Quixotic (2)

4

"Brody." Brian growled, worry boiling through his blood as he looked at the younger man shivering at his doorstep, "There was a terrorist attack on New York yesterday, and you're here to tell me you can't find my daughter?" He asked with anger, subtle panic traveling through his voice.

"I've been searching for her all night." He stuttered, hugging his arms around his body as he spoke, "I thought she may have come here, since --."

An aggravated sigh escaped Brian's lips and he took a step back, growling, "Keep looking, I'll be right behind you." Brody turned to run back toward his car, and Brian let the door close.

Jogging into the living room, he grabbed his jacket from the back of the couch and pulled it around his shoulders. Rushing toward the door, his body paused at a single thought and he turned to rush back toward the center drawer of the cluttered shelf. Lifting the journal in his hands, he flipped to the folded page and felt his heart relax for a moment. He knew exactly where she was.

Driving down the road near Olivia's old house, he arrived at the familiar pier. Parking his car, he pulled the journal into his hands and looked over the moon's reflection over the water. As if he were eighteen again, his mind replayed the memory of the girls jumping in the water from the edge of the pier. A light sigh escaped his lips, and he took the first step.

The young girl was sitting with her legs folded beneath her, wearing a baggy t-shirt and a pair of athletic leggings. Staring out into the water, her heart dropped at the sound of footsteps approaching from behind her. She sat completely still, afraid to look back as the footsteps stopped, "You left this in my car." She heard Brian's voice and her shoulders relaxed.

Taking a seat beside her, he placed the journal into her lap. She refused to turn her head, her eyes locked on the reflection of the moon on the water, "How did you know I'd be here?" She asked quietly, her eyes falling to look at the journal in her lap.

"The more important question is: Why are you here?" Brian asked her, his eyes hesitantly glancing down at her, "Brody is scared out of his mind." He waited for a response, but the child sat completely still, "How long have you been sitting here?"

She shrugged her shoulders, telling him, "I wanted to know what it was like for her."

"What?" He asked hesitantly, his brow furrowed as he looked down at the water in front of him. The young girl opened the journal, flipping to the folded page.

"The night she jumped into the water was the first time she wrote that she loved you." The child spoke, a smile in her voice as she asked, "When did you know you loved her?"

"You really want to know your mom, don't you?" He sighed, his heart racing in his chest as he turned to meet his daughter's eyes for a moment.

"More than anything." She answered with big eyes, begging him, "Please, tell me one thing about her."

"Let's make a deal," He hummed uncomfortably, noticing the hesitation in her eyes as he angled his body toward her, "You go back home, and --."

"Please, don't make me go back there!" She interrupted, her body shifting away from him. He flinched forward, not wanting her to fall back into the water, "Brody doesn't want me anymore."

"Look, kid, you're wrong." Brian growled back, telling her, "Brody is doing his best." Brian shrugged, saying, "He's been out all night looking for you!" 

"He doesn't care about me!" She exclaimed, pushing herself to her feet and taking a step back. Brian was quick to follow her movements, afraid she would run. He turned to face her, noticing how she hugged her mother's journal against her chest.