A/N: Due to some problems with formatting, I had to reupload the story and delete the previous one. My apologies for the double post.

[20:00 PM Blackwood Pines]

"You know mom's going to be pissed."

A smile crept across Mia's pale face as Mike's alabaster fingers hovered just above the thin bandage that wrapped her upper arm. She gave an airy chuckle gently ran a finger down the tape that held it to the skin. "When isn't mom pissed?"

"True, but she's going to be super pissed. Like she-hulk type pissed."

The girl pulled her form fitting knit sweater back over her curvaceous figure. "Well when she starts turning green, I'll run. Until then," she gestured her hand towards the mountain that lay just outside the window of the cable car. It slowly inched closer as the car climbed further along its track. "We're going to party like porn stars." Mike threw his head back and released a hearty chuckle.

"You've been hanging out too much with Josh."

Mia pouted, her plump pink bottom lip jutting out playfully. "Well you leave me alone to go have fun with Emily so much I get lonely, and I am close with his sisters-"

"Sounds sexy." Her fist flew out and impacted his arm roughly, drawing a sharp 'ouch!' from the boy. "Hey Hey, I'm just joking!"

She crossed one of her voluptuous legs over the other, her knee high brown leather boots squeaking slightly at the material rubbed together. "I can't pass an excuse to beat you up." The car creaked lowly as their ride slowed to a stop. "Finally. That took a while." Mike got up and stretched his long limbs as his sibling rose to her feet and sauntered out of the cart, the flesh of his abdomen peeking out as the hem of his shirt rose. He picked up both of their bags before following the girl. "Mike?"

"Yeah?"

"That is the ugliest flannel shirt I have ever seen. Seriously, burn it."

"Don't hate."

She gave a merry laugh and held her hand out for him to give her the bags as the other ran through her short raven locks of hair. "Thanks for coming up with me. You go back down and see if Emily got here yet. I'm sure she misses you and it's not that long of a walk to the cabin."

Her brother gave a smile and handed her the large backpack full of her belongings before disappearing into the cart before it descended down the mountain once more. Mia hiked the bag up onto the shoulder opposite of the one with the bandage and turned towards where the cabin loomed in the distance. She watched the horizon for a moment, her brown eyes looking for something that she couldn't name. With a shake of her head, she took a step and made her way up the pathway, one headphone in her ear playing the opening notes of Cherry Pie. She hummed along with the notes lowly, enjoying the sound of her own raspy voice and the low vibrations in her chest. One foot in front of the other and her hands in her pocket, she was unaware of the slight movement beyond the tree line.

Mia stopped at opening in the pathway and she examined the area with interest. To the side, a bench liberally covered in white snow sat off to the side alongside a bird bath that was frozen solid with the inclement weather. However, she spied a sliver color in the otherwise blank winter wonderland. She cocked her head, her short inverted bob underneath her red hood swaying with the motion of her head. The vibrant yellow peaked out from the roots of the trees and she swaggered over, eager to see just what it was. She reached one of her pale hands out and brushed the ice off the item before she plucked it off the ground with her forefinger and thumb.

Before she had a chance to fully examine the object of her desire, arms wrapped around her middle and lifted the small female off the ground. With her feet off the ground, she gave a shriek of panic and hooked her foot behind her attacker's knee. With her free leg, she impacted his inner thing, dangerously close to a more sensitive area. With a soft oh shit! from him, she was released from the hold and dropped on to her feet. She pivoted on her foot to face her assailant, her fists up and ready to fight.

"Hey hey hey! I give! Parlay!"

Mia gave a sigh and placed her hands on her hips. "I can't be held accountable for my actions when I'm surprised." Chris stood a couple of feet away from her, one hand on his groin protectively and the other held out in front of him to keep his attacker away from him.

"Geeze I know, but I didn't expect that. You're crazy!"

She stuck out her tongue and turned on her heel once again to pick up her dropped belongings. "You're just lucky I missed-" Another shriek was torn from her lips as she was once again picked up around her middle. Her body was ungracefully thrown over broad shoulders like a sack of potatoes. One strong arm firmly kept her legs still to prevent her from flailing and accidentally hitting the man in his face. "Damnit put me down!" Her fists beat on the familiar knit sweater of the eldest Washington child. "Joshua!"

