Prologue
Misty
The wind was blowing furiously outside of the ski lodge. The presence of the blizzard didn't seem to be going away anytime soon. However, this weather wasn't unusual in the winter, especially up in the mountains of Hakkaido. A young woman observed the raging weather outside and noted the dangers of being outside at the moment. This woman was none other than Misty Tredwell.
Through the window she could the outside and she could also see her own reflection. Behind her, she could make out the figures of her group of friends that were chatting next to the kitchen counter. She turned her attention back outside and was lost in thought from the beauty of the forest outside.
The group of friends were currently staying at a ski lodge owned by the parents of the eleven year old teal haired twins Luna and Leo. The twins had the idea of using the lodge as a weekend winter getaway. Although this would be Misty's first time at the lodge since apparently the group have been coming here for years. They might as well have described it as mansion from how big the lodge was. The lodge had three floors and a basement. The lodge itself was made from the nearby trees and rocks from the forest surrounding it.
The first floor of the lodge had a small sitting area, with its own cinema. Along with some spare bedrooms and bathroom. There was also a door leading to the basement at the end of the hallway, which was where the boiler was located.
The second floor was much more enticing. It serves as the main floor of the lodge and it's where most of their activities of the night have taken place. The Great Room (as Leo dramatically calls it), was definitely something to be admired. It contained large fireplace with a large flat screen TV. Hanging above was a large chandelier in the shape of the sphere. There was formal furniture spread across the living room fitted with artwork hanging on the walls. The Great Room was definitely the heart of the lodge and Misty's new favorite spot. The main floor also contained a couple of more bedrooms, along with the kitchen, and the dining room.
The third floor could be accessed by the stairs in the center of the main floor. The third floor led to a more balcony style design. Since from just above every angle from up there, you could see some aspect of each angle of the lodge. There was a large bathroom on the third floor, alongside a mini library, and Luna's bedroom. From the many windows on the lodge, you could see the forest and mountain from different angles which Misty greatly appreciated.
Misty had lived her entire life in Neo Domino City, she never really had the chance to explore the outside country. Although, her job as a model did take her places. She's had the opportunity to visit other countries and explore the cities, but she never got to explore the nature side of things. Despite being a top paid model, Misty rarely got the chance to leave town for a vacation. She had to constantly be watched for fear of potential stalkers and was very rarely left alone during a photo shoot. With her fair complexion, light blue eyes, long dark hair, and being widely known as a woman of elegance, one could only imagine the amount of security that she had to go through constantly. Being able to go to the lodge was the best thing to ever happen in her career.
Although it wasn't always a bad thing. Her brother Tobi would tag along with her during school breaks and he enjoyed exploring a new city. The time shared between the two siblings was greatly valued. The two of them only had each other after all. Their parents were killed in a car wreck a few years back. She was only twenty years old then and her younger brother was eight. That wreck that had almost taken her younger brother's life. He was lucky to survive it, but the burn scar on his right forearm served as a reminder on how lucky he was.
Since that day, she's taken care of Tobi. Tobi being only the age of thirteen now. She herself was twenty five now. Although, it did come with its complications here and there. Her schedule as a model and Tobi reaching his rebellious stage. Things got tough, but Misty never complained. She tried to take it in stride. That still didn't stop his bad habit of getting into trouble. Although, if it wasn't for that rebel nature of his, she wouldn't have met her fiancée Kalin Kessler.
When Tobi started his rivalry with Leo, this involved Tobi meeting all his friends. The same friends that were with her at the lodge. The first one she met besides the hyperactive Leo was his much quieter younger twin sister, Luna. The two of them were practically identical if not for the different hairstyles and the more feminine qualities Luna possessed over Leo's masculine features. Both had the same hazel eyes and the same facial structure. The only way that Misty was able to tell them apart was the fact that Luna wore her hair in pigtails while Leo wore his hair in a ponytail.
