Vivian

5 • The Curse

(A/N: the dialogue isn't gonna be spot on to the show, I'm just rolling with it, it still follows the same story line so you'll be alright)

The group of kids closed the Family Video early and headed to Rick's house.

Vivian was silent about what she saw the whole way there.

"So what's so relevant about this Rick, why is Eddie there?" Robin asked from the passenger seat.

"I've heard of him before." Vivian spoke flatly looking out the window. The gang turned to her, surprised she was talking.

"Eddie's mentioned him before. He buys his weed from him. Reefer Rick is what he calls him." She spoke in the same flat tone.

It was silent the rest of the way there, but finally the car came to a halt at Reefer Rick's address.

"Is this is Vivian?" Steve asked from the driver seat. Vivian looked up and out of the windshield. She saw the same boathouse. "Yes. He's in there." She spoke.

They all entered the boathouse with flashlights. "Eddie" Dustin called out. "Are you in here Eddie?" Vivian asked into the dark boathouse.

Steve grabbed an oar from the wall and started poking the tarp covered boat.

"Steve what are you doing?" Dustin asked. "What he could be in here!" Steve said defensively. "Yeah well your gonna give him a broken nose jabbing the damn boat that hard." Vivian said from the back of the room.

"Hey what if we're wrong and he is some crazy psycho killer?" Robin said. "Well don't worry, Steve's gonna get him with his oar!" Dustin said sarcastically.

"Hey seeing how everyone in this room as almost died atleast once, I'm just taking precautions and being careful alright-" Steve was cut off by being suddenly pushed against the wall by Eddie, who then put a broken bottle against Steve's neck.

"Woah Eddie woah! It's just us! We want to help you!" Dustin yelled. Eddie didn't move, in face he pressed the bottle against Steve's neck even more.

Vivian's instincts kicked in. She held her hand up and used her 'powers' to yank the bottle from Eddie's hand and turn it towards Eddie.

Eddie turned his head towards Vivian, who had her arm fully extended and nose bleeding. She suddenly made the bottle go against Eddie's neck instead.

"Let. Him. Go." Vivian yelled sternly. "Now."

"Alright! Alright! What the hell was that!" Eddie yelled. He looked panicked before but even more now. He released Steve and walked backwards, stumbling to the ground behind him.

Vivian took a deep breath as she put her hand down. The bottle dropped to the floor from the air and shattered.

Dustin ran over to Eddie, Robin went to Steve. Vivian sat down right where she was standing so she could give herself a moment to regain her energy.

"Eddie, we need to know what happened to Chrissy. You have to tell us." Dustin told the startled boy.

"You won't believe me." Eddie said, almost in tears. Whatever he saw must have really scared the shit out of him.

"You just saw Four float a bottle in the air and put it against your neck, you think we won't believe you?" Max said.

"Who the hell is Four?" Eddie said still upset. "We have a lot to catch you up on." Dustin sighed. "You know how people say Hawkins is.. cursed? Well they're not entirely wrong.."

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Dustin explained everything to Eddie, everything from Eleven and Four escaping Hawkins Lab until the 'mall fire' last year which was really Russians and the Mind Flayer.

"So what, Hawkins is full of ghosts and shit?" Eddie asked after the entire conversation.

"Some things are worse than ghosts." Max said flatly. Eddie shook is head like he couldn't wrap it around everything.

He looked over and Vivian, who was now sitting against the wall next to him. The blood was still under her nose, she forgot to wipe it off.

"And you, I mean, you're from a lab and your real name is a number, and you have some sort of mind powers? And you're just fine and dandy after all of that?" He asked.

"No. I never said I was fine and dandy. It's not easy to use my 'powers' or whatever you call them. It takes so much energy. I used to be stronger, but the Mind Flayer mall incident really took a toll on me, and it completely depleted El's abilities." Vivian explained looking back at him.

"So, Eleven is like your sister?" He asked. "Not by blood, but we like to think we are. You would too if you were us." She answered.

"Okay great I'm really glad you're up to date on everything now Eddie, but we really need to know what happened to Chrissy." Dustin impatiently blurted out.

Eddie looked down at the floor in front of him and took a deep breath.

"Man, I walked away just for a second to find what I was selling her, and then I came back and.." Eddie started, his voice shaking.

"Her eyes were rolled back but they were still open and, she was just standing there. She wouldn't move, I tried waking her up I really did." His eyes started to water.

"Suddenly her body man, it just, slammed into the ceiling. Her bones... started to snap. And, and her eyes, it was like someone was pulling them from inside her skull until she just dropped." Eddie was now visibly upset.

"I, I didn't know what to do so.... I ran." He finished. The room was silent.

Vivian had also started to tear up. Hearing all the details of her friend's gruesome death wasn't exactly what she wanted to hear the first day of spring break.

Eddie suddenly turned to Vivian.

"Viv, I know she was your best friend, and I am so so sorry. If I knew what to do I would have helped her, I would have done something." Eddie said, a couple tears falling from his eyes.

"I know you would have Eddie, I don't blame you okay?" Vivian reassured him.

The girl then looked up at the rest of the people standing in the room.

"If we're gonna stop this thing again, I'm going to need to strengthen my abilities. Papa had tried seeing if I had other things I could do, but he never knew how to 'introduce' them. I don't know how I will but I'm gonna figure it out." She explained.

"Stay here with Eddie. I'm going to go home and get started, I don't know how long this will take." Vivian announced while getting up.

"Hey wait, you can't just walk back alone it's like two miles!" Steve yelled. "Steve, I can take care of myself." Vivian said, walking out of the boathouse.

Steve watched the girl walk away in disbelief while Dustin still talked to Eddie.

"Did you see like dust? It would be like swirling dust particles." Dustin asked frantically.

"No man, there was nothing you could see.. or touch. It was almost like she was under a... curse." Eddie said, trying to find the right words.

"Vecna's curse." Dustin followed. "Who the hell is Vecna?" Steve asked suddenly.

"An undead creature, of great power." Dustin replied ominously.