adoration. Steve Harrington

Taken.

It wasn't long until the next killing happened. Fred Benson. Nancy's right hand for the school paper. We filled Nancy, Jonathan, Mike, Will, Eleven and Lucas on the situation and told them about Eddie being currently held in at the police station. When Fred's death was finally public, the town started getting even more worried knowing Eddie was obviously innocent. 

A lot thought he was the leader of a cult. That Hellfire was a satanic cult and the murders were sacrifices for Satan or something, but the police were still holding Eddie until Fred's death was proven to be the same as Chrissy's.

In the meantime, all of us regrouped at the trailer park to discuss what we were gonna do. 

El was powerless this time around. 

"I don't think we're going to win this time..." Robin looked down at the table and just like she was there for me these past days, I was there for her. I squeezed her hand in mine and tried to wordlessly reassure her. 

"We will... it's just gonna be harder." I tried to bring the mood up. Steve looked like he was gonna implode with worry. Eleven looked devastated, holding something in. I didn't realize I was staring at her until she met my eyes and now I was sure she had something on her mind. 

She moved her head in a "follow me" movement as she got up from the table. Mike started following but she told him to sit back down. 

Eleven and I were never particularly close, we fought the mind flayer and demogorgon together, but apart from that we never really got to know each other. I'm only in this mess because of my brother, and my need to protect him. 

"Are you okay...?" I carefully ask as she sits on the grass, facing the forest, her back on the group. I sat beside her, trying to decipher her expression. 

"They want to work with me again." She said, looking at the confusion plastered on my face. "Owens... the lab men. They want to work with me to get my powers back." She confessed. I was confused why she chose to tell me over Mike or Max.

"Is that a bad thing?" I ask her, and she just shrugs. Just like I did with Robin, I take her hand in mine and squeeze a little. "You're stronger than all of us combined, Eleven. Inside just as much as outside. You have to do what feels right for you." I told her, but I honestly had no clue what she should or shouldn't do.

"I can't let you guys fight Vecna while I'm away I don't even know where..." she whispered, clearly conflicted. "But I can't help without my powers." She added. I could sense she was about to cry... but I was as conflicted as she was.

"Then I think your best shot is to get them back." I admitted. She looked at me, wanting me to explain. "Well... if you at least try and get your powers back, at least you might get them back and be able to defeat him... but if you don't try, it won't take us any further." 

I looked at the forest, seeing some branches move. When I tried looking at El, she was gone. Panicked, I tried looking for the gang, but the table they were sitting at was empty. 

I got up and right as I started to walk toward the picnic table, I heard a ticking sound coming from the forest. What the fuck was happening?

"STEVE?" I screamed... nothing. "WILL? JONATHAN?" Nothing. 

I walked toward the noise in the forest, a big, wooden grandfather clock was standing in the middle of it. Around were nothing but trees. I tried calling my friends again and again, but silence was the only thing that replied. 

"I knew you were a bitch... but now slut is a new one." Steve gritted behind me. I turned around to find him look at me with a disgusted look on his face. I looked at him with a confused look on my face. "Heath West, seriously? So what, now you're the town's slut?" He asks as I felt something liquid fall down my legs. 

I looked down and it was as if the scars were fresh. The blood exiting was intense. A lot more than before. Behind me was Billy Hargrove. Laughing. He was hysterical.

He looked down at my thigh just like he used to do. 

"You attention seeker. You really think Harrington is ever going to love someone who destroys their bodies? You make yourself look like a fucking monster." He said between laughter. Tears fell down my face, hysterically as now both my legs were covered in blood.

I lifted my shorts up and saw my old scars opened as if I had just did them. Steve's voice started ridiculing me over and over again. Every insults he already told me thousands of times. But now, even more scars started forming. Even ones I never made. They made their way all over my legs, the stinging pain paralyzing me. 

"You fucking slut." Steve said. "You're just a fucking low-life... I hope I never see your monstrosity of a face again, Adelaide." was the last thing I heard before I closed my eyes, wishing I could wake up. 

When I opened my eyes, I was in the school's bathrooms.

My second home in high school. I walked to the sink... it was there. 

The razor blade. It was shiny, calling out my name. I took possession of it, and my vision turned into a tunnel. I couldn't see anything besides the blade and my wrist. Steve's voice echoed in my head, I could feel Billy's humiliating laugh through my body. 

He asked me out. I said no... and ever since everything changed. I entered high school completely alone. Everything changed after I told Billy off. 

I focused back on the blade, but it was halfway through my wrist. I immediately threw it on the ground, sitting beside it, my entire body covered in blood, my head between my hands, face covered in salty tears.

Then, it became silent.

When I looked back up... there he was. The one man who truly ruined my life. Walter Harrington.

And then, another ticking noise.