Unveiled: The Survivor's Triumph

So, I was ten that year.

It was a super late winter night, and my folks still weren't back. I couldn't fight off the sleepiness and crashed early, only to be jolted awake by some frantic knocking.

Half-asleep, I thought it was my parents, so I stumbled to the door. Instead, there were these two tall cops, snowflakes all over them.

I followed them out, shaking like a leaf. I had no clue what was going on, but their serious and kinda sad looks freaked me out.

The crash scene was a total mess. Even though it was crazy late, there were still a bunch of people around.

The truck's front was all smashed up, and the snow was littered with glass shards.

Someone was lying there in the bloody snow.

From a distance, I couldn't make out his face, but I knew that dark blue suit. It was my dad's.

I walked over to him, staring at his bloody face, refusing to believe he was gone.

It was all so brutal, like a bad dream.

I wished it was just a nightmare. I'd wake up in my cozy bed, hear the key in the lock, and run out to see my dad coming in.

Before shaking off the snow, he'd reach into his pocket, all mysterious, and say with a grin, "Emily, guess what Daddy got you?"

In my 26 years, I've seen all kinds of smiles, but my dad's was the warmest.

That winter night, I lost that smile forever.

The cops told me my dad was dead, and my mom was barely hanging on, taken away by an ambulance.

I just stood there, frozen, crying my eyes out.

The crowd was sympathetic. A kind lady handed me some fire paper and matches, saying I should light a candle where my dad passed to remember him. There was a kapok tree by the road. I lit the candle under it and accidentally burned my hand. The pain was so real, reminding me it wasn't a dream. Dad was gone, really gone, never coming back.

That winter night was a harsh line, ending all my happiness.

When dawn broke, I had to grow up overnight, and my life's script got totally rewritten.

This kapok tree was the same one from back then.

Now, everything's changed, but thinking about that night still hurt like hell.

I ran my hand over the now much thicker trunk and said, "My dad had his accident right here. I lit a candle for him under this tree to say goodbye." "Emily."

Jason's voice came from behind me, soft and choked up.

"I've had it rough all these years, probably 'cause I didn't have my dad around. I got bullied a lot. Dad would probably think I'm a total loser."

I hugged the tree, and all the bitterness just poured out. I couldn't hold it in and started bawling.

"I'm no better off than Faye. I have nothing, absolutely nothing."

"Who says you have nothing?" Jason suddenly grabbed my arm, all worked up.

Tears streaming down my face, I stared at him, confused.

He tried to calm down, his eyes gentle and full of pity.

"Come on, let me show you something."

We got back in the car and sped away from that sad place.

The night road was empty.

In the quiet car, Jason's breathing was heavy, and he was driving faster than before. I could feel his urgency, and his fingers tapping the steering wheel showed he was nervous. We finally stopped at a place I didn't recognize.

Only the gilded letters at the entrance gave it away: Sunshine Elementary School, my old school.

It looked nothing like it used to.

Jason turned on the car lights and rolled down the window, letting the cold air in.

He rested one hand on the window and the other on the steering wheel, looking at the school gate with a slight smile, lost in thought.

"Once, there was this little girl who flunked a test 'cause she couldn't find her pencil. Turns out, her deskmate had it, but she didn't say anything. She cried all the way home, and it was super annoying, like a broken record. I hated walking with her 'cause it felt like everyone thought I was the bully. But I couldn't leave her alone, worried someone else might get annoyed and beat her up."

I looked at him, and the scene he described started to come back to me.

Jason said it was annoying, but he had a smile on his face and a twinkle in his eye.

"That little girl was really dumb and timid, didn't even dare to ride a bike. So I had to take her. In the summer, she always wore skirts, and I was always worried her skirt would get caught in the bike wheels."

"The little girl was super sentimental. I caught a butterfly and put it in a jar for her. When the butterfly died, she was sad for ages and made me help her bury it."

Jason coughed lightly, trying to hold back laughter.

I laughed too, crying and laughing at the same time.

I said, "Once upon a time, there was an even bigger fool who always lent me his umbrella when it rained, getting soaked himself and getting chewed out at home." "That big fool was super tall, had a smaller appetite than girls, and always forced his breakfast milk on me."

My nose was all stuffed up from crying, and my voice sounded all nasally.

