Along the Horizon.

So this is what death is like? The Afterlife, Heaven or Hell. I didn’t know where I was. All I knew is that I am in a state of peace. I stretch out on clouds, soft cotton, fluff that is beneath me. I can hear soft whispers, they must be from the other dead people but I cannot see them. I cannot see anything. All I see is black. Black everywhere. I try not to focus on the darkness that consumes me, but instead of feeling I have. Good, warm and fuzzy, like I’ve been drugged.

*

“Acie time to wake up!” Brady bounced on the bed of the hospital. His calls were ineffective.

Logan stood by Brady, making sure he doesn’t fall off the bed. He looks down at the sleeping girl, refusing to open her big doe green eyes that he had fallen in love with.

“I don’t think she wants to wake up yet, B-man. Maggie is really tired,” Logan took Maggie’s seven year old brother into his arms and retreated to the arm chair placed beside the bed.

“Wake her up! She needs to see my smile!” Brady grinned; his two front teeth are missing. Logan let out a chuckle, and pulled him into his chest.

“I can’t wake her up. She has to do it by herself.”

“Kiss her! Like Sleeping Beauty and Snow White,” Brady looked deep into Logan’s eyes, full of concern.

*

”Thank you all for coming to our cookout. I especially want to thank Maggie’s friends for supporting her during this time. I’ve never seen my daughter this happy, even with Steven still with us,” Karen blinked away the tears forming in her tear ducts. Karen scanned the backyard, looking for her beautiful daughter’s smile, but she couldn’t find her.

Logan saw Karen scan crowd for her daughter. He mimicked her, looking for his girlfriend. He hasn’t seen her for almost an hour.

“Hey Chan, watch Brady. I’ll be back,” Logan said jumping out of the pool.

Entering the house, Logan made his way up to Maggie’s room. “Hey Maggie,” Logan called while entering her bedroom. She wasn’t there. Logan made his way back down the steps and out towards the party. He looked around again. The wrong feeling that was in the pit of his stomach is now pumping throughout his veins.

He didn’t see Rachel either. Logan thought back to the last time he saw her. She asked if she could show Paul the cars. Oh no. Logan whipped his head in all directions before darting back into the house. He wiggled the doorknob to the garage door. It was locked. Panic set it.

“Rachel! Maggie, are you in there?” He shouted, pounding on the door.

Chandler saw his panicked friend from the pool. Quickly he got Brady out of the pool, and found Karen. “Hey Mrs. Cartwright, Logan needs you in the house,” He said pulling her away from guests. Together they entered the house just as Logan starts body slamming the door.

“Logan!” Karen shouted.

“Karen, about an hour ago Rachel asked Maggie if she could show Paul the cars. Now there is no Paul, Rachel or Maggie. The door is locked,” Logan slammed against the door again.

Karen was stunned. Her thoughts came at a million miles a second. Her baby. Chandler and Logan took turns slamming their weight into the wood. “The garage door. Logan go put in the code outside,” Karen scrambled to say. By now all of the party goers have gathered into the kitchen, whispering about what is happening.

The door flew open from the inside. Logan’s face red, sweat dripping in anger. “They’re gone. Call the police,” His voice was barely a whisper.

*

The TV had been running the story all night. Amber alerts have been put up, and there was a tip line for anybody who had information. Now it was just a waiting game. Logan had to let the police take over, he was helpless.

Karen busied herself in work. Putting posters together with pictures of both Maggie and Rachel, so we could plaster them all over town. Chandler was comforting both his family and Rachel’s in the living room. Logan was sitting on the front steps outside, praying that Maggie and Rachel will pull up in the drive way, completely unharmed. He was a wishful thinker though.

“Logan,” Logan heard Brady’s small voice from behind him. Quickly he wiped away his tears and put on a smile.

“Hey Brady,” Logan stretched his long arms out to capture the little boy. He pulled him into his lap and snuggled him into his chest. His Maggie was here, she would have been mad that Brady is allowing Logan to hold him. She never was allowed to do this.

“Where is Acie?” He asked, looking up, his chocolate eyes full of hope.

How do you tell an Autistic seven year old that his sister has been kidnapped by his mom’s boyfriend? “Well B-man, you know the game hide and seek?” Brady nodded slowly. “Well, Rachel and Maggie are hiding right now, and it’s our job to find them.”

“Can we go look for them now?”

“I actually think it’s past your bedtime. Come on, I’ll tuck you in tonight. Tomorrow you can help us look, okay?”

“Okay.”

Logan Gathered Brady into his arms and carried him up the stairs to his bedroom. Placing him on the bed, Logan kissed the top of Brady’s head. “Love you buddy,” He said while turning out the light.

“Love you too, Logan.”

*

It has been three weeks and still no news. Logan hasn’t slept any. Instead he sits in Maggie’s room, on her bed, holding her stuffed lamb, listening to her mom’s soft cries that come from the other room. Logan didn’t notice the soft creak of the door opening, until Karen was halfway in the room.

“Logan?” She seems startled.

“Hey,” He whispered.

“Oh Logan, why won’t she come home? Why haven’t the police found her yet?” Karen sits in the bed next to Logan. His arm drapes around her in comfort.

“They will. She’ll come home. She has to. I already have her Christmas present,” Logan tries to lighten the mood.

“Never leave, okay? I don’t think Brady can handle one more person special to him being taken from him.”

“I promise I’m not going anywhere, Mrs. Cartwright. Your daughter is stuck with me.”

*

Silence has overtaken the house. It has an unwelcoming, eerie feel. It burrows into everyone’s head, making them mad. It has driven out all happiness, all life. The house and everyone in it became still.

Then the phone rang. Logan picked it up on the third ring. After a moment, the phone crashed to the floor. Karen looked up from her spot on the couch.

“They found her,” He breathed.

Brady looked up from his coloring book. “Maggie and Rachel are the best at hide and seek.”

*

“Why is Acie sleeping?” Brady asked Logan once it was okay to go into the recovery room. It’s been a couple days, and Maggie still hasn’t moved. She was put into a medically induced coma, to help her recover.

Karen shook her head, still not able to comprehend what happened to her daughter. Sexually abused over and over again, beaten, cut up. Her old scars intertwining with the new ones.

“You know the movies, Snow White and Sleeping Beauty?” Logan started.

“Yeah, Maggie’s favorites,” brandy smiled.

“You’re right. Well you know how Snow White and Sleeping Beauty are asleep for a long time because a spell was put on them?” Brady nodded. “The doctors put Maggie under a spell to sleep because she was hiding for a long time and got really tired.”

“That’s nice of them.”

“It is.”

*
Logan looked back down at him. Maggie was brought out of her coma but she still hasn’t woken up. It’s been nearly a week. “I’m not sure if it works like that. She’ll only wake up when she is ready.”

“But you’re Prince Charming.”

Logan laughed. He was far from Prince Charming. “Don’t get your hopes up,” Logan whispered as he removed Brady from his lap.

Logan hovered over Maggie staring into her shut eyes. Slowly he placed his lips upon hers and prayed for a miracle.