Izzy and Francine leapt apart as Sister Mary Thomas barreled towards them like a steam engine. Her face was patched red with fury, sweat curling the thin hairs around her habit.

"Are you hiding her?" The look in her eyes promised punishment if they were.

"She's missing? How?" Izzy did her best to feign surprise, praying her cheeks wouldn't give her away.

Withering under the nun's scrutinizing gaze, she shifted from one foot to the other, trying desperately to reign in her racing heart.

"We haven't seen her," Francine chimed in, her dark eyes flickering from the nun to Izzy. It wasn't a lie. They hadn't seen Dottie for days.

Sister Mary Thomas scowled at them. "Mara says she noticed she was missing right before the bomb drill this morning. She thought this was the first place she'd come if she'd run away."

The girls exchanged glances. "She isn't here," said Izzy with a firm shake of her head. "We haven't seen her."

"I'll be the judge of that." Sister Mary Thomas charged towards Izzy's bed, throwing the blankets off. Straddling her legs like a football player, she hoisted it up with her two hands, grunting. Nothing but dust rolled out from underneath. Her face shone red as a beat as she let the bed slam down on the stone floor, rattling the windows.

The little room didn't host many places to hide, and the search was over before it began. Her forehead beading with sweat, the nun stood in the middle of the room, hands on her hips as she struggled to catch her breath.

"Tell me the truth about where she's gone," she snapped. "Or I'll call your parents as I should have weeks ago." Her eyes narrowed in on Izzy.

"Have you looked in the bathroom? She could be hiding in the stall. She did that once when the doctor came..." Izzy tried to control the shake in her voice.

"Mara already looked there," the nun cut in. "She searched most of the home. Sister Mary Helen is searching the rest right now. Where else?"

Izzy took a deep breath. Her hands shook as she clasped them tightly together. Stick with the plan, she thought. She, Mara, Francine and Gloria had discussed what they needed to do to make sure everyone thought Dottie had disappeared—permanently.

She knew her next words would get her in a world of trouble, but she owed it to Dottie. She'd failed her once—broken her promise to be at her side when she needed her the most. This time she wouldn't let her down.

"There's one other place," she said.

"Spit it out," the nun growled, emphasizing every word.

"Dottie loves the beach," said Izzy slowly, lowering her gaze. Francine watched her from across the room as she fumbled over the words. "It's all she talks about. If she's run away, that's where she's gone."

"The beach?" The nun's eyes flew to the window.

The wind roared outside, bending the tops of the trees with its force. Dark clouds rolled overhead, signaling the threat of something ominous to come. For a split second, fear flashed across the nun's face. Izzy was overcome with a reckless feeling of satisfaction at the sight. The callous nun was human after all. With a twinge of dread, she realized she'd nearly smiled.

"When would she have..." the nun's gaze dug into Izzy accusingly. Then her face was overcome with a look of realization."You've taken her there, haven't you? You snuck out again? Regardless of my warnings! Didn't you learn your lesson the first time?"

Izzy swallowed nervously. "Once. I took her there once. It was the day some of the girls had consumption and we had to leave the building. She wanted to see the beach so badly. We built a sand castle. It was all she talked about after that." She left out the part that happened later— her exhilarating adventure to see Wes. Her voice grew soft, missing Dottie already. "She said it was the best day of her life."

Sister Mary Thomas sprang forward and grabbed the front of Izzy's dress with her fists, nearly lifting her off her feet. She shook her hard enough to make her teeth clank together painfully. "You idiotic girl! Are there no brains in your head? Not one of you can swim, I'm sure of it. Now, look what your disobedience has led to! As soon as we find her, you'll both be punished!"

She twisted Izzy's arm, causing her to gasp in pain as she dragged her out of the room and down the hall. Behind them, Francine followed, biting her lip, her face white as a sheet.

Sister Mary Helen met them halfway down the stairs, a similar look of fear in her eyes. Gloria stood dejectedly at her side, her hand in her hair, staring at the floor.

"What's going on?" said Sister Mary Helen. "Have you found her?"

Dread spread its way through Izzy's stomach as the reality of what they were doing caught up with her. She could feel the growing tension that clung to the nuns. A missing resident would surely hurt the home's solid reputation. Prominent families didn't want their pregnant daughters wandering away from a facility that boasted obedience and anonymity.

Her stomach lurched. She never thought she could get in more trouble than she was already, but things had definitely risen a notch.

"The girl may have gone outside," Sister Mary Thomas hissed, releasing Izzy with a shove that nearly had her toppling down the stairs. "Isadora, show us where you think she is."

Izzy looked up and Gloria's green eyes connected with hers. She caught a hint of camaraderie in them that helped to set her at ease, if only slightly.

"We looked through the entire home, no one has seen her," Sister Mary Helen said in an exasperated voice. "Mara is near out of her mind with worry. She should be here shortly." She turned to Gloria, her eyes as icy as ever. "Go on and get a start on the bathrooms," she said. "No need to waste time here. Carry on as usual. And Francine, return to your room." Her eyes flashed a warning. "No one else leaves this building."

Gloria lifted her chin, her eyes glaring slightly. "I really hope you find Dottie," she said in an even voice that made Izzy shift uncomfortably. "I can't imagine what her parents would think if they found out she was missing."

"Go!" commanded Sister Mary Thomas, a murderous look on her face.

Gloria turned on her heel and walked away. Francine cautiously headed back up the stairs, her face growing paler by the minute.

Her chest was exploding with fear as Izzy followed Sister Mary Helen and Sister Mary Thomas. They made their way out of the back door and stepped into the courtyard.

