CHAPTER ONE 'THUMP'

This was it, the day that many had been looking forward to. This was the day that a select few had been very anxious for. This was the day that a boat full of people would be setting sail to Harper's Island for the wedding ceremony of Wyatt Cullen and Taylor Anderson. Harper's Island is a remote island, 37 miles off the coast of Seattle.

The island itself is a small strip of land, with a small town where few currently resided. What was once a rather attractive destination is now a rarely visited, slightly feared rock on the water. This was mainly due to the island's tragic and horrific past, filled with misery, fear, and much despair.

Ten years prior on a day similar to this one, another group of people had journeyed to the infamous island, with the intention of enjoying a week of relaxation, as well as sharing in the joy of what promised to be a celebratory occasion; the wedding of Henry Dunn and Trish Wellington.

However, things took a dark and deadly turn; the guests and even some of the island's inhabitants were being killed in gruesome and elaborate ways. As the week progressed, those who remained had to fight for their lives and pointed accusatory fingers at one another. It was soon revealed that the murders were being carried out by the legendary killer John Wakefield, and his long-lost son, also the groom of the wedding, Henry Dunn. Both had motives of their own but were both ultimately killed as well. Few managed to survive the ordeal, and those who did were left with emotional damage and scars.

After John Wakefield and Henry Dunn were pronounced dead and buried, the island was deemed safe again; a few locals had returned to their homes and workplaces on the island and carried on with their lives. Nothing eventful had then occurred in the coming years, and all the unfortunate events had become a thing of the past. History could not possibly repeat itself… or could it?

A fair number of people were gathered at the Seattle Harbour; some were standing in smaller groups on the large yacht and some stood on the adjacent docks waiting for other guests to arrive.

The sun was shining brightly in the sky above, and few clouds could be seen. The air was fresh and warm. The father of the bride, Walter Anderson, stood at the end of the dock alone, deep in thought. His mind raced with several thoughts; of course, he hoped and prayed that his daughter's wedding, and all that went with it, would go off without a hitch. He was happy that Taylor had found a suitable person to marry, and he gave it all his full approval. However, Walter's mind was mostly occupied with thoughts of disapproval and disliking of a man named Chad Smythe. The thought of just his name caused Walter to scowl. Then suddenly, Walter was brought out of his thoughts by a small tap on his shoulder.

He turned his head to see his wife, Mary Anderson standing before him. He managed a smile, through his growing anger; 'Hi,' he said to her.

'Walter,' said Mary, picking up on his tone and posture, 'are... are you okay?'

Walter nodded at first, but then countered it with a shake of his head. 'No, no actually I'm not.' He replied. 'All I can think about is Chad. He shouldn't be my chief concern, especially not when I should be focused on Taylor and this wedding...'

Mary sighed and shook her head slowly. 'I know what you're thinking,' she said. 'Okay, but listen, don't. It's done.'

'I didn't have much of a choice, did I?' replied Walter, indignantly.

'She wouldn't have come, Walter.' Said Mary, quietly. 'Not if we didn't allow her to bring him.'

Walter scoffed and turned his back on Mary and looked out to the water before him; the sun reflected its surface, promising positivity, but Walter couldn't feel it. He sighed for a moment and said; 'I know. And that's what scares me. That... that guy has a hold on her.'

'He's her boyfriend, Walter,' replied Mary, 'our daughter's loyalty to him is stronger than we can control.'

Walter nodded, 'that's the problem.'

'What do you think they're talking about?' asked Leah Ryan to soon to be bride Taylor Anderson and Katie Thompson. Leah and Katie were both bridesmaids and two of Taylor's closest friends.

Leah and Katie sat on either side of Taylor on a bench on the dock, watching Walter and Mary Anderson from a distance. Curiosity had peeked in all three of them when they noted Walter's uneasy expression.

Taylor shrugged, 'I don't know,' she replied with a frown, 'My dad's been really anxious for the past few weeks. I'm guessing it's probably the wedding, hoping all goes well.'

'Can't really blame him for that.' said Leah, 'I know you're excited!'

Taylor nodded, a frown turning into a smile, and she started to feel giddy; 'Oh yes,' she replied, 'I'm freaking out actually! I'm about to be married! Oh my god!'

'Yup,' replied Katie Thompson with a grin, 'to the hottest guy in our former high school! Girl, you picked right.'

'Thanks, Katie!' replied Taylor, a little awkwardly; Katie Thompson often made people uncomfortable with her crude remarks and jokes; she had no filter and said whatever came to mind. She also often joked about hooking up with Taylor's soon-to-be husband Wyatt, so much so that Taylor sometimes wondered if they were indeed jokes.

As long as Taylor had known Katie, she had never seen her in a committed relationship; she was more into one-night stands and random hookups without emotional attachment. Taylor and Leah had often worried about her, but Katie seemed content, so they learned to accept her lifestyle.

'Katie, how many times do I need to tell you,' began Leah in a slow mocking tone as though speaking to a young child; 'Taylor is marrying Wyatt. Not you. You shouldn't say those things about your friend's soon-to-be husbands.'

Katie rolled her eyes, but snickered crudely; 'I'm just saying!' she chanted, shaking Taylor's shoulders. 'You are lucky, girl!'

'Yeah, maybe you'll get lucky and be married one day!' replied Leah, then burst out laughing, 'I couldn't say that with a straight face!'

Leah Ryan was always more tame than Katie, which was a relief for Taylor, as she added a healthy balance to her life. Leah was also less of a socialite than Katie and even Taylor, she turned more to books and research than partying and men. She was definitely the one to sit and have a serious conversation with.

'Got that right, girl.' Boasted Katie, with a carefree smile. 'Not my style.'

'Oh, we know that,' muttered Leah. 'Your style is pointless hookups and forgetting their names.' Leah was always completely disapproving of Katie's lifestyle; she firmly believed in commitment and was filled with pride for Taylor.

'Well in her defense,' began Taylor, her tone of voice changing to that of slight disgust. 'She's not as bad as Josh.'

'I guess,' said Leah, awkwardly.

'You guess?' asked Taylor, running her hand over her face. 'God, he's a pig!'

Katie nodded slowly in agreement. 'Yeah, he's hooked up with enough girls in our grade.'

Taylor scoffed; 'Avery, Amanda, Kelsey, Megan…' She began, 'those are just names off the top of my head that I know for sure.'

'Evalyn, Jana, Grace...' continued Katie, listing the names off on her fingers.

'Grace? You mean Grace Lawrence?' asked Leah, her eyes widening. 'She wasn't even in our grade!'

'Nope,' said Katie with a smirk. 'He's been with girls in lower grades as well, in some way or another.'

Taylor rolled her eyes; 'Honestly can't stand him,' she growled in a low voice. 'I don't know why Wyatt is even friends with him.'

'He's pretty hot, though!' said Katie, and then took a long pause. 'Alright, I guess this is as good a time as any to confess something!' Katie always thrived on being the centre of attention, so she beamed when Taylor and Leah looked at her in suspense.

'I hooked up with him too,' she blurted out.

'WHAT!' snapped Taylor in a horrified whisper, 'WHEN?'

'Last year,' replied Katie tossing her hair, casually; 'At Jana's going away party. He was hinting at it the whole night, so I gave in.'

'I'm sure it took a lot of begging,' said Leah sarcastically.

Leah seemed interested in hearing more, but Taylor scoffed again, 'why didn't you say anything?' she asked.

Leah interrupted, 'Do you really want her to tell us every time she gets with a guy? Cause that would get old really fast!'

'True, true.' Taylor replied with an annoyed glare at Katie, 'God your standards are low.'

'Love ya too, girl!' chanted Katie, with a wink.

