Logan Pritchert, Morgan's husband, had always seemed to command the attention of the room. He had the presence of a man with some type of real authority. Not the type of being a simple police officer. No, certainly not anything so mundane. Being around Logan was like being around a true king. He may not always have known the right paths to take, but if you sat and watched him thinking, you would assume he had the weight of an entire country on his shoulder when he was simply trying to decide whether he wanted turkey or ham on his sandwich.. mayo or mustard. Raina had decided that the moment she had met Logan many years ago.
Morgan had brought him home for a family dinner. He had been chivalrous and answered with yes ma'ams and no sir's. It was obvious he had been raised right. He held the door for her older sister, pulled out the chair and had an easy way of placing his hand atop hers as he spoke. There were stolen touches here and there that a young Raina had noticed when she decided she hadn't wanted to pay attention to the "adult conversation." She had watched his fingertips brush against Morgan's knee, and the way they looked at each other and smiled every time. It was beautiful, Raina had noted, and she had sworn even then that he was the type of gentleman she wanted to date one day. She could see herself, even then, courted by a tall, dark, handsome man that would touch the small of her back as they walked. A man who would introduce himself to her father and give him a strong head shake. Someone who would talk to him about business, and compliment her mother's cooking or bring her flowers to decorate the table.
It had started then, and she had been sure she wanted a polite boyfriend, much like the one her sister had managed.
When he walked in the room this time, his king like presence had all but dissipated. The lines of worry etched across his aging face. His normally blue eyes were a steel gray of anxiousness and nerves. He ran his hand through the thinning, dark hair atop his head and stepped into the house. Her father was standing out on the balcony with the portable phone in his hand, while her mother stood by the house phone and was currently calling a number of Morgan's old friends. Both Iris and Astoria had gone out in search of their missing older sister. Raina had been charged with holding down the fort and communicating to everyone if she, or her family members, heard anything.
She stepped back from the door when Logan came back and walked into the living room. "Have you heard from her yet?" He asked, voice filled with hope that she hated having to smash.
Raina shook her head simply and crossed her arms over her chest. "Everyone is still calling around but we haven't heard anything."
"This isn't like her." Logan said, pacing the small living room. "She wouldn't just take off and not tell anyone where she was going." He hadn't wanted to but he finally lowered himself into one of the recliners that sat in front of the television set that was turned off. He leaned forward, elbows on his knees as he drew his fingers through the thinning hair. "I don't even know why she would just pick up and leave."
But Raina knew, and the knowledge was like a lead ball in the pit of her stomach. "I think I do." She admitted in a small voice that resembled that of a young girl that just wanted to run away and hide under her covers like she used to when she feared the monsters in the closet.