Krystal reluctantly agreed to leave the diner soon after, knowing how much trouble they would get in if Billy's father knew they had ditched school again. As the pair carefully crawled out of the broken window to get out, they felt like something had shifted in their relationship. Billy understood Krystal more and she realised that there was a lot more to him than she first thought.
"You called me Krys back there" Krystal announced, as they started to walk to Billy's car.
"I don't think so" Billy shook his head, taking his keys out of his pocket.
"Oh right, because you don't do nicknames, Romeo?" Krystal scoffed, as Billy laughed lightly.
"Whatever you say, sweetcheeks" Billy grinned at her, who shared his expression.
The smile slowly faded from Krystal's face as she noticed a car had slowed down behind them, almost travelling at the same speed that they were walking. Her eyes widened when she saw two men in black coats standing near Billy's car, staring straight at them. Krystal felt her heart drop when the car that had been following them suddenly turned to pull up in front of them.
"What the hell, man?!" Billy yelled angrily, kicking the car aggressively.
"Billy, we need to go" Krystal announced, grabbing his arm.
"What?" Billy frowned, seeing that two other men had seemingly appeared out of nowhere and were rushing up behind them.
Krystal took a step back when the car door opened to reveal another man, who must have been over six foot. They were surrounded.
"I think you two better come with us," The man told them, as Krystal gulped.
"Like hell we are" Billy spat out, pushing Krystal behind him, in a protective gesture.
Krystal was too distracted by the men approaching them from behind to think too much about this new protective side of Billy. Her mouth went dry from fear as she saw one of them had a gun underneath their long black coats. Her mind instantly flashed back to her father's dead body on the floor in his diner. She wasn't going to let anyone get hurt because of her.
"Billy, don't. Look, I'll come with you. Just leave him out of this" Krystal exclaimed, as Billy frowned at her.
"We have orders to bring you both in" One of the men behind them informed her.
"He doesn't know anything" Krystal insisted.
"That's not for us to decide. Now are you going to come with us…or are we going to have to use force?" The man from the car questioned, clearly becoming irritated with the situation.
Krystal reluctantly nodded and went to take a step forward, knowing that there was no way they were going to win the fight. Billy grabbed her hand, as she saw a flash of fear on his face.
"We can't just go with them! What if they…" Billy trailed off, not wanting to finish that sentence.
"I don't think we've got a choice" Krystal pointed out, squeezing his hand, as she pulled him along with her.
"Hey assholes! Let us out of here!" Billy yelled at the security camera; in the room, they were being held.
All that was inside the room were two chairs and a table, all the same grey colour as the painted walls of the room. It was disturbingly clinical. Krystal couldn't help but wonder if it was the room they were both going to die in.
"I know you pricks can hear me! Goddamn cowards!" Billy yelled, kicking the chair nearest to him, as it tumbled over.
"Billy, stop antagonising them" Krystal groaned, from where she was resting her head on her hands.
"Have you met me?" Billy retorted as Krystal nodded thoughtfully, thinking about how he was probably the most antagonising person she had ever met.
"Fair point" Krystal mumbled, with an amused smile.
"How are you so calm about this?" Billy frowned, beginning to pace the room.
"If they were going to kill us they would have already…I think" Krystal suggested.
"Well now I feel so much better" Billy scoffed sarcastically.
"What was that all about earlier?" Billy inquired, a moment later, as Krystal frowned in confusion.
"You asked them to let me go" Billy clarified.
"I don't want anyone else's death on my conscience" Krystal explained.
"Benny wasn't your fault" Billy shook his head, coming to sit on the table.
"If I hadn't told him about Eleven, he'd still be alive. And if I hadn't told you about what happened to my dad, you wouldn't be here either" Krystal pointed out, sadly.
"This still beats geometry" Billy shrugged, as the pair burst out laughing.
"I'm sorry I dragged you into this, Billy" Krystal told him, as his laughter died out.
"I wouldn't have left you anyway even if they had let me" Billy admitted, as Krystal looked at him with surprise on her features.
"Why not?" Krystal asked as Billy looked away from her.
