Part 1 and 2 reworks are complete!
• This story is for entertainment purposes only. A lot of incredibly dumb decisions are made in this story and they are purely fictional, so make life choices wisely.
PART 2 WARNINGS AND TRIGGERS: 18+ ONLY (ABSOLUT...
"W-what the hell's going on? Where am I? Where's Eddie?" It felt like I was floating, trying to pry my eyes open as I drifted in and out of consciousness. I could hear a woman telling me to stay calm as she pushed on my shoulder, forcing me to lie back. The last thing I remember was a frantic Eddie carrying me into a building in a panic, bright lights all around. "W-where am I? Eddie... Eddie?! Max?!"
"Shhh, just stay calm. They're in the waiting room. Everything's gonna be fine."
Robin? Was that Robin? What waiting room? Was I in the hospital? What the hell is happening to me?! Why can't I see Eddie? My body felt like lead, and my mind scrambled, like in a nightmare. I was terrified, struggling to remember how I ended up here. I heard several people spouting instructions, as I desperately tried to form coherent thoughts, but I soon lost the fight to keep my eyes open.
I felt someone squeeze my hand. "Hang in there, girl. You're gonna be ok, and you'll all be able to go home soon. I promise." Home... home was in Hawkins, with Eddie and Max, and...
I suddenly felt still and drifted into a dream state, returning to when it all began.
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It's summer 1986. I finally graduated high school. But what should've been my yearly summer visit full of carefree celebration and downright shenanigans with my little cousin, Max, had turned into a life-changing upheaval.
Max and I are more like sisters than cousins. We trust each other implicitly, so two years ago, when she hit me with the story about Hawkins Lab, the Upside Down, and the slew of ridiculous shit that accompanied them, I was dumbfounded, but I believed her. I knew it wasn't an 'earthquake' that destroyed half of Hawkins and nearly killed Max, so when I received the news that she was in the hospital fighting for her life, I was scared shitless. And to make matters worse, my aunt Susan was among the many missing. My uncle Sam was still in California and not what you'd call a present parent, so I decided to move to Hawkins.
Max was unconscious for about two months after the attack. It was the longest two months of my life. When she came to, and we finally spoke, I told her my plans. She insisted I didn't come before I finished school, swearing she was alright. Begrudgingly, I agreed, but only because she was being cared for by Hop and Joyce. I had one more month of school, and Max was in good hands.
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The second my senior year ended, I said my tearful goodbyes, jumped into my '67 Impala, little U-haul trailer in tow, and sped off to Indiana like a bat outta Hell. My parents protested, of course. They weren't privy to the truth, but they certainly weren't thrilled about their baby girl taking on such a big responsibility in a bizarre little town hundreds of miles away, but I was 18 and legally allowed to make my own decisions. And nothing, not my already established life, not the looming threat of Vecna, nothing mattered anymore except for Max and her well-being.
Around 11 p.m., after hours of reckless driving, I pulled my car into the driveway of the house Joyce found for Max and me. It was a shitty cookie-cutter house, practically identical to the one smack dab next to it, but it was big, and because of the devastation to the town, it was cheap, so I used what savings I had to buy it outright. It just needs a little TLC, but if I'm anything, I'm handy.
