Alister Family pov
Naomi Alister's fingers trembled as she dialed her daughter's number for what felt like the hundredth time. This time, though, the ringing stopped. Someone had answered.
"Everyone, quiet!" she hissed urgently, pressing the speaker button. Isaiah, Amir, and Zaila gathered closer around the kitchen table, their faces etched with the same worry that had haunted the family for months.
When no voice came from the other end, Naomi leaned toward the phone. "Nyara? Are you okay? We are worried about you. Come home, sweetheart."
The silence that followed was broken by a bloodcurdling scream—unmistakably Nyara's voice—before the line went dead.
The family froze in horror. Isaiah's hand clenched into a fist on the table. Amir's face drained of color. Naomi pressed her hand to her mouth, stifling a sob.
Zaila was the first to break the paralyzed silence. "That... that sounded like she was in pain," she whispered, her voice cracking with fear. "What's happening to her?"
Amir pushed himself up from the table, pacing the room with agitated steps. "We need to find her now," he insisted, running his hands through his hair. "Those nightmares she's been having—they've finally broken her. It's not just affecting her mentally anymore; it sounds like she's in physical pain."
Naomi wiped away tears that had begun streaming down her face. "My baby," she whispered. "It's been months since we've seen her. Who knows what state she's in now?"
Isaiah moved to his study with determined strides, the others following close behind. He opened an ornate wooden cabinet, revealing an array of crystals of varying colors and sizes.
"I'll use every magical resource we have," he said grimly, selecting a large purple crystal that pulsed with inner light. "We'll find her this time."
Zaila pulled out her tablet, fingers flying across the screen. "I've been tracking Nyara's friends—Halle and Sarai. Their phones have been in S City for weeks. They even stayed at Nyara's place for a while." She looked up, eyes bright with determination. "That's where we need to start."
The crystal in Isaiah's hand began to glow brighter as the family gathered closer around Zaila's tablet. She expanded a map of S City, five locations pulsing with bright markers.
"I've narrowed it down to five possible locations," Zaila said, her voice steadying as she focused on the data. "Two apartments in Downtown S City—one on Wisteria Lane and another near Crystal Park. Sarai's phone pinged from both locations multiple times this month."
She zoomed in on a gleaming high-rise with a rooftop garden. "There's also this luxury apartment in the Financial District. Halle used a rideshare to go there three times last week, always after midnight. The building has tight security, but one of the residents matches Nyara's height and build according to their entry logs."
Amir leaned closer. "What about the other two?"
"This one-bedroom apartment is right across from Aurelius Art Academy," Zaila continued, pointing to a modest building with a mural painted across its façade. "Nyara used to paint there all the time before... before everything happened. Someone's been making purchases at the art supply store nearby using cash, buying the exact brand of acrylics Nyara always preferred."
Zaila's expression darkened as she revealed the final location. "And then there's this luxury penthouse at the edge of the city limits, overlooking Crescent Bay. It was purchased through a shell company five years ago—right when Nyara moved out. The electric bills show minimal usage except for late at night. And look at this..."
She pulled up a grainy security camera image showing a hooded figure entering the building, a glimpse of familiar curly hair visible beneath the hood.
Isaiah's crystal flared with purple light as it hovered over the image of the penthouse.
"That's it," he said with certainty. "The crystal's never reacted this strongly before."
Naomi reached out to touch the screen, fingers trembling. "My little Yara," she whispered. "What are you running from?"
The family exchanged determined glances. After months of searching, they finally had tangible leads. Whatever darkness haunted Nyara's dreams, whatever had driven her from her family, they would face it together.