Next up, was Jack Atlas. The tall, prideful, and arrogant blond of the group. If he wasn't shouting about being the best at everything, then it would be something about coffee. The man practically lived on the drink. His spiky blond hair definitely added another inch or two to his height (not that he needed it, Jack was already over six feet) and two long loose strands of his hair came down and framed the sides of his face. It'd be pointless to say that Jack Atlas was in fact a very handsome man (a fact he gladly points out from time to time), he had a whole fan club dedicated to him. The man didn't have what most people consider a winning personality. He was usually rude and very demanding and very picky about the things he did. His most defining feature was his guarded amethyst eyes. Misty found that to be strange since he was only nineteen. He never seemed to have his guard down and was constantly shifting around, never being able to standstill. Misty thought it was the coffee, but now she was sure it was something else. It was almost like he was expecting an attack, although from who nobody knew.
The only person that Jack seemed to be truly at peace with was the dark haired clumsy girl, Carly Nagisa. Since the moment they met, Misty considered Carly to be her best friend and the two spent quite a bit of time together. Carly had dark hair with dark grey eyes. Although her glasses usually got in the way of eyes. It took Misty about an hour to convince to Carly to take off her glasses and to leave them be for the rest of the weekend. It isn't like Carly needed them, her vision was already perfect. Carly was certainly on the more outgoing side of things. She loved to make friends and was very sociable, unlike Jack. She loved adventure even if she had the worst luck ever and would almost trip and fall to her death on the way up to the lodge. Although, a certain Atlas was always conveniently there to catch her. The two of them have been dancing around their feelings for each other for as long as Misty had known them. Which was roughly about two years. Misty just hoped that one day they would confess to each other before it was too late.
Then there was Sherry Leblanc, who was close friends Aki Izayoi. Apparently the two girls had grown up together and treated each other like sisters. Despite being two years apart, with Aki being sixteen and Sherry, eighteen. Sherry had long flowing blond hair that rivaled Misty's own dark hair. She had bright green eyes that had a playful feel to them. She had a slight French accent, but it was almost nonexistent that one wouldn't even be able to tell that she originally hailed from France. Although, when she was annoyed or shocked she tended to speak French. Whenever that happened the group would tease her mercilessly about it. Although her recent achievement in getting a black belt in karate has lessened the teasing for fear of suffering her wrath.
Nobody suffered her wrath more than Crow Hogan. The poor carrot haired man always seemed to be used as her punching bag. While his grey eyes were often filled with mischief and glee, whenever Sherry came around his eyes were filled with excitement and sometimes slight panic. The two of them had an unspoken love-hate relationship. One minute they are best friends, the next they would tearing at each other's throats. However, they were usually on friendly terms, sometimes Sherry got a little friendly with Crow. However, any hints that Sherry dropped of her interest in Crow went unnoticed by the carrot top and it made Misty laugh so hard her sides would hurt. If anyone was oblivious in the area of romance, Crow takes the first place prize.
Then there was Aki Izayoi. Aki had dark magenta colored haired with dark brown eyes. She usually had most of her pulled back into a headband with two long strands coming down the side of her face. Every time Misty saw Aki in public, she was dressed in clothing that would be considered business casual. Misty guessed that being the daughter affected her wardrobe. Although, this weekend she was wearing a red sweater that clung tightly to her torso, a pair of black yoga pants with red snow boots. Her black beanie hat framing her face perfectly to give her appearance a "cute" look. Misty had thought it was a bit out of character for her, but then she reminded herself that there was a certain blond streaked, black haired man here that Aki had been secretly crushing for over a year now.
That man was no other than Yusei Fudo. He was the most mature one of the group and without the unspoken leader. When someone had a problem, Yusei would always try and find ways to fix it. He definitely had a noble and heroic personality along with a selfless attitude. He always tried to be considerate of other people and he worried for his friends much like a mother would. Misty found that to be funniest thing about him. In every group of friends, there is a "mom" friend. Yusei was that friend. Looking from Aki's point of view, she could easily see why Aki was attracted to him. His strong and selfless attitude mixed with overly caring nature was only the start. He had an average looking physique, but he wasn't a looking to show off like his best friend Jack. His black hair came up in spikes (that resembled a crab, which was a running joke in the group) with blond streaks that came through the spikes. His royal blue eyes that were filled with determination, joy, mixed with seriousness. His tan complexion only served his bring out the color of his eyes. It was those same eyes that Misty would sometimes unintentionally catch watching a certain magenta haired girl. Misty thought about telling the two of them, but figured that it would be best to let them figure it out on their own. Besides, without a doubt in her mind, Misty felt that Yusei would make the first move.
