The sun was setting over Millwood, casting an orange glow over the small, sleepy town. The streets, quiet as always, seemed to pulse with an underlying tension. It had been a year since Imogen Adams and her friends—Tabby, Faran, Mouse, and Noa—had survived their harrowing ordeal. The shadow of "A" had loomed large over them, and despite the fact that they had managed to uncover some truths and escape with their lives, it was impossible to shake the trauma of what they'd gone through.

But they were determined to move on. Or at least, pretend to.

Tonight was supposed to be a night for fun. Tabby had decided to throw a little movie marathon at her place—something light, something that would make them all laugh. They needed it after everything. But as always with these girls, humor had a dark edge.

Imogen sat on the couch, clutching a pillow to her chest as she stared at the screen, the opening credits of some ridiculous horror-comedy playing in the background. She was trying to relax, but her mind kept wandering back to the past year. The secrets they'd uncovered, the danger they'd been in, the lies. It still felt so fresh.

Tabitha "Tabby" Haworthe, their resident movie buff, was sprawled out on the floor, munching on popcorn. "Okay, I know this is supposed to be a 'fun' movie night, but I couldn't resist. This one has the perfect blend of gore and laughs," she said with a grin, throwing popcorn into the air and catching it in her mouth.

Faran Bryant, ever poised and composed, sat elegantly in one of the chairs, legs crossed as she sipped from her cup. "Of course you couldn't resist. It's you, Tabby."

Mouse Honrada was curled up in a ball next to Imogen, her eyes darting between the TV and the window. She had always been the most cautious of them all, and even now, with the apparent danger behind them, she couldn't shake the feeling that they were being watched. "Are we sure this is a good idea? Watching a slasher film after everything we've been through?"

Noa Olivar, who was lounging next to Tabby on the floor, snorted. "Please, Mouse. We're in a good place now. We survived. No one's coming after us anymore."

Imogen let out a small laugh, though it was tinged with unease. "Yeah. Sure. A good place. That's exactly where we are."

"I'm in a good place, I took some bad days…"

Tabby turned to her, raising an eyebrow. "Hey, aren't we? We've made it through. We got answers, we're not running for our lives anymore, and for once, Millwood isn't crawling with psychopaths. What more could we ask for?"

Imogen shot her a wry look. "You really think it's over, Tabby? Because if there's one thing I've learned, it's that it's never really over. Not in this town."

Faran, ever the realist, chimed in. "She's not wrong. We've all seen how this works. Just because things are quiet doesn't mean they're done."

Mouse's eyes widened. "You think 'A' could come back?"

Noa groaned, rolling her eyes. "Oh my god, not this again. We've been over this. 'A' is gone. We're fine. Can't we just enjoy a night without talking about murder and mayhem for once?"

"Now I'm healing, and I'm happy, and I'm free…"

Tabby tossed a piece of popcorn at Noa, laughing. "Thank you, Noa. That's what I've been trying to say. We deserve this. We deserve to have some fun after everything we've been through. It doesn't all have to be doom and gloom."

Imogen let out a sigh, leaning back against the couch. "Yeah, I guess you're right. But still, it's hard to feel like things are back to normal when… they'll never be normal again."

Faran nodded, her gaze turning thoughtful. "It's not about going back to normal. It's about moving forward. We're not the same girls we were a year ago."

"No," Mouse said quietly. "We're not."

Tabby rolled her eyes playfully. "Oh, come on, Mouse. We're like final girls in a horror movie. We've been through the worst, and we're still standing. What's not to love about that?"

"I'm in a good place, yeah, I've faced my mistakes…"

Imogen chuckled softly. "You make it sound like a badge of honor."

Tabby grinned. "Maybe it is. We've earned it, haven't we?"

Noa raised her glass. "To surviving the madness."

The others followed suit, clinking their cups together in a toast.

"To surviving," Imogen echoed, though she couldn't shake the feeling that the story wasn't over yet.

As they settled back into watching the movie, the tension in the room seemed to ease. Laughter filled the space as the ridiculousness of the film played out on the screen. But beneath the surface, there was still a heaviness. A weight that hadn't been lifted, despite their best efforts to move on.

About halfway through the movie, the doorbell rang, causing all of them to jump.

"Who the hell is that?" Noa muttered, glancing toward the door.

"Relax," Tabby said, though her own voice held a note of unease. "It's probably just one of my neighbors."

Imogen and Faran exchanged a look. "I'll get it," Imogen said, standing up and making her way to the door.

As she approached the door, her heart started to race, memories of the past year flashing through her mind. She reached for the knob, hesitating for just a second before pulling it open.

Standing on the other side was a delivery guy holding a large pizza box. "Pizza for Haworthe?"

Tabby popped up from the couch, a sheepish grin on her face. "Oh, right! I ordered pizza. Figured we'd need something to go with all the popcorn."

Imogen let out a relieved breath and took the pizza from the guy. "Thanks," she said, handing it to Tabby as she closed the door.

Noa shook her head, laughing. "You're all paranoid. It's just pizza."

Mouse wasn't so sure. "I don't know… What if 'A' has moved on to pizza pranks now?"

"Well, if I'm going to die," Tabby said, grabbing a slice, "I'd like to go out eating pizza."

"Now I'm right where I wanna be…"

The girls laughed, the mood lifting once again. They ate, they joked, and for a moment, it almost felt like things were back to the way they used to be.

Almost.

Faran looked around the room, her gaze landing on each of her friends. "You know, for all the terrible stuff that's happened, I'm glad we had each other."

Imogen smiled at her. "Me too."

"Yeah," Mouse agreed softly. "I don't know how I would've made it without you guys."

Noa leaned back, smirking. "Same here. Though I could've done without the near-death experiences."

Tabby raised her cup again. "To us, then. To being in a good place—even if that place is a little messed up sometimes."

They all raised their cups once more, their laughter filling the room.

But as the night wore on and the movie marathon continued, a familiar feeling of dread crept in. They could laugh, they could joke, they could pretend that things were fine. But deep down, they all knew the truth.

The past wasn't done with them.

And no matter how much they tried to move on, to find their "good place," there was always something lurking in the shadows of Millwood. Always.

But for tonight, they could let themselves believe that they were okay. They could let themselves believe that they were free.

Because even in a mad world, sometimes you just had to laugh.