xxvii
Finding the friends of Edward Munson was something that Andrea did not ever think she would be doing. But, there was a first time for everything. She stood watching as Dustin went through the computer trying to figure out anyone who might know where the man was.
Robin and Steve had finished picking up the movies once Andrea had joined in, trying to grab the last few tapes that happened to be on the floor before adding them back to the pile. Giving a small nod to the two workers before going back over to her brother yet again to see what he had figured out.
What if they couldn't find Eddie? What if their questions would never be answered because Eddie would be found dead next? Andrea couldn't help but have doubts in her mind over the situation. Nothing had ever worked out perfectly for the gang.
Andrea looked at the variations of words that seemed to pop up on the computer screen. How Dustin knew to look this way to find anyone? Andrea really did not know. Though, she was glad that he seemed to know something.
"There will be no choking them, unless it's me," Andrea piped up after she brought herself back to reality, having zoned out into her own little world for a few minutes.
"Can you fill them in while I do this?" Dustin spoke exasperatedly as he looked between his sister and Max.
"Fill us in on what?" Robin questioned as she turned around, hot on her heels.
Andrea looked over at Max who shared a similar expression, one of annoyance as the sound of Dustin's aggressive clicking sounded behind them.
"So, uh..." Max was trying to figure out what to say.
"We think that it's happening again," Andrea took control of the conversation, "Hear me out... there has been a lot fucking happening and someone is now dead and that someone is Chrissy!"
"Chrissy?" Robin questioned as she looked at Andrea, "Chrissy Cunningham?"
Andrea went to fiddle with her bracelet before remembering she moved it's placement to the other wrist, "Yes. Max saw her, she's dead..."
"You switched your bracelet placement," Steve pointed out, seemingly ignoring the conversation.
"That's not the point, Steve," Robin deadpanned as she looked at her coworker, "Someone is dead and your worried about which side your girlfriend's bracelet is on?"
Steve turned to look at Robin, "Yes, I am because I know my girlfriend!"
Andrea let go of her wrist before she began to tug at her hair with a loud groan, Max taking over, "Hey! Can it, assholes."
"Sorry, sorry," Steve raised his hands in defense before he and Robin turned back to the two, "So Chrissy is dead? What does the freak have to do with this?"
"She was found dead in his trailer," Max explained while sighing, "Dustin and Andrea don't believe he did it."
Andrea shook her head as she spoke, "He didn't! I felt something happen and you saw the lights flicker!" Andrea yelled before going quiet.
"You felt something?" Robin questioned while she looked at Steve.
Steve's eyes widened in realization. Andrea's chest moved up and down quickly, she had felt it the night before. She felt odd, she knew more than she let on.
"Andrea?" Steve questioned with furrowed eyebrows before the bell dinged.
Andrea turned to look at the door as a customer entered. A young girl and her father, or so Andrea had assumed. She watched as they browsed the shelves while Steve began to talk to them.
Robin had placed herself at a computer alongside Dustin as she waited for further explanation from either Max or Andrea. Although, Andrea did not say much more leaving the explaining up to Max.
But she didn't speak for a while. She waited for the small family to leave so that she did not spook them away or alarm them to the point that the cops were called. That would be the last thing they needed.
Andrea watched as Steve bid his goodbyes to the family after he had finished helping them. Ending up checking out some kind of kind friendly movie that the little girl happened to pick out. She seemed really happy.
How innocent, Andrea frowned as she watched the glass doors shut behind the family. The girl had absolutely no idea what was happening within the world. She had no idea that the monsters everyone feared were oh so real.
"So does anyone want to explain?" Steve questioned as he ran a hand through his hair while looking over at Max before his eyes fell on Andrea.
"I will," Max spoke as she looked over at Andrea who looked like a deer in the headlights, "Last night, uh... after the game, I saw Chrissy with Eddie."
"A cheerleader with...?" Steve seemed confused by this, "Wouldn't think something happened there."
"Well, later that night the lights had started to flicker but the power at my place... it goes out all the time and it's pretty shitty. But Eddie... he seemed scared. Like... really scared. I mean he drives like a maniac all the time but either something really freaked him out or he's scared of being caught."
Max's explanation was a lot quicker than it had been at the Henderson house when she had first told the story. When she had arrived at the Hendersons, though, she had just seen the dead body of Chrissy Cunningham.
"And you're sure that Eddie did not kill Chrissy?" Steve asked as he ran a hand through his hair, he didn't want to think that this thing had been messing with Andrea or that she knew and said nothing, "I mean... it's possible."
Steve was not wrong, it was possible that Eddie had killed Chrissy. Though, as far as Andrea knew, Eddie Munson was not some sort of superhuman who could make the lights around him flicker like Max had described.
That was purely something from the Upside Down. Something that Andrea believed was more of a someone...
Andrea shook her head as she looked at Steve, "It wasn't him. Steve, I felt it. I know... I know he did not do it and I'm sorry I didn't tell you but I didn't... I didn't want to believe it."
