Retrieving My Princess- Book 2 (Sequel to HSLP)

Week 1- Chapter 2

Week 1- Chapter 2

Perrie's POV: (A/N: super excited to do Perrie's POV! Never done hers! *squealing*)

"Ok girls, let's go," I said while sending them a small soft smile. Mary, Scarlet, El, and Dani nodded and followed me to my flat door. We locked it behind us, and quickly walked to the lift.

"I can't believe it's been a week," Dani said softly.

"I know. It's felt longer," El sighed while running a hand through her wavy hair.

"It has been longer, right?" Scarlet said looking confused.

"No, Scar. It's only been a week," Mary said while looking at Scarlet with concern.

"A week since Ariel's been gone. When she was on tour with the lads it didn't feel as long, but now..." I sighed.

"That's because we knew where she was," Dani said turning to me. The lift doors opened and we walked to our cars. Dani walked over to her car with El right behind her. Mary and Scarlet walked with me towards my car. They came in a cab since Mary and Scarlet are now sharing a flat and neither one of them are stable to drive yet.

"So, we'll see you guys at Cher's in a bit. Right?" El called from the passenger seat in Dani's car. I nodded, and Dani started her car. I unlocked my car and the girls went to the back. I sighed and slipped inside my car. I started my car and locked the doors. While the car heated up, I decided to call Zayn and let him know where we were going.

(P= Perrie, Z= Zayn)

Z:*sleepy voice* Hey love. What's wrong?

P: Did I wake you? I'm so sorry!

Z: Haha. It's alright love. I had to wake up by now anyways to go to Lou's and help him. But what's wrong?

P: *sighing* He's still not talking?

Z: I don't know to be honest. That's why we are all going over.

P: Don't give up on him.

Z: No worries. He is my brother.

P: True. You all love each other very much. I was just calling to tell you that the girls and I are going to Cher's today.

Z: Why? What's wrong?!

P: Don't worry. We don't know what's wrong. That's why we're going. She hasn't said anything ever since she tweeted that picture of Ariel. She hasn't text us or called us since she left Ariel's flat the day of the incident. We're worried.

Z: *sighing* Ok just be careful. Make sure to call me if anything happens. Don't lose hope on her. Is there security with you?

P: Zayn, don't worry so much. There's no security with us, but they are waiting for us outside of Cher's flat. We won't lose hope on her. After all she's like our sister as well. *small sad smile*

Z: Alright. I love you. Don't forget to call for anything.

P: I won't, Zayn. If I can't call, I'll tell Dani or El to call you guys. I love you too.

*End of Call*

I looked at my phone screen, and I felt a tear slip down my cheek. It was a picture of Ariel with me and the rest of Little Mix. It was the day she dropped in on us by surprise.

Flashback

"Jessie! Have you seen my phone?" I said loudly while looking around our dressing room. We were filming our music video for DNA. (A/N: I know time is off. Just go with it.)

"It's in your pocket, smarty," Jade said giggling while our stylist did her hair.

"Oh," I blushed and pulled it out. I sat on the sofa and scrolled through my phone. I deleted my Twitter account because I couldn't handle the hate. I decided to just update on the official Little Mix page.

"Hey, Perrie. Are you sure you don't want to be a blonde again? You seem to forget where you put everything," Leigh-Anne said coming out of the loo. I grabbed a cushion and threw it in her direction. She ducked and giggled along with the rest.

"Perrie, don't kill poor Leigh-Anne! We need her for the video," Jessie said from across the dressing room. We laughed and Jade got up to change into her outfit. As soon as she got out of the loo, we started to play bicker by arguing which member from One Direction is better.

"No! Zayn is obviously the best. I mean, have you seen his eyes!" I said while fake dreaming.

Jade said, "Perrie, you'd obviously pick him. He's your boyfriend!"

"Exactly! But come on, who can actually beat the curls?" Leigh-Anne said while laughing.

"The curls? Don't you mean the puppy dog eyes! They melt your soul," Jade said.

"Don't you mean the Irish accent?" Jessie said.

"Ugh! I can't even get away from them for awhile because everywhere I go they are mentioned," someone complained. We turned to the dressing room door, and there stood Ariel. "Hi ladies."

She waved and winked at us. The girls froze while I got up and gave her a hug and squealed, "Eep! What are you doing here? I thought you were busy with Cher."

We pulled away and she giggled, "Nah she had to go into the recording studio at the last minute. I decided I should drop in and see how Little Mix is doing."

The girls unfroze and walked up to us. "Hi, I'm Leigh-Anne. Big fan," Leigh-Anne said while pulling her into a quick hug.

"I'm Jessie. I'm a fan too," Jessie said while hugging her.

"And I'm Jade! I'm a huge fan," Jade said while squealing and hugging her.

Ariel giggled and said, "I know who you girls are. I saw your X Factor performances. I'm also a fan of you guys." She flashed them a smile.

"You saw us in the X Factor?" I questioned and looked at her.

"Yup!" Ariel flashed us a cheeky smile. "I love your song Cannonball. It makes me emotional every time I listen to it."

"Not to sound rude, but what are you doing here? Didn't you just come back from tour like a week ago?" Jessie said while raising an eyebrow.

"I did, but I wanted to see my favorite girl band. Plus, Perrie here has promised me she would introduce me to you guys, but she hasn't come across to it just yet," she said while fake glaring at me.

I threw my hands up and said, "Sorry! You were kind of on tour and we've been busy as well."

We laughed and continued to talk until we had to start filming. Ariel gave us pointers on how to be more flexible and how to sing for longer periods of times. All in all, we had an amazing time together. We took a picture at the end of the day so we can have proof that Ariel was with us. Why? Let's just say the lads get a little too worried...

