UNTIL DAWN

BEFORE DAWN

It is believed that something small can drastically change the future. It has been said that something as small as the flutter of a butterfly's wing can ultimately cause a typhoon halfway across the world. This is called The Butterfly Effect.

Kara giggled, taking another swig of Jeremiah Cragg that was being passed around her, Josh, and Chris. She wasn't sure what the others were up to, but she didn't really want to know. Kara pointed at Chris, giggling so hard that no noise came out.

"He's out cold!" She said, causing Josh to chuckle. He pulled her closer, colliding her lips with his. She put her hands in his hair, and pulled away smiling.

"I love you, Kara." Josh slurred. He'd said it before; it wasn't anything new, but it still made her happy every time she heard it. "I love you, too." She told him, kissing his cheek.

Within in ten minutes, Josh was passed out drunk; just the same as Chris. Kara was awake, and greeted Beth loudly as she walked into the kitchen. Beth chuckled, rolling her eyes at Josh's state. "Jeez, Josh. Once again, brother, you have outdone us all." Beth was near the window, and tilted her head.

"Did you see that? My dad said it would just be us this weekend." Beth asked Kara.

"I don't know, Beth. I'm currently seeing two of you...or is that Hannah?" She slurred, and Beth chuckled. Beth picked up a note on the counter that Kara hadn't noticed.

"Uh, what did my naive sister get herself into this time? Intervention time." Beth said, starting to walk away.

"What the hell?" Beth asked, seeing the others run out the back door. Kara stood up, stumbling for a second before meeting up with them.

"Hannah?" Sam yelled, trying to get her attention. Beth pushed past them.

"What's going on? Where's my sister going?" Beth asked. Matt, noticing she was drunk, helped Kara stay upright.

"It's fine. She just can't take a joke." Jess sighed. Kara had been hanging out with Josh and Chris the whole time; she had no idea what they were up to.

"It was just a prank, Han!" Emily shouted.

"What did you guys do?" Beth asked. "We were just messing around, Beth, it wasn't serious." Mike told her. "You jerks!" Beth yelled, running after her sister.

"What happened?" Kara asked, letting go of Matt.

"They pulled a mean prank on Hannah. They made her think that Mike wanted to hook up with her. They recorded the whole thing!" Sam said, angry at the others. Kara felt herself sober up slightly, knowing that Hannah would be broken. Hannah was in love with Mike; it was nearing an obsession, but it was innocent.

Kara ran outside, though she was only in a long-sleeved shirt. "Kara, don't! She's just overreacting." Emily yelled, but Kara was still drunk, and she knew her friend was upset.

Running while intoxicated was complicated; especially while it was snowing.

"Hannah! Beth!" She called out, but heard no answer. She was debating on turning back; it had been nearly five minutes and she hadn't found them.

Kara didn't see the tree root underneath her foot, and tripped over it, hitting her head on a rock. Her sight went black as she heard screaming. 

***

Kara's eyes opened to a white room, and she furrowed her eyebrows, feeling her head pound.

"Dads?" She asked, sitting up slightly. Her dads looked angered, but worried.

"What happened? Where's Josh?" She asked, remembering the previous night. Her eyes widened. "Oh my God, Hannah and Beth! I need to see Hannah. She was so upset last night." She rambled, ignoring the headache.

Pushing their anger aside, they looked at their daughter sorrowfully. One of her dads, Mark, sat down on the hospital bed, grabbing her hand.

"You hit your head on a rock trying to find the twins. You had a concussion. Samantha and Matthew found you. The injury wasn't too serious, but..."

"But?" She asked, still not knowing where her friends were.

"They haven't found Hannah and Beth." Her other dad, Derek told her. Her eyes watered, and she let her head fall back down. They heard a knock on the door, and Kara looked over to see Mike with flowers.

"Dads, can I have the room for a moment?" She asked, not making eye contact with anyone. Her dads shuffled out of the room, figuring the news about Hannah and Beth was enough punishment for her. They couldn't bring themselves to punish her when something so tragic had happened.

"I'm really sorry you hit your head, Kara." Mike said. Mike put the flowers on the table.

"Why the hell would you do that to her? You knew she liked you, and you humiliated her. They're missing now, and Josh is probably broken. How could you do that?" She asked.

"Kara, it was just a prank...we didn't mean for her to take it too seriously." He said, obviously feeling guilty.

"What if they're dead?" She asked, looking up at him. He stuttered.

"You did this, Mike. You all did." She muttered, turning around.

"I didn't mean to..." He muttered before walking out of the room.

Josh had come in to her hospital room not long after that, sobbing. Kara held him while he cried, trying to soothe him.