✺

SPRING — 1985.

CARLY-MAE SULLIVAN had been born to two teenage parents — a mistake from one night of unprotective sex. During high school, Carly's mother Susan had been the quiet, kind girl (the unexpected type to end up pregnant); then, Carly's father had been the popular jock with a heart so pure.

But Carly's mom had moved away without telling James Sullivan that she was pregnant with his child. Only when Carly was a few years old did the truth come out, where James had spotted his golden daughter for the first time and had burst into tears.

Though, even with a close bond with her dad, Carly had still lived with her mom. When Susan had married, Carly's mom had welcome a second daughter: Max, who Carly adored with all her heart, vowing to always be the protective big sister.

But Carly had failed — and the guilt constantly ate at her.

With the failure of Susan's marriage, Carly's mother remarried, introducing the two sisters to their step-brother Billy. From the moment Carly had first met Billy, the teenage boy had given her the creeps, constantly leaving her heart pounding in fear.

The moment he had tried touching Carly, James had moved his daughter in with him. Carly had tried talking to her mom, but Susan was in denial — or, more realistically, too afraid to stand up for her daughters.

Yet, leaving Max had felt like the cowards option. If Carly had her own way, then Max would have been living with them, but she was stuck within the toxic household hundreds of miles away in a town called Hawkins.

Though, Carly had plans of visiting her mom and sister for the summer. First, though, she was finishing up the last few months of her junior year in the naive belief of love.

Carly's first love was Justin Everson — a dreamy basketball player, who was also captain of the team. They were the high school sweethearts that everyone adored, but Justin Everson had been nothing more than a fantastical dream.

And Carly had fallen into the trap of it, only waking up when the nightmare had struck.

"Justin, I want to show you something," Carly told him.

Justin had smiled, fingers gentle on her waist as she held her artbook close to her chest, having never shown anyone before. But, with her boyfriend, they were in love, so Carly was certain that Justin would not run when the dark secrets came out — Justin loved Carly enough to stay.

"Babe, what is it?" Justin asked, thumb smudging the crease between her eyebrows. "You look way too serious right now, where's that adorable smile?"

The smile appeared, but it was not as bright as it could be. "I'm just nervous, okay?" Carly told him. "I've never shown anyone before, Justin."

A smirk appeared. "You been drawing me naked?"

Carly blushed with a giggle. "No, Justin! Just promise me you'll still love me, okay?"

"Carly," Justin cupped her cheek, blue irises glowing. "You know I love you. Just show me."

Chewing on her bottom lip, Carly nodded as she tried to find a flare of bravery that seemed to be buried deep inside of her. Then, sighing, Carly looked away from Justin as she opened her sketchbook, revealing the dark, strange sketches that had taken over her life for the last year and a half.

"This is just the start of it," said Carly as Justin took the book, flipping through the pages as Carly's eyes spotted the dark shadow of a spider-like alien before the next page returned to the aliens with faces that opened like flower petals with sharp teeth. "I, uh... you know when I daydream? Well, this is what I draw."

"Shit, Carly, I didn't know you were into sci-fi," Justin commented.

"I'm not," Carly told him, eyes falling on a young boy trapped against a wall in vines with something covering his mouth. "This started a year and a half ago, but there's more."

Justin rose an eyebrow. "More?"

Carly's hands shook, knowing there was no going back once she showed Justin. But, Carly truly felt that she could trust that Justin would love her no matter what. So, with that, Carly held out the palm of her hand. "I need your ring for this."

Justin laughed. "Okay..."

Clearly a little confused, Justin hesitated as he removed his golden ring from his finger, placing the warm metal in his girlfriend's outstretched hand. Already touching it, Carly could feel the surge of emotions: confusion, shock, embarrassment, and love. But, the longer she held onto the item, closing her eyes to concentrate, Carly found herself sinking into Justin's mind.

Carly's bedroom faded to darkness, leaving her to stand within Justin's mind, staring at the two in the dark void. As she stepped closer to Justin, Carly's eyes were on her body, seeing what she looked like for the first time during the transition: Carly's irises were rolling backwards as if she was lost in a trance, but there was also blood dripping from her nose.

"Carly?" Justin panicked, gripping onto her shoulders. "Shit, Carly! Hello? What are you doing?"

His hand rose, wiping the blood from her nose as Carly returned to her own body, eyes widening. Now, it was her own fingers that touched the red stain from her nostril.

"I'm okay," Carly reassured him. "I was just in your mind, Justin. I know it's really crazy but I can somehow see into someone's mind," then she held up the ring, trying her hardest to not think too much of the surge of Justin's darker emotions. "I can feel your emotions too."

"Oh, yeah," said Justin, not believing her. "And what am I feeling, Carly?"

"You're freaking out," Carly told him. "I get it—"

"Carly, you looked like you were about to have a fit," Justin told her.

"I wasn't," Carly reassured him. "I can do it again. Let me show you again."