End of Flashback

"Perrie, you ok?" Scarlet asked from the back.

"Y-yeah. I just had a flashback." I shook my head to clear my mind and backed out of the car lot to make our way to Cher's.

Danielle's POV: (A/N: super excited to do Dani's POV! Never done hers as well! *squealing*)

"Should we wait or..." El said while staring at the car lot. I didn't hear her. Instead I stared across to the flat complex across the street. Her red Beatle was there, but sadly she wasn't there. I wish this was all a dream and that Ariel was actually here. I miss her so much. I remember when Liam first introduced me to her. I was so happy...

Flashback

When I returned to Liam's kitchen he got off the phone and quickly put it away. He jumped when he saw me in the kitchen. "Dani! Oh you scared me," he said while placing his hand over his racing heart.

I giggled and walked up to him. I wrapped my arms around his waist, and looked him in the eyes. "Who was that?"

He smiled and said, "Just wait and see. It’s a surprise." He kissed my nose and I pulled away.

I pouted and walked over to his laptop. I saw he had a page opened and he searched up the name Ariel with a description of this girl's eyes. Who is she? I clicked on the image tab on Google, and I gasped.

"What are you doing?" Liam said while wrapping his arms around my shoulders.

"Why did you look up who Ariel is? I could've told you." He looked confused and he looked at the laptop screen. His mouth formed into an O shape.

"Oh... Um... Zayn mentioned something about a girl called Ariel with blue-green eyes. I just wanted to see if she was like a celebrity or something. If I knew he meant Rockin' Ariel, I would've just asked you."

I turned and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Well now you know. What did you want to know about her?"

"Oh no. I was curious as to who she was," he said while smiling and putting water in the tea kettle.

"What are you doing?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Oh a friend of mine is coming over and I'm just making tea for them to have. I assumed you'd want some too, so I'm putting enough water for all three of us."

"Oh Liam," I said while giggling. I heard a knock at the flat door and I quickly got up to answer it. Before I opened the door, Liam yelled from the kitchen, "Oh! By the way my friend is called Ariel. I met her today."

I turned back and glared at him. "Now you tell me, you're lucky I'm answering the door Liam. If she asks, I told you to call her."

I stuck out my tongue and walked back to the door. I opened it and smiled. The girl at the door looked familiar, but I couldn't quite figure out where I've seen her...

"Oh I'm sorry! I think I got the wrong level," She quickly said.

"Wait, are you Ariel?" I asked.

"Yeah."

"In that case come on in! Liam's in the kitchen. We were waiting for you. Oh where's my manners. My name's Danielle Peazer. I'm Liam's girlfriend."

"Oh hi Danielle! I didn't know Liam had a girlfriend."

"Haha. Don't worry. Not many people know."

We made our way into the kitchen, and sure enough there was Liam... On the phone... Again.

Liam saw me walk in with Ariel, and he said into the phone, "Yeah I've got to go lad. Danielle and I are about to play the movie. Talk to you later!" He quickly hung up and didn't allow the person on the other end of the line respond.

Liam smiled and said, "Hello Ariel! Glad you could make it!"

"Hey Liam! Well it's the least I could do since I did run into you today. Quite literally." She laughed and so did Liam. I however seemed confused.

She quickly told me, "Oh I guess Liam didn't tell you. Liam and I met today when I ran into him. Literally. I ran smack into Liam and we both landed on the floor." I then started to laugh in understanding. It does sound like something Liam would do.

I told her, "Well the only thing Liam told me was that he met a girl named Ariel today. I got suspicious so I told him to invite you over. But now I see that you guys are just friends."

"Oh no worries Danielle! I have a boyfriend anyways." I looked relieved after hearing that and quickly joined Liam by the kitchen island with Ariel right behind me.

Liam then said, "Come on Ariel. Sit here next to us. You promised that you had some explaining to do. Plus it's the least you can do since I don't need to explain myself who I am since you are a Directioner."

I looked confused at what he said, so I asked, "You're a Directioner?"

She smiled and sat down at the island. "Yes I am! I've been a fan since they were formed during the X Factor boot camp."

Liam said, "Really? Wow. First fan I meet that's down to earth and has been with us since the beginning. Since you for sure know everything about us, how about Danielle and I ask you some questions?"

She hesitated. It's as if she was lost in deep thought. After awhile Liam said, "You can trust us Ariel. We won't say anything unless you allow us."

She looked between Liam and I and a smile stretched across her face. "Alright. I trust you guys."

Liam and I grinned. I then said, "Great! We'll start off easy, where are you from?"

"Oh that's easy! I'm from Cheshire!" She smiled and I noticed that Liam's and my faces turned into shock.

"Harry and Cher are from Cheshire as well!" I exclaimed.

Liam then asked, "Did you know Harry and Cher before they went on the X Factor?"

She froze and slowly answered, "Yeah I knew them both before the X Factor."

Liam looked into her eyes and seemed to understand something. I noticed he changed his question last minute as if to accommodate her stare. "Wait; were you by any chance Harry's neighbor?"

"Yeah I've been, well more like was, his neighbor since I was a baby."

I then said, "That's so cool! However I find it weird how Harry doesn't mention you at all."

"Well we had a huge argument when we were 14. Since then we haven't spoke to each other."

Liam and I remained silent. Liam then asked, "Why are you here in London? Or more like why did you come?"

"At a music school that I went to since I turned 14 held a talent show in May. I signed up for it. Whoever won first place would win a recording contract with a music company."

Liam's face light up and he said, "So you're that girl Simon keeps getting updates from! He told us he had a project going on. That he held a talent show at a prestigious music school. You must be the winner!"

She smiled and said, "Yeah that's me. Congratulations you just met Rockin' Ariel." She added a cheeky smile.

