Bring Your A Game, Mr

Elise had already formed a guess from the look on Cynthia's face. She gripped her sleeve tightly and mumbled, "So, you have news about Mikayla?"

Cynthia gazed at her and nodded. Without warning, Elise's legs gave away, and she stumbled. Neither were her tears controllable, as she could clearly feel tears gliding down her cheeks. "That's... That's impossible! Nothing's going to happen to her! How could she have..."

Cynthia tried her best to calm her down. "We are not a hundred percent sure right now. It's just that... the rescue team has found a body with descriptions that resemble her."

The shocking news shattered Elise's world, and she refused to accept the reality. Jack showed up out of the blue and grabbed Cynthia's arm, descending into madness as he barked at her, "Is that true? Where is she now? Tell me! Where is she?"

Jack's reckless reaction put a frown on Cynthia's forehead. She knew the guy, but she had not expected him to act in such a rash manner. Based on his anxious reaction, she had a vague idea of his relationship with Mikayla. Therefore, she decided to forgive his rudeness and shared all the details with him.

"The body is placed at the rescue station. No one has come forward to claim it." She barely finished speaking when Jack dashed out of the hospital. Elise followed suit with tears brimming in her eyes. When Mikayla's parents got the news, they almost fainted from crying. Finally, the group rushed to the temporary mortuary at the rescue station. Elise was shaking from head to toe when she laid eyes on the white cloth that was draped over the body.

"Mikayla..." Elise couldn't help but mumble her friend's name, and tears kept falling down her face. Meanwhile, Mikayla's parents were out of breath from crying, and the atmosphere sank to the lowest point. In an attempt to keep Elise calm, Alexander stood firmrly and held her hand in silence. She stumbled forward and flipped the cloth open to reveal a body that was almost unidentifiable. However, because the size of the victim was similar to Mikayla's frame, she once again plunged into sadness. The people around didn't seem too positive either

Yet, Jack was the only one who reacted differently. Looking like a lifeless walking corpse when he arrived, he suddenly perked up after seeing the body, and his eyes shone. "That's not Mikayla!" Without a doubt, his curt declaration changed the air around them.

Meanwhile, Elise watched on through her misty eyes as Jack explained with all seriousness, "That is not her! She wore a different outfit on that day. She's also wearing a fishbone necklace, which is not seen anywhere on this body!"

Elise's gaze traveled over to the body and confirmed that there was no fishbone necklace, which rendered her speechless. "W-What is going on?"

Again, Jack declared with confidence, "You got the wrong person! This body is not Mikayla's! Trust me!"

Then, he turned around to leave. The rest of the group was utterly confused by Jack's words. Soon, Mikayla's parents regained their composure. Staring at the body, they seemed to prefer Jack's narrative, even if it was only for emotional relief. "That's not Mikayla. It's not her," Mrs. Jameson muttered repeatedly, but her husband remained rational. "Since we can't identify her, the best way forward is to send the body for a postmortem exam."

So, Mr. Jameson contacted a local lab for a postmortem exam. The results were out in less than 24 hours and delivered to them.

Everyone held their breath as he took out the document. When they saw that the body did not even have a 1% match with Mikayla's DNA, they let out a collective sigh of relief.

"I knew it! It was not Mikayla. It's definitely not her..." Mrs. Jameson burst into tears agitatedly. Since the body was not Mikayla, there was hope that she could still be alive. Elise's heart slowly calmed down as well. Mikayla, you must still be alive. Am I right?

"Found her! They found her!" Jack's joyful screams cut through the pensive atmosphere. Elise was the first to get a grip of herself and hurried over to him. "Did they find Mikayla?" Jack nodded in happiness. "The embassy sent me the news. They said that Mikayla had contacted them. She was there to get her ID and passport reissued, probably for the flight home." The sudden news swept Elise off her feet. "Is that true? Where is she now?"

Jack added, "She went to the embassy two days ago. I guess she's already back to Cittadel now. Once we're back, we will definitely get a hold of her!"

"But if she's safe, why did she not contact us?" She vocalized her question, and silence descended. That was indeed a mystery, for it did not align with Mikayla's usual behavior. "But the embassy clearly told me that the ID information was correct. It was Mikayla."

In the face of Jack's confirmation, Elise also believed that the embassy visitor was Mikayla. "Let's head home then," Alexander chimed in, and she agreed with him.

Mikayla's parents were overjoyed to learn that their daughter had taken the flight home. They proceeded to book the closest flight available and went home with Elise and the others.

After a ten-hour-long flight, the plane landed at Athesea's airport. The group exited the arrivals and immediately rushed to Mikayla's home. However, they were shocked to find the house empty-Mikayla did not come home.

Looking disappointed, Jack mumbled, "How is this possible? What is going on?"

Elise comforted him, saying, "Don't worry. If it's really Mikayla, she will come home sooner or later."

"But where is she now?" His words prompted everyone to fall into deep thoughts. Elise and Alexander left Mikayla's place and went home together. In the car, she couldn't help but ask, "What do you think? Since she's already back in Cittadel, why is she not coming home?"

Before this, Alexander had observed the way Elise worried about Mikayla's disappearance. He could tell how important Mikayla was to her, and he silently gave her moral support along the way. "Don't worry. Who knows? Maybe she is under some difficult circumstances."

Elise looked confused but could not come up with a plausible explanation.

"Alright now. Stop overthinking. At least we have proof that she's well and alive. The other mysteries will be unraveled once she gets home. You shouldn't lose your hair over it."

Staring out of the window moodily, Elise once again prayed that Mikayla could come home soon.

When they reached home, she immediately got ready to attend school due to the time difference. She had spent a lot of time in Switzerland following the accident and took leaves of absence for it. Since she delivered satisfactory results in her previous exams, the teachers did not comment on her absence.

"The final exam is tomorrow. Use your time wisely for revision." The homeroom teacher was speaking to the class, but her eyes were clearly on Elise. "If you have any questions, feel free to drop by my office for clarification."