Taylor Anderson was both beautiful and fair-minded; she was wildly popular in high school and had many admirers. She was humbly aware of this, but always valued her relationship with Wyatt and held her family and good friends close, which is why she neglected to express to Wyatt how much she detested Josh Hayes, and she never told Katie how much of a whore she thought she was.

Meanwhile, on the upper deck of the yacht, groom Wyatt Cullen stood leaning over the railing, looking out on the water. By his side stood his best friend and best man, Tyler Wilson. Wyatt's two groomsmen Josh Hayes and Cameron Logan stood alongside them as well. Wyatt, Tyler, and Josh each sipped on a couple of beers casually.

Josh glanced over at Cameron, whose empty hands dangled over the rail of the yacht. Josh scoffed and asked rudely, 'Still too scared to have a beer?'

Cameron shook his head; 'Nah, don't feel like it right now.' he replied, awkwardly.

'Pussy,' spat Josh, reaching into the cooler for another. Cameron shot him a menacing glare.

Josh Hayes was an incredibly pompous person; he was confrontational and often antagonistic. He had gotten into several fights, both physical and verbal, and usually emerged the victor. He was also a bully and enjoyed tormenting those he felt were beneath him. Unfortunately for Cameron Logan, he was one of the people Josh often targeted.

'Doesn't have to have one if he doesn't want to,' said Tyler, coming to Cameron's defense as he so often did when Josh was involved.

'I will,' said Cameron a little awkwardly, 'just not feeling it right now.'

'You never are,' Josh said with a scoff, 'as I said…Pussy.'

Cameron slammed his fist on the railing of the yacht, and locked eyes with Josh Hayes, 'You know what? Fuck you.' he snapped, and with a swoop of his hand, he scooped a beer from the cooler and cracked it open. With a nod to an amused Wyatt and Tyler and a smirk to Josh, he downed the entire bottle in one gulp.

Wyatt and Tyler laughed at the exacerbated expression on Josh's face, as Cameron triumphantly raised his empty bottle to the air.

'What was that about pussy?' Cameron asked Josh with a grin.

Josh did not look impressed and allowed his pride to take over. 'Other than the fact that you don't get any?' he replied with a shrug of his shoulder.

Cameron's look of delight turned to that of anger and he gripped the railing with rising vigor.

Tyler seemed to catch this, so he quickly tried to defuse the growing tension. 'Alright Josh, you tried to make a point, Cam shot you down. Live with it. You guys better not fuck around this week, we have a lot going on.'

Both Tyler and Wyatt often had to play mediator between Josh and Cameron, but Tyler had made a vow to himself to try and elevate any stress on Wyatt for the coming week.

He turned his head to Wyatt who was leaning against the railing and staring out on the water, a small smile suddenly appearing on his face.

'What are you thinking about, bud?' Tyler asked him.

'Taylor,' replied Wyatt, not stirring, 'can't believe this is happening.'

He took his phone out of his pocket and looked at his wallpaper which was a picture of him and his soon-to-be wife. He smiled to himself and said aloud. 'She's amazing.'

'Yeah, yeah she is,' said Josh, patting Wyatt on the back. 'you're a lucky man, my friend.'

'He sure is!' said an enthusiastic voice from behind them.

The boys turned around to see Wyatt's aunt Valerie standing before them. Valerie was the wife of Wyatt's uncle, Charlie. Wyatt was born on Harper's Island, shortly after his mother died in a tragic accident so he was raised solely by his father, Christopher Cullen. As unfortunate luck would have it, his father was also taken from him at an early age. Not only was he taken from Wyatt, but he was also murdered… Murdered by the infamous John Wakefield in his 2001 rampage that shook the island's reputation and safety. After his father died, Wyatt was sent to live with his father's brother Charlie and his wife Valerie in Seattle.

Wyatt had deep love and respect for both of them for taking him in and loving him as their own son. They helped him through the loss of his father and gave him a new life, a life that he quickly adapted to and enjoyed.

Valerie was a rather timid woman who hated confrontation and rarely spoke her mind. Nonetheless, she was excited for her nephew and grinned at him.

'Hey, Auntie Val!' said Wyatt, grinning back at her. 'Glad you finally made it!'

'Oh of course!' Beamed Valerie giving Wyatt a hug. 'Nowhere else I would rather be! The captain gave me this note asking you to go downstairs to the crew's cabin.'

Wyatt looked confused; 'who's it from?' he asked.

'I'm not sure,' replied Valerie, 'the captain was vague.' She handed Wyatt the note who skimmed it over, the look of confusion never leaving him.

'Captain probably wants to buy you a drink?' suggested Tyler.

Crawling with confusion and curiosity, the boys followed Valerie down a small set of stairs leading to the crew's cabin. Once they entered the small and dark room, they looked around. On the far left side of the room, there was what seemed to be a bar. And standing behind the counter was a man with his back to them.

Walter and Mary Anderson remained in their position at the end of the dock; they spoke little. Walter's concerns had not subsided and he still scowled into the air. He cocked his head slightly to the right and closed his eyes, then his head twitched slightly.

'Walter,' said Mary, with a shake of her head. 'I have to tell you, it worries me to see you like this.'

'I know. I'm sorry.' Walter sighed as he turned to look at her, 'Just thinking about Brook.'

Mary nodded with a pitying expression; 'I am as well,' she said.

'We're losing her, Mary,' said Walter, a hint of desperation in his voice, 'every day I feel her slipping further and further away and…' he stopped speaking enough to grit his teeth, 'it's all because of him.' With that, he slammed his fist into his hand. He then looked over Mary's shoulder, and suddenly a loathing expression painted his face. His eyes flashed with anger.

Mary turned around, her eyes fixed on the parking lot before the long dock. Approaching the boat from the lot were Chadwick Smythe and Brooklyn Anderson.

Taylor remained seated with her two bridesmaids. She noticed Brooklyn and Chad as well. She braced herself for what could happen, but Brooklyn, who was holding hands with Chad, simply walked past the group of girls without taking notice of them. Taylor shrugged it off, more than used to this type of treatment from her older sister. Growing up, Brooklyn and Taylor had always been incredibly close; they were practically attached at the hip, and always did things with one another.

However, in recent years, things had changed; Brooklyn had met Chad and had moved out of the family home. Once this happened, Brooklyn had become very distant; she rarely contacted the family, and if ever she did, the conversations were usually filled with arguing and yelling. Taylor missed her older sister and the relationship they once had, but she had mostly come to terms with the fact that it would never mend.

'Wow, can't believe she actually came!' remarked Leah, as she watched the two of them approach Mr. and Mrs. Anderson.

'I know,' agreed Taylor with a slight shake of her head. 'No one was sure if she actually would. I know my dad's not happy about Chad coming.'

'Why does your family hate him so much?' asked Katie.

'I don't even know for sure,' replied Taylor, 'I just know that every time Chad is brought up, my dad gets super mad. I mean, I can't really blame him; Chad's changed Brooklyn, she's never been so far away, I mean mentally. We hardly ever hear from her, and she never comes over anymore. She's only here for the open bar, I know that, but part of me hopes the wedding might bring us together, I don't know. I do know it's killing my dad.'

'Don't even think about it, girlie!' Katie said with a tone that was actually sincere. 'Your dad's just as excited about this as you are. He's not gonna let anything or anyone get in the way of that! Don't let Brooklyn or Chad ruin it for you! We're all here for you!'

Taylor smiled at Katie, and then at Leah and pulled them into a tight embrace; 'I love you guys!'

Chadwick Smythe and Brooklyn Anderson approached Mr. and Mrs. Anderson. There was instantly heated tension between the two pairs.