The tanned man gave a chuckle and tossed her bag at his friend, whose smug grin screamed that this attack was planned. "No can do, Ms. Munroe. We kill what we catch." One of Josh's free hands landed upon Mia's rear in a playful pat, drawing an embarrassed yelp from the girl. Chris hiked her bag up on his shoulder and followed behind his friend with Mia's chocolate gaze resting on hum sullenly. Her lovely face was drawn into a flustered scowl that was aimed at Chris since she couldn't see the latter's face.

"Aw, cheer up Mia!" In response, she raised one manicured hand up and flicked the bird at the boy. "Ooh ouch." An overdramatic frown painted his features, she was pleased for just a moment. A readjustment from her captor made her squeal and tighten her grip on him.

"You did that on purpose!"

"Did what?"

Their light hearted squabbling kept the mood merry and their trip short as they trekked to the cabin. Josh's hand wrapped around the knob of the door and he threw it open dramatically. "Welcome to every college kid's dream!"

"I'd love to compliment your ridiculously expensive winter get away but someone's got me over their shoulder so I can't see!" She kicked her legs lightly in protest as she slapped her hands down on his back gently. Two warm hands rested on her hips and slid her weight off of her perch. Her nails dragged across his clothing, the sensation making him shiver slightly. He just brushed it off as the cold and spread his arms out in a welcoming gesture as he backed into the kitchen.

"Whatcha think? Perfect romantic getaway for two, am I right?"

She gave a light chuckle and took her bag from the blonde. "I could leave you and Chris on your own if that's what you're asking."

The dark haired male waved his hand dismissively and reached up into the cabinets and pulled down some bottles of expensive alcohol. "Nah, Cochise is too busy fawning over Ashley to pay attention to me."

"Hey!" the bespectacled boy quipped. The mention of his crush caused him to fumble with his phone for a moment. "She's friends with her; she might say something to her!"

"Puh-leez," Mia gave an airy giggle and followed Josh to the kitchen. Her chocolate eyes laid on the alcohol bottles with a certain gleam as Josh fished some shot glasses for the trio. "The only one who isn't painfully aware of your man crush on Ashley is Ashley." Under her breath, she muttered lowly so only she could hear,"I'm still not sure why you like her…"

"What was that?"

She covered up her sour words with a merry laugh and took one of the glass bottles off the counter. "To a wonderful weekend! Vodka shots for all!" She twisted the bottle around so she could inspect the label. "Marshmallow flavored vodka shots."

As she poured out the alcohol, Josh reached one arm around her and snatched up one of the small glasses and threw the liquid into his mouth in one smooth motion before anyone else could get their shots. With a satisfied sigh, he leaned down on the bar top, his weight on his elbows. "You girls and your sugar," he mused as he swirled the few meager drops of liquid around.

"If you don't like it, don't drink it! That just means more for me." Mia gave a laugh and placed the bottle on her pink lips and turned it upside down.

"Mia!" A voice called from the upper floors of the cottage. She turned her head up to see Hannah smiling brightly at her before she descended down the stairs. Somehow, Mia knew Hannah was only happy to see her because it meant Mike wasn't too far away. Hannah scurried over to her paler counterpart and took her free hand in her own. "Come hang out with Beth and me!"

Josh gave a slightly playful whine and jutted his bottom lip out in an overdramatic pout, "We had her first. Wait your turn."

Hannah shook her head and dragged her friend away without another word. The bottle in Mia's hands sloshed with the motion of the pull. Before disappearing up the stairs with her friend, Mia gave a small wave to the boys. Hannah's voice echoed from the hallway as they ascended the stairs. "Did you do it?"

Josh just gave a shake of his head and rolled the glass in his fingers absentmindedly. He was unaware of the smile that was blooming across his face as his mind wandered. The laughing of his companion interrupted the pleasant daydreams.

"Oh man and you say I have it bad. You should see your face!" Chris threw his head back as he bellowed out a laugh. A slight flush drew over the latter's face and he turned his nose away stubbornly.

"At least I have plans of asking her!" He huffed out, clearly embarrassed that he had been caught. Despite the offhanded, but lighthearted insult, Chris continued his teasing.

"No you don't! No balls!"

"Do too! Tonight actually!"

Christ cocked a blonde brow skeptically. "Really? You sure about that? With her brother around?"

In response, Josh rolled his verdant orbs. "Mike can go fuck himself."

"Woah calm down there spitfire." A round of laughter resounded from the two as they enjoyed each other's company. "Well I think we're both going to need some more liquid courage," Chris grabbed the nearest bottle and poured it out into the awaiting cups. "Courtesy of Captain Morgan!"

