Disclaimer: I do NOT own Pitch Perfect or any of its characters nor do I have the rights to the franchise. All rights go to Universal Studios. Any Copyright infringement was not intentional, if required then send me a message and the story will be deleted. Sorry for any inconveniences.
I do NOT own Until Dawn or any of its characters nor do I have the rights to the game. All right, I believe, go to Supermassive Games. Any Copyright infringement was not intentional, if required then send me a message and the story will be deleted. Sorry for any inconveniences.
So, I tried writing K for A-Z collection but I again hit a bump in the road. I have written the majority of the story, I simply got hyper fixated on this game and the characters. Which led me down a very dangerous path on how to make it better. A lot of aspects stood out to me that I could change. So while this will follow inevitable beats from the game, it can't follow completely due to the character changes..
Sorry I was rambling. Let me know if anyone is interested in me following this up, or if I should simply leave it as the prologue.
The world in all its glory, copied aspects from the universe. The great vastness of space is replicated in the deepest crevices of the ocean. Stars are mimicked by human creations and even the Sun's rays are modified into a beauty instrument for wealthy users. But it was the unknown that held the more dangerous liabilities. Other lifeforms on planets were potential with every new lifeform discovered on Earth. Different elements reacted the same way as withering relationships. Yet, it was the waves that ruined the calmness of life. Sound waves that could never travel through the vacuum of space, could only be replicated in the harshest of circumstances. Circumstances that no person would ever wish upon their enemies, never mind themselves.
To protect themselves from these scenarios humans developed huts, which became houses, which turned into homes. People cherished their protection and tallied the people that were allowed in them. Between the reinforced doors and specialised windows, the harsh weather would never be allowed inside the four walls. Allowing humans to gloat from their safety as they huddled in front of the fire watching the snow build up in front of their eyes.
Which, in every new generation, allowed a level of recklessness to take precedence. Gone were the days of fear from starvation. The latest generation grew up with snow days and winter retreats. If someone wasn't great in snow it was their friends that would help them 'concur' it by locking the person out and laughing as they shivered. Every house filled in easy to pleased beings as they grew more intoxicated as the cases wound up empty, soon disregarding any inhibitions they once harboured within.
So, contrary to the pulsating tempo of the beat from the stereo playing, none of the partygoers allowed their bodies to join the rhythm. The harsh weather permitted them the pleasure of the roaring fire. Which, while mixed with alcohol was never a good idea, allowed a level of crackling in the background that silenced their muffled whispering. A culmination of people near the seating area sniggled together and playfully jeered at each other. Some with more effort than others. All nursing various levels of strong liquor. The men, quite stereotypically, held their bottles of beer loosely as they wrapped a lonely arm around their ladies. Aubrey leaned more into the conversation than Jesse's warmth. Emily on the other hand nuzzled further into Benji's side, allowing her intoxication to lubricate her cautious demeanour.
Chloe had hung off the side of the group. The glass she nursed remained half full, watered down by the former ice cubes that had long since dissolved. "I don't think this a good idea, guys. She won't like it." She swirled the glass as she tried not to make eye contact with anyone. Peer pressure was always too strong for her to resist.
"Oh, come on, Red. You say that like we've never pranked her before. She's cool." Amy reached forward to slap Chloe with more force than necessary on her shoulder. She slumped further back in her chair, laughing at the way the world swirled around her.
"That's different. She doesn't let herself into these situations." Even Chloe could hardly will her voice to remain strong. As much as it pained her to admit it, she knew that Beca had feelings for the boy. She just wasn't sure how much the girl had revealed to herself about said feelings.
Aubrey snuck around the other blonde, snatching the paper out of Chloe's hands. "Then she has nothing to worry about, right?" There was a smug lilt that dropped Chloe's stomach even further. This wasn't going to end well, she thought.
She couldn't stop the bad feeling from seeping its way throughout her body. She knew this was wrong, but, she also knew they wouldn't listen. She had to stop this before something happened. "Do what you want but I want no part in this." With that she guided herself out of the room, leaning against the wall from the distortion her other drinks had left her with.
