Obsessive, Compulsive.

Seven.

It was freezing when I woke up. The tree I had been leaning against had left an imprint on my forehead and I had to pull a leaf out of my hair. Yawning, I noticed that I had a coat and a jumper lying over me as a makeshift blanket.

There was no sign of Robert. I stood up, rubbing my eyes. My stomach rumbled. "Robbie?" Calling out as I wandered cautiously around a few trees, I counted each step I took, tapping against each tree four times. "Robbie?"

No sign of him at all.

What had I done? Last night was a blur, it had been so emotional and sad and overwhelming and I didn't know what to do. What had made me think it was a good idea to run away with someone who had punched me in the face the same day? I was such an idiot.

My family had let me down, though. And I wasn't going to back down to them. I hated them. They were all selfish, just wanting me out of the way so that they could keep their normal happy family facade. Well, they had it now. I was never going to see them again.

Kai... How could my big brother do this to me? I thought he was my best friend. I thought he was my role model. Not any more.

"Are you sure this leads to the other car park?" A male voice around my age spoke through the trees.

"Robbie!" I jogged up to the speaker, frowning when I got there. Instead of Robert, there stood a boy and a girl who both looked confused to see someone covered in bandages in the middle of a small area of forest.

"Hi..." The boy took hold of his girlfriend's hand, apprehensive. "Who are you?"

I shook my head. "I... Do you know how close the Mental Health Centre is?"

"Saltridge Wood? Yes." The girl spoke up, twirling her spice-like ginger hair around her fingers nervously. "We've just come from there."

"Brilliant!" I nodded, jogging back to where I had woken up, scooping up the coats from the floor before returning to the couple. "I need to go there. I need to tell them that I lost Robbie."

The boy bit his lip and looked at the girl worriedly. "Robbie? You don't mean... Robert?"

"Long hair? Always running away?" I queried.

"Oh, God!" The girl said as they looked at each other. "He got out!"

"How do you know him?" I asked them.

"I have counselling sessions in the Centre for some childhood issues. Nothing serious." She assured me, still playing with her hair. "Everyone who goes to the Centre knows Robert. He's infamous, one minute he's the sweetest guy in the world and the next he'll be running away from you in terror or crying his eyes out. He never normally gets out, but when he does..."

Interrupting, the boy shook his head. "We have to take you to the Centre, you have to tell them when you last saw him!"

I stayed silent, suddenly noticing a pain in my arms. It was the cuts, they had been in a dirty bandage all night. Maybe they had got infected. I'd have to check when I got back to wherever I was going. Nodding, I gestured for them to start walking.

Hesitantly, they turned their backs to me and started walking away. "Tell me," the boy said. "Who are you?"

Still hanging behind them, I sighed. "I'm Bella. Last night my parents handed me in to the facility because of OCD. They're overreacting. There's nothing wrong with me. I never actually made it in the front door, though. Robbie took off running before I could say anything."

"Bella!" The girl turned to look at me, starry eyed. "What a beautiful name!"

"Thanks." I smiled, finding myself awkward at the presence of a compliment.

"I'm Cara," The girl said, walking backwards now to talk to me. "And this is Ross."

"Hi." Ross nodded, turning to face me.

"Hello." I nodded back.

Cara chattered happily to the both of us as if we were all best friends, talking all the way up until we reached the front doors of the building. I hadn't been able to see it in the dark of the night before, but seeing it now I was amazed.

It looked like a mansion, hardly signposted except for the neat sea-blue notice bearing the name 'Saltridge Wood'. The building looked almost friendly. The only thing putting me off was the rows of singular white windows that clearly held secrets.

Cara and Ross walked in the front doors casually, not sensing my nervousness. They walked briskly to the empty front desk and called out. "We found the girl! She's lost Robert!"

Bill appeared, looking relieved when he saw me. "I've been looking for you all night! We called the police! Where's Robert?" He asked me, ignoring Ross and Cara.

"I... I don't know." I wished I could tell them. I was starting to worry about Robbie being out there alone, especially as everyone else seemed so terrified of his absence. "I woke up and he was gone."

"Gone where?" Bill asked desperately, putting his jacket on. "Where is he?"

"I don't know!" I started panicking.

"He's done it again..." Cara said quietly from behind me. "We'll help you look, Bill."

"I'll help too, as it's my fault." I looked at the floor.

"No way!" Bill shook his head. "Alice! Alice! Come here!"

Alice appeared, her face falling when she saw me. She took my hand and led me up the stairs by the front desk without saying a word. When I tried to speak to her, she shook her head gently. "It's alright, Belle. It's going to be fine."

"But..."

"I know. I know. Robert is going to be fine." She said, sounding uncertain. "Please, just come with me. Your parents are furious. They think the facility lost you."

I scoffed. "They don't care."

Alice ignored this, deciding to fight this battle another time. We reached a door at the end of the corridor's blue walls and Alice unlocked it, taking a deep breath. She encouraged me in and I hesitated. My suitcase was on the bed, filled with my things. "Alice, I-" I started talking but was interrupted by the sound of a door locking behind me.

I spun round, gasping. "Alice!"

She looked through the small window at the top of the door, her eyes guilty and sad. "I have to lock you in. I'm so so sorry. I have to."

After a moment of silence, her face disappeared and I was left alone.

"Alice!" I rushed to the door and banged my fist on it. "Let me out! This isn't a prison! Please! Someone let me out!"

After being ignored, I turned and walked to the window. I could see Ross, Bill, Cara and some others searching around the wooded area. They were shouting for him desperately, almost running. It was all my fault.

Amongst the silence, I sat there and tapped my feet.

One.

Two.

Three.

Four.

One.

Two.

Three.

Four.

One.

Two.

Three.

Four.

One.

Two.

Three.

Four.

What was going to happen to me?