The Disappearances ➙ Steve Harrington [01]( complete )

ii. morning of the missing sibling

ii. morning of the missing sibling

Her slumber was no slumber at all. Jackie had been tossing and turning since she woke up around 2 am, the door slamming from her mother coming in from the night shift at the convenience store. Every time she closed her eyes she got an exact image of the creature stalking her from the woods, and she was afraid that if she thought anymore of it, it would find her.

"Jackie?" Her mother called from down the hall with her footsteps stalking closer, "Jacqueline!"

Sitting up on her elbows in bed with exhaustion written on her face, her mother, Joyce bursted through the door with panic written on her own face.

"Mom? What's wrong?" The teen was wide awake now seeing her mother so panicked, making her heart leap up into her throat when Joyce's chest rose up and down so fast that Jackie had a hard time keeping her own breathing steady.

Gulping down air, Joyce paused before asking, "Will... Where's Will?"

Sighing in relief Jackie reached up to rub her eyes with the ball of her palm, "Mom, what are you talking about? He's probably still sleeping-"

"No-" Joyce said plopping down onto her daughters bed, "-he's not in bed, or in the bathroom, or anywhere in the house. Jonathan didn't pick him up, you didn't ride home with him, and he didn't stay with the Wheelers last night."

Her eyebrows fell at the words falling from her mothers tightly lined lips, "Jonathan didn't pick him up? But I called him, and he said he would-"

"He picked up another shift, but why didn't you leave with him, Jacqueline?"

And there it was, the dreaded first name.

Her mouth opened and closed repeatedly trying to form a coherent sentence that didn't sound selfish or insensitive. She played the conversation out in her head, realizing that no matter which way she explained the dilemma, she would be the bad sister.

"Nancy and I studied late last night, mom." She shrugged swinging her legs over the hand-me-down, Queen bed so she was touching knees with her mother, "I was there until 11, and I just assumed Jonathan picked him up, I'm sorry."

Joyce let out a groan while bringing the palm of her hands up to her eyes, rubbing them harshly, "He might've left for school early, I'll have you and Jonathan drive by the middle school before you go to school, he has AV Club, right?"

She nodded as she stood up, "I have to get ready for school, mom." Joyce nodded, guilt filling her as she left her daughter's room, knowing it was in no way her daughter's fault. The girl sat back down onto the foot of her bed and brought her thumbs up to her mouth, chewing the torn piece of uplifted skin off the nail in worry, 'Did Will come home last night?'