I searched around the school, the parks, the playgrounds, her grandmother's house and even went by a couple of stores in case she wanted to buy something like a coat.

I don't know how she got money and how much she got, but I assume she has some since she was able to take the bus. Or maybe someone else helped her and maybe for her. Maybe she didn't even go onto the bus. Maybe she is just-

I park the car next to the road, slamming my palms against the wheel. I had one job. One fucking job. How did I not notice she was gone for over two hours?

A part of me is hoping that she is somewhere around the house, playing with a dog in the rain and that she will come home right before dinner.

But the other part of me knows better.

I take a few deep breaths, regaining my posture before driving to my final stop. The bookstore. Even if she is not there, Dylan might know where she is. This is a small town, if she's here someone must have seen her.

Right?

"Good afternoon, how can I-" Dylan starts when I open the door, but he closes his mouth once our eyes connect.

"Elizabeth?" He questions, sounding very confused as he steps away from behind the counter.

"Hi, Dylan." I say softly, wanting to hide the raspiness in my voice from crying.

"What are you doing here? Is Casey okay?" He says, grabbing my hands in reassurance. I bite down on my lower lip, shaking my head.

"Alright let me just-" He states, looking around the store. "Let me just close up."

I look confused at him, but he does what he said he would. He sends the remaining customers home, closing the entrance door seconds later and motioning for me to sit down at the bar.

"Would you like something to drink or something to eat, you look tired." He offers me gently.

"Casey has been missing for a few hours now. Have you seen her?" I ask him carefully.

He sits on the stool next to me. "No I'm sorry, where have you looked?"

I start to fidget with my fingers as I name every place I checked. When I'm done, I look down at my hands to see my fingers intertwined with his.

He seems to notice the same, a small smile forming on his lips as our eyes connect.

I slowly pull my hands away, not being able to do this. Not right now. Not with everything that's been going on with Scar and now this with Casey. I couldn't do that to them.

"We could go search the park? Maybe the animal shelter? I will ask a few people to keep an eye out. We will find her. I promise." Dylan says sweetly, standing up from his stool.

I nod slowly, wiping my hands on my jeans. When I look up, Dylan is holding an extra coat. "We'll probably be out until late and you don't have a coat with you."

I look down at my clothes, just now realising I forgot my coat. The second Scarlett said she suspected Casey to be here, I just took off. I'm surprised I'm even wearing shoes.

I thankfully accept the coat before walking out of the door. He turns off the light and closes the door behind us, locking it before we start our walk to the nearest park.

"Why are you still here Dylan?" I inquire out of nowhere, curious as to what a young, handsome man would be doing in a town like this.

He offers me a short smile, shrugging. "Of course, I have thought about leaving, but I grew up here. It might be shitty, but it is home."

I nod slowly, understanding his point of view all too well. We continue to search for Casey long after the sun has set, but nobody has seen her and there is no sight of her.

"Do you have somewhere to stay the night? I'm not trying anything, but I have an extra bedroom and we can continue the search tomorrow morning." Dylan suggests as we approach the bookstore again.

"Thank you, Dylan, but I'll be fine." I smile back genuinely, appreciating the offer but needing some time for myself.

"Okay then, try to get some sleep Elizabeth. Casey is a very capable young girl, she'll be fine." He reassures me, softly squeezing my shoulder. I thank him again before turning around and entering my car.

Dylan walks away and I decide to call Scarlett, who picks up right away. "Have you found her?"

"No Scar, I will go by the school tomorrow morning, maybe she's there? She does love school." I state, but it doesn't sound like I mean it, more like I'm trying to convince myself. Which is exactly what I'm trying.

The fact that she is so smart and independent for her age scares me even more, I don't know how far she went and what she's thinking. If any other kid went missing I could probably just search all the toystores and find them, but Casey?

She could be anywhere.

"I booked you a hotel, go get some rest." Scarlett orders, but I know I won't be able to sleep. I can't sleep without knowing Casey is by my side. How am I supposed to sleep without knowing she is safe? What if she is freezing in a corner of an ally? Crying out my name.

"Lizzie. I know it's hard, God I don't think I'll be able to get some sleep myself and she's not even my daughter. But I'm begging you, please get some rest." Scarlett pleads.

I know she's right, it might be impossible but I have to do it, for Casey. I won't be able to find her if I'm not able to keep my eyes open.

When I reach the hotel I check in under Scarlett's name. It's not a fancy hotel, more like a motel but the staff seems nice. "Good evening Miss Olsen, one of our staff members will escort you to your room." The lady behind the desk smiles genuinely.

"Oh, that won't be necessary." I state, not seeing why someone should drop me off when I don't have any luggage with me.

"Please, I insist."

I turn around to face the man who just spoke, something about him looks familiar. I slowly nod, following him to my room. He opens the door before turning around to look at me. "Good night Miss Olsen."

I watch him walk away, a gut wrecking feeling suddenly growing in my stomach, which I decide to ignore. It's probably just because I'm tired.

I lay down in bed, looking at the picture Scarlett send me. Apparently, a paparazzi spotted her and took pictures of her, which is totally illegal, but I'm kind of glad I did. Unless she somehow changed clothes, I know exactly what she looks like.

I'm going to find her.