It had been three days since anyone had seen Amara.

At first, no one panicked. She had skipped classes before. Maybe she needed time to herself, that’s what Elena kept telling herself. But by the third day, when Amara’s phone went straight to voicemail and her texts stayed unread, something in her chest started to twist.

The morning was cold when Mrs. Alvarez, Amara’s mother, showed up outside Elena’s dorm. She looked smaller somehow, her face pale and tired, eyes searching the campus courtyard like she might spot her daughter walking out any minute.

“Elena,” she said softly, her voice trembling. “Have you heard from her?”

Elena shook her head, clutching her phone tighter. “No. I tried calling her too. I even went by Zoe’s place yesterday, but no one answered.”

The two of them stood there for a moment, silence stretching between them, heavy with what neither wanted to say.

Mrs. Alvarez exhaled shakily. “She would never go this long without calling me. Something’s wrong.”

That was when Elena felt it fully, the fear she’s been trying to push down since the night of the argument. The image of Amara’s angry face at the party flashed through her mind, her words, sharp and final, “You don’t understand me anymore.”

Now, those words echoed like ghosts.

They went to the Ravenswood Police Station, a small building near the center of town, the kind with chipped paint and a tired-looking front desk officer. The air smelled faintly of coffee and paper.

Elena did most of the talking. She told them everything. when Amara was last seen, who she’d been with, how she’d stopped showing up to class. Mrs. Alvarez sat beside her, hands trembling as she wrung the hem of her coat.

The officer nodded slowly, jotting notes down on a yellow pad.

“When was the last time anyone heard from her?”

Elena swallowed. “Friday night. There was… a party.”

That word party seemed to hang in the air too long.

The officer looked up, frowning. “Do you know who she left with?”

Elena hesitated. Dylan, Zoe and Ryan’s name hovered on her tongue.  But she said nothing. Not yet.

“I’m not sure,” she whispered.

Mrs. Alvarez leaned forward, her voice breaking. “Please… please find my daughter.”

The officer gave a slow nod. “We’ll file the report. We’ll do what we can.”

As they left the station, the cold air hit Elena like a wall. She looked up at the gray sky and felt her stomach sink.