Here's chapter 10, hope you enjoy! I do not own Stranger Things
I felt a little obligated to alleviate the fears for Robin in this chapter!
Robin was laying on the hot hard concrete of the parking lot. She groaned softly as she looked up at the sky, the deep blackness of Hawkin's sky that was littered with glittering stars no longer loomed above her. Instead it was a dark crimson haze hanging over her head, illuminating the world in its bloody hue. She could hear an odd struggling sound as she came to, she sat up, feeling an odd pressure on her right wrist. She looked down to find dark bruises blossoming on her skin. She rubbed it gently with her left hand as she scanned around, finding the source of the struggling sounds. She finds him standing there...he's in chains...no...vines. She looked at them a little more closely without thinking about it. Thick black vines winding their way up his body, the longer she looked the more horrified she was. She stared at the back of him, seeing the small sharp teeth coming out of the vines themselves, and sinking into his flesh. She gasped audibly as her eyes met a trickle of blood seeping from the wounds he was getting. She moved, she didn't realize she'd stood up but now she could walk around to his front. She flinched when she saw the vines had previously attacked his face, as it too was bloody. "Make it stop" His voice was so small...so different than the one she'd just heard, ordering her into the car. "What?"
"Make it stop" He lifts his blue eyes to hers and she finds tears sparkling there. "Please?" She looked around, maybe for a knife or something to free the vines from him but the world suddenly shook. She turned and finally saw it, as though she'd not wanted to see it sooner. Standing over them...the source of the vines. It was a gigantic beast, all she could see was teeth as the maw opened to a endless expanse where only death lied. She opened her mouth to scream out but the world swirled around her. The hot moist air disappeared from her skin and the red sky above turned black once more.
She stumbled back as his tight grip released her, she found herself on her ass, blearily peering in front of her where two...two very unexpected characters beating the ever loving hell out of Billy Hargrove. She could hear the sound of rings meeting flesh as Eddie Munson's fist met Billy's jaw. Billy was being held down by a very disheveled looking Steve Harrington, the three of them grunting and swearing as they struggled against one another. She scrambled to her feet, feeling someone pulling her up. When she's back up her eyes meet Odette's and she allows the tears to fall, she's talking but she has no idea what she's saying or if they'll understand at all. She just lets it out. She's hardly aware of anything as Odette ushers her into the back of a van, she sits on the soft carpet of the back, pulling her knees up to her chest and away from the amp that's taking up half of the seat. "Breathe" Is the first word she hears clearly. She looks up at Odette who's sitting on the edge of the back, legs outside of the van as she holds a hand to Robin's cheek. "Breathe Robin" She whispers.
She takes in a deep breath, shuddering a little as she let it back out. She does this three more times, finally feeling the tears cascading down her face. "Robin...you're safe. Can you tell me what happened?"
Hours Earlier
Steve had his jaw clenched tightly, changing into an old pair of faded jeans and a dark blue polo. He snapped the drawer shut with a ferocity he wasn't sure was earned. He didn't even know why he was pissed if he was honest. Madame hadn't meant him any harm...she hadn't meant for him to fall asleep...she hadn't meant for him to succumb to a nightmare in the middle of a group of people, many of whom were strangers to him...but it still happened. He kicked a small pile of dirty clothes to the side, glaring at them as he did. He collapsed onto his bed in a huff, glowering at the ceiling of his room. Maybe it was the new dynamic he was getting used to...when shit hit the fan there were no adults around him...he always found himself being shoved into the adult role...the leadership role for the kids...even when Eddie had shown up last night he'd still been calling the shots...
He groaned and covered his face, as he did he heard the slight creak of his door as someone pushed it open. He doesn't move, he keeps his fingers over his now shut eyelids. "Odette I'll be down in a couple minutes baby. Don't worry about me." He calls out, his voice muffled by the skin of his palms.
"She's gonna worry anyway man" Eddie's voice rings out through the silence with just a hint of a smile to it "It's like part of her DNA" Steve drags his fingers down his face with a hardly audible sigh "I'll be down in a minute Munson."
