Page 124 of The Next Chapter

‘What on earth…’

Lola’s pulling into the car park, but something’s not right. There’s a police car here, its lights flashing. And a bundle of people by the front of the door. I can see Bertie pecking around at their feet.

Lola doesn’t pull into a car park space. Instead, she just stops the van and we both jump out. She’s taking big strides towards the group and I’m running to keep up. Noah is there, but there’s no time for grand reunions.

‘What’s happened?’ I ask him. Even though I think I already know.

‘Harper,’ he tells me. ‘She’s been missing all day.’

My brain is lighting up, high on adrenaline. It revisits every interaction with Harper.

‘They’re saying they might need to look in the loch.’ Noah’s voice is shaky.

‘No,’ I tell him. ‘She wouldn’t go out there.’

God, is this because of me? I left her, didn’t I? Just like everyone else has done. Still, I’m running through the places she might be. Where I’ve seen her. Where we first met.

‘The forest,’ I say, my voice quiet. But there’s so much noise around me.

‘What’s that, Lily?’ Noah asks.

‘The forest, I think she’s in the forest behind the cottages.’ This time, I’m loud enough to be heard.

‘I, er, I just think that she liked it in there.’

‘We’re searching all areas, miss,’ the police officer says, not unkindly.

But Lola ignores him. ‘Come on,’ she tells Noah and I.

We’re hurrying through the hotel gardens.

‘Later,’ I tell Noah.

‘Later,’ he agrees. Some understanding between us that unless we find Harper, there won’t be a later.

Lola produces a torch and Noah and I use our phones to give us some light.

Still, we’re marching through the forest in the dark, we trip and stumble over branches on the floor. The thought of Harper out here on her own makes me feel sick.

‘Harper!’ we call.

‘HARPER!’

It’s full night now. The darkness thick and velvety.

‘Harper,’ I shout, tripping and banging my knee. ‘Fucking Jesus.’ I hop about. ‘Harper!’

The thought that I might be wrong here makes me feel queasy.

‘Harper!’

Another fall.

‘Harper!’

I’ve no idea how we’ll get out of here if we even do find her. It feels like we’ve been searching forever.

‘Harper!’ we shout. I don’t know exactly when I started to cry.