Walter, refusing to make any eye contact with Chad, smiled at his daughter and said weakly but with sincerity; 'I'm happy you came.'

Brooklyn looked blankly at Walter and at Mary and replied with a hint of sarcasm, 'Anything for Taylor.'

Mary hugged Brooklyn and nodded at Chad in greeting; 'It's going to be a nice week,' she said with a small smile, 'we're all here to make sure of that.'

'As I said, mother,' replied Brooklyn with a snide tone, 'anything for Taylor. That's how it always is.' Rather than wait for a response, Brooklyn grabbed Chad by the arm and they boarded the boat, avoiding eye contact with anyone else as they did so.

'What did she mean by that?' Asked a bemused Walter. ''That's how it's always been'?' But he just shook his head stubbornly. 'No, no, this is not how this week is going to go. It's our daughter's wedding, and I can't spend it angry and uncertain.' He then smiled at Mary and pecked her on the cheek, 'everything will be okay.'

'It sure will,' replied Mary with a smile.

Wyatt, Tyler, Josh, Cameron, and Valerie all stood staring at the man behind the bar, who seemed to take no notice of their arrival. He was dressed in what seemed to be a long black leather trench coat and a black fedora hat. Admittedly the atmosphere was rather unsettling, but continued curiosity prompted them to approach the bar.

'Hello?' asked Wyatt.

The man did not reply but seemed to be fumbling with something in his pocket.

The boys and Valerie exchanged bewildered looks; it was growing odder by the minute.

The man snickered quietly and, to their horror, reached into his pocket and drew a long sharp knife, but remained with his back facing them. He fingered the blade of the knife and snickered again.

Wyatt's heart raced as he motioned for the others to leave the room. Valerie, Cameron, and Josh stepped back, but Tyler stood at Wyatt's side.

'Who are you?' Breathed Wyatt.

'Really?' The man asked, 'you don't recognize me?'

'Oh for fuck sakes.' said Wyatt, shaking his head realizing what was going on.

The man erupted in laughter and wheeled around. He threw aside his black trench coat and stood before them dressed in a brightly colored Hawaiian shirt, and beige cargo pants.

'Uncle Charlie,' laughed Wyatt, breathing a sigh of relief.

'Of course!' replied Charlie, 'who'd you think it was?'

'Some psycho with a knife came to mind,' said Josh.

'Can't cut a lime without a knife, Joshie boy!' replied Charlie as he reached for a lime from the bar's contents, and began cutting it into slices.

'Lime?' inquired Josh.

Charlie grinned and grabbed a bottle from the shelf behind him. 'Gotta have lime and salt handy if you wanna have a shot of tequila!'

'That went how I thought it would,' said Chad Smythe to Brooklyn. The two of them sat together on the upper deck isolated from everyone else, and taking care to avoid eye contact with anyone.

The scowl of contempt never left Chad's face as he clenched his fists. Every now and again he would scoff at some thought that troubled him, and then he would go silent for several minutes, and then shake his head. Chad disliked the Andersons as much as they disliked him; he was well aware of the contempt they had for him, more so Walter than Mary, and often used it to spite Walter. In fact, the only reason he agreed to attend the wedding is because he knew it would anger Walter.

'Don't worry about it, babe,' coaxed Brooklyn, taking care of her words. 'Just think of the free food, booze, hotel room coming our way, all paid for by them!'

Chad reached into his pocket and drew a lighter and a pack of cigarettes. He selected one and lit it. Blowing a puff of smoke into the air, he scoffed and shook his head for the umpteenth time.

'I'm gonna fucking knock your dad out,' he said finally. 'How much jail time for an assault on a cop?'

'At least a year and a fine,' replied Brooklyn, 'but he'd probably make it longer and more. Don't forget, he's the chief of police. Not just a cop.'

'Almost fucking worth it.' spat Chad, as he blew another puff of smoke and, as he did so, ashed his cigarette on the polished wood floor of the yacht, much to the disgust of a few onlookers who looked for the source of the smell of the cigarette, but didn't wish to approach him on it.

Brooklyn shook her head. 'No, it's not worth it,' she said, 'he's not worth it, they're not worth it.'

'Why did you even come then?' spat Chad, 'they don't fucking respect you. It's all about Taylor, it always is, right?'

Brooklyn nodded.

'I'm fucking sick of the way your dad looks at me, and I know he fucking talks. You saw how everyone looked at us as we were walking up the stairs. Fucking Taylor too. If she thinks I won't knock her and Wyatt out too…'

'Don't say that.' Cut off Brooklyn, without thinking. She could see the angered look on Chad's face so she quickly continued; 'don't worry about what they think. We're here, and we're not going anywhere. If we leave, they win right? So let's make the most of this free all-inclusive week!'

Chad considered, he had calmed down a great deal much to the relief of Brooklyn. A sudden thought crossed his mind, and would not subside.

'I know what we could do to really piss off your old man,' he said snickering to himself. 'Yeah we're here, we came. We're going to this all-inclusive destination wedding, with all expenses paid. Let's take full advantage, take the entire time to ourselves!'

'Where are you going with this?' asked Brooklyn with a raised eyebrow.

'Let's go to the island, but screw the wedding!' replied Chad, 'we'll do our own thing.'

Brooklyn thought for a while in silence. Chad looked at her with a sudden gleam in his eyes as if he had just been cured of a fatal disease.

'They would never forgive me,' said Brooklyn finally but quietly, mostly to herself.

'Who cares?' said Chad dismissively, 'would they even notice we weren't there?'

Brooklyn shrugged, as she began to feel uncomfortable. 'They won't notice and they won't care,' determined Chad.

'Chad, we can't do that.' replied Brooklyn, 'I can't do that.'

Chad flicked his cigarette on the floor and the angered look returned to his face and in his eyes; Brooklyn knew she had said the wrong thing and could not think of anything to say or do to correct herself. She braced herself for whatever came next.

'You do what you want,' said Chad standing up, 'that's what I'm doing though.' He patted her rather aggressively on the shoulder and walked away. One thing he didn't note, to her relief, as he made to pat her shoulder, was her small wince.

Taylor and her two friends continued to sit on the bench in conversation when suddenly they heard a loud voice booming from a few feet away.

'HEY Y'ALL!' It screamed, and as they turned they saw a couple approaching them, each holding a suitcase. Taylor, Katie, and Leah jumped up and ran to embrace them.

'Aundrea!' cried Taylor, refusing to let go of the girl who hugged back just as tightly.

Aundrea Williams was Taylor's oldest and closest friend; Aundrea was four years older than Taylor, and both had known each other as far back as they could recall. Their respective parents were friends as well, so Taylor and Aundrea had seen a lot of one another growing up.

Aundrea had moved to New York City about six years prior where she had met her boyfriend, Marcus Abrams who accompanied her to the wedding. Marcus had met Taylor and Wyatt, and their friends a handful of times when they would come and visit, and was well received by everyone. He loved Aundrea and she seemed happy with him, so that was enough for Taylor.

'How are you!' Cried Taylor, as she gave her friend the tightest hug she could, 'God, I've missed you guys so much!'

'You know I missed you as well!' replied Aundrea, with a wide smile, 'All of you!' She embraced both Katie and Leah with excitement.

The girls all embraced Marcus as well, who stood beaming at all of them. Aundrea then grinned at Taylor and grabbed her arm and looked with excitement at her left hand. She shrieked with enthusiasm when the silver band, with an aquamarine gem, gleamed back at her.

'Congratulations, girl!' she cried, 'it's beautiful! I saw the pictures, but that doesn't do it justice! I couldn't wait to see it up close! That boy really loves you!'

Taylor blushed and giggled. 'Yeah, I think he does too,' she said, modestly.

