The hands of a cat-shaped clock ticked forward until they reached exactly six o’clock in the morning—then its bells rang.

Tiiit!!

The alarm didn’t last more than half a second before an eager hand shot out to silence it. On the back of that small hand was a tiny black crack.

The girl opened her dark, shining eyes with excitement, took a deep breath, and released her morning voice throughout the house.

“Gooood moooorning!”

Her sleeping siblings replied from their rooms with irritation.

“Shut up!!”
“Go to hell!!”

Our heroine was Emily—short, with layered chestnut-brown hair, innocent coffee-colored eyes, and a wide, cheerful smile.
Despite her small stature, she was fifteen years old.

After getting ready for school, Emily stood in front of the mirror, wearing her brand-new uniform and backpack, admiring herself with pride. Reflected beneath her chin was a small scar, thin like a line.

She hurried downstairs, her steps light and excited. Hearing her approach, her mother leaned out from the kitchen, wearing a green apron, her black hair tied up in a neat bun.

“Oh… Emily, you woke up early!”

“Yes! I’m excited to go to school.”

“Hahaha… so today is your first day of high school, huh? You’ve grown up so fast.”

Emily’s smile widened as her mother handed her a lunchbox—using her wooden prosthetic hand. 

“Here you go.”

“Ah—but I woke up early to prepare it myself. You didn’t have to trouble yourself, Mom!”

“It’s fine. I wanted to beat you to it,” she said warmly.
“And I know you want to leave early to explore the place, don’t you?”

She winked playfully. Emily smiled back, took the lunchbox, and dashed toward the door to say goodbye.

“Be careful,” her mother called from afar.
“And ask for directions if you get lost.”

Emily froze mid-step, suddenly realizing something important.

—

A few minutes later, Emily and her mother were standing over an old paper map spread across the wooden dining table. Her mother traced a route with her finger as she guided her.

“Found it! This is the name of your school… Hester 62. Hmm… it’s about half an hour away by car. That’s too far to walk. Wait a moment—I’ll wake your brother.”

Emily immediately sensed disaster and tried to stop her.

“No, no, no—wait, Mom!! There’s no need!!”

But it was too late.

Soon, Emily was sitting nervously in the car, her backpack clutched in her lap. She tried to stay calm, but her innocent face betrayed her with a tense smile.

In the driver’s seat sat her older brother, Elex—messy brown hair reaching his neck, giving him an unkempt look, puffy eyes heavy with exhaustion, and an expression full of irritation after being forced to wake up.

“Wipe that stupid smile off your face,” he snapped.
“We’re not going to the park.”

“O-okay,” Emily replied nervously.

“I didn’t sleep until four,” he continued.
“So don’t you dare call me to pick you up after school!! I don’t care if you crawl your way back home—you’re on your own!”

“O-okay…”

Elex blasted loud rock music and sped off into the morning streets. Emily stared out the window, struggling to contain her excitement as her heart raced.

Finally, I’m going to a new school… I’ll meet new people!
I hope I find my friend Lisa there…
I’m so excited for high school adventures!

Her imagination ran wild. She pictured herself as a secret agent, sneaking through school corridors and old laboratories to solve a dangerous mystery—confronting villains in her fantasy until they surrendered before the mighty Emily.

She was so lost in her daydreams that she didn’t notice between the annoying rock music that had stopped—and Elex  shouting in her face.

“Get out!!!!”

He practically tossed her out of the car in a comical manner and sped away, leaving behind a small cloud of black smoke.

Seconds later, Emily realized where she was.

Standing in front of the gates of her new school.

her eyes sparkled, raised both hands toward the sky in a 7 shape, and shouted,

“I did it!!”

A school guard noticed her and called out.

“Hello—are you a new student here?”

Emily stood upright, shy but polite.

“Uh… y-yes. I’m in my first year.”

“Alright. its still early but i will put up the nameplate now, it will take a few minutes. Check for your name once they’re up.”

“Okay. Thank you, sir.”

-

 Stepped through the towering gates of the school, she instantly awestruck by the sheer size of the old building. Her eyes sparkled with excitement.

“It’s really huge!! Way bigger than my middle school!”

She ran toward the main structure, circling it.. trying to measure its size from the outside, marveling at the tall windows stretching from the third floor all the way down to the ground level.

“Woooow—it really is big!!”

That was when she noticed a sealed side garden. Its gate was hidden beneath long, overgrown green branches in desperate need of trimming. Her curiosity flared immediately.

“Whoa… a secret garden!!”

