---𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐟𝐚𝐭𝐞 (𝘔𝘢𝘵𝘵: 𝐔𝐍𝐓𝐈𝐋 𝐃𝐀𝐖𝐍)

𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐧𝐞

this is a happy house. we're happy here.

in a happy house.

⸻As Kida stepped away from the curb, the fading tail lights of her father's car melded with the winter dusk. The blare of music through her did little to shield her from the internal chaos that surged anew with the turn of the school year. Each note resonated with the echo of her parents' bitter divorce, the looming custody battle over her sister Kimmi, and the unresolved grief for her lost friends, Hannah and Beth. The weight of these troubles bore down on her, heavy and unyielding.

It wasn't merely the present that haunted Kida; the past clung to her steps, a ghostly shroud. The memory of the disastrous prank that led to Hannah and Beth's disappearance lingered like a stubborn fog, coloring her every interaction with remorse and unresolved anguish. Josh, her friend and now a brother grieving for his sisters, was a constant reminder of the collective pain they all shared. His visible torment, fueled by the unresolved fates of his siblings, often made Kida revisit that harrowing night with a shudder.

Matt's distance only deepened her sense of isolation. He had been more than a friend—her anchor in the stormy seas of adolescence. Now, with their friendship in tatters, she felt adrift, unable to find solace in the routines that once brought her joy.

Despite her struggles, Kida had channeled her energy into her studies and a newfound passion for theater, seeking distraction in the applause and the bright stage lights. Yet, academic accolades did little to mute the whisper of disquiet that followed her. She felt aimless, a spectator in her own life, haunted by the specter of an unresolved past and an uncertain future.

The invitation from Josh to return to the mountain lodge—ground zero of their last happy memories and greatest sorrows—stirred a tempest of conflicting emotions. Fear mingled with an undeniable curiosity about what awaited them at that secluded retreat. Could they ever recapture the innocence lost to that night's folly? Or was this merely a path back into a labyrinth of old wounds?

With each step toward the bus station, Kida's mind replayed the past year's ordeals, the images as vivid as the day they occurred. She had found an unlikely ally in kickboxing, where the physical exertion helped temper her turbulent emotions. Yet, even as she jabbed and kicked against padded barriers, she couldn't shake the fear that returning to the lodge might reopen scars that had barely begun to heal.

Now, standing at the threshold of her journey back, Kida's fingers hesitated above her phone. She needed to message Sam, to signal that despite her doubts, she was coming. But uncertainty clawed at her resolve.

Drawing a deep breath, she pressed the call button. The dial tone seemed to echo her heartbeat—rapid, insistent, a prelude to steps she wasn't sure she was ready to take. Yet as she waited for Sam to pick up, Kida recognized the sliver of hope threading through her apprehension. Maybe, just maybe, this return could offer them all a chance at reconciliation and a moment of peace amidst the shards of their fractured past.

"Hello?" Sam's voice came through the phone, slightly muffled.

"I'm here. Where are you?" Kida asked, shifting her weight from one foot to the other as she scanned the crowded bus station.

"I'm in the bathroom. I should be out soon," Sam replied, her tone rushed.

"Try not to blow it up," Kida teased, a smirk playing on her lips.

"Hardy har. I'll be out in two minutes," Sam shot back with mock irritation.

"Alright, Sammy." Kida ended the call, slipping the phone back into her jacket pocket.