The bus comes to a stop, my heart pounding as I mumble a quiet thank you before getting off. The snow crunches beneath my feet, a shiver running down my spine as I try to warm my hands up. The pathway leading to the cable car is dimly lit, Blackwood Mountain towering menacingly in the distance, snow falling lightly around me.

"Come on Ella, you can do this." I whisper to myself, brushing a stray strand of my auburn hair behind my ear. As soon as I step onto the path, I feel a pair of eyes, staring at me with an almost..burning hatred. I quickly whip my head around, looking around to see who's there, but to my slight horror..it's just me.

I clench my fists, my teeth chattering a little as I take a deep breath before heading down the pathway, trying to ignore the fear creeping up my spine. My heart starts racing as I get closer to the cable car station, the memories of last year start flooding my mind as the sound of Hannah and Beth's screams echo in my head.

My nails start digging into the palm of my hands hard, the pain snapping me from my thoughts as I reach the station. "Hello?" I call out, my voice wobbling a little as I hope someone answers. A silence lingers in the air as I walk towards a nearby bench, a large blue backpack is leaning against it.

"Ella, you made it!" A friendly voice calls out behind me, startling me a little. I turn around and my worries quickly fade as my close friends Sam and Chris come jogging towards me. Sam gently squeezes my shoulder, smiling softly at me. "It's good to see you guys." I greet with a nervous grin.

Chris then pulls me into a tight hug before lifting me off the ground. The soft and familiar scent of pine brings me comfort despite the fact Chris is crushing me. "C-can't breath.." I wheeze and he quickly puts me down, sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck.

"Sorry Ella. I've just missed you is all." Chris apologises with a nervous chuckle, his voice trailing off a little as a small blush appears across his cheeks. "I've missed you too big guy." I chuckle, playfully nudging him with my arm. Sam smirks a little at me, and I roll my eyes as Chris grabs his backpack.

Suddenly, his eyes light up, a mischevious grin on his face. "Oh, so I found something, kinda amazing." Chris says excitedly. "What is it?" I ask, tilting my head a little. "I'm not gonna ruin the surprise, you have to see it for yourself. C'mon I'll show you." Chris smirks as he gently grabs my hand.

My cheeks turn red as he starts to guide me round the side of the station, Sam stifling a chuckle as she follows close behind. As we walk towards the back of the station, I notice a wanted poster stuck to the wall. The picture has been torn off, leaving just a brief description written below.

My stomach churns at the thought of a criminal lurking in the area, but I quickly brush it off. Chris comes to a stop by a small makeshift shooting range. "Ta-dah! Pretty rad, right?" Chris asks, letting go of my hand as Sam and I glance at each other.

"Uh..yeah.." Sam says, her voice laced with sarcasm. Chris looks a little disappointed by her reaction. "Aw, come on. Look at these beauties." Chris exclaims as he grabs one of the rifles. Sam takes a slight step back. "Uh, 'Beauties' is not the word that comes to mind. Why is this even here?" Sam asks with a slightly disgusted look in her eyes.

"Josh's dad thinks he's like, Grizzly Adams or something." I chime in, remember the summers I spent with the Washington family and how Mr Washington would go on and on about his latest hunting trips. Chris offers me the rifle. "Do you want a go, Ella?" He asks but I politely decline.

"No thanks. But you go ahead, Grizzly." I tease. Chris aims the rifle down the shooting range, taking a deep breath. "Alright, here goes nothing." He mumbles to himself before pulling the trigger. He shatters a beer bottle. I watch as he smiles to himself before he shoots another three bottles, shattering them instantly.

Sam claps her hands together, a playful smirk on her face. "Wow, nice shootin' Tex." She teases. Chris smirks at us. "Alright, I'm bad. I'm a badass!" Chris jokes as he does a silly little dance. I couldn't help but giggle at him. "I'm gonna go ahead and guess it was a wild case of beginner's luck." I tease, poking my tongue out at him.

