PROLOGUE
THE TRAGEDY

• actions always have consequences •

The mountain was serene, Anastasia Oakley had decided it was one of her happy places. It creeped her out of course, but it was so beautiful. She spent hours just looking out at the snowfall, her friends surrounding her as they passed shots around and played card games and told stories. Most of the chatter was gossip, which of course Ana had her fair share of- she was popular, not just within this group of selected friends but in general. Everyone at school knew her name, she was a champion gymnast and one day she planned to make it big, maybe even Olympic level. Ana liked to escape it all, even just for a little while, though she could never admit to all her friends that sometimes it was all a bit too much. She couldn't tell them about her panic attacks, they'd hate her- think she's some kind of freak.

"You're here again?" The voice comes from Jessica Ridley, Ana's closest friend beside Emily.

"Pft, not even, just trying to escape the drama," Ana lies, slipping her earphones off and pausing her music, she sits up slightly, smiling softly at her friend, "You good?"

Jess falls dramatically into the seat beside her, "We have a totally great idea,"

"Who's 'we'?" Ana sighs, rolling her eyes as Jess claps her hands excitedly.

"We're totally gonna' get Hannah back for chasing after Mike!" Jess giggles, still clapping. Ana's brows furrow.

"Pause for a sec, you're telling me Hannah Washington has been making moves on Mike?" Anastasia can't even believe the words as they fall from her lips, it's impossible to believe that innocent little Hannah could ever be a boyfriend snatcher.

"She's totally after him, have you not seen her? She's always trying to corner him alone and has these freaky little love letters about him, honestly it's so embarrassing Ana, like how could someone ever do that to their friend?" Jess explains, shaking her head and rolling her eyes. Ana shrugs her shoulders.

"So what is this plan?" Ana asks, and she later came to regret it, because the ensuing few hours was the start of it all.

Hannah stood there looking at them all with an expression Anastasia couldn't quite pinpoint. Was it fear? Anxiety? No...It was betrayal. She felt it rattle through her as Hannah's eyes welled to tears.

"Matt? Ana?" Hannah's voice is barely a choked whisper as she looks at Matt and Ana, Matt holding a camera and Ana smiling mischievously beside him after they'd hid together. Ana and Matt had once or twice rolled around his bed and the back of his car together, no one else knew about it- or rather they hoped they didn't.

Hannah pulls her shirt up to cover herself up, preserving what was left of her dignity and self-esteem. The door swings open and Sam walks inside wearing a face of fury.

"Hannah-" Sam begins but Hannah see's the open door and rushes to it. Sam grimaces, turning to look at the group surrounding her, "You guys are jerks, you know that?"

And with it, Sam swingings open the door and runs out after her best friend. The group of mischievous friends share a laugh between themselves before eventually making their way downstairs, being met with the fury of the other Washington twin- Beth. She's yelling in the entrance way, asking them all where her sister is going so late at night in this snowstorm.

"Beth, she's totally overreacting," Anastasia says, folding her arms and looking at her friend, "She'll get some fresh air and be fine,"

Beth shakes her head, perplexed by these people she and her sister had called friends. She grabs her coat and opens the door, "I have to find my sister,"

Those were the last words any of them heard Beth Washington say, because she'd never return to the lodge and neither would her sister. Both, lost to the snowstorm on the mountain that terrible night. After that incident, Anastasia cut them all off. Her parents didn't want them speaking to her, they were dangerous work, and she agreed. She felt guilty, like she was responsible in some way for the loss of Beth and Hannah. She knew Josh blamed them too, he fell apart, he quit school. Ana left it behind, moved state to a different university- never wanted to see them again.

Then one evening, getting ready for dorm party, her laptop pinged with a new notification, an invitation from Joshua Washington. She'd frowned at it for a long while, before finally opening it up and finding a video link. She plays it, her frown remains plastered on her face the entire time. He was inviting them back up the mountain for a reunion, to remember and celebrate the twins. It took her several seconds following the video to pull her fallen expression back to normal, there was something haunting about the video. Josh looked tired, drained.

The door of her dorm room opening snaps her out of whatever trance she was in, her roommate rolls her eyes at her, "Ana, c'mon we're gonna be late,"

"Coming," She hums, closing the laptop and trying to forget about it.

She would try to forget about it for another month, but slowly, everyone else accepted the invitation up to Washington mountain. Josh messaged her a week before the anniversary of the tragic night. She hovered over the notification on her phone. "You should come, Ana, for Hannah and Beth" it said. She clicked it, typed several variations of several different messages until finally, she huffed a sigh and typed, "Okay Josh, I'll be there."

Little did Anastasia know, but the trajectory of her entire life had just changed, simply by sending a text message.