Remembering what my mother had said, I abruptly stood up and rushed to the front of the bus.

“Uncle, can we take another road?” I asked anxiously. “My mom said there’s going to be a mudslide on this route today.”

The driver blinked at me, startled, then pointed outside the window where a light drizzle painted the glass.

“With just this little rain? You think there’ll be a mudslide?” He chuckled, shaking his head. “Don’t worry, girl. This hillside is rock-solid. Go back and sit down.”

I bit my lip and twisted the hem of my shirt, unable to hide the nervous flutter in my chest.

“But… my mom really meant it. She was serious…”

The driver’s patience was wearing thin. His tone turned sharp.

“What is your mother, huh? A geologist? A weather expert? Why are you listening to her over common sense?”

I hesitated for a breath, then said the words quietly, but with all the courage I could gather:

“She… she said she was reborn.”

The entire bus fell silent for a moment—then burst into laughter. Even the driver couldn’t help but snort.

But after a few chuckles, his face suddenly darkened. He looked at me with narrowed eyes.

“Where are you from, little girl?”

His abrupt shift in tone startled me, but I answered honestly, “My father’s name is Ethan. My mother is Daphne.”

The driver’s brows furrowed. He glanced at me again, this time with a strange glint in his eye.

“Alright, alright. Go sit down. Uncle promises you—nothing will happen on this road. I’d stake my life on it.”

I had no choice. The bus was already merging onto the winding mountain road.

I returned to my seat reluctantly, but the knot in my stomach refused to loosen.

Though no one said it aloud, a quiet tension settled over the bus. The rain was picking up, and small pebbles were beginning to scatter across the mountain road up ahead.

The further we went, the more the driver slowed down.

Then, without warning—

Boom!

A deafening crash rang out as lightning split the sky. A massive boulder came tumbling down the cliffside and slammed into the road just meters ahead.

The driver slammed the brakes hard. The bus lurched and came to a stop just before colliding with the rock.

He sat frozen for a second, beads of sweat rolling down his face. Then he turned and looked at me, his expression pale, eyes wide with fear. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed hard.

The other twenty-two girls were silent, stunned.

Thankfully, the rockfall didn’t continue.

Snapping out of it, the driver unbuckled his seatbelt and jumped out. He quickly helped clear the debris with a few villagers who had come running.

When the path was cleared and the bus started moving again, the once lively chatter had vanished. Everyone sat stiffly in their seats, eyes fixed ahead until we were safely off the mountain road.

That’s when I felt a sharp cramp in my abdomen. A cold dread swept through me. I quickly rifled through my backpack—and my heart sank.

It wasn’t there.

With a bitter expression, I made my way back to the driver’s seat once more.

“Uncle… is there a convenience store or small shop nearby?” I asked softly. “Can we stop there, please?”

He turned to me, already exasperated. “What now? Why is it always you? Do you think this is a private car? There are a dozen people here—I can’t just stop unless there’s a reason. Speak clearly.”

I hesitated, cheeks burning. My voice dropped to a whisper.

“I… I just got my period. I didn’t bring anything.”

“What?” he frowned. “Speak up.”

Tears welled in my eyes. “I’m on my period. I didn’t bring any sanitary napkins.”

The driver blinked, coughed awkwardly, then quickly averted his gaze.

“A-Alright, I get it. I’ll pull over at the next small store, okay?”

“Thank you, Uncle.” I bowed slightly and hurried back to my seat, face red with embarrassment.

A few minutes later, the bus pulled in front of a tiny roadside shop. The driver got out with me and waved me toward the entrance.

“Go on in, pick what you need. The bathroom’s over there.”

He pointed inside, and I followed his gesture, only to feel a wave of disappointment wash over me.

An indoor bathroom. Public.

Still, I turned back to him and said, “Thank you,” before heading to the shelves to find what I needed.

After quickly grabbing a pack of the most common brands, I headed straight into the bathroom.

