As they stepped off the train, Iris moved quietly, ready to slip away into the crowd. But just as she turned, the old woman's hand clamped around her wrist. Not harshly-but with a strength that defied her frail appearance. Her grip was steady. Unyielding.
Iris froze. Her heart thudded against her ribs like a trapped bird.
"G-Grandma... I-I can go home from here, I..." she began, her voice small, inching back, trying to twist free without drawing attention.
Then-ring.
The old woman's phone vibrated in her hand. She answered, her tone composed at first, her gaze distant.
But slowly... something shifted.
Her eyes narrowed. Her head turned. And then-her gaze locked on Iris, sharp and heavy, like a blade hidden behind calm eyes.
"She knows..." Iris thought, her breath catching. Panic coiled in her chest like smoke. "She found out..."
The call ended with an eerie slowness. The woman lowered the phone. Her lips curled into a smile-but not the warm kind. It was tight. Stretched. Off.
"My friend's a journalist," she said with a quiet chuckle, "and quite the talker."
She leaned in slightly, her voice dropping.
"She mentioned a child went missing this morning in Sapporo. Strange thing is... the description matches you exactly."
Iris's face turned pale. Her lips parted-maybe to lie, maybe to explain-but the old woman took a step forward and gently cut her off.
"No need to panic, dear," she said, voice laced with artificial sweetness. "We'll just make a quick stop at the police station.
They've called me, you know. Said they found some... interesting documents about my missing grandson."
That's when Iris ran.
Adrenaline surged through her veins like ice.
The old woman lunged, catching the strap of Iris's backpack-the one with all the stolen money, the maps, the notes-everything she had prepared.
"No-!" Iris screamed.
"I can't go back. I can't!" she cried, memories of her real grandmother's cruel words spiraling in her head: "You killed your own mother. Curse you!."
The fabric gave way, ripping violently from her shoulders.
Gone. Her bag, her lifeline-snatched away.
But there was no time.
Without a second thought, barefoot and breathless, Iris bolted through the station crowd.
She pushed past startled strangers, heart pounding, lungs burning.
Behind her, the woman's voice rang out, distant, fading.
"Little girl! Wait! Come back!"
But Iris didn't look back.
She couldn't.
She just kept running-alone-into the heart of Tokyo.
Toward the unknown.
Toward destiny.
What do you think? Let me know in the comments.