1 When I was ten, an elderly woman took my twin sister, Chloe, and never brought her back. My parents reported her missing and searched for eighteen years, but there was never a trace. Then, recently, a trend of psychic streamers took off. Mom started trying to get a live reading, scrambling to connect in every session. After half a month, she finally got through to a well-known streamer. She trembled as she posed her most desperate question: "Is my younger daughter still alive?" The streamer glanced at me, a look of surprise crossing her face. Then she nodded, responding, "She's alive! But your older daughter is gone!" Our family of three went utterly pale in an instant! Under my parents' stunned gaze, I quickly disconnected the call. I laughed, trying to smooth things over. "These streamers, desperate for attention, they'll say anything!" Ten minutes later, a knock echoed at our front door. It was the police! The psychic's words had cast an eerie silence over the house. Mom and Dad both looked at me, their expressions complicated. I forced a laugh. "Mom, you can't trust what's online. You should watch less of that stuff!" "You're not actually buying into that psychic's nonsense, are you?" Seeing nothing amiss with me, Dad was the first to react. "Skye's right, honey. You need to stop watching those crazy livestreams." I smiled, picked up Mom's phone, and uninstalled the streaming app. Then I playfully tugged her arm. "Mom, I'm starving! I want your braised ribs!" She took her phone, tossed it aside. "That psychic is just spouting nonsense. I'll go make them right now!" Knock, knock, knock. The knocking came from outside the door again. My heart, which had just settled, leaped into my throat. I composed myself and walked to open the door. Officer Davies walked in, his face alight with excitement. "The trafficking ring has been apprehended! You can finally ask about Chloe!" Clang! Dad shot up, his water glass crashing to the floor. He couldn't stop trembling. "Really?" Seeing Officer Davies nod in confirmation, I quickly rushed into the kitchen and pulled Mom out. Our family hurried to the precinct. 2 When I was ten, my twin sister, Chloe, disappeared. According to the kids in the village, she was seen being led away by an old lady. My parents reported it to the police and searched for eighteen long years, but there was never a single clue. From then on, we'd distribute tens of thousands of missing person flyers every year. The police station became our second familiar home. Now, finally, there was hope of news about my sister. Of course, we rushed there. Though we went through similar emotional rollercoasters twice a year, it never dulled our determination to find her. Entering the interrogation room, I saw a woman with white hair sitting in a chair. Mom and Dad trembled slightly, staring intently at her. "Is she the one who took my sister?" I whispered, bewildered, to my parents beside me. "She looks like it!" Dad's voice shook, his excitement almost unbearable. My heart, however, fluttered with unease. How could this be? This was impossible! "Eighteen years ago, did you go to Maple Creek and abduct a girl?" Officer Davies asked the woman. The woman lifted her eyes, scoffing. "I've taken many. Not just Maple Creek, but Bluebell Hollow, Whispering Pines, too!" Officer Davies slammed his hand on the table. "Watch your tone!" Mom's eyes reddened, her emotions raw. "Did you take my daughter? Where did you take her?" The woman glanced at Mom, then pointed at me. "Girls her age, of course, were sold to remote communities to be wives." "That period was quite profitable... a single girl could fetch tens of thousands..." She laughed openly, without a shred of shame. "Specifically, where were they sold?" Dad lunged at her, grabbing her clothes, demanding fiercely. Officer Davies quickly intervened, pulling him back. "Calm down." After several rounds of questioning, the woman refused to speak further. Mom was so desperate she knelt directly, sobbing and pleading, "Please, tell me! I've been looking for her for eighteen years. I miss her so much! Dead or alive, I just want to know what happened!" Perhaps the desperate kneeling touched something in her. She finally spoke an address. 3 Mom and Dad rushed out, eager to leave immediately. Officer Davies quickly caught up, pulling them back. "It's too dangerous to go alone. Wait until tomorrow; I'll gather more officers, and we'll go together!" My parents hesitated, and I quickly chimed in, "Mom, Dad, going with the police will definitely be safer!" Once they nodded, I started looking up the address online. It wasn't too far from us, about a five-hour drive. When we reached the foot of the mountain, police officers were already waiting. One led us to the village chief, and then we followed him into a dilapidated small yard. My heart pounded in my throat. Could my sister possibly be here? I found it hard to believe. Just then, a disheveled woman emerged from the house, holding a child. "Who are you looking for?" She looked no older than twenty. The village chief stepped forward. "Miss Lin, these are police officers. They're here to help you find your birth parents!" A man stepped out from behind her. "What parents? My little Lily's parents are dead! Get out, get out, don't stay here!" We were ushered out. The door had just closed when we heard the woman's scream from inside. Officer Davies pushed the door open again, sharply reprimanding the man who was hitting her... "Domestic violence can also be charged!" Hearing this, the man kicked the woman viciously. "Tch, how unlucky!" The village chief stepped in, smiling apologetically, trying to mediate between the two sides. The man glared at us, his face ashen, but finally agreed to let us take the woman! This wasn't my sister. Her age and appearance didn't match. My mom, heartbroken by the woman's suffering, and thinking of our still-missing Chloe, cried uncontrollably. Officer Davies made calls constantly on the way. Through