'So there's Aundrea and Marcus,' said Walter to Mary, as they both watched and took in the glee and excitement of the reunion of the friends. 'That's almost everyone.'

'Yeah, almost,' said Mary quietly, 'three left.'

Walter sighed, 'So you're sure this is a good idea? You know, to invite them here? To invite them there? After the terrible things they went through all those years ago?'

Mary considered; a grave look appeared on her face as she pondered the question. She spoke sadly, 'what they went through were an immeasurable trauma and a constant heartbreak. I've heard in great detail all that happened that miserable week and I sympathize greatly. I do believe that in the ten years, they have had time to grieve for their loved ones and to find new ways to cope and eventually move on, and I strongly believe that they have. I see this wedding as a way for them to face their demons, and to feel safe and secure, or at least to try. I don't know what will happen or how they will react to returning after all this time, but I think, I hope it's for the best.'

Just as she finished talking as if right on cue, she and Walter noticed a large black S.U.V pulling into the parking lot behind the harbor shack.

Walter and Mary walked over to meet it. Three people were inside; a woman in the driver's seat and a man and a woman sitting together in the back seat; the man's arm was around the woman, who looked very uneasily out the window at the yacht beside the dock.

At long last, they stepped out of the vehicle and were greeted by Walter and Mary.

'There, there they are!' said Leah excitedly, as she spotted Walter and Mary walking onto the docks, accompanied by the three people, holding their luggage. Leah, Katie, Taylor, and Aundrea now stood on the yacht, leaning against the rail, Marcus had linked up with Wyatt and the guys.

'Who?' asked Katie.

Leah beamed at Katie wildly. 'Those people I told you about! The 'survivors'. I'm dying to meet them!'

'Why?' asked Taylor suspiciously.

'I've read about them!' replied Leah, 'I've read all the news articles and seen pictures! They're practically famous online!'

'Okay,' replied Taylor looking over at Leah disapprovingly, a look she usually reserved for Katie. 'Well, here they're guests. Guests of my wedding, so I don't want them interrogated!'

Leah felt as though Taylor could have burned a hole through her face with the look she was giving her, and she spoke in a tone of firm authority from which she would not back down.

'Fine,' said Leah, reproachfully.

As the boat came closer and closer into sight, Abby Mills felt more and more uncomfortable. She began to think back to the day that she had stood on this exact harbor, ten years ago for the wedding of Henry Dunn and Trish Wellington. All of the horrible events that occurred began to swim through her mind; particularly the death of her father that happened right in front of her. She cringed at the thought of her father's killer, John Wakefield. However, nothing made her more uncomfortable than the mere thought of her former best friend, Henry Dunn.

Henry, the former groom, was deeply infatuated with Abby. His obsession with her was so strong, that he had kept her captive on the island shortly after murdering his own father. She remembered how horrified and completely trapped she had been. Abby had barely managed to escape Henry, but she did with the help of her fellow survivor and longtime boyfriend, Jimmy Mance who walked beside her at this very moment.

During the course of the ten years, Jimmy had moved in with Abby into her studio apartment in Los Angeles. They had kept in close contact with the other two people who had managed to escape the island, Shea and Madison Allen; the former walked on the other side of Abby right now.

Abby and Jimmy had soon realized that Abby's studio apartment was simply too small for the two of them to live comfortably, so with the help of Shea, who had taken over her father's real estate company, they had bought a three-bedroom bungalow in Seattle, close to where Shea and Madison currently resided.

However, shortly after moving into their new home, Abby had begun to experience nightmares and was often up at all hours of the night. These nightmares had soon morphed into severe night terrors. They were so extreme, that Jimmy would often find Abby pacing about in the kitchen, brandishing a butcher's knife and muttering incoherently to herself. During these events, Jimmy would approach her and she would hold up the knife hindering his wanting to assist her, and she would scream; 'NO! GET AWAY FROM ME! I DON'T WANT YOU, HENRY!'

Jimmy had then taken charge; he knew Abby needed help, help beyond which he could offer, so he had sought the help of a friendly and renowned psychiatrist. Thankfully, as time went on, and after deep and insightful conversations with her newfound shrink, Abby's nightmares and night terrors had subsided; she was no longer convinced Henry Dunn was coming after her.

'I'm going to speak with the driver,' said Walter, to his wife as the four of them had boarded the lower deck of the yacht. 'We'll start heading out.'

'I'm gonna take a moment.' said Shea, politely but earnestly with a small smile, as she dismissed herself and walked away. She had strayed towards the bow of the yacht and took a deep breath, the open water looming before her.

Shea Wellington, like Abby, was uncertain about returning to Harper's Island. During her former stay, she had lost many of her family members; her father Thomas, cousin Ben, husband Richard, stepmother Katherine, and probably the most heartbreaking of all, her younger sister Trish.

Shea always shed tears when she thought about her sister; when Abby and Jimmy had returned from the island, Shea was informed that Trish had been killed by Henry. This news had been too much for Shea to bear; the thought of her sister being betrayed by her fiancee was truly horrible. In the months that followed, Shea Allen had gone into a depression; hardly ate or slept. The depression soon became so strong that she began to neglect her daughter, Madison; Shea would lock herself in her bedroom, sometimes for weeks on end, and would cry over old family photo albums with bottles of wine. Shea was a mess, and her behavior had taken a toll on both her and Madison. However, Shea was soon strong again; she had picked herself up and knew what she had to do; she had reclaimed her father's name and taken over as C.E.O of his real estate company. She had become widely respected in the business world and attempted to repair any damage to her relationship with Madison, which she felt was accomplished.

'I'm honestly so happy you came,' said Mary to Abby with a smile.

Abby managed a smile, through her increasing anxiety; 'Thank you,' she replied, 'and thank you for letting me invite Jimmy and Shea.'

Mary smiled at her. 'You're welcome, Abby,' she responded, 'it's like we discussed many times, this is all part of the healing process, facing your demons. I have nothing but the utmost faith that you will be able to fully move on.'

'Thank you, Doctor Anderson, for everything,' said Abby sincerely.

'Mary,' corrected the doctor with an easy smile, 'Now, follow me. I want you to meet my daughter!'

Taylor was now standing on the upper deck of the yacht with Wyatt, Tyler, Katie, and Leah when Mary approached them with Abby and Jimmy. Leah could not contain her excitement at the sight of them;

'Oh my God!' she cried, 'Abby Mills! Jimmy Mance! I've read all about you guys! You two are legends!'

Taylor shot her a look.

'Uhh... Th...Thanks,' stuttered Abby, unsure of what to say or how to react.

Leah could see how apprehensive Abby was, paired with the look she had gotten from Taylor, so she dialed back and said, in an attempt to rectify her mistake, 'you don't need to worry, the island's safe! It's normal again.'

These words caused the opposite effect of what Leah had intended; Abby's eyes widened and she began to fidget slightly. Jimmy took note of this and took her by the hand. He nodded at the group and took her away to a quiet corner of the boat to talk.

'Seriously?' snapped Taylor at Leah.

Leah looked surprised; 'What? What did I say?' She asked, lips twisting into a frown of confusion.

'Hey, hey. What's wrong?' asked Jimmy to Abby, taking her to a small table and sitting her down, and sitting across from her.

Abby swallowed and took a moment to get the words out. 'It's...it's something that girl said…' she finally replied, 'About "how the island is normal again"... I've heard that before. Those exact words actually.'

When Jimmy did not respond, Abby continued, 'That's... that's exactly what Henry said to me, when we were on the boat going to the island. And the entire time... he was planning...' Her voice trailed off as tears filled her eyes; 'I don't know if I can do this.'

