Alice was very excited. One of her favourite writers had just published a new book. She had saved up her money, and she was ready to buy the book this weekend. She talked about the book with her online chat（聊天）group. A lot of the other kids in the group were going to buy the book, too. In fact, that was the main thing everyone in the chat room was talking about one afternoon.
All of a sudden, Alice got a chat message from Ella, one of the kids in the chat room. The message said that Ella wanted to meet Alice at the bookstore. Then they could buy the new book together. Alice told her mum about the message, and her mum asked, "Do you know Ella from school?"
"No," Alice answered. "We've only chatted online. I don't think she goes to my school."
"Listen," Alice's mum was anxious and said, "I want you to have friends, but sometimes, people online aren't who they say they are. And when you're online, you can't always tell. So I don't think it's a good idea for you to meet this person."
"But, Mum," Alice said, "what if it is just a kid named Ella who wants to buy a book with me?"
Alice's mum considered that for a moment. Then she said, "Let's do this. Dad and I will go with you to the bookstore to buy the book with Ella. If Ella really is just a kid who wants to meet you in person, that's great. If not,____."
Alice didn't like that idea. It made her feel like a baby. But she knew her mum was right about safety, so she finally nodded. Then she answered Ella's message. She told Ella that she and her parents would be at the bookstore the next afternoon.
The next day, Alice went to the bookstore with her mum and dad. When Ella never showed up and then disappeared from the chat room, Alice knew her parents were right. She was glad they were there to be with her.
