Unveiled: The Survivor's Triumph

The night carnival by Silverstream River, a one-of-a-kind bonfire bash, was poppin' off on the banks of Stellaris River.

After we stuffed our faces at dinner, we made our way to the party spot.

The bonfire was already blazing, and a bunch of folks had gathered around. Lots of young dudes and chicks from the Harmonians were rocking their traditional gear, while most of the others were just tourists from outta town. Their tunes were light and catchy, getting everyone in a good mood real quick.

As soon as we rolled up, a few Harmonian girls yanked us into the mix with big smiles.

Everyone formed a big ol' circle around the fire, singing and dancing like there was no tomorrow.

We couldn't sing or dance to save our lives, so we just awkwardly copied their moves, looking like total goofballs. After a bit, I kinda got the hang of it and started keeping up with the beat.

We danced slowly around the fire, and every smiling face in the firelight looked extra warm and fuzzy.

After a while, some Harmonian girls came out with drinks, singing toast song to all the guests.

There was no dodging their toasts, so we all had a drink. Then they started dancing in the middle, moving so gracefully and with eyes that could melt you.

I snuck a peek at Ethan to see how he was handling it. With all the Harmonian girls' enthusiasm, he was looking a bit flustered, which was so not like him.

Outta nowhere, I saw a Harmonian girl lean in and whisper something to Ethan. They chatted for a bit, and he kept glancing my way during their convo.

I was kinda surprised. 'With so many dudes around, why's she picking Ethan?'

But honestly, Ethan's got that charm that's hard for any girl to resist; no doubt about that.

After the girl left, Ethan walked over to me, and I casually asked, "What'd she say to you just now?"

Ethan leaned in and whispered in my ear, "She wants to go on a date with me tonight."

I was momentarily stunned but played it cool, "Well, look at you, Mr. Lucky. Out of all the guys, she picked you."

Ethan threw his arm around my shoulder and whispered, "But I turned her down. Told her my wife is here, and if I don't behave, I'll get my butt kicked when we get back. Even pointed to the scars on my face and said they were from you." I couldn't help but laugh. "You made me sound like a total shrew? Seems like you're feeling pretty sorry for yourself."

Ethan tilted his head, grinning at me. "I think you've got the potential to be a real shrew."

"You're full of it," I said, pretending to throw a few punches his way, but they were all super light.

He just grinned, didn't even try to dodge or fight back, like he was totally cool with me play-hitting him.

After we stopped messing around, we jumped back into the dancing crowd.

I'm not exactly a fitness junkie, so I got tired pretty quick and plopped down on a bench to catch my breath. They kept dancing, and Bella, with her endless energy, was still going strong.

After a bit, my phone buzzed. It was Jason. "What's up?"

I could almost see Jason's gentle smile through the phone. "Just out having a blast. What about you?"

Jason said, "Grabbing a bite. Didn't feel like cooking for one, so I'm eating out."

"Did you slap on some sunscreen? Don't tell me you got a tan," he teased.

I laughed. "Yeah, I did. It's working great. Thanks."

"Sounds like a party over there."

"Yeah, there's a bonfire bash. It's pretty awesome."

After a pause, Jason said, "That's cool. It's just me at home, feeling kinda lonely."

Watching the Harmonian girls dance, I laughed. "You're missing out. The girls here are stunning."

Jason chuckled on the other end. "Don't stay out too late."

I agreed, and after a bit more chit-chat, we hung up.

While I was on the call, a woman with a baby sat down next to me.

After I hung up, I couldn't help but stare at the sleeping baby in her arms. The kid was just too cute.

Maybe because I'd lost a child myself, I found kids extra adorable, especially their chubby cheeks. The woman noticed me staring and smiled.

I smiled back and asked, "How old's your baby?"

"Five months," she said. "Since he's still nursing, I have to bring him along when I go out. It's exhausting."

I nodded. "Being a mom is tough, but it's also pretty awesome."

Listening to the cheerful songs, I looked at the dancing crowd and felt like everything was just perfect and harmonious.

