Chapter442

#Chapter442

Hope

Xavier

I sat outside on the back deck, staring into the distance. Every time we had a lead, someone followed it. The person came up empty-handed. Zander’s sixteenth birthday had passed. Leslie and I celebrated with one cupcake, as we did every year. We made a wish and blew out the candle.

Our wish never came. But we still had hope. We hoped that one day, he would come home to us. I tried to keep Leslie’s spirits up, but it was hard when it makes you defeated.

/"Hey, brother,/" Zane said.

/"Hey, Zane./"

/"They’re going to find Zander./"

/"I keep hoping one day they will walk through the door with him. I will see those eyes. He has Leslie’s eyes and my nose. Does he have my color of hair or hers? Does he look like her or me? Does he have a part of us?/"

My heart appeared heavy.

A tiny voice said, /"Hi, Daddy./"