#legit i think my sexuality changed. i really think it did. i’ve never been repulsed by men i could even think some were attractive

[allthingsfangirl101]

A Game of Tease Part 2–Teddy Sanders

Part 1

After Pete and I "hooked up", whenever we see each other, we send each other playful winks. We are constantly texting each other, which to the guys is us being together. In reality, we're talking shit about the fraternity.

About a week after it happened, there was a random knock on my door late at night. I hesitated before I opened the door.

"Teddy? What the hell are you doing here? It's almost midnight," I sighed.

"What is you and Pete?"

"What?" I asked, holding back a laugh. I glanced over at his house and sighed when I suddenly understood what was happening. "How's the party going?" I asked, nodding towards the house.

"Great," he slurred. "Like always."

I leaned against the doorframe as he looked me up and down, biting his lip. "Damn, baby girl."

"Can I help you?" I asked, clearing my throat.

"Yes," he said matter-of-factly. "You can help me get you."

"Get me?" I asked, biting my tongue.

"Yeah," he sighed like it should be obvious. "I want you, Y/N, but you're with him."

"You mean Pete?" I asked, smirking when I saw the look on his face. He grunted in confirmation. "Let me get this straight; you, Teddy, are jealous that Pete and I are together?"

"What are you two even doing together?"

"Excuse me?" I challenged, my anger finally coming through.

"Like. . . Like what positions?"

"Are you shitting me?" I yelled. "You come to my house at quarter to midnight, drunk off your ass, and ask in what positions I'm sleeping with another guy!"

"Y/N," he started to say.

"No," I cut him off. "You are disgusting and repulsive and pathetic. Grow up, Teddy. Get your head out of the fraternity's ass and get a life."

"Whoa," he slurred, putting his hands up in defense.

"You are clearly mad that Pete and I are hooking up," I sighed. "Is it because he got me first? Is it because he and I have had sex when you are used to sleeping with a girl first? Are you so mad that someone got a girl before you, you had to get drunk and try and win her over?"

"I'm not mad," Teddy clarified. "Just disappointed."

"Disappointed?" I challenged. "Why?"

"Because," he drunkenly stuttered. "Because I want to show you a good time. A better time than Pete can show you."

"Oh, I don't know about that," I smirked. I held in a laugh as he glared. "I mean, Pete is quite the guy. Take what you want to do to me and spice it up because holy shit! The way he can pin me to a wall and. . ." I didn't finish my thought and moaned instead.

I smirked proudly when Teddy scoffed, almost falling off my porch. I crossed my arms over my chest and waited for him to calm down.

"I could do better," he said between his teeth. "Way better than anyone, everyone."

"Everyone, really?" I teased him. "I mean, you guys are attractive and all but I don't know if I could handle more than like three of you."

"No!" He drunk-yelled. "You're mine. No one else gets you."

"Wow," I chuckled. "So, drunk Teddy thinks he owns me?"

"I should," he whined like a little kid.

"Really?" I couldn't help but smirk. I sent him a wink and said one last thing before slamming the door on his drunk face.

"Well, good luck."

                       * * * * *

"So, Teddy stopped by," I chuckled into the phone.

"Wait, are you serious?" Pete laughed. "What did he say?"

"Well, he wanted to know what you and I do every time you come over."

"Oh brother," Pete chuckled. "Please tell me he didn't want details. . ."

"Oh," I laughed. "He asked for specifics."

"What did you tell him?" Pete asked, barely able to keep it together.

"I told him to take what he wants to do to me and heat it up."

I smiled when Pete laughed loudly. "Holy shit, Y/N. You're terrible! That's hilarious. You are fucking with him."

"No," I said innocently. "That's what he wants me to be doing."

"Well," Pete said, still laughing. "At least we know this is messing with him."

"Yeah," I said.

"What?" He asked. "You sound. . . Different. What's going on?"

"It's just. . . He doesn't seem to be letting up, you know?"

Pete sighed before responding, "I know. I'm sorry, Y/N. I wish he wasn't being such an ass, but that's just his act that he puts on around the guys. I swear he's not usually like this. It's just that when he became president, he thought that everyone expected him to be a huge player."

"That's hard to believe," I mumbled.

"Teddy used to talk about finding the right girl, settling down with her, and providing for her."

"Seriously?" I couldn't help but scoff. I quickly cleared my throat when I realized how mean that was. "That actually sounds amazing. I've always wanted that. . . Could you imagine Teddy being a loving, caring husband?"

"He'd be protective as hell," Pete chuckled. "A guy so much as looks at you and he'll kick his ass."

We sat in silence and I could faintly hear the guys in the background playing a video game. I cleared my throat again when I remembered who we were talking about.

"Then again," I laughed off the image of being with him. "He's too stubborn to change. Even if he had the right girl in front of him."

                       * * * * *

Pete's POV

When Y/N hung up, I tossed my phone onto my bed and sighed. Before I could talk myself out of it, I walked to Teddy's room.

"What do you want?" He asked when he opened the door and saw it was me.

"I need to talk to you," I brushed passed him.

"Come on in, Pete," he said sarcastically.

"How do you feel about Y/N?"

"What?" He scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Don't bullshit me, man," I sighed. "I know you like her. What I want to know is how much? I mean, is it more than just physical?"

"Not like it would change anything," Teddy scoffed

Even though he brushed it off, I could tell he was actually curious. "It might," I shrugged. He looked over at me with wide, curious eyes.

"What do you mean?" He asked skeptically.

"I mean, Y/N's a great girl. The kind of girl you could settle down with. The same kind of girl you used to talk about finally settling down with."

For a brief moment, it looked like Teddy believed me. He quickly covered that up by scoffing and rolling his eyes. "Settling down is for pus. . ."

"Don't even say it," I cut him off. "I know you're full of shit. The only reason you are such a dick is because people expect the president of a fraternity to be one. Have you ever thought that instead of acting like a douchebag, if you actually acted like you, Y/N might give you the time of day?"

"How do you know that?" He scoffed, still pretending not to believe me.

"Because I've talked to Y/N," I sighed. "Really talked to her. She's a great girl, one that you might have a chance with if you stopped being such an asshole."

"But the fraternity," Teddy stuttered.

"Forget the fraternity," I yelled, throwing my hands up in annoyance. "You won't be here forever. Think about you, who you want to be when you graduate, what you want to do, who you want to spend your life with. I guarantee you, you won't find a decent girl when you act like a player."

Teddy didn't say anything as he let my words sink in. "Teddy," I said softer, "I'm going to tell you something that will most likely piss you off but, hopefully, reassures what I've said."