End of Flashback

I remember I got a little too excited when I found out. I remember later on that day I felt so embarrassed in the way I acted because I was a huge fan, and I didn't really recognize her. I blame Liam. He distracted me. I gave a sad giggle and I felt a tear slip down my cheek. I miss her. I was one of her first friends here, and knowing that she's gone, it tears my heart. We got so close and I am pretty much the closest friend she has besides Cher. I know that if Cher, Harry, Liam, and I break, the rest of the group won't remain strong. That's why I'm trying extremely hard to remain in one piece. It's not easy. I cry myself to sleep every night, but I don't tell Liam or anyone. If I do, they will start worrying. I need to show them that we can be strong for her and keep faith in that she will return to us.

"Dani? Did you hear me?" I heard El ask, but I just ignored her. I continued to stare emptily at Ariel's car. I heard car doors close behind me, but I didn't flinch. I remained wrapped in my thoughts.

"Is she alright?" Mary asked.

"I don't know. I've been talking to her, but she hasn't responded," El said.

"Dani, are you ok?" Scarlet asked stepping into my line of vision and taking one of my hands into both of hers.

I closed my eyes and shook my head to clear my mind. "Yeah. Sorry. I kind of zoned out on you. Sorry guys. Let's go up."

I made my way inside the building and I didn't hear anyone following me. I turned and gave them a small smile and gestured them to follow. They hesitated before making their way towards me. The girls started to talk quietly while we waited for the lift to stop on Cher's level. Perrie tugged on my arm and mouthed, "Ariel?"

I nodded and we exited the lift. We quietly made our way to Cher's door, and I became nervous. What if she's been taken too? What if Amelia is waiting to get all us alone so she can kidnap us one by one? I relaxed when I noticed there was security outside of Cher's door. The security nodded when we approached and quickly led us in without asking us anything. At first I couldn't spot Cher. I scanned the entire living room, but we didn't see her. It wasn't until I heard sniffling that I located her.

She was sitting on her sofa hugging a stuffed animal of Pooh. She had about 3 blankets covering her while 3 empty boxes of tissues were beside her. The fourth tissue box looked new, and all the old tissues were inside a trash bag by the sofa. Tears were still streaming down her face while she stared blankly at the wall. She seemed to be hugging Pooh tighter every passing minute. Her hair was a mess, and she was in her pajamas. She had her phone beside her along with a small plastic box that seemed to be filled with pictures of some sort. She didn't even flinch when the door closed loudly behind us. I turned to the girls, and they were still scanning the room for her. I walked straight towards her, and sat next to her. I pulled her in to a tight hug. I didn't feel one bit hurt when she didn't respond or hugged me back. Perrie sat on Cher's left side and also gave her a tight side hug. The rest of the girls kneeled on the ground in front of us and placed their hands comfortingly on her knees. I didn't bother talking to her because I know that she won't respond to us. I can see it in her eyes. She has the same absence that Ariel had the night she found out the truth. Liam told me that the spark she usually had in her eyes was gone, she became paler, and endless tears fell as the lads tried to talk to her but no one was able to get through to her. But worst of all, Liam told me that she later confined with him that she remembered every beautiful memory she had with Amelia, and they slowly turned into nightmares. Cher is experiencing all this, but I'm sure for the last one she's imagining the worst things that can be happenings, and that's what's making her suffer much more than all of us. It's breaking her. I know words won't get to her, so I just hugged her tighter. She will make it through this. We all will.

Louis's POV:

The lads are coming over in a bit. I told them to come because I can’t get to him alone. I've tried talking to him, annoying him, and even tried pissing him off, but he won't respond. Ever since he spoke that one sentence a week ago, he hasn't said a word. He comes out of his bedroom to eat and shower, but that's it. He doesn't do anything else. Harry is worrying me. Zayn called me 20 minutes ago telling me that the girls were doing something similar with Cher, so they wouldn't be here with us. I don't mean to sound cruel, or cold, or heartless, but I'm glad they won't be here. We are the only one who will be able to reach out to Harry. Aside from Ariel, we are the only ones that can get him back to his old self. I know that's a hard strategy, but we have to remain strong. Sure management gave us two weeks off so we can all control our emotions, but none of us will be back to how we used to be until Ariel returns. She is our little sister and I know that the longer she's gone, the more broken we get. She's one of the few people that can actually make me smile when I get homesick...

Flashback

"- I told you already, Brat. That's the only way I'll know his intentions are true. This is the only way that I know that he won't return to his player ways. I'm not saying he is, but I need him to do this so the paparazzi won't label him as a manwhore... Gosh you nag more than the lads," Ariel said and I mentally protested. I continued my eavesdropping, "Haha. Ok fine. I promise to torture them for you. Love you, Brat! I'll see you soon."

Wait... Is she planning to torture us? I smirked when I saw her slip her phone into her pocket, but she remained on the balcony. She was leaning on the fence while admiring the view of Denmark. "So you're planning to help change Harry's image in the media?" I said with a smirk. I temporarily forgot my homesickness as I saw her jump.

"Lou! You nearly gave me a heart attack," she said while clutching her heart. "Wait how much did you hear?"

"All of it," I said with a shrug.

She glared at me, and said, "I swear if you tell anyone I will cut off your manhood."

My eyes widened and I gave a nervous chuckle. "I promise not to say a word. May I ask why though?"

She sighed and sat down. She pats the spot next to her, and I sat. She shared a room with Liam, but she didn't seem to mind at all. "I'm tired of the media saying that Haz is a manwhore when he isn't. I want them to see who he really is. I want everyone to see that he's a great guy. Yes he has his moments, but he rarely means what he says out of anger."

I nodded my head and smiled at her. "That's a great idea, A. But how do you plan on doing that?"

