Chapter 4

Several children playing nearby gathered around the boxes and began rummaging through them. They opened Mia's present to me. Inside was a beautiful ceramic wolf pup wearing a red scarf and holding a tiny star.

"What kind of junk is this?" One child threw it onto the pavement. The ceramic wolf shattered.

I lunged forward instinctively, trying to protect the broken pieces. But I was weaker than a breath of wind.

I could only pass through the children again and again. Soon, they took the toys they wanted and ran away, leaving a mess behind.

I floated home in silence. My bedroom had been emptied. The stuffed wolf was gone. My clothes had disappeared from the closet.

My drawings had been torn from the walls, and even the stocking with my name on it had vanished from the fireplace. Everything connected to me had been thrown away.

Mom truly did not want me anymore.

Over the next few days, the house gradually returned to its usual rhythm. No one mentioned my name. It was as if Ella Parker had never lived there.

Then my kindergarten teacher, Ms. Carter, called. "Mrs. Parker, Ella hasn't been at school for several days. Is she sick?"

Mom's voice was cold. "No. She won't be coming back. I'll withdraw her from the school in a few days."

The line was silent for several seconds. "Mrs. Parker, is there any chance Ella is the child in the video from the mall fire?"

Mom frowned. "What video?"

Ms. Carter sounded relieved.

"If you haven't seen it, perhaps I was mistaken. Someone uploaded a video from the day of the Silverpine Mall fire. A little girl had already been rescued, but when she heard that her parents were still inside, she ran back into the building alone. The video doesn't show her face clearly, but she looks a lot like Ella from behind."

Mom's voice rose sharply. "It wasn't her. We heard about that child too, but Ella doesn't care that much about her family. She fought with her sister over a chocolate bar. I scolded her, and she left with the woman from the chocolate stall. She still hasn't come home."

Ms. Carter's tone changed immediately. "Are you saying Ella has been missing for days and you haven't contacted the police?"

"Why would I call the police?" Mom interrupted impatiently. "Chloe saw her leave with that woman. Ella isn't missing. She simply doesn't want to come home. Chloe would never lie."

"Ella is six years old," Ms. Carter said firmly. "Even if she willingly left with a stranger, you should have reported it immediately. There has to be some misunderstanding. Ella is not the kind of child you're describing."

Mom leaped up from the couch. “Do you think being her teacher gives you the right to tell me how to raise my own daughter? You only know how Ella behaves at school. You don't know what she's like at home.”

Mom ended the call.

That evening, there was another knock at the door. Ms. Carter stood outside with two officers from the Silverpine Police Department.

Mom's expression darkened. "You actually brought the police to my house? I told you this is a family matter. We don't need outsiders interfering."

Ms. Carter struggled to remain calm. "I taught Ella for two years. I know what kind of child she is. She has been missing for days, and her family never filed a report. I need to make sure she's safe."

Mom folded her arms and glanced at the officers. “Chloe saw her leave with the vendor. We believed she was safe.” Mom folded her arms. “Ella knew how to come home. She chose not to.”

Chloe, who had been hiding behind Mom, suddenly rushed forward and pointed at Ms. Carter. "Ella hates her! Ella always told me Ms. Carter favored the other children and hit her when no one was watching. She never liked going to kindergarten."

She was lying. I loved Ms. Carter. She had never hit me.

Ms. Carter did not become angry. Instead, she studied Chloe's face for a long moment, as though confirming something. Then she turned to one of the officers. "Officer, please look closely at this child. Is she the girl standing outside the mall in that video?"

Chloe's body went rigid.

The officer studied her for several seconds, then found the video on his phone and handed it to Mom. "Mrs. Parker, please take a look. Are the two girls in this video your daughters?"

Mom accepted the phone impatiently. "That video again. I've already told you, the child who ran into the fire could not possibly be…"

Her voice stopped.

The opening frames showed Chloe's profile. She stood among the crowd wrapped in a firefighter's blanket, violently shaking off my hand. Then her cold voice came through the phone.

"Mom and Dad think you're still inside. They went back in to save you."

In the video, I froze for two seconds before turning and running toward the mall, which was still pouring out black smoke. The woman from the chocolate stall chased after me. "Come back! You can't go in there!"

I did not stop. I only looked back and waved at her. "Thank you for saving me! I have to find my mom and dad!"

As I ran, the pack pendant beneath my collar slipped into view. A crooked little wolf was engraved on its face. Dad had carved it himself when I was born.

Mom's hands began to shake violently. The phone slipped from her fingers and struck the carpet.

Dad staggered. His eyes remained fixed on the small figure frozen on the screen. A long time passed before he managed to speak, his voice almost breaking.

"The child who ran into the fire… That was Ella."