Chapter 13

• Valerie's POV
• Frustrated, fruitless, and defeated. Those were the only words that came to mind as I trudged through the forest, my feet heavy with the weight of my own hopelessness. I was losing hope, losing focus, and losing myself in the process.
• Days had turned into weeks, and weeks were turning into month. And still, I had found nothing. No leads, no clues, no hints. Just an endless, exhausting cycle of searching and coming up empty-handed.