"Oh I'm just going to post goofy pictures of him, and whenever he plans to hang out with a friend that's a girl, I'll tag along. That way, the media can't say that it's a date when I'm with them, and we are all laughing and having a good time." Her plan actually sounds like it'll work. It's genius. I won't ask her what she meant by his intentions being true. "What brings you here, Lou?"

"Well I was actually looking for Liam, but apparently he went out."

"Ouch. That hurts. I thought you were here to see me. He went out with Zayn to get food. He said something about Niall eating all of the food."

"That does sound like a reason for them going out."

"Yup. Is there anything I can help you with, Lou?" She gave me a warm smile, and her eyes sparkled as she smiled. Her intentions were true.

"Um... I'm not sure you can help. It's-"

"Complicated? If its homesickness, I can help. Or even if it's relationship issues."

I looked at her stunned. "How did you know it was homesickness?"

She smiled knowingly and said, "The look in your eyes. It's as if you're thinking of a faraway place."

I sighed and gave her a sad smile. "I wanted to ask Liam how he handles being away from home so often. It seems as if he takes it so easily."

"I can easily answer that as well Lou. May I remind you that I've been away from home as long as you guys have. Well... Not as long, but pretty close." She gave me a warm smile.

"That's true. You seem to take it extremely well considering the fact that you are always making your nerdy jokes." I stuck out my tongue at her.

She shoved me playfully and said, "Oh hush up. You know you love my moments."

"Haha. That we do. You can make us feel better so easily. Like now. You're helping me get rid of my homesickness."

She winked and said, "That's how awesome I am. I can easily distract people. Now you know why Uncle Si avoids looking in my direction during meetings."

"Hahaha! Sure... Let's go with that... He probably just doesn't like you," I said while flashing a cheeky smile.

"Hey! Although... That does make sense considering the fact what Brat and I have done to him...." She slapped my shoulder and eventually got lost in her own thoughts.

"Now I know why Uncle Si tries to keep you two separated."

"Ok now you are just making me question my whole existence," she said while giggling.

"I'm just joking with you, A. But seriously, thank you. How do you control it though? You never answered that."

"Oh, I honestly don't. I just remind myself how I never really left my family because I made a new one. I also just talk to my family back in Cheshire quite often. I keep Mummy and Daddy posted on what we do on tour, and I also tell them when my next works come out."

I nodded and said, "That's a good idea. But doesn't talking to them make you miss them?"

"Not really... That's why I talk to them often. I actually gets me excited for when I can see them again. Just talk to your family more often Lou. It really does help. You think it will make things worse, but it actually helps."

"Thanks, A. That really does help."

"Of course my advice helps. I am related to Albus Dumbledore." She flipped her hair and I just started to laugh.

"But he's gay. How are you related to him?"

"I don't see your point in this," she said while giving me a bad poker face.

"Hahaha, you should really watch your Harry Potter references."

"Oh hush up, Lou." She giggled before we headed back in.

End of Flashback

I smiled slightly as I remembered one of our first private conversations. She gave me advice on how to control my homesickness, and it does help. Most of the time it does at least. I found it nice how she decided to help Harry's image. She really did help his image a lot. A lot of people look at him as a caring and funny person. In reality we all are. None of us are really how the media portrays us. No one knows who we truly are besides true fans, close friends, and our girlfriends. That's why I miss Ariel so much. She's helping us show everyone who we really are, and she still loves all of us through our fall outs.

"Morning, Lou," Niall said in an emotionless voice.

"Not you too, Niall," I said while groaning into my hands. The lads all gave small chuckles, and the living room went silent again. The lads sat on the sofa and we just stared at the switched off telly in silence.

"I can't believe it's been a week," Zayn said voicing our thoughts.

Liam sighed and said, "It feels like it's been longer to be honest."

"I wish this was all a bad dream. If it is, I swear I will stop eating my monster sandwiches before bed," Niall said sighing into his hands.

"Lads, we're all worried for Ariel, and that's normal since she was, no correction, is our little sister, but we are missing the big picture. The Rockers. We haven't shown our support for them, and we've pretty much been off the map for awhile. Don't you think it's time that we at least tweet them our support?" I asked while turning to them. They seemed lost in thought at first, but slowly nodded.

"We should get Hazza back before we do that though," Liam said giving us a soft smile. We nodded and gave him soft smiles again.

"Well let's go," I said getting up from the sofa. The lads followed behind me, and I said in a quiet voice, "Keep in mind that he hasn't done anything but cry, shower, eat and sleep. Even then, he doesn't eat much, and he cries himself to sleep. I doubt he has gotten a proper amount of sleep."

The lads' eyes widened and they nodded. I gulped and slowly knocked on the door. "Harry, it's Lou. Please open up."

No response. "Harry, please open up. We have already lost Ariel. Please don't make us lose you too," Niall said. I turned to look at him, and his eyes looked broken. If we lose anyone else, I know we will for sure be broken. The lock from his bedroom door clicked, and I jumped. The door remained closed, but I took that as a sign to come in. I signaled to the lads that I was going to open the door, and Zayn nodded encouragingly. I pushed open the door, and stepped inside the dark bedroom.

Liam's POV:

I didn't know what we would see behind Harry's door. I expected maybe to see the room to be a bit lighter, and for it to be messy. We got the opposite effect. The bedroom was dark, and it was actually tidy. It was as if no one has touched the bedroom in a long time. The only thing that seemed to be a mess was his bed. Half of it, the blankets were all bundled together while the other half had 2 medium sized cardboard boxes. The boxes were wide open, but we couldn't see what they contained since we were still getting used to the darkness. In the background, I heard Ariel's soft voice. The song that was playing was Trainwreck. I gave a soft smile while I listened to her voice.

