Imagination || L.H.

Chapter 36

Lynn agrees to close shop early to look for Luke, concern wrinkling her brow. April, Cassidy and Liv are eager to help us as well, getting in their cars and driving to whatever part of the city we assign them too. As I watch them drive off, I feel like bursting into tears. Over ten people are out looking for Luke, have been looking for him since last night, and no one can.

Knowing that it's futile, I pull out my phone and call him. "Please pick up," I whisper over and over under my breath. I don't miss the sad, empathetic look Calum tosses my way as I helplessly plead to hear his voice on the other end of the line. It goes to voicemail and I wipe at the tears spilling down my cheeks. "Hey, Luke, it's Kat. I'm sorry about last night. Just, please, come home. We all miss you." Choking on the words as the tears speed up, I add, "I miss you." I hang up, covering my face with my hands as I break down.

"It's gonna be okay," Calum says, wrapping his arms around me. "We're going to find him, Kat."

"What if it's too late?" I murmur into his chest.

Cal frowns as he pulls away, shaking his head. "It's not too late. It can't be too late." He takes a shaky breath, running his fingers through his hair. "I have to keep looking; I have to find him." Calum climbs onto his bike, determination sparking in his dark eyes, turning to me. "You coming?"

I nod, getting onto my own bike. My eyes scan the streets as we pedal past pedestrians and cars, combing through place after place. We hop over the little bump on to the pier, zooming past people fishing over the edge and tourists posing for pictures. We bike the length of the bridge even though we can see to the end and know he's not here.

Calum skids to a stop beside me as we gaze out over the ocean, shaking his head back and forth. He turns to me, looking distraught. "I thought he would be here. I've looked everywhere else I can think of, Kat. I don't know where he is." He slides off of his bike, turning to kick it. He slams his foot into it over and over again like that action alone will magically make Luke appear.

I lean my bike against the railing, grabbing Calum's shoulders and pulling him away from the bike. "Hey, hey, this isn't your fault, Cal. You've done everything you can. This one's on me," I add, hanging my head. "If I had just driven him home, none of this would have happened."

"You never told me," Calum breathes, panting heavily. "What did happen last night?"

I bite my lip, clenching my hands into fists so that my nails dig into my palm. The physical pain is a distraction from the emotional pain, grounding me. "I took him to go see his mom and, for a moment, everything was fine. They were talking like nothing had ever happened. But then Jack came and Liz got a little annoyed and Luke got mad, so he lashed out at her." I close my eyes, trying to block out the images flashing in front of my eyes. "I told him to stop, because I could see what constantly being at odds with his family was doing to him, but he wouldn't listen. He threw Blake and Piper in my face like he didn't even care and I was mad, so I told him to drive himself home and walked back to my house. I... I should've just driven him home." I bury my face, sobbing into my hands. "I never wanted any of this to happen."

"We're going to find him." Calum repeats the same words he said outside The Scoop, but unlike then, I can tell he doesn't quite believe them anymore. He's been looking for Luke for hours and hasn't gotten any sleep. If he could be found, Calum would have found him by now.

Unless he wasn't in the city anymore.

My tears cut off suddenly and I pick my head up. "Oh my god. I think I know how to find him." Fueled by desperate hope, I hop on my bike and pedal quickly down the pier. Calum calls after me, but I don't respond, I only push myself faster. Cars honk angrily as I cut through traffic, careening around sharp corners. I throw my bike into the plants by the hospital doors, dashing through the hallways with Cal racing behind me, searching for room 437.

Liz and Andy Hemmings look up, surprised, when I come to a stop in the doorway. Out of breath, I pant, "Did you guys ever go somewhere for a vacation or something, outside the city? Anywhere that Luke would have gone?"

Calum grows thoughtful at my words, a strange expression crossing his face as he considers the same possibilities that I have.

Liz frowns as she starts to shake her head, but then stops. "When the boys were younger, we used to go to the beach in Malibu. We-"

But I'm already moving, running down the corridors like my life depends on it.

"You're a fucking genius," Calum praises as the receptionist scolds us for running, picking our bikes back up.

I don't reply to that, asking instead, "Where are Ashton and Michael? We need a car because Malibu's a forty minute drive away from here and I'm not biking that far."

"They should be driving around by Luke's house," Cal answers as we cut through the park.

Sweat causes the back of my shirt to cling to my skin, but I hardly notice. All I can think of is getting to Ashton and Michael. Who knows what kind of trouble Luke's already gotten himself into? Who knows what kind of stupid things he'll do if we don't find him soon?