Luna didn't remember falling.
One moment she was standing, the next she was in Ethan's arms, her vision blurred and her thoughts scattered like broken glass. The sharp clarity from seconds ago—that other voice, that presence—was gone, leaving behind only exhaustion and a hollow ache in her chest.
"…What happened?" she whispered.
Ethan didn't answer immediately. He helped her sit down, his grip steady but careful, like she might slip away again if he let go too soon.
"You blacked out for a moment," he said finally.
Luna frowned slightly. "No… it wasn't like that." She pressed her fingers to her temple. "It felt like I was there… but not in control."
Ethan's jaw tightened, but his voice stayed calm. "You need rest."
"I need the truth," she replied, sharper this time.
That made him pause.
Because now—
rest wasn't going to fix anything.
Luna looked up at him, searching his face. "Did I say something?"
Ethan hesitated.
That hesitation didn't go unnoticed.
"…Ethan."
He exhaled slowly. "You mentioned the drive."
Her expression shifted instantly. "What about it?"
"You said we're looking in the wrong place."
Silence.
Luna blinked, confusion spreading across her face. "I don't remember that."
"I figured," he said.
She shook her head, trying to force something back. "No… there was something. A feeling." Her brows pulled together. "Like I knew something important."
Ethan watched her carefully. "You also said the answer isn't in what your father left behind… it's in what he took with him."
That line hit differently.
Luna went still.
"…Took with him?" she repeated slowly.
Her mind started racing again—but this time, it wasn't chaos.
It was direction.
"He didn't leave everything here…" she murmured.
Ethan stepped closer. "That's what it sounds like."
Luna stood up again, slower this time, grounding herself. "But that doesn't make sense. If he wanted me to find it, why hide it somewhere else?"
"Maybe he didn't want you to find it right away," Ethan said.
She looked at him. "Or maybe he didn't want you to find it."
Silence.
That possibility—
changed the weight of everything.
Ethan didn't react outwardly, but the shift in his eyes was enough.
"You think he didn't trust me," he said.
"I think he didn't trust anyone," Luna replied quietly.
That felt closer to the truth.
She turned toward the desk again, staring at the paused screen. Her father's face looked back at her—frozen, unreadable.
"What did you take with you…?" she whispered.
Fragments stirred again.
Not strong.
Not overwhelming.
Just enough to guide her thoughts.
A place.
Not clear.
But familiar.
Ethan noticed the change in her expression. "You're remembering something."
"…Not fully," she said. "But it's not a person this time… it's a place."
His attention sharpened. "Where?"
Luna closed her eyes briefly, trying to hold onto it before it slipped away.
"…Not here," she murmured. "Not the house. Somewhere else."
"Think," Ethan said, his voice low but focused. "Anywhere your father used to go. Somewhere important."
Luna inhaled slowly, forcing her mind to settle.
Then—
a flash.
Not sharp like before.
But steady.
A building.
Old.
Quiet.
Hidden in plain sight.
Her eyes opened.
"…A storage facility."
Ethan frowned slightly. "You're sure?"
"I don't know," she admitted. "But it feels right." She looked at him. "Like it matters."
That was enough.
Ethan turned, already reaching for his keys. "Then we check it."
Luna didn't move immediately.
Because something about this—
felt too easy.
"Wait," she said.
He stopped.
"What?"
She hesitated.
Then spoke slowly.
"What if that wasn't me helping you just now?"
Ethan didn't answer.
Because he had already considered that.
Luna stepped closer, her voice quieter now. "What if that version of me… wants us to find it?"
Silence.
The implication—
was dangerous.
Ethan met her gaze. "Then we stay careful."
"That's not an answer."
"It's the only one we have right now."
Luna held his gaze for a moment longer.
Then nodded.
Because despite everything—
standing still was worse.
"Fine," she said softly. "We go together."
Ethan didn't argue.
He just gave a small nod.
But as they moved toward the door, both of them knew—
this wasn't just about the drive anymore.
It wasn't just about her father's secrets.
It was about intention.
Because if that other side of Luna was guiding them…
Then the real question wasn't where the truth was.
It was—
why she wanted it found.
Outside, the night felt colder than before.
Heavier.
Like something was waiting.
Luna stepped beside Ethan, her steps steady—but her thoughts anything but.
Because for the first time—
she wasn't just afraid of what they would find.
She was afraid of what part of her already knew.
And whether that part—
would let her stay in control when they did.