The Isley estate was exactly as Jayden rembered—tall iron gates, manicured lawns, security caras visible at every corner. The kind of place that scread wealth and protection.
Jayden got off his bike and strode toward the gate, which opened automatically upon recognition. He walked in and began heading to the house.
Penelope appeared at the front door, dressed in casual clothing, but still radiating that effortless aura.
But sothing was wrong about her entire deanor. Her face was pale and drawn, eyes red-rimd from crying. She looked like she hadn’t slept in days.
"Jayden..." she whimpered, taking a step forward.
Jayden could hear it imdiately in her voice—the raw edge of panic, exhaustion, and barely suppressed tears.
His stomach dropped. "Penelope, what’s wrong?"
Penelope’s composure crumbled. "She’s gone," she whispered, her voice breaking. "Cassandra’s gone."
Jayden froze. The world seed to tilt slightly. "What do you an, gone?"
"She left," Penelope said, tears streaming down her face now. "And she hasn’t co back since. I can’t reach her. No one’s seen her. I don’t know if she’s okay. If she’s hurt. If she’s—" Her voice broke into a sob.
Jayden stepped forward, his mind racing even as he tried to keep his expression calm. "Tell exactly what happened."
Penelope took a shaky breath, trying to pull herself together. "I noticed... I noticed how down she’d been lately. Distant. Giving the cold shoulder. I thought it was just teenage moodiness, but it kept getting worse. So I confronted her. Asked her what was wrong."
She paused, wiping at her eyes.
"But she snapped at . Told she knew about..." Penelope’s gaze flickered to Jayden, pain evident in her expression. "She knew about us. About and you. She said she’d been listening that night. She’d heard everything."
Jayden felt like he’d been punched in the gut. The guilt he’d tried so hard to bury resurfaced imdiately.
"I tried to explain," Penelope continued, her voice cracking again. "Tried to tell her that it was complicated, that I never ant to hurt her. But she wouldn’t listen. She just... stord out. And she hasn’t co back."
"How long has it been?" Jayden asked, his voice tight.
"Two days," Penelope whispered. "Two full days, Jayden. None of her comms are going through. Her friends haven’t seen her. The school hasn’t heard from her. It’s like she just... vanished."
Jayden’s hands clenched into fists at his sides. He forced himself to stay calm, to think clearly. "Maybe she’s just cooling off sowhere? A friend’s house you don’t know about. Perhaps a place she goes when she needs space."
"That’s what I thought at first," Penelope said, shaking her head. "But it’s been too long. Cassandra’s done this before—stayed out overnight to worry , made think sothing was wrong when she was fine. But never for two days. Never without contacting soone."
She looked up at Jayden, desperation in her eyes.
"There have been reports lately," she continued, her voice dropping to barely above a whisper. "Kidnappings in the city. People going missing without a trace. That’s why I upgraded our security, added more strict asures, hired extra guards. I was trying to protect her all along. But I still lost her, Jayden. I lost my baby."
Her legs gave out, and she sank to the ground, sobbing.
Jayden knelt beside her, placing his hands on her shoulder. "Penelope, listen to . Cassandra is strong. She’s smart. Whatever’s happening, she can handle herself."
"But what if she can’t?" Penelope looked up at him, tears streaming down her face. "What if soone took her? What if she’s hurt? What if—"
"We’ll find her," Jayden interrupted, his voice firm and steady. "I promise you. I will not rest until Cassandra is found. I will bring her back to you, okay?"
Penelope stared at him, searching his face for... sothing. Reassurance. Hope. Certainty.
And she must have found it, because she nodded slowly.
"Okay," she whispered.
Jayden helped her to her feet. "Have you filed a report with the authorities?"
"Yes," Penelope said, wiping her eyes. "The EVA are already aware. They said they’re looking into it, but..." She trailed off, clearly not convinced the police were taking it seriously enough.
Jayden nodded, his mind already working through possibilities. "Did she give a hint as to where she was going when she left? Do you have any idea where she could be at all?"
"No," Penelope said. "She just... stord out. I don’t know where she could be... I’ve contacted all the possible places I could think of. And she didn’t take anything with her except her comm device. And that’s been off since she left."
A cold knot of dread ford in Jayden’s stomach. If Cassandra’s comm was off, that ant either she’d turned it off herself... or soone else had.
"I’m going to find her," Jayden said again, more to himself than to Penelope. "I promise."
Penelope nodded weakly, clearly exhausted and emotionally drained.
Jayden turned to leave, but paused at the door. "If you hear anything. Anything at all. Contact imdiately."
"I will," Penelope whispered.
Jayden spent a few more minutes comforting Penelope and providing her with the emotional support she needed. Then he walked back to his hoverbike in a daze, his mind a whirlwind of thoughts and emotions.
Cassandra was missing.
He hadn’t anticipated this happening.
And from the sound of it, she was possibly taken by the sa people who’d been kidnapping other people across the city. Probably a criminal faction of sorts.
[Jayden] Luna’s voice cut through his thoughts, quiet and serious. [What are you going to do?]
Jayden stopped beside his bike, his hands gripping the handlebars so tightly his knuckles turned white.
"I’m going to find her," he said, his voice cold and hard. "No matter what it takes."
[How? You don’t even know where to start]
"Then I’ll start everywhere," Jayden replied. He pulled out his holo-tab and scrolled through his contacts until he found the encrypted number Fred had given him.
[You’re calling the EVA agent?] Luna asked in disbelief.
"He said if I ever needed help, I should contact him," Jayden said, his thumb hovering over the call button. "Well, I need help. Now."
He pressed the button.
The line rang once. Twice. Then—
"Jayden?" Fred’s voice ca through, cautious but alert. "I didn’t expect to hear from you so soon. Is sothing wrong?"
"Yeah," Jayden said, his voice tight with barely controlled emotion. "I need your help."
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