That doesn’t sound like my old friend.She always loved being with Lily; she adored her mother.
“I should have tried harder to ask if she was okay when I did see her, but I didn’t.We always fought.She wouldn’t tell me what was going on.”
Lily hangs her head in her hands.
“She’s sent text messages, but they have gotten less frequent, and something feels off.Please help me.I’ve gone to the police, but they haven’t found anything, and I don’t know what else to do.You’re my only hope.Could you ask around The Brotherhood?Talk to your brother?If anyone can find out where she is, it’s them.”
Lily looks at me, and I kneel down in front of her, taking her hands in mine.Tears stain her cheeks, and my heart aches for her.For Jewel.
“Do you know who her new friends are?Does she have a boyfriend?”I ask.
Lily shakes her head.“I don’t know.I should have asked, but I didn’t.”
“When did you last hear from her?”
“The last message was about two months ago,” Lily says.
“Show me.”
She releases my hands and takes her phone from her pocket, tapping the screen a couple of times before passing it to me.I lean back on my heels, scrolling through pages of unanswered messages from Lily.When I find the old messages from Jewel, they are short and to the point.
Miss you.
I’m okay.
Can’t see you, just have a lot going on with work at the moment.Everything is fine.I’m happy.
They go on and on, the most recent messages even shorter than the ones that came before.The last one is dated August 18th—two months ago.It’s a photo of Jewel.Her long, bright-red hair stands out, and I remember being jealous of it as a kid.I wanted to dye my hair so we could be twins.Her brown eyes look dull, the sparkle gone.Her smile looks forced, and something just feels off about the photo.
“That’s the last one I got.I’ve been trying to call her every day since, and now her phone is off.”Lily’s voice crumbles, and my heart breaks for her.Not knowing where your daughter is must be the worst kind of pain.
I stare at the photo, my fingers hovering over her beautiful face.There’s a logo in the background on the wall.I zoom in.It’s blurry, but I can identify half the blue letters—IGHT—and some thick lines.
Something about it looks familiar, but I have no idea where I might have seen it or what it is.
“Can I send myself this photo?”
Lily nods, her hands shaking in her lap.
“I’ll do whatever it takes to find her, Lily.I promise.”I don’t break eye contact with her, and her throat bobs.As more tears stain her cheeks, I want to take away all her pain.
Lily looked after me when I needed her most, so I’m going to do the same for her.I’ll bring Jewel home and heal her pain.
“Do you know of any other girls who’ve been taken or missing?”I ask.
Lily frowns.“Well, yeah, people go missing all the time, especially in Daringhood, but no one ever does anything about it.”
It feels like someone punched me in the gut.
No one ever does anything about it.I want to help, to do something for them.To find them and bring them home or somewhere safe.
My brother has always had The Brotherhood as his purpose, and now I’ve found something that I can do to make a positive change and help save Jewel.
Chapter Seven
Kai
The Brotherhood can shove their fancy cars up their asses.
