In front of Aurora's home, an uneasy silence lingered. Everyone was still grappling with what had just unfolded, and the boys exchanged confused looks, unsure of how to react.
"Amber? What happened? Is everything alright?" Aurora's mom asked, her voice calm but with a hint of sharpness that demanded honesty.
"Yes, aunty, everything is fine," Amber replied quickly, her tone light but edged with nervousness. She turned to leave, but Aurora's mom wasn't one to let things go so easily.
"Wait," she said firmly, her gaze moving to the unfamiliar faces standing by the girls. "Who are these boys?"
Amber hesitated for a fraction of a second before putting on a confident smile. "Oh, them? They're our boyfriends," she said breezily, the words hanging in the air like a spark waiting to ignite.
Aurora's mom's eyes widened, her surprise turning quickly into barely concealed disapproval. "Boyfriends?" she repeated, her tone betraying her disbelief.
"This is Ace, my boyfriend," Amber said casually, gesturing toward the boy at her side.
"And this is Jace, my boyfriend," Flare added with a defiant nod, as if daring anyone to challenge her.
Aurora's mom drew in a slow breath, her thoughts churning behind her composed exterior. These girls are so careless, she thought, her disapproval sharpening. Thank goodness Aurora got into a university far from here. She needs to stay focused on her future, away from their influence.
Gathering herself, she sighed softly and said, "Be careful who you call your friends."
Without saying another word, she nodded curtly, turned on her heel, and walked back inside the house. The quiet click of the door echoed behind her, leaving the girls and boys standing awkwardly in the growing silence.
Sighing, the group began walking back to their homes, the weight of the moment pressing heavily on their shoulders.
At Flare's house,
The girls headed straight to her room, the boys trailing silently behind them. The atmosphere was thick with unspoken tension.
As they entered the room, Flare's eyes landed on the note still resting on the bed. Her breath caught as she reached for it, tears spilling silently down her cheeks. She clutched the paper tightly, as though willing it to answer the storm of emotions brewing within her.
"Your tears won't bring her back," Amber said quietly, her tone more matter-of-fact than comforting. Without waiting for a response, she turned and walked out of the room, her mind already preoccupied with finding answers about Aurora.
"Mom?" Amber called out as she entered the living room. "Did Aurora mention anything to you about where she was going?"
"Oh yes," her mom replied, a smile playing on her lips. "She got admission into a very prestigious university."
Amber's brows furrowed. "And where's this university? It looked like she was heading to the airport—she had a passport in her hand. Is she going to another city?"
Her mom chuckled softly. "Not another city, Amber. Another country."
Amber froze, the words hanging in the air like a thunderclap. "WHAT?"
"Hey! Lower your voice," her mom said, covering her ears with mock irritation. "I don't have a hearing problem, you know."
Amber took a deep breath, trying to calm her racing heart. "Sorry. Which country?"
Her mom paused, searching her memory. "What was the name… ah, yes. Seoul, South Korea."
Amber's eyes widened, disbelief and urgency washing over her. "Oh my God," she muttered, spinning on her heels and bolting back to the room.
The note in Flare's hands crinkled as Amber burst in. The tension in the air grew heavier, the weight of this revelation settling like an immovable force.
"You useless person! Now we'll never meet her again," Amber hissed, her anger blazing as she paced the room. Her breaths came fast and uneven, the weight of frustration bearing down on her.
"Calm down, Amber," Ace said, stepping in, his voice steady yet firm. "She told us everything. We'll find a way to bring her back."
"Bring her back?" Amber let out a bitter laugh, her voice laced with disbelief. "She's going to another country."
"WHAT?" Flare and the boys exclaimed in unison, their shock palpable as they stared at Amber in stunned silence.
Jace, who had been trying to suppress his emotions, suddenly erupted. "I lost my sister again—and it's all because of your carelessness!" he shouted, his voice trembling with a mix of fury and sorrow. His gaze locked onto Flare, his anger cutting through the room like a blade.
Flare took a step back, her shoulders slumping under the weight of his words. "I didn't mean for this to happen," she whispered, her voice barely audible. Her eyes shimmered with tears, but guilt kept her rooted in place.
"You didn't mean for this to happen?" Amber repeated, her tone cold and unforgiving. "You didn't take this seriously, and now she's gone! Do you even understand what you've done?"
Flare's lips quivered, but no words came out. The room seemed to close in around them, the tension unbearable.
"She's in another country," Amber continued, her voice cracking as the reality of the situation settled over her. "Do you even get how far she is now? This isn't something we can fix overnight."
The gravity of Amber's words hit them all like a wave, leaving the room in a suffocating silence. Flare sank onto the edge of the bed, her head bowed as tears began to fall. Jace clenched his fists, his anger simmering just beneath the surface, while Ace stood by, his mind racing for a solution.
Jace took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. A wave of guilt washed over him for shouting at Flare, his beloved. He looked at her—her head bowed, her hands trembling, and her eyes brimming with tears she was trying so hard to hold back.
"Come here," he said softly, his voice steady yet warm, an unspoken apology in his tone.