Trainwreck

La di da, yeah

You fled from medication
Cause it only causes pain
You won't go to the doctor
Who keeps calling you insane

You're lost even when
You're going the right way
You mean the world to me
Even though you might be crazy

And you said we wouldn't make it
But look how far we've come
For so long my heart was breaking
But now we're standing strong

The things you say
Made me fall harder each day
You're a trainwreck
But I wouldn't love you
If you changed, no, yeah

I shook your hand
And you pulled it right away, yeah
You asked me to dance
And instead I said no way

Inside. I was dying to give it a try
And you begged me so I stayed
I knew you were different
From the way I caved

And you said we wouldn't make it
But look how far we've come
For so long my heart was breaking
But now we're standing strong

The things you say
You make me fall harder each day
You're a trainwreck
But I wouldn't love you
If you changed, yeah, ooh, no, yeah

We were so different
But opposites attract
So my hope kept growing
And I never looked back
You're one of a kind
No one can change this heart of mine, oh

And you said we wouldn't make it
But look how far we've come
For so long my heart was breaking
And now we're standing strong

The things you say
You make me fall harder each day
You're a trainwreck
But I wouldn't love you
If you changed, oh yeah

One more thing I thought I'd share
With someone special
I am falling like I never fell before

It's funny you said we'd never make it
And look how far we've come
You're a trainwreck
But with you, I'm in love

Another question to ask Ariel once she returns, what did she mean by this song? I scanned the room for Harry and I found him sat on the floor with his legs crossed while scanning over some pictures in his hands. I nudged Zayn with my right arm and signaled to him where Harry sat. He nudged Niall, and Niall walked over to him. Lou followed him with a sad smile on his face. I walked over to him concerned, and kneeled down in front of him. Niall sat to his right, and Louis took his left. Zayn was kneeled in front of him right next to me.

"Hazza, you alright there?" Zayn asked while trying to catch his attention. I don't know if Harry heard us or not. Harry didn't even react to our voice. He didn't twitch, or flinch, or sigh. He just continued to look over the pictures as if he were in his own little bubble. Lou tried placing his arm around Harry, but even physical contact didn't make him flinch. I sighed. This can't be happening... Again... My phone started ringing and I excused myself from Harry's room. He didn't jump or even look at me. In the living room I checked the caller ID, Dani.

(D= Dani, L= Liam)

L: Hey. Is everything alright?

D: *sighing* Depends what you define as alright.

L: Oh boy... Is she alive?

D: Yes. She's alive, but responsive is another story...

L: Don't worry we're in the same boat as you guys here.

D: Wait... Harry's in the same state?

L: Yes. It's as if he's in his own little bubble and nothing can penetrate him.

D: Liam... We can't give up on them. We need to remain united.

L: I know we do. I never said we should give up. If anything, we need to remain together because I'm sure Ariel will be upset if we all break.

D: I agree. I hope you guys are having more luck than us. Cher won't respond to us, but yet again we haven't tried talking to her. I told the girls that it would be easier if we just hug her and make her know we are there for her. I know that if we try talking to her, she's going to be like Harry.

L: *sighing* You're right. If we break, then everyone else breaks. We are the rocks of this group until Ariel returns, and we have to make sure that we are all united. We can't give up.

D: And we won't. I need to go now. I just wanted to update you on how Cher is doing, and I also wanted to check-in on Harry.

L: Bye, Dani. Love you.

D: Love you too, Liam. Talk to you later.

*End of Call*

I sighed and sat on the sofa again. We can't give up with one another. I promised her that we wouldn't give up on each other. I need to keep that promise. I remember our movie nights before any of the lads found out about her. They were quite entertaining...

Flashback

"No way! How can you say that?! Captain America is obviously a great superhero!" Ariel said while throwing me a cushion and pouting.

"I'm sorry, but I don't really consider him a superhero. He's pretty much running on steroids-" I tried retaliating.

"They were all running on some kind of drug. Come on! Iron Man is just a superhero because of his robotic heart. Don't make me start on Batman either. He was just a depressed person who didn't know what actually happened-"

"Hey! Leave him out of it! Batman can't be pulled into the conversation since he isn't in The Avengers."

"Ugh, fine! But Captain America is a superhero," she said with a smug smile.

I laughed and said, "Whatever floats your boat. I still say he's not a superhero."

"In that case, Hawkeye and the Black Widow aren't superheroes either. They just have great aiming skills, and martial arts skills."

"I never said they were, but according to Marvel, they are all superheroes-"

"Ha! I told you Captain America is a superhero!" We both burst out laughing. I do consider him a superhero, but I enjoy making fun of her. Her rants don't make sense most of the time, and they are actually amusing.

"Where's Dani again? Why didn't she want to join us," Ariel asked while hanging upside down on my sofa.

I chuckled and said, "She's working. She should be back in a day." I checked my calendar, and sure enough, it states on there.

"Ugh! That's a long time! I need my other best friend to come back!" She stretched her hands to show she was desperate, but I think she forgot she was close to the ground since she fell off the sofa and thunked her head on the ground. We burst out laughing, and I even ended on the ground bent over in laughter. We sobered up when my phone rang. She was still giggling when I answered my phone.

"Hello?... Oh hey Lou!... Actually right now isn't a good time... Yes I’m hanging out with A... Oh come on! I hardly see her. I see you guys more often so don't get your panties in a twist... Bye Lou. I'll see you guys next week." As I hung up, I realized it was too quiet. I looked at A, and I saw her just staring at the roof with her arm over her forehead and lying on the ground. "You know, they really want to meet you."

She sighed and said, "So do I, but I can't meet them."

"What are you so afraid of, A?"

She turned to look at me, and said so quietly that if I wasn't paying attention then I wouldn't have heard her, "The truth."

"What truth?"

