Chapter 4
780 Words
I drifted off to sleep halfway through the flight.
When I opened my eyes again, the plane had already landed on a completely unfamiliar continent.
The moment I stepped out of the airport, I took out my phone, only to find our family group chat had turned into a nonstop stream of posts.
My family had checked into the most luxurious hotel near Southvale University.
The photos they posted showed the city's dazzling night skyline stretching behind them through the floor-to-ceiling windows of their suite.
During the day, they waited in long lines just to take pictures at the trendiest restaurants everyone was talking about online.
At night, they posed for family photos in front of famous landmarks.
Every picture was filled with bright smiles and the image of a happy, perfect family.
Meanwhile, I was dragging my heavy suitcase alone through a foreign country, struggling to figure out where to transfer trains.
By the time I finally squeezed onto a regular train, my stomach was growling so badly it felt like it had caved in on itself.
I twisted open a bottle of water, took a sip of the cold liquid, and forced myself to chew through a piece of cheap, dry bread.
Right then, Wendy sent me a casual message.
Wendy: Sienna, have you arrived yet?
I stared at the screen and didn't bother replying.
A while later, Ellen sent a voice message in the family group chat.
Ellen: Sienna, where are you? Why haven't you texted back yet?
But she didn't wait for my answer.
Seconds later, a photo of an elegant sashimi platter appeared in the chat.
Wendy immediately replied with a drooling emoji.
Jason followed right after.
Jason: Eat more, Wendy. Make sure you keep your energy up. The Freshman Challenge Program starts the day after tomorrow.
Not one of them actually cared whether I was safe on the other side of the world, or whether I'd eaten a proper meal that day.
In their eyes, I was nothing more than someone to call on whenever something needed to be done.
All they expected was for me to appear on the Freshman Challenge Program field on time, stand under the scorching sun, and endure every exhausting drill in Wendy's place.
There was only one day left before the freshman training check-in.
By late afternoon, my family finally realized something was wrong.
Wendy's counselor had posted a mandatory notice in the freshman group chat.
Every new student was required to bring their ID, register at the auditorium in person for identity verification, sign in face-to-face, and collect their uniforms.
Wendy panicked instantly.
She paced around the hotel room like she had lost her mind, repeatedly calling my number.
But every time, all she heard was the cold, automated message saying she could leave a voice message.
Ellen was frantic too. She paced around the room while sending dozens of messages in the group chat, flooding my phone.
Ellen: Sienna! Where did you run off to?
Ellen: Wendy has to check in tomorrow. Get here right now!
Ellen: You're so irresponsible! Why do you have to cause trouble at a time like this? Are you doing this just to make things difficult for us?
But no matter how badly they yelled, cursed, and demanded answers, they received nothing in return.
The whole family rushed to the university's reception desk to ask about my whereabouts.
Jason grabbed a volunteer and quickly gave my name.
"Hey, can you check whether Sienna Parker has already checked in?"
The volunteer searched the system for a full minute before looking up, confusion written across his face.
"Sorry, sir. I can't find a Sienna Parker on the admission list for this year's incoming class."
Jason froze.
Ellen screamed in disbelief, "That's impossible! We watched her submit her college application ourselves! How could her name not be there?"
Realizing the situation had completely spiraled beyond their control, Jason couldn't help but tremble.
He pulled out his phone and immediately started calling everyone he knew.
After several attempts, he finally reached contact at the education department.
The contact sent him a link to the official student records system.
Jason dropped into the chair in front of the computer, sweat beading on his forehead as he entered my ID number with shaking hands.
He took a deep breath and pressed enter.
The moment the page loaded, he went completely still.
Ellen and Wendy rushed over, almost stumbling over each other as they leaned in to look at the screen.
The information displayed there was undeniable.
My name had never been connected to Wendy's enrollment at Southvale University.
I had been accepted into Westbridge University in Euravia.
- Writer
