⸻ ❛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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THE HUMIDITY OF THE COOL FOG SLAMMED AGAINST THE EXPOSED SKIN of their bodies, mingling and blending with the beads of sweat that rose from their pores.
Plunging the oar forcefully into the dense water and pushing it back with every ounce of strength in her muscles, Rory Hargrove exhaled sharply through her mouth, just like the other crew members of the boat, her carbon dioxide diffusing into the fog.
"Wait, whoa, stop." Nancy shifted in her seat, eyes fixed as the compass went completely haywire. The needles wouldn't stay still. Steve raised the flashlight, shining it on the compass held in Nancy's delicate hands.
Eddie and Rory, who were powering the boat with their strength, obeyed Nancy's orders, tense and full of suspense.
"Uh, Dustin, your compass has gone from wonky to wonky with a capital Aah!" The blonde spoke into the walkie-talkie, trying to calm Dustin's worries. Rory thought to herself that Nancy couldn't have explained it better, while she stayed tense and alert, oar raised in her hands.
Another movement in the boat drew her attention away from Nancy's hands to Steve's feet—he was taking off his sneakers.
"What the hell..."
"Steve, are you out of your mind?" Rory spat out in a hoarse voice. Even though she could feel adrenaline—her fuel—starting to course through her cells, she hadn't yet reached the state of complete immersion that would blind her reasoning or emotions.
"That's what I was mentioning before... checking if it's still there..." Steve had said those words earlier, while they were still at the edge of the forest, just to reassure her, because the bravery he carried on his shoulders was too much for him to play it safe. Probably, his own courage had already infected her long ago.
"Steve, you're not gonna dive in." Rory stated, calm, steady, firm. Almost like it was non-negotiable. But it was.
"I'm a Hawkins High swim co-captain and a certified lifeguard—" He murmured his credentials to prove he was capable, while slipping off his socks.
"And so what?"
"That means I'm gonna do it." He lifted his gaze to his girlfriend, intense and reassuring, just like when he brushed his fingers against her hand. "No complaints, all right?" He glanced at the others.
"Hey, I'm not complaining." Eddie's sincerity was touching. "I don't wanna go down there." He certainly wasn't interested in diving—literally—into another crazy adventure to give him more trauma.
"I'm just gonna make sure, then come back. From up here, we can't see anything. I mean, I remember two years ago, the red light was so strong, we could see it from the coast, pulsing. That's how I found the first portal here at Lover's Lake. But this time... it all seems calmer." He observed the water beneath him.
