The wind from the snowstorm outside taps against the frosted windows of the lodge. My eyes remain closed, my mouth open slightly to allow me to breathe through my cold-induced blocked nose. The fire beside me in the lodge crackles, the warmth hitting my body as I slowly peel my eyes open.

    Turning my head, I spy Zac passed out on the floor, his back lent against one of the recliners next to the couch I'm laying on. I smile weakly at his uncomfortable position, his long hair covering his face.

    Groaning, I push my upper body up, my heavy eyes looking towards the kitchen where I find Josh sitting at one of the stools, his head against his arms on the counter, Chris beside him. they must be passed out too.

    "God, my head," I complain, holding my hand against my temple as I push myself up from the couch and towards the kitchen.

    Distant voices reach my ears as I enter the kitchen, rifling through the mess on the counters to try and find where the Washingtons keep their medicine. I can't hear what the others are saying upstairs, all I know is, the noise is only making my head pound harder.

    "Josh," I call his name, leaning over from the opposite side of the bench to shake his shoulder. He barely groans in response, showing no signs of waking up.

    I can't say I'm surprised, Josh and Chris were still going hard when Zac and I passed out in the living area.

    I sigh and turn to the cupboards, opening them up until I find a small woven box. Pulling it down, I find sheets of medicines and pain killers practically glowing in front of me. I immediately pop out a dose of advil, looking around for something to wash it down with.

    Rubbing my tired and still-heavy eyes, I grab the open bottle next to Josh and pop the tablets in my mouth, tilting my head back to swallow the last mouthful, too groggy and intoxicated to bother finding something else.

    I screw my face up at the bitterness, dropping the bottle back onto the table and wiping the edges of my mouth with my sleeve. Besides, maybe the extra gulp will knock me out peacefully until dawn.

    A note on the counter near Josh catches my eye. Reaching over, I grab it and turn it around to read the messy handwriting sprawled on the paper.

    "Please tell me Hannah did not fall for this horrible handwriting," I mutter to myself, feeling too tired to think much more about the note and its meaning.

    Just as I turn on my heels and begin to make my way to the living area, I'm interrupted by a dark figure dashing out the front door in distress.

    My stomach sinks, my eyebrows furrowing as I watch the door swing open behind her.

    "Hannah?" I call out her name, watching the open space with curiosity and concern.

    Within seconds, the other's in the lodge come running out after her, Sam ahead of the herd.

    "What's going on?" I shout, following the group of teens outside into the snow. The cold pinches at my skin through my fleece-lined tights, my arms wrapping around myself as I stand in the doorway to observe.

    "Hannah!" Sam shouts out into the cold, her hands cupping her mouth to try and project her voice.

    "What's going on?" Beth joins my side, repeating my earlier question. She pushes to the front of the group, looking around before turning back to the others, "Where's my sister going?"

    "It's fine, she just can't take a joke," Jess dismisses, waving her hand in the air with an annoyed eye roll.

    "What joke?" I ask, thinking back to the note I found on the counter. I turn to the couple beside me as realisation hits, my face screwing up in disgust as I look at them, particularly Mike, "Did you guys set her up?"

    "It was just a prank!" Emily defends, not seeming outwardly remorseful for her actions.

    "We were just messing around, it wasn't serious," Mike defends, his eyes avoiding mine as if he feels shame for what's happened.

    "What did you do?" Beth's rage is evident in her tone, her eyes shooting accusations at everyone around us--excluding me. She settles her eyes on Mike, shaking her head before speaking once more, "You jerks!"

    With that, she turns on her heels and takes off into the snow, her figure disappearing in a cloud of snow.

    "Beth, wait!" I yell, dropping my arms and taking off after my childhood best friend. I yank my arm from Mike's loose grip as he attempts to reason with me, not wanting to hear a word of his excuses before following after the twins.

    I don't talk to Mike much, Emily always seems far too scary for me to even attempt to do so. But, Zac knows him well and I thought he was better than this, I thought they all were.