Just as he opened his mouth to answer, the door was swung open, making Billy jump off the table, ready to put up a fight. Krystal's jaw dropped open as none other than Steve Harrington was pushed through the doorway, followed by Nancy and Jonathan.
"Steve?!" Krystal and Billy exclaimed at the same time.
"What…what are you doing here?" Steve replied as the door was slammed behind them.
"I could ask you the same question" Krystal pointed out, crossing her arms.
"Steve…we're going to have to tell her" Nancy sighed, as Krystal's eyes snapped to hers.
"Tell me what?" Krystal queried.
"It's complicated," Steve told her, looking down at his shoes.
"Bullshit! Someone better tell me in the next ten seconds what is going on or I swear to God-" Karmen shouted angrily, as Steve cut her off.
"We know! We know what happened to your dad. We've always known" Steve confessed; guilt was written all over his face.
"What?" Krystal mumbled.
"Eleven. The girl who came to your diner. She's…she was friends with my little brother. She helped get Will back. We all knew her" Nancy explained.
"She told us what happened to your dad. How he was killed, who did it and why" Jonathan added.
"I swear I wanted to tell you so bad, it was eating me up inside. But they…these people said if we ever did, they'd hurt you! They'd hurt everyone we knew" Steve went on, as he could see tears had begun to well in Krystal's eyes.
"You knew…you knew all this time" Krystal muttered, feeling like her world had just come crashing down around her.
"It's true what I said. I did this to protect you" Steve insisted, taking a step forward.
"Did you never think that maybe she didn't need your goddamn protection?" Billy retorted, coming to stand beside Krystal.
"I had to deal with it all on my own. I had no one to turn to. I…I thought I was going crazy half the time! How could you keep that from me?!" Krystal cried as she shoved him roughly in the chest.
"I'm so sorry" Steve sighed, his own eyes watering.
"We didn't want to drag you into this" Nancy exclaimed.
"Well it's a little too late for that, don't you think?" Krystal spat out.
A moment later, the metal door swung open once again, revealing an older man wearing a white lab coat. He looked between the teenagers and seemed to be able to feel the tension in the room.
"Did I interrupt something?" He inquired.
"You can't keep us here. So kill us, or let us go" Krystal announced, glaring at him.
"Teenagers…so dramatic. You up for a little walk?" The man questioned, as Krystal raised an eyebrow at him.
"Who are you?" Billy asked, crossing his arms.
"Doctor Owens. C'mon now, don't you want to know what's happening here?" He suggested as the group began to reluctantly follow him.
"Men of science have made abundant mistakes of every kind. George Sarton said that. You guys know who George Sarton is? Doesn't really matter. The point is, mistakes have been made" Doctor Owens went on, walking them through a busy corridor.
"Mistakes?" Nancy scoffed.
"Yes" Doctor Owens nodded.
"You killed my dad, you bastard" Krystal spat out, balling her hands into fists.
Billy placed his hand over her arm to stop her from doing anything she'd regret. Krystal took a deep breath, doing everything she could to stop herself from killing the man in front of her.
"Abundant mistakes, but, the men involved with those mistakes, the ones responsible for what happened to Jonathan's brother, Miss Holland's death, and yes…your father, they're gone. And for better for worse, I'm the schmuck they brought in to make things better. But I can't make things better without your help" Doctor Owens explained, as the group surveyed the area.
They walked past numerous labs with dozens of scientists inside, all performing experiments. Not mention guards which were surrounding the different doorways as they were led further through the building.
"And why the hell would we help you?" Krystal exclaimed, angrily.
"She's tough, this one. You guys been together long?" Doctor Owens inquired, turning to Krystal and Billy.
Everyone in the group came to a halt at this comment, as Krystal and Billy tried to splutter out a response, their cheeks reddening. Jonathan's jaw dropped open, as he seemed to be the only one completely surprised by this suggestion.
"She's my stepsister" Billy retorted, refusing to meet Krystal's gaze.
"Oh…oh! Right…well, I suppose I'm in no position to judge" Doctor Owens muttered.
"We're not…that's not…stop trying to change the subject!" Krystal stuttered as Doctor Owens began walking again.
