Chapter 1
"CONGRATULATIONS CLASS OF 2013!"
The pleasant June weather captured the ecstatic moods of hundreds of students as they rose from their seats in their flowing satin graduation gowns and stood proudly on the stage before their friends and family. Wide grins embellished the students' faces, each gripping the official diploma tightly in their hands that documented a new chapter in their lives. The seniors of Cheshire High School erupted in a deafening cheering and booming applause as they tossed their caps up into the vast blue sky, ready to seize the new opportunities that awaited them from this day forward.
"We're finally done with high school!" Naomi shouted excitedly as her thin frame allowed to her barrel through the crowd to her two equally enthusiastic best friends.
Kierra's honest hazel eyes scanned the crowd of students around her, seeing some of her other friends. She also spotted a few of her classmates that irritated her throughout her time at Cheshire High School.
"I'm surprised I didn't kill anyone at some point during these past four years," Kierra mumbled as she turned toward her friends.
"I really can't believe we've just graduated. It all went by so fast," Peyton said nostalgically as she pinned a lock of chocolate brown hair behind her ear, exasperated with the breeze blowing it around her face.
Naomi, Kierra and Peyton have been best friends since grade school, and their thirst for adventure, even as little children, was what brought them together. Looking forward to redefining themselves, they sought desperately to escape the small town they grew up in together where everyone knew each other and seeing a new face was a rare occurrence. Now all being 18 years old, they were old enough to do whatever they wanted. They hoped to expend their newfound freedom by making their last summer before starting college memorable.
The girls decided to spend their summer at Peyton's family's lovely lake house. After a bit of bargaining and a lot of pleading and sucking up, her parents finally agreed to let the girls have the house for the next few months. It was located in the midst of a deeply wooded area that ran for miles without any sign of civilization. Peyton usually spent long weekends and vacations at the lake house for nice bonding getaways with her folks, but this was the first time that her parents would not be present.
The quaint house was perfectly shrouded by tall evergreen trees, where rays of summertime sunlight filtered through the emerald needles and warmed the atmosphere. The steady stream of water from the large lake behind the house made soothing lapping sounds along the shore that intermingled with the sweet melodic chirps of the birds that sat on the branches of the trees. It was the perfect place for privacy and relaxation.
A few days after their graduation ceremony, the girls had their plans set in stone and meticulously packed their suitcases the night before, making sure they had all of their clothing and personal belongings ready to go. Although they were leaving behind their childhood lives in their small rural town, where all of their memories, promises, and friendships once began, they hoped to establish new experiences together. After all, life only moves forward without a rewind button to click.
The girls said their goodbyes to their parents before departing, promising to be safe and to take care of each other in case anything happened. Naomi picked up Kierra and Peyton at their houses in her silver Mercedes Sports SUV, an overwhelming graduation gift from her loving grandparents. After piling their necessary items in the trunk and sliding into the car, they quickly left to avoid morning rush-hour traffic. Several hours of driving had passed, and Peyton and Kierra grew restless, impatient and frustrated with the time they were making. Kierra yelled at the high-tech GPS navigation system installed in the car, as if it purposely guided them to take the longest route imaginable to the lake house.
"Hurry up Naomi, you're the slowest driver I've ever met!" shouted Peyton, eyeing the clock on the dashboard, its glowing blue numbers indicating it was a quarter to five already.
"Yea, Naomi! Drive faster! Look the sun's going to be gone soon. What if we get lost!" cried Kierra, desperate to arrive as soon as possible.
"Calm down guys we'll be there soon. Gosh. You do realize we have the entire summer, right? I don't understand why you're both rushing," Naomi said as she rolled her eyes. She turned up the volume so that the new Katy Perry song would drown out her friends' complaints.
"Shut up and drive, drive, drive," sang Peyton jokingly. She always liked to ease the mood by adding amusing comments on random occasions.
"Wow," responded Naomi monotonously.
"We're just excited, that's all," Kierra replied.
The conversation died down shortly after as Peyton and Kierra grew sleepy watching the trees outside the window whipping past in the darkness. It was dusk when the girls arrived at the house, and the sun was slowly sinking below the canopy of the trees. The dimmed beams of light casted over the sky and created a soft orange tinge that illuminated the house before the girls as they swerved up the rough gravel driveway.
