January, 20-

Senior Year, five months before the Prom

BFFs?

Chris Hargensen, Tina Blake, Sue Snell

Winters in Maine can be brutal and this one was no exception. There was already almost a foot of snow on the ground from previous storms, and the system that was stalled over Western Maine threatened to dump another two overnight. The howling wind tore through Chamberlain, its keening wail being periodically interrupted by the crash of thunder. All in all it was an absolutely miserable night. It was exactly the type of evening Chris Hargensen had been waiting for.

Christine Hargensen was a stunningly attractive brunette. Her wavy hair fell just below her shoulders and always seemed to be nothing short of flawless. Her bright, intelligent eyes were a cold shade of blue and were perhaps her most striking feature. She wasn't particularly tall, but she was well proportioned. School athletics and a moderately rigorous workout routine ensured that weight was never an issue. A generous allowance and parents who were willing to spoil her rotten meant that Chris was never without the most up to date fashions and cosmetics. It also meant that most of her whims were fulfilled.

Tonight, Chris decided to throw a slumber party. The terrible weather provided the perfect excuse to gather her nearest and dearest friends around her – and she fully intended to make the most of it. Her mother and father were in St. Martin, and she had the run of her expansive, modern house. Better yet, Chris also had access to the equally impressive liquor cabinet. It was going to be a wonderful night and Chris had spent most of the afternoon busy preparing for the event. Snacks were set out, including a tray of beautifully colorful (and expensive) macarons shipped from a patisserie in New York City and enough assorted candy and chips to keep a small army hyper. Hot Cocoa and coffee were available at a moment's notice (along with amaretto and Irish Cream to go in it). On the dining room table Chris had arranged a variety of cosmetics including numerous bottles of nail polish, lipstick, different types of creams and hair care products.

Chris had a little difficulty, but eventually succeeded in getting a fire going in the living room fireplace. It was remote controlled and lit pre-cut, creosote free logs using gas jets. She hummed a catchy, upbeat pop song to herself as she set up the DVD player and checked to make sure the surround sound speakers were properly plugged in. The only thing missing were her friends, her BFFs, and she knew with absolute certainty that they would be arriving soon. Sure, some of them had told Chris they wouldn't be able to attend – Jessica Upshaw had the flu and sounded like death warmed over and the Thibodeaus were with Rhonda Simard up in Quebec skiing, but most had said they'd come. She had faith in them and they've never let her down before. Chris was an only child, and her clique helped to fill the role that siblings would have had. She loved them. Everything was set.

Tina Blake was the first to arrive. She nearly always was. Chris absolutely adored Tina and they were practically inseparable. Tina was always quick with either a joke or a kind word – in fact, Chris generally equated Tina with kindness. Some of the other students, mostly the misfits, might have begged to differ with Chris' assessment. But Chris knew that if she were ever in need of a sympathetic ear, a ride someplace, money or anything really, Tina could be counted on.

"Teeny, you're half frozen!" Chris said helping her friend out of her snow covered ski jacket. After the usual hug and kiss on the cheek, Tina allowed herself to be led over to a leather recliner near the fireplace. She had a phobia about fire, but was cold and decided it wouldn't be such a bad thing to sit near the cozy, yet somewhat chic fireplace. Before it even occurred to her to ask for one, Chris ran and got her a hot cup of cocoa.

Most of the male student body at Ewen High would probably say that Tina wasn't quite as attractive as Chris, but she was still easy on the eyes. She was also a brunette, although her hair was a shade or two lighter than Chris Hargensen's. She was taller than Chris and had the type of doe-brown eyes that boys swooned over. Tina was thin (a little too thin according to both her mother and Chris' mom) and somewhat on the pale side. Chris suspected that both of those traits could be traced back to the problem she had with her heart when she was young (if anyone were to ask Carrie White what she thought the problem with Tina's heart was, she'd probably express surprise that she had a heart). She was on medication and it was mostly under control. She was able to do most of the things that the other girls her age did, and even gym class wasn't too much of a problem. It did still trouble her from time to time, causing her to be short of breath and the occasional dizzy spell, but it didn't stop her from being one of the best friends a girl could ever want. Chris felt very protective of her.

