The late afternoon sun was slowly setting over the campus. After the last class, Axel quickly packed his things and glanced at .
"Have you heard from Miria?"
Marlie shook her head.
"No. Nothing at all. She left school in the middle of the day, and the nurse just said she went home."
"Strange, right? Especially for her. She would have warned us..."
"We're going to stop by her house. Just to see if everything's okay."
They headed towards Miria's house. The neighborhood was quiet, as usual. Arriving in front of the small white house with blue shutters, Marlie walked over and knocked on the door.
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK
"Miria? It's us!"
Silence.
She knocked a second time, a little louder.
"MIRIA? Are you there?"
Nothing. No sound, no light through the windows.
"Do you think she's asleep?" Axel asked, approaching.
"Maybe... Wait, I'll try calling her."
Marlie took out her phone and dialed Miria's number. One ring. Two... Three...
"You've reached Miria's voicemail, I can't take you right now..."
"Voicemail," she grumbled. "This isn't normal. She's always picking up."
Axel crossed his arms thoughtfully.
"Maybe she's just... really tired. If she's sick, that would explain her absence and the fact that she's not answering."
Marlie nodded, annoyed.
"Maybe you're right. But I have a bad feeling about this." She seemed exhausted these last few days…
Axel placed a hand on her shoulder.
"She's fine. We'll come back tomorrow. And if we still don't get anything, then we'll find another solution."
"Okay…"
They walked away slowly, unaware that their friend had already been away for a while—or that she was about to discover a world that would turn all their lives upside down.