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Act I Chapter IV ━ Freaks of a Feather
SUNDAY MORNING DAWNED ON HAWKINS and Jules hadn't slept a wink.
She couldn't, not with the previous night's conversation playing through her mind and her headache stabbing at her brain. It was a terrible combination, one that led to her standing at the window, staring out into the night that eventually bled into morning. Eddie was sleeping in the boat behind her, the one she had left him in when her brain wouldn't allow her to rest. She finds herself missing his warmth, wrapping the thick hoodie tighter around her to conserve heat.
Her skin tingles with unease, causing her eyes to focus on the woods outside, looking for anything that would explain her anxiety. It feels like something is watching her through the glass, like she's an animal in a zoo.
The tarp loudly shifts, which makes her ears prickle at the noise. Eddie, who shoots up like a startled cat, appears next to her, broken bottle in hand. Pressed shoulder to shoulder, he looks out the window, seemingly searching for something, just like she had been. She figures they were looking for two different things, but she follows his gaze nonetheless.
He breathes a sigh of relief when he finds nothing abnormal, suddenly jumping backwards at the sound of the door screeching open. His fingers wrap around Jules' arm, yanking her into his chest to keep her close, just in case.
The four teens peer upon them curiously, and Jules relaxes when she notices it's them. Dustin holds two bags in his hand, presumably full of things they needed whilst they were trying to hide.
❝Delivery service!❞
The two share a look between them, Jules feeling Eddie's labored breaths hitting her face. They're incredibly close, her spine shifting against his ribcage as she moves. When they finally part to grab the supplies, she finds herself missing his warmth again.
Sitting themselves inside the boat to finally get themselves something to eat and drink, Jules knows that the four have some questions. She reaches into the cereal box that Eddie is clutching, coming away with a handful of Cheerios that she can't help but scarf down. Her stomach had been twisting with hunger all night, just wanting some relief. She hadn't been able to provide it, but she had managed to ignore it in favor of the headache, that was much worse.
❝So we got, uh, some good news and some bad news.❞ Dustin says carefully, not wanting to spook the two too much. Eddie, like her, is shovelling Cheerios into his mouth with his hand, desperate to eat. ❝How do you prefer it?❞
❝Bad news first, always.❞ He says through his mouthful of food, taking a moment to wash it down with a gulp of Yoo-hoo. He passes the bottle to Jules, who gratefully takes a sip from it to combat the dryness of the Cheerios.
