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CHAPTER FIFTEEN The Art of Faking Smiles
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FIVE MINUTES AFTER Rhiannon promised Steve she'd wait to risk her life in what was undoubtedly a suicide mission, a pair of headlights cut through the trees and the shrill sound of tires screeching materialized from the road outside the lab. The only sign that someone, anyone, had escaped the hoard of monsters unscathed. She watched a line of cars speed toward them, flinching at the aggressive horn honking.
"Watch out!" Steve shouted, forcing the kids to duck out of the way as a familiar Chevy Blazer barreled through the main gate. The car skidded to a halt near the security post and, through the passenger window, she saw her father.
He was alive. She had never been so relieved to see his face.
"Rhiannon?" Confusion bled into Hopper's features. He must've had about a million questions, but there was no time for explanations.
"Hey, dad." She sent him a nod. "Surprise."
"Get in. Let's go," Hopper commanded with a jerk of his head. After hearing the distant roars of the Demogorgons, they didn't need to be told twice.
It wasn't until he drove down the winding road that Rhiannon decided to speak up, ready to face whatever wrath awaited her. She sent him a tight-lipped grin in an attempt to do damage control.
"So. How's it going?"
"How's it going? That's all you have to say?" he grumbled, his face taut with irritation as his eyes flitted between her and the road. She tried to reply but he held up a stern hand. "You know what? You're grounded."
"What? Why?" She scoffed. "You can't ground me!"
"He doesn't know? About the demon powers? Or that you're, like, kind of a superhero?" Dustin rambled eagerly, poking his head between the seats.