Lastly, there was her fiancée Kalin. The man that came barreling into her life. Literally. When she first met the gang, it was at her and Tobi's penthouse. Apparently, Kalin had said something to set Jack off on that infamous short temper of his and the two started a wrestling match at her front door. Needless to say it was certainly a new way of meeting somebody. Her first impression of Kalin was that he was overly sarcastic about everything and that he was more the idiotic side of things. As time went on, she got to know Kalin better and she quickly realized that her impression of him wasn't who he was at all. Kalin was caring person with a big heart and being sarcastic was a sign of being nervous. Misty wasn't sure when she had slowly started to fall for Kalin. Maybe it was when Tobi wouldn't stop talking about how amazing he was, or whenever she needed something Kalin would be there for her. Or maybe it was due to the countless time she had found Tobi calling him big brother. Misty couldn't be sure, but whenever it happened, she's glad that it happened. The ring on finger proved that.
Misty turned her attention to the man occupying her thoughts. The icy blue haired man was currently passed out at the kitchen counter across from his childhood friend, Jack Atlas. She giggled to herself, remembering what shenanigans led them there. Somehow during the celebration of her and Kalin's engagement party, Jack had challenged Kalin to a drinking contest. The tall blond had announced a rematch and Kalin had accepted the challenge. Misty couldn't remember how many shots of tequila they took or even who the winner was, but it ended hilariously as the two males linked arms and sang Disney songs. She remembered how Kalin's yellow eyes were gleaming with joy when everything took place.
It was in that moment that Misty realized how quiet it had become. The chatting of her friends had disappeared. With her gazing off into the window and not really being present mentally, it was no wonder she hadn't noticed the group of friends disappear. Who knows how long they have been gone. She could only assume that they had gone off to bed, it was roughly about two in the morning. Misty didn't blame them either, the journey to get up to these mountains was tiring and they didn't get to the lodge until a few hours ago.
Misty walked over to the kitchen counter and noticed a piece of paper with bright marker handwriting. Her curiosity got the better of her and she decided to give it a quick read.
Dear Tobi,
Since you got me good on the last prank you did, I think it's time to close the curtain on this war of ours and declare a winner. You won fair and square and so you are the new King of Pranks. Just come to room and I can hand you the crown that I got you.
From your eternal rival,
Leo XD
"Oh no…" Misty muttered to herself. She shook her head in disbelief. "Leo isn't going to give up the crown that easily, little brother. He's got another prank for you." She had no doubt that Tobi had already seen this. Tobi was probably searching for the younger teal haired boy. She placed the note back down and thought about the endless possibilities of pranks Leo had in store for Tobi. Perhaps letting the two boys declare a prank war wasn't the best idea.
"We seriously need to have an intervention time about these pranks. What do you think about that Kal?" She looked over at Kalin and all she got was a snore in response. "When you decide to come back to the world of the living, we'll talk about it." She heard a faint mumbled reply, but couldn't be sure if it was from Jack or Kalin. She shook her head and took a seat next to Kalin and rested her left hand on his left hand. His arms were acting as a pillow for his head. She looked out the window again and thoughts slowly drifted to her younger brother. She wondered if he had fallen for the prank or if he came up with a counter attack. Either way, she hoped that it wasn't anything too hurtful.
Leo
"Alright! Is everyone ready?" Leo asked his partners in crime. His hazel eyes were gleaming with excitement. His ponytail boucing with each movement he made.
"For the fifth time, the answer is yes. Everyone is ready." His younger twin sister told him. She rolled her eyes in annoyment. Luna still wasn't sure about whether or not this prank was a good idea. However, she promised her brother that she would help and she couldn't back out now.
"Oh, right." Leo sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. He scanned his group of friends that had agreed to help him out. There was Crow, Carly, Aki, Sherry, and his sister Luna. Each of them had a part to play in this. Carly was going to film the whole prank with her camera while hiding in the wardrobe. Crow, Sherry, and Aki were going to be the monsters of the prank. Leo had brought several scary masks and some dark cloaks to help with the disguise. They would get to do all the scaring. Luna's job was to shut off the power from the circuit breaker (which was convienitenly in the room next to Leo's) and shut the door, locking it from the outside.