Her feet pushed her throughout the lodge, for once bitter about the size the Swansons had decided to build it as. Only turning back long enough to find out if she had remained within earshot before she started yelling. "Beca!" She didn't stop even as her ears throbbed from the volume.
The heavy snow blasting against the window couldn't help the chill that worked its way up Stacie's arms. All it did was accentuate the goosebumps festering along her skin. She could feel more than hear the soft snort from the two people snoring on the table behind her. Her mind drifted just as the picture before her. She could remember a time when she would have been the one on the table, wrapped up in the arms of her friends as they looked after her. She would groan the next day as she woke up to the laughter of the group when they saw the state she was in.
Now, unfortunately, as time went on, her heart was too close to her sleeve to even dream of becoming that loose on alcohol. Even now, she was deemed the responsible mother of the group, rivalled only in a smaller capacity by Lily (although the girl was too quiet for the others to know who was helping them through it).
Movement through the window dragged her from her thoughts. The lights hanging idly outside flickering in the process. The electricity had never been truly reliable during the winter but something about the night seemed to drain any more life out of the circuits completely. Stacie supposed it was part of the so-called charm of cabin life. The unpredictability allows a sense of adventure every day or night.
But, never the less, even against her best judgement, she collected two semi-full glasses of tap water, chilled to perfection through the frozen tap. "Here these might help." She slid one of them over to the other side of the table. Lily, silently, thanked her before reaching back towards the taller girl beside her. While Stacie could see her lips moving, no sound could make it to her ears. She doubted that even if she was in Cynthia-Rose's seat she would be able to understand what was trying to be communicated.
Stacie instead rested one of her hands between the boy beside her shoulder blades. Rotating his head to the side, so in the worst-case scenario, he would wake up in clothing that desperately needed washing. Taking a breath while doing so suggested it might be too late for that anyway. Her nose curled up at the fact that that was the stereotype that was true. How many times had the boy worn the same shirt before coming here?
The man snorted a little, enough that she suddenly didn't want to know the answer to her question. "Come on, Bumper, just a sip."
"Noo," He whined, wriggling further into his arms. One hand even tried to pathetically bat her away. "Five more minutes, mom."
Stacie let herself share a small smile with Lily. Even if they couldn't hear the girl, she knew that Bumper wasn't going to be able to live this down.
Reaching the bottom of the corridor, Beca suddenly wondered if she had thought this through completely. Sure, she and Aubrey had never been close, hell their entire mutual tolerance resided in Chloe's affection for each other, but she was about to cross a line she had never deemed accessible. She was actively going towards the girl's boyfriend. While they were in the same house. The only saving grace that made it tolerable was that it wasn't either of their rooms they were meeting up in.
Even when she knew she shouldn't - when she knew it was wrong - all Beca had stopped to truly ponder was if she was wearing the right clothing. She knew that if she changed it would look worse, that she had tried to seduce the man even if he had written that note. She tried to rationalise that some part of her knew Aubrey had never liked her. That no matter how this turned out she would be blamed. If she went, she would be a homewrecker while if she didn't and Jesse truly wanted her and not Aubrey, then she would be to blame for the terrible mood he would be in.
A soft smile fluttered along with the wings in her stomach. Jesse had wanted her to meet with him. Was he a golden retriever wrapped in a human body? Certainly. Did he produce an array of movie references that had to be spelt out for her? Annoyingly so. Did a smaller part of her enjoy the extra attention from it? She hated to admit it but yes.
Her fingers fidgeted absent-mindedly with her rings. She wasn't like this. This was wrong. Even as her body deflated at the thought. She couldn't do this to Aubrey even if the girl hadn't done anything positive for her, it was still a line she wouldn't cross. Not after her parents.
Beca let her knuckles wrap against the door. Even if nothing would happen between them, she needed some answers. Even if she was the one to give them. "Jess, it's Beca." She could hear shuffling from beyond the door. It sounded like a rush around, even a door closing a touch too forcefully.