    The snow pushes my hair back, my cheeks and nose turning red as I push into the woods.

    Having only a knitted sweater to comfort me, I pull it tighter over myself and keep going. I become all too aware of the darkness and isolation of my surrounding. Looking around, I see nothing but snowy pines and half covered pathways.

    I hate the dark

    A wet sensation tickles the underside of my nose. I brush it off, blaming it on the climate before lifting my hand to wipe the sensation away. When I pull back, I see a small layer of blood coating my finger.

    I look down just as a droplet from my nose hits something solid in the snow at my feet. A small wooden sculpture stares back at me with its void eyes, a droplet of my blood right on the centre.

    Crouching down, I pick the totem up and inspect it, turning it around under my magnifying gaze.

    "What is this?" I ask out loud.

    Before I can say anything else, a loud blaze appears in the corner of my eye. I whip my head up, my eyes locking onto an inferno over a snowy hill. My gut tightens, my heart rate quickening as I push to my feet and run as fast as I can in the opposite direction.

    We never found the twins, despite hours of effort and mountains of money spent looking. I never told the others what I saw that night either, the fire or the inhuman sound that erupted from it. I wasn't sober enough to be believed.

    But, the Washington lodge lost it's magic that night, the girls snatching it with them in a last effort of revenge.

    We all know deep down they're both dead, either from the elements or an animal. I just hope whatever happened to them, they didn't suffer.

eleven months later

                    "Rubes!" Zac's voice calls from the hallway. I don't bother to look up from my phone as he barges into my room, dropping down onto the wheelie chair at my desk and moving the furniture until he's sitting next to me. "Did you get Josh's invite?"

    "Invite? For what?" I ask, drafting a text to send to Sam. Ever since the night the twins disappeared, Sam and Chris are the only people besides Josh I still talk to. They weren't involved in the cruelty.

    "Blackwood," His one-word response caused my thumbs to pause over the screen. My eyes finally move to his as I push myself to sit, searching his face to get a grasp on how he feels about it, "He asked us all to come back, in honour of the girls,"

    "Really?" I ask sceptically, crossing my legs under myself, "I didn't think Josh would ever want to go back there,"

    "See for yourself," He shrugs, pulling his phone out of his pocket and turning it horizontally to face me. Josh's face appears on the screen, Zac reaching to press the play button

    "Well, hello friends and fans—Alright let's do that again," Josh's voice springs to life, his body moving towards the camera to adjust the position. "Alright, well, hello friends and fans! It's beyond awesome to have you guys all back this year. First off, I gotta say, I am super excited to welcome all my pals back to the annual Blackwood winter getaway! So, um, let me just let you know, uh, let's take a moment to address the 'elephant in the room' for a second,"

    The mention of the twins, although subtle, causes me to flick my eyes up to Zac who was already watching me, waiting for my reaction. Josh's voice continues to filter through the line, gaining back my attention.

    "I know you're all probably worried about me and I know it's gonna be tough on all of us going back after what happened last year, but... i just want you all to know, um, it means... it means so much to me that we're doing this, and I know it would mean so much to Hannah and Beth that we're all still here together, thinking of them. I really wanna spend some quality time with each and every one of you-"

    "I'm sure by 'each and every one' he really means you," Zac laughs like a school girl. I roll my eyes, wanting to forget all about mine and Josh's short-lived romance. Zac seems to love remembering it happened.

    "That relationship was grief-fueled and only lasted two months," I remind, wagging a finger at him like someone's grandma.

    "-- Okay, so. Let's party like we're fucking pornstars, okay? Make this one trip we'll never forget, alright? Yes!" Josh throws his arms in the air in mock celebration, the excitement and preparation radiating off of him. The video ends and Zac tucks his phone back into his pocket, his other hand lifting to move his shoulder-length hair from his face.

    "I already told him we'd be there," He informs, relaxing back on my chair.

    Sighing, I lean back against the headboard, dropping my hands into my lap, "I suppose the worst has already happened, right? Besides being awkward, how bad could it be?"

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