The way that Leo had envisioned the prank was simple. Tobi would come in expecting a crown (which was just a crown from Burger King with the words Prank King written on it). Once Tobi was far enough away from the door, Luna would shut off the lights and shut the door once she heard her cue. Leo didn't doubt that Tobi would try and make a break for the door once it shut. Classic. Leo would then use that opportunity to hide in the shadows while the "monsters" came out and scared him. This plan was foolproof.
"Man, it's too bad that Yusei didn't want to join." Crow commented while fixing his dark cloak. "Why does he have to be Mr. Goody Two-Shoes?" Leo agreed with Crow there. When they wrote the letter for Tobi to find, Yusei had made it very clear that he wanted no part in it. Yusei even attempted to talk them out of doing the prank. However, once Leo was set on doing something, there was no stopping. Yusei had walked away from the group and had disappeared upstairs, no doubt looking for Tobi to warn him. Leo only prayed that Yusei didn't find him.
"Guys, I think he's coming." Aki said while adjusting her mask. Everyone listened and they all heard footsteps. Faint,but getting closer. They were too light to be Yusei's and much to clunky to be Misty's graceful stepping.
"Alright! Everyone get into position!" Leo ordered. Luna scurried out of the room and went next door. Aki and Sherry quickly hid under the bed and Crow hid in the back corner. Carly took her position in the wardrobe and readied her camera. Leo dimmed the lights in his room and hopped onto the bed and grabbed the crown. He set it in his lap and waited for Tobi to arrive.
"Leo?" He heard a familiar voice. Leo looked at the door and saw the brunette haired boy walk in through the door. Tobi had finally arrived. He had a flashlight with him which meant that at some point was down on the first floor looking for him. The first floor and the basement were always kept dark, they were rarely used.
"Hiya Tobi." Leo cracked his signature grin as he greeted Tobi. "About time you found me." Leo slid off the edge of the bed and moved closer to Tobi. He left the crown on the mattress.
"Well maybe if this lodge of yours wasn't an insane maze, I would have found you sooner." Tobi argued. Leo had to acknowledge that. Sometimes it could get confusing about where was what.
"Yeah well you'll get used to it. We have the entire weekend to explore this house." Leo told him cheerfully. "So about your crown."
"Yeah, where is my crown?" Tobi asked while crossing his arms over his chest. "I want my win to be official." He stated while smiling. Leo quickly turned to the bed and grabbed the crown. He could have sworn he heard the girls giggling, but decided to push forward. He didn't want Tobi knowing after all. Turning his attention back to Tobi, crown in hand, he got down on one knee and started his speech.
"Sir Tobi," Leo started with a deep voice and an overdramatic British accent. "You have proven to be a worthy adversary. It is with deepest regret that I, the mighty Leo, must part ways with this crown." He stood up and placed the crown on Tobi's head. "And now, Tobi Tredwell, you are the new…" Leo paused for dramatic effect. "The new King of Pranks!" Leo exclaimed. Leo hoped that Luna heard her cue.
"Wow, thanks dude. Not gonna lie at first I thought you were propos-what the?!" The power suddenly shutting off had interrupted Tobi. The real fun of the prank was getting started. The door slammed shut behind Tobi. Instinctively, Tobi ran to the door to try and open it. Leo took that opportunity to hide. He hid on the other side of the bed and heard some shuffling from underneath the bed. Looks like the monsters were coming out to play.
"Damn it the door's locked. Leo if this another prank, I'm really not appreciating it." He could hear the panic in Tobi's voice and Leo felt a little bad. Only a little. Leo could hear the quiet footsteps from the group. "Who's there?" Tobi called out. Apparently, he heard them too. Leo heard the flick of a flashlight followed by yelp. Now with the flashlight, Tobi could see the masked villains. Leo could see them from where he was hiding and smothered a giggle. Aki, Sherry, and Crow slowly backed Tobi into a corner. They were letting out snarls and doing creepy voice impressions. Tobi looked absolutely terrified and his legs were shaking so bad that Leo thought that he was gonna fall over.
Leo couldn't hold it in any longer. He started to laugh so hard that he began rolling. The prank was over. The lights in the room came back on, momentarily blinding Leo, and Luna walked back into the room. She closed the door behind her. The look on Tobi's face when he saw Luna was priceless. The three "monsters" unmasked themselves, revealing themselves to Tobi. Leo came out from his hiding spot, wiping the tears from his face. Carly also climbed out of the wardrobe and flashed a thumbs up. The red light from her camera still blinking which meant that she was still recording.