I hesitated, gathering the courage I needed to betray Y/N. "Y/N and I aren't sleeping together," I finally got out.

"What?" He asked, under his breath.

"It's true," I sighed. "We aren't sleeping together. We aren't even a real couple. We've just been pretending to get the rest of the guys to stop trying to get her to sleep with them. She was tired of getting hit on and asked out. She just wanted to be left alone."

"Oh," he said so softly I almost missed it.

"Teddy," I said his name sincerely. "Y/N isn't the kind of girl who wants a one-night stand. She wants someone who is real. She wants a guy willing to settle down with her. Not sleep with her and never talk to her again."

Teddy was silent for a few seconds before awkwardly clearing his throat. "So," he said slowly. "You're saying that Y/N actually likes me and would give me a chance if I . . . If I changed?"

"Not change," I corrected. "But stopped acting like someone you're not."

                       * * * * *

Reader's POV

I was cleaning up after dinner when there was a soft knock at the door. It was too soft to be one of the frat guys, but Pete would've texted me on his way and walked in. I sighed as I dried off my hands and went to open it.

"Teddy," I gasped. "What. . . What are you doing here?"

The Teddy standing on my doorstep wasn't the Teddy I've been dealing with; he seemed smaller.

"I umm. . . Can I come in?"

"Teddy," I sighed.

"Not for that," he said quickly. "I just want to talk."

I hesitated before shrugging. "Okay then," I said as I stepped aside and opened the door more for him.

He walked in and hesitated. "You can sit down," I nodded towards the front room. He slowly walked into the other room and sat down. I watched him awkwardly settle before sitting across from him.

"What did you want to talk about?" I asked when he didn't say anything.

He took a deep breath before finally looking up at me, his eyes soft. "I just wanted to apologize."

"Really?" I stuttered.

"Yes," he said sternly. "I know I've been treating you terribly and I have no legit reason for treating you that way. I never should have harassed you. I never should have sexualized you. And I especially should have never encouraged the other guys to do it too."

"Wow," I said under my breath. I cleared my throat as I sat up straighter. "I didn't expect. . . I mean. . . Teddy, I'm surprised."

"I know," Teddy sighed like he wasn't done, "and I don't blame you. I never should've. . . The truth is, Y/N, I'm not usually like this."

He laughed when he saw the look on my face. "I know," he chuckled. "The excuse I'm going to use is that, when I became president of the fraternity, everyone kinda expected me to be a player."

He stopped talking when my phone went off. I hesitated before sighing and walking into the kitchen to grab it. When I turned it on, I saw an interesting text from Pete.

Pete: Just to give you a heads up, I told Teddy the truth about us. I also told him that if he talked to you–really talked to you–he might have a chance with you. (A real chance, not a sexual one.)

I smiled before quickly sending him a reply.

Me: He's here. And thanks. It seems to be working.

I took my phone with me as I walked back into the room where Teddy was waiting for me. He stood up when I walked into the room and let out a visible breath.

"Sorry about that," I said as I walked over to him. We were awkwardly standing in the middle of my living room, barely a few feet apart now. "What were you saying?"

"I was saying," Teddy stuttered. He sighed as he ran his fingers through his hair. "I'm an asshole."

Before I could say anything, he continued, "I changed when I joined this fraternity, but I completely changed when I became president. Someone recently told me that if I stopped acting like someone I'm not, I might have a chance."

"A chance with what?" I asked even though Pete already told me.

"A chance with you," Teddy said slowly as he took a step closer to me. "A real chance. Not a one-night stand chance. I like you, Y/N. And I want you to get to know the real me; not the douchebag, player, Phelta Si President me."

I was officially speechless. Even though Pete had told me that this is what Teddy had wanted, actually hearing him say it, still amazed me.

Teddy cleared his throat as he started to take a step back. "I know you're with Pete and he's my best friend so I won't. . ."

I cut him off by grabbing his face, closing the gap, and pressing my lips to his. He instantly wrapped his arms around me and started kissing me back.

I broke the kiss and slowly dropped my hands, placing them delicately onto his chest. Teddy tightened his arms around me, pulling me closer to him. We stood in the middle of my family room, holding each other and staring at each other as we caught our breaths. Teddy was the first to break the silence.

"I never should have made you feel like the only thing I wanted was to sleep with you. I mean, you are a beautiful woman, Y/N, and you deserve more than that."

"Not something I ever thought I'd hear you say," I teased. Teddy laughed before pressing his lips to mine. I gasped as he leaned down and grabbed my leg, making me wrap it around his waist.

"Wait," I said, already out of breath again. I unwrapped my leg from around him and gently pushed him away from me. I slowly looked up at him through my eyelashes and bit my bottom lip.

"What's wrong?" He asked. His smile fell when he saw the look on my face.

"I'm sorry," I stuttered. "But. . . I can't do this. Not like this. I mean, I need you to. . ."

"To what?" He asked gently as he tucked a piece of hair behind my ear. "What do you need me to do? I'll do anything, Y/N."

"I just. . . I need to know that this isn't a one-night stand or a fling or something," I explained. "Teddy, I need you to prove to me that you want this, that you want this to be real."

"I do," he said instantly. "I swear, Y/N. I want this to be real. I want us to be real and I will do anything to prove it."

I looked down at our feet and hesitated again. "Hey," he whispered. He gently lifted my chin so I was looking at him. "How can I prove this to you?"

"By taking me on a date first."

I held my breath as I waited for his response. He slowly smiled as he pulled me closer to him. He pressed his lips gently to mine in a soft, short kiss. When he broke the kiss, he leaned his forehead against mine.

"How about tomorrow night?" He asked. "Say 7 o'clock?"

I leaned back and pointed my finger up at him. "Don't even think about being late."

"I wouldn't dare."

#teddy sanders #teddy sanders imagine #teddy sanders x reader #neighbors #neighbors imagine #zac efron #zac efron imagines #zac efron x reader

[pilferingapples]

Episode Four Part One: Cosette Wants to Be Part of That World, No Not That One, The One Without Thenardiers In It

OKAY this is not going to be a proper recap or anything , I am just.  This Show.  This is not gonna be a Happy Recap. 

