Searching

Lucas' POV

I woke up to Rose's small hands shaking me vigorously. It wasn't the nicest of awakenings but it definitely woke me up fast.

"Okay, okay. Calm down." I mumbled while rubbing my eyes, hoping to wipe away the blur taking over my vision.

"Come on, get ready. We're going to go visit Maisie!" Rose was too energetic for my liking, but I have to admit, the idea of seeing Maisie was something worth getting up for.

Both Rose and I rushed to get ready. It was early Saturday morning but our parents had gone out and would most likely be gone for the day. This wasn't unusual, our parents often left Rose and I home alone to spend the day together, but never without leaving a note on the kitchen bench telling us to be good.

After five frantic minutes we met at the front door. Rose was beaming, it had been a couple of days since we'd last seen Maisie and we were both missing her. Her smile, her laugh, her everything.

Rose gently grasped my hand and pulled me out of our house and across the street, stopping at Maisie's front door and knocking with an unexpected power. She really did want to see Maisie.

"Hello?" her little voice called out as she knocked again. I shushed her and listened for any sign of movement inside the house. 

When I didn't hear anything I began to grow worried, and I could tell Rose was worried as well. I turned the handle to find the door unlocked. The door swung open with a deafening creak and Rose pushed past me, walking into the house and beginning her search.

"Maisie?" I yelled from the kitchen, my voice echoing. The sun beaming through the open window, illuminated scattered pieces of scribbled on paper covering the dining table, as well as empty beer and vodka bottles.

I followed Rose upstairs and into Maisie's bedroom, where we found Maisie's mother, unconscious, holding a notepad and another empty beer bottle. She'd made herself comfortable on Maisie's bed, after trashing the rest of the room.

"Hello?" Rose took the bottle from her hand and placed it on the floor next to her feet. "Excuse me." Rose caressed her cheek, concern written all over her face. Maisie's mother shot up in an instant. 

"Maisie?" she exclaimed, hope in her eyes. That hope swiftly left and was replaced just as fast with disappointment. "Oh. It's you." she muttered.

Her breath was thick with alcohol and it was clear she's been crying.

"Is everything okay? Where's Maisie?" I sat next to her on the bed. The clearly abusive woman we'd once seen was gone and the mere husk of a woman was left.

"Maisie is gone, has been for days." A single tear shed from her eye, which she quickly wiped away. 

"I know I've been a terrible mother but I never though she'd leave me, not after her father did." It was then that she broke, she completely shattered before the both of us.

"She won't come back, why would she?" She cried into her hands and began rocking herself.

Rose stood frozen, her face slowly getting redder as the words from Maisie's mother began making sense to her.

"She was all I had left."

"We'll get her back. I promise." Rose had balled both her hands into fists as she let small, silent tears fall from her eyes.

But is that a promise either of us could keep?