"Oh man! I'm so glad that Yusei wasn't able to find you in time to warn you about this." Crow was laughing so hard he could barely stand up. "The look on your face was priceless. Can't wait to watch that later." Everyone was laughing at this point.
Leo walked over closer to Tobi. "I can't believe you fell for that." Leo told him. "That was almost too easy! You just walked right in and didn't even question it." Leo laughed. Tobi looked at him in disbelief. Tobi had yet to move from his spot in the corner.
"Apparently the prank was very effective." Sherry commented. "Would you look at that?" She gestured her hand towards the floor, right beneath where Tobi was standing.
"You peed yourself!?" Carly exclaimed while recording it with her camera. Everyone burst out laughing, including Luna. Tobi averted his eyes from the group and looked like he was on the brink of tears. Leo was about to start teasing when Yusei burst into the room. Carly hid her camera behind her and laughing ceased immediately.
"Tobi!" Yusei had found him, but he was too late. "Tobi are you okay?" Yusei stepped closer to Tobi and that's Yusei noticed the puddle beneath Tobi's feet. "Tobi, I'm so sorry that I wasn't able to find you sooner." The regret in Yusei's eyes made everyone feel bad. Maybe the prank wasn't such a good idea. Yusei had placed his hand on Tobi's shoulder, but Tobi pushed him away and ran out the door in tears. "Tobi wait!" Yusei called after him. Almost immediately Yusei turned and glared at the group. "You guys happy now?" He asked them. Now Leo felt even worse than before. "Well congrats, you're all certified jerks." Yusei jogged out of the room in pursuit of Tobi.
"It was just a prank." Leo muttered as everyone followed Yusei to find Tobi.
Misty
Misty heard the fast paced footsteps from around the corner and wondered who was running around. The power in the cabin had shut off before returning a few minutes later. She had assumed that it was the storm, but couldn't be sure. She stood up from her seat and started to walk over to the doors that led into the living room, when she saw a figure run past the window. The figure looked like Tobi! What was Tobi doing outside in the middle of the storm? Misty ran back to Kalin and tried shaking him awake.
"Kalin?! Kalin, wake up!" She realized that it was pointless and decided to leave him. She ran to the door leading into the living room. "Guys! I think Tobi's outside." She burst in saying. She might as well have been talking to a ghost. No one was around. She heard shuffled footsteps coming from the back door and decided to follow. She grabbed Tobi's jacket from the couch and quickly put on her winter parka. Although it wouldn't do much against the cold since she was wearing leggings and they weren't going to provide much warmth for her legs. Her knee high snow boots might contribute, but she didn't have time to go and change into something warmer. She ran over to the back door where she saw everyone standing. Yusei being in the center.
"Should we go after him?" She heard Leo ask. The boy was wearing a white sleevless jacket with matching white shorts. He must have been freezing.
"You know, I think you're the last person he wants to see right now Leo." Yusei said bitterly. Misty was surprised by that. She didn't Yusei had it in him to be hateful. She coud only wonder what had happened that it caused Tobi to run out and for Yusei to be bitter.
Misty pushed through the group. "What happened?" Where did my brother run off to?" The wind was howling and it was blowing hard. Misty pulled her hood up.
"Your brother can't take a joke." Sherry answered as she moved her long hair behind her.
"It was just a prank Tobi!" Aki called out into the forest where Tobi had run off.
Misty felt anger bubbling up inside her. She glared at them. "What did you do?" Misty was sure now that the power outage had something to do with the prank. Tobi had always been afraid of the dark and whatever they did must have terrified him.
"We were just messing around Misty." Crow told her. The dark cloak he was wearing blowing harshly in the wind. "It wasn't supposed to end like this. Kind of wish that 'Hero' over here arrived sooner."
Yusei gave him and look of disbelief. "Really? You're gonna throw me under the bus? You shouldn't have pulled a prank like that in the first place!" Yusei yelled at him. His eyes were filled with anger and disappointment. "He's just a kid, what did you think was going to happen?! This is exactly why I wanted nothing to do with this stupid prank!"
