⠀⠀40. WATER'S SECRETS

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CHAPTER FORTY

❛ WATER'S SECRETS ❜

╸this has to be the best summer ever.

           STILL BREATHING HEAVILY, HER CHEST RISING AND FALLING with intensity, and sweat dripping down her forehead, Rory sat on the bed, trying to gather the energy to make sense of the hazy dream lingering in her mind

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           STILL BREATHING HEAVILY, HER CHEST RISING AND FALLING with intensity, and sweat dripping down her forehead, Rory sat on the bed, trying to gather the energy to make sense of the hazy dream lingering in her mind. It was the seventh memory — or vision — her brain had forced upon her, ever since she had set foot in Hawkins.

Her presence in this town —the place where her life began-had torn open the floodgates of memories long buried, erased and frozen by her own powers when she was just a kid — now rushing back into her mind.

And they were always about the lab. Memories so vivid that she could feel the sterile cold clinging to her skin, hear the relentless hum of the fluorescent lights echoing in her ears.

Sometimes, she was absorbing memories from others, transferring them like a conduit. Other times, she was erasing or distorting the particles that made up someone else's past.

When she failed, the frustration she had known as a child came surging back, clawing at her chest. But when she succeeded, it brought an eerie sense of satisfaction.

And yet, beneath that, there was always fear.

Fear of herself.

It felt like with every memory that surfaced, she uncovered something new about herself —about what she was truly capable of.

That vision would linger, leaving her dazed for the rest of the day, but she couldn't afford to let it weigh her down. She would record it in her journal, lock it away in ink, and then step outside to bask in the clear, beautiful sky.

After all, this was her favorite season -she had to savor every moment of it.



         DRIVING THROUGH THE STREETS OF HAWKINS did not evoke the same nostalgic feeling it once had. The acrid scent that once lingered in the air was different now, and the bare trees with dry leaves scattered on the ground had been replaced by branches full of lush green foliage. The damp, chilly weather had long since been warmed by the bright sun that now illuminated and enlivened the lives of the citizens of Hawkins.

The sun was no longer shy and hid behind clouds. Like Rory, it no longer hid behind rumors and fake smiles — she could finally be herself and truly feel a part of this town whose secrets had already been revealed.

She wanted a peaceful summer. She had promised herself that she would try to be a normal girl for once.

Even though she's reminded almost daily that her family —her mom, dad, Billy —aren't her biological family, and that her real parents are out there somewhere, unaware of her existence, she can't help but think about them. Almost every day.

𝐆𝐎𝐋𝐃𝐄𝐍 𝐁𝐎𝐘. ˢᵗᵉᵛᵉ ʰᵃʳʳⁱⁿᵍᵗᵒⁿWhere stories live. Discover now