"I don't think so, girl." Chris says with a smug confidence as he playfully winks at me before turning his attention back to the shooting range. He shoots at a few more bottles before shooting a small sandbag hanging from a tree at the back of the range.

"Nice shot." I praise, as Sam rolls her eyes, smirking a little. "Your ass just got sacked!" Chris jeers playfully at the sandbag. Sam and I groan in unison at his pun. Chris goes to aim down the range again, but Sam nudges him. "Hey, sharp-shooter, our ride is coming." Sam says, motioning towards the cable car that has just pulled into the station.

"Aw man, I was just getting the hang of things." Chris pouts as he puts the rifle back. I grab his hand, smiling at him. "C'mon, the sooner we get to the lodge, the sooner we can be out of the cold." I suggest, and his eyes light up a little. "Alright alright, let's go." Chris agrees as the snow starts to fall a little heavy around us.

We quickly head towards the cable car and Chris closes the door behind us. He sits beside me, and Sam sits opposite me. The cable car groans and creaks a little before it starts to slow ride to the top of the mountain. My fears start to creep up on my again as I clench my fists. Chris notices my discomfort and he drapes his arm around my shoulder.

"You know how Josh and I met?" He asks softly, trying to take my mind off of things. "No..?" I ask, my voice trailing off a little. "Okay, third grade. Josh sat in the back of the room, I sat in the front, we didn't even know eachother existed." Chris began and I rest my head on his shoulder, my stomach fluttering with nerves.

"But, the kid sitting next to Josh started strap snapping the training bra on the girl in front of him, so the teacher made him move to the front, where I was sitting." Chris continues, and Sam looks a little puzzled. "So..?" She asks and Chris sighs a little. "So I got moved to the back!" Chris says and Sam shrugs her shoulder.

"And?" Sam asks again and Chris groans quietly. "And next to Josh! That's how we met! And became friends to this day." Chris states excitedly. "A match made in heaven." I chime in quietly, a small smile tugging at my lips. Chris gently squeezes my shoulder.

"If it weren't for the fact that Jeanie Simmonds hit puberty like, three years early and on that day decided to wear a low-cut shirt that showed off her training bra. I mean who knows? You two could be riding in this cable car alone. Right now, or talking to some other person entirely. Boom, Butterfly Effect." Chris says, his voice trailing off as I stare out of window, watching as we get closer to the top of the mountain.

This is going to be a long night..

...Twenty Minutes Later...

After what feels like forever, Chris, Sam and I finally reach the lodge. To my surprise, Josh is the only one there, and he seems to be struggling to unlock the door. "Dammit... This freaking thing..." Josh mutters to himself quietly, unaware that we are standing behind him.

"You having some trouble there, Josh?" Sam calls out, startling Josh. "Jesus! Nearly gave me a heart attack." Josh mumbles, playfully clutching his chest, his usual goofy smile plastered across his face. "Glad you guys could make it. It means a lot to have you back here." Josh smiles, but I can see the sadness in his eyes.

Chris sympathetically pats his shoulder, Josh nodding thankfully at him. "So..bad news is, the lock is iced over." Josh says with a nervous chuckle. "What's the good news?" I ask, shivering a little as I rub my hands together. Josh smirks as he drapes his arm around Chris' shoulder.

"Good news, is this guy is gonna help me get inside. Sit tight ladies, you'll be sat by the fire before you know it." Josh says, and before Chris could argue, Josh drags him round the side of the lodge. That's when Sam puts her arm on my shoulder. "So.." Sam began, a mischevious gleam in her eyes.

"What's going on with you and Chris?" Sam asks in a playful tone, and I tense up a little. "N-nothing!" I stammer shyly, my face turning bright red. Sam laughs a little, enjoying my awkwardness. "If you say so~" She teases and I roll my eyes, trying my best to ignore her.