But not even a minute later, the door cracked open enough to reveal his dimpled smile. "Hey, Becaw." He opened the door further. "I wasn't sure if you would come." Beca let herself walk past him. If the stench of alcohol hadn't wafted in her direction the slightly unfocused glint in his eyes would have given it away.
Her nose turned up slightly at the smell, instead of remaining within the cloud permeating from him, she took in the room. Despite having spent many days at the lodge she had never thought to investigate every room. Typically she would get dragged around by Stacie or Jesse. So, seeing the classicly homely decoration of the spare room, she couldn't help but feel more confident in her words. Her eyes lingered on the artwork that had been strewn across the mantle piece. The candles lit in front of the painting highlight the warmer tones within the landscape. She had always felt at peace within nature. The woods hold too much charm to ignore behind the music she clung so dearly to.
"Of course, I did. You're my friend Jess." She turned towards the bed when she noticed his smile droop slightly. "Do you mind if I sit?" He waved her towards the idea, letting himself fall beside her. "We need to talk." She could see his eyebrows crook in an effort to process her words.
Try as he might, Jesse couldn't quite tell if this was a good talk or if he would regret not finishing his beer. "Yeah?"
"It's about the note." Beca slipped the folded paper out of her jeans pocket. Her hips shuffled to gain access, hating the fact she wore skinny jeans at that moment. Once she wriggled the paper free she numbly handed it towards the boy. "We can't. I- I can't."
Jesse awkwardly looked back at the words instead of facing Beca. The messy scribble, while not obvious, had not been his own. He could see the similarities but as he read further through the 'love' proclamation, he felt his stomach twist into knots. He knew this wasn't going to end well. He knew that Aubrey had a way to make everything seem beneath her but this was too close to home to be a joke anymore. Sure, he had been all for the idea. But seeing the concept play out in front of him, sobered him quicker than anything before.
He could feel his own heartstrings break at the thought. "Beca-"
"Let, let me speak, please." He mutely nodded, his mouth dry. "I like you, Jesse. I do, but I can't do that. I won't break someone up. And while I don't know what you see in her, Aubrey is still your girlfriend. I know you, Jesse, you aren't the type of man to cheat, nor am I the type of woman to make you into a cheater.
"Beca." His voice filtered off as he thought over everything. "I know you would never do something like that."
"Then why?" She gestured towards the letter.
Jesse let out his breath. He knew this wouldn't end well, he could already see the walls build themselves back up behind her eyes. He hated seeing it. "Aubrey got jealous."
"Aubrey!" While her voice had raised slightly, there was a clear understanding and almost a level of expectancy behind the shock. Her head dropped as did her shoulders.
"She wanted me to break your heart. But I can't. Not to you. I care too much to let that happen." He reached out to grasp her hand. She leapt to her feet and crossed the room before he could close enough to her. Her head shook back and forth. "I'm sorry." He muttered more to himself than to the person he wished the words would reach.
He stood up trying to reach her again, keeping his arms to himself when he saw Beca wrap her own around herself. He kept his voice low and tilted his head down to eye level with her, wishing she would look at him again. Even with the glimpses of disbelief, he needed the reassurance that she was still there. "I'm so sor-"
Her head lurched to face him with enough force that he wished to take back his wish. The seething anger his words had sparked was enough for him to want to cower behind the partition beside him. Against all instinct, he stood firm, eyes a little downcast but nothing to match the dwindling candlelight within the room. "Don't"
Beca had started to turn around towards the door when a slow methodical clap started behind them. Followed shortly by a fake overexaggerated laugh. Facing the source directly, Beca's mood managed to sour tenfold. Aubrey stood with a manic, twisted smile that pierced through Beca's emotions. Her eyes clenched shut both to stop the tears from making themselves known and to try and block out the smugness that clung to Aubrey.
"Well, well, well. What do we have here?" Aubrey took a few steps closer, her phone clasped confidently in both hands now that she had stopped clapping. The camera points directly towards the two. "An adulterer and his whore."
"Aubrey, you know it's not like that."
"Don't I? I have the proof right here." Aubrey wiggled the camera slightly. Her smile grew feral before her lips puckered into an imitation of a child. "What would daddy think, huh?"
