'tis the damn season

Thirty-Three: Sweet Nothing

"On the way home, I wrote a poem, you say 'what a mind', this happens all the time" 

Steve, Robin and I were quiet in the car. Nancy had taken, Lucas, Dustin and Max back to her house so they could keep an eye on Max. We still didn't really know the pattern of Vecna's attacks, so we were going to have to have someone stay with Max at all times.

She didn't necessarily seem like she was afraid, but I thought maybe she just wasn't portraying herself in that way for our benefit; because I was already scared.

We literally had less than twenty four hours to figure out how to take Max out of Vecna's trance before he killed her. We hardly knew anything about him, so how was it that we were supposed to save her?

"You know guys, Nancy said she had a pretty decent plan to talk to Viktor Creel," Robin reassures. "If we can hear his side of the story about how he survived the attacks on his family, we might be able to figure out how to get Max out of it."

"Key word being 'might'," I sigh. "She doesn't deserve this."

"Max has got fight to her, she's a strong kid," Steve reminds me. "We'll figure it out."

"You know this is really shitty timing," Robin states, making me smile.

"I think this would be considered shitty at any time of the year," Steve chuckles.

I turn to see Robin in the back seat. "Well yeah," She agrees. "But this was supposed to be Lauren's vacation, and now we're back to saving the world all over again," saying this seems to remind her of something.

"Have you talked to Joyce at all about what's happening here?" She asks.

I shake my head. "No, I wasn't sure it was such a good idea since she'd just come running over here to help; they all would. But, that was when we didn't really know what was going on, so it's probably a good idea to talk to them now. "

"What about El?" Steve asks. "Do you think she would be some help?"

I shrug at him, thinking about it for a moment. "I don't think so, I mean, she hasn't had her powers since the mall thing last summer."

"She doesn't have them at all, like not even a tiny bit?" Robin asks, seeming surprised.

I shake my head. "No, she's tried, but it's like they never even existed. She's a totally normal, average human being now."

The problem with that was, El was like our weapon. She seemed to be the only thing that could really stop anything from the upside down, and now, when it seemed like we needed her the most, there was nothing she could do.

We drop Robin off, telling her we'll see her tomorrow morning, and start driving back to Steve's.

I was so anxious, I could barely sit still. My knee was bouncing in my seat over and over again, as I stared out the window watching the houses wiz by.

Why did all the crazy shit have to happen to us? Sometimes I wished I was still naive to everything. At least that way I wouldn't have had to deal with Vecna, or the mind flayer or anything else to do with the upside down. If I had grown up in any other town, I would've been fine.

But when I think that way I have to remember that, that would mean I'd still be living at my dad's house, whether my dad was there or not. I would have been alone. I wasn't sure which was worse.

We pull into Steve's driveway, neither of us saying anything as we walk up to the front door. He unlocks it, and just like always, Nova is wagging her tail, happy to see us as we step inside. I take my shoes off and put them in the closet quickly, before heading straight for the phone. I pick it up off the wall of the kitchen dialling my number, and start to listen to it ring, when Steve comes over, waiting next to me.