"Sorry... I couldn't find you... and I've started seeing the dark void even while I'm awake... I know it's a risk, Otto... but I will see freedom after crossing the threshold... you won't be able to catch up with me... there won't be another chance after this one... this torment will disappear... after all... goodbye... Otto."
This was a message left by one of the boys before he disappeared, and this is what Eve kept thinking about when she fell to the ground. She didn't expect that what she thought about for a moment would become a reality.
*********
Eve was sitting on a chair in the children's playground, pale-faced. She started looking around. She began thinking about yesterday; she couldn't believe what had happened to Lily.
'Why... do my friends... disappear like this?'
********
"I can't believe a patient has disappeared... explain to me how this happened," said the hospital director, seething with anger.
Otto and Lily's doctor were sitting on chairs in the director's office. Lily's doctor stood up and said, "Director... I left Lily moments after the session... then I heard that she had disappeared."
The director slammed the table and said, "You should have kept a close watch on her, Robert... now how are we going to explain this?"
"There is no solution... it's best to inform the police," said Robert.
"What?" the director asked.
"And what about Miss Lucifer's parents?" Otto asked.
"I think lying won't help... I'll tell them the truth... perhaps she has run away... or..."
"Stop," Otto interrupted Robert.
The director turned to them upon hearing Otto's words, "Well... is everything alright?"
"No... nothing, Director," Otto replied.
"We'll take our leave," said Robert as he exited the office with Otto.
*******
"I didn't expect one of your patients to discover Lily's disappearance," Robert said to Otto.
"If I had known Lily was going to be kidnapped... I would have asked Mike to transfer her to my patient list," Otto replied to Robert.
Robert, angered by Otto's words, grabbed him by the shirt and said, "Listen, you sly fox... I'm not like you, trading innocent souls for the sake of someone dear."
Robert let go of Otto's shirt and continued walking. However, he stopped and said to Otto, "I might be somewhat like you... I helped you to falsify the truth... about Ethan and Noon... hmm... I'm going to ask you for a favor."
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"What?"
"If you... can... finish what you started... then find him."
Robert handed Otto a photo of a blond-haired child.
"If you can," Robert said as he left.
******
"Tell me, girl... what did you do to Lily?" Luna said mockingly as she pointed her finger at Eve.
"I knew you were crazy enough for it to spread to anyone," Ron said.
Mimi replied, "She's right."
Everyone started laughing at Eve, who was sitting on a chair in a foul mood. She said, "If you're done with this chatter... you can leave."
Luna leaned towards Eve and said, "Huh... I didn't hear you well..."
Suddenly... Eve slapped Luna in anger... everyone was shocked by what Eve did, including Luna and her friends.
"You are the reason for what happened to Lily... always... always... bullying her... treating her like a servant... you called me crazy... but I won't forgive you for what you did to her... you fools..."
********
"What are you doing there, Miss Addis?" the security guard called out to Eve.
Luna stood up and pointed towards Eve, saying, "This girl started bullying me."
Eve was shocked by Luna's words and said, "I didn't bully you... believe me, sir... I..."
The security guard interrupted Eve and said, "Enough, Addis... by the way, your doctor has asked to see you in his office."
"But... uh... okay."
Everyone started looking at Eve with even worse looks than before. She had seen nothing but injustice and hatred from them up until now.
********
Eve knocked on Otto's office door.
"Come in," Otto replied.
Eve entered Otto's office, then sat on the chair, and said, "What's the matter, Otto?"
"Eve, listen to me carefully..."
"Why?"
"I think the cause of your nightmares is that headache... you’ve been suffering from... so... we will do a radiographic imaging of your head... to see if there is...
"You’re lying, Otto... the headache... is what causes these nightmares."
"I'm not lying... in fact..."
"The message."
"What message?" Otto asked.
"Those records... that you have... you promised you wouldn’t hide anything from me."
"Eve... I'm sorry I didn't tell you... staying up late affects me... Eve... the nightmares you’re having are actually..."
"Otto... why do you stay up late?"
"I’ll tell you later... in fact, I wanted us to do an X-ray... to find out the cause of your recurring headaches, Eve."
While Otto was arranging his records and saying this, Eve was thinking: 'I don’t understand... why, Otto... why, Otto... are you trying to hide the truth from me... if what he says is true... my fate will be like those two... and if he’s lying... then they might have...'
"Who are Noon and Ethan?"
"Oh... who told you about them?" Otto asked Eve.
"Never mind... just tell me."
"Alright... they are the patients I was treating, I think I have their pictures."
While Otto was searching through his papers, Eve saw a picture on Otto's desk. It was a family photo, with parents and their two children, a boy who looked like Otto, and a girl with braided hair. But, she felt that she had met this girl before.
"Otto... who is this girl?"
"Oh... she's my sister... actually, this is a picture of me with my family."
"Oh... I'm sorry for intruding," Eve placed the picture on the desk.
"No... it's okay... you can see it... or... did you find Noon and Ethan's picture? Here."
Eve took the picture, and when she saw them, she was shocked, noticing they seemed familiar to her. Suddenly, she felt a slight headache.
"Otto... I don't feel well."
"Take the medicine...?"
Eve took the medicine, then Otto asked her, "Why didn't you take the medicine, Eve?"
"Wait... Otto... maybe... maybe I forgot."
"You forgot to take the medicine... or..."
"No... I actually forgot that I had medicine."
"What," Otto exclaimed.
********
Eve was asleep, while Otto was examining the X-ray images of Eve's brain. Otto pointed to a specific area in Eve's brain.
"Hmm... here... as I expected... So, I think it's time to use you, my dear device."
Otto looked at the device covered with a white cloth. Then he wondered about the thing she mentioned in the morning.
"The message... do you mean... Ethan's message... did you read it... impossible."
Otto realized that Eve had read Ethan's message before he disappeared. And here, he understood that it was time for Eve to delve deeper.