"Liam," she said and sat up. "I'm scared that once Harry finds out it's me, that he will make my life a living hell."

"A," I said quietly and sitting next to her. I gave her a side hug and continued, "You know he would never hurt you. None of us will hurt you. You trust me, why can't you trust them?"

"I do trust them, Liam. I trust all of you. It's just that Harry and I didn't exactly end in good terms. Both times we ended with an argument."

"Look we both know how he is. Harry is... Well he's Harry. He says everything out of anger, but he never means any of it."

"I know, Li. I'm just not ready to tell him yet. How about we have that ice cream contest that you promised?"

I chuckled and stood up from the ground. "Well come on then. Just go easy on me. Remember I don't like spoons."

She giggled and stood up. She brushed herself off and said, "Oh I know. Don't worry; I'll make sure you win."

We went to the kitchen and took out the 2 tubs of ice cream. "You know the rules right?"

"Of course! Whoever can get the farthest within 5 minutes wins. You're talking to me as if I don't know the rules for my own game, Li." She rolled her eyes and slightly shoved me. She counted to 3, and we were off. Ariel obviously won seeing that she loves ice cream. After we declared the winner, we topped our tubes with whipped cream, chocolate, M&Ms, and sprinkles. 10 minutes after we finished, she got really hyper...

"Li Li! Can we please go to the park?! I want to jump around! Or, we can rent a bounce house! Come on! Please?!"

I chuckled and said, "No. You need to calm down. I don't know why I let you put so much sugar in your ice cream when I already know how crazy you get."

"Don't you have a weight room?!" She had huge hopeful eyes, and a mischievous smile.

"Uh... Yes I do. Why?" My eyes widened once I realized why she asked, but it was too late. When I tried to grab her, she shot up from the ground and ran to the weight room. I cursed under my breath and sprinted to catch up. Once I reached her, she was on the small workout trampoline, and she was jumping like crazy.

"Wee! I'm a bird! Look! I'm Wonderwoman! Quick! Get a picture and send it to Dani! I want her to see me jumping! Now I'm flying over the Quidditch pitch! OMG! I see. Hogwarts and Hagrid's Hut!" An hour after trying to get her off, Ariel lay sprawled out on the workout floor, and I heard her quiet snores.

I chuckled and said, "Goodnight crazy A." I threw a blanket over her, and placed a pillow. I snapped a picture and sent it to Dani. I told her these were the consequences of a sugar rush.

End of Flashback

I can still hear her laugh as if it just happened moments ago. I know that's not the case since I no longer have my curls, and I have a buzz cut. I also have tattoos now, and when that happened I didn't have any. I looked around the room as if I expected her to pop out from behind the sofa, but I knew that would never happen. We have no trace to where she could be, and that's what worries us. We know she's gone, but we don't know if she's still in England, what direction they headed in, and if she's alive. We are trying to keep our hopes up, but it's difficult when we have no idea. I need to remain sane and try to help everyone through this because I'm the Daddy Direction. If I go down, then so do the rest of the lads. I just wish that this guilt wasn't eating me up inside. If only-.

"Liam," Louis said sitting next to me and slapping my back.

"Bloody hell! You startled me."

"Sorry Liam," Louis said with a small chuckle at the end.

"It's ok." I sighed at the end and returned my attention to my phone. It was still unlocked and it showed that Dani had just called.

Louis seemed to notice this because he looked at me and said seriously, "Are the girls alright?"

"Yeah they're fine, Lou. They're just having the same trouble with Cher that we're having with Harry."

"I'm sure they're having an easier time," he said with a dry chuckle.

"Lou," I sighed. "We need to keep faith and hope. We need to keep insisting Harry to talk to us as well as Cher. We can't lose them."

"I know, Liam," Lou said while his voice cracked. "It's just that it's hard. Ariel's gone and we are close to losing 2 friends. Slowly we will all fall apart and-. Liam, I just can't imagine how we will all be by the end of this." Tears slipped down his cheeks and they fell onto his lap.

I hugged Louis hard. He cried softly into my shoulder. "Louis, I promise we will all be alright. We need to show Ariel, wherever she's at, that we are strong. We won't break. That's what her nanny wants."

He pulled away and dried his tears. "You're right. You know, before you lads came, I was remembering my first conversation I had with Ariel... I never realized how much I would miss hearing her jokes and lame puns. Now I wish we still had them."

"I remembered her too, Lou. I remembered one of the many sugar rushes she had during our movie nights before you lads met her. She was so happy and carefree, yet incomplete. She knew she needed all of us, but she hadn't realized it yet."

"She needs us as much as we need her..."

"Exactly. Now let's go back with Harry. Even though he won't talk to us, or even notice us. The least we can do is be by his side and make him food. Let's go." We stood up and made our way back to Harry's room. We found Harry crying again as he looked at a picture in his hands... We don't even have the heart to look through them. We all know who is on there...

Ariel's POV:

Even though my legs hurt like hell, I continued to tell Daddy I was fine. He knows she beats me because he can hear my screams, but I don't have the heart to tell him that I don't have much energy to run if the time asks for it. If this house were to burn down, then I'd burn down with it. That's how much they hurt. I'd rather die than try to run in them. Why is she still beating me? Well like I said, she doesn't want me to run if the time comes to it. That and I keep disobeying her by saying that she will never be my mother. No matter how much she forces herself in my life, she will never have the love from me that she used to have.

"Did you ever help your friends write any songs?" Daddy asked after I finished a story.

"Which ones?"

"The ones that are friends with Harry."

"Daddy! Just say their names. It won't kill you," I said while laughing slightly with a small smile on my face.

"Fine. Did you ever help Liam, Louis, Zayn, Niall, and Harry make a song?" He made a fake disgusted face, and I giggled.