Maybe it was Carly panicking now, desperate for Justin to understand. Yet, his wide eyes and frantic emotions were only making things worse. With the ring still in her hand, Carly triggered the power again, jumping back into Justin's mind.

This time, though, she had entered a memory of the two. They were at school with Carly in her cheer uniform, going through her locker as Justin has leant on the lockers next to her, all smug with a smirk on his face.

"Carly-Mae," said Justin. "Has anyone ever told you how beautiful you are?"

Carly's cheeks were warm at that, head turning to look at Justin. "Justin, you are sweet."

"Sweet enough for you, I hope," Justin grinned.

"That depends," Carly told him. "Are you going to ask me out?"

"I'd be a fool not to."

Carly's heart glowed, smiling fondly at the memory. Though, as she returned, Carly found that she was alone in her bedroom. The sketchbook was on the floor, the pages sprawled open of the monsters that plagued Carly's life.

And Justin was gone.

Justin had run.

✺

SUMMER — 1985.

Carly was over heartbreak — she was certainly over Justin Everson. Not only had her boyfriend run out on her, completely freaked out about his girlfriend's peculiar abilities, but Carly had found out about their break up the next day at school.

Apparently, the whole school had known before Carly had. But, at least, Justin was decent enough to leave out the main reasons why.

So, Carly had kept her head up and her heart closed, counting down the days till summer so she could escape for a while. For once, Carly was relieved for no cheer camp and that perhaps a break in a new state was needed.

Seeing Max was enough to get Carly on a plane, already focusing on the positives. Even with Carly's life crumbling apart, she was optimistic to pick it back up again (and never share her powers with anyone again).

Though, even on the plane, there was still the darkness that crept close. This time, the monsters had taken the shape of a human — Billy Hargrove, Carly's step-brother, had become the face of her nightmares.

And that only terrified Carly more at the thought of reuniting with him again.

When Carly had been picked up, a bright smile had stretched upon her face as she charged into Max's body for a hug, almost knocking the smaller girl down. Their mother had hugged Carly too, welcoming her daughter to Hawkins with a teary smile.

As they finally arrived at the house she was staying at for the summer, Carly looked up at the small house, already feeling on edge. Neil Hargrove had welcomed the three outside, already shouting at Billy to come outside to get the bags for Carly.

Ignoring her step-brother, Max had led Carly into the house, showing her the bedroom that the two would be sharing for the next couple of months. Seeing it, Carly was relieved to see that while Max was getting older, her little sister had not changed.

Carly placed her handbag on the bed, eyes falling on a skateboard, recalling a memory when Max had tried to teach her how to ride.

Then, Billy entered the bedroom, dropping the suitcases at the edge of the bed as Carly found the nerve to look at him. There was always a cockiness to Billy, where he now smirked, offering a wink to the teenage girl.

"Looking good, Carly," Billy told her.

"Ew," said Max. "Get out."

Billy only grinned. "Something tells me it's gonna be a good summer."

Carly remained silent, eyes landing on the floor as she folded her arms across her chest, feeling uncomfortable. It was Max who kicked Billy out before closing the door with a sigh of frustration.

"So, Billy hasn't changed," Carly said.

"I..." Max fell silent, unknowing what to say.

But Carly knew. Knowing Billy, he had probably spoken inappropriately about Carly around Max without care — most likely enjoying the thrill of tormenting Max.

"It doesn't matter," Carly decided, smiling brightly, finally looking at her little sister with a teasing glint in her eye. "All I wanna know is everything to do with Lucas."

At that, Max rolled her eyes, but there was a hidden smile on her face.

✺

The following day, Max showed Carly around town, eager for the two to check out the new shopping mall that had just opened (plus, she had a way of helping Carly get a job). Carly had laughed, questioning what connections Max could possibly have at her age that would result in a job.

"Oh, I know people," Max had reassured. "Well, technically one person, but still."

The two had gone shopping, where the long months since they had last seen each other for the holidays had vanished between them — spoken words had now replaced letters. Smiles had been permanent with the two buying a few clothing items but mainly tried on ridiculous outfits together.

After everything, Carly was relieved that Max was not angry at her sister for leaving. Though, with that, it only left Carly feeling guiltier as Max had every right to be mad.

In Scoops Ahoy, Carly had joined the back of the long line while Max had visited the restrooms. The place was busy (like the rest of the mall) because it was newly opened, but it seemed they had arrived at the end of the peak.

"Ahoy there," said the teenager in the sailor suit as he looked up, spotting Carly with a glint of surprise. "Woah. Hi there."

Carly smiled a little too sweetly. "Hi."

Catching her smile, the teenage boy had grinned too. "Uh, hi there," he said again, a little awkwardly, which Carly found adorable. "I don't believe I've seen you around here before."

"I thought the mall had only just opened," Carly pointed out.

"Around Hawkins," he clarified. "I haven't seen you around town before."

"I'm new to town," Carly explained.

"New to town, huh?" The man leant forward on his elbows, causing his female colleague behind him to roll her eyes with a sigh. "So, I guess you could do with a tour, right? Lucky for you, I'm free this evening."

