Fiona, Miguel, and Lincoln searched Hazeltucky first. Nobody had seen or even heard or Leni. Hazeltucky wasn't as big as Royal Woods, but it took some time to search all of it.
By the time they finished, it was dark. Lincoln was feeling exhausted from running around all day. Fiona noticed this. "Alright, as much as I don't want to, we'll have to call it quits tonight. We'll search Beaverton and Huntington Oaks first thing tomorrow." Miguel and Lincoln thought that would be the best plan. But all the same, Lincoln still felt worried. And sad.
In Huntington Oaks, Leni was also feeling sad. Matt had brought up food for her after he came back. "Just let me know if you need anything." He said kindly. "Ok, thank you." Hours passed and Leni began to feel tired. She curled up in bed and turned off the light. As she laid in bed, she pulled out her phone and found messages from her family. She wanted to reply, but she still felt unsure. Then, she noticed one of the texts was from Lincoln. Out of everyone in her family, Leni missed Lincoln the most. She had always been close to him. When he was younger, Leni used to rock him to sleep, play with him, comfort him, and tell him constantly how much she loves him.
Leni really wanted to reply to Lincoln, but she decided to wait till morning. "I don't wanna wake him up." And she turned over and went to sleep.
When Lincoln and Leni's friends arrived back at the house, he tiredly climbed out of the car. "Thanks guys." "You're welcome. Now go get some rest. We've got a lot of ground to cover tomorrow." Said Miguel. And they drove away.
When Lincoln entered the house, he Rita and Lynn Sr sitting on the couch, looking at a photo album. They perked up when they heard the door open, but Lincoln could see the disappointment on their faces when he walked in. "Hi." Said Lincoln sadly. "Hi son." Said Lynn Sr. He was still feeling awful about yelling at Leni over something so stupid. Lincoln walked over to them. "Mom? Dad? I wanted to apologize for what I said when I left. I was just-" Rita cut Lincoln off. "Lincoln, you don't have to apologize. What you said, was what we needed to hear. A hard truth." She sighed. "Your mother's right. What we did was completely unacceptable. After that hideous display, I don't know if I can myself a father anymore." Said Lynn Sr.
Lincoln felt bad. He realized his parents never intentionally meant to hurt Leni, but he knew the best thing was to let the pain run it's course. "I'm gonna head to bed. I've got more searching to do tomorrow." Said Lincoln. "Ok, goodnight sweetie." Replied Rita as he headed upstairs.
Lincoln made it upstairs to find Lori with Luan and Luna in the hallway. They were a little surprised to see Lincoln looking so upset after he's angry outburst that morning. "Hey guys." Said Lincoln. "Hey. Any luck?" Asked Luna. "If he did, Leni would be with him genius!" Said Lori. "Watch it bossy blonde!" Snapped Luna. "Who are you calling-!" "Guys! Please! I can't take anymore arguing!" Interrupted Lincoln. "I'm sorry. It's just been a difficult day. I really miss her." He sighed.
Luna and Leni felt bad. So did Luan, who felt like a heartless jerk for calling her a dumb blonde. "No Lincoln, we're the ones who need to be sorry. We hurt one of our sisters in a way none of us should ever have done. We're just a bunch of dirtbags." Sighed Lori. Lori was on the verge of tears when Lincoln ran up and hugged her. "I just want my sister back." Sobbed Lori. "Me too." Said Lincoln, unable to contain his tears any longer, and with Luan and Luna joining them, they cried together in a loving embrace.
Stay tuned for chapter 8!