The wind whipped around them, spiraling between the large stone building and the thick woods, hitting them from all directions. It lifted Izzy's dress and traveled underneath, chilling her bones to match her nerves. Mother Mary eyed them solemnly as they passed by. The bit of grass surrounding the statue was brown and dead, its roots unable to find water in the rocky soil.

"These girls will be the death of me," Sister Mary Helen spat as she stumbled over the stones. Her voice sounded far away in the force of wind. She struggled to grasp her tunic as it grabbed it from her. "We must make sure this never happens again." She threw her hands to her mouth, calling into the wind. "Dottie!"

"Dottie! Come here this minute!" Sister Mary Thomas' gruff voice joined hers. She turned to Izzy. "Hurry and show us which path you took to get to the water."

"Is she out here?" Mara raced up from behind. She wore a long blue jacket that clung tightly to her thin figure. Her red hair was covered with a polka dot scarf, helping protect her ears from the howling gusts.

She and Izzy exchanged looks. Izzy let a small sigh of relief escape her lips. Mara would help her get through this.

"We're going to look for her on the beach," Sister Mary Helen called against the wind. "Isadora seems to think that's where she's run off to."

Izzy led the way and the group of them made their way into the dense forest. Towering pines helped to block the wind and it was instantly easier to hear. Mara caught up with her and the two of them sped along to get a few feet ahead of the struggling nuns.

"She's safe at my friend's home," Mara said in a low voice. "She insists on seeing you, but I'm not sure how to make it work."

"How far away is it?" Izzy asked, shooting a glance behind her.

Sister Mary Thomas scowled as she pulled at her skirt, snagged on a log.

"Not far from here, a ways down the beach," said Mara. "She'll be well taken care of, my friends are wonderful people. All we need to do now is convince everyone that she's gone forever."

"Dottie!" Sister Mary Helen called out, jolting Izzy.

Izzy and Mara joined in, calling out the little girl's name as they neared the beach.

"No matter what happens," Mara said under her breath. "Play along."

They stepped out from the cover of the trees onto the sand and the wind hit them full blast, blowing their hair back. It carried with it the sobering chill of fall. The waves crested three or four feet above the water and crashed in a spattering of white on the shore in front of them.

The four women looked from left to right down the shore. The sound of the waves crashing against the rocks competed with the howling of the wind. No one was in sight.

Despite her wishes, the sight of the beach triggered images of the first time Izzy had seen Wes after he'd pulled her out of the water. His chestnut eyes pierced into hers, filled with concern. They had her melting inside despite the chill of the wind. Was he gone to Los Angeles? Perhaps he'd returned for a visit with Betsy and Judd. Her heart skipped a beat at the thought. Mara had said her friends didn't live far away. Maybe Dottie would be living near them.

"Dottie!" Mara yelled, her voice instantly carried away with the wind.

"She isn't here," Sister Mary Thomas growled, fighting with her black tunic as it whipped around in the sand. "This is insane. This girl is leading us on a wild goose chase."

"Look." Sister Mary Helen pointed, her voice cracking with the force. "There! Laying on the sand."

Their heads turned to the direction she was pointing. About thirty feet away, something black laid on top of the sand. As they stepped closer, Izzy realized it was a shoe. A small shoe—Dottie's shoe.

Sister Mary Helen's hand flew to her mouth as she realized what it was. "My God."

"She's here somewhere," Sister Mary Thomas scoffed. "She's probably hiding."

A wave crashed over the shore and something tumbled along with it as it made its way towards their feet. Izzy bent down and plucked it out of the water—Dottie's other shoe.

"Dottie!" Mara called out towards the water, her voice taking on a bit of hysteria. "Dottie!"

She turned to the nuns who had stiffened next to her. "Oh god! What if she's gone into the water!"

"Impossible," snapped Sister Mary Thomas. But the look of her face told otherwise.

"Surely she wouldn't be that careless," Sister Mary Helen said, her hand still covering her mouth. "She wouldn't go into the water, not with the wind and the waves."

"Dottie!" Izzy called, fixing a distraught look on her face. "Dottie!"

"Are you sure these are her shoes?" Sister Mary Thomas scoffed, turning one over in her hands.

"I'm sure," Sister Mary Helen replied. "All of the girls have these shoes. There's no one else it could belong to."

"Then she probably took them off and walked down the beach," Sister Mary Thomas said, turning. "You and Mara walk down that way and I will go this way with Isadora. She's sure to be somewhere close by."

Mara and Izzy exchanged glances before Izzy walked off to the right with Sister Mary Thomas, who seemed to be growing more agitated by the minute.

They hadn't gone more than fifty feet when Izzy noticed something bobbing in the water in between the waves. It was about twenty feet out and hard to see.

"Wait," she called out to the nun, coming to a halt.

"What is it?" Sister Mary Thomas followed her gaze. She placed her hand above her eyes to diminish the glare of the water.

"There," Izzy said, pointing. "There's something between the waves."

"What? Where?"

"Right there." The thing bobbed like a balloon in the water. It was swooped up by the crest of a wave and carried in towards the shore a little further, making it easier to see.

"No," Sister Mary Thomas uttered, her body going limp. "It can't be."

The thing climbed atop another wave, then another, until it was cast into the spray and thrust towards them. A gray garment—Dottie's dress.

"Lord Jesus!" Sister Mary Thomas cried. "Run Isadora! Run to the home and tell Sister Martha to phone the police. Hurry!"

Thanks so much to all of you who have waited for this update. I really appreciate all of you and thanks for holding me accountable so that I can finish this story. I'm planning on three books for UnWed Mom's Club, this is the first. There's a lot more to come. What do you think so far?