Episode Four starts with Cosette as a teenager in the convent, and ends pretty much right after the Gorbeau raid. So that’s our ...framing set of events, here, because I have no idea what year it is or how much time any of this is supposed to be taking?  ANYWAY HERE WE GO, under the cut for abuse, domestic abuse, child abuse, sexual abuse, weird incest vibes, discussions of lots of things and me probably cursing a lot!  There is a LOT going on in this one!  So much that I’m actually gonna try cutting it into two parts, a Cosette Recap/Reaction post and a Marius Recap/Reaction post! This is part one, Cosette’s side:

 I am not pretending this is a totally thorough recounting or anything , I’ve only gotten to see it once and I spent most of it reeling; but also given the garbage Davies talked about the women in the novel I am cutting NO slack on his ~~interpretations of their characters, he doesn’t get the benefit of a doubt after calling Cosette nauseating 

that said LET’S GO

Cosette has her friends in the convent, and they all talk about growing up and getting out, which, LEGIT , and then they’re sad when they remember she’s been promised to Be A Nun. Cosette runs to see Valjean afterwards and he hugs her so tight she says he’ll crush her and he goes “oooh are you such a fragile thing, I’m just excited to see you” which is like...such a minor line but so telling in context, because he noticeably does NOT say sorry OR let go right away, she’s gotta go “sometimes you don’t know your own strength” which is WORRYING for a guy who’s kinda Superman!  and anyway then she tries to tell Valjean she isn’t sure about being a nun and she wants to check out the rest of the world first and Valjean argues with her and is like 

--seriously he’s all THE WORLD OUTSIDE IS HORRIBLE, YOU’VE SEEN THE WORLD, THOSE INNKEEPERS IN MONTFERMEIL like  he just goes on about how doesn’t she want to be safe and loved and with him forever?? Doesn’t she know everyone else is EQUIVALENT TO HER VIOLENT ABUSERS, jfc 

so much for the Dawn of Love with Cosette or his time with the nuns teaching Valjean to see any good in the world or any humility in his own righteousness I GUESS but oh well who needs that, He Yell, that’s all a manly man does, you don’t UNDERSTAND he was in PRISON, there is no Character Depth left for him! THE WORLD HAS TAKEN IT AWAY. 

anyway Cosette gets him to let her escape and they head out and we see what is MAYBE the last we’ll get of Simplice? Who knows in this, but she’s like “it’s not like it was before you came in, the streets are full of anger” which like...they are but also it’s early 19C Paris, when are the streets NOT Full of Anger:P  ANYWAY they head out and the streets are INSTANTLY full of nothing but Beggars, Crime, and people passed out in the road; which, probably realistic, but also Cosette is just horrified because being sympathetic and kind is for Nauseating Flimsy Characters :) and Valjean of course WANTS her to hate the world so hey Everything’s Going According to Keikaku then there’s the house on Rue Plumet and it’s Nice (also there’s Toussaint! who is now a gorgeous middle aged woman instead of an old woman. It doesn’t matter, at least not yet, we never see her again, hi Toussaint bye Toussaint) but Cosette gets tired of being cooped up in it after...a week? an afternoon? So she and Valjean go walking in the Luxembourg, and Cosette gets to run around like the kid she still really is, and she sees all the nice outfits (YES that dress really is her Ugly Convent Dress, I’m so glad) so it’s time for Cosette to get a MAKEOVER SEQUENCE and I could not be more glad because that dress is Terrible Unfortunately it’s also time for Valjean to call himself Fauchelevent for...no reason, and to call Cosette his NIECE for NO REASON so when she comes out and calls him Papa the shopclerk is like “...?!? Sweet..?” and Valjean gets a ~~sexy~~ peep between the curtains at Cosette in her underwear and I SEE YOU DAVIES, I SEE WHAT THIS IS BECOMING, DO NOT

Valjean and Cosette go for a walk in the Luxembourg and NOW Cosette is...well the BBC wants us to think she’s well dressed so let’s pretend, and Marius follows her and Valjean drops his handkerchief and Cosette runs back to get it and she and Marius are all “hiiiii” and Marius is like about to sniff the handkerchief and she goes “oh it’s my dad’s “ like WAY TO KILL THE GAG BEFORE IT EVEN STARTS, DAVIES  then she takes the handkerchief back to Valjean and he asks why she was talking to That Young Man and then he frigging DRAGS HER out of the Luxembourg and she’s like “we’re going too fast! You’re hurting my wrist!!” and this Valjean does not care! At all! they just BOOK IT  later on her wrist is still hurting and they have a whole fight and she accuses him of keeping her locked up alone like it’s a prison and he’s like UH CHECK UR PRIVILEGE THIS IS NOT A PRISON, also Young Men Only Want One Thing!!! THE WORLD IS DANGEROUS AND YOU’RE NOT FIT FOR IT

only The Crown is Sex 

ALSO in all this mess, Valjean tell Cosette about Fantine! “oh yeah also I fired your mom (for lying like a liar, be sure you know about that, SHE LIED ) and  she went into desperate poverty, and then I couldn’t save her, and she died from the circumstance I directly put her in, and THAT’S HOW COSETTES ARE FOUND” and it’s 

really something

anyway all that and also the definite memory of Montfermeil are going into all these later scenes okay 

so Valjean takes Cosette out the day after their fight (I GUESS??) to ...see the prison wagons coming into town

because this Valjean isn’t traumatized to the point of dissociating by seeing this, he’s doing it as some kind of Moral Lesson/ Conversation Starter with Cosette 

and Cosette, because now she’s been Fixed and she’s a Strong Female Character, is repulsed by poor people and suffering, so she asks not in innocence but in horror “Are they men” and Valjean is like “yes men like me” and Cosette freaks out and gets a whole “if one of them even looked in my face I’d probably die??” speech and asks Valjean if he’s brought her here to punish her and he’s like “noooo of course not” but honestly YA KIND OF DID, DUDE, you got mad at her and brought her here to show her Your Pain and make her carry your emotional water instead of considering that HEY maybe a kid has a right to grow up and that Two Things Can Both Be Bad and she’s his child and it’s not her job to raise him  

Instead he’s trying to tell her about his Tragic Backstory when Eponine comes running up to them with a letter from Thenardier and COSETTE REMEMBERS MONTFERMEIL and is clearly freaked out, but Valjean gives Eponine money and agrees to go see her family

So after trying to make her carry HIS emotional trauma, Valjean takes Cosette to see the people who are directly responsible for HERS, and talks with Thenardier and all and is...acting like he doesn’t know them?? while Cosette is in the background going tharn because THESE ARE THE EXACT PEOPLE WHO VIOLENTLY ABUSED HER FOR YEARS AND SHE REMEMBERS ALL OF IT, so instead of this scene illustrating Cosette’s growth and healing and kindness we get it showing off her trauma and pain and fear, because that’s how you make a character Strong and Optimistic apparently

Fortunately after this Valjean takes her home and comforts her and reassures her and HAHAHAHAH I’m kidding, he’s going back to the Gorbeau place to give them money and says this will get the Thenardiers out of their lives forever but without any indication at all of HOW 

-- digression: this series keeps making changes in character knowledge and timelines without any apparent thought to how this should affect the actual CHARACTERS and it’s probably responsible for at least a third of how incoherent this episode is?? -- end digression 

Anyway now it’s time to Leave Cosette for a while, but don’t worry! She’ll be waiting, alone and terrified, until the controlling adult who’s the closest thing she has to protection returns, dramatically wounded,  from the encounter with adults who tried to pimp her out as a child!:D  Good thing she’s been made so Strong and Optimistic! 

