This Time, No One's Taking My Brother

Grandma is far too trusting of strangers. She can strike up a conversation with anyone and casually tell them all about our family. She always says, "There aren't that many bad people in the world." During summer break, she takes my younger brother, Theo, and me swimming. After she entrusts Theo to a lifeguard to take him to the men’s restroom, my five-year-old brother is abducted and sold. However, Grandma tells my parents that I deliberately made him disappear because I want to take his place and stay in the city. My parents get a divorce because of it. They had already left me behind in the countryside, and now neither of them is willing to take me with them. As I chase after my mother's car, I get hit by a car and die. When I open my eyes, I am back on the day when I was ten years old. The swimming pool is filled with cheers and laughter. Theo calls loudly to Grandma. "Grandma! I need to pee!" Grandma smiles, scoops him up, and starts walking toward Samson, who is standing nearby. My heart tightens. I quickly get to my feet and follow her. Then I grab Theo by the hand. “No, you can’t go into the men’s restroom.” Chapter 1 Before the lifeguard, Samson Jones, could say anything, Grandma immediately snapped at me. "Sophie White! Have you lost your mind? He's just trying to help, and you're making trouble! "Where else is Theo supposed to go? We're not out in the country anymore. He can’t just relieve himself wherever he wants!" I clung tightly to Theo's hand, refusing to let go. In my previous life, it was this lifeguard who had taken Theo into the men's restroom. After that, I never saw him again. "He can't go with you!" My voice trembled, but I refused to back down. Samson smiled and explained patiently, "Sweetie, your brother is a boy, so he needs to use the men's restroom." Even Theo started squirming. He twisted around, trying to pull himself toward Samson. "Sophie, I need to pee!" I panicked and blurted, "You can't! There are bad people in the men's restroom. They'll take you away!" A hint of displeasure crossed Samson's face. Grandma immediately noticed it and hurriedly apologized. "I'm so sorry. The girl grew up out in the country, so she doesn't know any better. "She scares easily and likes to talk nonsense. Please don't take it personally." As she spoke, she tried to pry my fingers away. Theo had grown up with our parents, so he and I had never been particularly close. But when I remembered how I had died alone after my parents abandoned me in my previous life, I couldn't let go. I grabbed onto Theo's shirt with my other hand, nearly screaming through my tears, "He can't go! There are bad people in there!" "Let go of him!" Grandma shouted. Theo was becoming desperate to relieve himself. He started crying as well. "I have to pee! Let me go!" The whole scene descended into chaos. Cries and shouts filled the air. When Grandma realized that she couldn't pry my hands loose, she lost her temper and slapped me. My cheek burned, and tears immediately spilled from my eyes, but I gritted my teeth and pulled Theo even closer. "What's wrong with you? Let go!" Our commotion had drawn a crowd. Grandma, clearly embarrassed, finally let go of me. She planted her hands on her hips and shouted, "Have you gone completely crazy? Then tell me. Where is Theo supposed to go? We can't take him to the women's restroom!" The moment she said that, several parents nearby looked at me strangely. "Wouldn't that be perverted? A boy that old going into the women's restroom?" "Yeah. That's gross." Samson quickly stepped in and said, "That's not allowed. We have a policy here. Boys aren't permitted in the women's restroom." Grandma immediately turned on me. "Hear that? Theo is a boy, so he can't go into the women's restroom. "You can’t make him hold it in forever! So, what are we supposed to do, huh? Tell me!" Chapter 2 Theo was nearing his limit. His legs clamped tightly together as he squirmed from side to side. "I have to pee!" he cried. "Grandma, hurry! I have to pee!" I was starting to panic too. In my previous life, our entire family had worn ourselves out searching for Theo. We spent the entire night combing through every corner of the complex, but there had been no sign of him anywhere. I never wanted to experience that kind of despair again. Even Samson was beginning to lose his patience. He glanced at the clock on the wall and said to Grandma, "Ma'am, have you decided yet? I'm still on the clock. I can't stand here waiting around forever." Grandma glared at me, but she gave Samson an apologetic smile. Suddenly, I remembered something from my previous life. While searching for Theo, I'd noticed a family restroom on the second floor. I tugged Grandma's arm and said, "There are diapers in the backpack. There's a baby care restroom upstairs. Take Theo upstairs and put a diaper on him." Grandma was so exasperated that she laughed. She pinched my arm, making me gasp in pain. "You troublesome little brat. Do you know how much a diaper costs? "You're going to waste a perfectly good diaper just because he has to pee once? Do you think money grows on trees?" Theo's face scrunched up. He clutched himself tightly and looked like he was about to cry. I steeled myself and continued gripping his shirt, repeating, "He can't go into the men's restroom. Someone will kidnap him." Grandma raised her hand as if she were about to slap me again, but when she looked at Theo, she stopped. She waved her hand impatiently. "Fine, fine! Have it your way. You really