ABDITORY [stranger things]

➝ snow ball

——————————————————

prologue
——————————————————

december 20, 1984

🆃he little ol' town of Hawkins received its rightful place on the map after all that happened that year. Eleven had successfully closed the gate and the lab was exposed. The lab made statements not containing the full truth. They couldn't just make a statement saying that there was a 13-year-old amongst them who could move stuff with her brain and tap into a world between worlds. That would be horrible. Of course, they didn't do that

Part of these half-truths was Barbara's death. The lab owned up to it, saying that she died due to a chemical leak that they were responsible for.

At the funeral, Victoria was happy. She didn't have to pretend like her sister was missing and alive and well somewhere. No, her parents got what they deserved. Closure.

Though she did have mixed feelings about it all.

One part of her was grateful. Grateful that Ben, Max and the others hadn't abandoned her. Grateful that they told her the dangerous secrets about her quiet town. Grateful for Ben for being there for her. Staying by her side. Being a shoulder she could cry on. Grateful, because she damn well knew that she didn't deserve anything like that and not from them.

But the other part of her was hurt. Hurt that she had been with them for a month and they didn't say anything. She helped them when she could, and defended them too. And they didn't say anything. Not even a little hint.

The grateful part of her brain, the good part, understood. They had been friends for only a month and on top of that they had no reason to trust her.

The hurt part, the part that took over, wouldn't let her see that. It didn't want her to understand.

Victoria crawled back into her little shell. The girl who would roam the hallways like a chicken without a head and ate her lunch in the bathroom alone.

The only person she somewhat stayed friends with was Max. Max didn't give up on the strawberry blonde. The redhead was the only one who was told what was going on in Victoria's mind. With all the best intentions, Max tried to explain to her the same thing the good part of her brain was telling her.
Of course, Victoria heard it but she didn't listen.

The five boys would watch as the friend they once had turned back into a stranger.

ₓ˚. ୭ ˚○◦˚.˚◦○˚ ୧ .˚ₓ