glorious dawn

second chances

He had held back Josh when the others told him that the girls were missing; he had been so fucking pissed and scared -- and who wouldn't be? Hell, if Chris hadn't been busy holding Josh back from throttling Mike, he might have punched him too. Hannah and Beth and him were... close. Josh was his best friend, right? And so Chris would always go over to the Washingtons': every week after school, for parties and celebrations and stuff. Chris was there when Han and Beth blew out their birthday candles and smashed Josh's face into the cake; he was there when that Ricky shithead dumped Beth and left her feeling awful; he was there when both of them started middle school... when pretty much anything happened, actually.

He means, it wasn't like their bond with Josh, but. You know. They were almost like little sisters to him.

And that made it so much harder when all of a sudden they were just gone . When he was hanging up missing posters and Josh was... well...

But. But God. There she is.

He knows it's Beth-- it's her dark hair and her posture and her eyes. But-- but fuck. Fuck , it can't be. They were dead, and Josh even had them-- had them look at a damn Ouija board to "communicate with her spirit" or something. Or maybe that was Hannah? He can't really remember, and now that Chris thinks about it, all that was probably part of Josh's stupid prank.

Chris blinks, and realizes Beth is cupping his cheek. Chris can feel her breath and her hand on his face. Distantly, he thinks she look worried.

"Fuck. Chris, come on, you need to calm down."

She's... she's alive...

"Josh! Josh, I need you in here. A-And Sam and Ashley! I think think Chris is having a panic attack or something."

Chris scoffs. He doesn't feel himself do it but he hears it. Because. Shit. All this time -- a whole fucking year -- thinking that they're dead in a fucking pit somewhere... a whole year, and then all that shit that happened last night or-- or never or-- whatever it was, and... and now they're alive? Seriously? You expect him to just believe they're suddenly okay?! Chris sucks in a ragged breath; he can feel his chest go hot , and his fingers curl into a shaking fist. Somebody is fucking with him. Somebody has got to be--

--Chris stops.

Beth softly whispers to him as she wipes gently at his face; he can feel every touch, light and soft, but there; he can hear every damn word she's saying, and he holds on to them in a desperate grip; he can see her right there, and he drinks in the sight like he'll never get another chance. He... he might not.

She's alive. And-- And even if this is somehow a joke or some shit, he.... She's here . She's alive right now. And if this isn't a prank, then that means--

A thought comes to Chris, but he smashes it down as a thrill races through him, as a shock flies down his spine, as all of his thoughts clear and he looks down at the totem he dropped on the floor without noticing. Beth is alive, and those totems are supposed to give you visions of the future .

Chris doesn't feel himself rip his phone out of his pocket, but he blinks and he's looking down at it. The time and date flash up at him from the center of the screen, through a hairline crack that splinters across the numbers.

It's 2014. The day Hannah and Beth went missing.

Chris coughs. He might be crying. He doesn't know.

Chris lifts a shaking hand to Beth's fingers, and firmly moves them from his face; he crushes her small hands in his and doesn't let go. She's... She's alive . He went back . Chris blinks as he processes that, and... he wants to hug her forever and probably cry more and tell her how much of tool he was for getting drunk at her fifteenth birthday party. He wants to laugh because, hell, he doesn't know how else to deal with this situation emotionally.