Beca's arms stayed crossed over her chest even as she felt the tightness dripping down her cheeks. The tear trails dried quicker than she could produce them. She could feel her hands barely resisting the urge to clench, her fingers pulsing to the same beat that echoed throughout her ears. Her chest heaved under the strain she was putting it through just to keep her breathing even, even as she felt her body start to jutter. Beca started to sympathise with those deers on the roads, although they at least got their punishment over quickly. Beca knew exactly what Aubrey could/would do with that video.
"Seriously? You're recording this?" Despite the fact that Jesse's voice seemed to hold more anger than Beca could feel radiate through her body, Aubrey simply throw a small kiss in his direction. The boy didn't even try to deflect the airborn sign of affection as he stormed up to his girlfriend. "This isn't right. This isn't what we planned!" His teeth were clenched shut so he didn't stop the flecks of spit that started to fire towards the lens of her phone. His arms clenched by his sides, vibrating in frustration.
Aubrey lifted the phone out of his range with her face twisted in disgust. Even as her shoulders remained relaxed at the situation. The door opened with a forceful jolt, sending the room's residents to jump with the same vigour. A sour whine came from under the bed, along with hushed tears from the wardrobe. Even as Chloe sputtered explanations and excuses, Beca's focus resided on the newly revealed participants of her embarrassment. Amy, entirely unrepentant, only complained about her forehead as she rubbed away the forming bump when she dragged herself out of the bed. Her hands reaching out like her former childhood fear, Beca's feet shuffled minutely away at the reminder. Although Benji had wrapped Emily up in his arms as she poured double the number of tears than Beca ever had, Beca couldn't find herself able to look at them for long, her gaze instead resorting back to Jesse and her.
Seeing everyone stare at her as if she was contagious, that she was wrong or even that she had deserved this prompted her chest to shutter even more. Her breathing came out in rags as she tried to steady herself on Chloe's arms which had come to brace her shoulders. She hadn't realised when that had happened. But in this instance, it felt too constricting, too warm, too good. She wouldn't let herself break down in front of these people. They no longer stood before her as her friends, they had done too much for that.
The warmth continued to spread from her shoulders, her cheeks burning as the room swam around her. She could feel her throat start to hiccup and she knew it wasn't long before a complete meltdown. Although there was no way to know if it was one born from anger or embarrassment. Beca just knew she needed to get out of there. No longer listening to the hum of conversation around her, Beca let herself rush out of the room. Only listening to the feet patter behind her as someone followed her. She needed them to leave, to let her be alone, not to suffocate her. She didn't pay attention as she twisted through all the corridors of the house, uncaring as to where she was going. The room was too unfamiliar to her to let her navigate around the place with accuracy. Pure dumb luck was getting through the closest doors until finally, she ran through one last door.
The frost bit at her skin but she continued through, her eyes frozen shut by the very tears she was hoping to contain. Her arms gripped her shirt closer to her skin in the hope of some perceived warmth. Her skin felt like it was starting to freeze in place. That her jeans had collected enough snow to cement her to the spot. But once she recognised the sound of people retreating back to the soft glow of the lodge, her legs gave out. Falling softly in the snow as her shoulders shook. Her face contorted into misery as the scenario replayed through her head.
She was such an idiot, she replayed in her mind. She knew it wasn't going to end well. She knew that something was going on. That Jesse would never be the type of person to do that to Aubrey. She also knew that Aubrey was the type of person to put him up to things. To show her control over situations.
Peeling her eyes open, Beca saw darkness. The soft flakes from the blizzard fell around, coating the world in a thick layer of chill. Even as she tried to shuffle around, she couldn't find a bearing to follow. All that surrounded her were trees and snow. Even the path had been filled back with a fresh layer of white flakes. She was lost. And the tears had melted enough in her embarrassment that they fell even harder than before.
Chloe watched as Beca stormed out of the room. She wanted to start after her but not before leaving their 'friends' with some parting words. "You guys are jerks." It might not be so elegant, but she felt it worked in the situation. Her feet had locked onto her friends' former footsteps. She could see the walls shake with the force of her sprint. She didn't slow down around corners, simply reaching out with one arm for the wall and hoping to remain on her feet.
