Searching For Scarlett [Undergoing edits]

0.8

The two girls continued to run deeper and deeper into the woods, the trees stretching higher the farther they ran. 

Running, running, running, the girls refused to slow down, ignoring the annoying bounce of their bags, forcing their legs to carry them further and further into the Forbidden Woods.

They hurled over logs and sprang over bushes; they twisted around to avoid trees and ducked to evade vines, their legs dancing in a seemingly never ending rhythm in the complicated forest. Quickly, the girls began to lag, their legs refusing to fly as high as before to navigate the tough terrain. Soon, both couldn't raise their feet to leap over a fallen tree. They soared, too startled to utter a sound, and landed multiple feet away, curled in protective balls.

Taylor sighed and sat upright, then forced herself to stand on her weary legs. She stumbled over to the nearest tree and threw her bag off her back and under the shade of the large tree, proceeding to lean against it to catch her breath. On the ground, Mariana still lay, quiet as she took in as much oxygen as her lungs could. When she deemed herself ready, Mariana shakily stood and staggered over to Taylor, slipping off her bag and tossing it to where Taylor's rested. She then leaned against the tree and slid down, ignoring the slight stings of the bark biting into her back, Taylor following suit. The two girls did not speak, too focused on their breathing.

Mariana hunched forward and ran her blunt nails through her black hair, her breaths evening out. Taylor sat next to her, running her fingers over the vibrant green grass, her dirty-blond hair covering her eyes. Taylor was the first to make a sound, and it was a short breathy laugh. Mariana smiled, and then huffed a laugh of her own, their laughs becoming less breathy and heartier, their moods brightening. Soon, they were out of breath again from laughing too hard. They finally quieted down to catch their breaths yet again. When they did, Mariana spoke.

 "So... What now?"

Taylor shrugged, tilting her head back and combing her fingers through her hair before groping along her wrist for her always-present hair tie. 

"We use what we got, do what we can, I guess," she said as she finished the low ponytail and hunched over, wrapping her arms around her bent legs and resting her chin on her knees.

"I guess I'll get my phone, then," Mariana stated, reaching for her bag, after a few seconds and her friend made no move to get her own phone. She pulled her bag to her and opened the smallest pouch, revealing her phone. Her fingers danced along the screen as she unlocked it and opened Find Me. Mariana felt like both laughing in relief and groaning in annoyance, resulting in a combined noise.

"The hell was that?" Taylor snorted in amusement. "I'm guessing something's wrong...?" Taylor raised her eyebrows and swept her hands in front of her in a gesture telling Mariana to explain the situation.

"Well," Mariana began, "Scarlett's dot stopped moving."

Taylor visibly perked at the news, lifting her head from her knees slightly.

"That's good!" Taylor cheered.

"But," Mariana paused, swallowing and licking her lips in nervousness, "she's pretty damn far."

"What?!" Taylor screamed, her arms tightening around her knees. "How far?" She asked. 

"About two days," Mariana answered meekly.

Taylor groaned loudly and dropped her chin onto her knees, a pout on her lips.

"This isn't good, dude. You're telling me we're gonna be stuck here for at least two days?"

"Well, at least there's phone service," Mariana tried, aiming for humor to lighten the mood.

Taylor groaned. "What are we going to do, Mariana? We don't know the first thing about surviving in the damned woods! Let alone the Forbidden freaking Forest!"

Mariana gave a nervous laugh, her legs stretched out in front of her, hands in her lap, phone in hands. "Actually, Tay," Mariana cleared her throat, "'Member when I said I was going away for the summer a few years back?"

"For archery, yeah."

"Well, it turned out to be Girl Scouts and we did learn a few things---"

"That's great!" Taylor interrupted. "Although I'm furious with you, I'm happy!" She cheered.

Mariana smiled coyly, but her eyebrows were drawn together in worry and her eyes shone with fear. "Yeah, but you're right; this is the Forbidden Forest. There's no way---"  

"If we have a two-day travel ahead of us," Taylor interrupted, jumping to her feet, startling Mariana.

"Taylor, we don't---"

 "We'd better start as soon as possible. Y'know, make things faster," Taylor continued, ignoring Mariana and shimmying her hips jokingly, causing Mariana to smile.

She clutched her phone in her left hand tighter as she reached her right to Taylor and was roughly hoisted to her feet by the blond, making Mariana's wet, curling, black hair bounce around.

"You should put your hair up," Taylor suggested, pulling a hair tie from her wrist and handing it to her friend. She gave a small smile and Mariana smiled back shaking her head lightly, and took the hair tie. She p;aced her phone between her knees and pressed them together, holding it there, as she quickly worked her hair into a high ponytail while Taylor grabbed the bags.

"Where do these even come from? I swear they spontaneously appear on your wrist at the right times," Mariana muttered jokingly, a small smile still on her lips. Taylor barked a laugh.

"What now?" Taylor asked when Mariana finished with her hair, offering her bag to the girl.

Mariana pouted and took her phone from her legs and her bag, throwing it over one shoulder and worming her other arm through the opposite strap.

Holding her phone up for Taylor to see, she pointed to Scarlett's. 

 "Now," Mariana answered, "we start searching for Scarlett."