Soothsayer. Steve Harrington.

Prologue. In Memory of Isaac Cross.

Soothsayer, Volume One
Angel in my Bed.

Prologue. In Memory of Isaac Cross.
(The Death of the Sun)

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Isaac Cross is not ready to die yet; the wind is harsh along his back and the ground is unkind to his knees, but yet he was promised a life of love and adventure ⎯⎯⎯ a promise made with Kahaan at the other end, grinning harder than he had the previous September, an action proven near impossible. Isaac Cross has not yet travelled the world with little but his comics in hand and Kahaan at his side, he has not yet laughed with the boy who he loves so dearly after waving goodbye, for the last time, to the sign leading into Hawkins, and he has not yet taken his father on that walk they had planned hours earlier. Isaac Cross isn't meant to die tonight, he knows that, though he can do nothing but accept the inevitable, and so he ignores the future ⎯⎯⎯ ignores the gashes and scrapes on his knees and the dull thuds that sound from behind. He has always been good that. Kahaan often scoffs remarks about Isaac's optimism. (Isaac knows, however, for he has studied his reactions for far too long to not notice, that the grunts and sighs are Kahaan's attempts at hiding his admiration. And so, he simply grins and knocks his shoulder into Kahaan's. He never frowns around Kahaan again.) He will not spend his last minutes pondering what could have been, but rather what has been.

He closes his eyes and he is back there: Kahaan's ever-messy room, his choice of resting place. The blankets beneath his crossed legs are kinder than the ground is and the only breeze he feels along his back is when Kahaan, who sits across from him, disturbs the bed in a swift movement. His comic is in his hand ⎯⎯⎯ the one he had bought this same morning ⎯⎯⎯ and his voice projects loudly in the small room. The recently-watered plants, which Isaac swears favour him because Kahaan often forgets to feed them, lean in to listen from their scattered places on his drawers. Drumming his hands against his legs for effect, Isaac's voice is comically exclaiming the story and his grin widens whenever the boy across from him gasps. It's a fake gasp, Isaac had quickly learnt (Kahaan has never been good at feigning interest), but the effort is enough for him.