Every second corner left her with glimpses of Beca. The smallest glimmer of hope as she saw more and more until one turn had left her with nothing. She had reached a fork in the road as she was met with the main lobby of the lodge. (It wasn't the main connection to the front door, the door had a tendency to freeze itself shut so they often opted for the patio doors). One part would lead her to the kitchen, another to the living room and the final path was the library. While she was certain of the girl's reclusiveness she had never thought that she would be forced to play whack-a-mole with different paths.
But with the sound effects from the kitchen, it held the most promise. Even if it wasn't Beca it might hold more answers than the darker options. She let herself move towards the warmth of the stonework. The fireplace allows a gradual warmth to reside within the walls of the interior. It felt nice against her frozen limbs. Her fingers traced the grout as she walked. Even if her brain wandered to other areas, she would at least be alerted at the door frame.
"Stacie!" The girl in question jumped. "Have you seen Beca?" While she tried to speak in a blase voice, she could tell some hysteria had blended through. Her chest tried to catch the small amounts of breath she was allowed.
"No? Why what's wrong?" Stacie had stood up, towering over the redhead even from a distance.
"Something happened to her, now I need to find her before something happens." Stacie's eyes narrowed at the suggestion. Chloe squirmed under the scrutiny she was placed under. Even if she knew what was happening, it still wasn't going to end well. Stacie had always had such a way with words for a proper tongue-lashing.
Stacie pulled her shoulders back as she tried to restrain herself. Her chin tilted upwards as she spoke. "What happened?"
Before Chloe could speak, a flurry of muffled voices dragged their attention away from each other and towards the window. "Beca!" Chloe let herself dash out the door without any more of a word towards the voice. Leaving Stacie and the others behind. She pushed the door open, thankful that the door didn't require her to step back and pull on it. Only to stop short as she saw the group of pranksters clustered out in the cold. All arguing to various degrees. Jesse's voice held the urgency she was expecting while Amy and Aubrey mockingly called out Beca's name. Benji and Emily had yet to move out of their embrace while they looked towards the forest ahead of them.
"What happened? Where's Beca?" Jesse continued shouting towards the forest, while Benji shakily pointed out towards the darkness.
"We got to go after her." Jesse had finally lowered his hands from his mouth, no longer needing to project his voice. Instead, his bare feet moved towards the frozen ground until a manicured hand wrapped itself around his arm.
"She'll be fine, don't worry your pretty little head over it." To execute her point Aubrey let her voice carry through the distance. "It was just a prank Hobbit." She continued to smile as she pulled Jesse back up the steps. "See? If she wanted to return she would. Let her breathe for a bit alright?"
Chloe could see Jesse tense up but refusing to say anything against her. Even as her nails tightened around him all the boy did was clench his jaw and point a glare towards the offending claws. All their noises ceased as the thumps of footsteps escalated from within the house, growing louder until Stacie's head emerged out the doorway. The soft smoke blew its way through the wind as their breaths reacted with the cool air.
"Alright, what the hell is going on? Where's my sister?" Stacie's tirade left very few capable of speech. Aubrey, the ever HBIC, cowered ever so slightly behind Jesse at the heated look that cascaded over the group. "Well?" The parka did little to stop the leg tilt and hand that landed on her hip from representing an annoyed white mother of three during a timeout sentencing.
A soft ruffle of clothing had Emily emerging her head out of Benji's shoulder. "She ran into the woods." A loose copy of Benji's old point had Stacie turning towards the dark cast of shadows that surrounded the lodge.
Stacie spun back towards the group long enough to look them all in their eyes as she spoke. "What did you do? You know what? It doesn't matter because you are all dicks." With that, she leapt into action. Following the fague direction, Emily had alluded to, not slowing down as her feet started to slide across the floor. The ambience of animal noises did nothing to deter her actions. Her jacket was firmly pressed against her chest as she continued further into the abyss. Her tight-clad legs held surprisingly well against the wilderness.
