New Year’s Eve. After dinner, my family and I were all chilling on the couch, watching TV. Skylar, my sister, said she was going to the bathroom. Half an hour later, she still hadn’t come back. I went to check. The bathroom was empty. I asked Mom and Dad, “When did Skylar come out?” They both froze. “What are you talking about? You’re our only child. Where would you get a sister?” My mind went blank. Were they playing some kind of twisted prank on me? A little while later, Dad clutched his stomach and rushed into the bathroom too. I glued my eyes to the bathroom door. A long time passed. No one came out. My dad was gone too. My hand trembled as I pointed at the bathroom. But Mom just started walking towards it. “Don’t go! Dad and Skylar both vanished in there!” Mom’s face instantly twisted in grief. “You don’t have a dad or a sister. Haven’t it just been the two of us for over twenty years?” I felt like I’d been struck by lightning, frantically trying to explain. But the more I talked, the more confused Mom looked. She walked straight into the bathroom, and the house fell into a terrifying silence. I was so scared I could barely speak, so I called Allison, my best friend who lived nearby, for help. But her words crushed any last hope: “You’re an orphan. Where would you get family?” I hung up, then sprinted out and hammered on the neighbors’ door.
Mrs. Peterson, our neighbor, opened the door. The sound of laughter and chatter spilled out of her home. She paused when she saw me. I fought back the sting in my eyes and asked, “Mrs. Peterson, have you seen my mom, dad, or sister?” I thought I’d finally get the answer I desperately needed from a neighbor I’d known for over a decade. But the next second, Mrs. Peterson’s face clouded with confusion. “Aurora? Haven’t you always been by yourself?” She said it gently, but I immediately understood what she meant: “Are you saying I’m an orphan?” Pity. Averting her gaze. Mrs. Peterson’s expression said it all. My legs felt like jelly, and I thought I might collapse right there. Her daughter, Mia, came wandering out and slipped some cookies into my hand. “What’s wrong with her? Why don’t you come celebrate with us?” “The more, the merrier! It’s just one more plate at the table!” Her warm invitation only made me feel colder. I don’t remember how I politely turned down Mrs. Peterson and her family. I just stumbled back home. The house, not too big, not too small, felt ordinary yet cozy. My family of four had lived here for over ten years. I’m graduating college next year. How could I possibly be an orphan? I looked around. Traces of my family were everywhere. On the dining table, the four place settings from our New Year’s dinner were still laid out. Mom, Dad, and Skylar’s rooms were full of their things, brimming with life. Even the spots where Mom and Dad had been sitting still held a faint warmth. My gaze landed on the bathroom directly opposite me. There were height marks on the wall for Skylar and me. Mom had even lovingly decorated the doorknob with a pretty ribbon. It all looked perfectly normal. I started to tremble, unsure if I should step inside. Just then, my phone vibrated wildly. Messages from Allison, my best friend, popped up one after another. [Aurora, what did you mean by all that? Is something wrong?] I didn’t reply. I’d been so panicked, I completely forgot about contacting her. I immediately tapped Mom’s profile picture and started a FaceTime call. But I tried several times, and no one answered. My heart sank further and further. Not just Mom, but Dad and Skylar’s accounts were unreachable too. What in the world was going on? I shakily sent Allison a message, letting her know I was okay. But I didn’t know how to even begin explaining this bizarre situation. The next second, there was a sudden, loud knock on the door. I peered through the peephole – it was Brett, my boyfriend! He stood outside, his face etched with worry, sweat beading on his forehead. “What are you doing here?” I asked, shocked. His house was in the next city over, a three or four-hour drive at least. That’s why I hadn’t called him first, turning to Allison instead. “Aurora, are you okay?” “You weren’t replying to my messages, I was worried something happened to you…” Brett shook his phone. There were over fifty messages. The earliest one was from the exact moment I realized Skylar was missing. I’d been too frantic to even notice then. Thinking of my family’s strange disappearance, all the pent-up emotion exploded. I clung to my boyfriend, sobbing incoherently: “What do I do? I can’t reach Mom!” “They went into the bathroom, and they’re all gone!” But Brett glanced at my phone screen. He looked like he wanted to say something but held back. “Isn’t this your burner profile?” “Why are you calling your own burner profile?” “My what?” I froze. I only have one social media account.
