𝗨𝗚𝗟𝗬 // 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝘃𝗲 𝗛𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘁𝗼𝗻

040

I used to imagine my death all the time.
But I sincerely doubt Max ever did.

I'd be in a pretty yellow sundress, it would flow in the wind as I walked along my bedroom. My mother would find me and feel nothing, just like she did the day my dad died.
I used to imagine my death all the time.

I never did now.

After an abrupt appearance from Lucas, we sit in the Wheeler house, dissecting whatever information we can find to understand just how to escape Max's imminent demise. The ginger headed girl sits in the corner, away from the rest of us, I've never seen such silence.

I could tell Steve was panicking, but I wasn't sure who for.

"Steve calm down and try to think about this logically," I sigh while scrolling my fingertips through old newspapers, uncomfortably perched on an old couch next to Dustin and Lucas.
"But I just can't wrap my head around it!"

He flips through the pages angrily, "be honest guys are any of you getting this?"
I nod sympathetically, trying not to heighten his anxiety and irritation in this moment, Dustin however doesn't read the room as well, "yeah, pretty straight forward."

Steve seems to straighten as his frustration grows, "bullshit," he's cursing under his breath as Dustin tries to explain, "this is all bullshit!" The interruption springs loudly through the room, leading an eery silence to replace his words, the only sound left echoing through the house was the scribble of pen on paper.

"Steve..." I lean over slightly, trying to reach for his hand, trying to console him in any way, ignore the fear in my veins as I remember the symptoms. I try to focus on Steve's fear, his thoughts and feelings in this moment, but it's like he's in his own trance, head turned as he watches Max write in the corner.

Dustin follows his eye line, "any idea what she's writing?"
I finally allow myself to look over, avoiding the area like the plague.

Max scribbles, never uttering a word but a thousand sentences shouting from her mind.

"I don't know.." Steve grumbles as he slams down to sit in an old creaky chair below him, "but at this point," his eyes lock with mine, a tension I've never seen from him before wavering through the air, "Ruby might as well start writing too."

Anxiety spikes into my gut, I'm convincing myself I'm fine, I had to be fine, I wasn't even close to the victims on Vecna's list, I hadn't even had a two proper sessions with Miss Kelly. But.. knowing my own boyfriend thought I was in danger, it made me feel sick.

"Steve-" I start, trying to bluntly reason with him through the awkward silence as Lucas and Dustin stare, but I'm interrupted by a loud bang from upstairs.

Storming down the stairs come Nancy and Robin, the latter still unchanged in her uncomfortable disposition around the wheeler girl, but appearing a lot happier than before, hopeful even. We needed that hope right now.

"We have a plan."
The girls begin to explain that they've created fake documents as students from Notre Dam, with impressive GPA's to back them as they landed a meeting with the director of Pennhurst Assylum. With their charm, something Robin snorted at, the pair will hopefully be able to talk to Mr Creel.

"Wait a second.." Steve stares at the papers and plans in front of him, noticing he's not included in Robin and Nancy's plan, whereas I've been given a fake student file to join them.
Apparently Alexis Apatow is a name they think would suit me. I glance at Robin when I read this, who is stifling laughter.

Steve glances around, "where's mine?"

***

"Nancy!" The wheeler girl ran upstairs at the confrontation, deciding she couldn't be asked to lecture Steve on why he should babysit the freshmen.