What If?

Chapter 14 - Missing

Her steps felt heavier with every passing second, racing against her increasingly ragged breath. Guilt surged violently inside Launa's chest, mingling with the worst-case scenarios that had been haunting her mind all afternoon. In the midst of the absolute chaos currently consuming Belmont, being late was a monumental mistake.

As the distance shrank to just a few dozen meters, Launa's eyes darted frantically, scanning every single corner of the old bus stop. Her heart pounded so violently it left a dull ache in her chest.

"Laura..." she whispered under her breath, her voice nearly swallowed by the midday wind.

She narrowed her eyes and wiped a bead of sweat creeping down her temple, desperately searching for that familiar school uniform she knew so well. But the long metal bench beneath the bus stop roof was completely empty. There was no sign of her sister anywhere. Only a faded, worn-out brochure fluttering in the breeze and a few dead leaves swirling across the concrete floor.

Launa skidded to a halt right at the edge of the stop. An icy chill suddenly washed over her from head to toe, freezing the blood in her veins. Laura wasn't there.

However, the moment her eyes swept over the bus stop, Launa’s knees went completely weak. The stop was entirely deserted.

"Oh god, Laura... where are you…" Launa whispered, her voice trembling violently as she fought back the tears stinging the corners of her eyes.

She scanned her surroundings in a panic. The bus stop was completely dead. There were only two or three adults sitting far apart from each other, and even they seemed utterly oblivious, glued to their own devices. There was absolutely no sign of a seven-year-old girl with a little backpack anywhere.

With her hands shaking uncontrollably from the forced rush of adrenaline, Launa scrambled to unlock her phone. She hit the call button on Laura’s contact.

The number you are trying to reach is currently inactive or out of coverage.

The call went completely dead, cutting off before it could even ring.

"Oh my god... why does everything have to go wrong today? Please, Lord, help me..." Launa frustratedly cursed under her breath, tugging at her own hair. Tears began to well up in her eyes, blurring her vision.

But Launa refused to give in to her fear. She stepped out of the bus stop area and walked briskly down the sidewalk, checking behind building pillars, peering into nearby shops, and searching through the narrow alleys.

Nothing. Laura was nowhere to be found. As she kept walking, completely lost, her thumb desperately kept redialing her sister's number on her phone. She prayed for a miracle that her sister's phone would suddenly turn back on. But the result was always the same.

In the midst of her skyrocketing panic, Launa's fingers hovered over Grandma Emma's contact. She wanted to call her, to beg for help. But her finger suddenly froze. Launa shook her head quickly, instantly shooting down the idea.

No, absolutely not. Grandma Emma is already up there in age. If I call her right now, she’ll just panic and have a heart attack, Launa thought realistically. Forced to eliminate that option, she chose to rely on herself first.

Spotting a tall, unfamiliar man walking past her, Launa cut right in front of him, throwing all politeness out the window.

"Ah, excuse me, sir!" Launa called out, her breath ragged. She quickly thrust her cracked phone screen forward, displaying a photo of a wide-smiling Laura.

"Pardon me, did you see this little girl? She’s seven years old, wearing a school uniform. Did she pass by around here?" Launa fired the questions in rapid succession, her eyes filled with desperate pleading.

The man furrowed his brow, glanced briefly at the photo on Launa’s phone, and shook his head slowly.

"No, sorry. I didn't see any little girl here."

"Are you sure, sir? Maybe ten or fifteen minutes ago?" Launa pressed again, refusing to give up.

"I'm sorry, miss. I really didn't see her," the man replied, this time with a sympathetic tone before finally walking away.

Launa bit her lower lip so hard it stung. "Thank you..." she mumbled under her breath.

Launa kept moving. She repeated the same routine stopping every passing stranger, showing them Laura’s photo, and asking the exact same question, her voice growing increasingly hoarse and desperate. Yet, all their answers were perfectly in sync. Nothing. Not a single person had seen her sister.

Launa came to a halt in the middle of the now-emptying sidewalk. She pressed the phone to her ear once more, listening to the automated operator's cold voice state that her sister's number was still unreachable. Her chest heaved violently, and the tears finally spilled over, pooling down her cheeks.

Laura... where are you? Don't drive me crazy...

Her mind screamed, looking out at the streets of Belmont, which suddenly felt incredibly foreign and terrifying to her.

"LAUNA!"

Hearing that painfully familiar, high-pitched shout, Launa reflexively spun toward the source of the sound. Her heart, which felt like it had just stopped a second ago, now hammered twice as fast. At the end of the sidewalk near the shop intersection, a little girl with her hair tied in a ponytail was jogging toward her, clutching a large, luxury-logo paper bag.

"Laura!"