#I HATE EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS #I HAVE NOT EVEN BEGUN TO PROTEST #honestly this is mostly me just getting my thoughts in order! #AAAAAAAH #EXTRA YELLING #I'm turning into a Davies character #what is a timeline we just don't know #was this a week? #a month? #three months?!? #WHO KNOWS #Beeble Mis #long post #sorry

[lets-talk-appella]

Fallen Leaves, Fallen Bellas

Ch. 3/6 - Laundry Day

Summary:

“It’s not true, though,” Chloe’s voice jarred them from their thoughts. “I mean, it can’t be. Ghosts aren’t real, and they definitely don’t kill people. You made that up to scare us, right?” She asked Aubrey, smiling uncertainly.

Aubrey didn’t smile back.

Horror take on the Lodge at Fallen Leaves retreat, cabin in the woods style.

Word Count: 5.8k

Rated: T - brief, non-graphic mention of blood. Creep-factor increased.

AO3 and FFN

Chapter 1 - Chippy

Chapter 2 - Footsteps

“Beca. Wake up, Beca. It’s time to get up.”

“Nooooo…”

“Yes, I’m sorry. It’s Aubrey’s rules, and I don’t wanna get yelled at again.”

Beca cracked open one eye, wincing at even the small amount of light in the room. Emily’s anxious face was looming above her, much too close for comfort. To avoid thinking about it, Beca looked to the side, expecting to see flowing red hair on the pillow next to her. However, Chloe was already gone.

“Chloe’s downstairs. Everyone is,” Emily said far too loudly for Beca’s liking.

“What? What time is it?” Beca asked blearily, blinking to clear her eyes and wondering why Chloe hadn’t woken her up when she’d left.

“It’s almost seven,” Emily said guilty, backing slowly away from the bed as if she thought Beca might attack her.

Beca glared, her annoyance spiking. No one should have to be awake at that ungodly hour. “Emily, why the fu –”

“I’m sorry!” Emily squeaked, raising her hands defensively as she backed out of the room. “Aubrey’s orders!”

Beca heard herself growl, and she reached for Chloe’s pillow to fling at the youngest Bella, but Emily had already whisked out the door, letting it slam. Beca fell back against her pillow with a groan, rubbing her eyes and hating her entire existence. It was stupidly early, Chloe was gone, Amy was hurt, and Ashley and Jessica were still missing.

Ashley and Jessica. Shit.

The memory of their disappearance dragged Beca’s body from bed; she figured Aubrey was organizing a search party or something in the daylight, which, okay, smart. Keeping her eyes half-closed to protect them for as long as possible, Beca changed from her pajamas into denim shorts and a blue T-shirt. She wasn’t sure what else to wear on a search party, but she hadn’t packed much else.  

She stumbled down the steps (God, she hated mornings) and into the kitchen of Aubrey’s lodge, which somehow looked even more dingy and gloomy in the early morning light. Thankfully, there was a huge pile of granola bars on the counter, obviously meant as her breakfast. She grabbed two, unwrapping one and biting into it immediately, and slid the other into a pocket for later. Glancing around the lodge, she didn’t see anyone hanging around and figured they were all outside, gearing up for the search.

Tossing her granola bar wrapper in the trash, Beca spared only a glance at the knife block still missing its chef knife and at the mirror facing the wall before stepping out the front door of the lodge, shivering at the unseasonable chill. She expected to see a full search party assembled, perhaps with police and rescue dogs. That was not the case; instead, the Bellas stood in a sort of semi-circle facing Aubrey, who had her back to Beca.

At Beca’s approach, Aubrey turned around sharply to glare at her. Beca had to do a double-take; Aubrey looked rough. Her eyes were bloodshot, with massive, dark bags under them as if she hadn’t slept. Her hair was lank and messy, and she seemed to be wearing the same outfit as she had the day before. She still clutched Chippy, who had been dressed in a crisp new outfit, his painted features more alarmingly life-like than ever.

“Thank you for joining us, Beca,” Aubrey said, her voice clipped and formal.

Beca cleared her throat, recovering from the shock of Aubrey’s appearance.

“Yeah… so, are we meeting the police here, or…?” she gestured vaguely.

“No police,” Aubrey said firmly. “No need for that.”

Beca felt her eyebrows shoot up. Aubrey had lost her mind; of course they needed the police.

“Uh, dude, we really could use –”

Aubrey delicately lifted Chippy’s little wooden arm, bringing Beca to a horrified, stuttering halt. “We do not believe in law enforcement during team building,” she said clearly. “And besides. There’s no cell service.”

Beca stared, stunned by the display. She glanced up and saw Cynthia-Rose staring back at her, clearly as repulsed by the puppet as she was.

Aubrey let Chippy’s arm fall but held tight to his hand as she continued, “It is time for some vocal warm-ups before you run the Obstacle Course of Bonding and Friendship.”

Beca choked a little. She looked beyond Aubrey to gauge the others’ reactions. They didn’t appear surprised, so she figured Aubrey must have already given them the day’s agenda. Emily and Lilly looked sympathetic, Stacie and Flo stared uncomfortably at their own feet, Cynthia-Rose stared at Chippy in disgust, and Chloe gazed back at Beca, her expression pleading. A weird tapping noise made Beca turn to the house, and she saw Amy staring down at them all from the second floor, seated in her wheelchair at the window, bag of popcorn (where the hell did she get that?) in hand.

Whirling back to Aubrey, Beca said with a forced calm, “Aubrey. Two people are missing. Our friends are missing. You know that, right?”

She again looked at Chloe, who shifted her weight and looked away, her arms crossing over her chest.

“This is just an exercise in finding harmony, Beca,” Aubrey said, an edge to her voice. “Sometimes you have to break things down before you can build them back up.”

Beca threw her hands up in frustration, shouting, “We’ve got more important things to do!”

“Oh, what could be more important than this?” Chloe jumped in suddenly, glaring at Beca.

