Mysterious Secrets on the Roof

I just need a break. Some fresh air would do wonders. It’s nearly midnight, but I’ve already committed to the idea so here goes nothing. So many students warn each other not to go to the roof of the dorm building. I can’t lie, the idea intrigues me. I mean, what’s the worst that could happen? Thank goodness I’m already on one of the top floors. Just one flight of stairs and boom! I’m already opening the door to the dreaded roof that everyone talks about. It’s windy tonight but the temperature is just right. Somewhere in between needing a jacket and not needing a jacket. As I look around, I hear an oddly familiar sound. It sounds like someone is crying. That’s odd. I honestly thought nobody ever came to the roof. It’s a universal rumor that haunts each hallway to never go onto the roof. I’m not really sure what happened in the past, being the new freshman and all. There’s been so many rumors, but even when I researched it out of curiosity, my questions were never answered. This is that moment where your body automatically engages in the fight or flight response. I mean, even being the horror movie fan that I am, you still can’t prepare yourself for this eerie, random moment. I slowly make my way toward the sound, hiding behind every concealing piece of property that I can. Why am I doing this? Maybe it’s from the fear of not helping someone when they really need it. What if they’re hurt? What if that were me? Wow, I really am an idiot. This could end up being the worst mistake of my life. After all, I’ve been warned over and over again. I can’t just give up now. I’m already committed. Thank goodness the wind is masking my dreadful footsteps. Ok, the crying is getting louder. I must be really close. This is not what I came up here for. What did I get myself into? It’s ok. Just take a deep breath. Like I said, I’m already committed. All of the sudden, the crying ceases. It’s as if I was hearing things. No! I know I heard someone crying. As I peek from behind one of the vents, I can’t believe what I see. There’s a girl standing on the ledge. Her back is to me. What is she doing? She looks disheveled from what I can see. She’s barefoot with a white tank top and shorts that have dirt stains on them. Her clothes hang very loosely on her. She looks very malnourished. All of her bony prominences are very evident even with the night shadows. She has straight, long black hair that is down to her waist. Is she about to jump off? No way! This can’t be happening. This isn’t something that I want to witness. I’m not even prepared for this. She starts crying again and grabs her face in her hands. With her head pointed down, she starts hitting herself on her head. Almost as if she’s fighting herself. I catch a glimpse of something on the ground behind her that looks shiny. It’s too far. I can’t tell what it is. All of the sudden, she stops crying again and leans forward just a tad. Just enough for her to start swinging her arms and catch her balance again. I have to help her. I run out from behind my hiding place and yell to her, “Hey! are you ok?” She turns around to face me. We lock eyes for a moment and I can see the true terror in her eyes. Then, she proceeds to look straight ahead and with her arms straight out to her sides, she leans forward, this time making sure not to catch herself. My eyes immediately widen. I can’t catch my breath. I clutch my chest as a sudden heaviness sweeps over me like a dark plague. Did she just fall to her death? What is happening right now? I immediately run to the ledge and peek down. I don’t see her body anywhere. This can’t be happening. I saw her jump! Where’s her body? I remember the shiny object that I saw and immediately turn around and look down. There’s a small black book with a shiny pen on top of it. I hesitantly reach down and open the book. This must be from that same girl. Inside, it says, “I can’t do this anymore. Someone please save me.” I flip through the book only to find empty pages. Just as I’m about to give up, on the very last page, it says “RL-455.” What does this even mean? There’s also a check made out to me for $20,000! How is this possible? This can’t be real. I clutch onto the book and try to wrap my head around what just happened. The crazy thing is, that girl looked really familiar. Where is she from? I pull out my phone, and go to the campus app. I can’t believe what I see. On the homepage, there’s a picture of a missing student from a couple of months ago. The girl from the roof looks identical to this student! Also, the girls name from the missing persons report matches the name on the upper left corner of the check. Did I really just lay eyes on a missing person? How is all of this even possible? Is this book the clue to where this student is being held captive? I have to get inside and try to figure this out. This could be the key to finding this girl and saving her life.