Naomi parked in front of the white, wooden wrap around the porch that encircled the entire house. Peyton and Kierra clumsily climbed out of the car, having fallen asleep for the rest of the ride and still dazed and tired from their naps. They grabbed their luggage from the trunk and carried them up the stairs to the front door. Peyton unlocked the door and they stepped inside, the inviting scent of fresh wintergreen enveloping their senses. The interior of the house paralleled the outside wilderness, as the wooden floors and columns gave it an earthy yet comfortable ambiance. The old-fashioned kitchen was located to the left of the winding staircase that stood in the center of the foyer. On the opposite side of the kitchen was the living room, complete with its sturdy leather couches and exquisite carpets that gave the room a sense of security.
After stocking the cabinets with the food they had bought and placing their bags in their respective bedrooms upstairs, they gathered together in the cozy living room. Kierra scurried off to the kitchen and returned shortly with steaming mugs of hot tea for each of the girls. They situated themselves contentedly on the couch and settled in for the evening to watch some television and discuss their exciting plans for the months to come.
"So I guess our summer starts now," Peyton piped up, after taking a few careful sips from her steaming tea.
"Yea, I can't believe we're actually here now," Naomi replied. "We're done getting drained from our boring classes and seeing the same lame faces every day."
Kierra flipped through the channels aimlessly, settling on a movie she's seen countless times before.
"Is it bad that I don't really miss anyone back home? I just want to start fresh, away from all that overrated high school drama." Kierra sighed as she wrapped a strand of her long dark brown hair around her finger. She then let the loose wave fall onto her shoulders. She wondered if her friends shared the same sentiment.
"I know what you mean," Peyton agreed, smiling lightly.
"I'm so ready for this. Let's just hope that this would be a summer we won't forget," Naomi added.
The girls took in an array of overwhelming emotions that bombarded their thoughts. This was it, and there was nothing to worry about. They weren't nervous or afraid; knowing that whatever these next few months threw at them, their strong friendship would not let anything tear them apart. The distant buzz of the television began to fade as the girls dozed off, eager for the sun to rise. As they fell asleep, thrill and anticipation engulfed their minds, hoping for a summer out of the ordinary.
As their last song of the set came to a close, the piercing screams and roars of the massive crowd in the audience overwhelmed the ending notes of the instrumentals. The bright spotlights turned down on the five boys as they gathered at the center of the stage, illuminating the wide, cheeky smiles that stretched across each of their faces. They stood with their arms draped across each other's backs, looking out into the audience, feeling the greatest sensation of accomplishment and happiness. They truly enjoyed this moment, and it was times like these when they realized that they finally made it, that all the hard work they have been through paid off and had meaning.
Louis began to run off the stage, followed by Liam, Zayn, Harry, and Niall. As they made their way backstage, they were greeted with enthusiastic praise and congratulations for another amazing performance. The exuberant smiles on their faces continued to grow larger as crew members attacked them with high fives and excited hugs. The thrills they experienced from performing never seemed to get old, and the boys loved every second of it. They were on their way to their dressing room when their manager, Paul, stopped them in their tracks.
"That was another great concert, boys! This one was your best one yet! What an amazing way to end tour!" Paul applauded them with a beaming grin. "It's great to see that all five of you still love what you do."
"We wouldn't want it any other way," Liam said as he pulled the other boys into a group hug. He was very grateful with the opportunities he was granted, and he was so glad that he could share this great experience with four other wonderful young lads. The boys became a family after being put together in a band, and they couldn't help but smile and take in the moment.
As soon as they broke away from their embrace, Louis, being the joker that he is, stretched his arm out and messily ruffled Zayn's perfectly styled hair, which was loaded with hairsprays, gels and other countless products. Zayn tried to wrestle him away, shouting, but Louis just laughed and pretended to be afraid of what Zayn would do to him. The action caused the boys to snicker at Zayn's protective nature over his hair and they all began to fool around.
"Hey don't mess up my hair!" Zayn said frantically, attempting to reshape the tangled mess that Louis created as the other boys laughed at him.
Zayn went after Louis, who burst into a quick sprint back to their dressing room. The rest of the boys ran after them, and the crew members moved hastily out of the way from their destructive stampeding, rolling their eyes and chuckling at the boys' immature behavior. Despite all of the energy they used up on stage during the concert, the boys were still able to run and jump around. Their jobs required lots of work, sleepless nights, and long periods of time away from their friends and family. However, they still loved what they did and managed to bring a massive amount of fun into it. It wasn't until they settled down and sprawled out on the couch for few minutes in the dressing room that they had finally calmed down from the adrenaline rush they got from being on stage.
"Hey guys, I've got a brilliant idea," said Louis with a hint of mischief, breaking the silence in the room. His diabolical tone captured the other boys' attention as they all eyed him questionably.
"Well, what is it?" Niall asked as he gathered a variety of potato chips on his lap and munched away loudly, barely sparing any time to swallow. His soft blue eyes lit up, intrigued by the idea of doing something entertaining.