"Why don't you like them?"

He smiled softly and said, "It's a father's job to not like any of his daughters’ guy friends or boyfriends. What do you expect?"

"Oh Daddy!" I giggled and continued, "I actually did. I helped them write a song from their second album. The song is called Change My Mind. I wrote it when we were barely one month into the tour..."

Flashback

We were all seated in the audience at our next venue. I was stretched across 2 chairs while I had Star on my lap and my songbook open at my feet. I was humming along to a song I just finished. It was beautiful and perfect, except it didn't suit me... Just then the lads' management came in, and the lads sat up. I continued in my position because they aren't my management so I don't take orders from them.

"Lads! Congratulations for being on your official tour for a month! I trust you are all working hard," one of them said while staring sternly at them.

"Oh we are! We rehearse quite hard. We were just taking a break," Niall said while he continued to eat his crisps.

"That's it?" Another manager said while staring at them in shock.

"We're supposed to do something else?" Louis said with wide eyes.

"Didn't you know that you're supposed to be working on your second album?" The final manager said while staring at them.

"Uh..." Harry, Liam, and Zayn said. Me being me, I was eavesdropping on their conversation, so I naturally tried to stifle a laugh which thankfully no one noticed.

"You don't even have one song done?!" The first manager said sounding stressed.

"Well we didn't-" Louis started to sass them until I spoke up.

"Actually they do have one song done. When they were coming up with the lyrics I was writing them down in my songbook, but here it is," I said quickly standing up and letting my combat boots hit the pavement. I swung Star across my back and walked towards them making sure that my mini leather skirt wasn't raised or anything. I was fumbling with my white lace shirt as I walked towards them as well. My naturally wavy hair swished as I quickly walked over, and my jewelry made a loud jingling sound. My makeup was the same, so I actually looked like my usual self. "Here you go," I said softly to them as I handed them my songbook.

They quietly read the lyrics and discussed them silently. I turned towards the lads, and they had their eyes wide. I raised an eyebrow at them, and Zayn mouthed "thank you." I flashed them a genuine smile and nodded. The lads looked relieved as their management said, "These lyrics are amazing, boys. How about we listen to them in your voice?"

Their eyes widened again and they started to protest. "Of course, I'll even strum Star. I'll just go on stage now to remind the lads how the song went."

I nudged my head, and they quickly followed. I took my songbook back from them and turned towards the lads as we were in the middle of the stage. I quickly told them what order to do it in, and what vocals to do. They nodded, and I crossed my fingers hoping they got it. "Ok, guys you ready?" I said loudly so their management could hear.

They nodded and turned on their microphones. I walked to the edge to the stage and plugged in Star to a speaker. I saw them quietly mumbling their lines. I hope they don't forget their lines. Louis currently had the songbook, and they decided that they would pass it around as their roles appeared. I nodded to Louis to tell him to start singing.

Change My Mind

Louis:
The end of the night
We should say goodbye
But we carry on
While everyone's gone

Zayn:
Never felt like this before
Are we friends or are we more?
As I'm walking towards the door
I'm not sure

Liam:
But baby if you say you want me to stay
I'll change my mind
'Cause I don't wanna know I'm walking away
If you'll be mine
Won't go, won't go
So baby if you say you want me to stay, stay for the night
I'll change my mind

Niall:
Lean in when you laugh
We take photographs
There's no music on
But we dance along

Harry:
Never felt like this before
Are we friends or are we more?
As I'm walking towards the door
I'm not sure

Zayn:
But baby if you say you want me to stay
I'll change my mind
'Cause I don't wanna know I'm walking away
If you'll be mine
Won't go, won't
So baby if you say you want me to stay, stay for the night

I'll change my mind
I'll change my mind

Niall:
But baby if you say you want me to stay
I'll change my mind

Harry:
But baby if you say you want me to stay
I'll change my mind
'Cause I don't wanna know I'm walking away
If you'll be mine

Zayn:
Won't go, won't go

Harry:
So baby if you say you want me to stay,

Zayn:
Stay for the night
I'll change my mind

The band joined in as soon as they caught the beat. The lads started to smile once they started to put the pieces together for the song. Harry shot me a cheeky smile, and winked. I felt myself blush, and I quickly looked away. It was too quiet, so I looked at their management. They were in a deep conversation. Eventually one of them stood up and said, "Boys, great job on the song, but..."

"But..." I said encouraging them to continue.

"Louis and Niall, you have too many solos." I looked at them, and Lou and Ni looked hurt. "Remove some solos of theirs and give them to Liam and Harry."

Liam and Harry looked upset. I saw that they were going to say something, but I angrily blurted out, "What?! They hardly got solos! What do you mean that they have too many?! They are a part of the band as well, so they have every right to get as many solos. Don't you dare remove their solos, they have beautiful voices and they deserve to use them."

I glared at their management as I stared at them harshly. They had their mouths wide open in shock. I guess they never expected a shy girl from Cheshire to snap at them. They quickly got back in a group discussion, and the same manager said, "Very well. Louis and Niall, you will get more solos from now on. The song is perfect. Good day."

They quickly left the building and I glared at their backs. No one tells Lou and Ni that they need fewer solos. They actually need more. I felt 2 bodies collide with mine and I shrieked. "Thank you so much, A! We have more solos now! Thank you," Lou and Ni said while hugging me to death.

"Guys," I choked out. They quickly released me, and I fell on my bum trying to catch my breath. They smiled sheepishly while the rest of the lads walked up to me.

"Thanks so much for the song, Ariel. You didn't have to do that though," Zayn said furrowing his eyebrows.

"Yeah we could've done it ourselves," Liam said shrugging.

"Ary, thanks for the song, but it won't be right for us to keep it. You worked so hard on it, and-" Haz said.