Hardly believing her ears, Beca droned sarcastically, “Hmm, I don’t know, Chloe, maybe… finding Ashley and Jessica and getting out of this hell?”

Dimly, she registered the other Bellas backing away slowly from their raised voices, but Beca didn’t care. She was tired of Chloe acting like she didn’t care about Ashley and Jessica, tired of Chloe constantly giving her the cold shoulder, tired of not having her best friend in her life. The resentment she’d been feeling toward Chloe ever since her breakup with Jesse was boiling over and bursting free.

“Well,” Chloe spit back at her, “did you ever think that we’re only here because of you?”

“What?” Beca hissed, furious. If it was anyone’s fault, it was Chloe’s for suggesting the retreat in the first place. Before she could say that, though, Chloe cut her off.

“No, you don’t think that we haven’t all realized you’ve been a little checked out lately?” she said harshly. “If you weren’t off doing God-knows-what all the time and actually paid attention to us, we never would have had to come here, and Ashley and Jessica wouldn’t be missing!”

Oh. The internship. Shit.

“God, that’s why you’ve been acting so weird? Because you’re pissed at me for not being around?” Beca groaned, exasperated. She hadn’t realized she’d been that obvious.

“Yes!” Chloe exploded violently, throwing her hands up. “Don’t you get it? I’m trying to fix us, and you don’t seem to care about that at all! What the hell is going on? Who are you always sneaking off to?”

“Girl fight!” Cynthia-Rose called out from the side, but Beca barely heard her. Was that seriously what Chloe was worried about?

“What, you think I’ve been seeing someone?” Beca laughed, ignoring Chloe’s flinch and sudden break in eye contact. “Okay, you know what?” She’d just have to come clean.

With a deep breath, Beca explained, “I’ve been interning at a recording studio and a legit music producer wants to hear my work.”

“Well that’s – oh.” Chloe stopped herself, her eyes widening in surprise as she absorbed what Beca said. She looked down at her feet, suddenly quiet and contrite, and Beca felt the tension draining away from the situation. She exhaled shakily in quiet relief; she hated arguing with Chloe.

Chloe looked back up and said softly, “Why would you keep something like that from us?”

Beca shrugged one shoulder and replied, “Because you’re – I didn’t want to distract you.”

She’d been close to saying “you’re obsessed,” but she didn’t think that would go over too well, and didn’t want the shouting match to resume.

Chloe nodded thoughtfully, but said quietly, “I still wish you could have told me. That’s really cool Bec.”

“I… yeah,” Beca sighed, swiping a hand over her face tiredly. “I should have.”

When she looked up again, Chloe was smiling at her gently, as though they’d never fought. She opened her mouth, and Beca knew Chloe was about to apologize, but she realized that she didn’t need to hear it.

Before Chloe could say anything, Beca rushed out, “There, I said it, it’s fine. Now, can you stop acting so weird all the time and help me find our friends?” She made sure to keep her tone light and joking, desperate not to mess up the repair in their friendship.

With a small smile, Chloe glanced at the other Bellas and Aubrey (and Chippy) before saying, “Yeah. Definitely. Let’s find them.”

They turned to face the other Bellas, all of whom had been standing nearby and blatantly staring during their fight. Aubrey had her back to them all and appeared to be whispering to Chippy, who was cradled in her arms. Beca glanced up at the lodge window; Amy waved down at her, the bag of popcorn half-empty already.

“You two kiss and make up?” Cynthia-Rose asked with a self-satisfied grin.

“Yeah, there’s so much sexual tension here, you could cut it with a knife,” Stacie purred (rather unnecessarily in Beca’s opinion).

Beca’s stomach fluttered and she felt her face warm. She opened her mouth, ready to deliver a sharp retort – of some kind, probably – but Chloe interjected before she could.

“Yeah, yeah,” she said, casually waving a hand. “We’re good. Let’s find Ashley and Jessica!”

“Finally,” Flo mumbled. “In my country, if someone has been missing this long, we just say they’ve been eaten by jaguars and move on.”

“Oh my God,” Emily squeaked. “You don’t think that’s what happened?”

Beca couldn’t resist rolling her eyes. “No, Legacy,” she said, “that’s not what happened. We just need to go for the police like I said earlier. Whether Aubrey” – she pointed to Aubrey’s turned back – “believes in the police or not.”

Aubrey whipped around so quickly that Chippy’s arms flapped. “I told you. No cell service, no cops.”

“But we can drive and get them,” Beca insisted, crossing her arms.

“No.”

It wasn’t Aubrey, but David; he stepped out from the lodge, Paris following right behind him. Without really meaning to, Beca glanced at Chloe and was momentarily pleased to see she looked affronted by his appearance. The next instant, though, she sent him a welcoming smile that made Beca’s stomach hurt.

“We’ll find your friends ourselves,” Paris added, her eyes lingering on Beca. “We can’t risk the camp getting shut down.”

Stacie glared at her and said slowly, “They were attacked. I think we have bigger things to worry about.”

Aubrey laughed loudly, making Beca jump and whirl; in the time they’d spent talking to David and Paris, Aubrey had moved to stand directly behind Beca.

“Attacked?” Aubrey said doubtfully in a high-pitched voice as Beca stumbled away from her. “More like they got lost and wandered off.”

“Um, what about that freaky hole in the ground?” Cynthia-Rose asked loudly. “Don’t tell me that wasn’t anything. It took three of us to pull Amy out.”

“Yeah, and we heard weird footsteps,” Chloe added, looking to Beca for support. Beca nodded back, grateful that Chloe was supporting their story again.

David and Paris glanced at each other, brows furrowed. Aubrey, however, pressed her lips together and ran two fingers over the crown of Chippy’s head as though smoothing his hair.

“Who would have attacked them?” she said through gritted teeth. “We’re alone here.”

Lilly raised her hand suddenly. “What if the ghost did it?” she whispered.

Beca’s stomach tightened as the Bellas all started talking over each other. She didn’t think she believed in ghosts – not really, anyway – but she still didn’t at all fancy the idea of one roaming around kidnapping (ghostnapping?) her friends. Amid the frenzied conversation around her, she caught a glimpse of Aubrey’s face, which for the first time was drawn tight with anxiety. However, the moment passed and Aubrey was soon yelling over them for attention.

“Bellas! Ladies, please!” she shouted, silencing them immediately. She raised a hand to rub at her eyes before continuing. “Tell you what – let’s split up and look for them. Then, if we still can’t find them, we go to the police. Okay?”

