Coral Loralynn pressed her palm against the cold glass window. Outside, the city lights blurred together like fallen stars. Her sister had disappeared three months ago, leaving only a cryptic message and an empty apartment. Coral tightened her jaw and turned from the window. She would find her, no matter how long it took. The next morning, Coral walked through the town square. A wooden board stood near the fountain, covered in papers of every color. She moved closer and studied the notices. Missing person flyers filled the left side. One showed a girl who looked about twelve. Another showed an old man with kind eyes. Coral pulled a photo from her jacket pocket. Her sister smiled back at her from the worn picture. She pinned it to the board and stepped back. Someone in this town had to know something. Someone had seen her sister. Coral would check this board every day if she had to. She would talk to everyone who stopped to read it. This was just the beginning. After an hour at the bulletin board, Coral headed toward the edge of town. A small guard shack sat at the main entrance. Two guards stood inside, checking IDs and logging vehicles. Coral approached the window and showed them her sister's photo. The younger guard shook his head. The older one studied the picture longer. He pointed to a thick logbook on the counter. Every person who entered or left town got recorded there. Coral's heart beat faster. If her sister had come through here, there would be proof. The guard flipped through pages, running his finger down columns of names and dates. The guard looked up and handed back the photo. No record matched her sister's name or description. Coral thanked him and walked away from the shack. Her chest felt heavy, but she kept moving. This town was just one stop on a longer road. She would check every bulletin board and every checkpoint she could find. Her sister was out there somewhere. Coral would not stop searching until she brought her home. She needed a place to work from, somewhere to gather everything she learned. By evening, Coral stood in front of a quiet suburban house on a tree-lined street. The house looked normal from the outside, but she had spent the last week turning it into something else. Inside, screens covered the walls. Maps hung next to timelines. Every clue she collected would go here. This would be her base while she searched. Coral stepped through the door and looked at the empty screens waiting to be filled. Tomorrow she would start connecting the pieces. Her sister was counting on her.