Wishing on you

Chapter 8

Lorenzo pov 

I walked into the kitchen, exhausted from a long day of work, and grabbed a glass of water from the fridge. As I turned around, I was surprised to see that everyone else was home. It was a rare occurrence for all of us to be under the same roof at the same time.

For the past 11 years, our family had been fractured, each of us dealing with the trauma of Harper's kidnapping in our own way. She was only four years old when she was taken from us, and the pain of that loss still lingered.

We didn't spend time together like we used to. The tension and resentment had built up over the years, making it difficult for us to be in the same room without arguing. But there was one exception – the annual ritual we observed the things Harper loved

Every year, on the anniversary of her disappearance, we'd gather at the garden where Harper loved to play. We'd make wishes on dandelions, hoping against hope that she'd return to us. It was a bittersweet tradition, but it was the one time of the year when we put our differences aside and came together as a family.

As the oldest brother, I'd always tried to keep the peace and hold everyone together. I was close to each of my siblings, but they didn't always get along with each other. Xander and Xavier, the twins, were still thick as thieves, but Tony and Carter had a more complicated relationship. They argued occasionally, but it was nothing compared to the animosity between Elliot and the twins.

The tension between them was palpable, and it seemed to escalate with each passing year. But on the anniversary of Harper's disappearance, they'd put their differences aside, and we'd come together as a family.

We all struggled to cope with the kidnapping of Harper, but Elliot was undoubtedly the most affected. At just five years old, he had been incredibly close to his little sister. Her disappearance left him traumatized, plagued by nightmares and uncontrollable tears. For three years, he cried himself to sleep every night, his small body wracked with sobs.

As the years passed, Elliot's tears eventually subsided, but he became increasingly withdrawn. He barely spoke, and when he did, his words were laced with a deep sadness. He spent most of his time locked away in his room, escaping into a world of his own creation.

When Elliot did venture out of his room, conflicts with the twins, Xander and Xavier, were inevitable. The twins, who were six when Harper was taken, had been devastated by her disappearance, but they had each other to lean on. As they grew older, they became increasingly frustrated with Elliot's reticence, feeling that he was shutting them out.

Carter, who was ten when Harper was kidnapped, had been devastated by her disappearance. His way of coping was to self-harm, a behavior that lasted for years. I had always thought of Carter as a strong, resilient kid, so his descent into self-harm had caught me off guard.

Despite his struggles, Carter had gone on to achieve great things. He had worked hard, earning a place in medical school, and was now a successful surgeon. But the scars of his past still lingered, and he continued to work through his issues. He was now two years clean, and his three-year anniversary was fast approaching.

Tony, who was 13 at the time of Harper's disappearance, became increasingly withdrawn. He tried to put on a brave face, helping everyone else in the family while hiding his own pain. Tony and Harper had been especially close, often cuddling up together to watch TV shows. She loved being held and would cling to him. Harper was the baby of the family, and Tony adored her.

As the oldest sibling, I felt a deep sense of responsibility to care for my younger brothers. I was 15, and it was hard to watch Carter struggle with the aftermath of Harper's disappearance. His self-harming behavior was a cry for help, but no matter how hard I tried to reach out to him, he pushed me away.