While not looking like the sort, Stacie had managed to spend enough time in the woods to learn her way around, even in the dark. The time she spent as kids daring Jesse to climb the trees only to prove him wrong when he couldn't make it far up the trunk, helped her to remain calmer than she expected to be. Because while she had managed to gloat from atop every tree around the lodge, she knew Beca had hardly managed to make it a foot off the set path in the eight years they had been visiting Jesse's home.
The thought spurred her on further. She didn't know what state her sister was in. She could be calm and simply needing air, but the state of duress that Chloe was in looking for her told her it was unlikely of an option. And, over the years, Stacie had noticed the lack of attention the girl could display to the world. She had seen her walk around the same tree for over an hour trying to find the right spot to make a mix-in.
As the snow continued to batter the side of her face, masking her hair in enough ice that a snow plough wouldn't be able to clear it, Stacie realised how bad of a decision it was to leave without supplies. Yes, a jacket was one thing to slip on, shoes another reasonable choice. Leaving her phone behind? Idiotic. The darkness grew further as she continued down the so-called path in front of her and all she wished for was something brighter than the thin slithers of moonlight that peered through the tree branches.
In an act of desperation, despite the various wildlife she knew to be lurking around her, she shouted her sister's name. "Beca!" Each call grew desperate. Her voice cracked against the icy air that consumed her lungs. Her run does nothing to warm up the fluctuating amount of air within her body. Chilled to the bone, Stacie slowed down a little, her hands rubbing her legs in an effort to heat up a portion of the feeling she should have within them to no prevail.
Instead, she stopped completely, turning in the spot, keeping one foot planted to ensure she knew the way she came. Her head turned in one direction, only to be distracted down another path by noise. Her heart beat with her conflict. Her head kept alternating between the options before a glint caught her eye. A small indentation on the opposite path from the noise. Taking a step towards it in curiosity revealed the faint outline of footsteps. Hardly noticeable without the right reflection of the moon's beams. "Beca!" Her head tilted as she held her breath. No response.
Sighing, Stacie continued down the path, mindful of the footsteps in front of her. Every few steps she would repeat her call just to receive the same answering response. Creeping onwards the faint mewling sound emerged slowly. "Beca?" It wasn't the typical sound she had heard from the shorter girl but these weren't the typical situation they found each other in. "Beca!"
Her mind continued to be invested in the sound effect in front of her. The path had narrowed considerably but she pushed through. Ignoring the electrical pattern of pain starting to make itself known within her soaked footwear. She was far too cold to stop looking now. "Where'd she go?" Even by her standards, they had made it too far from the lodge to be normal. She reached a drop in front of her. The ground was bitter and solid as she took a hesitant step upon it. She peered down the edge to witness nothing. No Beca, no footsteps and no noise. Turning her head to her other side she could make out the same noise as before, only further away.
With a parting look, she continued towards the noise. Wishing harder than ever that she would soon be allowed back to the warmth of the indoors. Even if she had to share it with them, it would at least let her come up with some new choice words for the six of them. Five, a part of her reminded her. She wasn't quite sure where Chloe came into everything but she wasn't sure if she would like the answer.
Stacie could feel her body freeze before the noise registered. Her arms held themselves firmly in front of her as her muscle remained stuck to the spot. A high pitch wail of a screech wormed its way throughout the surrounding area, silencing anything else. Only a short roar followed before silence took hold of the world again. Stacie continued to remain still as she waited for the noise to die out. Hoping for something to happen before she continued down the path.
The trees beside her rustled, followed closely by the bush shaking more than they were from the blizzard surrounding them. Her body turned towards the shaking, a hopeful wish that she would intimidate the creature away with her height before a fight went down. Her eyes remained wide as horns emerged from the greenery. Pale and tough the antlers continued to grow before her eyes. She was forced to take one step back before the face was finally revealed. Dark wide eyes sunk deep into its skull as it towered over the girl. Her legs shook as she remained still, unwilling to provoke it with a sudden move.