"Did I hear Captain Morgan?" Speak of the devil…Mike sauntered in with various bits of luggage, Emily behind him carrying only her lightest bag. "I hope you're planning on sharing."

"Don't get too wasted tonight, Mike," Emily said as she passed around him, her hips swaying slightly as she made her way around the luggage. Behind the two followed the rest of the group.

Josh gave a grin and rounded the counter to meet his friends. He reached a hand out to Mike and the larger boy took it with practiced ease as their shoulders collided in a friendly, brother like hug. Mike's free hand reached out and patted the former's back in a rough boyish fashion, which Josh returned. He wasn't sure if it was the alcohol already taking its toll, but it seemed Mike's touch was rougher than usual. As they released their grip, Josh just shrugged it off as nothing. "Ready to party?"

A large grin spread across Mike's handsome face. "Always. Let's make this a night to remember," he paused for a moment and surveyed the cabin, "Where's my sister, by the way?"

Josh pointed up to the ceiling above him. "With mine. I think it's a twin thing."

To the side, Ashley had made it in last and closed the door behind her. Her soft hands turned the latched and locked it with a click as she joined the conversation. "I don't think the twin thing extends to other twin sets…" Josh gave a shrug as Beth made her way down the stairs, her footsteps light and quick.

"Hannah just wanted Mia to help her with her with something. They'll be down in a second." All eyes were on the younger twin skeptically, and she gave a shrug. "She's better at nails than I am." She trotted over to the shelf of movies and picked out one. Some grotesque monster was on the cover, snarling at the prospective audience. "Something spooky to start us off?"

Upstairs, Mia twirled a file between the fingers of her left hand as she gingerly held Hannah's tanned fingers in her own pale digits. She inspected them with her goal being optimal symmetry, but even without the help of the polish that sat on the ground beside her, the girl's nails gleamed with health. As Mia examined her work, Hannah tried her best to keep in her spot without fidgeting, but the voices from below made it difficult for her to relax. "So…Mike and Emily…?"

Mia nodded as she placed the file down and picked up the bottle of clear gloss. "Still together. I'd much rather it be you but, "as she talked, she opened the bottle and started on the paint, "He's a big boy and I can't make him do anything." Mia twisted the girl's hand around and wiped any of the clear coat off of her skin. "If I could, he'd be doing grocery runs." Hannah gave a slight giggle at her humor, but returned to the topic.

"But do you think maybe we have a chance?" Mia gave a shrug, preferring not to crush her friend's dreams. Mike was popular with the women, as he was well aware of, but perhaps even he was capable of change.

"Maybe in the future. Keep your chin up, kiddo, and whatever you do…" With all of Hannah's nails done, Mia put up the polish and placed it in the small bin of nail products beside her. She grabbed the bottle of vodka that sat near her toes and held it up to Hannah's smooth lips. "You're probably going to need lots of alcohol." Hanna blinked her large doe eyes behind her glasses before gingerly taking the bottle in the palms of her hands, careful not to mess up the paint on her fingers. She downed a large portion of the bottle before making a face of disdain and giving it back to its rightful owner. A few drops fell down her face to her bosom, and the wet sensation on her chest made her flail her hands back and forth.

"Shit! Now I smell like it!"

"You think he's gonna care what you smell like?" Mia gave a laugh and stood up to return the box of beauty supplies to its proper place. She discarded her shoes to the side and now only had furry black socks on. "He's dating Emily. Bitch smells like eggrolls." The two erupted into giggles at their petty joke until the door opened. Sam looked in, a soft smile on her delicate face.

"We're going to put a movie in right now, if you two would like to join us."

Hannah gave a quick nod and held up her perfectly done nails. "Be there in just a minute." Satisfied with her answer, Sam gave a nod and closed the door before returning to the rest of the group. Mia gave a merry laugh from her place, taking Hanna off guard. "What's so funny?"

Still in giggles, she shook her head. "I'm just happy that we're all together. Tonight is going to be awesome." She held her hand out for the girl to take. "Let's head down."

[01:45 PM Blackwood Pines]

Hours passed by quickly as the rowdy teenagers chattered themselves into a quiet lull as the groups split up into two. In the kitchen were three drunkest members of the group were sitting down at the table. Chris, having the weaker alcohol tolerance, had passed out on the tabletop some minutes ago, his mouth parted and a thin dribble of spit leaking from the corner of his lips and onto the hard countertop.

