13

1: The Freak

Synthia's nightmares plagued in the night so in the morning she'd run it off before work and school. It would start with the trailer park then go Through the woods, past the school, and even by the dreaded lab and would end after she circled Hawkins. She did this each morning to act as a sort of reset. After her run that morning she opened up the family video store in the new starcourt mall. Why would they make a 17 year old one of the 3 managers? She had no idea. She waited till her 2 employees that day had arrived. One being her older brother, Steve, and the other being Robin, a girl the same age as her with a slightly weirder personality.

"Good morning, my favorite harrington." Robin said, walking in.

"I heard that!" Steve said, following Robin

"You were supposed to dingus." Robin yelled from the back.

"After you're done clocking in I need you to finish stocking the new movies and the already returned rentals before we open at 9." Synthia told her older brother

"What about Robin?"

"She's helping me with deposits and bank shit. And before you ask no you can't switch because you failed Algebra twice and I just don't trust you with counting money."

As Synthia walked to the back to tell Robin the plans she heard her older brother yell "love you too, sister of mine."

The day went on as normal, when she got home she decided another run would do her some good. She had to get her anger out from all the popular kids making fun of the local witch as the manager. And of course most people she was the cause of all the freaky shit in this town. even the slight unordinary things like a broken traffic light or a touch of rain had to be caused by her blood cult.

Once she got to the woods by the school she felt somebody follow her. She immediately turned and threw them to the ground, pinning her foot against their neck.

She recognized the boy as the school's drug dealer, Eddie Munson. And like the girl he had a reputation in this town for being the cause of bad shit and having a cult.

Still not fully convinced she asked the boy "what do you want?"

"Nothing. Jeez can't a guy walk in the woods in peace."

"Well it is a little suspicious you're following me."

"I wasn't, I swear." he said, terrified.

"You're a terrible liar." She said, not fully convinced.

"Ok maybe I was but I kinda wanted to see why Synthia Harrington was wandering in the woods. Now that I say that, it sounds really creepy."

"You're not a kidnapper are you? You're just following me like a lost puppy." She said, taking her foot off his throat

He got up and said "That's a new nickname."

"Listen this was..." she said searching for the right word "Interesting but I need to get going. Unlike you I don't really have the free time to chit chat and creepily follow people around." She continued then started to leave before Eddie said "You really don't remember me do you?"

"And where would I remember you from besides being Hawkins High's favorite drug dealer of course."

"7th grade, English class. You just moved here. I sat behind you. We had that project together."

"You always disrupted class just like how you disrupted my run."

"Well I thought I should thank the girl who saved me from middle school bullies."

"I should go."

"Of course it was nice catching up with you too harrington."

"You too, munson."