𝙎𝙃𝙀'𝙎 𝘼𝙉 𝘼𝙉𝙂𝙀𝙇, 𝙈𝙔 𝙊𝙉𝙇𝙔 𝘼𝙉𝙂𝙀𝙇.
Diana Blake was who everyone in Hawkins wanted to be or be with. Her family name held power in the town and she wore her popularity like a crown. Until she discovered that her crown was made with...
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MAX PACED THE floor of the Wheelers' basement, her brows furrowed in worry as she repeatedly glanced at the nearby clock. There was an ache in the pit of her stomach, like a black hole had formed and was sucking her insides out into oblivion. She had a bad feeling, and she learned the hard way to trust her gut.
"She should've been back by now," she said with a frown.
From his place on the sofa, Lucas sighed and ran a hand down his face. He hid his concern well, but Diana's prolonged absence took a toll on him as well. "It's been hours, Max."
"Something must have happened, she wouldn't just disappear. What if..." She turned to her friends and they watched her carefully. "What if Billy got to her?"
Mike hesitated. He respected the older girl more than he did that morning, but he still had his doubts. "What if he got to her before we even involved her in all of this?"
The insinuation wasn't lost on the redheaded girl and she narrowed her eyes. "What are you trying to say?"
"Think about it." Mike looked to the others for support before meeting Max's stare. "Diana is Billy's girlfriend. She spends time with you and you spend time with El. I don't think it's a coincidence that she disappeared after Billy's cover was blown. It's weird."
A scoff fell from Max's mouth. "So what? You think she was spying on us or something? Using me to get to El?"
He merely shrugged. "I'm just saying it's possible."
"No." Max shook her head despite the nagging feeling that his logic was sound. She refused to believe that she lost two people in her life to the same monster in a single day. "Diana wouldn't do that."
Will shifted in his seat as memories from last year resurfaced in his mind. The party as no stranger to people they cared about spying on them for Mind Flayer. He had been his first recruit. "But the Mind Flayer would," he reminded.
A silence filled the room as his words were processed by his friends. They all knew how serious the situation was and if Diana really was flayed, then they were in trouble. Not only did Diana know of their whereabouts, but she knew how they thought. She knew their weaknesses. She knew how much El's powers could handle. She knew too much.
The air grew heavy as the teens shared worried looks, only to be disrupted by El.
"I can find her."
The exhaustion was clear in her voice. Truthfully, all she wanted to do was go home, hug her dad, and watch TV until she fell asleep and woke up in her bed the next day. But she was the one with powers. The responsibility of destroying all the monsters that escaped the Upside Down fell on her shoulders.