She looked at the group and couldn't believe that they would all do this to Tobi, especially Carly. She had trusted Carly and yet somehow Carly ended up betraying her. Misty was seriously going to have to reevaluate that friendship. The only exception was Yusei and from what she was hearing, it looks like he tried to stop the prank. She only wished that Yusei could have found him sooner to prevent this. Then again, if she hadn't been staring off into space and actually went and found her brother, this wouldn't have happened either. At this point, it looked like Yusei and Misty were the only ones that Tobi would trust with Jack and Kalin were still out of commission.
Misty let out an angry huff and shook her head. "I'm going to look for my brother. And when I come back, you better believe that this won't end well for you." She turned towards and was about to run off when she felt a hand grab her forearm. She turned her head to see that it was Yusei.
"Misty wait. You shouldn't go off into the woods on your own, especially in this type of weather." He let go of her arm. "Let me grab my jacket and we can both look for Tobi." He gave a small reassuring smile. "We can find him together." Noble and heroic till the very end.
Misty sighed and shook her head. "Thanks Yusei," she started. "I appreciate the offer, but I'm the one that needs to find him." She readjusted the hood of her jacket. "On the off chance that Tobi comes back and I miss him, I need someone here that he can trust. Since everyone else here no longer has that." She glared back at the pranksters and got guilty looks in response. "I need you to be here for Tobi." Misty could tell from the frown on Yusei's face that he immediately disproved the idea. "I'll be fine." She assured him and gave a small smile. "Its just a stroll through the woods, what could go wrong?"
Yusei sighed heavily and shivered slightly. "Just… be careful and come back safe." She nodded and gave a thumbs up.
Misty took off into the woods. She needed to find Tobi fast before the blizzard got worse. She ran down the forest trail and looked carefully around for signs of Tobi. Misty came upon a set of stairs and a small ledge. While she wanted to find her brother quickly, jumping from the ledge probably wasn't the best idea. She jogged down the stairs and continued running down the trail. The wind was howling ominously and Misty hoped that Tobi thought this was a bad idea and went back.
She soon came upon a forked area. She noticed footprints trailing off to the left. Since no one else was out here she figured she might as well follow. Suddenly a branch snapped to her right and now she wasn't sure which path to take. She could follow the noise and maybe it was Tobi who had run off in that direction. However, that noise could have been caused by an animal as well. Misty decided to stick with her first choice and follow the snowy footprints. She ran to her left and soon encountered a pack of deer. Okay, maybe she should have gone right.
Misty ran towards the deer which startled them and they all took off. Suddenly a high pitched screech rang through the trees with a simultaneous high frequency noise. Misty whipped around in fear. "What the hell?" The noise came from somewhere behind her. She shrugged it out and continued onwards to search for her brother. "Dammit Tobi, where did you go?"
She noticed a small drop from a ledge and decided to go down it. She could only hope that she was going the right way. Misty pulled out her phone from her pocket and activated her flashlight app. She decided to take a break from all the running and speed walk through the woods. Misty pointed her flashlight towards the path in front of her. She looked around at the trees and didn't feel comforted. Maybe she should have taken up Yusei's offer and let him come with her.
She kept walking when she thought she saw flames up ahead. The flames suddenly disappeared. Perhaps she had imagined it? Misty pushed on and occasionally called out Tobi's name. There was no answer and she wasn't really expecting one. The further she walked away from the lodge, the less safe she felt. She felt like something was stalking her through the woods. Suddenly, another cloud of flames appeared on a high ledge close to her. She couldn't really see anyone, but a high pitched screech was heard once again. She decided to ignore it and keep walking.
Misty could see a small clearing ahead of her. There was small figure in the middle of the clearing. She quickened her pace towards the clearing. She swatted away a few branches and approached the clearing.
"Tobi, is that you?" Her voice hopeful.
"Misty?" The voice sounded so small. The figure turned its head and revealed it to be her younger brother. Misty felt extremely relieved that her brother was alright.
"Tobi, thank god you're okay!" She exclaimed as she ran over to him, quickly putting her phone in her pocket. Tobi was wearing a black sleeveless shirt with jeans and tennis shoes. "Oh my god, you must be freezing!" She quickly wrapped her brother in his blue bubble jacket that she had grabbed earlier. He stood up and zipped up the coat.
