chapter 3 | missing
I didn't go to Logan's garden, even though I wanted to escape the hectic children running through the halls of my house. I just sat on the roof of my home and smoked a cigarette. My siblings called for me but I ignored them, I really just didn't want to talk to them right now.
Mom was out of the house again, so I left Jonah, my 13-year-old brother, in charge of ordering pizza. Tony, my 16-year-old brother, was out tutoring some girl from his class for extra cash. He's a wiz in every subject, nobody really knows how that turned out.
"Ave! Debbie stole my stuffed animals again!" My 6-year-old sister, Lacey called to me. I put out my smoke and climbed back inside. "Ave! Ave!"
"What Lacey? Debbie, give her toys back." Debbie, a moody 9-year-old, looked at me and frowned, mumbling an apology before handing Lacey her pony toy back. "Go finish your homework. It's almost time for bed." Debbie obliged and ran to her room, her feet slamming on the floorboards with every step.
I walked into the kitchen and spotted Jonah sitting at the counter finishing up some work while eating a slice of pizza. "Hey Jonah, is Lucas home yet?" Tony's going to be out until ten, but I haven't heard from Lucas all day."
"No, haven't seen him. Sorry."
"Is there any pizza left?" He shook head no and I groaned, walking over to the fridge. Our fridge was cluttered with food-mostly expired and moldy, but nobody ever went through it so it remained that way. "Hand me the phone?" I asked Jonah. He passed it to me quietly, nodding his head at me before looking back at his textbook and copying down some problems.
I dialed Lucas' school's number. Lucas was 11 and typically came home around seven (He stayed after school with his friends), but he was 30 minutes late now and it was beginning to worry me.
"Hey, this is Lucas Jones' sister. I was just wondering if Lucas is still there?"
"Let me check for you," the woman paused. "No, sorry dear, he left about an hour ago."
My heartbeat quickened. "Okay. Thank you."
"Have a good one, Bye now."
I put down the phone and closed my eyes. Without a word from Jonah, I grabbed my army jacket from the hanger and placer two fingers in between my lips, whistling loudly at the rest of my family.
"Hey! Guys! Get down here, now!" One by one my siblings piled down the staircase. Debbie and Lacey were in their pajamas, Jonah was still doing his homework, looking at me with a raised brow. "Lucas hasn't come home from school. We're splitting up to go look for him, Jonah, go with Lace and Debs to make sure they're okay, all right? Now get your coats on, it's getting late."
The neighborhood I grew up in wasn't exactly safe for children to be wandering around, but my family was born and raised to take care of ourselves. My siblings handled the shitty district well.
"But Avelyn-" Lacey whined.
"Now, Lace!"
So the four of us left the house and separated in different directions in the search of my eleven-year-old brother. I kept telling myself he was fine- because he was always fine. he knew how to handle himself and I was just getting worried for no reason.
It was when I started sobbing that I didn't know where to go.
My feet carried my limp body to Logan's house. My mascara was running down my face and my hair was unkempt from my hand running through it endlessly. I looked a mess.
I knocked on Logan's door. His father answered. "I really need to speak to Logan."
"Avelyn, it's a bit late-"
"Mr. Anderson, please let me speak to Logan."
His father sighed. He never did like me very much, but I knew that if I were to throw rocks at Logan's window he wouldn't have answered my shouts. "A few minutes."
"Thank you so much, sir."
I rushed up the stairs faster than I ever thought I could. I knocked on Logan's door hurriedly resting my forehead against the wood because I was so drained. "What, dad?"
"L-Logan, it's me. P-Please, let me in.
It was silent for a long while. The only thing I could hear was my ragged breathing shaky and wavering because I was so terrified of being lost.
The door was swung open. Logan glanced over my figure and grabbed my hands, though I just pulled them out of his grasp. "Ave? What's wrong? Why are you crying?"
"I-I know I'm a fuck up and you don't want anything to do with me anymore, but I'm sorry, Lucas is lost a-and I'm really worried, everyone is out l-looking for him b-but I just don't know-" He looked at me with sad eyes as I paused my ramblings, letting out a soft sob instead.
"You're not a fuck up, Ave. C'mere."Logan wrapped his strong arms around me and I froze, slowly raising my arms around his after realizing the approach he was taking. "We're gonna find him. Okay? I'm sure he's fine, Lucas is a smart kid."
"O-Okay."
We stayed in each other's warm embrace for a few more seconds before he dropped his grip, pushing back my bangs and then placing his fingers on the side of my lips, pulling my frown into a small grin. I chuckled at his immature habits.
"Let's go find him, okay? Where's Jonah? And Tony? What about Lacey and Debbie?"
"Tony's tutoring some girl, but the others are out looking."
"Come on." Logan ignored his father's complaints about us being out together so late.
We searched the whole neighborhood before wandering around Lucas' school area. "I hope he's okay."
"I know he's okay."
"Oh God, Logan I don't know what I would do if-"
"We're going to find him."
And we did.
After another hour of searching, we did find Lucas. He was sitting outside our house, huddled up in his jacket and his winter hat pulled down for warmth. The lights were on in our house so I knew the others were home already. They must have told him to wait on the porch for me.
"Oh my God, Lucas!" He looked up at the sound of my voice and furrowed his brows. I ran up to him and pulled him into my arms and cradles his head because I was so glad he was safe.
"Avelyn, I can't breathe."
"I'm so glad you're safe." I paused, narrowing my eyes at him before quickly hitting him on the head. "What the hell were you thinking?! Staying out so late? You could've been hurt!"
"I was just with Josh and his friends, calm down!" Lucas rubbed the spot on his head I had hit and groaned at the throbbing pain. I only hugged him closer to me and laughed lightly at how worried I had been. "This is why I need a phone."
"You know we can't afford phones, Lucas. Don't be stupid." I raised my gaze to Logan, who was watching us both with a smile on his face. "Come here, garden boy. Join the love." Logan chuckled and approached the two of us with raised arms. Lucas wasn't enjoying the love fest.
"Avelyn, Logan, get off."
"You love it."
"I really don't." Lucas pouted and dropped my grip on him, pointing to the house instead. "Go inside, you're freezing." Lucas seemed grateful that I was allowing him to leave my embrace and rushed inside, shouting to our family that he was alive, and I didn't kill him.
Logan looked at me. "So what now?"
"How does a celebratory bonfire sound?"
"Amazing." And we had a bonfire- my siblings, Logan and I and it was very fun. The seven of us got along very well. My sibling loved Logan so much. He was always a pleasure to have around.
Logan was a quiet presence, sometimes taken for granted but cared for deeply, so you really broke when he was gone. I broke, at least
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