Brett simply picked up the tablet from the table and handed it to me. There it was, clearly logged into an account named ‘Serene Waters’. The contact list only had myself. And the messages? Just a few missed calls from my own number. My legs completely gave out, and I crumpled to the floor. Cold sweat trickled down my back. Seeing my state, Brett quickly poured me a glass of hot water. “Aurora, what’s going on?” Under his worried gaze, I recounted every strange thing that had happened tonight, plain as day. The more he listened, the deeper his frown became. I couldn’t help but let out a bitter laugh: “You’re not going to tell me I’m an orphan too, are you?” But he took my hand earnestly. And shook his head. “Of course not! You’ve always had a happy home.” “Didn’t we just meet both our parents last month to discuss our engagement?” “The photos we took are still on my phone.” He opened his photo album. Sure enough, there was a picture of our two families together. No one was missing. I held the phone, staring at the picture again and again. My smile was uglier than any cry. But if my family was still here, why did they disappear into that bathroom? “Your mom and dad probably just went out for something.” “Look, their shoes are by the door. They must have left.” I followed the direction of his finger. Three pairs of shoes were neatly lined up by the entrance. My heart finally settled. “But Allison said…” I tapped open my best friend’s chat again. Two voice messages popped up: “Haha, Aurora, were you scared by what I said on the phone earlier?” “I was just playing Truth or Dare!” Brett stood up. “See? I told you. There must have been some misunderstanding with your neighbor too. Don’t worry.” Finally, I started to smile through my tears. But the next second, Brett actually walked straight towards the bathroom: “I’ve been driving for hours. I need to use the restroom.” Those words made my nerves instantly tense again. I immediately blocked his way. “You can’t go in there!” Brett paused, then gently, soothingly, said, “Baby, didn’t we just clear up all the misunderstandings?” “I really gotta go. How about you come with me and check it out?” After a few seconds of hesitation, I nodded. I desperately wanted to know if there was something wrong with that bathroom. We pushed the door open. The bathroom was spotless. The bright light streamed down, making it seem perfectly normal. I knocked on all four walls – solid. The window even had security bars installed. Brett sounded like he was really holding it in, his voice exaggerated: “Can I use the bathroom now?” I hadn’t even replied before he gently pushed me out. He quickly closed the door. My heart hammered in my chest. I paced anxiously, calling out his name every few seconds. He replied each time, without annoyance. After calling out dozens of times and still hearing his voice, I let out a long sigh of relief. Looks like I was overthinking things. When Mom and Dad get back, I’m definitely going to scold them for disappearing! The sound of flushing came from inside the door. I stared at the door, waiting for my boyfriend. But the rushing water faded. The light flickered, then went out with a snap. No one walked out. I shouted Brett’s name again, loudly. But the bathroom was utterly, eerily silent. All the blood in my body instantly rushed backward. I instinctively twisted the doorknob and rushed in. Brett was standing perfectly fine in front of the sink, drying his hands, startled by my sudden entry! His eyes widened. I gasped, then complained, “Why did you turn off the light while drying your hands? You know you’d scare…” The next second, he suddenly spoke: “Who are you?” “How did you get into my girlfriend’s house!?” Seeing Brett’s unfamiliar gaze, my heart sank. “This is my house! I’m your girlfriend!” I was still trying to figure out how to explain. But Brett’s face darkened. He grabbed me and dragged me to the door. “Whoever you are, get out of my girlfriend’s house, or I’m calling 911!” I shook my head frantically. But he pulled out his phone and started dialing. As we struggled, the sound of keys unlocking the front door suddenly echoed from outside. The next second, Mom, Dad, and Skylar walked in, carrying several shopping bags.
I was so thrilled, tears welled up. I didn’t care about anything else and shouted, “Where have you been? Why didn’t you tell me anything?!” But they stood there, looking at each other. Just like Brett, they stared at me with completely unfamiliar eyes. “Who is this? How did she get into our house?” Brett frantically explained, “Mr. and Mrs. Peterson, I really don’t know her!” “She just appeared after I used the bathroom. Could she be a thief?!” At those words, everyone’s faces filled with disgust. “This is infuriating!” “Get out of my house right now, or don’t blame me for getting nasty!” My mom yelled, pointing at me. Dad also raised his voice, calling building security: “What kind of service is this? A stranger broke into my house!” “Get over here and kick her out!” Watching my familiar family hurl insults at me, I completely broke down. I pointed to my room, trying to argue. “If this isn’t my home, how can I have a room here?” But Dad started shouting at me: “You’re crazy!” “What ‘your room’? That’s clearly our storage room!” He pushed open the door. Inside, it was empty. Just a few messy items. I didn’t believe it. I pointed to the family photos on the wall. But I realized they only showed Mom, Dad, and Skylar! I was instantly bewildered. I began to unconsciously doubt my own memories. How could this not be my home? Suddenly, I remembered the photos on Brett’s phone. “He has our engagement photos on his phone! If you don’t believe me, go look!” Brett, half-skeptical, opened it. But after seeing the photos, his veins bulged, and he slapped me across the face. “Tell me! How did you hack into my phone?!” “This picture must be Photoshopped! My girlfriend doesn’t look anything like you!” Skylar also turned cold: “What’s your goal impersonating my sister?!” I collapsed onto the floor. Just then, building security arrived. I immediately clung to him like a drowning person to a life raft. Last week, I’d just paid the property fees, and he’d even given me a candy bar. “Do you remember me?” But he frowned, thinking for a moment. “I’m on duty in this building every day, I’ve never seen you before!” I was utterly desperate. Brett’s face hardened: “What else do you have to say?” With that, he and the security guard started shoving me, trying to force me out. In a panic, I suddenly remembered the necklace my grandmother had given me. I pointed to my neck, urging Mom to recognize it: “Mom! I’m your daughter, Aurora!” “Even if you don’t recognize me, you must recognize this necklace!” Mom’s face instantly changed. She blocked the security guard. “Let her go!” I immediately lunged at her. Venturing my grievances incoherently. “Mom! I really don’t know what’s going on!” “You all went to the bathroom and vanished, then came back, but you act like you don’t know me…” But the next second, Mom savagely yanked the necklace from my neck. The fierce look on her face made it seem like she wanted to devour me whole: “So you *are* a thief! How dare you steal things, that’s my mother’s heirloom!” “I’m calling the police right now to have you arrested!” With that, she used all her strength to snatch the necklace away. Leaving a bloody mark on my neck. The sharp pain and sense of suffocation instantly rendered me speechless.
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