"Aw, no more calling me baby?" Steve didn't have to look at the older teen to know he was smirking at him now. He felt his cheeks grow warm but he still doesn't sit up, staring at the ceiling resolutely. "You're actually the last person I expected to come after me. Including the witches I don't know downstairs."
Eddie steps into the room and flumps onto the bed beside Steve, staring at the ceiling like surely it had to be interesting if Steve wouldn't tear his eyes away. "Well my little sister is too shy to run after you just yet. Give her another month or two...she'll take no shit and give no quarter." He stretches his arms up "and don't think for a second she's not giving that Madame chick a dressing down. She pulled her into the kitchen like two seconds after you'd gone up the steps...what'd she do?"
He sighed, not expecting to be rid of the metalhead anytime soon anyway, so he answered. "She said calming charm...so I guess that. She like...when she touched my shoulder earlier...it felt like I'd gotten it all off of me...off my chest...and I guess it made me relax enough to fall asleep." He didn't want to mention the nightmare...he knew from Odette that he probably talked in his sleep at least a little...enough to know it was a nightmare.
"Nightmare then?"
"Yep." His tone could have frozen fire, he didn't want to talk to anyone about what had happened, especially a guy that seemed to always be one bad argument from trying to wreck his shit again. Eddie just nods, staring up at the ceiling with him. The silence could have been comforting if it had been anyone else...but the longer the silence stretched, the harder it got for Steve to accept. Surely Eddie was thinking of all that he'd said about Barb...about how he'd been such a dick that he'd only thought about getting his rocks off...and it got an innocent girl...an innocent witch apparently...killed. His heart pounded up in his ears as he glared at the ceiling, wondering if now was the time Eddie would tell him that he wasn't good enough for Odette. That he wasn't going to let her date such a fucking scumbag...he gritted his teeth and swallowed thickly as the thought hit him...he'd be right.
"Say it dude." Eddie's voice sliced through the silence easily
"Say what?" He didn't want to say it all out loud...it would make it real. It would bring it closer to home.
"I can hear the gears in your head turning...just say it."
Steve closed his eyes, wondering if lying would work...or if it would make the inevitable end worse for himself. "I don't...You...You and the kids...and her whole fucking coven...and her...all got to listen to the worst thing I've ever done...to the one night I'd give anything to take back and make right..." His voice cracked again and he cursed himself, hearing his father in the back of his head "Men don't cry Steven, buck the hell up you little fa-"
"Did you know about it?" Eddie asks suddenly, interrupting the inner monologue.
"Did I know about what?" Steve asks quietly, his tone almost defeated now. Eddie had to be winding him up, getting ready for the gut punch that had to be coming.
"The other world...the monsters." Eddie's voice sounded awed, like he couldn't quite believe a word of what had been happening. Steve envied that...he really did.
"Nope...Will had gone missing the night before...or maybe two nights before...but he'd already been taken...I didn't know anything about it...blissful ignorance." The white of his ceiling seemed dull in the light sunlight just barely coming through his window as it rose higher and higher into the sky.
"Did you ever have anyone else go missing just because you left them alone?" Eddie's question hit him like a truck, he turned to look at him, but was only met with his profile and the messy dark hair that had fanned out over his bedding. "No."
Eddie still stared at the ceiling, like he was reading one of his D&D books...anything but look Steve in the face as he spoke. "Then I don't think it's your fault...how could you have known? What could you have done any differently?...you weren't being a great dude...but you weren't actively trying to kill the chick..."
"Nancy thinks we killed her...that we could have done something different...and she'd be here today. It's my fault really...Nancy just went along with it..." He looks back up to the ceiling, it felt safer than looking at the guy next to him. Tension was rising in the air as he waited for the hammer to drop. "So is this the part where you tell me to back the hell away from her?"