She stood before the old gate, locked with a rusty padlock. Luckily, there was a small opening—about the size of a cat—between the trees and the wall. Thanks to her small frame, Emily slipped through it with ease.

She emerged on the other side and raised both hands toward the sky in shape of 7.

“Thank you, God, for giving me this body!”

The garden was incredibly dense, almost like a forest, stretching along the entire side of the building—offering its windows a dreamlike view and a pure source of oxygen.

“I feel like I’ve crossed into another world…”

Emily let her imagination run free.  almost hearing birds singing and waterfalls flowing, while the building beside her transformed into an ancient castle. She pictured herself as an explorer, following beams of sunlight with determination etched across her face.

Suddenly—

A hand reached out from behind her.

The sensation jolted her awake from her fantasy. She felt someone close, right at her back.

 Instinctively, she spun around to block the touch—only to lose her balance and fall to the ground.

There was no one there!

She scrambled to her feet, spinning left and right in panic.

She was completely alone.

“just now!… I felt someone behind me!!”

Her face began to sweat as a chilling realization struck her.

“G-ghosts!!!”

She bolted out of the garden, fleeing back toward the front gate. to read the nameplate, but found the place crowded.

“Oh no—when did it get so crowded?!”

Her small size made it hard to push through the crowd, but somehow she managed to reach the board. 

 exhaled in relief and searched determinedly for her name.

“I found it!!”

On the same column, she spotted her friend’s name—Lisa Kite.

 Her smile widened even more.

“I can’t believe it—Lisa’s in the same class as me!!”

Brimming with excitement, Emily ran toward the school building.

 The hallways were now filled with students of all kinds.

Laughter, overlapping conversations, hurried footsteps... Everything was noisy and lively.

 She finally found her classroom and stopped before it, her heart pounding with nervous anticipation.

“This is it…
High school adventures begin now!”

The moment she stepped into the classroom, she spotted her friend Lisa.
 sitting at the front desk, her silky black hair tied back in a high ponytail.

Excitement and happiness instantly lit up Emily’s face—
but her smile faded just as quickly when she noticed a group of girls gathered around Lisa, laughing and hanging out with her.

They weren’t just any group.

They were the Diva girls from her old school.

“Oh no… they’re here too?!”
“I can’t believe this—I really thought I was free of them forever!!”

Emily let out a frustrated sigh, but quickly decided not to let it ruin her mood.

 Gathering her courage, she walked into the classroom toward her friend.

The moment she called out to her, Lisa turned around. Her gray eyes—framed by thick lashes—widened and sparkled with happiness. Lisa jumped up and wrapped Emily in a warm hug.

Lisa: “Emily! I can’t believe you’re here at Hester High! I honestly thought you and Jada were going to another school.”

Emily: “Jada went to the coastal school since she moved closer to it. As for me… this one’s the closest to my house.”

Lisa: “Same here!”

Their reunion was abruptly interrupted.

Girl 1: “So… are you just going to ignore us forever?”

Girl 2: “Hello? We’re right here!”

Emily narrowed her eyes slightly and replied calmly,

“Yes. I can see that.”

Girl 1: " harsh.”

Girl 3: “Who would’ve thought we’d end up in the same high school—and the same class—with Emily Iron Foot?”

Girl 2: “Looks like Emily’s so excited about high school that she bought herself a brand-new pair of girly shoes.”

Girl 1: “Wooow! Is that a new shoe?!”

Girl 3: “You’ve grown up, Emily. We’re so proud of you!”

They all burst into laughter.

Emily felt the familiar sting of irritation rise again. Before she could respond, the shrill sound of the bell rang out, announcing the start of the first class. Students quickly flooded into the room, each heading for a seat.

“Excuse me… I’ll go find a seat.”

Lisa: “Okay.”

as emily walked toward the back of the classroom,  she found a single empty desk beside the window. And set her things down, then glanced back toward Lisa.

The girls had taken seats at the desks beside her.

A small knot formed in Emily’s chest.

"We used to save seats for each other", she thought.

The school day passed like any ordinary day—

Introductions, rules, teachers’ voices, and brand-new notebook..
until lunchtime finally arrived.

Lisa eagerly walked up and stopped beside Emily’s desk.

“Hey, Emily! Do you want to go explore the school together?”

The familiar spark returned to Emily’s eyes, excitement rushing back into her chest. But before she could answer, a voice called out to Lisa from across the room.

“Lisa! Come on—what are you doing over there? Break’s short, we don’t have time to waste. Let’s go!”

