𝐦𝐢𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐫𝐛𝐚𝐥𝐥 | stranger things

nineteen

Wren scurried around her room, shoving everything she could think of into her bag to prepare for today: a notebook to write down clues about suspicious people, binoculars to observe said suspicious people, sunglasses, and a beanie to disguise herself in case a suspect suspected her.

And a book in case things got boring, as well as her walkman and headphones for when it got too loud.

"Wren?" Holly's gentle voice hit her ears. She turned around; the five year old was standing in the doorway of her room dressed in her swimsuit and floaties, ready for another day at the pool.

Wren's heart sank. She knew what her baby sister was going to ask her. "Yes, Holly?"

"Are you gonna come to the pool with me and Mommy today?" she asked, her big blue eyes pleading silently for a yes as she pouted her lip a little.

"Holly, I . . . I'm sorry, but I have something that I need to do with Steve, Dustin, and Robin today."

"But you promised." Holly sat down on Wren's bed. "You said that you'd go to the pool with me soon. It's soon. Soon is-is today. When did I stop being important?"

"Holly . . . " Wren sighed sadly. She sat down next to her and pulled her into her lap, gently brushing her blonde hair out of her face. "Baby, listen to me. I promise that as soon as I get this mystery solved, I'll spend so much time with you that you'll wish I'd leave you alone. You and I will spend a day at the pool, just the two of us. No Mom. No Nancy or Mike. Just us."

Holly lifted up her pinky. "Pinky promise?"

"Pinky promise, sweetie." Wren wrapped her pinky around Holly's and kissed her forehead. She slipped her backpack over her shoulders before picking her up and carrying her downstairs.

Mike snickered into his orange juice when they entered the dining room. "She's almost as tall as you are, Wren."

The younger twin glared at him. "I still haven't had my growth spurt yet, frog face."

"I don't think you're ever getting your growth spurt, bookworm."

"I'd slap you, but I'm holding a child, and I need to set a good example, flat earther." Wren walked to the door, where their mother was waiting to take her to the mall before heading to the pool with Holly.

"Bye, frogger!" Holly giggled, waving goodbye to her older brother. Wren smirked proudly and high-fived her.

****

Wren was hidden behind one of the fake plants inside the mall with Steve and Dustin. Using her binoculars, she poked her head up, scanning the large crowd for anyone that might be a Russian spy.

"You see anything?" Dustin asked.

"Middle aged men in striped shirts," Wren replied. "Lots of men in striped shirts, actually. Why is everyone dressed the same? What happened to individuality?"

"Wren, now is not the time to be judging everybody's fashion choices, we're supposed to be looking for evil Russians."

Wren lowered the binoculars, scoffing. "Well, I'm sorry, but I don't really know what I'm supposed to be looking for here."

"Evil Russians," Dustin repeated.

"Right, but how do I know what an evil Russian looks like?"

"Tall, blonde, not smiling. Just like you, except taller with lighter hair— Ow!" Dustin rubbed the back of his head when Wren smacked him with her binoculars.