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Ellory sat parked staring at the 'Welcome to Hawkin's' sign, the engine off on her worn-out dark blue Malibu. She tapped her fingers against the steering wheel, the anxiety of being back there crawling through her system like a thousand tiny bugs under her skin.
"We can do this," she inhaled deeply, the fabric of his old torn Led Zeppelin shirt rising and falling with her breathing. She looked at the highway in her rearview mirror trying to avoid the sad, hollow reflection in her dark brown eyes. "Come on Ellory, you chicken. It's just a town."
She rolled her hands over the steering wheel leaning her head against it just trying not to cry at the thought of her brother. Half-brother, she corrected her own thoughts. There had been a vice grip on her emotions ever since she left Hawkin's that day. Three years had gone by faster than she had expected and her mother had begged her to return for the summer.
She and Eddie had shared a dad, who before he had died shared his love of heavy metal music, bad action movies, and anything with an engine. He would be proud of Ellory for how long she had kept her car alive. She looked up at the black bandana that she had braided around the mirror and ran her finger against the old fabric, trying to ground herself to something.
Trying to work up the courage to go back to a place she had once called her home.
She heard the crunch of gravel and the rumble of an engine from behind her and looked over her shoulder to see a blue pickup flashing its red and blue lights.
"Shit," she groaned rolling down her window before making sure both her hands were on the steering wheel as the cop climbed from his truck. "Hi officer," she forced a sunny tone and turned to look at him. "I was just-"
Sullen, surprised amber eyes stared back at her. His hair was shorter, cropped around his neck but there was still the stubborn piece that fell against his forehead. "Ellory?" He said, his brows furrowed.
Her name sounded like a tragedy coming from his lips.
Ellory swallowed thickly, her throat suddenly dry staring back at an older version of the friend she'd left behind. His face twisted in something akin to heartbreak, almost like he was seeing the same ghost she saw every waking moment. Maybe he was, they both lost him even though it wasn't in the same capacity, although her brother was always her best friend, he was everything to her.
As she tried to will her brain to leave its shocked state for two seconds and at least say his name back or hi, anything, the sound of throat clearing snapped her back to the present. When she came to, his hurt-stricken face still stared back at her, a raised eyebrow and his hands on his hips just waiting for her to speak.
"I- H-," she blew out a breath and shook her head, "Steve. You're... sheriff?"
He scoffed, his tongue darting out across his bottom lip, "I haven't heard a word from you in 3 years and that's your question?"
