You texted your sis

"Let’s wait for Sarah to come back," Mrs. Geoff said, her tone turning more serious. "I remember you mentioned you had a sister. Have you texted her yet?"

You shook your head, the thought of checking your phone hadn’t even crossed your mind until now. With everything that had happened, it was hard to even focus on one thing at a time. Mrs. Geoff’s question brought you back to reality. You turned and walked back to the living room, where your phone lay on the couch where you’d left it.

As you picked it up, the screen lit up with a barrage of messages from Alison, your sister. The notifications scrolled down quickly, each one more frantic than the last. Are you okay? What happened? Mum is furious right now! Call me, please! The concern in her words cut through you, reminding you that despite everything, she was still there for you. Even though she might not understand what you were going through, she cared.

You sighed heavily, your thumb hovering over the screen, unsure if you had the energy to reply right now. But you knew you needed to, at least to let her know you were safe. As much as you wanted to shut everything out, you couldn’t ignore the people who were still in your corner.

You typed a quick response: I'm okay. At Sarah's house for now. I’ll explain later. You hesitated for a moment before hitting send, wondering what Alison was thinking, what she knew, and how she felt about everything.

The phone buzzed almost immediately with her reply: Thank God. Take care, please. Call me when you can.