"Do you want to see what really killed your father and her friend?" Doctor Owens inquired, pulling open a reinforced door, which seemed out of place in the building.
"Teddy, I brought you an audience today. I hope you don't mind" Doctor Owens announced, as the group followed him into the large room, with flashing consoles everywhere.
"The more the merrier, sir" A man, in a large silver suit agreed, as a helmet was placed over his head.
Krystal came to a halt when she saw what was on the other side of a large glass window. It was some sort of pulsing red opening, covered in what looked like vines. It was moving. Almost like it was alive. The room on the other side was covered in what appeared to be ash.
"I'd call it one hell of a mistake. Wouldn't you?" Doctor Owens stated, turning to the shocked teens.
"What is it?" Krystal asked.
"An opening. From our world to another. A much more dangerous world" Doctor Owens answered, making Krystal gulp.
"No…no way. This is crazy" Billy shook his head.
"This is where that girl came through? Eleven?" Krystal inquired.
"No. But she is connected to it. She could see into this other world. That's why she's so important" Doctor Owens went on, as the man in the suit walked into the other side of the room.
"See, the thing is, we can't seem to erase our mistake but we can stop it from spreading. It's like pulling weeds. But imagine for a moment if a foreign state…let's say, the Soviets. If they heard about our mistake do you think they would even consider that a mistake? What if they tried to replicate that? The more attention we bring to ourselves, the more people like the Hollands know the truth, the more likely that scenario becomes. You see why I have to stop the truth from spreading, too. Just, same as those weeds there. By whatever means necessary" Doctor Owens insisted, as the suited man began to burn the roots, which squealed in pain.
Krystal cringed in pain at the sound, her hand flying to her head. It was like it was one organism screaming. Billy looked at her with confusion, it was almost like Krystal could sense it's pain.
"It's alive" Krystal realised, looking at the scientist.
"Yes" Doctor Owens nodded.
"You're burning it alive," Krystal told him.
"They're weeds. Weeds don't feel pain" Doctor Owens shook his head.
"Well, Doctor…I've got a feeling you will be very soon," Krystal told him.
"Is that a threat?" Doctor Owens scoffed, looking to her.
"It's an observation. You're clearly dealing with something far out of your control. Aren't you worried?" Krystal exclaimed.
"About what?" Doctor Owens asked.
"That it's going to remember who burnt it" Krystal spat out, turning on her heel and storming out of the room.
"They're going to get away with everything" Krystal mumbled, once she and Billy were finally directed back to his car.
"We had to sign those documents, or they never would have let us out of that place" Billy pointed out.
"My dad wouldn't have signed it if I was the one buried" Krystal stated, as Billy started the car.
"Maybe not. But he wouldn't have wanted you to put yourself in danger…and you know it" Billy pointed out, as Krystal let out a loud sigh.
"God, I've been such an idiot. Everyone knew what happened to my dad. How could I have been so blind?" Krystal scoffed.
"Look, they're dicks. Forget about them" Billy insisted, his hands tightening on the wheel.
"Are you okay?" Krystal inquired, a moment later.
"Yeah…yeah, I'm fine" Billy nodded.
"You just found out that some other world exists where monster's come through and you're…fine?" Krystal exclaimed, raising an eyebrow at him.
"The world sucked before I found out about this and it still sucks. Not much difference really" Billy shrugged.
"I don't know about that…I've learnt some things" Krystal replied.
"Your dad's still dead" Billy mumbled, as Krystal nodded sadly.
"Well, I wasn't talking about that. I was talking about you" Krystal admitted, as Billy looked over to her, becoming distracted from his driving.
"Me?" Billy frowned.
"You're not the soulless asshole that I thought you were. Not one bit" Krystal told him, making Billy look away with a scowl.
"You really need to work on your compliments" Billy scoffed.
"I'm serious. I…I needed you today. And you were there for me, so…thanks" Krystal explained, as Billy kept his eyes on the road.
"Yeah" Billy nodded, his hands still tight on the wheel.
