CHAPTER 5 — THE DAY EVERYTHING CHANGED

The afternoon started like any ordinary school day.

The classroom was noisy.

Some students were packing their bags. Others were laughing and talking about what they were going to do after school.

Miyaka was standing beside Moises' desk, holding a piece of paper.

“Moises, look!” she said excitedly. “I finally finished the drawing!”

Moises looked at the paper and smiled.

“You drew the three of us?”

“Of course!” Miyaka replied proudly. “Look. That's you. That's Jason. And that's me.”

Jason leaned over her shoulder.

“Why am I so ugly?”

Miyaka laughed.

“Because that's what you look like.”

“Hey!”

Moises laughed quietly.

For a moment, everything felt normal.

The three of them were together.

Just like always.

Miyaka didn't know that this would be the last ordinary afternoon they would ever have.

The sound of a car stopping outside the school suddenly caught everyone's attention.

Several students rushed toward the windows.

“Wow, look at that car!”

“Who is that?”

“Is someone important here?”

Miyaka barely looked up.

She was too busy trying to convince Jason that his drawing looked terrible.

Then the classroom door opened.

A tall man wearing a black suit stood there.

His expression was serious.

He looked directly at Moises.

“Moises Laurent?”

Moises froze.

The smile disappeared from his face.

Miyaka noticed immediately.

“Moises?”

The man walked toward him.

“Your father sent me. You need to come with me.”

Moises stood slowly.

“What happened?”

“We don't have time.”

Miyaka frowned.

“What do you mean you don't have time?”

The man didn't answer her.

Moises looked at Miyaka.

Something in his eyes made her stomach twist.

It wasn't the usual Moises.

He looked scared.

“Moises?” she whispered.

He grabbed his bag.

“I have to go.”

“Go where?”

“I don't know.”

Miyaka stepped in front of him.

“But you haven't finished telling me about the school festival!”

“I know.”

“And you promised we'd practice tomorrow.”

“I know.”

“Then why are you leaving?”

Moises looked at her for several seconds.

He opened his mouth.

Nothing came out.

Miyaka's expression softened.

“Are you okay?”

Moises nodded, even though he wasn't.

“I'm fine.”

“You're lying.”

Jason stood behind them, suddenly quiet.

He knew something was wrong.

The man in the suit looked impatient.

“Moises.”

Moises looked at him.

Then he turned back toward Miyaka.

She could see tears beginning to form in her eyes.

“Are you coming back tomorrow?”

Moises swallowed.

“I don't know.”

“What do you mean you don't know?”

“I just…”

He couldn't tell her.

He couldn't tell her that his father had ordered him to leave immediately.

He couldn't tell her that there were people threatening his family.

He couldn't tell her that staying close to her might put her in danger.

He couldn't tell her that he was terrified this might be the last time he ever saw her.

So he gave her the only promise he could.

“I'll come back.”

Miyaka stared at him.

“Promise?”

Moises nodded.

“I promise.”

She smiled through the tears gathering in her eyes.

“Okay.”

She held out her pinky.

“Pinky promise.”

Moises smiled weakly and wrapped his pinky around hers.

“Pinky promise.”

Jason watched them silently.

Something about that moment made his heart ache.

Moises released Miyaka's hand.

Then he walked toward the door.

Miyaka suddenly felt panic rising inside her.

“Moises!”

He stopped.

She ran toward him.

“Don't forget me!”

Moises turned around.

His eyes were filled with emotion.

“How could I?”

Then he walked away.

Miyaka followed him through the hallway.

“Moises!”

He kept walking.

She ran faster.

“Moises, wait!”

They reached the school entrance.

The black vehicle was waiting outside.

The man opened the door.

Moises turned around one last time.

Miyaka stood several feet away.

“Come back soon!” she shouted.

Moises looked at her.

“I will!”

The door closed.

The vehicle began moving.

Miyaka ran after it.

“Moises!”

The car continued down the road.

She kept running until she couldn't anymore.

Her shoes scraped against the pavement.

Her breathing became heavy.

Still, she refused to stop.

“Moises!”

The vehicle disappeared around the corner.

Silence.

Miyaka stood frozen.

For several seconds, she simply stared at the empty road.

Jason eventually reached her.

“Miyaka…”

She didn't answer.

“Come on. Let's go back inside.”

“He's coming back.”

Jason looked at her.

“Yeah.”

“He promised.”

Jason forced a smile.

“Yeah. He promised.”

Miyaka looked toward the road again.

She believed him.

She had no reason not to.

That night, she placed the drawing of the three of them beside her bed.

She smiled as she remembered his promise.

I'll come back.

She closed her eyes.

But somewhere far away, Moises sat silently inside the moving vehicle.

He looked out the window at the disappearing school.

His eyes filled with tears.

He pressed his forehead against the glass.

He wanted to go back.

He wanted to tell Miyaka everything.

He wanted to run back to their classroom.

But he couldn't.

The man beside him spoke quietly.

“I'm sorry, young master.”

Moises didn't look at him.

“Why are you taking me away?”

“I can't tell you everything.”

“Is my father in trouble?”

The man remained silent.

Moises clenched his fists.

“What about Miyaka?”

The man looked at him.

“Forget her.”

Moises immediately shook his head.

“No.”

“Your father wants you to stay away from her.”

“I won't.”

“You don't understand the danger.”

Moises looked out the window again.

“I promised her.”

The man sighed.

“Sometimes promises have to be broken to keep someone safe.”

Moises closed his eyes.

He didn't believe that.

And somewhere in his heart, he made another promise.

A promise no one could hear.

I will come back for you, Miyaka.

But neither of them knew how long that promise would take to fulfill.

Neither knew that tomorrow, Miyaka would walk into their classroom and find his chair empty.

Neither knew that one afternoon would become years.

And neither knew that the day Moises disappeared would be the day their childhood ended.

For Miyaka, it was the beginning of waiting.

For Moises, it was the beginning of searching.

And for both of them, it was the day everything changed.