Beca glanced around; the others nodded their agreement, looking determined. Lilly pulled a knife out of nowhere, looking incredibly pleased about it. Flo saw her, winced, and moved to stand between Stacie and Cynthia-Rose.

“I… okay,” Beca agreed, knowing that the compromise was as good as it was going to get with Aubrey.

“How’re we going to split up?” Chloe asked, glancing at Beca.

Paris stepped forward and wrapped her arm around Beca’s shoulders. “Dibs on Beca!” she called out, for some reason looking directly at Chloe.

Beca’s brain turned to mush. A confused mush. What did that even mean? And Paris’s arm around her shoulders wasn’t helping her think.

God, her perfume smelled amazing.

“I’m with Beca, too,” Chloe said in a rush, moving in to smoosh herself against Beca’s other side.

Beca felt like she was dying.

Cynthia-Rose and Stacie both smirked, which didn’t help.

“I’m with these two,” David said with a smile to Emily and Lilly. Beca blinked, surprised that he hadn’t joined her, Paris, and Chloe. She risked a look at Chloe, expecting her to be disappointed, but Chloe was too busy giving Paris the side-eye that she hadn’t seemed to notice David.

Beca was incredibly confused.

“That leaves us, then,” Aubrey said briskly to Stacie, Flo, and Cynthia-Rose. “And Chippy, of course.”

Cynthia-Rose’s eyes flicked down to the marionette and she visibly cringed. Beca didn’t blame her.

“I’ll stay here and keep an eye on you twig bitches!” Amy called, loudly enough to be heard from the filthy window of the lodge.

“Thanks, Amy,” Beca managed, awkwardly extracting herself from between the two most beautiful women on the planet. She’d been starting to get sweaty, despite the unnatural chill in the air.

“Right, so, we’re gonna do this?” Emily asked, noticeably nervous.

“Yep,” said Stacie determinedly, though her hands were trembling.

“Stay in earshot,” Aubrey ordered, “And if you don’t find anything, meet back here in T-minus two hours. Don’t be late.”

A coyote howled in the distance.

“Wanna bring your shotgun?” Cynthia-Rose muttered, though Aubrey appeared not to hear her.

“Okay, team, break on three!” Chloe cheered.

“On three or af –”

“Let’s go,” Beca said before Stacie could finish her question. They were wasting time. “Everyone be careful.”

She watched as Aubrey took Chippy, Flo, Stacie, and Cynthia-Rose toward the woods to the right of the cabins. David, Emily, and Lilly went straight out from the cabins to walk along the road and woods there. Her heart plummeted; that left…

“To the pool?” Paris suggested.

Beca grimaced. She’d been afraid of that.

“Fine,” Chloe agreed stiffly.

Together, they turned and started toward the empty pool, every step closer making Beca’s heart thud more painfully against her ribs. The pool had always unnerved her, but she hadn’t realized just how much until forced to walk toward it in search of her missing friends that a ghost may or may not have spirited away. Or, if not a ghost, something else.

It wasn’t great.

It didn’t help that an awkward silence had fallen over the three of them as they walked. Beca didn’t like it; she could hear every step they took on the fallen leaves and small twigs, every breath Chloe took, every swish of Paris’s long hair as she walked. They moved further and further from the clearing, the sounds of the others’ footsteps fading away unnaturally quickly, until they were blanketed in the dense quiet of the forest around them.

The fog rolled in, seeping out of the woods and coating the grounds of the retreat. The mist swirled around them, thickening rather than dissipating in the daylight, and several times, Beca thought she saw someone moving toward them, only to realize the fog was playing tricks on her. She shivered, again feeling the weight of eyes on her back. The whole “someone is watching” schtick was getting old fast, but she couldn’t shake it.

“Could they have gone in the cabins?” Chloe broke the quiet suddenly, her voice loud in the eerie fog. Beca glanced to her right at the line of four abandoned cabins dotting the path to the pool, taking in their decrepit and creepy state. Her skin crawled and the hair on her arms stood up.

“I doubt it,” Paris said. “They’re in rough shape.”

“But it doesn’t hurt to check,” Chloe replied, an edge to her voice.

Paris sighed, then replied just as testily, “If you want to fall through a rotted wooden floor, be my guest.”

“We have to be thorough,” Chloe insisted stubbornly.

“Beca, what do you think?”

“Yeah, Bec?”

Oh God.

Beca didn’t like being between them at all. The way they both looked at her made her feel like she was making a much larger choice than whether or not to look around some creepy cabins for Ashley and Jessica.

“I mean,” she managed, pleased that she at least hadn’t made some embarrassing squeaking noise, “we could peek in them? Like, just poke our heads in?”

Thankfully, that seemed to satisfy both Paris and Chloe, who stubbornly refused to look at each other. Beca did her best to shrink into herself, though she wasn’t sure it worked.

They made their way to the first and nearest cabin. As they drew closer, Beca wondered if perhaps they should have just skipped the cabins. The grimy, broken windows, dark interior, missing shingles, crooked foundation, and rotted wooden steps were wholly uninviting during the day, and she had a hard time imagining that Ashely and Jessica would seek refuge in them at night.

Nevertheless, they moved to the first cabin’s door, carefully picking their way up the spongy steps. Beca was on edge, her heart pounding as she constantly stared around for any movement.

When Chloe gasped at a large spider on the wall, she nearly jumped out of her skin.

“Sorry,” Chloe whispered.

Paris rolled her eyes and reached for the door handle.

The cabins should have been locked. Beca hadn’t really thought about it, but they should not have been able to enter the derelict building. She was surprised, then, when the door swung open with relative ease and a soft groan like an exhale. She glanced up, making sure that the ancient structure wasn’t about to collapse on top of them.

A rush of fetid air from the interior of the building made her wrinkle her nose; it smelled of mold, dust, and decay, as though some animal had died in there years and years ago. The place looked even worse on the inside; what little light filtered through the filthy windows revealed holes in the floorboards, torn and moldy furniture still in place, and a collapsed fireplace on the far wall. As in Aubrey’s lodge, the mirrors on the walls were turned so that the glass faced inward.

There was very obviously no one there; Beca wouldn’t be surprised if no one had set foot in the cabin since the retreat closed twenty years ago.

Nevertheless, Chloe called tentatively into the dark interior, “Ashley? Jessica?”

There was no reply.

“Happy?” Paris asked, though her voice quivered slightly.

“Not really,” Chloe whispered.

Beca privately agreed.

“Let’s go,” she muttered, not at all liking the eerie feeling of the cabin.

Paris pulled the door shut again with a damp thud, and they wasted no time in making their way down the steps, careful to avoid the sagging, rotted sections.