Carly's eyes caught his stare, finding his hazel irises so warm; the longer she stared, the more his irises seemed to soften, becoming gooey. Whoever the sailor was, he was attractive, and Carly happened to like guys with long hair too. Then, the white, blue and red sailor uniform only made him cuter.

Honestly, Carly knew she was screwed.

"Oh, really?" Carly questioned, smiling brightly. "That's sweet of you, but I don't even know who you are."

"Steve," he told her. "And you?"

"Carly."

"Carly," Steve repeated her name. "So, tonight, then?"

"I just came for ice cream," Carly told him, though she was tempted — so, so tempted.

The thought of a date — or just a tour —with a cute boy sounded like a dream to Carly. Though, for Carly, it was never just a date as she was always the one that caught feelings too quickly; it had happened before and she was determined not to let it happen again.

Even now, the thought of her ex-boyfriend had left a bitter taste in her mouth.

Never, ever again.

"You know, you can't spell ice cream without m-e," said Steve with a crooked, cocky smile, so proud of his cheesy line.

Carly giggled at that, finding her cheeks glowing. Seeing her reaction, Steve only grinned with confidence as Carly witnessed the flare of hope light up inside his irises.

"Steve, that's my sister!" Max exclaimed, joining them at the counter.

"Shit," said Steve. "This is the Carly-Mae?"

"You know my sister Max?" Carly questioned, shocked at that.

Steve opened and closed his mouth, staring between the two sisters. While the two didn't look alike, they also had their similarities: there was a sprinkle of freckles on Carly's face and they both had blue eyes. Yet, even with those similarities, they were clearly different too with Max a tomboy and Carly all girly with her scrunchy and pink skirt.

Max glared at Steve. "I said you could hire my sister, not date her!"

Carly realised who Steve was then as her eyes flickered between the two. To Carly, she could not understand how the two were even acquainted, let alone even friends. Steve was obviously a lot older, maybe even a graduate. It was definitely something Carly was going to be questioning Max about, but right now, she did really need a job.

"What makes you think I'm the boss?" Steve questioned.

The girl behind Steve laughed. "Today is really not your day, Harrington."

"Can I get a job here?" Carly asked, hoping a little flutter of her eyelashes would help.

"Maybe if you still wanna go on that date?" Steve replied.

"Steve!" Max shouted at him.

"Okay, okay," said Steve, becoming as frustrated as Max was. "I'll see what I can do."

✺

Miraculously, Carly had found herself a job with the ice cream parlour needing an extra pair of hands due to how busy the mall was since opening. Carly was excited to start (and it was not because of the cute sailor); all Carly wanted was money to save for a car.

"So, you are friends with Steve but you don't seem to like him?" Carly questioned Max as the two walked toward the movie theatre.

"What?" Max replied, looking at Carly. "I like Steve."

"It didn't seem like it back then."

"Steve is just Steve," explained Max. "I like him, but he flirts with all the girls."

"Oh, I see," Carly realised.

It did seem that Steve was one of those popular boys who dated around and Carly's ex-boyfriend had been exactly like that. But, even though Carly didn't know Steve, he was still awkward with his flirting, and Carly hoped that he was different. At the moment, she could not figure out if he was a Danny Zuko or a Jake Ryan.

"Yeah, but if you like him, then go for it," Max said.

"I really don't need a summer romance."

Then, Carly accidentally bumped into someone with her attention shifting away from Max temporarily. A notebook had been dropped with Carly's heart dropping, instantly feeling guilty. There was a dark-haired girl with a fringe, who had headphones on with music blaring as she noticed her lost journal last minute.

"I'm so sorry," Carly apologised, bending down to pick it up for the teenage girl.

Forgetful for a moment, Carly felt the emotions surge from touching the girl's journal. There was a series of emotions: currently, anxiety with agitation, but Carly could feel that deep down the girl felt misunderstood and lonely. All she wanted was to be heard, but the only voice she had was the words within the journal.

And Carly's heart sunk, finding the emotions far too familiar.

"Hey, I'm Carly," she introduced herself, handing the journal back over, finding the power fade before Carly accidentally slipped into the teenager's mind — and she did not need that to happen again. "This is my sister Max."

"Hi," said the girl quietly. "Uh, I'm Ronnie. Thanks for picking up my journal."

There was a caution to Ronnie, an urge to take flight as she turned to leave in a hurry.

"Hey, Ronnie?" Carly called after her.

The teenager paused, briefly meeting Carly's friendly gaze. "Yeah?"

"I'm starting a job at Scoops Ahoy this weekend," Carly told her. "Come stop by if you like?"

Ronnie's eyebrows knitted together, clearly confused. Of course, Carly's smile simply brightened, not taking offence as Ronnie vanished without saying another word.

For Carly, she had a feeling that maybe her summer would not be so bad after all.

✺

So I've added Justin who is not going to be present any longer, but is important for Carly's character! I'm honestly so excited to start this story but I'm forcing myself to wait until Cursed is finished!