are a pain." She bent down, picked Theo up, and hurried toward the stairs. I pulled a diaper out of the backpack and followed closely behind. Once Grandma carried Theo into the family restroom, I stood guard outside, watching every person who walked past. I was terrified that if I looked away for even a second, someone dangerous would slip in. A few minutes later, Grandma came out holding Theo's hand. Only then did I finally let out a long breath of relief. On the way back to the pool, I reminded Grandma, "You have to keep a close eye on Theo. Don't hand him over to a stranger." "Okay, okay," Grandma replied dismissively. "You worry too much. According to you, everyone in the world is a bad person." When we got back to the pool, I no longer felt like swimming. My stomach was in knots. I couldn't shake the feeling that this wasn't over yet. The chaos that had followed Theo's disappearance in my previous life kept flashing through my mind. I told Grandma to sit on the bench beside the pool and keep her eyes on Theo. She waved me off impatiently. "I heard you the first time. Stop nagging." I turned around and fixed my eyes on Samson. I didn't know why he had abducted Theo in my previous life, but this time, I wasn't going to let it happen. The remaining hours seemed to drag on forever. Fortunately, Samson never approached Theo again. He didn't even look in our direction. I finally allowed myself to relax a little. Maybe things really were different this time. After we finished swimming, I asked Grandma to take Theo to the men's changing room and told her to wait right outside the door. Then, I changed as quickly as I could. As I hurried down the hallway, an inexplicable sense of unease suddenly washed over me. I turned the corner. Sure enough, Grandma was standing outside the changing room, chatting animatedly with someone nearby. My heart clenched as I rushed over. "Where's Theo?" Chapter 3 Grandma didn't even turn around as she nonchalantly said, "Don't worry. Theo went into the changing room with our neighbor Harold and his grandson. You know Harold. What are you getting so worked up about?" Just then, the door to the men's changing room opened. Harold walked out with his grandson. Grandma hurried over and asked, "Where's my little Theo?" Harold looked confused. "He hasn't come out yet? He got changed a while ago and said he was going out to find you." My head began to buzz, and my hands and feet instantly turned ice-cold. Beside me, Grandma was still shouting. "What? I left him with you!" I stared at the door, my legs so weak that I could barely stand. Grandma burst into tears and grabbed Harold's arm. "I told you to take my grandson in there to get changed! How could you have lost him?" Harold shook her hand off, looking exasperated. "Your grandson has legs of his own and ran off. What was I supposed to do? Besides, you're his grandmother. Why aren't you keeping an eye on him yourself?" The two of them began arguing furiously. I was frantic and desperately tugged at Grandma's clothes. "Stop fighting! We have to find Theo!" That seemed to snap her out of it, but by then, she was already completely panicked. She dropped heavily into the floor, slapped her thighs, and started wailing. "Theo! My sweet Theo! Where did you go?" I didn't have time to cry with her. Remembering what I'd been taught at school, I ran straight to the wall and pulled the fire alarm. A piercing siren immediately rang throughout the building. One after another, the heavy fire curtains began descending from the ceiling. Lifeguards and staff came rushing over. "What's going on? Who pulled the alarm?" shouted a uniformed employee. I ignored Grandma and ran straight up to him. "My brother has been kidnapped! Hurry and lock the doors! Don't let anyone leave!" Samson froze for a moment before recognizing me. Frowning, he asked, "Kid, did you actually see someone take him? You can't just make an accusation like that!" I ignored him and ran back to Grandma. I whispered in her ear, "Grandma, Theo really has been kidnapped. If something happens to him, Mom and Dad will never forgive you." Grandma's entire body jolted, and the color drained from her face. She quickly wiped her tears, stood up, and grabbed a uniformed employee by the arm. "If you don't lock the doors and help me find my grandson, I'm calling the police! "My grandson is really missing! If anyone manages to take him out of here, I'll hold all of you responsible!" Seeing how distraught she was, the employee finally snapped into action. He grabbed his radio and said, "Attention, everyone. Lock down all exits immediately. No one is to leave the facility. "All units, we have a missing child. Repeat, we have a missing child." A flurry of voices immediately came through the radio. The main doors slammed shut, and everyone's attention turned toward us. Grandma collapsed into a chair, repeatedly muttering Theo's name. I stood there trembling, but my mind was racing. In my previous life, it took us at least 20 minutes after Theo entered the men's restroom to realize something was wrong. The police had brought in police dogs and searched the entire men's restroom, but they couldn't find a single trace of him. Which meant that someone must have carried him out. Furthermore, whoever had taken him might not have been Samson. But if it wasn't him, then who was it? The clues tangled together in my head. Then, a bold idea suddenly came to me. I stepped toward the crowd and pointed straight at Samson. "It was him. He’s the one who kidnapped my brother."