Upside Down

Twenty Three

Four more draining days pass by brining the time Logan has been missing up to six days.

Six painful days. 

Hillary reported him missing a few days ago. She couldn't just sit there and hope that he would return.

I slept in his bed last night, hoping it would make me feel closer to him. It didn't. All it did was remind me that he isn't here.

Hillary tried to warn me that it wouldn't work. She had been doing it for the previous three nights. I didn't listen.

She sits across the table from me now, checking her phone for any sort of an update on her son. Both of us feel useless sitting here when we could be doing something.

But everything we have done, has gotten us nowhere.

"Kara says he's ran away before?" I ask, making conversation. Bouts of us are clearly worried about him. There is no use in treating her like the enemy right now when we should be teaming up.

"When he was a young kid. Not in the last six or seven years really." She sets her phone down. "I already checked his old hiding spots though. There is no sign he was at any of them except his father's grave."

I nod. "I went to his father's grave. Kara and I went out looking for him." Hillary looks up at me. "How did he die? Logan never really got specific. Although I know we both lost a parent to suicide."

"He was bipolar." She sighs. "Sometimes, I wonder if Logan and Peter have the disease too. Or if my girls will get it." A tear rolls down her cheek.

"I'm so sorry." I can tell she still cares deeply for her ex-husband despite his death being almost two decades ago.

"Logan grew up a lot faster than he should have. I blame myself for his mental instability. He didn't have a dad and I forced him to be a father figure to his little siblings. He started running off and throwing fits and I thought nothing of it." She admits.

"It's not your fault his father died. It's not either of your faults.  If I've learned one thing with my mom's death is that we can't blame ourselves for her actions."

Hillary nods. "I just wish things could have been different. You know?" She grabs a tissue from the counter. "But then I would have never met your father."

"And I would have never met Logan." I sigh. "I really care about him a lot."

Hillary smiles and touches my hand with hers. "Sweetie, I know."

"You do?" I ask innocently.

"Of course I do. I see the way you two look at each other. It's a once in a lifetime gaze in your eyes. I'm no dummy. I know how you two must feel about each other."

I smile as a tear slips down my cheek. "He's just so special. I miss him."

"I miss him too sweetie. He will be back. I can feel it." She tries to smile.

I nod. "And what if he doesn't come back at all?" I wonder out loud.

"Don't think like that Avery. He will come back. If nothing else draws him home, he will come back for you. I promise. He cares too deeply for you to never come back." She squeezes my hand. "I raised him better than that."

Authors note: do your feelings about Hillary change at all after this chapter?