Forever - The Final Book in the 'Missing' Trilogy.

6

Meanwhile at home...

Rydel looked around at her brothers. It was hard on them all, losing Riker. He was their big brother, the one they all looked up to, the one that always kept the family together and looked after them all.
Ryland had stopped speaking to anyone except Rydel, and even that was rare. Ross had become angry, but Rydel knew that that was just a front. She knew he didn't them to see just how broken he truly was. She knew that because it was exactly was she was doing.
And then there was Rocky. He stubbornly refused to believe that his brother was gone. He still looked for Riker everyday, often getting reckless and doing dangerous things. Rydel was worried that he was going to get himself killed. She suspected that that's what Rocky wanted. He didn't want to live without his big brother.
If she was being honest with herself, she was beginning to wonder wether Rocky might be right, what if Riker really was alive. It wasn't the first time she'd had her doubts about the mysterious postcard. But she had to think of her family.

"All right guys look," she began "this can't keep happening. I know we all miss Riker. I know we all dealt with it in our own ways but... the fact is, this behaviour, the anger, the recklessness, the not talking... the tears. It's not what Riker would have wanted." Rocky began to protest but Rydel silenced him "alive or.. not, Riker always said his true purpose in life was to make us happy. It's all he ever wanted for us. So lets try to honour that. As difficult as it is to accept, Riker is gone. Its time to move on" she said speaking as much to herself as she was to them. She looked around at her brothers sad faces. "I'm sorry," she said before leaving the room, trying to hide her tears.

She went to her room and sat on her bed. After a few seconds of trying to calm herself, she reached beneath her bed and pulled out a box. She opened it and took out a picture. It was her favourite picture of Riker, Vanni and herself. She hadn't just lost her brother, she had lost her best friend too. She dried her eyes and put the picture and the box, now locked, back under the bed. "Goodbye," she whispered "it's time to move on."