Mia sighed and despite being tipsy herself, she managed to get up from her seat next to Josh and hobble her way over to her hapless blonde friend. Her hand wrapped around the furry hood of Chris's coat and she pulled it so his head lifted from the counter. She pushed his arm from its position far to the side into a position under his head before gently easing his face onto the makeshift pillow. It wasn't much, but it was enough so his face wouldn't be marred with the imprint of the crevices of the counter.

"Hey, M," Josh's slurred voice made the girl turn her head towards the boy. He had also gotten up and like his friend, he was smashed. His walk was a little wobbly, but he somehow was still on his feet and seemed to be able to walk on his own. He signaled for her to follow him with a wave of his hand. "I want to show you something." She raised a dark skeptical brow; what joke was he going to play on her? Regardless, she complied and followed him. Her sock covered feet slid soundless against the ground as she followed behind him.

"One too many jello shots tonight, Josh?" she mused, her own voice slow and intoxicated. He chuckled a little bit and waved her further down the hallway. "Can't wait until the morning? We're both pretty fucked up-" She turned her eyes to the side to look outside the window they passed by. A movement caught her attention and she stopped in her tracks and stared out drunkenly. Her lips were parted slightly and her sweet breath came out slowly and evenly as she watched the snow fall outside in hopes that she would catch the motion again.

"Mia." She was pulled away from her musings and turned her attention to the voice when a pair of lips landed haphazardly on her own. It was a surprise to the girl as her eyes widened instinctively as one of his larger hands placed itself on her hip and eased her back against the wall adjacent to the window. Her back pressed against the wood and the force behind the kiss intensified with the extra support to both their bodies. Her heart thudded in her chest, but not with fear. Excitement coursed through her veins as her body reacted before her mind did. One of her hands reached around to his sweater collar and grasped it tightly while the other hand desperately tried to tangle itself in his short locks to bring him closer to her. Her eyes fluttered to a close as his hand travelled to the small of her back where her shirt had risen and exposed milky skin. The contact made her arch her back with pleasure as her breasts pressed into his firm chest. The hand that kept his body steady against the wall clenched into a fist as the slight movement of her sinful figure brought a wave of pleasure crashing down through his young hormone fueled body. The hand that previously rested innocently on the small of her back just above her belt travelled lower as it memorized the curve of her backside and thighs until it could move down no further. With a gentle pull, he eased her leg up around his waist and pressed his hips into hers. The sudden pressure forced her mouth off of his as groan of pleasure escaped her. Both stood there, breathing heavily as they gathered their thoughts. His forehead was against hers and their ragged, alcohol infused breaths mingled together as they locked lustful gazes. Mia was sure it was going to move to the bedroom next.

Suddenly, his arms slackened as his weight fully collapsed on her small body. She squealed as he fell to the ground and dragged her full form down with him. His back slammed against the ground roughly, but she had his head cradled against her shoulder to prevent his skull from slamming into the ground. Mia herself had fallen less than gracefully on his chest, but before she could suffocate him under her weight, she scrambled off of him. In her drunken state and due to the slippery floor under her socks, she almost fell down once or twice before finally regaining her balance and looking down at Josh from her position kneeled next to him. He has passed out due to the excessive amount of alcohol.

With a sigh of disappointment, she grabbed his arms and slowly lifted him up off the ground to the best of her ability and dragged him to the bar while trying to maintain her own clumsy balance. After a few minutes of stumbling and accidentally knocking things off the counter with Josh's body, Mia did make it to the counter.. Using all her upper body strength, she lifted him so he could rest on the counter with his butt in the seat. She let out a held breath and ran a hand through her smooth short black obsidian locks.

By chance, her eyes landed on a piece of paper that was out of place; it wasn't there when she left with Josh earlier. It was addressed to Hannah, but the familiar scrawl of her brother caught her attention. After ensuring Josh wouldn't fall down without her support, she made her way over and snatched up the paper roughly. If Mike was involved with this, it wouldn't be good. She skimmed the paper and her thin brows knitted in confusion. He didn't like her…"The fuck…?" she mumbled out, genuinely confused.

As if to answer her question, a familiar head of dark hair darted down the stairs and out the nearest door. Mia's lips parted to call to Hannah when more people made their way downstairs and outside to watch the girl go. As Beth went to investigate, Mia stared at the note in horror, putting the pieces together as they squabbled outside and Beth's voice trailed off as she pursued her sister.

