Part one: Jessica
It was exactly one year after the events that took place on Mt. Washington when Jessica Riley was called in for yet, another interview. She didn't want to be interviewed, she was sick of talking about what happened that faithful January night. She was sick of reliving those horrible moments when she was sure she was done for; she would have been dead, if not for her friends, especially Mike and Matt.
"Miss Riley, I assume?"
Jessica looked up at the park ranger that stood there, "That's me."
The ranger waved her hand, "Follow me please."
She did; it wasn't like Jessica had much of a choice in the matter. Ever since the events that took place a year ago, Jessica and the rest of her fellow survivors, had been the center of attention at the Mt. Washington ranger station. In some ways, Jessica didn't blame them for wanting to understand the whole story. The events she and the rest had been though, that wasn't something someone could just sit down and explain in a simple one-time conversation; the story was detailed, complex, in need of full attention of be understood.
But after being called up almost fifty times in the past twelve months, Jessica was no longer sympathetic to the cause. She wanted to move on, to forget what happened, and try and move on with her life.
The ranger stopped in front of a small interrogation room, the door already open. Jessica didn't wait for the woman's permission as she walked through the door, taking a seat in one of the chairs.
The ranger eyed Jessica, examining her, "You've done this before?" the woman asked.
Jessica let out a humorless laugh, sitting back, she folded her arms over her chest, "You have no idea."
The woman only nodded, "Investigator Kane will be in shortly. Until then is there anything I can get you, coffee perhaps?"
"Make it black." Jessica replied, not bothering to even look at the ranger.
With that, the ranger left only to return a few moments later with Jessica's coffee. Five, maybe ten minutes passed before the investigator arrived. When she did, Jessica didn't even react; Jessica picked up her coffee, taking a sip from the Styrofoam cup.
"Miss Riley," Investigator Kane said, her voice in a casual tone, "Nice to see you again."
It was that statement that caused Jessica to snap her attention to the woman in the room with her. Slowly, Jessica sat her coffee back on the table.
"Nice? You think I enjoy coming back here month, after month, talking about the same shit over, and over again? Really?"
Investigator Kane didn't seem to be taken back by Jessica's comment, if anything, it made her more interested.
"Your absolutely right Miss Riley," Mrs. Kane said, taking her place across from Jessica, "The circumstances in which we have been brought together have been anything but nice. But, thanks to you and your friends' cooperation, we have been able to make progress of the investigation of Hannah, Beth, and now Joshua Washington."
"Bullshit" Jessica thought.
"Can we just get this done with, I have other, better, things to do with my time." Jessica replied.
Investigator Kane gave Jessica a small smile, like what Jessica had just said was somehow funny to her. Jessica watched as the woman turned on the camera, the red-light blinking, signaling that it was recording.
"Now," the investigator began, "Please state your name, age, and occupation."
Jessica sighed, she had done this dozen, upon dozens of time already, but complied anyway.
"My name is Jessica Riley, I'm nineteen, and currently a student."
"What are you studying?" Investigator Kane asked.
"Is all of this small talk really necessary?" Jessica asked.
"Please answer the question Miss Riley."
Jessica bit her lip, "Art history, there, happy?"
Investigator Kane ignored the bitterness laced in Jessica's voice, "And how is that going, your studies, I mean."
"Great." Jessica said sharply.
"Can you elaborate on that more?" Kane pressed.
Jessica gave the investigator an even sharper smile, "No."
"Miss Riley," Kane said, "You know that more unresponsive you are, the longer this interview will go."
"Then why don't you get to the point already, huh? Just ask me your questions and let's get this over with."
Kane nodded, "Alright then, I wanted to ask you about the events that occurred on Mt. Washington on January-"
Jessica cut the investigator off, "What more can I tell you? If you want more information about Josh, the strange man, or the monsters, talk to Sam, or mike. Hell, even Emily would have more to say than me."
"I'm not referring to the incident that happened one year ago." Investigator Kane said calmly.
"What?"
"Miss Riley, I want to ask you about what happened two years ago. The night Hannah and Beth Washington disappeared."
Jessica was taken back by this, no one had ever questioned her about that night.
"Miss Riley?"
Jessica looked back up at Kane, "Why do you want you know about that night?"
Kane folded her hands on the table, a calm, yet cool smile on her face, "We believe that there is a connection to what happened two years ago, to the tragic, yet unclear, events that happened one year ago on Mt. Washington."
Jessica thought for a moment, memories of the Washington twins flooded back into her head, "What do you need to know?"
Kane's smile stretched slightly, clearly pleased by Jessica's response, "What was your connection to that night? Why were you there? And what was your relationship with the Washingtons?"
Jessica took a deep breath, "I was invited, Josh- Hannah and Beth's older brother, invited me along with my other friends, up to their ski lodge on Mt. Washington for the weekend."
"These friends," Investigator Kane cut in, "Are they the same friends present during the events one year ago?"
Jessica nodded, "Yes."
Kane nodded, writing something down on her pad of paper, "And your relationship with the Washingtons? We're you close with any of them?"
"I wasn't very close to any of them," Jessica explained, "If I had to choose, I would say I got along with Beth the most."
"Why would you think that?"
"I don't know I guess-" Jessica paused, "I guess she was more laid back that the others- Josh and Hannah- and we had that in common."
"What do you recall of Hannah and Beth that night?"
"I don't understand what are you-"
"I mean," Kane said, "Was anything off about them, anything that caused them to be in distress?"
Jessica knew Kane knew about the so-called 'prank' she had pulled, along with Mike, Matt, Emily, and Ashley, that night. She knew the others, mostly Sam, had mentioned it to them in prior interviews.
"Hannah, she um….we um….." Jessica sighed, "We pulled a dumb joke on her; it was stupid, cruel, and we shouldn't have done it but we did. Hannah was so upset she ran outside in the freaking blizzard and Beth ran after her."
"And then they disappeared?"
"Yeah," Jessica said, "Then they disappeared."
To be continued in Part 2: Emily