"What do you guys think about having a little fun tonight? You know, to celebrate another great concert." Louis suggested. Noticing the confused looks on the other boys' faces, he continued to elaborate his idea. "We can find a way to get past Paul and security and sneak out! Come on, it'll be fun!"
Harry smirked at the idea and narrowed his eyes at Louis, knowing all too well that Louis would suggest such a mischievous plan. He was the classic prankster, and did things without thinking beyond the consequences that would play into the matter. Louis continuously got in trouble, but he simply didn't care, wanting to live his life the way he desired without adhering to any restrictive rules. Niall was already brimming with anticipation and his eyes blazed brilliantly, up for anything exhilarating, and bolted straight up from the couch.
Zayn, who was already dozing off beside them, had to fight the urge to keep his eyelids from fluttering shut. He was startled awake by Niall's abrupt movement off the couch. He was not as eager, and he chose to stay behind and sleep early. Liam was also hesitant as well, as he had promised his fans he would do a Twitcam right after the concert. He didn't want to go back on his word to the very people who helped make his dream of performing a reality.
"So I guess it's just us three." Louis said to Niall and Harry. "Are you sure you two don't want to come?"
Zayn simply shook his head, nearly passed out on the couch, and Liam already began to turn on his laptop.
"Nah, Louis I'm fine here," Liam responded. "I'll stay here and cover for you guys incase anyone asks, but don't stay out for too long because we have interviews and such tomorrow afternoon and Paul wants us to be ready by 10am."
"Wow, you really are 'Daddy Direction,'" Louis joked, and Niall let out a chuckle.
"We'll probably just see you guys at the hotel later."
"Are we going or not?" Harry asked impatiently, wanting to not waste any time. "Let's go!"
Niall, Harry, and Louis made their way to the outside of the venue, stealthily sneaking past crew members and their protective manager. Louis pretended to act like an undercover secret agent, and his playful role-play caused Niall to silently snicker occasionally. Harry just smiled at Louis' childish actions, and the three finally made it to the parking lot where a security car was left unattended with the engine on.
"Let's hope security doesn't miss this thing too much," Niall said as he hastily stepped into the back. "And if they do, they shouldn't have left it on!" Niall laughed.
"Let me drive!" Harry shouted, shoving Louis out of the way. After wrestling for the drivers seat, Louis finally gave in and rode shotgun.
"Harry I swear if you get us lost…" Louis started.
"Don't worry about it," Harry retorted smugly.
Before anyone could catch them, Harry shifted the car into gear and sped out of the parking lot. A rush of adrenaline surged through the boys' veins and they sang along to the song blasting on the radio, not entirely sure of where to head. They managed to drive so far away that the buildings and houses that they drove past eventually began to change into a myriad of trees and bushes. Soon the boys found themselves far from civilization. They were lost.
"Umm, Harry?" Niall spoke up, noticing the excessive amount of trees. Raindrops slowly began to sprinkle upon the car windows, and dark thick clouds loomed ominously across the sky. Bolts of lightning flashed blindingly down the narrow road as thunderous roars exploded in the night, rapidly transforming into a raging storm. The car's window wipers were no match for the water streaming furiously down the windshield, distorting Harry's view of the road. It was hard to see through the waterfall in front of them. In these dangerous conditions, the boys knew it was best to stop driving.
"I know what you're gonna say, Niall. Don't even say it, I know what I'm doing!" Harry said, straining his eyes through the rain, trying to find any signs that would indicate where they were.
"Ugh, Harry, we don't even know where we are! Leave it to you to get us stuck in the middle of nowhere!" Louis screamed, frustrated. He immediately regretted his harsh remark, knowing that this whole plan was his idea in the first place and that it wasn't entirely Harry's fault for getting lost in an unsuspected storm.
"Yea, let's just drive away from the nice buildings into this forest here!" Niall said sarcastically, not cutting Harry any slack. "What do we do?"
"Hey, do you guys see that over there?" Harry asked with a hopeful tone, ignoring the blame his friends were placing on him. "That flickering light over there? Is that a house?"
"Man, Harry! I don't see a house!" Louis said, with a hint of stress in his voice.
"No, look closer. That's definitely a house," Harry insisted, pointing his finger in the general direction of a small light he made out down the road.
Louis and Niall took a closer look, finally spotting the flickering of a television screen inside a house close by. The sight relieved them of the stress that was building up inside of them as they possibly found some hope to get aid or directions from the people inside.
"Harry, drive closer to that house over there." Louis ordered. "Maybe the people in there can tell us where we are."