After a while, the woman next to me suddenly stood up and, looking a bit embarrassed, asked, "Can you hold him for a sec? I need to hit the restroom."

I didn't think twice. She couldn't exactly take the baby with her. "Sure, no problem."

"Thanks," she said, and quickly disappeared into the crowd.

The kid was out like a light, not even flinching with all the noise around. Looking at that peaceful little face, I felt a wave of tenderness. 'If my baby were born, he'd be just as cute, right?'

It wasn't until the woman had been gone for what felt like forever that I started to get a bad feeling.

I remembered seeing stuff like this on the news-people ditching their kids by asking someone to hold them and then never coming back.

I thought, 'Is she really abandoning this kid?'

Meanwhile, Ethan and Bella were dancing further away; I couldn't see them, and they couldn't see me.

Suddenly, two guys appeared in front of me.

"I'm the kid's dad. Hand him over," one of them said, pointing at the baby in my arms. His voice was cold, totally lacking any fatherly vibe, which made me super suspicious.

The woman had trusted me with the baby, so I felt responsible and couldn't just hand him over to anyone. "Let's wait for the mom to come back. She just went to the restroom; she'll be back soon." But the guy was getting impatient and reached out to grab the baby. "Do as I said."

Instinctively, I held the baby tighter and shifted to the side. Out of nowhere, he tried to snatch the baby. I bent over, shielding the baby with everything I had.

The guy shoved me with one hand and tried to yank the baby from my arms with the other. He didn't care if he hurt the baby, treating him like some object. The baby, who had been sleeping so peacefully, suddenly started wailing.

The guy's bad intentions were crystal clear now. I was terrified the baby would get hurt and even more scared that he might do something worse. While protecting the baby, I screamed.

But the bonfire party was so loud, my screams and the baby's cries were drowned out. A few people glanced over but didn't want to get involved.

Just then, a few men rushed over and tackled the two guys trying to snatch the baby.

As I breathed a sigh of relief, I was grabbed by two other people, and the baby was taken from my arms. They twisted my arms behind my back, and I felt the cold snap of handcuffs. I was completely stunned by what was happening.

Soon, more and more people noticed the commotion. The dancing stopped, the singing died down, and everyone turned to look.

Ethan spotted me and started making his way over, but before he could get close, a bunch of people stopped him.

"Police business, everyone step back," one of them barked.

Bella looked at me, totally confused, mouthing something like "What's going on?"

I just shook my head at her; I had no clue what was happening either.

The baby was placed on a nearby bench by a plainclothes officer, still crying his little heart out, limbs flailing everywhere.

The officer opened the baby's clothes, revealing a hidden pocket inside. He glanced at me, pulled out a small knife, and cut open the pocket, revealing a packet of white powder.

Seeing the white powder and the stern look the officer gave me, it finally clicked. The woman who handed me the baby wasn't just trying to ditch him.

"The stuff isn't mine, and the baby isn't mine either. I was just holding him for a moment." I knew in a law-abiding society, my words alone wouldn't cut it, but I had to try.

The officer looked at me and said, "Take her back to the station. We'll get to the bottom of this. We won't wrong an innocent person, but we won't let anyone who breaks the law get away either." As I was pushed into the car, I saw Ethan and Bella trying to rush over.

"Can the police just arrest people like that?" Bella was freaking out, being held back by several plainclothes officers.

As the car door closed, I locked eyes with Ethan through the crowd. He mouthed, "Don't be afraid."

The car drove off, and they quickly faded from view. But I was terrified. The baby was with me, and the drugs were on the baby. How could I explain that?

Inside the car, the baby's crying was the only sound.

A plainclothes officer held the baby, trying to soothe him. Even though the baby was young, he could tell he was with strangers in a strange place. He was scared too.

At the police station, they put me in a dark room. No light at all, and the fear was overwhelming.

My mind was racing. 'Can I clear my name? Ethan must be trying to figure something out, but what can he do? And the baby, is he still crying? Is he hungry? The police should feed him, right?' I had no idea how long I was in that room; it felt like forever. Finally, the door opened.