We drive for what seems like hours. Normally, I would have fallen asleep, but my anxiety and nervousness won't even let me close my eyes for longer than a second. I can tell that neither Harry or I will get much sleep tonight. We're wired on adrenaline and anxiety, and that's enough to keep a person up for days.
In the distance, I can see the bright lights of a city. I know we're in Maine, we ended up on the same road we were on when we were on our way to the hang out, but then turned onto a different road which led to a highway.
"We're staying in the city?" I asked Harry, surprised he'd locate us somewhere with so many people. He shakes his head.
"Just passing through." I nod in understanding, gazing out the windows at the bright lights of the skyscrapers and billboards. It's a beautiful sight, the lights twinkling like stars in the snowy night. I sigh, slowly becoming comfortable. I'm not as tense as I was earlier, and I'm thankful for that.
"It's so pretty," I say to Harry, and he nods in agreement.
"Yeah," he says. "I've spent a lot of time here."
I nod, and after a few minutes, we come to the cities end. Buildings appear less often now, and more and more trees and essences of wildlife appear. We soon get off the highway, and onto a narrow road, only wide enough for one car at a time. The road is bumpy, curvy, and it doesn't take long for me to get carsick.
"We're almost there," Harry reassures me, placing a hand on my thigh and rubbing. I nod, gripping the sides of the seat, closing my eyes.
After about 10 minutes, Harry turns off of the road onto a dirt path leading into some woods. The ground is frozen and wet due to all the snow, and it makes it a bit hard to drive on, but we eventually make it.
There comes a clearing in the woods, and there lies a small stone cottage. My eyes widen in surprise.
"We're staying here?" I ask excitedly, bursting out of the car as soon as Harry pulls to a stop. I hear him laugh as he turns the car off and gets out for himself.
I admire the house. The dark stone looks perfect in the middle of the woods, amidst the evergreen trees, and the trees that were bare. Ivy climbs up the sides of the house, the leaves long gone for winter.
I race up the path to the house to the door, and wait impatiently for Harry to join me with my suitcase and the keys.
When he finally walks up and unlocks the door, I burst into the house, sighing at the feeling of the warm air.
Hardwood floor covers the entire place, and the walls are made of stone and brick. It's a beautiful combination. A large fireplace sits in the middle of the wall in the main room, with bookcases covering the entire wall beside it. It's old fashioned. It's perfect.
"Harry, it's beautiful," I breathe, turning around to look at him as he pulls my suitcase through the door and closes it, immediately warming the place up. He smiles.
"I'm glad you like it. After all, you'll be staying here for a long time," he attempts to joke, but I can hear the pain laced in his tone. The sadness begins to blanket over me, and I shake it off, before it piles up and becomes unbearable.
Harry leads me around the house, and I discover there are three bedrooms, two bathrooms, and one gigantic kitchen. The cabinets are a lovely mahogany color, with black granite as the counter tops. This is like my dream home, and I'm thankful that I'll get to live here with Harry, even if only for a short while.
"Kian and Ryan will be here around six. I didn't think you'd want Max to come," Harry laughs, wrapping an arm around my shoulders as he leads me to the couch sitting in the living area. We sit down and I curl up into his side, not caring that his skin is like ice.
I shake my head, and look over at the clock on the far wall. It's 3 AM, so there are three more hours until they arrive. Harry and I could use a bit of sleep.
I eventually nod off, letting my worries escape me.
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After what feels like five minutes, I awake to the sound of a doorbell. I groan, sitting up and rubbing my eyes. Harry does the same, pulling his arm away from me and walking over to the door.
"Kian and Ryan," he mumbles, letting me know who it is. I nod in knowing, looking at how the dim light of morning begins to seep through the top of the curtains.
I hear Harry open the door, and a few short greetings are heard as well. I sleepily turn around and see Kian and Ryan step into the warm house.
"Maddy," they greet me, obviously having caught on to Harry's nickname for me. I smile and nod at them, before nodding. I don't think I've ever been so tired. A lot has been going on, so who can blame me?
The two of them take a few more steps and take seats at the two arm chairs facing the couch. Harry plops down beside me. It's quiet for a few minutes, until Harry finally speaks.
"I think we should talk about a few things," he says slowly, nodding. We all nod in agreement, looking at our hands, feet, walls, anywhere but each other. We all know what could happen. We all know how dangerous this is. We all know that Storm isn't going down without a fight. Knowing Storm, that fight won't be easy. We know this, too.
"We can be found so easily," Harry starts out saying. "Storm has his ways, and with Madelynn's mom helping, and being so closely bonded to her, the possibilities are endless."
Ryan, Kian, and I all nod in agreement. Harry continues.
"Madelynn," he turns to me. "You can not interact with anyone from home. They'll tell your mother, and your mother and Storm WILL find us. Do you understand?"
My eyebrows furrow, but I nod. "What about my dad?" I ask, sadness sweeping over me. Harry wraps an arm around me, and I shiver but I lean into him anyway, enjoying his presence.
"As soon as the issue with Storm is taken care of, you'll see him. I'll make sure he's fine, and I'll have a little help protecting him," he tells me, sending Kian and Ryan a knowing glance, smiling. I then know he'll be in good hands.
"Also, I thought about the issue with school. I realized that it would be insanely stupid to call and say you're dropping out."
I nodded, agreeing. But I was still confused. "People will notice that I'm missing. The police will get involved, they'll find us eventually-" Harry claps a hand over mouth to silence me, therefore ending my panic.
"So I was thinking we'd go give Paxton a visit," he looks hesitantly toward Kian and Ryan. Their eyes immediately go wide.
"It would make it harder for people she knows and he police to find her. She doesn't have a cell phone so they can't track her that way. It should be fine. But hiding from Storm is just a game of luck..." He trails off.
"Who is Paxton?" I ask, making eye contact with each of them, hoping for an answer. Finally, Kian answers me.
"A guy we know. He's a 'Guardian' as you two love birds like to call us," he and Ryan burst into giggles. Harry rolls his eyes.
"Why do we have to go see him?" I ask, smiling a little, confused. Harry laughs nervously.
"We're going to get a little makeover," he says, and my eyes go wide.