I didn’t expect to run into someone familiar on my way out—Chris Foster, my former squad leader.

He paused mid-step when he saw me, surprise flashing across his face before softening into recognition.

"Samantha Green?" he said, brow lifting. "I was just wondering why I didn’t see you on the bus. I—"

“Chris, did you bring your phone?” I interrupted, urgency tightening my voice.

He blinked, thrown off, then patted his pockets hurriedly.

“Ah… no. I left it on the bus. Want me to run back and get it?”

A wave of disappointment rippled through me, but before I could respond, the driver appeared behind us.

“What’s all this chatter about?” he asked sharply. “It’s hot out, and there are still people waiting in the bus.”

My back stiffened. I bit my lip and turned toward him with a small, nervous smile.

“My parents forgot to give me living expenses. I don’t have enough money to pay for what I bought… I was hoping to borrow a classmate’s phone to call my mom.”

“Really?” The driver eyed me like a hawk. “Your parents forgot something that important?”

I lowered my gaze. “They… had a fight this morning.”

The driver blinked. “A fight? On a day like this?”

I let my eyes redden, playing the part of the tearful daughter just well enough.

“My mom’s not well. She didn’t want me to go to university. She kept saying strange things—like she’d been reborn and if I went to school, I’d die miserably. She tried to stop me from leaving.”

Chris’s expression darkened. Without hesitation, he reached into his backpack and pulled out a handful of bills, stuffing them into my hand.

“It’s okay, Samantha,” he said firmly. “Take this for now. If you need more, just come find me later.”

Before I could say thank you, someone outside the shop called his name, telling him to hurry up and get on the bus.

He gave me a quick grin and jogged off, tossing his backpack over one shoulder.

“See you at Yale University!”

I stood frozen for a moment, watching his energetic figure disappear. My throat tightened.

Will I even make it to Yale University this time around…?

When I finally turned, the driver’s face was unreadable. I couldn’t tell what he was thinking.

“I’m really sorry for all the trouble today,” I said softly. “Let me buy you a bottle of water.”

He raised an eyebrow. “You just borrowed money from someone else, and now you’re playing generous? Not worried about having nothing left at school?”

I smiled faintly. “One bottle of water won’t bankrupt me.”

He gave a short laugh and grabbed a cold soda from the fridge, cracking it open and downing half the bottle in one long gulp.

I quietly grabbed another bottle and handed it to him. “Just in case.”

When we returned to the bus, the girls immediately began complaining.

“What was that about? You locked the doors! We couldn’t even get off to buy water.”

The driver chuckled and pulled a box of bottled water from under the seat.

“Sorry about that—I didn’t expect to take so long. I just didn’t want anyone wandering off.”

He turned to me. “Come on, girl, help me pass them out.”

I bent down to grab a few bottles—then suddenly clutched my stomach, gasping softly.

The driver stiffened. He hurried over and crouched beside me.

“What’s wrong? Are you alright?”

“My stomach hurts,” I whispered, eyes clenched shut. “Bad cramps…”

Seeing I could barely stay upright, he quickly helped me back to my seat.

“I’ll get you some hot water,” he said, already turning for the door. Before stepping out, he told the girl in the front row, “Pass the water around, will you?”

As soon as he left, the girl reached into the box.

I sat up slightly and looked at her. My voice was quiet but firm.

“I wouldn’t drink that if I were you.”

The girls exchanged puzzled glances.

“Why not?” one of them asked.

I didn’t answer. I simply stared at the clock on the front monitor, the numbers ticking forward.

Whether they listened to me or not… wasn’t up to me anymore.

The driver returned with a cup of hot water, but instead of climbing onto the bus, he handed it through the window.

He cast a quick glance at the bottles in each girl’s hand, then clutched his stomach, mumbled something under his breath, and jogged back toward the store.

At exactly 8:00 p.m., he finally returned and climbed into the driver’s seat.