The twins, Nikki and Lizzi Wilson were the next to show up with Vicky Hanscome in tow. Nikki and Lizzi were identical twins - petite with dark pixie haircuts. Both were very intelligent and possessed a wicked, biting humor. They were both somewhat aloof, and it could be unnerving to watch them interact with each other. Like many sets of twins, Nikki and Lizzi seemed to almost have their own language. Most of the people at Ewen, students and faculty alike, couldn't tell them apart. Mr. McGovern, one of the social studies teachers probably had the best average – he got it right about three quarters of the time. Chris had no difficulty telling them apart, though. Like any good friend, Chris learned to pick up on their individual personality quirks and little facets of their appearance that most people would overlook. Lizzi, for example, always snorted a little when she laughed.

Vicky Hanscombe was a lithe cheerleader with silky red hair and pouty, kissable lips. Her legs were perhaps the most attractive that ever walked through the doors of Ewen High. She wasn't as bright as Tina or the twins, but she was fiercely loyal and would always go out of her way to stick up for her friends. She could be overbearing at times, especially when she gets worked up over something, but was a good listener and very generous. After hanging her coat up, she hugged Chris tightly – almost to the point of crushing her.

Sue Snell, Helen Shyres and Heather McKenna were the last to arrive. Sue had an SUV, so Heather and Helen car-pooled with her (Helen wasn't a very good driver, and Heather didn't have her license yet). Sue was a tall, hazel eyed blonde – in other words, she was drop dead gorgeous. She was also an incredible student who routinely made honor roll. Although Chris knew she was as smart as Sue, she lacked Sue's organizational skills and work ethic. She was also very empathetic, and was always there to provide a shoulder for Chris to cry on or someone to hold her hair out of the toilet when she was ill after drinking too much. Sue wasn't just a friend to Chris, in many ways she was a role model – Chris not only valued Sue's opinion, but actively sought her approval.

Heather and Helen were OK as far as Chris was concerned. Helen was an overachiever, but unlike Sue, wasn't the least bit modest about it. She was a cute, albeit somewhat chubby girl with dirty blonde hair and an infectious laugh. Heather was another redhead, but was the polar opposite of Vicky in terms of personality. She was reserved and generally polite. She also had a keen eye and very steady hand – two things that made her great at giving mani-pedis.

As happy as Chris was, she would have loved it if her old friend and best- BFF could have come. Donna Kellogg and Chris had been friends since elementary school, and Donna was possibly the funniest person she knew. Sure, Sue was smart and sensitive and Tina was funny and affectionate, but Donna was all of that and more.

Donna was expelled from Ewen the previous fall, and was now attending school in Providence, Rhode Island. She had been caught with a cell phone during a math midterm and was suspended for two days. Apparently the teacher, Mrs. Mears, had suspected something and had asked the girl sitting next to Donna in class if she had seen anything. That girl happened to have been Carrie White, and she more or less told the teacher that Donna had been cheating. Chris and her friends believed whole heartedly that Carrie had lied. Things went from bad to worse when Donna had an altercation with Carrie after returning from her suspension. It was painfully obvious to Chris and just about everyone else that Carrie had provoked Donna – obvious to everyone except the teachers and Vice Principal Morton. After the usual due process, Donna was kicked out of Ewen High School.

She and Chris still spoke several times a week and emailed and texted each other daily, but it wasn't the same. A cold anger settled over Chris. She willed herself not to think about Carrie. She was supposed to be having a good time. That bitch! That freak always ruins everything. I hate her! I hate her! Chris took a couple of deep cleansing breaths and stepped into the role of the perfect hostess. No ugly, sanctimonious misfit was going to ruin her evening.

It was 7PM and things were going well. Everyone was having a good time. Helen was laughing loudly; she had had three mugs of spiked cocoa and was more than a little tipsy. The twins, already in their pajamas, were watching a cheesy horror movie about an alien menacing a research base in Antarctica on the large flat-screen TV. Sue and Vicky were munching on junk food while playing cards and Heather was attempting to do Tina's nails. Not a bad start for a sleep over on a shitty Saturday night. The storm continued to rage outside.

"Don't wanna watch! Don't wanna watch!" Tina wailed as a character in the movie was meeting a particularly gruesome end. She was more of the romantic comedy type of girl. She couldn't stand horror movies – especially gory ones. The Twins, munching contentedly on popcorn snickered. Tina could be such a baby sometimes.

