PUPPET MASTER, eddie munson

iii. death of a sweetheart

DOLLY LOVED WEEKENDS- primarily because she hated being woken up from her rest. So, when she woke up on Saturday morning to the sound of the TV on the loudest volume possible, she groaned and slammed her pillow over her head. Dolly kicked her feet around in the air for a few seconds until she was no longer as frustrated and she begrudgingly got up.

Like always, Dolly went through her morning routine calmly and with care. Rushing in the morning was a recipe for disaster and the easiest way to put her in a bad mood for the rest of the day.  After finishing up, Dolly headed downstairs only to stop in her tracks when she saw her entire family staring intently at the TV.

"Jesus Christ, did someone die or something?" Dolly joked as she entered the living room. Her mom looked up at her and sighed.

"Actually, mija, it seems like someone was murdered last night," Dolly's mom, Cristina answered solemnly as she held her husband's hand. The teenage girl's eyes widened and she sat down on the floor next to her sister, focusing on the news anchor with laser focus.

"...but whatever has occurred here is sure to touch a nerve across Hawkins."

"Ever since that girl, Barb, died a few years ago, it has been one thing after another. I'll tell ya, you start to believe all those things they say, that this town is cursed, that the devil lives here in Hawkins."

Valentina tensed, and she quickly got up and started walking toward the kitchen. Dolly's eyes narrowed and she followed after her younger sister until the pair was standing face to face.

"Hey, what's wrong? You know the 'devil in Hawkins' shit just another scare tactic to get, like, ratings right?" Dolly said, placing a hand on her sister's shoulder in an attempt to comfort the startled girl. Unfortunately, Dolly's touch only caused Val to tense up even more and the younger girl stepped back, causing Dolly's hand to fall back to her side.

"What if they're right?" Valentina muttered quietly. Dolly's eyebrows furrowed in confusion, surely her younger sister was old enough to no longer believe in silly things like monsters. "Don't look at me like that. We've both lived here our entire lives, are you really going to tell me that you've never questioned why bad things always seem to happen here?"

"Of course I have, who hasn't?" Dolly remarked as she placed her hands on her hips and looked down at her sister disapprovingly. "But that doesn't mean I'm just going to blindly believe whatever the news tells me to. I highly doubt it's because of something stupid like, I don't know, a town curse or some spooky monster."

Valentina's eyes widened as Dolly finished her sentence, but she quickly looked down and attempted to calm herself down. It's not like her sister would believe her anyway.

"Yeah, you're right. Sorry for being such a wimp," Valentina mumbled. Dolly smiled and embraced her sister in a quick hug before pulling away. After noticing her younger sister's shocked expression, she rolled her eyes and started walking toward the fridge to find something to eat.

"I don't hate you just 'cause we fight sometimes, you know?" she remarked, only to pause when she heard the phone ring. Valentina ran back towards the living room, absolutely despising picking up the phone and Dolly reluctantly stalked towards it.

"Hernandez residence."

"You have to get down here, now." Molly's voice rang through the phone, in the background Dolly could hear yelling and was suddenly on edge.

"Molly? Where are you? Is everything alright?" Dolly questioned. She quickly looked towards the living room and noticed her father's absence and her mother starting to tidy up the living room. Right, Dad probably went to work. "Get down to Benny's now. Please, Dolly."