"You'd fucking think so wouldn't you? Yesterday if someone told me what you did back then...I'd have locked Odette up until she forgot all about you...I'd have kicked your teeth in...but to hear you tell it...I don't think you're that dickbag anymore Harrington...don't get that wrong though. I still hate the fact that you're dating my sister...I loathe it. But...I think she could do worse than a guy who's actively trying to not be that guy anymore..." Eddie's face scrunches into a grimace as he tries not to think about Odette dating the playboy of Hawkins. "There are worse guys she could be with."
"Like who?" Steve snorts, of course Eddie hadn't completely changed his mind...but he'd changed it a little. He smiled slightly at that...although he didn't think trying to not be a dick was the best redeeming quality he could have had.
"Hargrove for one...he was a bitch before he got possessed...I'm hoping that makes him a bigger dick...is that weird?" Eddie finally turns and meets Steve's eye, a gleam of humor sparkling there and a small lopsided grin on his lips. "Or should I hope that being possessed makes him a better person?"
Steve snorts again, not able to keep in his derisive laugh "That fucking guy, I've got some stories about him." He chuckles to himself, thinking back to the night they'd fought demodogs...the fires...Steve's smile disappears.
It doesn't get past Eddie...but he decides to let it rest...one traumatic retelling was enough for one day. He turns back to the ceiling "I'll bet you do, the epic battles of King Steve the Brave and Usurper Billy, the Horny" Steve loses his shit at the medieval-esque titles Eddie had dubbed them with, tears forming in his eyes after a while. As he caught his breath he put his hands behind his head, still looking skyward. "Fuck...please call him that to his face."
"I'd like to keep my teeth thanks."
"Nah...he doesn't hit hard enough to knock out teeth." Steve sighs, as the silence fell between him and Eddie Munson once again...he found himself breathing a little easier. The silence now comforting instead of suffocating between the two of them. He listens quietly to the soft hum of voices in the floor below, not able to make out who was speaking or their words, allowing the murmur to soothe him further.
The sound of someone's feet creaking up the steps captures his attention, he doesn't move; idly hoping it's one of the boys looking for another bathroom but his hopes are dashed when Odette enters the room..."Hi?"
"Hey" Eddie sits up, smiling slightly at his little sister. "Crystal ball tell you where to find us?"
"Fuck you" She groans theatrically "No...Steve, we need you two downstairs...I'm sorry" She says softly. Steve sits up too, taking her in. She's still in her pajamas she'd shown up in the night before; her hair mussed all over her head, and her feet bare. She was leaning against the doorframe to his bedroom looking guilty.
"It's ok Odette" Steve gives her the oh so practiced winning smile that he managed to pull at every dinner party...at every teacher...and even for the kids downstairs once or twice.
She smiles weakly back at him and holds out her hand to him "Don't worry...no more questioning. Madame just wants to talk about gathering the others."
Eddie looks at her again and asks the burning question "What others?"
"The other witches in the area...with Will's help we figured out who one of them is...but we're still trying with the other two...and we need permission from Steve to do another spell in his home" She smiles weakly at her boyfriend again "I swear it won't be destructive, and I'll clean up the mess!"
"What mess?" He asks warily, getting up and finally taking her smaller hand in his. She squeezes it softly "Just salt...we need to make a circle of salt and a few crushed herbs to focus the mind...and to concentrate our strength." She lets out a shaky breathe "Any time this gets to be too much-"
"I've fought literal monsters with middle schoolers talking my ear off. I don't care about salt on my floor baby." He leans down and presses a reassuring kiss to her forehead earning a gagging sound from her brother behind him but he just keeps his eyes on hers "So quit trying to get me to break it off. You're stuck with me till you end it baby." He winks at her, smiling genuinely at the blush rising up her cheeks to her ears. "Let's go do your spell thing"
Odette sat in the center of two concentric circles on the floor, her back straight and her hands resting on her knees with her palms up to the ceiling. As she sat, trying desperately to clear her mind she could hear the soft murmur of Suki spreading dried lovage and thyme throughout the salt lines, muttering a soft chant in French...loosely translated...it was a protection spell. Mostly for her...she'd never done this before. She could hear Madame explaining the ritual to the boys in the kitchen...how the salt would be something that helped keep their power close...as they lent it to her. Odette could feel sweat beginning to dampen her skin...she was terrified. She knew she'd have to be the one to do it when Madame had suggested finding the others...she was their seer. She was the only one of them who could do it any time of day...it was one of her gifts.