"I can't believe I fell for that." His voice cracking. "I'm so dumb." Tears were threatening to fall from his eyes.
"Tobi, it'll be okay." She assured him. "No doubt everyone is suffering the wrath of Yusei's many friendship speeches. By the time we get back, they'll all be regretting the events of today." He gave her a small smile. "Now let's get back and get warmed up."
If only it were that simple.
They were about to head back on the path that Misty took when she heard a familiar high pitched screech. She felt grab her hand. "Sis? What was that?" He asked her. His eyes filled with panic.
They heard the screech once again. This time it was considerably closer. She felt Tobi edging away from her. She herself started to back away from the path. Suddenly, the branches from the trees that Misty had emerged from shook violently. The instinct to run possessed her and her brother as they took off into the opposite direction. Her longer strides easily out running her brother. Whatever it was that was chasing them, it was getting closer. Misty came across a small shed with a tiny wooden bridge in it. The planks were all creaky and old, but it held her weight. Tobi unfortunately tripped on one of the planks.
Misty turned to see her brother on the ground. She quickly ran back to get him. She yanked him up on his feet and pushed him through the shed. She sprinted after him and felt her phone fall out of her pocket. She considered picking it up, but the high pitched screech reminded her that there was other important things. She saw Tobi running up ahead of her and ran after him. It didn't take her very long to catch up. Their running was stopped short by a dead end.
Or rather the appearance of a cliff.
"Oh no." Misty muttered. She turned her attention back to the trail hoping for an escape there. It seemed whatever was hunting them, had successfully managed to corner them. There was no way out of this. Misty felt Tobi grab her hand. She wanted to tell him that everything was going to be okay, but she knew that he would be able to see right through the lie. She could hear the creature getting closer. Unconsciously, she stepped back away from it and closer to the cliff.
"Back off!" She yelled at it. It was hopeless she knew, but it was worth a shot. She tried to think of what else to do. She grabbed a small rock and threw it in the direction of the creature. She heard another screech. She probably ended up making things worse. It sounded like she pissed it off. "Shit… what do I do?"
That's when she heard a shifting noise behind followed by a crack. She turned her attention to Tobi who was very slowly falling off the cliff. Tobi had gotten too close to the edge of the cliff. The only thing he was standing on was a thick layer of snow that no longer able to hold his weight. He looked at her with panicked eyes. Tobi was still holding her hand, so when the edge of cliff gave way, she was dragged off with him.
Thanks to her quick reflexes, Misty managed to grab onto a branch that poking out from the cliff. With her other hand, Misty clutched onto Tobi's wrist with a death grip. She knew she wouldn't be able to hold on forever, his weight was too much for her. When she looked up, she saw the same flames from before. She heard the screeching fading away. Was this thing afraid of fire? She thought to herself as she felt Tobi's grip start loosening.
"Tobi! Hold on!" She down at him as she saw the hopelessness in his eyes. "Hold on!" she begged and felt his grip tighten.
Misty looked back up at the cliff and was greeted by a masked stranger suddenly appearing. She saw him stretch out his arm and reach towards her. Misty wouldn't be able to reach him in the current predicament she was in. The only she would be able to do that would be to drop Tobi, and she wasn't about to do that. She couldn't let go of the branch either, where would that get them? The masked stranger's reach was getting closer. For a brief moment, Misty could feel the hope of being rescued. She saw herself being reunited with Kalin and the others back in the lodge where it was safe. Away from whatever it was that chased them.
However, things don't always go the way as planned.
Just before the stranger could reach them, the branch snapped in half. The combined weight of her and Tobi was too much and now they were falling down the cliff. Tobi had let go of his sister's arm as they fell. The stranger made a wild attempt to grab her and she tried to reach for him, but she was already too far out of range. She could hear the combined screams of both her and Tobi.
The Tredwell siblings hit the base of the cliff hard. Their bodies rolled into an unseen cavern. The bodies rolled deeper in the cavern until they hit the cavern floor. Cracks of bones could be heard and the bodies had finally stopped their rolling. Within the darkness of the cavern, the chances of these two siblings being found was unlikely. Off into the distance, a high pitched screech could be heard, ringing through the mountains.