Jason pulled out a tissue to wipe my tears and softened his voice. "Why are you crying? Do you hate me that much? Are you that heartbroken to see me?"

I took the tissue from him, wiping my tears while laughing, and pretended to glare at him angrily.

"Good job, why didn't you tell me you were the Jason I knew? How could I have recognized you now? You're so bad."

Jason smiled faintly. "I thought it would be nice to get to know each other again."

Jason, a few years older than me, used to live in Broadway Alley. We went to and from school together every day until he suddenly transferred schools in 8th grade. After his family moved away from Broadway Alley, I never saw him again. Guys change a lot as they grow up, and I really didn't recognize him at all.

"Wait for me a moment," Jason said and suddenly got out of the car.

After a while, he returned with a tube of ointment in his hand.

"Lift your head," he said, gently pinching my chin.

I lifted my head, staying still.

He leaned in, his gaze falling on my neck.

"What's wrong?" I asked, feeling a bit embarrassed.

"Don't move," he said.

Soon, I felt a cool sensation on my neck.

"What happened to your neck?" he asked while applying the ointment.

I understood.

"It's nothing," I said.

I didn't like talking behind people's backs, even though it was true that Faye wanted to strangle me.

Although I didn't say anything, Jason seemed to understand. He put down the ointment, still very close to me, looking at me seriously.

"Emily, sometimes you can't just keep tolerating and retreating. Also, you don't have nothing."

He paused, his Adam's apple moving slightly as if he was about to say something, but held back.

At this moment, Jason was too close. The subtle scent of his cologne was very different from Ethan's.

The quiet space suddenly became very intimate, and then my phone rang, breaking the mood.

I quickly reached for my phone, and just as I saw the word "Honey" on the screen, Jason took it from my hand.

He swiped to answer and leaned back in his seat, tilting his head.

"Ethan. Emily is with me. I won't be sending her back for now. You should deal with Faye first. That's it."

I hadn't even processed what had happened by the time he hung up.

From start to finish, his tone was calm, without a hint of anger, but very decisive, even a bit domineering.

He turned off my phone and then his own.

"Sorry, I made a decision for you. But I think you don't want to go back right now, do you?"

He was right. Going back would just make things worse with Ethan.

"To my place or a hotel? Your choice," Jason suddenly said.

My face instantly heated up.

"I mean, it might not be appropriate to go to a single guy's place. How about you stay at a hotel?"

Jason probably realized his words were a bit off and quickly explained, his face also turning red.

After a few seconds of awkwardness, I laughed, and he laughed too.

Honestly, Jason had this gentlemanly vibe that made it hard to think of him in any sketchy way. Especially knowing he was the Jason I used to know, I suddenly felt much closer to him.

"But I think you might have insomnia. How about I take you somewhere?" Jason suggested.

From his tone, it sounded like a good place.

But I didn't expect him to take me to an arcade.

This place was open all night, so there were still quite a few people playing.

He exchanged some game tokens and handed me a bunch.

Holding the tokens awkwardly, I said, "I don't know how to play."

He sat down at a game machine and smiled. "Me either. But we can figure it out. It shouldn't be too hard."

Eventually, we both got the hang of it and had a blast playing every game in the arcade.

Jason advised me to let go and enjoy the moment, as thinking wouldn't change anything. I did and found that playing games helped vent my bad emotions. The more I played, the happier I felt, and I didn't get tired even after playing all night. The arcade gradually emptied out, and soon it was just Jason and me.

I turned my head, and Jason had his phone out, aiming it at me.

"Don't take my picture," I said, covering my face and only showing my eyes, refusing to be in the shot.

He looked at the photo on his phone, satisfied, and smiled. "It's rare to see you so happy. I want to keep it."

I glanced at the clock on the wall; it was already seven in the morning, and the arcade was starting to fill up again.

I turned my head and suddenly froze.

The person walking in had a cigarette in his mouth, and his eyes were fixed on me with a smirk.

It was Faris.

He tilted his head slightly, and I understood his meaning.

"I need to use the restroom," I told Jason.

Jason nodded. "Alright, we'll be going when you get back."

I followed the figure out of the arcade and into the hallway outside the restroom.

Faris blew a smoke ring and smiled at me.

"Still in the mood to play games, huh?"

"What do you want?" I glared at him.

He smirked at me. "Want to know where that girl was the day she disappeared?"