"Sorry, the number you have dialed is currently unreachable and will redirect to voicemail after the 'beep—'"
He Ao stretched out his hand and hung up the phone.
That was the fifth call he had made, and his daughter's phone was still out of reach.
He found a length of cord, tucked the short sword inside his coat, and then opened the front door.
As he walked out, he managed to get through to the school counselor.
"Hello, may I ask who this is?"
A somewhat unfamiliar female voice came from the other end of the line.
"Hello, is this Ms. Eliza? I'm Ennie's father," He Ao spoke rapidly, "I'm calling to inquire if the school had any extracurricular activities today? Ennie doesn't seem to have come home."