That's when I spot a small balcony with a pair of binoculars overlooking the forest below. A smile tugs at the corner of my lips as I make my way over. I pick up the binoculars and start looking around the forest. The forest looks beautiful with the untouched snow, almost like a winter wonderland.

Suddenly, flashes of me running after Hannah and Beth flood my head. I grit my teeth and take a deep breath before looking around some more. That's when I spot Emily, and her ex Mike talking on the path.

Emily is giggling as Mike strokes her arm, a smug and flirty look on his face. "Woah hello, somebody's getting a little 'friendly' and not in the 'friend-zone' kind of way." I mumble to myself as Emily suddenly pulls Mike into an almost loving embrace. "They might need to check the expiration date on their big breakup." I mutter before looking away.

Suddenly, a pair of eyes stare back at me through the binoculars, a loud scream echoing around me. I let out a startled yell as I stumble backwards, tripping over myself. I hit the ground with a heavy thud as Matt, Emily's current boyfriend, walks towards me, laughing so hard that tears are rolling down his cheeks.

"Matt! Goddamnit!" I scold as I slowly push myself to my feet, brushing the snow off my legs. "Sorry about that Ella, I didn't mean to scare you-" Matt began but I glare at him, causing him to chuckle again. "Well, I did mean to scare you . Well..'sort of' scare you but not like for real scare you..." Matt rambles as I shove his shoulder.

"You scared the shit outta me!" I grumble, pouting a little from embarrassment. Matt sheepishly rubs the back of his neck. "I'm really sorry Ella." Matt apologises, and I sigh a little. "It's fine, really. Just, don't do it again." I reassure him and he smiles at me. He then turns to the binoculars.

"You see anything juicy with that thing?" Matt asks and I suddenly tense up. "Uh-" I stammer, but before I could stop him, he grabs the binoculars and peers through them. His smile suddenly falters, and his grip tightens on the binoculars. "Aw, son of a bitch. Seriously Emily? What the hell, man?" Matt snarls angrily.

"Hey, listen..it's probably nothi-" I began, placing my hand on his shoulder. But Matt cuts me off. "Nothing? You think? Is it ever just nothing with Em? Ever?" Matt asks angrily, his eyes burning with rage. "I-I don't kn-" I stammer, and Matt cuts me off again by roughly shoving me backwards

I land on the floor with a loud thud, hitting my head a little on the ground as Matt towers over me. He just shakes his head in frustation before storming off. "Ella!" Sam calls out as she runs towards me, worry plastered across her face. "I'm fine..he didn't mean it." I mutter as she helps me up, the snow soaking into my clothes causing me to shudder.

"Oh man you must be freezing. Let's get you inside and into a change of clothes." Sam says as she glares angrily at Matt who is leaning against the side of the lodge, looking gloomy and pissed off. He looks as though he wants to say something, but Sam gives him a glare that causes him to tense up.

Chris and Josh walk out of the cabin, laughing and jostling eachother playfully. But when Chris notices that I'm shivering and coated in snow, his expression changes. "What happened?" He asks, his tone filled with concern. "I-It's nothing..don't worry about it.." I shiver quietly before sneezing a little from the cold.

"Ask meathead over there." Sam snaps, glaring at Matt before helping me inside. Sam guides me towards the living room while Josh grabs a blanket from a nearby couch. "Here.." Josh mumbles, draping the blanket over my shoulders. I smile a little, still shivering as my fingers start to go numb. "T-thank you.." I whisper.

Josh manages a slight smile before attempting to get the fire going. The sound of muffled yelling can be heard from outside for a moment before an irritated Chris storms into the lodge, followed close behind by Matt who now has a black eye. Before I could say anything, Sam hands me a bundle of clothes.

"O-oh, thanks Sam.." I shiver, managing a small smile. I quickly head upstairs to get changed, mentally cursing at myself for already causing problems. This is going to be a long weekend.