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CRACKING THE RUSSIAN was only the first part. The all-nighters and sleep deprivation came next. Jackie was on her way out the door when she ran into El and Max. She stopped in her tracks, watching the two of them approach the house with grim expressions. "Hey girls," she greeted, somewhat weary. "Everything okay?"
Max sent a very unconvincing smile at her older sister, while Eleven stared awkwardly at the ground. "Yeah, everything's fine."
"Max," Jackie said, lowly. "What's going on?"
Her sister shot a glance to Eleven. "Have you seen Billy?"
Jackie shifted on her feet at the question, crossing her arms as the front door swung shut behind her. First Cynthia, and now her sister was suddenly concerned?
"No, not in the last two days actually. He even blew off one of his shifts at work, heard it through the grapevine."
"What?" Eleven asked, puzzled.
"A friend told me," Jackie explained. "Do you think he's in trouble?"
The younger teens shared a look, before glancing toward Jackie again. "Something weird has been happening, and we think Billy is involved."
"Weird like... Russian codes?"
"What? Jackie, no. Just.." Max trailed off. "It's hard to explain."
"Do we need to tell Mom?" Jackie asked, but Max protested before the words could finish escaping her mouth.
"No! No. It's nothing like that. At least, I don't think. Eleven can use her powers to like...locate people. Do you want to stay and help us?"
"I can't," Jackie said, because as weird as the Billy thing was, the Russian thing was much more pressing to her. For all they knew, Billy could be having a damn orgy at the local motel, she doubted anything was actually wrong. "I have, um.. I have a shift."
"You're not in uniform," Max deadpanned.
"Not yet," she replied. Then, she sighed. "Let me know what happens, okay? I hate our step-brother, but it's not like I want him kidnapped and dead or anything."
"We'll let you know if we find anything," Max assured, though she didn't seem confident about it. "See you later."
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Back at the mall, Jackie crouched behind some fake decorative bushes with Steve and Dustin. The three of them were on the lookout for secret Russian spies, although she had to admit it sounded pretty insane. She doubted they were just going to do illegal stuff in the middle of a crowded mall, and in broad daylight. But she kept her mouth shut.
