The closet

The strange woman

Chapter 2

It had been a year since Steve and Riley clicked as friends and now they could be seen playing in both eras of Hawkins. The two could be seen playing at the park, riding their bikes, learning to skateboard and really just being kids. Though like all kids, they were fairly prone to injuries. Especially with how adventurous Riley was. They would climb trees and Riley's house, Keith; Riley’s dad, made them ramps out of wood for them to use with their bikes. So they were no stranger to scrapes and bruises, especially Riley.

So it should have come as no surprise when Riley’s bike hit a patch of gravel and she lost control and hit the pavement hard, skinning her knee and both her palms. Now normally Riley would have shaken off the pain like her dad would tell her but the bright hue of crimson coming from her hands freaked her out. Tears welled up in her eyes as she did what any normal 10 year old would do and started crying from the pain she was feeling.

Steve had stopped his bike suddenly and ran over to his best friend. He could see red blood falling from the wound sluggishly. He started wracking his brain about what to do, he knew how to deal with small cuts at home but this was different. He had been so lost in thought about how to help his friend neither he nor Riley noticed the small group of 3 approaching.

"Oh dear. Are you okay, hun?" A soft voice pulled their attention to the newcomers. Before them stood 3 people, a lady with dark brown hair held back in a ponytail with bangs covering her forehead, her hair also held some grey hairs that Steve could tell she wore proudly, she wore blue jeans and an oversized dark red sweater with a medium sized black bag. The man behind her also had darker brown hair but his was long and left unrestrained, wearing dark wash jeans and oddly enough a faded yellow sweatshirt. In the man's arms was a small brown haired girl who watched them curiously with her arms wrapped around the man's neck. The little girl wore a bright pink dress with sparkles and an equally bright pink sweater on top.

Sniffling, Riley shook her head and held out her hands palm up. Tears fell as her hands throbbed something fierce. The woman took them, hummed softly and nodded with a comforting look on her face.

"Those look pretty painful, huh?" When Riley nodded, so did the older woman who now had a soft smile on her face. "My name's.... Erin. I can help you take care of these for now if you'd like?" At Riley’s hesitant nod the newly dubbed Erin pulled a small but fully stocked first aid kit from her bag.

At Steve's confused look, Erin chuckled and pointed a thumb at the two people standing behind her. "Those two are so clumsy and so are my kids. I can't go anywhere without it. That’s like asking for bad luck." She glanced behind her and let out a soft chuckle. The man behind her just shook his head offering his own soft laugh. The small girl looked affronted.

"Aunty you lied!" The little girl had piped up. "You're more clumsy than me or daddy combined. I know so cus Emily said so."  The man holding her laughed. His laugh is smooth and nice. It also eases some of the panic both kids felt.

"She's got you there.. Erin." He gave the woman an exasperated look, one which she returned. It looked like the two adults were having a silent conversation.

"Sammy, your daddy was way more clumsy than I ever was. It's what originally caught your papa's attention. " The woman looked up from where she was tending to Rileys cut palms and knee. Both could see the ugly scar that rested on Erin's upper chest, hardly hidden by the black and the flannel on top.

The woman noticed the stares. And with a soft smile addressed it.

"Looks pretty bad huh? I got it saving my husband and some of my friends. Got hurt really badly in an explosion, and that is when I decided to learn first aid and why my first aid kit is so well stocked for it being a purse kit." She eyed both kids seriously. Like she knew something they didn't know about their future. " take that to heart kiddos. You never know when that's going to help."

Riley was in awe of this woman who knew how to bandage her injuries, she had heard about first aid before but had never really given it much thought before now. Why would a 10 year old need to know how to clean wounds? But maybe she should learn.

Steve meanwhile was looking at the man holding the child in his arms. He was what Riley (and Steve) would call handsome. He also looked very familiar to him. Like he had seen his face before more than once…

Steve's eyes widened as he remembered where he had seen the man before. Tapping Riley rapidly on the shoulder, he waited for her to look at him before pointing at the man and muttering as quietly as he could so the adults wouldn't hear. Unfortunately he wasn't quiet enough and the had still heard anyway.

"Isn't that the man from the poster in your dad's office? The metal band one? Edison?" She looked up at the man behind Erin and took in his appearance. His fingers were littered with chunky rings. And the yellow sweater looked out of place on him. Add a little bit of makeup and she was almost sure that he was the man she had seen many times before.

She scrunched up her face and asked the only question on her mind.

"What's someone famous like you doing in Hawkins of all places?" Both adults looked at her blankly for a second before bursting out laughing. They shared a look and Riley heard the man say something about how some things never change. Which was weird as neither of them knew Riley or Steve.

The man chuckled before addressing the injured child with an air of mystery about him. Lile he knew something they didn't and he found it amusing. Riley found his voice soothing but that's probably because her dad would listen to Awakened Hate while they were in the car.

"What can I say kid, my roots in Hawkins run deeper than most of the world knows." He winked at them with a conspicuous look on his face. He ruffled both kids hair, making Steve's stand at odd angles and just leaving Rileys sightly ruffled. " My oldest son and his family live here, though, so I'm visiting him and his wife"