The night was long. Since Jacob and Rachel couldn't find Moon at school and she wasn't at home either, the two of them didn't know what to do. They tried thinking of possible places she might be, but no ideas came.
Finally, Jacob suggested calling Andrew to let him know what had happened.
He dialed his number.
Ringing…
"Hello, Jacob?"
From the way Jacob was panting, Andrew immediately realized something was wrong.
"Hey, what's the problem?" he asked.
Jacob hesitated for a moment before explaining everything.
"After school, Rachel and I left her for just a few minutes. When we came back, Moon was gone. We searched the school, but nobody was there. We thought maybe she had gone home… but she wasn't there either."
Andrew's voice softened.
"Jacob, calm down first. We will definitely find her."
He paused.
"Where's Rachel?"
"She already left," Jacob replied.
"Alright," Andrew said. "I want you to get some rest tonight. I'll take the next flight and come back. We'll find her."
Then he hung up.
Jacob sat there, not knowing how to feel. Guilt began to eat him alive. He blamed himself for not being able to protect his adopted sister after everything she had been through.
He thought about how disappointed his father would be in him.
So Jacob made a decision.
He would find Moon without involving his parents. He wouldn't tell them she was missing unless things got out of hand.
Eventually, exhaustion took over and he fell asleep.
Morning came too quickly.
The mansion was quiet.
But there was still no sign of Moon.
Jacob walked into her room and stared at how neatly everything was arranged. Her books were stacked perfectly. Her clothes folded carefully.
He sat on her bed and tried to think.
What could have caused Moon's disappearance?
The only thing that came to mind was the strange behavior Jenna and Moon's brothers had shown the previous day. But he had no proof, so he couldn't accuse them.
His phone suddenly rang.
It was David.
"Hey, David."
"Hello, handsome," David said playfully. "How are you?"
"I'm not really okay," Jacob replied quietly.
David immediately became serious.
"What's wrong? You can tell me anything."
Jacob explained that Moon had been missing since yesterday after school.
David was shocked.
"How did that happen?"
"I don't know," Jacob said. "Rachel and I left her for a moment. When we came back, she was gone."
"When was the last time you saw her?" David asked.
"Yesterday evening after school. We were together until Rachel and I stepped away to get something. We told her to wait for us, but when we came back… she wasn't there."
David tried to calm him down.
"Relax. Think carefully about where she could be. I'll help you find her."
There was a pause.
"I'll meet you at school," David added before hanging up.
Jacob prepared for school, though he could barely focus.
Rachel was just as distracted.
During class, Jacob received a message from Andrew.
I'm back. I'll meet you guys at school.
For the first time since Moon disappeared, Jacob felt a small spark of hope.
He wasn't alone.
Andrew, Rachel, and now David were helping him.
Still, Jacob remained quiet throughout the day, barely speaking to anyone.
Later that evening, after classes ended, Jacob walked outside and saw Andrew waiting.
"Hey, man," Andrew waved.
Jacob forced a weak smile.
Andrew looked at Rachel and Jacob.
"Hey… you guys shouldn't be this down. I'm back now. We'll figure something out and find her."
Even though Andrew tried to stay calm, he was hurting deeply. But he believed he needed to stay strong for them.
Together, they began retracing Moon's last known steps.
They had no idea she was locked up just blocks away.
Time was slipping away.
Every passing hour made the situation more terrifying.
Andrew spoke with some of his friends who hadn't graduated yet. He told them his girlfriend was missing and asked them to help search.
They agreed.
Rachel also contacted some of her classmates, and soon a small search party formed.
Meanwhile, Jenna Cruz and Moon's brothers pretended to know nothing about Moon's disappearance. They even joined the search party to avoid suspicion.
But secretly, they were panicking.
Jenna whispered to them that they needed to move Moon before anyone discovered her.
"We'll move her on general cleanup day," Jenna suggested. "No one will suspect anything."
That day was three days away.
They smiled, believing they had finally gotten rid of Moon.
Two days passed.
Still no clue.
No sign.
No message.