Right on time.

I curled my lips into a faint smile and closed my eyes, pretending to sleep.

The bus rolled into the city, weaving smoothly through traffic. Soon, we turned onto Fortune Lane. Neon lights flickered across the windshield, and the red traffic lights bled into the dusk.

The countdown at the next intersection flashed: 6… 5… 4…

The driver stepped on the accelerator, easing the bus across just as the light turned yellow.

I opened my eyes, fingers digging into the back of the front seat, my pulse thundering in my ears.

It’s coming.

Out of nowhere, a blue Ferrari barreled into the intersection from the left, tires screeching as it fishtailed out of control.

Screech—CRASH!

The front windshield shattered into a thousand shards. Even though I’d braced myself, the impact threw me forward. My chest slammed into the seat, and pain exploded in my ribs.

My ears rang. My vision blurred. For a moment, all I could hear was static.

Then, slowly, the noise around me came back into focus—sobs, gasps, panicked murmurs.

I forced myself up and staggered toward the front of the bus.

The driver slumped over the wheel, unmoving. Blood dripped from a gash on his forehead, running down his face.

“Uncle?” I grabbed his arm and shook it gently.

No response.

With trembling hands, I reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone.

“Is… is he dead?” a girl with a bleeding arm came up beside me, her voice trembling. “What do we do now?”

I looked at her, and a cold smile curved on my lips.

“Good,” I muttered. “Better that he’s dead.”

The bus fell into stunned silence. One by one, the other girls turned toward me, eyes wide in shock.

I ignored their stares, shoved past the girl in front of me, pushed open the emergency exit window, and climbed out.

A small crowd had gathered outside, rushing to help. As they caught me and set me down, they didn’t question a thing—just waved toward the others.

“Come on, girls! Jump, we’ll catch you!”

I backed away, phone in hand, typing rapidly as I moved toward the edge of the crowd.

People were already calling the police.

But I knew the truth: the police wouldn’t come fast enough—and even if they did, they might not be able to save me.

I glanced back at the girls still frozen by the bus windows. Then, without hesitation, I hurled the phone into a nearby sewer grate and turned to run.

I had no time to waste. If I didn’t get out of this town before they reacted, I wouldn’t get another chance.

At the roadside, I threw up my hand, trying to flag down a taxi. Just then, a motorcycle rolled up beside me.

A man in a leather jacket leaned forward. “Hey, little girl, need a ride? I’ll take you wherever you need to go.”

The moment I heard his voice, a chill raced down my spine.

My eyes widened—and I lashed out with a kick.

The motorcycle toppled, the man hitting the ground with a thud. Before he could even react, I turned and sprinted in the opposite direction.

He scrambled up with a curse and gave chase on foot for a few seconds—then gave up and jumped back on the bike.

I veered sharply and ducked into a nearby mall.

He followed on foot, yelling at a phone as he scanned the crowd. His voice echoed down the corridors, angry and breathless.

By nightfall, I was crouched behind a dumpster outside, disguised in rags I’d grabbed from a thrift bin, blending in like a beggar.

I overheard two passersby talking as they walked past.

“Did you hear? That whole mess earlier was just to track down a runaway college girl.”

“College girl? More like a spoiled brat. I heard she didn’t even get into university—her family wanted her to attend a tech school, and she ran off in a tantrum.”

“A girl like that’s just trouble waiting to happen.”

Their words burned, but I didn’t move.

The town was nearly locked down—searched block by block. I kept shifting locations, hiding in alleys, storage rooms, even drainage ditches. I was caught nearly three times.

I knew I couldn’t keep this up forever.

So I took a gamble—and fled into the mountains.

The town had eighteen surrounding villages, and if it had anything in abundance, it was wilderness. Mountains stretched in all directions like an endless green maze.

But even that wasn’t enough.

They found my trail less than three hours after I vanished into the forest.