"And nothing. You lads will keep the song and that's final. It doesn't fit my vocals anyways." They pulled me in to another bear hug, but quickly let me go as well.

"Thank you so much, Ary," Haz said kissing my cheek. I blushed furiously and quickly looked away. Cheeky bastard.

End of Flashback

"So you gave them the song just like that?" Daddy asked with an amused smile on his lips.

"Yup! I actually loved that song, but like I said, it didn't fit my vocals."

"What did the song mean?"

"It's about how Harry and I know that we love one another, but I don't want to admit it to him. However, if he ever told me again that he loved me, then I would've stayed," I said softly playing with my fingers. Daddy pulled me into a hug and kissed my forehead. I was whimpering in pain in my head as he accidentally squeezed my legs.

"I'm so proud of you, sweetheart. I promise you will see them all soon again. For now, how about we go to sleep?" I nodded and pulled Star onto my lap. He got under the blankets on his bed and closed his eyes. This was our routine. I would sing us two songs before we went to sleep. Usually Daddy fell asleep before I got to the second song anyways. I started strumming the chords for Stay by Brat,

Stay

If this world is wearing thin
And you're thinking of escape
I'll go anywhere with you
Just wrap me up in chains
But if you try to go alone
Don't think I'll understand

Stay with me
Stay with me

In the silence of your room
In the darkness of your dreams
You must only think of me
There can be no in between
When your pride is on the floor
I'll make you beg for more

Stay with me
Stay with me

You'd better hope and pray
That you make it safe
Back to your own world
You'd better hope and pray
That you'll wake one day
In your own world
Coz when you sleep at night
They don't hear your cries
In your own world
Only time will tell
If you can break the spell
Back in your own world

Stay with me
Stay with me
Stay with me
Stay with me
Stay with me
Stay with me
Stay with me
Stay with me
Stay with me
Stay with me

I looked at Daddy, and he was asleep. I smiled softly at him. I miss my friends so much, and I know singing about them won't help. However if I don't sing, it feels as if I'm missing something. It does sting when I sing their songs, but it reminds me that I will see them soon. I'll never lose hope. I just hope they find me soon... I sighed and started to strum Star again. I started to chords to Forgotten by Avril Lavigne, and I started to sing.

Forgotten

Ah-ah, ah-ah
Ah-ah, ah-ah
Ah-ah, ah-ah

I'm giving up on everything
Because you messed me up
Don't know how much you screwed it up
You never listened that's just too bad

Because I'm moving on, I won't forget
You were the one that was wrong
I know I need to step up and be strong
Don't patronize me, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah

Have you forgotten
Everything that I wanted?
Do you forget it now? You never got it
Do you get it now?
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah

Ah-ah, ah-ah
Ah-ah, ah-ah

Gotta get away
There's no point in thinking about yesterday
It's too late now, it won't ever be the same
We're so different now
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah

Have you forgotten
Everything that I wanted?
Do you forget it now? You never got it
Do you get it now?
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah

I know I wanna run away, I know I wanna run away
Run away
If only I could run away, if only I could run away
Run away

I told you what I wanted, I told you what I wanted
What I wanted
But I was forgotten, I won't be forgotten
Never again

Have you forgotten
Everything that I wanted?
Do you forget it now? You never got it
Do you get it now? Do you get it now?

Have you forgotten
Everything that I wanted?
Do you forget it now? You never got it
Do you get it now?

Have you forgotten
Do you get it now?
Forgotten, yeah, yeah, yeah
Forgotten, yeah, yeah, yeah
Forgotten, yeah, yeah, yeah
Forgotten, yeah, yeah, yeah

I breathed heavily as I finished the song. I'm glad Daddy is such a deep sleeper because he never gets to listen to my depressing songs. I quickly put Star away and got into my bed. I pulled the blankets up to my neck and heard the chains rattle. I'll never get used to seeing and hearing them... The song was self-explanatory. I think my nanny forgot everything that I wanted and put her needs before mine. She never did get my love once she lost it, and she won't be getting it either. I'm sure I've been forgotten at home, but I can't be...

I love my friends and family so much. I miss hearing Alex's cute baby laugh as I tickled him, and my parents cooing at us because brother and sister were bonding. I miss hearing Niall complain that he's hungry, Louis's sassy remarks, Liam's scolds, Zayn's complaints about his hair, Harry flirting with me, Brat and Dani trying to convince to give Harry another chance, Mary and Scarlet play fighting, and El and Perrie's compliments on my clothing... I miss them all so much. I promise to see you guys soon. I promise... I closed my eyes and fell into a deep sleep full of my usual nightmares.

A/N: so... I lied. My updates will be long now. ;P I actually prefer longer updates. Lol. Even though they take forever, but they're worth the wait! So I really hav no comments... Well besides the fact that I hav Midnight Memories now!!!!!!! *squealing* I can't believe it's #1 in 92 countries! :O we Directioners definitely rock! :D the music video for Diana is out this Thursday... Oh dear Rowling. ._. I'm going to be fangirling in my Sociology class. XD hahahahahahahaha
So bad news, updates will take a longer time since finals r right around the corner.
Good news, they will be long. :)
What is you favorite song on Midnight Memories? Mines Diana... It actually saved my life this weekend... No lie. I had an emotional breakdown, but I'm good now. Just stuck with headphones all day for the rest of the week. I also decided to listen to 5SOS & let me tell u… I LOVE THEM!!!!!!!! My favorite is Luke. :3 lol
Question? Comments? Suggestions? Comment them below!!!!!!! :D make sure to follow my Twitter page!!!!!!!!
@princessrockary
-Susy
P.S. The picture on the side is of Ariel's songbook. The song is Forgotten by Avril. Love u all!!!!!!!!! :D toodles!