It was within reach.
She just had to keep walking.
The key was to never stop.
Her heart was beating.
Her breath caught in her throat and she choked back a sob.
It had to be here.
Her arms were outstretched as she fumbled through the forest, moving as quickly as she dared over the treacherous ground.
Her shoulders shook as a her fear racked her whole body.
Her back stayed straight and her chin stayed strong, even as her spirit faltered.
They would not have lied to her surely.
They wouldn't have been that cruel.
They couldn't have been.
Could they?
The branches cracked under her feet, the only indication that she hadn't fallen off the edge of the world as she was beginning to believe.
She tripped and landed hard upon the unyielding ground.
Unable to hold them back anymore, the tears fell onto the dying leaves unrestrained.
Her sight had to be here somewhere...
Oh! oh <33333 I didn't see that ending coming.
...alright that's what I get for adding hearts. I didn't see that ending coming.
<3 don't work? odd.
Cruel twist at the end. It's such a strong aversion, that humans have, to being "taken in". Your story cuts into that wound, viciously.
The loud chick in the corner.
With the big eyes.
And the notebook in her bag.