It was winter. My friends and I had gone to the Washington Lodge for our annual getaway. It was a crazy night! All I remember before being outside was reading James Patterson’s Kiss the Girls while Josh and Chris were passed out from drinking so much. We were in the kitchen; the guys were slumped over the bar island countertop asleep while I was leaning over the same countertop with my nose stuck in my book as Beth, Josh’s youngest sister, was doing dishes. It was a wild night but it was going to take a turn for the worst soon enough.

“Vanessa!”

Suddenly, I heard my name being called and since I wasn’t expecting it, I jumped, almost losing my place in my book. I quickly fumbled to find the right place and mark my book before looking up to see Beth staring at me. “Sorry, Beth, I was reading,” I said sheepishly, putting the book in my bag on the countertop.

“It’s okay. It’s just I saw something or someone. I thought Dad said it would just be us,” she repeated for me.

I was confused, “what? I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I got to my feet and quickly moved toward the kitchen window to see if I could spot anything unusual but unfortunately I could not.

Beth leaned over my shoulder, “see anything?”

I shook my head pulling away from the window as a vision overtook me, I was turning around to face the sleeping boys at the island when I started to lose my balance and had to lean backward, holding on to the sink.

“Nessa, Nessa, what’s wrong?!” Beth was freaking out, holding onto my upper arm, demanding me what was wrong.

It was strong and sudden, and horrible, I would barely contain the cry that was trying to escape my lips but then it was gone and I could stand on my own. Beth’s hands were still wrapped around my bicep just in case.

“Nessa?” She said the nickname everyone called me and I relaxed even more.

“I’m fine,” I said, “just a vision,” I shook my head, “probably won’t come true,” I was certain of it, “most future visions don’t come true,” I was beginning to doubt this one but I poured confidence into my words.

Beth was one of the few friends who knew that I had visions now and then, so I trusted her with this information. She merely frowned as if she wasn’t sure I was telling the truth but she didn’t press it, merely shaking her head, “alright, if you say so,” she released me and we moved away from the sink, around the island, and toward the rest of the lodge.

She moved to inspect Josh’s empty bottle of Jeremiah Cragg, “once again, you have outdone us all,” she laughed while I smiled.

“He and Chris,” I said grabbing my glass of ice water and taking a swig as Beth moved past me to the other end of the island.

She picked up a piece of paper, read it, and turned to me with her mouth hanging open in the slightest, “oh my God,” she said softly.

“What?” I was confused, shaking my head.

“What did our naive sister get herself into?” She handed me the paper and I read it too.

[ Hannah,

You look so damn hot in that shirt... but I bet you’re even hotter out of it.

Come to the guest room at 2:00 AM ;’)

Mike

XXX ]

I was very angry. This was not okay. I knew Emily and Jess were at the center of this. I just knew it but Mike was just as much of a part of it as the girls. “This is so wrong, what the hell is he thinking? Goddamn it,” I smushed the paper in one hand before dropping it to the countertop.

Just then Hannah moved past the kitchen window. I didn’t see her until Beth looked up. I quickly turned to see her walking past. “Go find the others, I’ll wake Chris and Josh,” I told Beth, who hesitated, “go!” I ordered and she started to move, leaving the area.

I moved to Chris, waking him first, “Chris, Chris, wake up, please wake up,” I shook him furiously.

Finally, he awoke groggily, shaking his head, wondering why he had been awakened, “hm, wha-”

“Wake up! Something’s wrong, meet the others outside,” I said moving toward Josh, I repeated the words urgently just so Chris understood and he obeyed, “Josh, Josh, Josh!” I shook Josh urgently and he finally woke up, swinging. I dodged, “Josh, outside, go, please!” I gently pushed him toward the doors to the rest of the lodge where everyone else was at.

I moved toward the window to see if I could figure out where Hannah had gone but I couldn’t see her anymore. “Fuck!” I growled, smacking my thighs.

I ran toward the doors, bursting through them so hard they hit the wall behind them which startled the others. I ran so fast that when I reached them I ran right smack into Mike and we both tumbled to the ground. “God, in the way much?” I snapped, reaching my feet before he could say anything.

“You bitch! You knocked over my man!” That was Emily.

“Watch where you’re going, bitch!” That was Jess.

“Shut the fuck up!” I snapped, “Beth? Hannah?!” I called for the girls but they didn’t answer and were nowhere in sight, “fuck,” I muttered turning to Sam.

“Y’know, you are probably the last person Hannah wants to see right now,” she was saying to Mike, who had already gotten up.

“No kidding,” I agreed, “all of you stay here,” I ordered, “I’ll be back,” I went running after the twins but a hand wrapped around my bicep and I thought it was Mike so I prepared to punch him in the face but it was Josh instead, “let go of my arm, Josh,” I told him.

“What are you doing?” He demanded.

I scoffed, “I’m going after your sisters to bring them back!” I yelled in reply, yanking my arm from his grasp, “since none of you assholes will do it,” I said staring right at Mike, and with that I took off running after Beth and Hannah, calling for them.

Suddenly, I could hear a flamethrower and growling, inhuman growling; I could hear screaming, too and I knew the voices. I ran toward the screaming, so many minutes behind them. I could finally see a man with a flamethrower, blasting something I couldn’t see but I could only focus on Hannah and Beth. I saw Hannah slip and Beth went down with her. I ran faster, diving forward and sliding until I reached the edge but Beth’s grip on the snowy branch had already failed and they fell, and all I could do was watch.

“NOOOOOOOOOO!”

I saw Beth’s back hit a boulder and I could hear the blood-curdling snap of her spine when it made contact with the stone.

“Get out of here! Now! It’s not safe for you!”

I heard the man order me. I didn’t want to but I struggled to my feet and forced myself to run and climb back to the lodge. It took a few minutes but I got there. I had made up my mind that I was going to break Mike’s nose for this but by the time I got there, I was too exhausted to do anything. I had pulled my right hook back like I was going to punch him but my legs went out before I was close enough to swing and I fell to my knees. I was sobbing, my hands in the cold snow, hysterically sobbing.

“What happened?! Where’s Hannah?! Where’s Beth?!”

All of them were demanding questions that I couldn’t even answer, I was too distraught. Chris knelt beside me, pulled me up to face him, and then wrapped his arms around me, placing his face in my shoulder. He knew I needed someone to hold me and I didn’t complain, I sobbed into his shoulder. Sam began to realize that something was wrong and I was too late to do anything about it. She began to shed tears as Josh shook his head, not able to believe what just happened, starting a fight with Mike that Matt had to try and break up.

“I was too late!” I finally screamed while sobbing loudly, causing everyone to freeze in place, “I was too late! Beth is dead! BETH IS DEAD! Oh, God! I was too late!” I wept, “Why wasn’t I fast enough?! Why, why why? WHY?!” I could scarcely breathe.

My words shocked everyone to their core and they all fell silent. Mike looked down at me and realized the mistake he had made, how badly his involvement was in this prank, how he should’ve told Jess and Emily off. He felt bad, not just for the Washington family but for me as well because he hadn’t seen me cry like this since he got the two men who were abusing me in high school fired and put in prison, and he knew he fucked up with me. I could only see his mouth dropped in shock and his eyes apologetic and teary through my own watery eyes but I ignored because I was too angry and too heartbroken to care about him at that moment.