Similarly, they approached the other three cabins, on high alert for any sign of movement from within.

The second didn’t have a front door, but rather was boarded up, a series of warped two-by-fours crisscrossing over the main entrance. They walked around the exterior checking the windows, but there weren’t any big enough holes in the glass for someone to have crawled through to get into the cabin that way. It would have been impossible for anyone to get inside.

The third cabin was open like the first had been, but when Paris opened the door, there was something waiting for them inside. Beca couldn’t stop herself from shrieking and jumping back when a pair of big, dark eyes met hers; Chloe only just grabbed her arm in time to save her from toppling own the front steps.

“Calm down!” Paris hissed. “It’s just a raccoon.”

Beca took a second look, and sure enough, the eyes she’d seen belonged to a small gray body with a fluffy tail. The animal bared its teeth at them but stayed put, burrowing into a couch.

Duh. Beca should have expected some animals to be living there, really.

That didn’t keep her legs from trembling beneath her.

Chloe again called for Ashely and Jessica to no avail. The sound of her voice didn’t seem to bother the raccoon at all, which, wasn’t that weird behavior for animals? Shouldn’t it have been scared of them? Instead, it only glared at them with those same beady eyes, as if berating them for disturbing its peace.

Beca was beyond relieved to leave that cabin and its inhabitant behind. However, they still had one left to check before making their way to the empty pool.

Beca swallowed.

Her eyes flicked between the concrete pool and the last cabin.

She wished Chloe would say something.

Or maybe Paris.

Anything to drown out the sound of her own frantic pulse.

They approached the fourth cabin cautiously, Beca glancing over her shoulder at the ever-darkening woods, positive she could feel eyes on her back, though they’d lost sight of the others long ago.

She, Chloe, and Paris again navigated the rotting wooden steps, avoiding what would almost certainly be a broken ankle should they make one mistake and fall through the stairs. They reached the front door and paused, Beca’s ears straining to hear any sign of life.

This time, she heard something.

Her heart stopped.

“Uh…”

“You’re hearing that?” Chloe whispered frantically, her eyebrows shooting up toward her hairline.

Paris nodded, frowning.

Beca reluctantly stepped closer to the door, listening with all her might. Whatever it was didn’t sound human; it was more of a rhythmic, electric whirring noise.

Chloe reached bravely toward the door handle, which turned with a click to let them into the cabin. The whirring became louder, and Beca realized it had to be coming from some kind of running appliance. Chloe cast a triumphant look over her shoulder at Paris before taking the first step into the cabin.

Beca followed slowly, eyes on the floor. Unlike the other cabins, however, the floor seemed more stable, though the furniture was no less musty, and there was yet another mirror turned to the wall.

Hope fluttered in Beca’s chest as she looked around carefully, searching for any sign that Ashley or Jessica might have gone in there. Someone obviously had been in the cabin recently, if there was a running appliance.

Paris stepped over the threshold behind them, and they made their way further into the room, heads turning in search of the noise. Movement caught Beca’s eye and she stared into a dim corner, finally making out the source of the whirring, which came from a small, front-loading washing machine. It was clearly nearing the end of its spin cycle. Only a few articles of clothing were visible through the scratched window, but she couldn’t quite make them out.

There was no dryer in sight.

“Guys, look,” she said, gesturing Chloe and Paris over and pointing to the washer.

“That’s not possible,” Paris said, her voice strained. “This cabin is supposed to be defunct. Aubrey said.”

“Well, what the fuck is that, then?” Beca asked, her nerves frayed. She didn’t like it.

Who would start a load of laundry in some old, abandoned – or supposed to be – cabin?

“Ashley? Jessica?” Chloe called out loudly, twisting and turning for any sign of them.

Nothing.

The cabin was silent apart from the sloshing of the washer and the sound of their heartbeats.

“What’s in it?” Paris asked quietly.

“Dunno,” Beca shrugged.

“Open it,” Paris urged.

Beca hesitated; she could think of about a million things she’d rather do, including running away or hugging a porcupine. Anything sounded better than approaching the washer, though she couldn’t really explain why.

“Bec, don’t,” Chloe whispered, shaking her head frantically. “It doesn’t feel right.”

Beca looked back at the washer, thinking.

What was the worst that could happen, really? It was just a washer. And opening it might make her seem brave in front of Chloe and Paris… she made her decision.

She stepped forward gingerly, ignoring Chloe’s small whimper of fear.

She stood beside the washer, put her hand on the door’s latch, and prepared to tug it open. She was sure it wasn’t locked; the thing looked older than her grandma, and probably didn’t come equipped with safety features.

The air around them quivered with anticipation.

Beca realized she was holding her breath.

Before she could change her mind, Beca gave a mighty tug on the door, flinging it open and causing some of the contents to spill out onto the floor along with a fair bit of water. For a moment, Beca stared at the mess, worried about cleaning up after themselves, until she caught sight of the clothing.

An achingly familiar patterned T-shirt lay in a soggy heap.

She recognized it in a heartbeat; it was Jessica’s.

And it was caked in blood.

Paris’s scream ripped through the air. Chloe was on her in an instant, basically tackling Paris and clamping a hand over her mouth like she had to Beca the night before in the woods.

“Shut up!” she whispered harshly, her eyes still on the shirt on the floor. “He’ll hear us!”

Beca’s brain felt like it was running on molasses. He? He who? She glanced between the shirt and Chloe, who looked utterly terrified even as she held a hand over Paris’s mouth. Nausea rolled Beca’s stomach and she drew a deep breath through her nose. Chloe’s eyes locked onto hers and understanding hit her like a bolt of lightning.

Jessica and Ashley were missing. They weren’t in the cabin. Jessica’s shirt – as well as the rest of their clothes, Beca noted as she stared at the washer – was in the cabin. That was most definitely blood. Someone had put the clothes there. Someone was trying to clean up and hide it. Someone had done this.

Or something.

The retreat was haunted. The camp counselor.

Charles.

Shit.

Before Beca could so much as open her mouth, a series of deep shouts came from outside: David. She and Chloe exchanged a look and Chloe released Paris with a muttered apology. Without a second glance at the clothing on the floor, they rushed out of the cabin, leaping over the hazardous steps out front.

“David!” Paris cried as they ran. “David, where are you?”

The shouts continued, emanating from the woods but drawing nearer by the second. They sprinted to the clearing at Aubrey’s lodge where they’d initially split up, Paris in the lead with Beca and Chloe right behind. They were there in less than a minute, Beca’s legs burning and Chloe puffing next to her.

With one final shout, David came crashing out of the woods, panting, dirt streaked all over his clothes and a dark line of something trickling down the side of his face.

