forbidden [h.s.]

seventeen.

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long chapter yay (:
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I stand at the open of the woods, with the boys and Serena right beside me. The last time I was here, I was with Harry. I felt scared then, and I feel scared now. For a moment, I reconsider my decision to join the boys on their search. What if Harry isn't in the woods? What if we go in there for no reason and somebody gets hurt? Will it have been worth it?

Louis takes a deep breath in, making the first step towards the enormously tall trees. I sigh and follow behind him, everyone else follows suit. Niall and Liam walk with their heads looking up, searching the trees. The rest of us look straight ahead and on the ground. I don't know how Harry could have survived here all of last night. Is there food? Are there safe places to sleep? Are there predators? God, I know nothing about this place that lies outside of my boundaries. Maybe Liam is right. I am a princess.

I lose track of time as we search. It's started to cool down and, from the soft orange color of the sky, I would guess that it's early in the evening. I've tripped and fallen on more times than I care to remember. Everyone is caked in filth from head to toe. Serena's blonde hair is now brown and all of our clothes are covered with the residue of nature. I'm not even sure how far we've come at this point.

I push another tree branch out of my way as the six of us continue to walk through the woods. I can see the peak of a mountain range in the distance and I know we've gone far. I've never seen those before in my life. I wipe my forehead, probably smearing dirt across it in the process. Any conversation amongst our group has been minimal. The air is thick with anxiety. No one wants to say it, but we're all thinking the same thing: If Harry isn't here, we have no where else to look.

I walk out into a small opening and sigh, placing my hands on my hips as I try to catch my breath. "How long have we been looking?" I say and turn around.

"Uh," Louis glances down at his watch, "almost four hours now. It's nearly six."

"Do you think Harry would've come out this far? I mean, isn't this a bit ridiculous?"

"I think, if he was running from something, he would go as far as he could. There's no telling how far in he could be."

I groan in frustration, dropping my head in my hands. After a moment, I feel a hand on my shoulder. I look up and see Niall smiling warmly at me. He doesn't speak, I don't expect him to, but his smile is reassuring.

"Ready to quit yet, princess?" Liam asks, leaning against a tree and crossing his strong arms over his chest. It's a shame he's so cocky, because he really is attractive.

"No, I am not. And for the hundredth time, stop calling me that."

Liam laughs and rolls his eyes. "I'm afraid I can't. It's fun to mess with you."

I scoff and turn away form him, ignoring him. Part of me feels like the only reason he came was to bother me. He's so obnoxious. I shake my head and start forward once more. The view of the mountains slowly becomes more visible. There's still a good amount of trees between us and the mountains, but I can see them much better now.

There are no signs of Harry. No trails. No breadcrumbs. We literally have nothing to go off of. This is so discouraging. What if he isn't here? I'm so scared. I want to be with him and know that he's okay. I feel like we parted on bad terms. If anything happened to him, I could never forgive myself.

Thirty minutes pass and my anxiety and utter depression augment with every second. We reach another clearing. There's a quiet stream of water creating a break between our side of the forest and what is beyond. It doesn't look deep. Harry could have crossed it. We all stand along the side of the water, looking down at it.