The Tragedy of Being

Four Friends Getting Together

Song: Softcore by The Neighbourhood

The bath water was icy when Cass regained consciousness. She must have fallen asleep when the water was still warm.

Or was she just laying in an empty bath? The wetness was centered under her, not around her.

Strange.

Cass opened her eyes.

A gray cloudy sky was above her.

What the hell was she doing outside?

Cass sat up.

Trees and snow.

Three things became abundantly clear.

Number one, she was definitely not in her house. She had no memory of leaving her house, which means someone must have taken her from her house without her knowledge.

Number two, she was somehow miraculously dressed. She definitely didn't dress herself, so she must have been dressed by someone else, which was even more terrifying.

Number three, she was definitely not in Beacon Hills. Firstly, pine trees didn't grow so far south. Secondly, they never get any snow.

So how on God's green earth did she get here?

And how was she going to get back?

She got to her feet slowly. Her heart was in her throat, beating rapidly.

Where was she?

The snow crunched beneath her feet.

She'd never seen snow before.

She reached down, scooping up some of the snow. It was cold and powdery.

She looked around.

The landscape looked like it was right out of a Christmas movie she watched with Scott and Stiles unironically in June.

"Scott?" Cass called out. Her voice bounced back to her from the trees.

She remained silent for a few moments.

Nothing.

"Stiles?"

She heard snow crunching and shuffling.

She strained her ears to listen.

There was nothing.

It must have been her imagination, then.

Shout if you need anything.

As a last ditch effort to find someone, she called out the last name she ever thought she'd think to call out.

"Derek?"

It was silent for a few moments.

Something shuffled behind a mound of snow.

Cass reached down slowly, making a snowball.

"I can hear you. Come out. I'm armed." Cass said, crouching down slightly and raising the snowball.

Cass had always been a runner. But she wasn't athletic further in any sense of the word.

The shuffling continued.

A beaver stepped out from the mound, it's paws raised.

Cass sighed in relief. It's just a beaver.

She lowered the snowball.

"Just a beaver. Maybe I'm in Canada." Cass mused.

A dart hit the side of her neck.

She noticed a badger appear behind the mound, a blow pipe raised to its lips, between its paws.