THE TOWER ━ stranger things

25.

chapter twenty-five – what's the saying? ignorance is bliss?

March 21st, 1986

The spring bloom in Hawkins was beautiful. Everything about it just seemed to make the town a lot less haunting and more colorful – brighter. The sprouting flowers that hung near the front and back end of their house had the Vasquez women in a chipper mood; the bubbling excitement for spring break had a lot to do with the high spirits as well. Their house was shining underneath the morning sun.

"So," Sofia piped up as she leaned against the counter across from her daughter, loosely clutching her coffee cup, "Any plans for your break?" She questioned, wiggling her eyebrows at the teen who was trying to finish her bowl of Captain Crunch whilst simultaneously putting on her sneakers. Irene caught on fairly quickly to the undertones of the question and didn't know whether to give in to her mother's investigation. She had yet to tell her about what happened with Eddie but it had been a month and she was finally reaching some kind of normalcy again. She had Steve and Robin to thank for taking her mind off of not only the outer turmoils she was facing but the inner ones – the ones she kept secret – as well.

She shrugged, "Painting and I'll probably pick up an extra shift or two at Vince's. Nothing too special." The way her mother's gaze was set on her told her everything she needed to know; she was being analytical and it was only a matter of time before she started pestering about what was really going on.

"Hm, sounds like a good time." Irene braced herself for more but when no further comment came she heaved a sigh and finished lacing up her Adidas. She slung her backpack over her shoulder and just as she was about to leave the kitchen she turned to her mother.

"Can I ask you something?" She knew the question she was about to ask was going to be a shot in the dark but it was something that had been gnawing at her for the past seven months and with everything going on with her visions, and nightmares, she needed to know.

"Shoot." Her mother responded curtly, crossing her arms.

"Have you ever tried to change the outcome of a vision?"

Sofia chuckled, "Well, that's a loaded question on a Friday morning." But she quickly noticed that her daughter didn't share her humor and cleared her throat, "No, I haven't. Why do you ask mija?"

Irene shifted back and forth on her feet, toying with the hem of her shirt, "It's just...we've been talking about quantum mechanics and parallel universes in my physics class and I've always wondered–if the theories are true–how it relates to our gift. If there is more than one reality...thus meaning more than one future, who's to say our visions are even accurate...I mean, haven't there been times when family members got it wrong?" 

Sofia stared at her daughter for a moment – really dissecting her curious gaze that, if she looked hard enough, seemed almost hopeful. It was as if she were anticipating an answer that would fix the grinding gears inside her head and bring forth some clarity. It made her feel nauseous; she was going to burst her daughter's bubble and despised herself for it.

"Well I do know that one of our ancestors, I think it was one of my great aunts, believed in the possibility that we were looking at more than one outcome of the future but I think it was just too difficult of a concept to grasp for the family and on top of that many were being labeled as satanists by society so there was that too and it was just something that never got talked about again. There became this widespread fear that the future was set in stone and we were to blame. I mean...you can't run from fate, that's the way I see it – it's the way I was taught."