He was alone.

“Wh-where are Emily and Lilly?” Chloe panted, her eyes focused on the woods behind David as if waiting for them to emerge.

They did not.

David doubled over, his hands on his knees as he gasped for breath. Beca wanted to reach forward, shake him, and demand to know where their friends were, but she managed to restrain herself, hands twitching as David eventually hauled himself upright.

“I – they’re gone, I’m so sorry,” he said in a rush, eyes wide and scared.

Ice flooded Beca’s veins. No. Not possible.

“What the fuck does that mean?” she spat and clenched her fists, hearing the anger in her own voice.

David took a step back, looking at her warily before answering, “They’re just gone, I don’t know what –”

“Tell us what happened!” Chloe half-shrieked at him. Beca couldn’t help it – despite the seriousness of the situation, she took petty satisfaction in how furious Chloe seemed.

“He’s trying!” Paris shouted back, taking a step forward. “Would you just –”

“Stop!” Beca interrupted, moving between Chloe and Paris. “That’s not helping! What happened?” she glared at David.

David shifted uncomfortably, finally having caught his breath. “I don’t know,” he repeated, “we were doing fine, had covered a lot of ground when the Emily girl said she heard something. We stopped, and there were some weird noises, like… like rustling or something.”

Beca caught Chloe’s eye; that had been what they’d heard the night before.

David continued, “And it stopped for a while, so I started walking again, and then something hit me, hard.” He raised a hand to point at the side of his head, from which the dark line of blood trickled.

“It must have knocked me out, because the next thing I know, I’m on the ground and your friends are gone. I looked around, but didn’t see them, and that’s when I heard Paris scream, so I started yelling and came running.”

Beca had heard enough; she started toward the woods.

“Okay,” she said, “well, obviously we just have to go back there and find them and –”

Familiar arms wrapped around her waist, hauling her backward and away from the woods.

“Don’t you dare,” Chloe said, her mouth right next to her ear. “Bec, you can’t, whatever it was will just get you, too.”

“Chloe, let me go, there’s enough of us that we could take whatever the hell –”

“She’s right, Beca,” David said gravely while Paris nodded. “That thing didn’t care about attacking me, and now he – it – has four of your friends.”

“You seem fine now!” Beca fired back shaking free of Chloe angrily. “How do we know you were really even attacked?”

“David didn’t do anything!” Paris protested loudly, crossing her arms.

“That’s kind of a serious thing to say, Beca,” Chloe murmured.

Beca could have screamed. No way was Chloe still attracted to this idiot after he let something Emily and Lilly go missing, too.

“Why did you scream?” David asked Paris, steering the conversation away from himself.

The memory of what they’d found in the cabin rushed back into Beca’s mind like a punch to the gut; in her worry for Emily and Lilly, she’d completely forgotten about Jessica’s shirt.

“We found something,” Paris answered.

Chloe snorted, cutting her off before she could explain. “More like Beca found something,” she said. “Ashley and Jessica’s clothes are in a washer in the far cabin.”

“What?” David looked utterly bemused. “But those cabins haven’t been used in years!”

“Yeah, well,” Beca huffed, her anger slowly ebbing to fear, “that’s what we found, and their clothes were covered in blood. Wanna look?”

She turned to march back to the cabin, Chloe hot on her heels, but Paris caught her arm and tugged her to a halt. Beca yanked herself free, tired of being manhandled. Chloe smirked.

“Wait, Beca, shouldn’t we wait for the others?” Paris pleaded, anxiety lacing her voice.

Beca hesitated, then shook her head no. She couldn’t explain why, but for some reason, she knew they had to get back to the cabin as soon as possible.

Paris sighed in defeat, and with a glance to David, gestured to let her lead the way back to the cabin.

The walk passed in tense silence. Beca’s mind whirred, theories about what had happened to Emily and Lilly – and Ashley and Jessica – bouncing around her skull, each more outlandish than the last.

Aubrey had definitely said they were alone at the retreat, and she had no reason to lie about it. But David had been hit by someone… or so he claimed, anyway. Who would have done that? Did ghosts hit people? And, God, what was happening to Emily, Lilly, Ashley, and Jessica? Lilly could handle herself, but the others… God, what was she going to say to Mrs. Junk?

Movement from the woods caught Beca’s eye, shattering her concentration.

A huge, shadowy figure stood half-concealed behind a tree, clad in what looked like a maintenance suit and with a strangely misshapen head.

An iron fist clenched around her stomach. She blinked hard and ground to a halt, but when she opened her eyes, the figure was gone.

“Um, ah…” she choked, staring at the spot she’d been sure he stood.

“Bec? What?” Chloe asked instantly, craning her neck to peer into the woods where Beca stared. “Do you see something?”

“Ye – no,” she said, changing her mind.

She’d been imagining things, that’s all. It had to be. No one could hide themselves that quickly. No need to worry anyone else because she’d been hallucinating. She’d been thinking about ghosts, so now she was seeing them. That was all.

“Ye-no?” David asked sarcastically.

“No,” Beca said firmly, shaking her head out. Ghosts weren’t real.  “Let’s go.”

She continued forward to the cabin, hearing the others follow.

It had been a trick of the light. She was sure of it.

She quickened her pace.

They reached the cabin shortly, Beca’s stomach churning with nerves. She picked her way over the steps carefully, the others following her closely. Hoping she didn’t look as terrified as she felt, she reached for the door – hadn’t they left it open? – and swung it forward so they could enter the cabin.

“The clothes are in the corner,” she said, leading them in and beckoning to David. “Just take a… look…”

Beca trailed off as she stared at the patch of floor in front of the old washer where they’d left the bloodied clothes.

Except. They were gone. Every piece of clothing was gone, as was the puddle of water that had poured from the washer. The washer itself, which Beca was sure they’d left open, had been closed and turned off; it looked like it hadn’t been run in years.

“What the everloving –”

“Beca!” Chloe gasped, one hand again clutching Beca’s arm, the other raised to point at something across the room.

Beca’s gaze followed Chloe’s index finger, moving across the room to land on a mirror on the wall. It had been moved; unlike when they’d been in the cabin earlier, the glass was facing out into the room so that Beca could see her own terrified expression reflected in the glass.

And there, written across it in deep red were the words:

Leave now or suffer with me

-        Charles

#bechloe #cabin in the woods #my writing #horror #fallen leaves fallen bellas #beca x chloe #beca mitchell #chloe beale #aubrey posen #pitch perfect fanfic #it's only gonna get creepier from here #slow burn?? ish