Flare hesitated, then stepped closer, her gaze fixed on the ground. Gently, Jace placed his finger under her chin, tilting her face up to meet his. His expression softened as he wiped her tears away with his thumb, his touch gentle, almost reverent. Without a word, he wrapped her in a comforting embrace.
"I'm sorry," he murmured, his voice low and soothing. "Don't worry. We'll find her, no matter where she is—even if she's in the United States or Australia. I know there must be a reason behind what you said."
Flare clung to him, her voice muffled as she buried her face in the crook of his neck. "I was forced… by one of her enemies," she confessed, her words trembling as they escaped her lips.
Jace's arms tightened around her protectively, his expression hardening with resolve as her confession sank in. "So that's the reason," Amber's voice cut through the silence, sharp and thoughtful.
Amber leaned against the doorframe, her eyes narrowing slightly as though she were piecing together a puzzle. "By the way," she added, her tone firm and confident, "it won't be that hard to find her."
The others turned to her, curiosity etched across their faces. Even Jace loosened his hold on Flare slightly, glancing toward Amber with a questioning look. Flare, still wiping at her cheeks, furrowed her brow in confusion.
Amber didn't elaborate immediately. There's something here, something that adds up if you know where to look, she thought, the pieces slowly falling into place in her mind. But she kept her theory to herself for now.
Instead, she shifted her attention to the boys. "What did she whisper to you before leaving?" she asked, her voice calm but probing.
The room grew tense as Amber's question hung in the air. Her gaze sharpened as she watched the boys exchange uncertain glances. Her intuition told her that whatever Aurora whispered might hold the answer they were all searching for.
After a moment of tense silence, Ace finally spoke, his voice filled with curiosity and a hint of determination. "She said that we will meet again soon—very soon. But we have no idea what she meant by that." His gaze shifted to Jace, and the two exchanged a knowing glance before turning their eyes toward Amber, silently urging her to decipher Aurora's cryptic words.
Amber broke the ice with a chuckle, a triumphant glint in her eye, as though she had just solved a big puzzle. "She said that because she got admission to a university in Seoul."
Jace raised an eyebrow, realization dawning on him. "So, she meant we'll meet her in South Korea."
Ace nodded thoughtfully. "Looks like our search is narrowing down. We don't have to work as hard now. Any clue which university she might have gotten into? Based on her marks and scores?"
Amber grinned, her tone light but confident. "I can tell you the exact name of the university she'll attend—it's Seoul National University."
A flicker of surprise crossed Ace's face as excitement stirred within him. Jace mirrored his reaction, equally astonished. "That's the university we study in," Ace said, his voice full of disbelief and wonder.
"Exactly," Amber affirmed. "You already know it's South Korea's best university."
The room buzzed with a renewed sense of urgency as Jace suddenly recalled something. "Wait a second. If she's heading to Korea, then she'll be on the same flight as us. And with only one flight to Seoul today at 11:00 P.M., she might be at the airport."
Flare, who had been silent until now, clenched her fists, a fire of determination igniting in her eyes. "Then let's go. We can find her at the airport. This is my only chance to make it up to her.
With that, they got into the boys' car. The engine hummed to life as they pulled onto the road, the atmosphere heavy with unspoken emotions. Flare sat quietly, her hands clasped tightly in her lap. Though she had been forced into her actions, the guilt of their consequences weighed on her like a stone. She knew she wasn't entirely to blame, but her heart still ached with the need to face Aurora and explain everything.
The others exchanged brief glances, their presence a quiet reassurance to Flare. This was a journey not just to make amends but to bring clarity—to confront the truth of what had happened and begin to untangle the mess left behind. The airport loomed ahead, a destination that held both hope and the possibility of healing. For Flare, this wasn't just an apology—it was a chance to reclaim the trust that had been fractured by forces beyond her control.
Preview of Next Chapter:
The group arrived at the airport, the vibrant energy of the terminal buzzing around them—voices overlapping, announcements echoing through the air, and the faint hum of travelers' footsteps weaving in all directions. The enormity of the space seemed to mirror the uncertainty they carried, a vast expanse filled with both hope and dread. Their search began immediately, their eyes sweeping the crowd, each passing second intensifying the unease that rippled among them.
At last, they reached the information desk, their hearts pounding with anticipation. The attendant's calm demeanor stood in stark contrast to their growing anxiety. After listening to their inquiry, she took a moment, typing something into her computer before offering a response. At first, it was straightforward, the kind of answer they'd expected, but then her expression shifted slightly, her tone becoming more cautious. She hesitated before delivering a revelation about Aurora's life—a detail so unexpected that it hit them like a sudden gust of wind, leaving them stunned.
Shock rippled through the group. Flare's stomach dropped, and Amber's normally sharp composure faltered for a moment as she tried to process what they had just heard. Jace and Ace exchanged uneasy glances, their expressions reflecting disbelief. This wasn't just a small piece of information; it was something that reframed their understanding of Aurora entirely.
Their once-simple search for her now felt infinitely more complicated. This wasn't just about finding her anymore—it was about uncovering the deeper truth that had been hidden in plain sight. The revelation cast everything they thought they knew into question, leaving them reeling and uncertain about what steps to take next. Whatever they had walked into was far bigger than they had anticipated, and they could no longer ignore the sense that Aurora's story had only just begun to unravel before them.