A year could feel like an eternity or the blink of an eye depending on what happened and how you looked at things. To Ashlynn, it felt like an eternity, and riding in a taxi to a party made it feel worse.

The cabin where the party was being held seemed a bit cruel to her, as it had been the place where several girls had gone missing. Including Ashlynn's own best friend just last year. Rumors surrounded it, a lake, that disturbing phantoms could be seen after the girls had gone missing. Talk of Rusalki, mermaid-like creatures believed to be the souls of women who died near the water, surrounded the place.

She didn't know if she believed in anything mythological, but she did know that that was the last place she saw Elaine alive.

The cab stopped outside of the cabin hosting the party, she paid her fare and got out. The cape of her "devil" costume fell around her knees as she walked.

People she had known from school greeted Ashlynn, asked her how she was holding up this last year. She gave them the standard, "I'm doing okay." With a smile to attempt to reassure them that all was well.

Even Elaine's ex-boyfriend-who Ashlynn, quite frankly, suspected as having something to do with her disappearance-asked how she was doing and gave her a hug. With her having been the most vocal to have him arrested or at least under suspicion, it was a bit awkward to say the least, but she let him have it. Better to keep the peace right now, as many people were still mourning.

Was that a shrine?

She approached the memorial with some trepidation. What was this? Why was this here? "Nick, what the fuck?" She asked of Elaine's ex. "Is this supposed to make it look like you're sad about her disappearance?"

Nick, dressed like an old west sheriff, narrowed his eyes on her. "You are the only one still holding on to any suspicion that I murdered her, and this is not the place for this conversation. People are here to mourn a year without Elaine."

Looking around at the party goers grinding together to the music, drinking crazy amounts of alcohol, and even some getting high, Ashlynn was disgusted at the suggestion that any of this was for her best friend's sake. She just shook her head. "No, it's not." She needed air, which apparently Nick agreed with, because he escorted her to the back sliding door, but he did not follow her outside.

Probably a good thing, as the last thing he needed was to be potentionally blamed for yet another crime that he did not commit.

Sighing, Ashlynn made her way to the waterfront, away from even those smokers and partygoers who had thought to go a bit away from the house and the main party. She just needed to go to the last place she saw Elaine alive, maybe that would help her get some closure.

She stopped and looked over the water, not really sure what to do now other than think. Maybe go out on the dock, get even further away from that prick she was certain killed her friend. God, what was she even doing here? Everything was so tense between her and Nick, and their friends, that her being here made no sense, even to her, but she was compelled to come when invited. Maybe she just wanted answers that staying away couldn't give.

"I should go apologize," she muttered to herself. However, when she finally turned around to go back, she saw a figure emerging from the water that prompted her to stop.

The black hair, green eyes, rounded features... "Elaine?" She watched her best friend finish rising from the water, soaked, and still in the costume she had worn the night she vanished.

Quietly, Elaine held out her hand for Ashlynn to take.

What? "Are you...trying to tell me something?"

Elaine stretched her arm out further, silently telling Ashlynn to come to her.

Although confused and scared down to a primal level, Ashlynn felt the need to do as asked of her. She took Elaine's hand and join her knee deep in the water. "Elaine?"

Finally, Elaine smiled and opened her mouth, water and blood pouring out of it as her hair turned red. Before Ashlynn could take her hand back and run, the hair wrapped around her and Elaine dove back into the water with her. It was here, as Ashlynn struggled within the tangles, unable to grab the suddenly slippery body of Elaine, that the dead girl spoke, "You don't remember, do you? How you killed me? Hit me with a rock until I stopped moving and dumped my body?" Her hair pushed the other woman further into the water until she stopped struggling and her eyes went dark. "But it's okay."

The red hair released Ashlynn's body to sink to the bottom of the lake as it turned black once again and Elaine slowly disappeared into the darkness of the water.