She rolls her eyes. “Look, I like him because he actually gives a flying fuck about me and doesn’t think I’m trash because I live here.” She gestures to the peeling wallpaper and the rusted faucet. “Not that any of you understand what that’s like. You go through girls faster than you can flip the TV channel.”
“We’re just trying to look out for you, Lu,” Akio says.
Her gaze softens at his gentle tone. It’s no secret Luna has a soft spot for Akio. Probably because he’s the youngest.
“I know, but I’m fine. Really.” She fiddles with the silver star charm on her bracelet, and I know I don’t need to push her on this one. Being in the foster system is newer to Luna than the rest of us, and she still misses her grandma like crazy.
“I’m actually planning on meeting him to grab some ice cream. Now, get out so I can finish getting ready.”
She shoos us out of the bathroom, and I shuffle back to the bedroom the four of us share. Initially, Luna had her own space when she moved in, but due to Marcus’s unpredictable behavior, we decided it would be safer for her to sleep in the same room as us. Luna isn’t wrong about this place. It’s a shithole and smells like a dirty sock most of the time, but I’ve lived in worse. Our room barely fits the two sets of bunk beds, leaving enough room for a narrow pathway between them. A single window, cracked and caked in a layer of dust, gives us a view of the overgrown front yard and the distant, dreary cityscape of Axton Harbor.
I toss the towels into the hamper before slipping into the bottom bunk and burrowing into the pillow. The exhaustion from the fight today settles into my bones, and I let my eyes drift closed. I distantly hear the bathroom door open and Luna shout her goodbye, but I’m already dozing off.
I jerk upright, blinking away the fog of sleep as I sense someone standing over me. The streetlamp outside our window filters into the dark bedroom, providing enough light for me to see Marcus’s furious face and the almost empty bottle of vodka Luna had used to clean me up earlier in his loose grip.
“Where is she?” he slurs.
“Who?” I rub my hand over my face and sit at the edge of the bed. If Marcus is drunk enough to slur his words, then it won’t be long until he starts swinging his fists.
“Don’t play dumb, boy,” he says loud enough that both Dec and Akio stir awake and sit up in their beds. “It’s three o’clock in the morning. Where is she?” He points the bottle at the top bunk.
“Luna?” I frown and stand, turning to face her bed. “She’s right…” I trail off when I see the empty bed, the tattered covers still neatly made.
I spin back to the guys. “Did she come back after her date?”
Akio shakes his head. “I don’t know. I-I fell asleep.”
Dec jumps down from his bunk, his brows pinched with concern. “Did she call anyone?”
We all pull out our phones, but there’s nothing. No text. No call.
“Maybe she lost track of time,” I say, but I’m just placating everyone. Luna isn’t someone who messes around with curfew and we all know it.
I slip on my shoes and hit the call button. “Straight to voicemail.” I grit my teeth, already headed for the front door.
“Where do you think you’re going?” Marcus’s hand clamps down on my shoulder, but I shrug him off with a glare.
“Going to look for our sister. Why don’t you do your job and help?”
He grumbles something about not being paid enough for this shit, but I ignore him.
My brothers and I hit the streets, calling her name and searching her usual hideouts. We find nothing. Each time we call, Luna’s phone goes straight to voicemail. Every text goes unanswered. We check the ice cream shop in town, knowing it’s closed, but needing to look somewhere, needing to do something. It’s a dead end, too.
We’re walking the route she usually takes from the ice cream shop back home when Akio shouts to us in the darkness. “Found something!”
I run across the road to where he’s bent over the crumbling sidewalk, picking up something shiny off the ground. A sense of dread settles in my gut when I recognize the dainty silver bracelet in his hand.
I shake my head, feeling the blood drain from my face. “She wouldn’t take this off. You know how much it means to her.”
Dec catches up to us, going stiff when he sees Luna’s bracelet. “The chain is broken like it was ripped off of her.”
We all share a look. Something is very wrong.
As each hour passes and we don’t hear from Luna, the panic in my chest winds tighter until I can hardly breathe. By noon the next day, there’s no sign of Luna anywhere and her phone is still off, so Marcus finally calls the police.
“We’ll keep an eye out,” the portly officer says to us on the front porch as he scrawls something in his notebook. Beads of sweat drip down his bald head and over the red birthmark that spans from his temple to his ear. “But with this type of kid, there’s not much else we can do.”
“This type of kid?” Dec says evenly, though I don’t miss the manic spark dancing in his eyes.
