.

Mom had even lovingly decorated the doorknob with a pretty ribbon.

It all looked perfectly normal.

I started to tremble, unsure if I should step inside.

Just then, my phone vibrated wildly.

Messages from Allison, my best friend, popped up one after another.

[Aurora, what did you mean by all that? Is something wrong?]

I didn't reply.

I'd been so panicked, I completely forgot about contacting her.

I immediately tapped Mom's profile picture and started a FaceTime call.

But I tried several times, and no one answered.

My heart sank further and further.

Not just Mom, but Dad and Skylar's accounts were unreachable too.

What in the world was going on?

I shakily sent Allison a message, letting her know I was okay.

But I didn't know how to even begin explaining this bizarre situation.

The next second, there was a sudden, loud knock on the door.

I peered through the peephole – it was Brett, my boyfriend!

He stood outside, his face etched with worry, sweat beading on his forehead.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, shocked.

His house was in the next city over, a three or four-hour drive at least.

That's why I hadn't called him first, turning to Allison instead.

"Aurora, are you okay?"

"You weren't replying to my messages, I was worried something happened to you…"

Brett shook his phone. There were over fifty messages.

The earliest one was from the exact moment I realized Skylar was missing.

I'd been too frantic to even notice then.

Thinking of my family's strange disappearance, all the pent-up emotion exploded.

I clung to my boyfriend, sobbing incoherently: "What do I do? I can't reach Mom!"

"They went into the bathroom, and they're all gone!"

But Brett glanced at my phone screen.

He looked like he wanted to say something but held back.

"Isn't this your burner profile?"

"Why are you calling your own burner profile?"

"My what?"

I froze.

I only have one social media account.