Nothing.
Jacob finally told Andrew about his suspicions.
"I think Jenna and my brothers have something to do with this. The way they've been acting… something isn't right. I overheard them talking about cleanup day, but I didn't understand what they meant."
Andrew nodded.
"Then tomorrow we'll find out."
The third day arrived.
It was general cleanup day at school.
Andrew, Rachel, and David secretly watched Jenna and the Carter brothers.
When cleanup was almost finished, Jenna gave Joseph a signal—without realizing someone had noticed.
Joseph went to prepare the car.
Andrew quietly followed him.
At the same time, Jacob followed Jenna and Genesis toward the storage room.
Suddenly he remembered something.
During the search earlier, Jenna and his brothers had insisted on checking the storage room alone.
Jacob slowly approached the door.
When Jenna and Genesis stepped away to check if the car was ready, Jacob quickly slipped inside.
The room was dark.
He turned on the light.
Dusty chairs were stacked everywhere, along with old equipment.
He searched the room carefully.
For a moment he almost gave up.
Then he noticed something at the far corner.
Someone was lying there.
His heart stopped.
Jacob ran closer.
It was Moon.
His sister.
He dropped to his knees beside her, panic flooding his chest.
Jacob quickly checked Moon's pulse, his fingers trembling as he searched for a heartbeat.
Then—
A faint pulse.
Relief washed over him.
"She's alive."
He carefully carried Moon out of the storage room and pulled out his phone. His hands were shaking as he called Andrew and Rachel.
"I found her," Jacob said breathlessly. "She's in the storage room… but she's not stable."
Andrew didn't waste a second. He immediately called for an ambulance.
When the ambulance arrived, the paramedics rushed Moon onto a stretcher and took her straight to the hospital's emergency room.
Jacob, Andrew, and Rachel waited outside in silence. None of them spoke. Each of them prayed quietly, hoping the doctor would come out with good news.
After what felt like hours, the doctor finally walked toward them.
"Who is Jacob Jones?" he asked.
Jacob quickly stepped forward.
"I'm the one. I'm her brother," he said anxiously. "How is she?"
The doctor nodded slightly.
"She's out of danger," he replied. "If you had wasted any more time, we could have lost her."
Jacob's heart skipped.
"She's severely dehydrated, but she will recover."
Relief washed over Jacob immediately.
"Can I see her now?" he asked.
"Yes," the doctor replied. "She's stable."
Jacob rushed into the ward where Moon was lying on the hospital bed. Seeing her there made his chest tighten.
He walked closer and hugged her carefully.
"I was so scared, Moon," he whispered. "I thought I would never see you again."
Moon gave him a weak smile.
"I heard your voice when you were searching in the storage room," she said softly. "But I was too tired to even open my mouth."
Jacob shook his head, still emotional.
"If I hadn't found you…" he paused. "I don't even want to imagine what could have happened."
Moon squeezed his hand.
"I promise," Jacob continued, trying to lighten the mood, "I'm never leaving your side again. You'll be my handbag everywhere I go."
Moon laughed weakly.
"Even on your date with David?" she teased.
"Yes, even then."
They both laughed and hugged again.
Jacob later stepped outside and told Andrew he could go see her.
Andrew walked into the room quietly. Without saying anything, he pulled Moon into a gentle hug.
Moon broke down in tears.
Andrew held her tightly.
"I swear," he said softly but firmly, "they will pay for what they did to you."
Rachel entered the room shortly after.
"Andrew, I need a moment with my best friend," she said.
Andrew nodded and stepped outside to join Jacob.
Rachel walked to Moon and smiled.
"Hey, babe."
"Hey," Moon replied softly.
"We were all so scared," Rachel said. "Jacob barely ate or slept."
She lay beside Moon on the hospital bed and held her hand.
"Thank God we found you."
Rachel sighed sadly.
"Maybe it's my fault. If we hadn't left you alone, this wouldn't have happened."
Moon squeezed her hand.
Rachel stayed there, comforting her best friend and promising that nothing like this would ever happen again.