"Oh, gross!" Tina was trying to cover her eyes with one hand while attempting to avoid smudging the freshly applied polish. Heather gently but firmly held Tina's other hand.

"Easy there. I'm almost done. It's only a movie," Heather said softly. Tina was trembling.

"What flavor are the purple ones?" Vicky asked, sniffing a violet macaron. "They smell kind of like laundry detergent. I like them!"

Helen walked over to Sue and whispered something in her ear.

"No, she wouldn't fall for it," Sue said aloud. "It'd be really mean, anyway. Especially in this weather." Sue paused for a heartbeat or two. "Well, I guess even she wouldn't be crazy enough to go out in this. Okay, why not"

"What? What's going on?" Tina asked. Fanning her hands slightly as her nail polish dried.

"Sue's gonna prank call Carrie," Helen said while trying and failing to suppress her laughter.

The girls all gathered around as Sue dialed Carrie White's number on her IPhone. She switched on the hand free function. It rang twice before someone answered.

"H-Hello?" A breathy voice said. Carrie always seemed to sound like she had a cold.

"Hi Carrie! It's Sue"

"Oh, hello Susan," Carrie said. She sounded somewhat guarded. Carrie's mother could be heard singing something in the background. "How are you?"

Sue and Carrie went back and forth with small talk. People didn't often call Carrie, at least not with the intention of actually talking to her. Sue nodded patiently as Carrie babbled on about how her week was. Helen was biting her lip trying to remain silent. Chris gestured to Sue to hurry things up.

"I'm kind of bored sitting here by myself, and was wondering if maybe you'd want to meet me at Kelly Fruit. They've got great coffee drinks."

"Ohuh? Tonight? It's terrible out. Hold on a second, I'll ask Momma- I mean, my mom if she can give me a ride!" Carrie seemed to be buying it. This is mean! Sue mouthed silently at the others. Heather looked kind of uncomfortable.

"Momma, can you drive me over to Kelly Fruit in a little bit?" Carrie asked. The rest of the girls listened with rapt attention. Margaret White could be heard saying something, but Sue couldn't make it was.

"Angel, why do you want to go out in this storm? Are you out of your mind?"

"I'm going meet somebody there, Momma!" Vicky mocking mouthed Momma, nearly causing Helen to lose control. Chris signaled for them to be quiet.

"They're out of their minds, too. Who are you going to meet?"

"Susan Snell. We were going to get cof-," Margaret cut her off.

"Give me the phone, little girl. Give it to me. "Mrs. White's voice was a low, deadly hiss. Sue shuddered. Carrie protested, but handed over the phone.

"You listen to me, Susan. I don't know what kind of warped prank you and your harlot friends are planning to play on my poor, sweet innocent daughter, but if you don't leave her alone…"

"Momma stop! You're just making it worse!" Carrie sobbed in the background. Helen's resolve cracked and she started howling with laughter.

"Who is that?" Margaret demanded. "Is it that whore of Babylon Chris Hargensen? See, Carrie? I told you! There's a warm seat waiting for all of you in Perdition! I can assure…" Carrie and Margaret began to argue. After a couple of seconds of talking over one another, Mrs. White resumed her rant.

"What's Perdition?" Vicky asked no one in particular.

"She's upset now. Isn't it enough that you go out of your way to hurt her at school? Why do you feel the need to harass her at home, too? Have you no shame?" Margaret sighed. "I shouldn't be surprised. Wicked, lustful, sinning curs always seem to enjoy hurting the righteous. God will see to it that you're punished for your misdeeds. In the meantime, if you dare bother us again, I'll call the police." Carrie's mother slammed down the phone.

Vicky had her phone out and was dialing. Sue excused herself and went into the kitchen. She would have found it amusing if Carrie had simply hung up on her, or even if she told her off. Sue didn't think she was going to hurt her. It was just a harmless little prank call. Sue felt a little ill. She wasn't a mean person and she didn't really think her friends were mean either. For some reason, Carrie just seemed to set them off. The other girls were laughing again. Sue only caught part of the conversation – something to do with whether or not Carrie was eating shit for dinner.

