PARANORMAL | ❝Nothing is stranger than believing.❞
Cath knows a thing or two about Will Byers. Daphne, on the other hand, knows virtually nothing about Tonya McCarthy. Still, none of that changes the fact that both of them have up and vanished with...
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❝Nothing is stranger than believing...❞
— The 'Hawkins Rejects' Series, Book One
CATHknows a thing or two about Will Byers.
She knows he's one of the kindest and most polite boys in her year. She knows that their connection goes way beyond their annual "rivalry" — sparked by her competitive friends with a determination to beat the reigning champions — in the Regional Science Fair hosted at Hawkins Middle. From the things her father and occasionally Mrs. Byers, when bumping into her out and about, have told her she knows they were each other's first friend. She also knows that they've barely hung out since Kindergarten, and that neither of them seem to have the confidence and perhaps not even the desire to re-kindle anything. She wishes she did.
In fact, Cath wishes a lot of things. She wishes her sister would hang out with her like she used to. She wishes her family would talk about her mother more often. She wishes she could figure out a way to come out of her shell. She wishes she didn't feel so invisible all the time.
And now she wishes something else: that she was never roped into this mess. Because according to the Police Chief Hopper, she was possibly the last person to see Will before he vanished into thin air one November night. It was only a brief glimpse, a timid 'Hello', but now their last meeting weighs heavy on Cath's shoulders. What's more, his plucky best friends — Mike, Lucas and Dustin — are determined to find him themselves, and recruit her on their rescue mission before she can say no. However, what begins as kids just wanting to find their friend soon morphs into something greater, especially when an odd little girl with a shaven head walks into the mix...
DAPHNE knows virtually nothing about Tonya McCarthy.
What she does know, however, is that she should hate her... right? After all, she is the girl that her year-long (ex) boyfriend, Felix — the ambitious, Montreal-native ballet dancer, also one of her closest confidantes since Sixth Grade — seemingly left her for. She's pretty sure the girl's in her History class, but she might not have taken the time to notice until now. The reminder that Daphne's romantic ideals didn't live up to her expectations are now embodied in a prettier, soft-spoken brunette who makes her wonder why she ever thought her own fantasy with Felix would last. Note to self: Never fall in love with your best friend.
Another thing she doesn't know is Tonya's whereabouts. Apparently no one else does, either. The bright-eyed teen goes missing one evening, along with the Byers boy a day prior and another High Schooler, sparking unprecedented causes for concern in the sleepy town. Whether it's out of guilt for her unfairness towards Tonya or genuine curiosity, Daphne doesn't know, but she feels compelled to investigate.