Not even taking the time to put on shoes, Mia ran clumsily outside to help her friends. The shock of the cold against her feet made her stumble at first, but a familiar, yet unwelcomed grip tugged her back. "Mia-" Before she could exercise control over her actions, her unrestrained fist made contact with her brother's nose and broken it with a harsh crack. He let go. In her fit of rage, she threw the note in his bloodied face.

"Shove this up your ass and go die!" She snapped at him with venom. She was rarely so harsh to her brother, but the anger and intoxication took control of her emotions as she sprinted off into the forest, ignoring her brother's cursing and calls for her to come back.

Within two minutes of her pursuit, she couldn't feel her toes, but she didn't care. All she needed was to go find Hannah and tell her how stupid Michael was and that she'd personally spike his protein shake with laxatives the minute they got back. "Hanna-," Het foot caught on an exposed root and sent her tumbling down into the snow. The cold filled her open mouth and she flailed around in an attempt to get back on course. She squealed in pain when her back crashed into the trunk of a tree. The impact knocked a blanket of snow off the branches and on top of Mia. Once again, she screeched with the sudden change in temperatures and struggled to knock all the cold, wet substance off of her clothing.

She got up, her limbs wobbling with the pain in her back and the bitter cold that chilled her to her bones before continuing on, her arms clutched tightly to her center as she ran. "Damnit Hannah-" Once more she was cut off, but it wasn't by a mouthful of snow. Her voice simply stopped working and she stared up into the tree line with constricted pupils. The shadow from earlier caught her eye, but it was solid now.

Leggy, long and gruesome, its spidery fingers clutched the tree trunk as its glassy eyes stared directly at her. The emaciated creature easily towered over her if it stood straight, but its curved spine gave it a ghastly hunch that made it seem that much more ghastly. However, the most disturbing thing was just how human like it was. Bipedal, opposable thumbs, a small nose…it looked like it has been human at one point.

Her bottom lip trembled in horror as she stood frozen in shock. It seemed to be unaware of her presence and searching for something else entirely. A few tense moments passed and it darted to the next tree closer to the girl. She could the bile rise in her throat as its sharp sporadic movements brought it closer to her. Closer and closer it jumped, its movements quicker than lightning until it couched in the snow inches from curvy body. Lesser women might have passed out or screamed, but Mia was no fool. If it didn't see her then…if she kept quiet enough-

A shrill jingling alarm in her pocket screamed to life and blared the guitar solo of Carry on my Wayward Son. The creature snapped its tiny head towards Mia, and it screeched and lashed one arm out at her. Its shrill cry and the girl's screams mingled as she threw her arms up to protect her face. Its long talons ripped through the sweater like a hot knife through butter. Her skin split in even, thin lines like paper cuts. Its hand wrapped around her head and threw her roughly into the snow with a much more forceful impact than she experienced earlier. Her skull cracked against the ground, but the snow provided enough cushion to prevent her from dying due to impact. Still conscious but with few motor skills, she was unable to move away from the creature before it was upon her. Kansas played in the snow a few feet away with a blood spattered screen. Never in her life had the unfortunate girl thought that setting an alarm to watch a Harry Potter marathon would be a bad idea, but she had been proven wrong. The creature tore through the fabric that pooled around her abdomen and again, the skin split like it was nothing.

Mia's cries of pain resounded through the forest, and despite her impending doom, she realized that she had found the answer to a lifelong question. If a tree fell in the forest, would anyone hear? The answer seemed to be a solid no as she continued her weak fight against the superior being. She closed her eyes tightly, not wanting her last image to be something as grotesque as the thing above her.

Before she could say her prayers and apologize to whatever god there was, the weight was lifted from her body as light filled her vision. She didn't imagine death to be so…warm. She parted her chocolate eyes to see an inferno and instinctively, her arm, bloodied and broken from the assault, moved to shield her face. Oh, she was in hell…and as if on cue, a man in heavy clothing that was controlling the flame stepped into view. Vision swimming and in pain, Mia's body gave out and her head rolled to the side as the darkness took her.

The creature darted off out of sight and suddenly, the stranger stopped his assault and looked at the girl on the ground. He was torn by the choices presented to him. The cold should help stop the excessive blood flow and he hoped sorely that he had a chance, but he could not stay and help her back to safety. He had to move before it claimed more lives. Without another glance, he continued on his hunt.