I hold up two VHS in my hands for the girls to choose what we would watch, Sixteen Candles or Footlose.
« - Which one ? » I asked them while they were sitting on the couch.
« - I don't know. » El responded, distracted.
« - Footlose, obviously. » Max responded before turning to El.
« - Hey, there's nothing to worry about anymore, okay ? » She tried to reassure her.
I let the VHS next to the TV, hearing the conversation. I sighed and went to sit with them. I took El's hand and she rested her head on my shoulder.
« - Doesn't make sense. » She let out.
« - What doesn't makes sense ? » Max asked.
« - Heather. The blood. The ice. »
« - Heather had a fever, so she took a cold bath, but she's better now. » Max shrugged and I shook my head.
I couldn't believe this story.
« - No. I'm on El's side. Something was wrong. » I said and Max frowned.
« - That has to be it. I don't know where the blood came from, but we saw her. We all saw her and she was totally fine. » She replied and i sighed.
El looked at me, not convinced and i stood up to go start the TV.
« - What about Billy ? » El asked and I froze.
« - What about him ? » Max asked.
I turned around and looked at them, feeling my heart aching.
« - He seemed... » El started but i cut her off.
« - Wrong. » I said and Max looked at me.
« - Wrong is kind of like his default, right Y/n ? But it's nice to know he's not a murderer, because that would've totally sucked. » She said and i felt she was in denial.
Or maybe i was just too dramatic. Maybe El had a wrong vision, or didn't interpret it in the right way, even if it seemed impossible. But i had to believe in billy, in the man i loved.
After that, we had a chit chat and watched the movie. I had made some popcorn, and it was El's first time eating it. I tried to call Steve at the scoops but he wasn't answering, so i thought he was having a date night.
We went to sleep a little late, and the girls fell asleep in my bed while i slept on a mattress on the floor.
***
Lucas's voice woke us up through my talkie.
« - I repeat, this is a code red. Y/n do you copy ? Are you with El and Max ? » Lucas said in the apparel.
« - Shut up, kid. I'm trying to sleep. » I said sleepily into it before shutting it up.
I tried to go back to sleep but the phone started ringing next to me. You've got to be kidding me, these children will be the death of me. Babysitting is Steve's job, not mine.
I picked it up and sighed.
« - We're sleeping Lucas. We're not interested in playing D&D. » I said in the phone.
« - This is Mike. Do not hang up. » Mike said in a serious tone.
I looked over at the girls who sat up in my bed, rubbing their eyes.
« - Something happened. Something bad. Our very lives can be a stake. » Mike said
« - What are you talking about ? » I asked
« - Just come over to my house, I'll explain everything. » He said and I sighed.
« - What ? But it's early. » I whined
« - Hurry. » He hung up.
I looked at the girls who looked confused and tired. I opened the curtains and saw the sun shining outside.
« - What did he say ? » El asked.
« - Borrow some of my clothes, we're heading to Mike's. Code Red. » I said the end imitating Mike and they laughed.
***
We were all sitting in Mike's basement, around the coffee table. We couldn't reach Dustin, and Steve didn't come home last night. I was worried, but i felt a note in case he just slept at a girl's house and found the house empty this morning.
Will was telling us about what happened.
« - I didn't think it was anything at first. I mean, i think i just didn't want to believe it. The first time i felt it was at Day of the Dead. » He explained.
We all started debating and Mike stood up.
« - The power went out that night too. » Mike said
« - And then I felt it again, at the field near the Nelson farm the next day. Then again yesterday, outside Castel Byers. » Will kept on going.
We all looked at each other. It couldn't be back, life was just starting to feel good again. I couldn't imagine being trapped in the same terror than last year.
« - What does it feel like ? » I asked Will
« - It's almost like ... You know when you drop on a roller coaster ? » He said
Everyone said yes except for El.
« - It's like ... everything in your body is just sinking all at once, but this is worse. Your body ... It goes cold and ... you can't breathe. I've felt it before, whenever he was close. » Will explained while i could see fear in his eyes.
« - Whenever who was close ? » Max asked
« - The Mind Flayer. »
I sighed and rubbed my face. I was already tired, but this really slapped me in the face.
« - I closed the gate. » El said, confused.
« - I know but ... What if it never left ? »
« - We locked him out here with us ... » I realized, and Will nodded.
Will stood up and started drawing on a piece of paper, on the d&d table. We were all around him, trying to figure out what he was trying to show us.
« - This is him. All of him. But, that day on the field, a part of him attached itself to me. »
He smeared the drawing then showed us his darkened hand.
« - My mom got it out of me. And El closed the gate. » He said.
He flipped the drawing upside down, making us slowly understand what he was trying to explain.
« - But that part that was in me, what if it never left our world ? In Hawkins ? » He said making a handprint on the paper.
« - I don't understand, the demodogs died when El closed the gate. If the brain dies, the body dies. » Max assumed.
« - We can't take any chances. We need to assume the worst. The Mind Flayer is back. » Mike exclaimed.
« - Yeah, and if he is, he'd want to attach himself to someone again. A new me. » Will said.
« - A new host. » Lucas then added.
I looked at the girls. Billy.
« - How can you tell someone is a host ? » El asked.
« - Billy is the new host. » I said feeling tears tickling my eyes.
YOU ARE READING
STAY AWAY.
FanfictionY/n Harrington, Steve's sister and King Billy's ex girlfriend. When things start to get weird again in Hawkins, the little squad suspects Billy to be the new host of the mindflayer. Y/n doesn't want to believe it, but what if the boy she is still i...
