The girl is gone from his window's frame as quickly as she appears, hitting the ground below. Joseph is completely frozen.
"What did I just see? Why can I feel her feeling?"
He forces himself to look down through the window. The girl lies motionless on the ground. Blood is already spreading on the pavement. Her eyes are open, but she is still. Other students rush to the window, shouting and pointing. People on the ground floor run toward the girl. The whole moment becomes chaotic and horrific.
The scene shifts to the hospital. Many students arrive to check on her, especially those who know her. Joseph is also there, desperate to understand what happened.
"What is the feeling that comes toward me when I see her? Why can I feel her despair? Do I know her?"
A doctor emerges from the operating room, looking relieved but serious. "She was in danger, but now she is safe. Is there a teacher or someone I can talk with for her?"
One of the students quickly replies, "The teachers went to inform her parents."
The doctor's eyes scan the crowd, clearly looking for someone mature or responsible. Suddenly, his gaze locks onto Joseph. "Hey, you. You are Joseph Bennet, the brother of Dr. Johan Bennet, am I right?"
Joseph, surprised to be singled out, replies simply, "Yes!"
The doctor's demeanor instantly becomes confidential. "Come here, I have something to talk about with you for her."
A Strange Revelation
Joseph goes with him. As the two walk toward a room, the doctor slows, a troubled look crossing his face. A question weighs on his mind: Does he know? I think Johan and Jennifer keep everything secret from him. But… no secret is as important as someone's life.
He turns to Joseph before opening the door. "Do you believe that there are three worlds that revolve around the sun?"
"Ah… I guess it was in our old curriculum," Joseph replies, confused.
"Did your brother or sister ever tell you about that?"
"No… never."
"I think I am right. But I have no option," the doctor says grimly, and opens the door.
Inside, Joseph sees a girl sitting on a wooden stool. She is crying, trembling, and scared. This is Martha, Anni's closest friend. A nurse is nearby, giving her some medicine. The doctor asks the nurse to provide the note to Joseph.
Joseph opens the note. It is written in a hurry—not very clear, but still readable:
My stepfather tortures me every day. When I tell this to my mother, he uses some type of dark magic energy and possesses my mother. Now he is doing everything to me. Her health is getting worse over time. But I don't know—when I came to talk with her, she directly attacked me. In the past three days, I suddenly start sleeping anywhere, and my eyes have been closing automatically. When I wake up, I don't remember anything. But I find scars on my body. Everything around me becomes a mess. Yesterday I slept in the study room. When I woke up, I saw that my window was broken. A knife pierced my right hand and stuck in it. I was scared and screaming for so many times, but nobody came to help me. Something is trying to kill me. Martha, you are the only one whom I can believe. If I die—
The last two sentences are soaked in tears, and the ink has spread, making the rest of the message incomprehensible.
"This is all she wrote before her suicide," the doctor tells him.
Joseph, ever the analyst, instinctively searches for a logical explanation. "Maybe she has multiple personality disorder or any other severe mental disease. I do not have as much expertise as my brother or sister, but I can tell that something like that can happen with her. I think she couldn't adapt to her new father. So, she takes that step."
"By the way, who is her father?" Joseph asks the doctor.
"The mayor of the city, Mr. Jones," the doctor replies.
"What?" Joseph is shocked by that.
"This man shows a kind face in public, but he has an evil inside. He uses his powers for both political and personal benefits," the doctor tells Joseph.
Joseph's face hardens with anger. "I don't know what happened to her, and this man is too powerful; he has so many supporters. If we say anything against him, it can be problematic. Please don't involve me in these political issues. It can harm my family." He turns sharply, moving quickly back toward the exit.
Suddenly, SNAP!
The nurse, standing beside the girl, makes a sharp finger snap. A dark ball of energy appears instantly in her hands, and she throws it with a practised ease toward the door handle. Joseph doesn't notice the action.
Another SNAP!
The doctor also made a blue ball in his hand and hovered it in the air.
Joseph reaches the door, pulls it open, and freezes. He is shocked and can't believe his eyes. Outside the door is no longer a hospital corridor, but space. A huge reddish-orange planet is directly in front of him.