(Ford x Reader) Hickory Pines

CH. 12 9 14 7 5 18

POV -.-- --- ..- / -.- -. --- .-- / .-- .... --- / .. / .- -- .-.-.-

One of my favorite sayings is that a river will always lead you where you need to go. It's about going with the flow of life's challenges, and it can be quite beautiful when viewed in the right context. The current has its benefits; it keeps everything in order and pushes things along. But after a while, it can get boring. That's why sometimes you need to change the flow.

Imagine a world where nothing ever changes, where everything stays the same.

Pretty boring, right? I'm glad we agree. Luckily for you, I'm pretty good at shaking things up.

.-.. .. -.- . / .-- .... . -. / .. / .-- .- -. - . -.. / - --- / ... .... --- .-- / - .... . -- / - .... . / ... - .- .-. ...

It won't be long before I have a new friend! As for who that is? You'll just have to wait and see. I know you're eager to find out how this all unfolds, but cut me some slack here!

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It's a long road from here, but Y/N has their lemons don't they? How cute... Well, before we part ways for now, I have a secret to share with you.

P ruvd fvb hylu'a dov fvb zhf fvb hyl, Ylhkly. P'ss rllw fvby zljyla mvy uvd zv fvb jhu jvuapubl fvby wyljpvbz zavyf, iba kvu'a aopur P kvua ruvd. Nvvk sbjr 'F/U'

I'll even provide a hint on how to solve it! -7.

Have fun!

Ỹ̶̨͕͈̬̯̫͖/̴͍̯̞̰̬̥̬͕̼͓̳̆Ǹ̸̥̲̯̀̈ ̷̨̯̮͍̥͉͙͙̦͍͎̈́̑́̌̅̓̚P̴͇̤̣̣͚͎̼͓̹̯̪̲̑̋̀̽̀̋o̷̲͚͖̬̖̙͒v̵̧͖̺͔͙̤̌͜

Despite my best efforts, I can't shake the feeling that I'm being watched. I take a shaky breath, tracing the smooth, warm surface of my compass with my thumb. Just stick to the path and move forward. I trust Stanford by now; he must know what he's doing by sending me out here alone. The sun peeking through the trees provides some comfort as I gather myself.

I can do this!

For Stanford!

Right?

I whirl around, taking in the vast woods around me. I feel so small and insignificant in comparison. This scene feels like something out of a horror novel, where two friends split up and the weaker one meets a grim fate. A shudder crawls up my spine at the thought. Shaking it off, I follow the path and the rays of sunlight breaking through the treetops. For now, it's peaceful, and I let the birds' songs distract my weary mind.

My compass still points south, so I must be heading in the right direction.

Remember who this is for...

Stanford POV

I continue forward, my gaze fixed on the TMI to follow its lead. So far, it's been pointing straight ahead, which makes tracking my way back easier, but it's unusual for a path to be so consistent. The signal must be very strong to pull this hard. I hop over a rock and glance down at my map, only to realize Y/N isn't there.

I almost forgot we split up. I close my mouth and sigh. I can write everything down once we're back. For a moment, my mind drifts to Y/N, wondering what they're doing. I hope they're alright. I trust them; they should be fine. After all, Y/N is smarter than they give themselves credit for.

Still, I feel a twinge of guilt for forcing us to split.

I only did it because I trust them.

But maybe I'm—

No.

Get that thought out of your head, Stanford. You're better than this! If you don't find the crash site, Y/N will, and then you can rave about how life-changing your discoveries will be. You both deserve this.