Krystal kept her gaze on him as she tried to figure out what was wrong. Billy seemed to be growing tenser the closer they were getting to home. She knew what it looked like for something to be eating away at someone.
"What are you doing?" Krystal inquired, noticing that Billy still hadn't got out of the car when they had been parked outside their house for a while.
"I…I'm not coming in," Billy told her.
"Why not?" Krystal asked, becoming concerned.
"I didn't mean to…" Billy trailed off with a groan, not sure what he could say to make things better.
"What did you do?" Krystal questioned, a sick feeling growing in her stomach when Billy wouldn't answer.
Krystal quickly turned on her heel and unlocked the front door to the house, finding that nobody was inside. Or so she thought. Krystal frowned when she could see a small amount of light coming from underneath Max's door, while the rest of the house was covered in darkness. She cautiously made her way over to her sister's bedroom and knocked on the door.
"Max? You in there?" Krystal called out, hearing a rustling from inside.
"Is it just you?" A soft response came, making Krystal's frown deepen.
"Yeah, it's just me. Let me in?" Krystal asked, as the handle turned and the door slowly opened.
Krystal's eyes widened as she realised Max must have had her chair propped up against the door, so no one could get in. Something was very wrong.
"Are you okay?" Krystal exclaimed, as Max went to sit on her bed, her bottom lip wobbling.
"Hey, if this is about our argument…I'm over it, okay? No big deal" Krystal told her, sitting beside her.
She still got no response from Max, which worried her even more. It wasn't like Max to be so quiet.
"C'mon, I'm supposed to be the mute one in this family" Krystal insisted, as Max let out a small chuckle.
Krystal nudged her, as she always did, her eyes widening when Max let out a small cry. Krystal's mouth dropped open when she saw the large bruise covering Max's upper arm and touched it carefully.
"What happened?" Krystal exclaimed as Max looked away from her.
"Max, who did this to you?" Krystal cried.
"It's…it's my fault. I was teasing him and…he lashed out. I fell on my skateboard. He didn't hit me, or anything-" Max was cut off, by Krystal.
"Billy did this?" Krystal realised, with a horrified expression.
"I think he felt bad afterwards" Max mumbled, sadly.
"Stay here" Krystal told her, as she pushed herself up from the bed.
"Krystal, don't!" Max begged, watching as her sister stormed out of the room.
Krystal was a little surprised when she found Billy still in his car, hands on the wheel like he was desperate to get away. She could tell he noticed her marching over to him, but he wouldn't look her way.
"Get out of the car" Krystal announced, coming to a halt by the driver's side.
"Get out of the fucking car, Billy!" Krystal cried, banging on the roof.
Billy quickly did as he was told, but still refused to meet her eyes, looking nowhere but his shoes. Coward, Krystal thought to herself.
"You hurt her" She stated, watching Billy cringe at the words.
"I didn't mean to" He repeated his earlier words.
"You hurt my little sister. Her whole goddamn arm is bruised, Billy!" Krystal yelled.
"I…I'm sorry" Billy stuttered, reluctantly lifting his gaze to hers.
"God, you are just as bad as they are. Lying to me all day. What, were you hoping she'd just keep it to herself?" Krystal cried.
"No…yes…I don't know, okay?! I just didn't want to ruin things" Billy told her.
"You've done that perfectly well all by yourself" Krystal scoffed.
"Let me apologise to her. I can make this right" Billy insisted.
"I don't want you anywhere near her. Or me" Krystal exclaimed.
"Krystal, please…" Billy trailed off, raising his hand out to touch her.
"Don't! Just don't" Krystal replied, taking a step back.
"You know, I was wrong. You're not a soulless asshole. You…are just like your dad" Krystal announced, watching as Billy flinched like she had hit him.
She turned around quickly and rushed back towards the house, her eyes welling with tears once again. She rubbed her eyes as she slammed the front door behind her, guilt starting to gnaw away at her. Had she taken things too far?
Author's Notes: I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Damn, just when things were going well for Krystal and Billy. Will she be able to forgive him and her friends? Please leave a review:)
LoveFiction2019: Aw, thank you!
Guest: Thank you so much:) They'll be lots more cute moments to come.