⸻ ❛𝐖𝐑𝐀𝐏 𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐀𝐑𝐌𝐒 𝐀𝐑𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐃 𝐌𝐄 𝐖𝐇𝐈𝐋𝐄 𝐈 𝐃𝐑𝐎𝐖𝐍 𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐎 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐎𝐒!❜
Rory Hargrove is obsessed to uncover the truth behind Barbara Holland's disappearance, while facing her brother's enemy and buried secrets from...
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SHE DIDN'T RECALL EVER HAVING BEEN IN THE WHEELER'S BASEMENT BEFORE — probably because she never had. The carbon dioxide and lack of windows made the air so hot and dense, it was almost unbreathable. She descended the slightly steep wooden stairs, which creaked and vibrated with each of her steps.
Several lamps cast both white and yellow light over the tall and low wooden tables lined up against the wall, holding all sorts of diverse writing materials.
Lucas and Dustin were sitting on the blankets scattered across the couch, surrounded by forgotten magazines and empty Pop-Tart boxes on the coffee table. And behind them were cute graphite sketches — clearly Will's — taped to the wall.
Every kind of junk imaginable could be found down there.
And Steve was pacing back and forth, so focused on what he was saying that he didn't notice his girlfriend's presence.
"It doesn't make sense. So he suddenly remembers killing a family, and then, poof, he vanishes? And comes back 30 years later to kill random teenagers? If Vecna already existed in the '50s, how the hell did he go through? How long has the Upside Down even existed then? Straightforward my ass."
Steve, holding a copy of the newspaper the three girls had printed the day before, pointed at Dustin, trying to refute the curly-haired boy's arguments.
"Wouldn't surprise me if it was an ancient thing. Maybe even older than dinosaurs," Rory said, walking behind her boyfriend and leaning against one of the tables. She picked up a cute green plastic stegosaurus on display beside her. Of course Mike, being the nerd he was, liked dinosaurs, she thought.
Steve turned around quickly, surprised.
"Still in denial, Harrington? The evidence is already strong enough to reach that conclusion." Apparently, yesterday's explanation hadn't been enough for him. She continued and walked closer, placing the toy in his hand.
"I'm just asking the right questions, Ror." His voice softened drastically when addressing her, which made Dustin roll his eyes. "Questions that need answers if we want to move forward and understand what we're dealing with."
Steve sat down, and Rory looked to her right. A needle pierced her heart when she saw Max, her back wrapped in a light blue jacket. She was silent, sitting in the corner, leaning over the table, writing something.
Rory walked over and gently placed her hands on Max's shoulders, simulating a quick massage.
Max, surprised that someone had dared to approach and talk to her, lifted her face over her shoulder. No trace of happiness showed — even though she was dying of missing her stepsister — who now offered her a soft smile to comfort her. But she could see the sorrow in Max's eyes. It was a shared emotion, so she couldn't judge her. It was hard to have faith with all the evidence piling up.