Emily’s hopes collapsed. The desire to go vanished instantly, and she forced herself to reply.

“Maybe later… I’m hungry. I think I’ll just stay here and eat.”

“Are you sure?” Lisa asked, surprised.

“Yes,” Emily replied with a wide, fake smile.

Lisa left with the other girls.while emily lowered her head and opened her lunchbox.

"usually lisa would sit with me if I didn’t want to go anywhere."

Despite the disappointment weighing on her, her expression softened when she noticed a small note inside the lunchbox.

Smile!

She remembered—today’s lunch had been made with love by her mother.

 A quiet sense of comfort settled in her chest, and she began to eat.

—

Riiiiiing—

The final bell rang after a long school day. Students stood up, stuffing books into their backpacks. Emily did the same—until she overheard the girls talking with Lisa.

Girl 1: “I’m going home with my chauffeur today. Want a ride, Lisa?”

Lisa: “Maybe later. My dad’s picking me up.”

Girl 1: “Oh, What about you, Emily? Do you need a ride? Who did you call?”

Girl 2: “She doesn’t even have a cellphone—remember? Phones rot the brain.”

Laughter erupted.

Emily grabbed her bag and rushed out of the room, fists clenched tight as she tried to swallow her anger.

"I promised myself I wouldn’t get into a fight with anyone."

Her eyes burned with tears, her vision blurring , refusing to let a single tear fall. She slipped behind the building and hid there, waiting until everyone was gone.

Once she was sure she was alone, she headed toward the school guard.

"I’ll have to rely on myself to get home… I’ll ask the guard where the bus station is."

The moment she stepped through the school gate, a familiar voice spoke beside her—so close it nearly made her jump.

“Oh—are you still here?”

Emily turned sharply.

It was Lisa, leaning against the gate.

Emily: “Why are you still here?!”

Lisa: “My dad said he’ll be a little late.”

“Oh… I see.”

“And I called your mom,” Lisa added.
“She asked me to give you a ride home.”

Emily’s face shifted instantly—panic, trouble, and embarrassment tangled together.

(You didn’t have to do that, Mom… but thank you!)

Just then, Lisa’s phone vibrated. She checked the message.

Lisa: “Oh—it’s my dad. He says he’s on the other side of the school fence. Come on, let’s go.”

They began walking together.

 After a moment of silence, Lisa spoke first.

“You seemed upset all day… was it because of Meg and the others?”

“You know I hate them.”

“They were just joking.”

“They’re bullies.”

“Emily… you’re the only one who calls them bullies. That’s just how they treat everyone. No one else is bothered by it.”

“They make cruel jokes about everyone! The only reason I don’t start a fight with them is because you’re their friend!”

“I’ve known Meg since we were kids. She and her friends like teasing—they don’t take things seriously. That’s why I consider them close friends.”

“I thought Jada and I were your close friends!!”

“You are too—but you can’t make me choose between you. That’s not fair!”

“Oh… I see now,” Emily said bitterly.
“How about you stay with your bully friends and keep mocking the new students, while I go find normal friends—friends I can laugh with without anyone trash-talking the entire world!”

They stopped walking, turning to face each other. Their voices rose.

“Huh?! Are you saying I’m a bully?! Emily, you and I fought bullies together again and again! Since when did you start seeing me as one of them?!”

“Since the moment my best friend decided to hang out with the people who hurt me over and over—just because they’re funny!” Emily shouted.

She turned away, storming back toward the school gate.

“I’ll go home on my own!! You don’t need to pity me—I can rely on myself! I’m not like the rest of you!”

Suddenly—

CRASH.

 A crashing sound echoed behind her... It was the sound of Lisa's phone falling to the floor.

Emily turned instinctively to see..

A black truck stood there, its back doors wide open—
like a black hole.

Men in black suits and dark glasses hid their faces.

As two of them pressed a drug-soaked cloth over Lisa’s terrified face. She reached out toward Emily, her hand trembling, as they dragged her effortlessly into the truck.

Three others charged toward Emily.

Her mind struggled to process those brutal seconds—to understand what was happening, to decide what to do.

Her body moved on instinct.

"I have to get help!!"

But their hands were faster.

The moment they grabbed her, Emily knew it was too late. Strong arms restrained her as the cloth was forced over her mouth, smothering her swallowed screams.

Darkness devoured her vision.

As she reached forward desperately, her sight narrowed—
until all she could see was the black crack on the back of her hand.

That day, four teenagers from different places vanished in the same way—

without anyone noticing.