When the Forgotten Daughter Rises Chapter 04

When the Forgotten Daughter Rises Chapter 04

The long-distance train station is packed with people. The waiting hall is stuffy, filled with the mixed smells of bread, sweat, and cheap perfume.

I buy a standard seat ticket.

The train ride is eighteen hours long, but I don’t find it difficult at all.

Sitting by the window, I watch the familiar Pack territory slowly disappear behind me. For the first time, my heartbeat begins to settle.

In its place comes a sense of freedom I’ve never felt before.

I take out my phone and open the family group chat.

Mom has just posted a picture from the airport lounge.

The three of them are smiling brightly in the photo.

Mom adds a caption:

[Taking our girl on a Miami getaway! A fresh start in high school deserves the whole family’s support!]

A stream of likes and comments from our relatives quickly fills the chat.

Aunt Karen: [Lily looks gorgeous! You must be so proud!]

Aunt Linda: [Have fun! Once school starts, it’s time to buckle down.]

I stare quietly at the picture.

Then I tap “Leave Group Chat.”

After that, I open my contacts for Dad, Mom, and Lily.

One by one, I block them.

When it’s done, I turn off my phone.

The train rumbles south, carrying me away from the “home” where there has never been a place for me.

……

At eight that evening, the third-floor windows of the Gamma House in Ridgeview Pack are completely dark.

Hundreds of miles away, at a five-star beachfront hotel in Miami, Mom has just finished an expensive spa treatment.

She casually picks up her phone and opens the smart home security app, as she always does.

The house on the screen is pitch-black. Not a single light is on.

Mom frowns and checks the time before muttering to herself,

“What the hell is that girl doing? It’s eight already. She better not have gone sneaking off somewhere.”

She calls my phone.

“The person you are trying to reach is unavailable…”

She tries three times.

The result is the same every time.

She switches back to the family group chat, taps my profile, and sends me a voice message.

“Elena, where the hell are you? Why aren’t you answering your phone?”

A red exclamation mark suddenly appears on the screen.

[Message not delivered. You’re not connected with this person.]

Mom sits bolt upright, her face turning livid. The sheet mask on her face nearly slips off.

“She blocked me? That little brat!”

Dad simply waves a hand, completely unconcerned.

“She probably went over to someone’s house. She’s a teenager. Let her have her little rebellion. If she gets hungry, she’ll come home.”

“No! Who’s going to hand-wash Lily’s expensive clothes? I specifically told her to have them done today before we left!”

The more Mom thinks about it, the angrier she gets, already imagining an entire disaster in her head.

“She probably went to some bar or is hanging around with God knows who! She’s supposed to be preparing for the SAT next year. Does she even care about school anymore?”

Furious, she starts scrolling through her contacts.

After searching for a while, she finally finds the number of my high school homeroom teacher, Mr. Wilson, in an old, long-abandoned parents’ group chat.

She calls him without hesitation.

As soon as the call connects, Mom immediately launches into a complaint.

“Mr. Wilson, this is Elena’s mother. I’m sorry to call so late, but my daughter hasn’t come home all day, and her phone is turned off. Do you know if she went out with some boy from school? With that attitude, is she even planning to take the SAT next year?”

There is obvious confusion on the other end of the line.

For a full five seconds, Mr. Wilson says nothing.

Then his voice comes through, filled with confusion and disbelief.

“Elena’s mother…Mrs. Reeves, right? What are you talking about?”

“Your daughter graduated in June.”

“Not only did she score a 1520 on the SAT, she was this year’s valedictorian. She’s an SSS-Rank wolf, and Yale accepted her.”

“Didn’t you know?”