While, on a different day, she would have loved to admire the creature, today she was struck with the thought of a stampede. Stacie knew that deers, more importantly stags, moved in groups. A defensive form against the predators in the woods around them. So while she enjoyed the marvellous of the mammal before her, her mind could only drift to the pounds of muscle topped with pointy blunt objects that would ensure her discomfort for whatever remained of her life if she threatened it slightly.
Her hands held themselves at her sides, stretched out enough to be twice her size. Her palms were open as she caught too many flakes in the crosshairs of her movements. Her eyes drifted downwards unwilling to provoke it more, almost a sign of respect for the creature. The creature stepped towards her its head drooping towards her hair, raising a few locks of her hair in its breath before snorting down at her.
Before long both of their bodies froze, and only the stags head turned towards the woods in front of her. Its legs moved quickly as it leapt towards the foliage before it, attempting to flee the recurrence of the screech. Only this time Stacie witnessed the cause of the aftershock roar. A blaze of light emerged over the hedge in front of her. She could smell the gasoline in the air as the fire projected itself again. Her legs turned towards her left (away from the heat). Her calls of Beca were reduced to a forceful whisper as she kept going deeper into the woods.
Beca didn't know how long she had been out in the woods. Her legs had gone numb not long after she fell into the snow. Her hands had turned red despite their constant place in her jeans pockets. Even her face felt numb from its place within the collar of her shirt. The plaid, while thick, didn't help much when it was soaked through the fibres. Her eyes were soaked to the point of discomfort, despite the catharsis that it had brought to her soul, she couldn't help the shame that seeped its way into her pride. She was supposed to be stronger than that.
Her numb hands provided little comfort as she wiped the shards of tears from her cheeks. "I'm so stupid." She couldn't help but mutter to herself.
"No your not." A soft voice called out to her. Turning she couldn't help but relax at the sight of her sister. The leggy brunette held an equally soft expression on her face. Non-judgemental and openly welcoming.
Even with the sight she couldn't help but desire confirmation. She wasn't sure how long it takes people to reach delirium from hallucinations. "Stacie?"
"Come on, let's get you home. Wrapped up and cuddled around some cocoa." Stacie shrugged off her jacket as she was speaking, slowly laying it over the DJ's shoulders. Hugging her as she did so. Beca leaned further into the embrace, enjoying the heat radiating from both the hug and the person giving it.
Yet, just as Beca's eyes closed in the proximity, a shriek came closer to them, their ears vibrating under the frequency. Stacie seemed to recover first, ushering Beca to stand up with her. Beca's mind whirred as she tried to place the noise. She had heard it once before that night but had discounted it soon after, she was too far in her head to care for some animal. But when the blast of heat emerged in front of them, Stacie left very little to argue with as she grabbed firmly upon her arm and pulled her onto her feet.
"Come on." Stacie went towards the path she had just been on, only to be cut off by another blast. A small shadow flickered with it only to move out of sight. Stacie linked their hands together, pressing a firm squeeze of reassurance for both participants. "The guest cabin, let's go." Stacie backed up a few stops, not taking her eyes off the fixed point where the flames had once been. When she was certain nothing was coming she rotated them both before leading Beca towards the clearing in the trees before them.
Try as she might, Beca could not utter a word in the situation. Instead, she mindlessly followed her sister, passing trees and bushes alike, hurdling over fallen branches as they tried to block the worst of the snow in front of them.
But, one twist too many, led them to a dead end. A propelled blast of fire blocked their path enough to send them running in a different direction, away from where Stacie had intended. A place that sent them to a sudden halt. While Beca might not have known the direction they were supposed to be going, she knew the drastic stop in their pathway was not a good sign. Even more so when Stacie cursed beside her.
"No!" Stacie hissed beside her. Although visibility might not have been good, she could still make out the heartbreak on her face before it was covered back up. Another screech had them both turning towards the noise. An animal jumped towards them, landing silently on all fours before prowling at its prey. Beca took a step back in fear, only to feel the ground crumble below her. Her body tightened at the sensation, locking herself on Stacie's hand as she tumbled down. Dragging her sister with her.