"Are you OK?" Chris said, softly laying a hand on Sue's shoulder. She looked concerned. Sue nodded. She didn't think she could respond convincingly in words. More laughter could be heard coming from the other room.

"Don't worry about it. I'm sure she's used to it. She's probably enjoying the attention. I'm so glad you came," Chris said, smiling. "We don't get to spend enough time together outside of school, Suze." Chris held her arms open for a hug and Sue obliged.

"Best friends?" Chris asked.

"Forever."

After the fourth call, Mrs. White left the phone off of the hook. It was just as well because there was make up to try out and movies to watch. In any case, one could only tolerate Margaret White's raving for so long before developing a migraine. The fun lasted well into the early hours, when Chris and her friends crawled into their sleeping bags and were soon fast asleep.

Tina was terrified. She had no idea where she was or what was going on. She was in the middle of a cavernous room illuminated only by flames and sparks. All around her she could her things crashing and people screaming in fear and pain. Her heart pounded painfully in her chest. She knew it wasn't good for her to exert herself or to get worked up. Her doctors had warned her about it. She couldn't seem to catch her breath. She looked around frantically for a way out or something to indicate where she was in the first place. As she ran, she slipped in something. It was thick, somewhat sticky and smelled like copper. Blood – it seemed to be everywhere.

"Oh no! Oh NO!" She screamed. She could barely hear herself over the din. She could see shadows backlit by the flames - people. They were running in panic. Every so often one would fall and cease moving. Someone engulfed in flames ran past Tina wailing in agony. Soon others followed, including a girl Tina thought she recognized. The poor creature's back was alight and she flailed helplessly.

"Oh god, help me! Put me out! PUT ME OUT!" The girl fell to her knees on the wooden floor. She attempted to stand once again, but collapsed and became still.

Tina was desperate. She could feel her heart failing her and she tasted metal on her tongue. She was only 17. She didn't want to die – didn't deserve to die. Not like this. A wall of ever growing flame seemed to spread around her. Long, dark snake-like objects scythed through the air. As they impacted the ground at her feet, they threw up sparks. Tina instinctively backed away, but lost her balance and stumbled. The world seemed to darken around her.

When she was younger, Tina's mother had gotten into a bad car accident. When she was told about it she became so upset, so agitated that she blacked out and wound up in the Emergency Room herself. Before she slipped into unconsciousness she noticed that her field of vision seemed to shrink, not unlike someone closing the iris of a camera or telescope. The same thing was happening to her now. She hardly noticed this, though. Her attention was focused solely on the snapping cords and the fire.

She could faintly make out a dark figure standing on a stage of some sort, perhaps thirty feet away. Its arms were held open, as if it were waiting for an embrace and its fingers were curled into claws. It looked vaguely like a girl, but Tina couldn't be sure. What she could be certain of was that the figure seemed to be radiating anger, hatred. Hatred for her.

Tina tried to back away from the figure, but was unable to move. The snapping, sparking cords found her and lashed at her feet. The dress she was wearing ignited and she was soon enveloped in fire. Tina screamed and whirled around, trying to escape the all encompassing pain. Soon a red shadow descended on her and she ceased to be.

Before the darkness took her, she heard a voice say:

"The name of that star shall be Wormwood

and they shall be scourged with scorpions"

Tina let out a wail as she bolted upright. She was soaked in sweat and shaking uncontrollably. Her poor heart was beating a mile a minute. She knew it was just a nightmare – albeit a bad one. The specifics of it already began to fade from her memory. It was probably because of that stupid movie. She knew there was a reason she hated horror movies.

"Tina!" Chris was out of her sleeping bag and beside Tina in a heartbeat. She hugged Tina tightly and patted her on the back. "Are you OK, Teeny? You screamed."

The others were awake and beside her as well. Hugging her and comforting her.

"Next time, we're watching Harry Potter," Tina said dryly.

Notes: I kind of wanted to do something involving Chris and her clique (the Ultras or Alphas or whatever they were called). King, De Palma and Pierce all briefly touch on their relationship with one another, but never really went into detail. I also tried to incorporate some of the stuff from the reboot (IE some of the stuff from Tina's nightmare and her heart issue). Chris also calls Tina Blake "Teeny" once – unless I misheard it. I thought that was adorable.