"Wait, you felt it?!" Dustin whipped around in the chair, fear in his eyes, "What do you mean you felt it?"
Andrea looked down at the number on her wrist, "Dustin-"
"No, explain," Max agreed with the younger Henderson and it seemed that the others did as well.
Andrea let out a sigh, "I've been having these... dreams. It's of the same thing happening over and over again but it isn't just when I sleep..."
"You daydream it as well," Robin realized, "That's why you were so freaked out in the hall the other day... after the pep rally."
"And at lunch," Andrea sighed as she looked at them, "But it might just be me. I might be just on edge because things were going too well."
And then yet another customer came in, interrupting the conversation that everyone had been having. Explanations in the air of what had happened causing a bit of a fuss.
One that would be on hold until everyone could get these customers out once again.
"Hi, welcome to family video!" Steve gave a fake smile yet again as he looked at the young woman who had entered, "How may I help you?"
Andrea watched as Steve walked through the aisles with this woman. She knew he was trying to usher her out as quickly as he could so he could say whatever was on his mind.
She knew that Steve would not be happy that she had kept quiet for as long as she did. The two promised to be open with each other, but Andrea knew that Steve would understand why in the future she had kept this so secretive to her.
She wasn't going to let them know anything yet. Anything about what had happened in the past and who or what she believed was now at the cause of this because of these stupid visions that she had started to have.
These visions which brought back the little naive 007 who didn't know that sometimes people who claim they care, might actually not. They might use you and make you their own personal puppet without you even realizing it.
Andrea leaned against the counter of the family video. The red lights shining brightly over the group of friends who stood behind the counter. Dustin and Robin typing away furiously at the computers as they tried to figure out names and numbers.
No one wanted to take any chances with this. This could easily become deadly, more than it already had and that was the opposite of what anyone wanted. They had to man up once again. Take the reigns and stop whatever was happening from happening. All on their own.
They did not have the same party as they once had.
Andrea leaned against the counter as she looked at the tattoo on her forearm. The past was coming back to haunt her. She needed to man up and remember who she was. The little girl who lived as an experiment for so many years.
"Andrea?" Max caught her attention as she walked over, "Why didn't you tell anyone? Why didn't you tell Steve?" She whispered as the man they talked about walked over with the woman.
Andrea's eyes never left her tattoo, "Because I didn't want to go back to being who I have been all along. I didn't want to believe it was all coming back."
Andrea cut a side eye to Max, seeing the glimpse of concern in her eyes, "You don't mean..."
"Seven stayed hidden for far too long," Andrea whispered before she pushed past Max and watched the computer screens.
Dustin was the mastermind behind everything that was currently happening to no one's surprise. Dustin had been the only one in the group to truly know who Eddie Munson was. He was part of Hellfire, and in the words of Eddie Munson, he was the future of the Hellfire Club.
Everyone knew that they were in far over than their heads. What could they possibly do? Andrea had never fought this thing alone and Eleven was all the way in California, powerless. Andrea didn't know if she could do it this time. It wasn't that she didn't feel that she was powerful enough, it was quite the opposite, she felt too powerful.
She feared what would be the repercussions of her actions. She feared what would be the retaliation of the opposing force. She feared what if it backfired, what if instead of hurting this thing, she hurt someone she loved?
Andrea felt as Steve's arms wrapped around her while he watched the others work. A small silence falling over the group. They were being careful. If anyone tipped off the police then there would be a lot of questions in the air. Questions that Andrea did not need being asked.
What if they came and asked how she knew the things she did? What if they asked her for other documentations of her life prior to being adopted? She couldn't trust the police. Especially not after Hopper had died. Hopper had been the only one Andrea knew and the only one Andrea had trusted.
Steve's arms were resting on the girls hips as he leaned into her body. His chin resting on top of her shoulder while his head leaned against hers.
"I'm sorry," Andrea whispered as her hands dropped to sit on top of Steve's, "I just can't explain it all now."
She could hear the way Steve sighed, like a worried mother, "I figured as much. Is this why... why you talked the way you did today?"
Andrea's head turned slightly as she looked down at Steve, "I didn't talk the way I did this morning because I just knew this all was happening. I talked the way I did this morning because we are never guaranteed a tomorrow and if we are right, I will marry you on spot. I'm eighteen, legally I can make that decision."
And she was right. Legally, she could get married without a parents permission and she would. She would get married to Steve in a heartbeat if the suspicions of the group could be truly confirmed besides how Andrea felt, her dreams, and here say.
Andrea watched as Steve pulled away and helped customer after customer. Andrea even coming in and doing Robin's part so that she could continue to work on helping Dustin and Max as they tried to find Eddie Munson.
"Here is your movie, I hope you enjoy and have a safe trip home!" Andrea faked a smile as she handed the movie to the man.
"You too," He gave her a small nod before following Steve's customer out the glass doors.
"God dammit," Steve sighed as he ran a hand through his hair.
