Her Perfect Mistake // Max Mayfield

39. The Nina Project

"Hey, Elle, this is Eddie, the banished." Eddie spoke over the walkie talkie, the boy pacing through the old house his friend left him in. The sunlight could be easily seen due to the dust flying around the air. Even though the older boy wasn't the type to be bothered by this, he would have loved a little cleaner surroundings, "You there?"

No one woke up, even though the walkie talkie was in the middle of the room and everyone could have heard it.

"Elle can you hear me?" the device continued transmitting the same voice, "Dustin, hello? Anyone there?"

Max and Nancy jumped up from the ground at the same time, both yawning and trying to locate where the noise was coming from. The brunette's eyes immediately dropped on the device as Eddie kept talking.

"Earth to Dustin." he said before Nancy swiftly grabbed it.

"Hey, it's Nancy." she said, Max looking at her puzzled.

"Wheeler! Hey!" the voice exclaimed happily, "Um, I'm gonna need a food delivery, like really soon, unless you want me going out into the world."

"No. No, no, no. Don't do that." Nancy shook her head, "Stay where you are, and we will be there as soon as we can. We risk enough by having Bella with us."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." Eddie continued as Max looked around the room, noticing the drawings left on the table. A confused expression crawled on her face as she picked up one, getting a closer look at them. It was some kind of house, or at least something close to it. The lines were wobbly and a big portion of the drawing was smudged, "Listen, um... can you pick me up a six-pack? I know it's stupid as shit, drinking right now, but, uh, a cold beer would really calm my jangled nerves."

Placing the drawing down to its original position, the Redhead noticed how someone wasn't there.

"Where is Bella?" Max panicked, looking at the sleeping Dustin on the couch. Nancy heard her question as she was quick to end the conversation with Eddie, "Hey, I am gonna have to call you back."

"Dustin!" Max shook the boy, Nancy standing right above her. He squinted his eyes with a grunt, followed by a yawn, "Wake up!"

"Whaaat?" the boy growled, his vision adjusting to the lighting in the room.

"Aren't you supposed to be on Bella watch?!" the ginger girl's voice was shaking as Nancy's eyes widened at the headphones that were lying on the table.

"Her headphones are here!" Nancy pointed out, making Max's whole body fill with fear. She was going to kill Dustin, had something happened to her girlfriend.

"Yep. Yep, yep, yep." Dustin confirmed, rubbing his eyes, "I am on her watch."

"Then where the fuck is my girlfriend, Dustin?!" Max whisper-yelled through gritted teeth.

"She's right here." he pointed at the empty chair. "A second ago... I swear I just dozed off for..." The curly-haired boy looked at his wrist watch, his smile dropping as he realized exactly how much he had slept for, "... an hour."

"Dustin, you idiot!" Max exclaimed as Nancy looked around, double checking if Bella had somehow reappeared in the basement. She didn't.

"Max, I will go check outside." the brunette was quick to say and the Redhead immediately nodded, "Dustin, you go check upstairs. Max, try to find anything that could point out at where she went. Got it?"

"Yes, yes, yes." the curly-haired boy responded, Max following with the same agreement right after.

Nancy and Dustin ran out of the basement, leaving the Redhead frantically checking every single drawing, hopeful that the key to where her girlfriend is was hidden there. Max was panicking hard, unable to find anything that could help.