Chapter 1

After Teacher Appreciation Week, my first-grade daughter came home and broke my heart.

"Mom, I don't want to go to school anymore."

I thought she was just having trouble adjusting to elementary school, so I gently tried to comfort her.

That was until I saw a notification on the PTA WhatsApp group tagging everyone.

[A huge thank you to all the parents for your generosity during Teacher Appreciation Week! A special shout-out to our PTA committee moms—Audrey, Brenda, Claire, and Diana—for their hard work in organizing the $1,000 appreciation gift fund. The teachers received the love, and we know that children raised with gratitude will always have a bright future!]

It was only then that I realized why my daughter had been so quiet.

Later, when the teacher posted pictures of the class play on the group chat, my blood ran cold.

I couldn’t sit still anymore.

The "mandatory donation" I had refused to pay had turned into a knife used to torture my little girl.

1

It had been three days since Teacher Appreciation Week ended.

My anxiety about "skipping" the gift donation had slowly begun to fade.

I hadn't prepared any expensive gifts for her homeroom teacher, Mrs. Gable, and I had directly refused the $1,000 "gift fund" organized by the PTA President, Audrey.

I firmly believed that a healthy school environment shouldn’t be built on bribery.

During dinner, Lily poked at the rice in her bowl, her little head hanging low.

"Mom, I don't want to go to school tomorrow."

I set my fork down and asked softly, "What’s wrong, sweetie? There’s a class activity tomorrow. How about Mommy picks you up early?"

Lily looked at me with her big, watery eyes. After a long silence, she finally nodded.

The next morning, after a lot of coaxing, I managed to drop Lily off at her classroom.

Watching her small back disappear through the door, the unease in my chest grew.

I walked up to Mrs. Gable, keeping my voice as polite as possible.

"Mrs. Gable, Lily has been a bit emotional lately and seems resistant to coming to school. Could you please keep an eye on her? Let me know if anything happens. Thank you so much."

Mrs. Gable wore a fake, plastic smile, her eyes darting away from me.

"Lily's mom, it's completely normal for kids to struggle during the first few weeks. You need to do more guiding at home."

With that, she turned and walked away.

Back at the office, I couldn't focus.

It was past 1:00 PM by the time I finally finished my urgent tasks. I immediately picked up my phone.

The school WhatsApp group was flooded with over 99+ unread messages.

Suppressing my anxiety, I scrolled back to the very first unread text.

It was Mrs. Gable tagging everyone.

[A huge thank you to all the parents for your generosity during Teacher Appreciation Week! A special shout-out to our PTA committee moms—Audrey, Brenda, Claire, and Diana—for their hard work in organizing the $1,000 appreciation gift fund. The teachers received the love, and we know that children raised with gratitude will always have a bright future!]

Below it was a long thread of parents kissing up to her, typing things like "Thank you, teachers!" and "You deserve the best!"

Then came the videos and photos of this morning's class play.

The children were wearing sparkling costumes with beautiful makeup, their faces lit up with bright smiles.

I frantically searched for Lily in the crowd.

The first video—no Lily.

The second video—still no Lily.

The third video showed the kids eating lunch in the classroom after the performance.

The camera panned across the desks. Suddenly, my heart dropped. Lily’s desk was empty.

The camera kept moving.

In the next second, a scene at the edge of the frame made my blood freeze.

Lily, with no makeup, her hair completely messy, was being violently and quickly dragged out of the classroom by an adult.

A cold, paralyzing terror washed over me.

My hands shook so hard I could barely hold my phone. Without a second thought, I grabbed my car keys and ran out of the office, racing toward the school.

2

Grade 1, Class B.

The classroom was completely empty.

I immediately spotted Lily’s desk. Her once neat and clean desk was now covered in ugly, colorful marker scribbles: "We hate you," "Bad girl," and "Stupid."

I pulled open her desk drawer. It was stuffed with crumpled waste paper, half-eaten apple cores, and dirty trash.

Rage and heartbreak consumed me.

I spun around and ran toward the nap room next door.

The nap room was quiet, and the children were fast asleep in their small cots.

I frantically searched row by row. But my Lily wasn't there.

"Excuse me, what do you think you’re doing? Please leave. You are disturbing the children," the supervising teacher whispered harshly, stepping in to block me.

"Where is my daughter? Where is Lily Sterling? Why is her cot empty?"

I grabbed her arm, my voice sharp with panic.

The teacher’s eyes darted around guiltily as she tried to shake me off.

"Maybe she went to the restroom. You need to wait outside."

"Lily! Lily! Mommy’s here! Where are you?" I screamed, completely ignoring her.

My voice echoed loudly in the quiet nap room.

Several children woke up, looking around in confusion.

My shouting attracted teachers from other classrooms, who began whispering and peeking through the doorway.

Just then, Mrs. Gable walked out of a storage room at the end of the hallway.

"Lily's mom, what is wrong with you? Screaming like a lunatic in a school? If you don't calm down, I'm calling security."

I rushed up to Mrs. Gable, my eyes bloodshot.

"My daughter is missing! Mrs. Gable, I asked you this morning to keep an eye on her! Where is she?"

Panic flashed across Mrs. Gable’s face, but it was quickly replaced by disgust and annoyance.

"Lily's mom, calm down. The girl probably just snuck off to play. Making a scene like this is embarrassing. Think about the school's reputation."

"Embarrassing? My daughter is missing, and all you care about is the school's reputation?" I was shaking with rage.

"Lily never wanders off. Did you do something to her?!"

"How dare you accuse me!" Mrs. Gable shrieked.

The other teachers joined in, trying to shut me down.

"Ma'am, please calm down. A child wouldn't just vanish."

"Yeah, don't overreact. Let security handle it."

"Yelling won't solve anything."

Furious and terrified, I ignored them. I ran down the hallway, screaming at the top of my lungs.

"Lily! Mommy's here! Lily!"

As I ran, I dialed 91