Harry's POV

The rustling of leaves outside woke me up, and the warm sun was streaming through the hole in the wall. My eyes began to adjust to where I was and memories of the slightly chaotic night before came rushing back to me; turning around to wake up Phoenix I was surprised to see her not laying there. She's probably just outside already, I thought to myself.

Grabbing the last chocolate bar, I munched on it for a second and waited to see if I could hear Phoenix outside. When all I could hear was loud silence with the occasional car chugging down the road, I began to get worried. Pulling my sore body up, I ambled outside expecting to see her walking around in her own little world.

But when I saw no Phoenix the panic really surged inside me.

Remaining as calm as I could, I noticed that there was a faint burn mark on the patch where I had smashed the bottle, and my heart dropped. She had a lighter on her.

"Phoenix!" I yelled in a wavering voice, already knowing that she wouldn't be nearby.

Cursing under my breath, I became extremely worried about the situation. What if she had seriously hurt herself? What if I found her burnt to a pile of ashes, just like a real Phoenix? Keeping a level head, I immediately decided to make an action plan. Go into the town centre and ask if anyone had seen her.

The walk back into the town was a lonely one, and I kicked a stone in front of me as scenarios haunted my imagination. Why did she have to be so independent? Why hadn't she told me that she was going out? I didn't want to assume the worst straight away, but I couldn't help being plagued with despondent thoughts.

The run-down town came into view soon enough, and with a heavy heart I began to walk around it, trying to spot her. Even at mid morning the town was empty except a few people wandering around aimlessly, and I felt oddly scared of walking alone. After ten minutes of walking by houses that I didn't want to knock on the doors of, I came across the police station that looked more like a convenience store.

It's neon lettering had either dimmed or been cracked, and the paint was peeling off the sides. One lone police car was parked outside the building, and I approached it with caution. The police had never been painted with a glorified image in my mind, to me they were scary human beings who enjoyed locking people up and throwing away the key.

The first thing I was struck by upon entering the police station was the quiet inside it; this sleepy town obviously didn't have much action or adventure in it. There was a lady in her late forties sat at the reception desk who was filing her nails absentmindedly, and I refrained from running up to her straight away. Looking around, I noticed that the station was empty bar another officer who was sipping on coffee that looked cold.

Finally gaining the courage to go and report Phoenix's disappearance, I approached the front desk and the lady's eyes scanned me over before acknowledging my presence.

"What?" She asked in a curt tone, and it was clear to me that this job meant nothing to her. I wondered if once she had felt joy from her occupation, that she had felt like she was making a difference.

"I'm here to report a missing person, I'm not sure how long they've been gone for..."

My voice trailed off as the door to what I presumed to be an office opened, and our walked a tired looking Dr Smith yanking Phoenix's arm limply. For a minute my heart soared with joy at the knowledge that she was okay, but then I frowned as I noticed her state. She looked dead in the eyes, their usual brightness having dimmed.

"Thank you Officer Travis, we'll take it from here. Harold, come this way right now!" There was a stern tone in Dr Smith's voice that was undetectable to the others in the room but I could understand clearly what he meant. We were in big trouble.

We walked silently down the road, my head hung low and my mouth pressed into a thin line, and I didn't dare to look up at Phoenix. What had happened to her? Why was she at the police station? We came to the minibus, and Dr Smith muttered that we better sit at the seats closest to him. Phoenix was forced to sit in the front of the bus next to Smith, while I remained in the back.

"What on earth were you two thinking?" He boomed the minute the engine started and he was driving down the road; all I could do was look to the floor in shame, and silence filled the car for a few seconds.

"We got lost," Phoenix replied dryly, her expression remaining neutral the whole time.

"That does not explain your behaviour Ms Waters. Setting fire to a postbox does not usually go through someone's mind when they find themselves lost," the anger in his voice was practically deafening, and I closed my eyes as I found out what Phoenix had done.

I didn't listen to Smith rant on and on at us, I didn't even really register that we were back in the camp, eyes wandering over us like unfamiliar faces. In a dazed fashion I went to our tent that was still pitched up, and lay in my sleeping bag for a long time.

I just couldn't understand.

I couldn't understand why she had to do the things she did. Why she felt compelled to see destruction all around her when all she wanted to do was rebuild herself. She remained a mystery to me, and I shook the thoughts out of my head. I could never understand her fully, not matter how hard I tried.

Sorry for the late update, but is Harry having doubts about liking Phoenix? Is she too much of a mystery for him to solve? What will happen next?!

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