Facade-[1]-[Steve Harrington]

PacMan Cereal

Song of the Chapter: The Killing Moon by Echo and the Bunnymen (Weird band name, i know. But the song has an upbeat yet eerie sound that I thought fit the chapter well)

Warning: Unedited!!

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Lennon stood with her arms above her head. Her nimble fingers had been screwing in lightbulbs into Joyce's Christmas lights that she strung all over the house. She even found a string of lights on the counter in the bathroom. Her arms had been numb, being above her head for nearly twenty minutes but she wasn't going to stop. She would never stop.

In the determined silence that filled the Byers' household, her mind was set adrift. She wondered how Joyce and her father were that moment, she thought about the kids, curious as to how they would act after this all ended. She thought about Steve Harrington, how she felt about him. Her feelings where strong no doubt, the very thought, touch, and sight of him set her stomach into an acrobatic performance. When he had kissed her between the two school buildings she wished it could go on forever.

Unfortunately for the two, her memories came flooding back. At the recollection of being abused, broken and manipulated, she freaked out. Why did she have to freak out? she thought. Lennon wished she hadn't breathed in his words like they were law. That she left the relationship sooner. She wished she could be okay with what happened, she really did, but she couldn't get herself to move past it yet. She needed time.

Then, Lennon found herself thinking about the fight in the alleyway earlier. Steve had thought she was into Jonathan and the older man from the diner. She wished she could go back in time and bitch-slap Tommy as he looked on from behind the menu. Hope that her and Steve could talk and fix the whole misunderstanding spread throughout her. Steve was a good person and she had faith that he would come around.

Lennon huffed as she dropped her arms by her sides, shaking and flexing her hands to regain feeling. She had gotten through nearly a whole string of the Christmas lights. Beside her, Nancy dropped bullets into her revolver, staring at the weapon with a tight jaw. Because of that, Lennon could tell Nancy was nervous but her focused eyes shone with determination in the dim living room. She offered a supportive smile to her friend as she looked up, smiling back.

Lennon moved to hammer nails into one of Jonathan's bats seeing as she had already loaded both of her guns, the handgun still in the back of her pants as the rifle rested on the scuffed up arm chair Lonnie used to sit in to watch football. Lennon held the bat up with one hand, spinning it to make sure she evenly distributed the nails. Her lips pursed as she set it on the table, careful not to drop it hard enough to mark it up despite knowing it could very well be destroyed later. Her eyes lifted to Jonathan, examining his own bat before meeting her eyes. The two best friends nodded to each other.

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Lennon reached her hand into the bag of Pac-Man cereal she found in a kitchen cabinet of the Byers' house. With a fistful of cereal, she stuffed the crunchy sweetened corn cereal and marshmallow bits into her mouth. Her ears picked up on a metal clanking coming from the hallway and she headed that way, careful not to step in the gasoline Nancy poured on the carpet. She stopped at the opening of the hallway, leaning on the wall as she looked in.

Nancy and Jonathan sat against opposite walls, the bear trap set on the floor inbetween them. Lennon grabbed another handful from the box adorned with the cartoon image of Pac Man, biting down on the cereal. The crunch startled her friends in the hall, Nancy and Jonathan flinching as their heads snapped in her direction. Nancy's hand flew to cover her heart as both teens pressed their backs against the wall.

"Good job." Lennon smiled, pointing at the bear trap. Nancy's eyes widened at her comment, annoyed that she scared them.

"Thanks." Jonathan deadpanned.

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 "Remember-" Jonathan began, holding a trio of knives in his fist which he passed to the girls.

"Straight into Will's room." Nancy nodded.

"Don't step on the trap, that would put a lull on the plan." Lennon added, raising her brows as she spoke. Jonathan smiled at her, nodding. Nancy thought to the next part of their plan.

"Wait for the yo-yo to move." She looked past Lennon's frame to the toy Jonathan strung over an arm chair. Lennon nodded, her hair bouncing on her shoulders as she turned to Jonathan. "Then..." Jonathan flicked open the lighter Lennon brought, a flame dancing above the silver lighter. The three friends nodded, preparing themselves for their plan. "Alright, you ready?" He asked Nancy who nodded.

"Ready." She affirmed. Her voice wavered but Lennon knew she was determined to get the job done. Jonathan's eyes moved to Lennon, his brows raising in question. The blond nodded, holding her hand out. She raised the knife above her palm, the blade facing her smooth skin.

"So much for all the lotion I used." She muttered. Jonathan looked up at Nancy and Lennon did the same.

"You don't have to do this." He warned Nancy. The girl looked up with watery eyes and a wobbly chin.

"Yes I do." Nancy nodded, looking to her knife in hand.

"No you don't, Len and I can lure it." Jonathan assured.

"Jonathan shut up."

"Three!" Lennon blurted to get them to stop bickering, dragging the blade across her hand at the same time as her friends. The metal burned her skin as it cut and she bit down on her tongue. "Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit!" She hissed as a trail of red flowed from the burning slit in her hand. Her lips twitched as she lifted the blade, leaving a cut on her palm that extended the entire length. She gasped, trying to calm down and ignoring the sweat breaking out on the back of her neck.

It worked. She wasn't sure how she knew, but she did. Danger was on it's way.

"At least my right hand is my dominant hand." Lennon smiled, pushing down the stinging pain and throbbing from her palm. She looked up at Jonathan and Nancy, both looking at her in amusement. Even in hard times, she couldn't let go of humor.

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A/N: I'm gonna stop this chapter here so the next is all of their battle against the Demogorgan. This way, its a short and sweet chapter before the main action. I hope you're okay with that and enjoyed it!