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tw: description of panic attack; nothing graphic
AMARA HARDLY GOT ANY SLEEP THAT NIGHT, because how could she when the Upside Down was back again? She had tossed and turned and done her best to shake the notion of a disfigured body from her subconscious but only succeeded in heightening it until she collapsed from exhaustion. She was so fatigued the next morning that it took her five minutes to shut off her alarm, and when splashing water on her face didn't help wake her up, she applied extra concealer and finally succumbed to the need for coffee.
Her house, as much as it still felt like home, was empty as always. Scott was at work, greeted by an influx of townspeople demanding if he knew the license plate of Chrissy's killer (which he didn't, not when most people didn't even know who had killed her). Eurydice had listened to Amara's advice and taken a day off from cleaning, blowing on her emerald-painted nails to dry them while the radio crackled in the background. Kevin was spending the break driving around Indiana with his friends, who had taken his breakup with Ximena as a warning not to bring up the fire. Amara hoped that he found time to enjoy himself and not feel the need to come back, even if word of Chrissy's murder extended beyond Hawkins.
"Morning, honey," Eurydice yawned as Amara brought two mugs of coffee over to the kitchen table. "Oh, you made some for yourself?"
"Yeah, I barely got any sleep last night," Amara mumbled. Her coffee had an inordinate amount of milk and sugar and still wasn't sweet enough, but it helped her become more alert. "A lot going on at the moment."
"Yeah, I'll say," Eurydice remarked, brushing her daughter's hair back so she could get a better look at her face. "Are you okay? You look really pale."
"I'm half-Jewish, Mom. Of course I'm gonna be pale at this time of the year."
Okay, so Amara was reluctant to tell her mother about the resurgence of the Upside Down. Eurydice was bound to have heard of what happened to Chrissy, just as the entire town had, and increasing fears of Satanism coupled with the fact that her body had been discovered at Eddie's trailer would surely lead to most people accusing him. Amara could handle that just as she'd weathered their ignorance before, but if Eurydice believed that an outcast like Eddie had killed Chrissy, an outcast not so different from herself...
"I didn't mean that," Eurydice clarified, though she couldn't stop herself from giggling at Amara's comment. "You look paler than usual, that's what I'm trying to say. Are you not spending enough time outside? Did something – "
"Do you think Eddie killed someone?" Amara cut to the chase. She tried to gauge Eurydice's reaction but all she found was confusion. "You've probably heard the news by now of a body being found at his trailer, it's all news outlets are talking about. Do you think he did that?"