Jimmy stood up, walked up behind her, and began to massage her shoulders. 'Hey, hey, hey, hey,' he said quietly and soothingly, 'if anyone can do this, you can. Abby, you're one of the bravest people I've ever met, and I mean that. I'm gonna be there with you the entire time, I promise.'

Abby sniffed again and smiled softly at her boyfriend. 'Thank you,' she whispered in his ear before giving him a sweet kiss.

Before long, once everyone had boarded with their belongings, the boat had finally taken off from the harbor. Everyone was in small groups or alone, watching the small waves of the ocean before them.

Aundrea Williams spotted Brooklyn Anderson sitting alone while Chad was downstairs, getting a drink. She glared in Brooklyn's direction and approached her.

Brooklyn scoffed and rolled her eyes as she approached, 'Aundrea!' she said in a fake nice tone, 'so good to see you again!'

Aundrea sat down in front of her and shot her a menacing glare; Aundrea was always protective of Taylor and had become somewhat of an older sister to her. She highly disapproved of how Brooklyn treated Taylor and was unwilling to put up with it, especially so close to her wedding.

'Don't try me, Brooklyn!' snipped Aundrea, emphasizing "Brooklyn", 'I'm really surprised you even bothered to show up.'

Brooklyn raised an eyebrow and replied, 'yeah, I can say the same actually, you haven't been here in what? Two years?'

Aundrea shook her head and raised a finger to stop her. 'No, no, no do not pull that on me,' she replied with sass. 'I'm in New York City now, okay? I work in New York City, that's my life. But guess what? I'm always in contact with my family and friends. And Taylor? I can't remember a day that we haven't been in contact somehow; we text, talk on the phone, facetime, all of it! What about you? You live... What, ten minutes from your family? And do you so much as send a text to them? Do you make any effort? No! You don't and girl, don't tell me you do. Taylor's told me many times how you never talk to her anymore, how you've basically abandoned her, and you know what? It's killing her, not having her sister in her life!'

'You don't know anything...' Brooklyn snarled back, 'why hasn't Taylor come to me with any of this then, huh?'

'She's tried!' snapped Aundrea, 'she's told me how many texts she's sent you, and how you either never answer or brush her off! Well, guess what, girl? She's not trying anymore, and good for her! Why should she bend over backward for a selfish bitch who can't even give her the time of day!'

Brooklyn glared and quietly said, 'Watch yourself.'

Aundrea smiled, happy to have hit a nerve. ''No, no. Girl, you watch YOURSELF,' she replied. 'This is my girl's wedding. She's starting a new life with her man. She's been excited for so long, not that you'd know or anything. Now I know that your life is all revolved around Chad, and that's fine. You do whatever makes you feel good about yourself, but you're sure as hell not going to ruin this for Taylor. You got me?'

'You threatening me?' asked Brooklyn.

'Damn right,' snipped Aundrea, 'if you or your man do anything, ANYTHING to ruin this week, I'm coming at yall! I'm coming at yall hard! And girl, you know I do well on my threats.'

Aundrea shot her a furious glare and stood up, and walked away. Brooklyn watched with spite. She thought about what Aundrea had said for a few seconds and then shook her head. She knew she wasn't a bad person and she wasn't going to let anyone tell her differently.

Besides Aundrea and Brooklyn's confrontation, not much happened on the boat. The sun was beginning to set as they drew closer to their destination. Taylor and Wyatt stood arm in arm on the upper deck against the bow, watching the sunset over the water.

'Almost there,' said Wyatt.

Taylor looked at him and smiled lovingly; 'I can't wait to marry you,' she told him. Wyatt smiled at her, which made Taylor blush. She loved his smile more than any part of him. 'I love you.' she murmured as she cupped his face.

'I love you too,' he replied as he smiled and kissed her lips.

Wyatt and Taylor had met in the seventh grade, the first year of junior high. They had begun dating almost instantly. The years had been very good to them; they never had a serious fight, they rarely ever argued and their love was strong. They had a lot of things in common as well. Wyatt was easily the most popular guy in their high school and was the captain of the basketball team. He had a ton of admirers, mostly other girls. Wyatt was very humble about all this however, he was kind and caring, and very inclusive. Taylor was one of the prettiest girls in their grade and often attracted the attention of other guys. This never phased her whatsoever; she was always loyal to her longtime boyfriend, Wyatt.

Wyatt turned around and spotted Abby Mills sitting with Jimmy at a table toward the back of the deck. 'Come with me.' he said to Taylor.

Wyatt and Taylor approached the table and Abby smiled weakly.

'Hi, Abby,' said Wyatt with a smile. He nodded to Jimmy and said to them, 'I'm really sorry, for Leah.'

Abby shook her head a few times. 'No, it's okay,' she replied; 'I knew coming here, people would… Be curious.'

'Still,' said Wyatt, 'you're our guest, you don't have to talk about anything. You don't owe anyone anything.'

'I appreciate you saying that,' said Abby, and then she turned her head toward Taylor.

'Taylor, this is Abby and Jimmy,' Wyatt said to Taylor, 'I used to know Abby, her dad was a good friend of mine.'

'I used to babysit him!' said Abby with a grin, 'such an adorable kid he was!'

'Awe, that's cute!' exclaimed Taylor, with a chuckle, 'you're gonna have to tell me stories about him!'

Abby laughed and said, 'I will!'

'But seriously,' said Taylor, smiling at her and Jimmy, 'we're really happy you two came. Hope you manage to have fun!'

At long last, their destination was within view; the vast rock that was Harper's Island loomed on the horizon. The old lighthouse and the marina of boats caught everyone's eye. The many clumps of trees decorated the backdrop of the rock. It was a sight that was familiar to Wyatt, Abby, Jimmy, and Shea, but foreign to everyone else.

The boat reached the newly restored marina and was docked. Everyone began piling out, and Abby, Jimmy, and Shea all took a deep breath as they took in the familiar scenery.

A sharply dressed woman with long blonde hair stood on the dock beaming at everyone, and once everyone had exited the boat, she spoke;

'Hello! And welcome to Harper's Island! My name is Sage Warren and I've taken over management of the island. I'll be your planner and guide for the week, so if there are any questions or concerns, see me and I'll have it straightened out for you!' She was assertive and spoke firm, but friendly; Sage was a hardworking and fierce woman who expected nothing but the best in her endeavors. She had overseen the restoration of both the marina and the island's church, following the 2008 events. While she was fierce and formidable, Sage was also widely respected within the island's community.

'Now, a few things before we show everyone to the Candlewick; all of you have been roomed, once you arrive we'll give you each a key to your respective rooms. The welcome dinner is at 7 pm in the lounge, and cocktails begin at 8! We look forward to having all of you! Now, if you'll follow me to the car.'

Sage led the large group of people to the road through the docks and up the familiar long ramp that led to the road. Three spacious black S. sat parked awaiting them. Once everyone was settled, the cars drove one by one down the road and up the winding slope where Wyatt, Abby, Jimmy, and Shea knew the Candlewick Inn would soon emerge from the tree-clad edging. Sure enough, after about ten minutes, everyone could see the vast two-tier mansion-like hotel protruding from the trees.

Once everyone had piled in, they were roomed as such; Wyatt and Taylor, Mr. and Mrs. Anderson, Charlie and Valerie, Aundrea and Marcus, Chad and Brooklyn, Tyler on his own, Josh and Cameron, Katie and Leah, Abby and Jimmy with Shea on her own.

Josh Hayes sat on his bed and then scoffed when Cameron Logan came out of their shared bathroom. 'Wanted my own damn room,' he said bitterly and resentfully.

'Yeah, well I'm not loving the arrangement either,' retorted Cameron.

