brontide ; stranger things

NINETEEN

Wifty (adj.)

eccentric

-Collie's Word of the Day #278

•••

  ON the main floor of the warehouse, Kali led Collie and Eleven to an adjoining area where the others sat, watching them with lazy and curious eyes. The lanky boy with the mohawk, Axel, gestured to them with a takeout box and growled,

  "We need more money, Kal. I can't keep eating this garbage." Collie eyed him warily as he turned away, shaking his head and grumbling.

  "This is Axel," said Kali with a smirk playing her lips. Eleven studied him and asked,

  "The spider hater?" The others laughed and giggled, throwing Axel playful looks as he rolled his eyes. Kali's eyes moved to the girl with wild hair and smeared makeup, who wiggled her fingers in a wave.

  "This is Dottie, our newest. Like you two, she just left home."

  "You mean the loony bin," said Axel.

  "Mick, our eyes, our protector." Kali moved on, gesturing to the girl with the afro. She barely glanced up, giving them the tiniest of nods. The hulking, towering man from before strode over and gave a soft smile, his eyes now gentle and calm. "This is Funshine, our warrior. Don't let his size frighten you. Fun's a teddy bear."

  Funshine reached out and shook Collie and Eleven's hands. "Nice to meet you, Miss Jane. Miss Collie." When he grasped Eleven's small hand, she curiously tilted his wrist to peer at the inside of it.

  "If you're looking for a number, you won't find one," said Kali as she sat back in a chair. Eleven glanced around at the others and spoke,

  "They're not like us."

  "No, not in that way," answered Kali. "But like us, they're outcasts." As Collie took a seat as well, she took in the wifty-looking group of misfits, wondering how such strange people could be thrown together. However, she caught sight of her reflection in the glass window nearby and stared at her scars, realizing she could fit right in.

  "Outcasts?" asked Eleven as she furrowed her brows.

  "Freaks," said Axel. Dottie scowled at him and replied,

  "Speak for yourself."

  "Society left them behind, hurt them, discarded them." Kali looked between Collie and Eleven, taking in their thoughtful expressions.

  "We were dead," said Funshine in agreement. "All of us. Kali saved us. Here." He pointed to his heart, then to his head. "And here." Kali rolled her eyes and retorted,

  "Don't get all mushy on us now, Fun."

  "Not mushy," he said. "Just true." Axel leaned forward and added,

  "In this life, girls, you roll over or you fight back. We're all fighters here." At the words, Collie's mind flashed to the times she'd been restrained, been handed roughly, been treated badly because of her abilities. She clenched her jaw, her hands turning to fists.