I watched them with cold indifference and remembered how the girl had been renamed "Jessica McKinley" in my previous life. She had won the trust of both the Montgomery and McKinley families with her innocent facade.
However, for some unknown reason, she always looked victimized whenever I spoke to her. This would inevitably lead to lectures from all the adults.
When I chose to ignore her and avoid interaction, she would cry in front of the elders and say, "Does Nana hate me? Why does she always ignore me when I try to talk to her? Did I do something wrong?"
She played the part of the pitiful victim perfectly. Thanks to her, my previously ordinary but fulfilling teenage years had vanished. They were replaced by years of "colorful" experiences.
While they were distracted, I quickly sent messages to everyone in my family. I noticed Jessica's gaze lingering on me, and I caught a flash of jealousy in her eyes.
"Nana, I didn't mean to be here. I just woke up here... I don't know how..." As she spoke, she began to cry again.
I cut her off impatiently. "We're not much older than you. You should ask an adult for help instead of us. Besides, I'm an only child, so don't bother using that trick on me. I won't want another sibling."
"Nathan, make your own decision. I don't have time to waste," I stated firmly.
Nathan hesitated before saying, "Let's take her home. My family will adopt her."
Since the driver picking us up was from my family, he needed my permission to bring her along. I agreed readily, "Sure!"
As Nathan was about to help Jessica into the car, I pulled out my phone and suggested, "Let's call the police."
The girl suddenly rushed over and grabbed my phone. She noticed Nathan's puzzled expression and quickly explained, "I-I'm just scared that... What if my family abandoned me?"
I gave her a knowing smirk as I had the driver retrieve my phone from her.
"Luna, maybe we should…" Nathan seemed hesitant. His words trailed off.
Feigning confusion, I asked, "What's wrong? Isn't this how we should handle such situations? You'll need to follow proper procedures for adoption."
I continued, "Do you know how many girls and children are harmed each year? If you just take her home like this, what about her family? What if they're looking for her?"
Nathan wavered as he was aware of the recent child disappearances in the area. Finally, he agreed and said through gritted teeth, "Fine. Let's go!"
I had already messaged the McKinley family elders, and they arrived shortly after we did. Nathan's mother, Courtney Stamos, asked worriedly, "What happened? What's going on? Weren't you just heading home from school?"
Her gaze eventually settled on Jessica, and she blurted out, "Who is this?"
We had just finished filing a report. During the entire process, Jessica claimed to know nothing and provided zero leads.
Nathan quickly explained the situation and declared, "Mom, let's take Jessie in until we find her family."
Nathan even suggested to the police that she stay with them temporarily until they had leads. The police needed time to investigate, so Jessica once again became a "temporary resident" of the McKinley family.
I stayed out of their discussions completely. From what I knew, they had not found any leads about her family even by the time I got married in my previous life. My parents had also helped with the search, but the investigation mysteriously fizzled out.
This time around, she still became Jessica McKinley. To help her adjust, Nathan threw a welcome party. He invited our entire class and their close family friends.
Our relationship was not as strained yet at this point. Nathan invited me three times, and each time I turned him down, saying I was busy preparing for competitions.
On the last day, as I was leaving, he complained, "Nana, Jessie is so sweet, but why is Joe always so rude? He throws a tantrum at home every day, and Jessie is too scared to leave her room."
