"This is just great! I've always wanted to be trapped in a Russian elevator for my summer with my co-workers, my sister's ex's sister, and a couple of kids including the ice cream twerp! It's just what I wanted to do all summer!"
"Well, look on the...
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Chapter Twenty: The Potential Host
(The Sauna Test, Pt. 6)
***
From her position behind a car, Cami stared at Hawkins Community Pool.
Unlike yesterday, it was absolutely flooded with people, the citizens of Hawkins enjoying the pool and the relief it brought from the summer heat—maybe even more elated to be back swimming in it after the storm yesterday. Cami, however, didn't get the appeal of swimming in a community pool—she'd much prefer taking the chance to use Steve Harrington's pool to swim in it, along with her friends.
But swimming was far from her mind as she looked at Billy Hargrove, siting in the lifeguard chair. And as she looked at him, she could see why he seemed like he could be the host—he was under the shade, holding a cold drink, his legs covered. But, more importantly, he was wearing a long-sleeved shirt. Every inch of skin covered up as much as possible from the sun.
And yet, if the Mind Flayer did like it cold, and its hosts did too... why would it have Billy be here at the pool, with the sun constantly beaming down? Wouldn't that risk it being burned out of Billy before it could fulfil its plans of world domination?
Max was also not that convinced, but perhaps that was more of the denial of her stepbrother being possessed, which Cami absolutely understood—she'd feel the same if Valerie, her parents, or her friends were possessed until it was undeniable to her—as she said while looking through binoculars, "I don't know. He looks pretty normal to me"
"Normal? How many times have you seen him with a shirt on?" Lucas questioned incredulously as Cami stared at Max in disbelief. Alistair nodded and added on, "Yeah, he has an allergy to them or something. Especially long-sleeved shirts."
"I mean, it's a little weird," Max conceded as she lowered the binoculars.
"More than a little," Mike said, as everyone looked at him as he went on, "He was in a tub with ice. The Mind Flayer likes it cold. Plus everything else El saw..."
"But he's lounging at the pool. Which is, like, the least Mind Flayer thing to do," Max argued.
"Especially since he's more or less under the freaking sun. The Mind Flayer would have to be crazy to make the host do that," Cami pointed out, Max nodding in agreement.
"Not necessarily," Will rebuked, as they now looked at Will as he explained, "The Mind Flayer likes to hide. He only used me when he needed me. It's like... you're dormant. And then, when he needs you... you're activated."
They all looked back at Billy, still in the lifeguard chair, as Max suggested, still trying to deny, "Okay, so we just wait until he gets activated."