She let out a puff of air, opening her eyes and looking at the patch of floor just in front of her left foot. There sat the three stones, representing the others in town. With Will's help she knew that one of them...one of the twin white ones was El...Madame suspected quietly that the pale pink one was someone they'd discussed although she didn't want to share just in case...but the third stone was a mystery. Odette looked up at Suki as she emptied the last of the dried herbs onto the salt, finishing her chanting. "We ready?"
"We just need to get Will ready honey..." Suki looked up at the other girls in the room, they'd all taken off their socks and shoes as well as any rings they'd had on. What felt like a second later, Suki ushered Will into the room and had him sit across from Odette in the center circle. "Ok Will...I'm going to need you more than anyone else ok?" She says in a soft, hopefully soothing tone. He nods, his owlish brown eyes filled with worry...but just a bit of determination sparkled there.
She held her right hand out to him, intertwining her fingers with the younger boy "You're my map...you've seen this town and the world beyond...ok?" He nods again, closing his eyes. She does two, picking up the first stone, a pure white one. The shuffling of the girls getting into the second circle and joining hands is just a buzz to her ears now. "Ouvre mes yeux et regards au-delà du voile" She whispered, feeling someone's skirt brush against her back as they repeated her chant. She could just barely hear Will attempting to repeat it too.
"Montrez-moi mes soeurs" the hum of the girls repeating her and the fumbling of Will's lips over the new language met her ears.
"Montrez-moi mes frères" As the coven repeats the last phrase Odette slips away, out of her body. She now finds herself wandering the streets of Hawkins...she was in the woods as far as she could tell. Her feet carried her, like she knew where she was headed. She came upon a small cabin, nestled quietly in the trees. She stepped through, finding herself in a small living room. In a room off in a corner she heard soft music of a radio playing...she followed the sound, almost tiptoeing her way to the opening, she found a young girl sitting there...the same age as the boy holding her hand. She smiled slightly as the girl pushed a dark curl behind her ear, continuing to read the book she was engrossed in. As she stepped into the room the girl looked up, looking right through Odette but not seeing her.
"Hop?" She calls out, looking more worried than Odette would have expected. "Can you hear me?" Odette says, her voice comes out softer than she'd intended, the girl flinches slightly "Who is it?" She gets up slowly from the bed, walking toward the door until she's nose to nose with Odette, still not seeing her. But as the girl peeks just outside the door, her nose brushes Odette's causing them both to jump back. The girl rushes to the bedside table and grabs the phone there, dialing frantically. "Hey, is Mike home?!" Her voice is hushed, she's touching her nose with a terrified expression. Odette felt guilty for frightening her but couldn't help. She knew lingering would only make things worse. She slips out of the house, slipping back into her own body. She opened her eyes and held the white stone out to Madame who stood outside the circle. "El, like Will said."
"She's in Jim Hopper's cabin...Mike can call her." Will's eyes are still closed, his hand still clutching Odette's tightly. She picks up the next solid white stone, regarding it hopefully before closing her eyes and repeating the phrases once again, the others chanting in response. Will still sounded slightly unsure as he repeated the French. Odette slipped away, finding herself in the mall. As she took in the crowds, they seemed off...all of the people seemed...muted. Their skin was more greyish than normal...the colors of their vibrant clothes were more muted...like a television with a bad cable connection. Odette stepped through the crowds, no one reacting much to her presence. She let her feet guide her once more, sliding past people as they shopped around her, not ever guessing she walked there. She found herself outside of Scoops Ahoy, feeling a presence tug at her. She stepped inside, looking around for someone...anyone...her eyes finally landed on the counter where Robin was standing...she stood there shining like a beacon in the midst of the muted people around her. She gasped, calling attention to herself...but Robin's head snapped up...seeing nothing. She seemed to dismiss it, turning back to the woman handing her money. Odette willed herself back into her own skin, holding out the second white stone. "It's Robin" Her whisper is so quiet the group almost misses it. She hears Steve curse quietly to himself and leave the room, she almost smiled, with all the madness he must have forgotten about his job at Scoops.