Beca couldn't make out any more than a large tug on her hand as her vision righted itself. The drop left her stomach in her throat as she clung tightly to the straining limb keeping her upright. Stacie's grunts do nothing to ease her mind as her gaze fixates on the ground below. Or where the ground should be. All that could be made out was a continuous tornado of snowflakes, bouncing carelessly in the wind. A sudden sense of queasiness washed over her at the thought.
"Beca!" Even with the strain in her voice, Stacie clenched her hand further, the discomfort in the position doing nothing to ease her hold. "Hold on." Stacie looked between both of her hands, from the fear she could faintly see in aspects of Beca's face and the white-knuckled grip she had on the root above her head, Stacie let herself breathe out a sigh of relief. She was secure for now and her sister was being held beneath her.
As much as Stacie wished she could, the temptation to readjust her grip was terribly unallowed. Her arms tensed and stretched under the weight of both girls. She could feel the tendons in her arm tear with each passing moment. Beca's wriggling did little more than distort her hold upon them. "Stop moving!" Her voice clipped with urgency.
"I'm trying!" Beca's legs swung out underneath her, the wind pushing her body to the side as it moved its way around her. The jacket collected itself within the breeze like a parachute.
Stacie looked from below back to above her searching for a reasonable idea to make itself known. Her eyes casing the mountain before her for a perch or mantle that could take some of their weight as they search for some help. "There! Beca can you reach it." Without a hand free, Stacie could do little more than gesture wildly with her head. The thrusting threw their body into a movement resembling a caterpillar.
"What!" Beca looked closely above her, actively ignoring the bitter sting from her eyes until they landed on a crevice in the mountain. "I, I think so!" God, she hoped so.
"On the count of three, I'll swing you." Stacie tightened her grip considerably more. "One." Her eyes clenched as she gulped the bile raising in her throat. "Two." Her fingers pulsed around her sister's grip. "Three!" Her force raised as she shuffled her shoulder to the side, her head tilting along with the rest of her body. She blindly pulled her sister along with her while her face contorted in pain.
"Dammit!" Beca couldn't help her disdain seeping through as she watched her grip give way, her fingers severed from the bitter rock edge. She could feel the nippiness seep in as she saw the newly red surge to the surface of her fingers. Her eyes raised hopefully towards Stacie. "I almost had it!" She was giddy at the thought. They could make it.
"Okay! Again, on three! One. Two." Just as Stacie was about to propel them again, another screech resonated above them. Her blood chilled faster than ever, her arms shook as they hung lifelessly, actively avoiding a confrontation they could not win. But, like clockwork, a roar sounded out as a fireball propelled above their head. A whimper escapes her. She let herself lock eyes with Beca's, both sets wide with terror and foreboding.
They waited a while longer before they attempted to move. Yet a hand emerged when the fire receded. The gloves were tattered, revealing thick calloused fingers reaching downwards before a head peaked over the chasm's edge. Stacie felt her heart buffered while Beca dangled below. His face was obscured behind a bandit's mask and goggles. One of his arms braced against the rock face as the other extended closer towards the root she was clinging onto. But, as tall as the man seemed to be, his reach was not far enough, his fingers tickled hers in an attempt to lock arms.
Stacie looked back down. She could see it when the situation fully clicked in her mind. Only one would be able to make it out. The taller woman saw sadness succumb to her sister's eyes as she made a choice. "I love you!" With the words echoing throughout the void, Beca let her fingers wriggle, destroying the well-placed grip Stacie had once held upon her.
"No!" She could feel her fingers sliding through hers, and saw the moment gravity took priority on her as her arms moved freely beside her. Even as her scream disappeared long after her face became shrowded. Her tears froze just as quickly when she heard the man shuffle above her. It pained them to turn her head away from her sister, her arms reaching blindly above her before she felt the same telltale sign of the ground giving way. Her eyes flicked passed the root slipping from the frozen soil, her muscles ceasing at the momentum, only to drag her support down with her. She didn't have time to admire the man's desperation as he reached towards her only to be met with air as she saw the sky ascend before her. All she could find at that moment was the sick comfort at the thought her sister would not be alone for long.