Josh rolled his eyes in annoyance, 'shut up,' he muttered under his breath.

Cameron shrugged his shoulders and as he prepared to empty his suitcase, the contents spilled on the floor by mistake. 'Shit,' said Cameron, annoyed at his stupidity.

Josh at first chuckled at Cameron's misfortune, but stopped when he spotted something among Cameron's belongings that caused his eyes to widen.

'Condoms!' exclaimed Josh, snatching the small box off the floor.

'Give it back!' snapped an embarrassed Cameron, as he attempted in vain to grab it from Josh.

'Wow!' chirped a delighted Josh, 'never thought you'd be packing these! Aren't you a virgin?' When Cameron didn't respond, Josh doubled over laughing; 'Who you trying to bang! Leah? Katie?' He asked in amusement.

'I don't know, either one,' replied Cameron awkwardly, looking away.

'I already had Katie,' said Josh, 'you got no chance, way out of your league. Leah's pretty smart, I wouldn't look her way either if I were you. Want my advice? Stick to your hand.'

Cameron glared at him then replied; 'If Katie fucked you, her standards can't be that high.'

'Shut the fuck up,' snapped Josh defensively, and then threw the box of condoms in Cameron's face.

Brooklyn Anderson sat on her bed with her back against the wall. The conversation she had with Aundrea Williams kept replaying through her head, and she grabbed a pillow and held it tight.

Brooklyn reached for her phone and then went through her photos until she stumbled across one that caused her to tear up; it was the last picture she and Taylor had taken together before she met Chad and moved away.

'What the fuck are you looking at that for?' scoffed Chad who, unbeknownst to her, was standing beside her, looking over her shoulder.

'Just going through my pictures,' replied Brooklyn, hastily putting her phone down and trying to hide the fact that she was upset.

'Might as well delete that one,' said Chad, 'nothing but fake love right there.'

'Yeah, I know,' agreed Brooklyn, half-heartedly.

Chad seemed to grow angrier. 'I mean fuck, it's all about Taylor. And Wyatt, it always is. Right?'

Brooklyn nodded slowly. 'Yeah,' she said.

'Please tell me you're not going soft?' demanded Chad, his tone growing more aggressive.

'No,' replied Brooklyn, 'definitely not.'

This seemed to calm Chad down; he grinned at her and knelt down and kissed her neck while rubbing her thigh; 'that's good,' he whispered in her ear while rubbing her shoulder. 'Cause, they're all fake. I'm all you need.'

He then climbed onto the bed and forcefully kissed her all over her face and neck, Brooklyn could hear his rapid heartbeat and his breathing intensifying, but all she could think about was the picture of her and Taylor and without thinking she blurted out, 'no, Chad! Not right now!'

Chad didn't heed her words as he removed his shirt and forcefully yanked Brooklyn's arms up and removed her sundress over her head. He fondled her chest as he began to unzip his pants. He grinned at her, 'I need this,' he whispered.

Brooklyn sighed and then nodded at him, and allowed him to undress her and have his way with her.

Later in the evening, after the exquisite dinner in the dining area had finished, the wedding party started to mingle alone or in small groups. Shea Wellington sat back on a lounge chair in the backyard of the Inn by the pool. The darkening night sky hung above her and she sipped on a glass of wine, tapping her fingers on the arm of her chair. She looked at her left hand, and one finger in particular; her ring finger. All the talk of wedding preparation had made her think of her former husband, Richard; Richard Allen was one of the many victims ten years prior.

Despite Richard dying, Shea had felt as though she lost him even before death; it was abruptly revealed that Richard had been cheating on Shea and, to make matters worse, it was with her former stepmother; to this day, Shea still grimaced at the mere thought of Katherine Wellington, 'The bitch who stole my husband'. Shea had reluctantly kept this information from Madison, in order to protect her father's memory. This was the only favor Shea believed she owed 'that bastard', Richard. Since Richard's death, Shea had not been romantically involved with anyone. She chose to focus all her energy on running the family business and raising Madison on her own. Not being involved with anyone had never bothered her... Until now.

Just then, she was joined by someone; Mary Anderson stood over her.

'Oh hi, Mary,' said Shea, politely.

'Mind if I join you?' asked Mary.

'Please,' said Shea, gesturing to the seat next to her.

Mary sat down next to her and smiled. 'I was really hoping we'd have the opportunity to talk,' she said, kindly.

'Oh?' asked Shea curiously.

'Yes, yes,' replied Mary and then paused, 'Abby. She's told me all about you. About how you helped her and Jimmy move into a new house.'

Shea nodded; 'I was happy to help Abby,' she said, 'I empathise with her; We both lost our fathers here, and suffered some terrible heartbreak. She and Jimmy have both been great friends these past ten years. To myself and Madison.'

'Of course!' said Mary with a warm smile. 'You all made it through a terrible ordeal. You're fellow survivors! I will say, though, I wish Madison had come with you. I was anxious to meet her as well.'

'No,' said Shea, shaking her head hard, 'she wanted to come, but I couldn't. I know it's all over now, I know that but I just couldn't.'

'I understand, Shea,' said Mary with a small smile. 'You love her. You're protecting your daughter. I certainly can't and won't fault you for that.'

'She's my world,' said Shea, with a semblance of pride in her voice, 'there's nothing I wouldn't do to protect her. She has always been my motivation for carrying on... After losing my father and Trish and of course... coping with my husband's betrayal.'

'Betrayal?' asked Mary, raising an eyebrow.

Shea went on to explain to Mary about what occurred between Richard and Katherine ten years ago. Her voice was filled with anger and sadness as she spoke. When Shea had finished, she was slightly taken aback by Mary's facial expression and mannerism change; she was listening intently but her eyes seemed to hold contempt. She tapped her hand on the arm of her chair, and suddenly she seemed no longer the professional psychiatrist Shea had met and heard about many times.

'He cheated on you,' said Mary testily, 'typical men. They're all alike.'

Mary's anger only lasted for a few moments however because she then smiled at Shea, and her tone changed to that of sincerity; 'I'm sorry, it just angers me to hear of a husband betraying his wife like that,' she said sadly, I've had so many patients come to me with stories like what you just told me... It's horrible.'

Shea nodded and Mary stood up, 'I'm happy you're here, Shea,' she said, with a smile. She then walked away and Shea continued gazing up at the sky.

On the other side of the Candlewick, on the front porch, Walter Anderson stood leaning against the railing. He had a more positive frame of mind; he was looking to the events that would soon come. He would soon be walking his younger daughter down the aisle and handing her off to the man she loved. Walter smiled to himself and thanked God that Taylor had managed to find someone who met with his approval and adored his daughter.

Walter was quickly brought out of his thoughts by the sound of the front door opening. He turned around and looked with detestation at Chadwick Smythe who stood in the doorway with a smirk on his face.

Wyatt Cullen and Taylor Anderson had managed to slip away from their friends, they wanted some time alone. So they walked, their hands joined along Harmon Beach and across a long wooden dock. The only sounds were the waves crashing against the sides of the dock, and distant crickets. The sky was painted with a colossal amount of stars, and they looked with glee up at the waxing moon, whose face was reflected on the water's surface.

Wyatt squeezed Taylor's hand and whispered, 'You're beautiful, baby.'

Taylor blushed and looked away from him.

Wyatt touched her cheek and they were now locked in each other's glance. Wyatt smiled at her and they kissed passionately for a few moments.

'Oh, Wyatt,' moaned Taylor as they continued to kiss under the moonlight, the sounds of the water never ceasing.

Suddenly Wyatt pulled away and looked out at the water and a big grin crossed his face.

'What?' asked Taylor, half amused and half curious, 'what's that look for?'

