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[ . . . ]
1985
EXHALING A HEAVY SIGH, VIVIANNE'S EYES FLUTTERED CLOSE. A vision, almost like a memory, but of the future played in front of her eyes. It held Max in a graveyard, sitting in front of her brother's grave. She sees herself in Peter's mindscape, hand in hand with Max, running from his as if her life depended on it. Vivianne drew her eyebrows together, not truly understanding the vision.
Vivianne left the vision, eyes shooting open.
She swallowed the lump in her throat before making her way toward her wall. Putting her hand forward, she walked through the hidden gate to the Upside Down.
In an instant, she found herself inside Peter's old house. Remnants of what once was presented themselves in front of her, dull colours filled her vision, a single light from the hole through the roof was the only way she would be able to see inside the house, otherwise, it would've been too dark.
The vines wrapped around her, behaving like curious snakes. Their sticky and slimy skin caused Vivianne to grimace as she gently removed them.
'Don't you like them?' a voice asked with amusement behind her.
Glancing over her shoulder, Vivianne's eyes met Peter's. She had never enjoyed the more monstrous look he sometimes took the form of, but ultimately understood that it was the consequence of being banished to the Upside Down.
'Not a big fan,' Vivianne admitted, fingers feeling the vines' rough skin.
'My apologies then,' Peter chuckled, his skin slowly peeling, revealing his former self underneath it.
Soft fingers touched the skin on her cheek. Vivianne leaned into his touch, a small smile spreading on his lips.
'You're beautiful,' he murmured.
'So I've heard,' Vivianne replied, lips curling into a smug smirk.
'Is there something you wished to show me?' he asked, figuring she had seen another vision.
'Yes,' she breathed out, letting Peter take a peek inside her mind. 'It's fine if she escapes. The rest don't matter. The only one we need to get to is Eleven.'
Peter nodded in agreement.
Chuckling to herself, Vivianne placed her hand over the one that covered her cheek.
'One day Peter,' she began. 'One day we're going to rule the world.'
[ . . . ]
VIVIANNE FOUND HERSELF BACK IN HER APARTMENT, LEGS CROSSED AND EYES CLOSED AS SHE TERRORISED CHRISSY CUNNINGHAM'S MIND. Sitting on the couch, inside what Vivianne could only guess was Chrissy's house, she began knitting. Peter, who had taken the form of Chrissy's mother sat across from her, almost making Vivianne laugh. The familiar sound of Peter's clock bounced against the walls in an echo.
Soon enough, Chrissy came running through the hallway, halting in her tracks as soon as she laid eyes on Vivianne.
'Chrissy!' Vivianne beamed at her and stood up, walking over to Chrissy with open arms. 'How nice of you to join us!'
'W━What's going on?' Chrissy uttered, body trembling.
'Your death, that's what's going on,' Vivianne explained as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. 'Come now, your father is very impatient.'
'My dad?' she blurted out, glancing at Peter on the couch.
Vivianne also cast him a glance, eyeing the dress he was pretending to sew. She was sure the dress would turn out horrible if Peter made it, but alas, they were in Chrissy's mind so no harm would come.
'No that's your mum, but don't worry about her, she's busy enough with that dress,' Vivianne said, tearing Chrissy's attention from Peter.
Slinging an arm over her shoulder, Vivianne led Chrissy down the stairs to where her father was.
'Go to him,' she encouraged the younger girl with a small nod.
Without another word, Chrissy ran over to her father.
The sound of footsteps touched her ears and Vivianne turned her head towards the source of the sound, seeing Peter in his monstrous form, slowly striding down the stairs.
'I've always loved reunions,' Vivianne told him, referring to Chrissy and her father, noticing how Chrissy screamed in horror once she saw her father's state; eyes gouged out and mouth sewn shut.
'I know you do,' Peter replied and Vivianne gave him a quick wink before turning her attention to Chrissy.
'She's all yours to take,' Vivianne told him.
Peter slowly nodded. 'I'll let you know when I've found the next one.'
[ . . . ]
FRED BENSON HAD BEEN THEIR NEXT VICTIM. Vivianne had seen him around Nancy before but never spoken to him. His innocent face almost made her feel bad for torturing his mind. Inside his mind, hell broke loose as soon as he saw Peter and her ━ well, more Peter than Vivianne.
What made Fred different from Chrissy was that Vivianne got to murder him herself. The road had been empty when she found him, curled up into a ball on the asphalt, body trembling with fear. One by one, she had broken every bone in his finger before moving onto his arms and legs, snapping them in ways no normal human could. His eyes had popped, leaving two empty holes before she shattered his jaw.
Killing someone inside their mind had always been fun, but to do it in real life was different. The feeling of death swirled around her while the smell of blood invaded her lungs. Kneeling down beside his body, Vivianne studied him with curiosity. Blood seeped through his eye sockets and onto the road. The sound of sirens caught Vivianne's attention.
She glanced over her shoulders one last time before slipping into the night.
