𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐅𝐨𝐮𝐫

Ⅳ 𝒄𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒆 𝒇𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒆

CONFUSION WAS AN UNDERTSATEMENT. Chris and Dustin stared at the thing in the trash, Chris's eyes blown wide open. "What do we do?" Chris questioned, her eyes flickering up to her brother.

Dustin stared at her confused, as if she were out of her mind, "We take it, study it." Chris pondered his words for a moment, her eyes wandering around until she caught sight of the mechanics on Dustin's costume.

"Wait, didn't your ghost trap works?" Chris questioned, nodding at the trap at Dustin's side. Dustin nodded, his proton gun still pointed at the creature in the trash. "Open it." Dustin hooked his gun back on his costume before reaching for the trap, popping the trap open.

Chris pulled the sleeves of her jumper over her hands and slowly maneuvered her palms under the small creature. "Ugh, it's slimy," Chris commented in a whisper. Chris lifted it slowly and slid it into Dustin's trap.

"Okay okay. Shit shit," Dustin mumbled closing the trap doors quickly with a harsh snap. Chris sighed looking at Dustin in disbelief.

"Now we have to sneak it past mom," Chris realized, stripping her jumper off to cover the slime residue on her cuffs. "Stay quiet please," Chris whispered to the trap. Chris grabbed Dustin's candy bag but he snatched it off her.

"It's mine," Dustin huffed, sticking his chin up at Chris. Chris rolled her eyes, pulling a face at him. Chris rushed forward, sliding the door open for Dustin. Dustin poked his head in, looking around for their mother.

"Just go," Chris mumbled pushing him forward. "You look really stupid." Dustin made a face at her, before walking through the living room and to the hallway. Dustin got a hand on the door handle.

"Dusty! Anna!" Their mum yelled stopping them both in their tracks. Dustin dropped his hand to his side whipping himself around to face her. "So how was it?" Claudia encouraged, watching her son who stumbled on his words.

"How was what?" Dustin asked, tripping on his words.

" How was what? The greatest night of the year, of course," their mom stated as if it was the most obvious thing. Considering how much Dustin raved about Halloween, it probably should've been.

"Oh, oh yeah, it was... It was, uh, tubular," Dustin nodded, stuttering through his sentence.

Claudia creased her eyebrows together, "What's wrong with you?" Claudia questioned.

"Nothing," Dustin shrugged, trying to shake the uncomfortable situation. Chris turned trying to slip away but her mother called for her as well.

"Uh, Chrisanna, I wanna hear about your night," Claudia insisted, stopping Chris from going too far.

"I um," Chris contemplated trying to think of something to say. "I saw Alex, she lent me her jacket." Chris's lips pulled into a tight smile, her eyes darting around.

"Did you drink?" Claudia jabbed, trying to get Chris to talk more.

"I had half beer with Alex, but Steve and Nancy were there so we were mainly just dancing," Chris nodded, trying to walk away again.

"What is wrong with you both?" Their mum stopped them again, looking at her children as they bounced in their heels. "You're both acting so weird, did something happen? Is there something you're not telling me?" Chris racked her brain for a lie, but the trap rattling sprung to life distracting Claudia.

Claudia yelled in surprise, Dustin let out a long breathy whoa and Chris squeaked in surprise. Claudia laughed nervously looking to their kids for an explanation. "Awesome, right? Yeah... I rigged the trap with, uh-" Dustin Stuttered through his sentence, holding the trap up higher. "-A motor to make it look like I caught a ghost."

"Just like the movie," Chris confirmed with a nod and an uncomfortable smile on her face. "And we got a recorder to make the weird sounds." Chris lied as the motor chirped again. Claudia laughed nervously, looking between her kids.

"Well aren't you two little tinkerers," Claudia nodded an uneasy smile on her face as well. Chris nodded in agreement with a tight smile and Dustin laughed along with his mum. Mews hissed at the trap, but Chris shooed him away.

"Funny. Look at that. Look at that," Dustin said slowly, opening the door with his foot, and quickly slipping inside.

"Well, I'm gonna raid Dust's candy," Chris smiled, nodding at her mom. "He promised me his Kit Kats." Chris gave her mom a final smile before stepping into Dustin's room and locking the door behind her.

"You just needed to be quiet for one minute," Dustin scolded the creature in the trap placing it on the cupboard. Dustin removed the cover to his turtle tank slowly, carefully removing the reptile. "Sorry, Yertle." Dustin apologized. "Temporary eviction, buddy." Dustin placed the turtle on the floor, letting it roam around the carpet.

Chris grabbed Dustin's ghostbuster trap hovering it over Yertle's empty tank, pressing the button and letting the creature fall into the glass container. It hit the bottom on its back causing it to have to kick itself upright making its chittering noise the whole time, leaving a slime trail on the dirt. "What are you, little guy?" Dustin questioned watching it wriggle under a rock. "What were you doing in my trash?"

