As the day neared its end on the city outskirts, 32-year-old Alice, a resilient realtor, picked up her son Adam from school. Simon, her husband, dedicated long hours to their family-owned cafe. Despite his frequent absence, the family of three remained tightly bonded.

Adam, a unique ten-year-old with autism, added a special dimension to their dynamic. His early realization of being adopted at seven astounded his parents but brought a sense of relief.

Despite challenges in social situations due to his autism or “specialty,” as his parents affectionately termed it, Adam found solace in books, drawing, and outdoor moments with the family dog, Rocky.

The familiar warmth of their home welcomed Alice and Adam as they stepped inside. Directing her son to change out of his school uniform, Alice went to the kitchen to prepare dinner.

After dinner, Adam vanished outside to play with Rocky, leaving Alice to do her evening chores. Upon finishing the kitchen cleanup, Alice entered Adam’s room. While tidying, her eyes caught Adam’s school bag, still packed.

As she unpacked it, her fingers brushed against the familiar texture of Adam’s sketchbook. Initially filled with his typical fantastical creatures, it revealed something new. Drawings of two boys, strikingly similar, almost like twins, emerged. Their resemblance was uncanny—they shared the same hair, eyes, and smile.

In one sketch, the boys held hands, radiating joy. Another portrayed them engrossed in a ball game, frozen in mid-action. A third showed them proudly standing in front of a building resembling Adam’s school.

This departure from Adam’s usual solitary or abstract art puzzled Alice. Seeking clarification, she decided to ask Adam about these unique drawings.

“Honey, I was sorting your backpack and saw these sketches. Could you tell me what these pictures signify and who these boys are?” Alice asked her son.

“It’s me and my new friend,” Adam answered, his voice steady and unambiguous.

“I didn’t know you had a new friend,” Alice echoed, sounding surprised. “Why didn’t you mention him earlier?”

“I thought you wouldn’t believe me,” he admitted.

“What exactly would I find unbelievable?” she queried, her eyes probing Adam for answers.

“He’s my twin,” Adam declared, the words resonating in the silence that followed.

“What do you mean by ‘twin’?” Alice asked, attempting to decode Adam’s unique perspective.

“He looks exactly like me,” Adam clarified, his tone nonchalant. “His name is Arthur. We play together outside the school almost every day while I wait for you to pick me up.”

Speechless and flooded with questions, Alice refrained from pressuring Adam for details. Instead, she resolved to meet this mysterious “twin” by arriving early at school the next day.

An hour ahead of schedule, she parked at a distance, hoping for a clear view of the main exit. Unable to endure the suspense, she stepped out of the car, continuing her search on foot.

Outside the staff room, she ran into Mrs. Cage, her son’s teacher.

“How is Adam feeling?” inquired Mrs. Cage, sounding concerned.

“What do you mean?” Alice asked, puzzled.

“Adam informed me about two hours ago that he wasn’t feeling well and that you were on your way to pick him up and take him to the doctor,” Mrs. Cage explained.

Without wasting another moment, Alice dashed out of the staff room. She and her husband scanned the whole school and drove around the neighborhood, but there was no sign of their son.

They were on the brink of giving up when Mrs. Cage called, informing Alice that her son was okay and back at school.

“I was worried sick! Where were you?” Alice asked after picking up her son from school.

“I wanted to walk down the street, but some bad people started pushing me and almost beat me,” Adam explained, his voice steady despite the frightening experience. “I was able to escape from them.”

“Never go anywhere alone again! Promise me,” Alice pleaded, cupping his face.

“I promise!” Adam replied, embracing his mother.

As they reached home, Alice reminded her son to greet Rocky, who was wagging his tail excitedly at their arrival.

But as he approached, Rocky’s friendly wagging turned into aggressive barking. The change startled both Alice and Simon because the dog adored Adam and had never behaved like this before.

Shaking off the confusion, she led Adam inside the house.

Later, Adam appeared in the kitchen, wearing a shirt Alice had never seen him in before. When questioned, he replied, “I wanted to wear it today.”

At the dinner table, Alice noticed that her son’s mannerisms were different; his speech was slightly altered, and his responses were not the same as before. What happened next, however, was truly alarming. She saw Adam eating beans in tomato sauce.

It was a meal she only prepared for herself because Adam detested it. “I thought you hated beans in tomato sauce,” Alice’s mind struggled to make sense of the situation.

“I didn’t like them before, but I’ve tasted them, and they’re delicious,” replied Adam, bewildering his mom.

Her gaze then dropped to Adam’s wrist, where she saw a brightly colored bracelet with a local amusement park’s name. Knowing it was a place they had never visited, she asked her son where he got it, and he told her a classmate gave it to him.

“Return it tomorrow. We shouldn’t keep things that belong to others,” she advised.

Adam nodded his head.

That night, Alice couldn’t sleep a wink. She recounted the day’s events to Simon, who told her not to worry.

“It does all sound strange,” he admitted. “But Adam had a stressful day. Maybe these changes are his way of coping?”

“But he’s become more talkative,” Alice protested, trying to make Simon understand her unease.

“Honey, maybe that’s a good thing? Perhaps this situation will help him break free from his shell?” Simon suggested.

