LOVE HEARTS- max mayfield

Chapter 6- The Reunion

Ruby was starting to think she was in for more than she'd signed up for as she scoured over notes on Victor Creel as he new best friend awaited her impending death linked to the same guy. She wondered what would have happened had she just walked home and not gone back to Max's. She'd probably be out with her brother, hunting Eddie to avenge Chrissy. Jason had a way of manipulating people like that. He could make you believe anything if he wanted to.

"Okay, be honest. Uh... You guys understand any of this?" Steve shook his head as he read the newspaper clippings.

"Yeah it's, pretty straightforward," Dustin spoke as it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Oh, straightforward, really?" Steve scoffed.

"What's confusing to you? So far, everyone Vecna has cursed has died, except for this old Victor Creel dude Nancy found. He's the only known survivor. If anyone knows how to beat this curse, it's him," Dustin explained.

"That's assuming he was cursed, which we don't even know. How can Vecna have existed in the '50s? It doesn't make sense," Steve scratched his head.

"You are aware that none of this makes sense right. We are talking about monsters and curses and you're questioning whether this Vector is a couple decades old?" Ruby scoffed as she looked in disbelief at the papers.

"Fair enough," Steve sighed.

"Far as we know, Eleven didn't create the Upside Down. She opened a gate to it. The Upside Down has probably been around for thousands of years. Millions. I wouldn't be surprised if it predated the dinosaurs," Dustin spoke enthusiastically, gaining momentum in his words.

"Dinosaurs? What are we..." Steve shook his head in confusion. Ruby realised that the guy seemed to be a constant state of confusion, filled with the stress of being a parent to them all.

"Okay. But if a gate didn't exist in the '50s, how did Vecna get through? And why now?" Lucas began to ask the important questions.

"And why then? Just pops out in the '50s, kills one family, and he's like, "I'm good." And poof, he just disappears. Just... gone? Only to return 30 years later and start killing random teens? No, I don't buy it. Straightforward, my ass. Honestly, Henderson, a little humility now and then, it wouldn't hurt you," Steve ranted.

"Sorry," Dustin mattered sadly.

"Maybe he's been planning something. Something that he couldn't complete until everything was in place and that time is now?" Ruby suggested gingerly.

"That's actually not a terrible idea," Dustin raised his eyebrows in surprise. "I don't see what makes us so special though."

An awkward silence passed over the room, Dustin glanced over to Max who was busy at the desk. She'd been writing for hours now, and showed no signs of stopping. The deathly silence that echoed from her suggested she didn't want to be disturbed. Ruby hadn't had the chance to speak to her about the whole situation yet but vowed she would find the time. She wouldn't lose Max like she'd lost Chrissy. She wouldn't let it be her fault again.

"Any idea what she's writing?" Dustin asked. The trio shook their heads.
"Did she sleep? ".
"I mean, would you?" Ruby asked. "Knowing all that."

Clattering of footsteps on the stairs drowned out the awkward silence that had once again descended. Robin bounded down the stairs, Nancy taking careful but purposeful steps next to her.

"Okay, so ...we have a plan," Nancy grinned.

"Thanks to Nancy's newspaper minions, we are now rock-star psychology students at the University of Notre Dame," Robin explained.

"I'm now Ruth," Nancy added.