Chris reached for Dustin's candy bag, digging her hand in and grasping a Three Musketeers. "Hey that's mine, you know?" Dustin huffed, slapping Chris's shoulder.

"I'm feeding it to your pet slug thank you," Chris shot tossing the wrapper at Dustin's face. "Plus no one likes Nougat." Dustin squeaked in offence, pulling a betrayed face at her. Chris broke the chocolate into small pieces, dropping them into the tank. Dustin snatched the chocolate back, taking a bite. "C'mon little guy," Chris encouraged. The slug peeked its head out but it hissed once the red heat lamp hit its skin.

"Too hot?" Dustin questioned, reaching for the heat light and switching it off. Once the red glow was gone the creature wobbled out. "Sorry about that little guy." The slug munched down on the chocolate, making Dustin smile. "You like Nougat too huh?" The little thing squeaked up at the Henderson's with a little nod.

"It's pretty cute," Chris commented, watching the small thing squeak. "So what are you gonna call it, it is your pet now."

Dustin looked at his chocolate bar, reading over the name. "D'Artagnan," Dustin smiled, looking at Chris who rolled her eyes softly with a small smile. "I'm gonna call you D'Artagnan."

෴

CHRIS SAT IN THE LIBRARY, TUCKED AWAY IN ONE OF THE STUDY ROOMS. Alex's jacket hung on the back of the chair. Chris was scribbling down formulas for chemistry, bits of paper littered around as she tried to make sense of it. Soft knocking on the wooden door made her slowly look up.

"Hey there," Steve smiled, carrying his books under his arm.

"Hey," Chris smiled. Chris pushed a chair out for him and Steve closed the door ever so slightly so only the stream of light came through the half-shut blinds.

"How you feeling?" Steve asked taking the seat next to her and dumping his books on the desk.

"This chemistry work is making me rethink my life choices," Chris joked, closing the book in frustration. "I'm fine, I ate a bunch of Dustin's candy so it's all good." Steve chuckled softly, brushing a hand through his hair. "What about you? And Nance, did you go back to the party?"

Steve sighed leaning against the table. "We had a fight," Steve huffed shaking his head. Chris's teasing smile dropped and she motioned for Steve to keep talking. "She was drunk but, she just kept saying that it's bullshit."

"What's bullshit?" Chris asked watching Steve's face.

"Me, us... Just everything between us," Steve groaned messing with the cuffs on his sleeves. Chris sighed looking at her hands

"But you said she was drunk," Chris noted and Steve nodded. "She wasn't thinking straight. The party probably got to her, the noise, the booze- She just said whatever came to her mind first. Let me guess she spilt something or someone stepped on her toes and she thought it was bullshit and then everything is bullshit." Steve nodded finally looking at her. "She didn't mean it. Just talk to her."

"Okay, I'll talk to her," Steve nodded, sitting back in his seat and rubbing his palms on his jeans. "Now what happened with you? Last night?"

Chris sighed rubbing her arms. "If I tell you, you can not tell anyone," Chris said harshly.

"Why do you have superpowers or something?" Steve questioned, with a chuckle. Chris stood up closed the door completely and closed all the blinds. Chris sat back down taking a very confused Steve's hand. "Chris-?"

Small speckles of ember-like flakes peeled from Chris's skin floating around their hands, dancing to a silent song Chris's mind was singing. Chris's looked up at Steve and they followed her eyes, splaying themselves through Steve's hair. Blood pooled in her nose and slowly fell, dripping just to the top of her lip. "I've been able to do it since I was little, and sometimes I fall and suddenly I'm somewhere else," Chris explained, watching Steve poke at an ember that floated in front of his face. "Little Byers, um... Will, I thought Will was in trouble and I fell to him, that's why I went all loopy-like." Steve nodded, and Chris took her hand back and the embers fizzled out. Chris dropped Steve's hand, bringing hers up to wipe under her nose, watching his eyes. "...You won't tell anyone, right?"

Steve quickly shook his head. "No, no way, that's super cool," Steve smiled, with a small laugh. Steve paused for a moment, "Last year something attacked Nance, she calls it the Demogorgon. From what I know The chief and Joyce know about the other place and I'm guessing the boys know as well. Just so you have a secret of mine so you know I won't tell anyone," Steve joked making Chris laugh.

The bell rang signaling the end of their free period and Chris rushed to grab her stuff. "I have to get to class, but-"

"I swear I won't tell, and I'll talk to Nance," Steve promised with a nod. Chris smiled and slipped out the door, rushing to her next class.

෴

❝ there's a calm in my 𝒇𝒊𝒓𝒆 ❞