As a reply, Wyatt removed his shirt and tossed it aside, 'it's really hot out here, don't you think?' he asked her.

'It's September, so no not really,' replied Taylor.

Wyatt grinned as he removed the rest until he stood there in his boxers.

'What are you doing! The water's probably freezing!' cried Taylor.

'Jumping in!' replied Wyatt with a shrug, 'come on!' And with that, he ran to the edge of the dock and jumped into the water. After a few moments, he resurfaced and splashed Taylor, 'get in! Water's good!'

Taylor hesitated for a moment and then rolled her eyes. 'You're crazy! But I am too, I guess!' she said as she removed her clothes down to her undergarments.

Wyatt cheered as she jumped in and landed next to him. 'Fucking liar!' she cried, as she felt her body temperature drop, 'it is freezing in here!'

Wyatt broke out in laughter as she dramatized her shivering and suffering, and soon she was laughing as well. They held each other in a tight embrace and started to kiss again.

Despite the cold temperature, they found themselves quickly warming up as the kissing intensified. Soon Wyatt's boxers and Taylor's bra had found themselves on the dock. Wyatt ran his tongue along her now bare chest and grinned at her, and she grinned back as she reached down under the water.

'Oh, I feel you're ready!' she remarked, as she began slowly performing an up and down motion with her hand on Wyatt underneath the water.

Chad Smythe continued to smirk at Walter as he stepped out onto the porch. Walter responded with a glare; 'What do you want,' he spat.

'Just walking around,' said Chad, the smirk never leaving his face, 'thought I'd come out for a smoke. You know what they say about cigarettes after…' He stopped as he could see Walter starting to turn red, 'Well you know what I mean.'

'Where is Brooklyn,' said Walter through gritted teeth.

'Oh, now you care?' asked Chad, the smirk finally vanishing from his face.

'Excuse me?' spat Walter.

'Let me ask you something, Walter,' said Chad. 'Have you said anything to her since she got here?' When Walter didn't respond, Chad continued, 'no, I didn't think so. You don't care about her. You or Mary. It's all about Taylor! And her perfect Wyatt. Fucking pathetic. You're the reason she's so depressed.'

Walter shot him a raging glare. 'No, Chad,' he said, in his deep booming voice, 'it's you!' Walter pointed a threatening finger at him. 'You're the problem! You're the worst thing that could've happened to her, and I wish I could turn back time because she would've never met you.'

'Why?' asked Chad, with raised eyebrows, and a tone that suggested he was uninterested in Walter's response, 'I'm the only one who loves her!'

Walter was silent for a moment, but he looked at this guy standing in front of him, looking smug and arrogant. The mere presence of Chadwick Smythe and the sound of his voice was becoming enough to send Walter Anderson over the edge, so he said something that he had found himself unable to say aloud; 'you love her? No, you don't love her! You abuse her!'

Chad's eyes widened, and he felt an uncomfortable pit in his stomach; 'Abuse...'

'Don't you dare deny it,' retorted Walter, and the look in his eyes suggested that Chad better keep his mouth shut. Now that Walter had used the terrible 'a' word, he found himself able to speak openly about his feelings; 'I know what you've done to her, and believe me when I tell you it is going to be dealt with! I saw her arm, Smythe! At the party a few weeks ago! I always had my suspicions about you, but that drove it home for me!'

'I never abused her,' said Chad uncomfortably, all smugness leaving his face.

'We'll see,' said Walter remarkably calmly, 'I'm having you investigated. I've been questioning people. You're being watched, Smythe, physically and technologically; and if what I suspect is true, I'll have you out of her life and in jail so fast. I knew it was a mistake when she started dating you, and shutting herself out, and then when she moved out with you.'

Chad glared at Walter, his blood beginning to boil, 'she moved in with me because your whole family neglected her!', he snapped back in anger, trying to defend himself, 'you never gave a fuck about her! She needed love and support and guess what, Officer Anderson? I gave it to her! I never abused her! You did! You emotionally abused the hell out of her! You're not taking her anywhere, she's not gonna go anywhere with you! She hates all of you, she's done with all of you! You're a pitiful excuse for a father!'

Walter's eyes widened and all restraints broke, Chad's words had struck him and made him angrier than he ever felt before. With one quick movement, he grabbed Chad's shoulders and shoved him against one of the stone pillars. Chad grunted and tried to break free from the angry man's grip. 'Did I hit a nerve, officer?' he asked through breaths.

'DON'T YOU EVER SAY THAT!' shouted Walter, 'I LOVE MY DAUGHTER! BOTH OF THEM AND I DON'T NEED A LOSER LIKE YOU SAYING OTHERWISE! YOU'RE DONE, KID!' He then inched his face closer and more threatening to Chad's and said in a whisper, 'mark your days, Smythe. I'll have you in jail sooner than you can imagine. I hate you so much for what you've done to her.'

Walter cocked his fist but before he could do anything else, he heard a desperate voice from behind him, 'DAD! What are you doing!'

The ocean's waters continued to smash against the dock at Harmond beach and the waxing moon hung above two people who had positioned themselves on the edge of the dock; Wyatt lay on his back, all of his discarded clothes still sitting in a pile near him. Taylor, only clad in her underwear, was positioned in such a way that her arms were planted firmly on either side of Wyatt's thighs against the dock, and her knees were on either side of his thighs, and her head was between his legs.

'Glad we decided to do this on the dock,' whispered Taylor, as she took a pause performing oral intercourse on him.

Wyatt closed his eyes and gripped Taylor's back as feelings of pleasure quickly rushed through him, it was truly an exhilarating experience, nowhere else either of them would rather be.

They were quickly brought right out of their trance by a single sound. To their horror and embarrassment, they heard what sounded like a small distant giggle. Without a moment's hesitation, Taylor quickly allowed herself to fall into the water, followed closely by Wyatt. When they resurfaced, they saw three people walking down the dock; Josh Hayes, Katie Thompson, and Leah Ryan.

'Hey, guys!' chirped Katie, 'going for a swim are ya? Can we join?' She then looked down at their discarded clothes and giggled; 'oh, it's THAT kind of swim! You guys having fun?'

Taylor hid behind Wyatt to avoid further embarrassment.

'Yeah,' replied Wyatt, playing it cool, 'what are you guys up to?'

'We're going to the Cannery!' replied Katie, 'it's a bar a little further down! You guys should come! You know, when you've finished up I mean.'

'Not tonight,' replied Wyatt, 'getting tired.'

'Oh, I'm sure you are!' snickered Katie with a wink.

'Okay, let's go,' said Leah, attempting to usher Katie away, 'they're obviously busy!'

Katie sighed as Leah and Josh started walking back from where they came, but before she followed them, she turned around and grinned at Wyatt and Taylor. 'Taylor, girl,' she said, 'let me give you some advice; next time you wanna blow your man in public, always make sure there's no one around… Unless you guys are into that! Chow for now!'

As Katie sped off to meet Josh and Leah, Taylor smacked her forehead with her hand; 'damn, I was hoping we'd gone into the water before they saw what we were doing,' she said. She was then struck with a horrible thought; 'no! Now Josh has seen my tits!'

'Nah, you were in the water first,' said Wyatt, 'if anything, they saw me.'

'Great, now Katie's gonna milk the hell out of that!' groaned Taylor, 'I'm sorry.'

'For what?' asked Wyatt.

'I'm the one who suggested we go on the dock,' replied Taylor, 'and… And I don't think I finished you off.'

Wyatt snickered and pulled her close to him, 'never too late for that,' he whispered as he kissed her, and pulled her close, 'let's try this again!'

Brooklyn Anderson ran and threw herself in between her father and her boyfriend. 'What are you doing!' Brooklyn cried at her father.

