Chapter Five: Broken Mirror
Dangling the keys of her mother's station wagon in her left hand, Clara led Erica through the winding hallways of Hawkins High. She deliberately took the longest route to avoid anyone who was heading to the championship game.
Outside the Hellfire Club room, Clara hesitated, hand on the doorhandle.
"Come on," Erica said, rolling her eyes. "You survived death like a hundred times, some guy dressed as a wizard isn't any worse." Clara mimed throwing salt over her shoulder, much to Erica's amusement, before pushing the door open.
She saw the guys gathered and her eyes immediately zoomed in on Eddie. He was shocked to see her, eyes widening.
"You playing, Cunningham?"
"Not if I was on death's door," she told him. "I brought you a sub."
Stepping aside, she held back a smirk when the guys started saying no to Erica. They were afraid to be shown up by a girl, much less a middle school girl. Clara ignored them, watching Eddie who sat at the head of the table with his hands interlocked Infront of him.
"Absolutely not," he said, staring at Clara.
"You demanded a sub and I found one for you that wasn't me."
"This is Hellfire Club, Cunningham. Not Babysitting Club."
Looking down, Clara nodded at Erica who turned and glared at Eddie.
"I'm eleven, you long-haired freak."
"My, my, the child speaks," Eddie mocked. Marcus chuckled as Eddie pushed himself up from the table. "So, what's your name, child?" He walked closer to the girl.
"Erica Sinclair." Erica didn't stand down, Clara watching cautiously as they got near each other.
Eddie chuckled, "So, this is Sinclair's infamous sister." Erica turned her head to look at Clara, Dustin, and Mike.
"He's sharper than you said."
"I never said he wasn't sharp," Clara corrected. "I said he was stubborn."
Jeff and Gareth laughed, and Eddie sent them a glare.
"What's your class and level?" Eddie asked. His eyes flickered up to Clara's for a brief second and she quickly looked away.
"Level one dwarf?" Jeff, Gareth, and Marcus laughed at that one while Clara rolled her eyes.
"My name is Lady Applejack," Erica snapped, refusing to stand down. "And I'm a chaotic good half-elf rogue, level 14. I will sneak behind any monster you throw my way and stab them in the back with my poison-soaked kukri." She inched closer to him. "And I will smile as I watch them die a slow, agonizing death… So, are we gonna do this, or are we gonna keep chitchatting like this is your mommy's book club?"
Clara couldn't keep back the smile that appeared when Eddie grinned, holding out his hand to Erica.
"Welcome to Hellfire." Erica shook it, then pulled away as the group got situated around the table. Clara took that as her cue to leave and was almost to the doors when Eddie called out to her. "Aren't you going to stay Lady Cunningham?"
"Nope."
She heard jogging footsteps and turned just as Eddie got to her.
"Stay," he said. "Please."
"No thank you. I despise this game and I will not be a part of it."
"Why did you quit?" he continued to pressure.
"Because hell is real," she snapped. "And I won't play a game that makes fun of it."
Opening the door, she slammed it shut behind her. But paused, taking a deep breath as she clenched her fists together. She had to calm down. She would not have another break down like that afternoon. She walked off, head held high… well, just for a moment. She was too timid to stay proud for too long.
She drove back to her house, pulling into the garage. She tried to be quiet, but it didn't work like it had after school.
"Chrissy!"
"It's Clara, Mom," she said.
"Come here!"
Walking into the kitchen, she stopped, seeing her mother holding up a forest green gown.
"For prom," Mrs. Cunningham said. She held it out, measuring it against Clara. "You'll need to lose a few pounds," the woman chided. "You've gained, darling."
"No, I haven't," Clara said, shaking her head. "You've ordered it too small."
Mrs. Cunningham frowned, "I ordered the same as your Christmas dress."
"Which was?"
"A small." Clara shook her head.
"No, a medium."
"I think I would know, Clara Beth." She tossed the dress into Clara's arms, ignoring her daughter's protest. "Less sweets and more veggies." Clara bit back a remark and slipped out of the kitchen. She moved to her room, shutting the door behind her. She laid the dress on the bed before walking to her vanity.
Placing her hands firmly onto the wood surface, Clara stared at herself in the mirror. Green eyes stared back. In a flash, the image of her bedroom in the mirror changed to that of the Upside Down with a clock ticking in the background. She swallowed, trying to blink the image away. It refused to disappear.
Her heart sped up as she saw a hideous figure in the background.
"No!" she whimpered. She closed her eyes, but the ticking didn't stop. She picked up a trophy, slamming it against the mirror.
The sounds stopped and she opened her eyes to see the image in her mirror back to normal. Hands shaking, she rummaged through her drawer to find her Walkman. She put on her headphones and laid back in bed, the voice of Lesley Gore singing her to sleep.