During her work meeting the next day, Alice received a call from Mrs. Cage.

“He’s behaving strangely,” Mrs. Cage explained. “He performed poorly in logic class, which is unusual since he’s usually the best. Surprisingly, he excelled in P.E., a subject he typically struggles with. There was also a fight with a classmate today. He’s never had behavioral issues before.” The teacher’s voice conveyed both confusion and worry. “I suggest you come pick him up and have a talk at home.”

When Alice reached school, she found Adam standing quietly in one corner. His shirt was stained with blood, a sight that sent a shiver down her spine. “He got into a fight with a classmate today,” Mrs. Cage explained. “And he was the one who started it.”

The drive home was filled with an oppressive silence. “What’s wrong with you, Adam? Why are you acting so strange?” she asked, her voice shaking.

“I’m sorry, Mommy,” Adam replied.

“You’ve never called me mommy before! You’re like a different person!” she cried out, but Adam remained silent.

Once home, Alice took Adam to the bathroom to clean him up. While helping him take off his shirt, she noticed that the birthmark on his back was missing.

Alice recoiled, her eyes wide with terror. “You’re not my son.”

“Mom! You must be mistaken!” the boy protested, but Alice was sure he wasn’t Adam.

When she threatened to call the police, the boy pleaded, eager to reveal everything. “My name is Arthur. They took Adam. Now it’s his turn.”

Alice felt a chill run down her spine. The name struck a chord in her memory. She recalled Adam’s drawings, the ones featuring a twin friend named Arthur. Did Adam have a twin she knew nothing about?

“Who are “they” and where did they take my son?” Alice demanded, her voice rising in panic.

“They exploit kids for money. They make us beg in public places. I was one of those kids,” Arthur began, his voice shaking. “I met Adam near his school one day and we started talking. He told me about his family, and I…I wanted to experience that too. So yesterday, I suggested we swap clothes as a joke. We changed, and I left him in our basement while I came to school pretending to be him.”

Alice couldn’t bear it any longer and called the police. She told them her son had been kidnapped by a group exploiting kids for money, and that she had the boy who could help them find her son’s whereabouts.

But when the cops arrived, there was no sign of Arthur. He had escaped from the room’s window.

After a good crying session, Alice understood that she couldn’t rely on the police alone to find her son. She slowly began piecing things together, and then it hit her. Taking matters into her own hands, she left the house, looking for the amusement park whose logo she had seen on Arthur’s bracelet.

After reaching her destination, she began searching for Adam until she finally saw him. To her dismay, a group of men hustled him into a car and sped off.

Panicking, she called 911. The cops instructed her to share her geolocation so they could track her. Alice also flagged down a taxi and followed the car, covering the remaining distance through the industrial zone on foot.

Alice found the familiar car near an old warehouse. A rugged-looking man, resembling a bandit, confronted her suspiciously. Despite the fear, she explained the twin switch involving her son.

The man abruptly pulled her inside, revealing their operation avoids involving children with families. Due to the unforeseen twist, he said they would have to eliminate Alice and her son.

As the door slammed shut behind her, Alice sat there, feeling clueless. Suddenly, she saw a figure huddled in the corner. It was Adam, or at least, she was convinced it was him. She rushed towards him, pulling him into a tight hug.

For some time, they sat there comforting each other until Alice noticed a series of pipes running along one wall of the basement, leading outside.

“Perhaps there is someone in the neighboring building,” she thought.

With newfound hope, Alice picked up a small pebble from the floor and began tapping on the pipe. She tapped out the ‘SOS’ signal. She hoped someone would pick up the signal and call for help.

Suddenly, the door creaked open and a bandit entered, covering their heads with sacks and tying their hands. Led out of the basement, Alice felt terror, realizing this might be the end.

Guided roughly into a nearby vehicle, the engine’s ominous rumble filled the air. Unexpectedly, a police siren pierced the tension, leading to the bandits’ swift capture. Relief washed over Alice as they were freed, and she learned it wasn’t her SOS signal but Arthur who had alerted the police. Grateful, Alice approached Arthur, realizing he was the one who had saved them all.

“Arthur,” she started, her voice filled with emotion. “Why did you come back? Why did you call the police?”

Arthur met her gaze, his eyes reflecting a mix of fear and hope. “I just wanted a family,” he admitted softly. “In the two days I spent with you, I realized what it’s like to be part of a family. It felt… nice.”

There was a pause before he posed a question that left Alice speechless. “Will you become my family?” His voice was small, almost a whisper, but the weight of his words hit Alice like a thunderbolt. She stood there, stunned and caught off guard, looking at this boy who had risked his life to save her and her son, a boy longing for a family.

Two months passed in a whirlwind of paperwork and meetings. Alice and her husband, Simon, found themselves in the sterile office of the guardianship officer, hearts pounding with anticipation.

Finally, the welfare worker looked up, offering a warm smile. “Congratulations on your adoption. Now, you are Arthur Green’s parents,” she declared. Joy swept over Alice and Simon.

Turning to Arthur, they embraced him, hearts brimming with relief and excitement. It was a new beginning, a chance to give Arthur the family he had always wished for, and they were ready to make it happen.