He stared blankly at the murky pond, the water reflecting his own despair. The idea of ending it all, of simply ceasing to exist, became a dangerous, seductive whisper in his ear.

Emily arrived at the park just in time. One look at Mike and she understood everything. “Mike,” she said, her voice filled with urgency, “You are not alone! You were born to make the world a better place!” Like Alex, Emily had also found the website dedicated to helping teenagers. She knew she wanted to help others; it was far better than watching loved ones suffer.

“You can help those who need you,” she continued, her voice softening. “Meeting tomorrow at 6 PM in the abandoned house.”

Mike thought she was talking nonsense, but then she took his hand. Her hand was warm, filled with life. In her eyes, he saw the same vitality. Her lips… He tried to push the thought away. He just agreed to meet her at the abandoned house tomorrow.

Alex approached the abandoned building. It was 5:50 PM. His heart pounded in his chest. He tried to calm himself, muttering under his breath, “You can help those who need you.” As he got closer, he saw Mike. They used to play basketball together at their old school.

“Alex! What are you doing here?” Mike asked, surprised.

“I could ask you the same thing,” Alex replied, a little breathless. “I got a message online. It said someone needed my help and told me to come here.”

“Sounds familiar! Some strange website. Thought it was a prank at first, but… well, here I am,” Mike said, looking around nervously.

They began to question each other about how they had ended up there, until together, they started repeating the words written in the message:

“YOU ARE NOT ALONE! YOU WERE BORN TO MAKE THE WORLD A BETTER PLACE!”

Across from them, Emily seemed to be ignored by the others, but she was secretly observing Alex. Tall, slim, and with red hair, he was striking. Handsome, curly hair framed his face. And his eyes – a gaze full of determination to change the world. And his fingers. She involuntarily imagined those fingers touching her face, then trailing down her shoulders.

Just then, Mike introduced her to Alex. “Alex, this is Emily. Emily, this is Alex.”

Their eyes met briefly.

“Nice to meet you,” Alex said, a slight smile playing on his lips.

“Hi,” Emily replied softly, her cheeks flushing slightly.

But Mike, oblivious to the unspoken connection, interrupted. “Right, well, it's 6 PM now. This mysterious stranger from the website should be showing up any minute.”

The three of them started calling out, “Anybody here? Hello?”

No answer came. Only silence. The apprehension grew.

“Maybe this is a joke after all,” one of the boys said, trying to lighten the mood with a weak smile.

But then, Emily noticed an envelope. It lay on a stone. Opening it, the teenagers read,

“SHE NEEDS YOUR HELP! OR SHE WILL DIE BECAUSE OF HER DIETING.”

Below the words was a photograph of … Jessica, lying on the floor near her locker at school. Further down the page, there were detailed instructions, outlining what each of them should do and say.

“Okay, this is getting serious,” Alex said, his voice firm. “Let’s read this carefully. We need to figure out what's going on.”

The next morning, Emily arrived at school and found Jessica. Her mission was simple: befriend Jessica.

“How hard can it be?” Emily thought.

But a nagging doubt lingered. The whole situation felt odd. What was this mysterious website? How could she possibly “save” Jessica if Jessica was determined to starve herself? Emily felt she'd be better off saving her own father from his alcoholism and her mother from his abuse. Her priority was to get into university and secure a well-paid job. That was the real challenge.