Once Madame had taken the second stone from her hand, she held it over the final stone. Mocking her with the sweet baby pink color...promising sweetness despite being tainted by the other side. She swallowed nervously, thanking Will silently when he squeezed her hand comfortingly. His eyes were still closed, but he allowed the ghost of a smile onto his lips, encouraging her to pick it up...to bite the bullet and find their final member of the coven.
Odette picks up the next stone, smooth and pale pink. She took a deep breath, knowing this one would be even less pleasant than the previous two. She closed her eyes
"Ouvre mes yeux et regards au-delà du voile" it was chorused throughout the room
"Montrez-moi mes soeurs" Will was now speaking it with more confidence with the rest of them
"Montrez-moi mes frères" Odette once again slipped away, landing with her feet on the concrete outside Hawkin's public swimming pool. She walked through the gate, eyes scanning the area. She walked through the hoards of children and mothers...walking right through them with no reaction...when she spotted him. Billy Hargrove sat in his life guards stand, practically shining among the drab crowds. Although...she could see something dark about him. Like his skin was glowing with a slight red tinge...like the fiery sky that she'd seen when their skin had met the previous afternoon. She gulped, frozen on the other side of the pool staring at Billy Hargrove...but not him...as he slipped his sunglasses down his nose she could see those ocean blue eyes weren't truly there...instead they were black as night. No whites to is eyes...only blackness. She sucked in a breath, which seemed to call out to Billy, feeling those black orbs focus on her. He grins, climbing down from his chair, striding closer.
"A little far from home aren't we mouse?" His voice is cold, like a sliver of ice sliding down her back. Odette shudders but doesn't move, she watches as Billy strides closer to her...but doesn't. She can still see him in the chair...but she can also see him approaching. Glowing more now as he got closer and closer. "Looking for Billy?"
"Where is he?" Her voice comes out as a squeak, as though she were a mouse.
Billy chuckles darkly, his voice so much deeper than she remembered from the pool "He's...indisposed. Where have you been hiding mouse? What hole have you crawled from?"
He's walking over the pool like it isn't there, a grin bleeding through the malice in his voice. She shudders again, not answering. She didn't breathe as he got within a stone's throw from her. "Little mouse...no...Odette?" It's hardly a question as he tilts his head to the side "He gave you a taste of it didn't he?...Don't worry my mouse, I'll have a special place...just for you."
She tries to will herself back into her body but she suddenly feels his grip around her wrist, it's tight, bruising as he whispers hotly into her ear. "Leaving so soon mouse?"
"Let me go" She whispers, feeling Will's fear mingling with her own. "Let me go please?" She felt pathetic, thrashing weakly against whatever this was...whoever this was.
"Call me Peter, my little mouse." His touch on her wrist begins to burn, tearing away the pool around them...she felt herself being dragged although she could no longer see where. She was being dragged into his eyes, she could only see the blackness there...how could she have thought that blackness meant it was nothing...it was everything. Every nightmare she'd ever had. Every fear she'd ever shaken from her shoulders. She screamed into the air as it over took her...until it wasn't. She opened her eyes, meeting Will's doe eyes...blood dripping heavily from his nose as he stared at her, mouth agape in horror.
"Billy" She whispered, feeling warm liquid dripping down her own face to land on her chest. The small stone in her hand is a darker shade now, a dusky rose color as it burned into her hand once again. Odette reluctantly lets go of the young teen's hand, allowing herself to be dragged to her feet by Eddie...not listening to the fussing from him and Steve as they tried to wipe away the blood still streaming freely from their noses...but it was only when Eddie had gotten her into the bathroom that she realized...Will had a nosebleed...but hers had been dribbling from her eyes as well as her nose.