Launa instantly bolted forward, running with every ounce of strength she had left. Tears of sheer anxiety spilled over completely. She dropped to her knees right there on the sidewalk, catching her sister’s tiny body and pulling her into a tight, desperate embrace, as if terrified the little girl might vanish all over again.

After a few seconds of calming the roaring storm in her chest, Launa pulled back slightly. She held Laura by the shoulders, scanning her sister from head to toe with obvious, lingering panic. "Oh my god, where on earth have you been, sweetie? I was worried sick looking for you everywhere! And why is your phone completely dead? I couldn't reach you at all, hmm?"

Laura looked down timidly, clutching the straps of her backpack. "I'm sorry, Launa... my phone battery died, and then it shut off. Earlier, I—"

Before Laura could even finish her sentence, the elegant click of formal shoes echoed as someone approached. An elderly woman walked over to the two of them with an effortless grace. She was dressed in an all-black suit with an impeccably tailored cut the absolute definition of true old-money style. Even though her hair had turned completely snow-white, her face looked incredibly fresh and vibrant, radiating a calm yet deeply charismatic aura.

"Grandma!" Laura piped up, looking up with a beaming smile.

"Grandma?" Launa muttered in confusion, a slight frown creasing her forehead. Who was this unfamiliar older woman? Why on earth was her little sister calling her grandma?

The elderly woman let out a soft, elegant chuckle. "Ahahaha, I'm so sorry. I'm afraid I kidnapped your little sister for a bit and took her to the mall across the street," the woman said, her tone incredibly warm and gracious.

"Yeah, Launa! Grandma is so nice, she bought me a new dress inside here. She said it’s an early birthday present!" Laura chimed in excitedly, lifting the expensive paper bag in her hand, her eyes sparkling.

Hearing this, Launa instantly felt awkward and self-conscious. She quickly stood up from her kneeling position and bowed deeply as a sign of respect and apology. She then shot her sister a gentle, scolding look. "Laura... what did I teach you? We are not allowed to just accept things from strangers or ask for fa—"

"Oh, not at all. She didn't ask for a single thing," the elderly woman interrupted quickly, waving her hand with a soft smile on her lips. "I was simply so charmed by her that I insisted on giving her a gift myself."

"Yeah, it's true, Launa! Grandma forced me to take it," Laura defended herself innocently.

The elderly woman took a step closer and gently stroked Laura’s hair with deep affection. "Your little sister is incredibly smart and kind. Earlier, when I was trying to cross the street over there, my legs went a bit stiff. Your sister, who was standing at the bus stop, ran right over and took my hand to help me cross. I was so touched that I took her on a little stroll as a thank you."

Hearing that explanation, the tight knot in Launa’s chest instantly vanished without a trace. A warm smile now graced her face, which still bore the faint tracks of her tears. She felt an overwhelming sense of relief and pride that Laura had remembered all the manners she had consistently instilled in her at home.

"Oh my goodness... thank you so much for your kindness," Launa said sincerely. "And I'm so sorry if my sister was any trouble."

"She wasn't trouble at all," the elderly woman replied warmly. "If anything, I should be the one apologizing for taking your sister without permission and making you cry from panic like this."

Launa wiped her cheek awkwardly, letting out a soft chuckle. "It’s alright. I just nearly had a heart attack, that's all."

Launa then looked down at her sister. "Laura, come on, say thank you to Grandma again properly for being so kind and buying you a new dress."

"Thank you so much, nice Grandma!" Laura piped up sweetly, giving a cute little bow.

Launa looked at the elderly woman again, intending to take her leave. "Well, ma'am, we'll be heading home now—"

"Oh, wait a moment," the elderly woman stopped her, gently tapping Launa’s arm. "You two haven't had lunch yet, right? How about we grab lunch together at a restaurant nearby? I happen to be waiting for my assistant anyway."

Launa instantly looked hesitant. "Ah... that’s really not necessary, ma'am. Thank you so much for the offer, but we don't want to impose on you any further."

"You're not imposing at all, dear. Come on, I insist," the elderly woman chuckled again, her eyes so warm and inviting that they seemed to shut down any room for argument.

Overwhelmed by a deep sense of politeness, Launa reflexively glanced down at the watch on her wrist. The hands showed she still had about 35 minutes left before she needed to be back at her office cubicle. The restaurants in this area were also quite close by. Left with little choice and wanting to honor the older woman's goodwill, Launa finally gave a resigned nod with a sweet smile.

"Alright then, ma'am. Thank you so much for your kindness."

The elderly woman smiled warmly in satisfaction. "There we go. Come, let’s walk over."

The three of them ultimately walked side by side down the sidewalk toward the row of restaurants in the area, with Laura happily holding the old-money grandma’s hand, chatting away cheerfully the entire time.

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