SILHOUETTE, until dawn

THIRTEEN

Ellie Greene had never responded to the earnest words of her friend, opting for a response familiar to her; silence. Though she had not uttered a word, she truly wished to believe everything Beth had spoke of, for she knew not what she would do without her. She had fought a battle against herself, against the voice within her telling her that eventually she, too, would leave. It was a war that, despite difficult, she had overcome, the Greene girl gaining full faith in Beth's promise mere days before they'd journeyed out on their trip to Blackwood Mountain.

In hindsight, Ellie could see how naive she had been.

The aftermath of the twins' disappearance had not been one easily dealt with, and to this day, Ellie had never truly come to terms with it. She tried her best, standing beside the only remaining Washington child through the darkest of times, not only for her care toward Josh but as she felt it was the only way she could uphold her end of the promise. For Ellie Greene, handling the inner turmoils of others were far easier than dealing with your own. Bliss toward her own feelings had always been a friend of hers, yet it did not have the best intentions in its heart, for in secret it was her greatest enemy.

Yet she had broken the promise once, and she'd done it again. Over and over. She had failed Beth, and now she had failed Josh many times. Though she knew not if the boy were even still alive, the thought that she could, or more accurately, would fail him again instils terror within her heart. The bliss that once was built up around her heart had shattered alongside it that night, and no longer could she act like the same naive girl who once believed that, in the end, everything would be alright.

The current reality slowly seeps back into the senses of Ellie, her focus being drawn back to the unappealing times when Mike places a gentle hand upon her shoulder. Both he and Sam had wandered over to see what had intrigued the girl, only to have their hearts ache in sympathy for her. To his surprise, Ellie does not shrug off the friendly hand, as she uses it to tether herself back to what is real, desperately wanting to escape the past. The energy to shed so much as a tear is long-lost upon her, her eyes remaining dry even as she spares one last glance at the makeshift grave, before shoving Beth's bracelet into her pocket. Uttering not even a word, she stands from the ground, purposely avoiding the sympathetic gazes in which she receives.

With the tension upon them threatening to suffocate the trio, they silently make their way to the edge of the water, which appears blackened by the darkness. The water was not what brought upon fear within the teenagers, instead, it was what could be lurking within that sent chills stomping down their spines. Mike is the first to step foot within the mirky liquid, goosebumps rising on his skin as the freezing water touches his skin. Seeing the water comes only to the boy's waist, Ellie hesitantly follows his lead. Sam, on the other hand, is less than willing, and Mike catches onto this, calling back to her. "Come on. It's okay. I'm not dead yet."

"Famous last words," Sam mutters beneath her breath, yet follows the lead of the two others regardless. Her muscles tense up beneath the icy touch of the water, a hitched breath escaping her lips. Wading through liquid, she speaks with a quickened voice. "It's freezing. I can't feel my fingers."

As Mike takes a step more, the water rises above the level he had bargained for, reaching his chest. As Ellie follows, her body more submerged in the water than that of Mike, she finds herself thankful that she was not the shortest among the trio; wishing to keep as dry as possible. That title instead fell upon Sam, who stood at a shorter height than the others, Mike more than a ruler's length taller, while Ellie possessing only half his advantage. The blonde eyes the water with cation, calling out, "Wait a minute. I thought you'd reach the deepest part.

"I didn't say that," Mike defends half-heartedly. Shining the beam of light from his torch around their current area, he notices a watermill to their right. However, they first venture toward the left, slowly approaching a small landmass."I said it was okay, meaning like there weren't any sharks or anything in here.