"Hey guys, I might have a lead," Max spoke as she placed the phone down, a small look of hope on her face.
"Finally," Andrea sighed as she walked back behind the counter momentarily as she grabbed a movie before she walked back over to where Steve stood with the rack, "Tell us."
Andrea watched as both Robin and Dustin whipped around to look at Max. They had been at this for hours and this was the first real lead that they had gotten and it wasn't a dead end, or so they hoped.
"Seriously?" Dustin questioned with a look of determination on his face.
"Yeah," Max slowly nodded her head as she looked around at the group, "Apparently, Eddie gets drugs from some guy named Reefer Rick."
"Well isn't that the name of a winner," Andrea joked as she looked back at her boyfriend, "That's a terrible name for a drug dealer. Even I could do better than that!"
"You are not selling drugs to make a fake name, you'll get yourself in some serious trouble," Dustin gave Andrea a pointed look while Steve scolded her.
Andrea shrugged her shoulders. What if she wanted to just come up with some sort of name and scam people. Claim she sold drugs and took off with the money with some sort of awesome name. She could pull it off, right?
"Can we get back on task, please?" Max retorted as she looked over at Andrea who was contemplating a good fake name, "The drugs that Eddie gets from that Reefer Rick guy, sometimes Eddie crashes there."
"And the guy's house?" Andrea questioned as she tilted her head, "He stays at this shady ass guy's house with a name like fucking Reefer Rick?"
"That sounds promising," Robin held her hands out as she looked over at Max, and she was right.
This did sound like a promising lead. A lead that Andrea and the others could hopefully finally get some answers from though if his name was Reefer Rick and he sold drugs, how promising could that lead truly be?
"Where does this Reefer Rick guy live?" Robin then proceeded to question as everyone looked at Max.
Max made a face before she continued, "See, that's the thing. No one knows," Max's lead sounded a little less promising.
"What do you mean no one knows? How do you not know where a guy with the name of Reefer Rick lives?" Andrea questioned as she made a face before looking at her boyfriend, "I call bullshit."
"Calm down, doll," Steve was trying not to sound as amused as he was.
"He's more of a.... a legend that some people actually know," Max then proceeded to add as she gave off this weird vibe.
"What about a last name?" Dustin then questioned as he looked at Max, trying to pry deeper to see if someone could actually give them something.
"I don't know that either," Max added as she let out a small sigh.
"Bet the cops know the last name," Steve spoke as he held Andrea in his arms while the two continued to move around a few movies.
Andrea nodded in agreement as she made a face, being pushed forward a bit due to Steve holding onto her from behind as he adjusted the racks, "Darling, these movies aren't going anywhere," She mumbled.
Though, Steve's words seemed to have sparked something in the minds of the three that stood behind the counter. The police knew basically everyone's name and they had them in their database, especially the drug dealers.
The computer still flashed with all of the names that they had managed to search. Andrea was pleasantly surprised with how they had held up. Andrea doubted that the computers had ever been used this much in such little time and to find people nonetheless.
"What?" Max questioned as she looked over at Steve.
"Cops," Steve spoke yet again as he slowly pulled himself back from Andrea, "I mean, listen, if this Reefer Rick is actually a drug dealer," Steve walked over and leaned forward against the counter, "I guarantee you he's been busted at some point."
"That would explain why he would have to be so secretive that he'd be considered a legend. He'd fear being busted yet again," Andrea added as she walked over to the counter, "It makes sense."
"Means he's in the system," Steve added while an older woman walked over.
"The cops?" Dustin asked as if it were the stupidest thing he had ever heard, "Really, Steve? That's your suggestion."
"I think they should be filled in on what we know, what's going on," Steve explained as he laid a hand down.
"Steve," Andrea sighed as she placed a hand on his arm, "They'll never understand and even if they did, who are they going to call? The government? Great then I'm at higher risk because then guess what? Someone could easily recognize who or what I am."
Steve went silent as he listened to Andrea's words before Dustin shot, "You think Eddie's guilty, don't you? You think Andrea's just making this all up to make him seem innocent?"
"Dustin," Andrea shook her head not wanting this to cause an argument.
"Whoa, whoa," Steve began to splutter out before saying, "I believe in innocent until proven guilty, all that constitutional shit. I just, you know, don't think that we can rule it out and I believe Andrea, but it could just all be her own mind siking her out..."
Andrea placed her head in her hands while resting against the counter, "Fucking dingus."
"That's precisely what we're trying to do here, Steve," Max spoke sharply as she looked at him, "And please note that even you know your girlfriend has been acting strange. Don't try to spin crap around."
"Mhm," Everyone else seemed to agree.
"And maybe we'd have a little bit more luck if you spent less time trying to distract yourself from your girlfriend and what's going on with her and more time trying to find Eddie," Dustin shot clearly getting riled up, "Maybe it'd fix both problems!"
Andrea smacked her forehead knowing that this was not ending anytime soon.
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