Smoke -- Jim Hopper

13. TURTLE SHELL

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Not edited

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Jim untangled himself from Natalie and cleared his throat, he was looking everywhere but at Natalie.

She chuckled, "cat got your tongue?" she poked him in the chest, "I hope you don't do that turtle thing now that you've let all that angst out."

Jim looked at her with a small smile, "What 'turtle thing'?" he asked.

Natalie shrugged, "You like to crawl back into your shell sometimes."

Jim put his hands on his hips, "I don't hide in my shell." he muttered.

Natalie laughed and was about to open the office door, but it was already being opened by Callahan.

"Chief, uh I got a very angry mother out here." he looked back and sharp yells could be heard from the front room.

Jim sighed and walked out into the front room, Natalie, and Joyce following.

Natalie looked over at Joyce, "are you alright?" she asked her.

Joyce nodded, "Yeah, we're good. I sent Johnathan out to the car with Nancy." she said and gave her a tight lipped smile.

Natalie patted Joyce arm, "we're really close, I can feel it."

Joyce nodded, "I can too."

"Alright, what the hell is going on?" Jim's voice boomed around the room, ceasing every conversation.

A very angry mother glared at Jim, "These men were harassing my son."

Powell and Callahan glanced at each other and shrugged "No, no, no thats not true.", "Not even close," they said simultaneously, which caused the angry mother to fume even more.

Jim pinched the bridge of his nose and glanced at the cops again and Callahan spoke up, "There was some kind of fight, Chief, a-"

"A psychotic child broke his arm!" The mother yelled hysterically while pointing to her son's cast.

"A little girl, Chief. A little one." Powell told him, with emphasis on the 'little'.

The mother gasped, "That tone! Do you hear that tone?"

Powell glared at the mother, "I'm just trying to state the facts."

Jim put up a hand, "Listen, I don't have time for this."

Callahan took a step towards Jim, "It was a little girl, can you just take her statement..." he leaned in close, "and get her out?" he whispered.

Jim sighed, "yes, okay what did this little girl look like?"

The boy glanced around nervously before speaking up, "she had no hair and she was bleeding from her nose. She was a freak!" he snarled.

Natalie froze and looked at Jim. "What did you just say?" Jim asked, his interest peaked.

"I said she was a freak!" the little boy yelled.

"No, before that, what did you say about her hair?" he asked and leaned forward.

"Her head was shaved, she doesn't even look like a girl."

Natalie glared at the boy, what a brat.

"And what?" his mother probed him, "Tell the man what you saw."

The boy quieted down and wiped his hand on his jeans, "she can do things..." he trailed off.