the woman's descriptions, he quickly helped her find her family. When we returned to the precinct, an elderly couple stood at the entrance! The woman saw them and burst into loud sobs! She knelt before them, calling them Mom and Dad! Watching their family reunion, my mom fainted from sorrow! Back home, fearing Mom might do something drastic, Dad quickly contacted Aunt Carol, asking her to come over and console her. When Aunt Carol walked in, I was sitting by Mom's bedside, holding a bowl of porridge. "Chloe? You're home?" Aunt Carol looked at me, her face beaming with joy. My parents' expressions instantly stiffened, turning ashen. I took a deep breath, suppressing my own reaction. I quickly put down the bowl and went to take Aunt Carol's arm. "Aunt Carol, look closely! It's me, Skye! My sister hasn't been found yet~" Then I sighed again. "If Chloe came back, Mom definitely wouldn't be sick like this~" Hearing that, Mom's face looked a bit strained. 4 "Skye?" Aunt Carol looked confused. "You bought me so many candied hawthorns when I was little, and told me not to tell anyone... Have you forgotten, Aunt Carol?" "Chloe and I do look very similar, but Chloe had autism; would she joke around like me?" I playfully teased Aunt Carol and Mom. "If Chloe hadn't disappeared, standing in front of you now, I probably wouldn't even be able to tell us apart!" My parents' expressions shifted quickly. I quickly pulled Aunt Carol closer, trying to be affectionate. Aunt Carol smiled, sat down by the bed, and comforted Mom. "Honey, look how wonderful Skye is! You can just think of her as Chloe, if you want!" "You've searched for eighteen years; it's time to let go!" I kept a close eye on my parents' expressions, only relaxing when they seemed to return to normal. Mom's eyes were red, and she cried, "I don't know where Chloe is, or how much she's suffered!" Aunt Carol quickly changed the subject. A week later, Mom finally started to emerge from the crushing disappointment of the last failed hope. Then, we received news from the police again! Officer Davies, on the phone, excitedly told me: "The girl we rescued this time looks incredibly like you! And her age matches too." "Come over quickly and identify her!" The cup in my hand slipped, shattering with a crash. Hearing the news, I feigned excitement and shouted, "Mom, Dad, let's go quickly! There's a lot of hope this time~" But my parents weren't as thrilled as I expected. Mom sighed. "After so many years, there's been hope many times, but in the end, it was never her." Dad took her hand, comforting her softly. "Don't give up. Maybe this time it's real?" I quickly packed our things and went to get the car. When we arrived at the precinct, I saw the girl sitting across from us. At first glance, she was indeed seventy percent similar to me! Mom looked at her, her lips moving, too emotional to speak. She walked quickly to the girl, her trembling hand suspended in mid-air! The girl noticed the unusual attention, looking up at Mom. "You, who are you?" I excitedly stepped forward and grabbed the girl's hand, "Chloe! We finally found you!" Mom hugged her, crying loudly, utterly overwhelmed. Dad's face went completely pale, terrified! But I knew this girl still wasn't my sister. Officer Davies came out, and Mom finally released the girl she was hugging. "Her age, memories, and appearance all seem to match quite well!" He handed me the file. I took a glance, then handed it with a smile to Mom and Dad beside me. "She should be Chloe, right?" Officer Davies stopped Mom and Dad, who wanted to take the girl home immediately. "To be cautious, we still need to do a DNA test!" We, of course, cooperated. 5 Seven days later, the results came out. Everyone was incredulous. She wasn't Chloe either! This was, however, within my expectations. Mom left disconsolately, while Dad seemed somewhat relieved. Back home, Mom remembered the psychic streamer. She immediately asked me to re-download the streaming app, wanting to ask again. I initially didn't want to download it for her, but I was afraid she'd overthink things. So I did it for her anyway. Even if it just gave her a sliver of hope, it was better than searching aimlessly. After the download was successful, I logged into Mom's account. I saw a series of private messages, two of which were from that psychic. "Your daughter's matter? Your husband and your current daughter both know about it. They've been hiding it from you all this time!" "You need to be careful of your daughter and your husband!" That psychic really was spouting nonsense. I casually handed the phone to Mom. "Mom, look, this psychic is trying to fool you! You can't trust her!" "These streamers will say anything to go viral!" Her face changed slightly, then she deleted the messages right in front of me. "I know! I won't believe them." Seeing her emotions stable, I felt relieved. The next day, as I was at work, a few police officers suddenly showed up at the door, looking for me. I was confusedly taken to the precinct. As soon as I arrived, I saw my mom sitting on a chair inside. "Mom, what's going on?" Her face looked unnatural as she looked at me. She hemmed and hawed, unwilling to speak. "What exactly happened?" My tone grew a little sharper. My mom finally spoke, "That psychic said your dad knows your sister's whereabouts!" My heart plummeted. It lodged in my throat. "And then?" I looked around, but didn't see Dad. "Your dad is in the interrogation room!" She pointed to a door inside. "Mom, how could you listen to some online psychic and have the police bring Dad here!" Watching her gaze awkwardly at the floor, I was speechless. "Have you forgotten that psychic last year who claimed she could find Chloe, and ended up conning you out of eight thousand dollars?" "I just finished paying that money back last month!" Saying this, I wanted to explain to the officer beside me. But instead, I was met with a pair of handcuffs.
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