𝙳𝚘𝚗'𝚝 𝙱𝚕𝚊𝚖𝚎 𝙼𝚎 ||𝙴𝚍𝚍𝚒𝚎 𝙼𝚞𝚗𝚜𝚘𝚗

010

"It started five years ago. I was out in the woods playing with our dog when I heard a sound and..." I shifted nervously, looking down at the ground. "I have never told anyone this before, well, other than Billy." 

Eddie squeezed my hand and I looked up at his eyes searching my face. 

"I was kidnapped and I was gone for a year before they let me go. I was kept at a lab, where they tested me for let's call them powers of sorts. Child soldiers is what he was trying to create. Dustin's friend El was also one of them, she has telekinetic powers, well she had them. I had premonitions, I was able to see the future." I paused for a minute looking down at the number on my wrist. "When they found me, I had no memories from where I was for a while. It wasn't until El found my brother and his friends, this was in 1983 after Will Byers disappeared, um, he disappeared to a place called the Upside Down. It's like reality now, but with monsters and horrible things you couldn't even imagine. We had to save him from the Demogorgon. The Demogorgon also killed Barbara Holland. The next year Will was possessed by the Mind Flayer, which we again saved him from. Then last summer, a monster, much bigger than everything else came. The Mind Flayer took Billy. Then it tried to kill El and I because of these powers. But Billy sacrificed himself instead of letting the monster get us instead. Sometimes, I wish he would have let it take me. All of these nightmares and reliving everything, I just wish it was me that the monster took and not him." 

I wiped a tear from my cheek. I looked up at Eddie. 

"I suppose you think I'm crazy. If it were me hearing this, I would think I'm crazy."

Eddie scooped my cheek in his hand. 

"I don't think you're crazy, Dani. I think you've been through a lot, but I believe you." 

I laid my head onto his shoulder, looking down at my number. 

"Number 20, that's what my tattoo means. It's the number I was branded with." 

He held my wrist as I looked at it with hatred, and brought it to his lips, and kissed it. 

"You are much more than a number, Dani. You are an amazing big sister, an amazing person, and a pretty great cook if you ask me." 

I gave a little laugh. 

"Oh you thought that was funny, huh?" Eddie asked as he began tickling me. 

"Eddie, stop tickling me. Why is this your go to?" 

"Because I know it works." I couldn't stop laughing so I fell onto my back laughing. Eddie had to resituate himself to tickle me, leaning over top of me. I grabbed his face and pulled him in making our lips crash together. He placed his hands on each side of my head, as he kissed me back. He pulled back and our eyes met. 

"You are full of all sorts of surprises."

I pulled him back in by his necklace. One of his hands cupped my cheek while my hands search for his bare chest. I ran my fingers against his smooth skin as I felt goosebumps form. His thumb caressed my cheek bone and smiled beneath his kiss. He pulled away and I sat up, putting my fingers to my lips. 

"I wonder what's taking them so long." I hopped out of the van, leaving Eddie. I opened the door and Robin and Steve were arguing. "What's taking you so long?" 

"Sorry, Steve, is being a big baby." Robin grabbed the keys from Steve and walked over to me at the door. 

"Now, that is not true Robin, it's just..." Steve looked at Robin who was giving him a 'don't say what you are about to say' face.

"Just tell me," I said. 

"It's just, Eddie? Really? Out of everyone in Hawkins you picked Eddie 'The Freak' Munson?" Steve asked.

"What's the big deal? He is just a guy like you, isn't he. Sure, he might have some flaws, but so do you Steve. And who says we are dating, huh?" I asked agitated. 

"Well you looked pretty friendly holding hands." 

"Steve, car now. I am done with this conversation. Eddie and I are just friends so drop it, ok?" I walked out of the store and got into the passenger seat of the van. Robin and Steve followed behind, getting into the back seat. 

"Where too?" Eddie asked looking at Steve in his mirror. 

"I guess Benny's Burgers is a good place to look?" I said sounding more like a question. The tension in the car felt think between Eddie and Steve so I turned on music. 

"Dani, I love this song!" Robin said from the back. I turned it up and began singing along. 

"Hello Daddy, hello mom, I'm your ch-ch-ch cherry bomb. Hello world I'm your wild girl I'm your ch-ch-ch cherry bomb." 

Robin and I began laughing and singing the whole ride, as Eddie and I kept making side glances at each other. We pulled up to the burned down building that was Benny's Burgers to see police tape and the police talking to a few members of the basket ball team. Lucas was sitting on a log all by himself. 

"Guys, stay here. I'll be right back." I jumped out of the van and walked over to Lucas. 

"Dani, what are you doing here?" He asked in shock, he stood up and gave me the biggest hug. 

"Lucas, are you ok?" I asked. "What happened?" 

"Well the party died down last night and people started falling asleep, then some of us woke up smelling smoke and the place was just on fire. There was so much screaming, it was horrible."

"Why are you still here?" I asked. 

"They are questioning everyone, I was going to wait for Jason but they have been talking to him for a while." 

"Do you know anything about where Jason and Chrissy were last night?" 

"I heard they went up to Skull Rock but he was here when it went up in flames."

"Steve and Robin are here with Eddie, if you want to go with them. I'm just going to look around a little." Lucas gave me another hug then ran over to the van. "Come on stupid power, show me something." 

I walked under the caution tape and went around the back of the building. There was a back door that I opened and walked into. It looked like a kitchen with a mattress on the floor which was burnt. I touched the wall hoping to get a vision, but nothing came to me. I walked back out the door I came through and walked down into the woods a little. 

"Dani?" I heard a voice call out. I slowly turned around, with an embarrassed face.

"Hi dad," I said. 

"What the hell are you doing here? It's not safe," He said making his way down to me. "You are so lucky you weren't here last night." 

I gave him a nervous smile. 

"You weren't here last night were you?" He asked. 

"No, I hung out with some friends last night." 

"I thought these were your friends. You haven't heard from Chrissy or Patrick have you?"

"That's why I am here." 

"Trying to find clues? Where is the rest of your mystery solving crew?" He asked in a patronizing tone. 

"Dad." 

"Go home. I will call you if I have any details I can tell you."

"Dad, come on." 

"Danielle, I told you to go home. Where ever you and your friends are, trouble follows. Now go home, please, before I have to have you escorted." 

"Yea, whatever dad." I crossed my arms and headed back up the hill to the van.