'TELL THE TRUTH, CHADWICK!' screamed Walter, taking a step back from Brooklyn and Chad, 'TELL ME WHAT YOU DID TO HER! WHAT YOU DO TO HER! WHY IS HER ARM BRUISED!'

Brooklyn's eyes widened and she looked over at Chad. Chad looked at Walter with a look of forced indignation, 'I don't fucking know! I never touched her! Tell him, Brook!' cried Chad.

Walter looked at Brooklyn and tried to calm himself down, 'Brooklyn, please don't protect him,' he begged, 'I saw your arm a few weeks ago. Sweet heart, I saw the bruises,' he said. He then looked at Chad and said through gritted teeth, 'the bruise was consistent with someone forcefully grabbing your wrist.'

Brooklyn fell silent, her stomach churned and she wasn't sure how to proceed.

'See what he's doing!' snapped Chad.

'YOU SHUT THE HELL UP!' shouted Walter.

'No! You see what he's doing?', objected Chad angrily, 'he's trying to make me look bad, he's having me investigated!'

'Oh, yes I am,' said Walter, 'I'm going to expose your vicious acts! After all this time, you're getting out of my daughter's life!'

'Tell him!' yelled Chad at Brooklyn, 'tell him he's wrong!'

Brooklyn took a deep breath and looked at Chad who was fuming and then at her father, who looked both angry and concerned. She could feel tears coming but fought them back. She sighed and stuttered slowly, 'Y...you're wrong,' she looked at her father, 'there's nothing wrong with us.'

'Brooklyn, sweetheart, tell me now,' begged Walter, growing desperate. 'Tell me the truth, I will free you from this.'

'That is the truth, Anderson!', snapped Chad, 'your stupid assumptions are all bullshit!'

'He's turning you against us,' said Walter.

'N...No, he's not,' said Brooklyn uncomfortably, she then faced her father, 'you pushed me away. You and Mary. I always feel like an outsider, and that I'm unwanted and I'm done. Chad is the only person who's been there for me for the past few years. You know, while you focus on Taylor and Wyatt.' She finished with a shaky but somewhat uncertain tone, 'I'm...not being abused.'

'You see?' asked Chad with a smirk, the smugness returning to his voice and face, 'take your assumptions and shove them, officer!'

Walter didn't respond, he couldn't take his eyes off of Brooklyn. The pain of her words about Mary and himself, mixed with the fueling doubt in her denial disappointed him greatly.

When no one said anything, Chad spoke up, 'we're done here,' he then took Brooklyn by the arm and lead her down the stone steps of the inn.

'Wait,' said Walter, and they both stopped. 'This is what you want?' he asked Brooklyn, 'to live your life... with him…To turn your back on your family?'

Brooklyn hesitated for a moment, everything that had just transpired rushed through her mind, but she nodded slowly. 'Yes,' she said, 'away from all of you.'

'We're leaving tonight,' snapped Chad, 'wish your perfect daughter a happy life. You'll never see us again.' And with that, the two of them walked down the stairs and away from the inn.

Walter glared in Chad's direction. 'We're not done, Chad Smythe. Not even fucking close,' he thought to himself.

Chad and Brooklyn walked for a few minutes, not speaking to one another. Chad lead her into the forest and waited until they were out of sight of the Candlewick. He released Brooklyn's hand and looked at her with annoyance. 'What was that!' he snapped at her.

Brooklyn was taken aback. 'What do you mean?,' she asked, nervously.

'Why the hell were you stuttering and hesitating!' snapped Chad angrily, 'you weren't convincing at all!'

'I..I'm sorry,' stuttered Brooklyn.

Chad scoffed and shook his head. 'Now your fucking dad's gonna be even more suspicious! All you had to do was tell him that you're not being abused!' he cried.

'I did,' replied Brooklyn.

'Oh, yeah!' snapped Chad sarcastically. 'And you really sounded convincing, too!'

Brooklyn sighed and said, 'I guess I'm not a good liar.'

Chad's eyes widened and he glared at her. 'What did you say?' he snapped. When Brooklyn didn't reply, Chad grabbed her arm with an intense force, 'ANSWER ME!' he shouted, squeezing her wrist.

'Let go, Chad!' cried Brooklyn, attempting to break free, 'let go! That hurts!'

Chad did not give in; he continued to hold onto her wrist, squeezing even harder, 'I...told...you...to...cover...your...arm!,' he snapped through huffs. 'Now, because of you, I'm being investigated! You stupid bitch!'

Brooklyn felt a sudden rush go through her body; a rush she often felt, but never acted on. She was done, done with being attacked, berated, and belittled, so she used her free hand to punch Chad square in the face, freeing herself from his grip. Chad shouted out in pain and Brooklyn was suddenly breathing very hard, her fists clenched.

'Not a good feeling is it!,' she screamed at him, 'I know it's not because of all the times you've done it to me!'

Chad rubbed his cheek and glared at her, a look she was all too familiar with. 'I'll kill you, you stupid bitch!' he breathed angrily. 'All you had to was tell him you were okay, but you had to pussyfoot around it. I guess that was asking too much since all your mouth is good for is sucking my dick. If I get arrested for anything, I'll break your fucking jaw.'

'Again with the threats?' asked Brooklyn, suddenly unphased. 'It's all good, I'm used to it. Like all the times you told me not to contact my family or you'd, as you say; "put me in a hospital bed". My dad's right about you! He always was. You're an abusive prick! Screw you! I'm done with you, I'm telling them everything! You're fucking done!'

'What are you gonna do without me!' snapped Chad. 'Live with that family who sees you for the pathetic waste of life you are! They don't want you! Not when they have Taylor. Fuck if Wyatt weren't around, I'd kill you and fuck her instead!'

These words were the last straw for Brooklyn. She looked Chad dead in the eye and for the first time since they met, she did so with confidence and without an ounce of fear. She was so angry, she could no longer think straight, 'FUCK YOU!,' she yelled as she punched Chad's face with as much force as she could muster.

Unfortunately for her, Chad retaliated; he used the back of his hand to smack her across the face. The blow caused Brooklyn to fall to the ground. Chad then grabbed her by the hair and slapped her again. His face throbbed with pain, and his nose was bleeding. He then jumped on top of her, his knees on top of her arms.

'This is it,' whispered Chad, 'I'm gonna kill you! Hope you know no one ever loved you. You were just a decent fuck.' He then put his hands around her neck and pressed down hard. Brooklyn struggled to escape, but it was useless; Chadwick Smythe was stronger than her, and her strength was waning. She gasped for breath, but it was no use.

However; something happened, there was a sudden flash of metal in the darkness. Suddenly Brooklyn was covered in splatters of blood and there was a THUMP as something fell to the ground beside her. Brooklyn no longer felt Chad's hands around her throat, and suddenly his body went limp on top of her.

She had not fully processed what had occurred until she found the strength to stand up. She then cried out in terror at the sight on the ground at her feet; Chadwick Smythe lay where she had just stood up from, blood was pouring and spitting out from where his head had once been. The THUMP she had heard was the sound of his head hitting the ground. Brooklyn turned around to see someone standing there holding a long handled, sharp bladed axe. She gasped when she saw who it was.

'HELP!' screamed Brooklyn, as she prepared to run.

However, Chad's killer was too quick for her. They picked up Chad's decapitated head and whacked her in the back of her own head. The force of the blow knocked Brooklyn out cold, and she fell next to Chad's headless body. The killer dropped the head and raised the ax above her neck. In one fowl move, Brooklyn's head was chopped off the same way as Chad's.

'This is just the start,' they thought to themselves.

End of Chapter one

Deaths:

Chad Smythe, Brooklyn Anderson