TEENAGE NIGHTMARE
CHAPTER NINE — PART ONE.
THE PUZZLE.

( gif by SPDERVERSE )

          JP was ready to rip his hair from his head as Jonathan's nervously bouncing leg made the table vibrate, in turn shaking the blond's entire body. He pulled his hands away from his face, clasping them together and looking briefly over at Jonathan, who was staring blankly across the metal table at Nancy. The trio hadn't spoken since they were taken to Hawkins Lab and were stuck in an interrogation room, each of them sitting at a different end of the table. Jonathan seemed unfazed by JP's pointed look, so the latter let out a frustrated huff and dropped his hand to Jonathan's wrist, gripping it tightly to make him look at him with a questionable look.

           " Stop. Moving. " JP uttered, releasing Jonathan's arm when he complied, an emotionless look on his face as his leg stopped jittering. JP breathed out a sigh, only to be startled when Nancy suddenly stood from her chair, glaring up at the camera that was peering down at them from the corner of the room.

          " Hey! " She called, " Hey, asshole! Let us out of here! "

           Almost immediately, the door to the room opened with a loud screech, making JP and Jonathan rise to their feet simultaneously. An older man with a white lab coat walked in, a sympathetic look that seemed a bit fake on his face as the three antsy teens turned to him.

          " Oh, " He said, looking between them before commenting, " it's not very pleasant in here, is it? Sorry about that, hospitality's not really our strong suit. Scientists, you know. "

          In an attempt to calm his nerves that were increasingly growing, along with the thoughts invading his mind (oh, my god, what if he experiments on us? What if he puts us in a machine and I switch bodies with Byers? Or what if he turns us into human-bird hybrids?), JP pulled out his pack of cigarettes from his jacket and slid one out, nudging Nancy with his elbow. The girl routinely took the lighter from her bag, holding it up towards the end of the cigarette as it sat in JP's mouth.

         " Uh, you can't smoke in here. " The doctor, Owens, according to the badge hanging from his breast pocket, insisted, looking at the two of them with a bit of disbelief.

          JP and Nancy held similar dry looks on their faces, and the latter still flicked the lighter on, the flame easily catching on the cigarette. Dr. Owens simply pursed his lips as Nancy put the lighter back into her bag, JP giving him a triumphant smirk.

           Dr. Owens didn't seem to be expecting the set of teens to be so hardheaded, so the cold look on Nancy's face must've taken him back. The man looked down at his watch, then raised his gaze back at them for a moment, gesturing towards them.

         " Yeah, okay, you up for a little walk? " With that, he turned around and headed out of the room; Nancy glanced back to look at both Jonathan and JP, who both shrugged halfheartedly. " Assuming you're behind me! "

           Nancy then followed Dr. Owens out of the room, Jonathan and JP quick to trail after her. Within a few steps, they were in a narrow corridor, with glass rooms on either side, full of scientists in traditional lab coats and thick goggles. JP strayed behind Nancy and Jonathan as Dr. Owens spoke, his eyes glued to the passing windows, watching curiously as the scientists dropped various chemicals into a Petri dish.

           " 'Men of science have made abundant mistakes of every kind.' " He said, glancing briefly at the three of them, " George Sarton said that, you guys know who George Sarton is? "

           " I hope that doesn't mean you're German, " JP suddenly said, earning puzzled looks from Nancy and Jonathan; the blond shrugged, nodding towards Owens. " Sarton's German, remember Physics class in September? Sorry, Doctor, but I don't trust Germans after that whole fiasco in the '40s. "

          Dr. Owens scoffed in amusement at JP's choice of words, " Well, I wouldn't blame you. You're Jewish? "

          " No, my mom was, though. " JP answered, then went silent, allowing Owens to get back to his speech.

        " Anyways, the point is: mistakes have been made, yes,"

        " Mistakes?! " Nancy exclaimed, eyes wide as she looked over at Owens, " You killed Barbara. "

          " Abundant mistakes, but, " Owens insisted as they rounded the corner. It was getting colder the further they walked, and JP silently wondered if that had anything to do with what was going on in those labs. " the men involved with those mistakes, the ones responsible for what happened to your brother and Ms. Holland's death, they're gone. They're gone, and, for better or worse, in the schmuck they brought in to make things better. "

          " And how's that going for ya? " JP asked, his eyes trailing from the various experimentation rooms to the scientist walking ahead of him.

           Owens pressed his lips to a thin line, " I can't make things better with your help. "

           " You mean without us shutting up. " Nancy corrected harshly, and Owens wore a humorless grin as he looked past the girl to the two boys.

           " She's tough, this one. "

           " Learned from the best. " JP sharply replied, and Dr. Owens nodded, apparently having deduced that his attitude was no different than Nancy's, maybe even slightly worse.

           " You guys been together long? " Owens questioned, and JP looked pointedly to Jonathan and Nancy, seeming convinced that that was who he was referring to; but, upon seeing their puzzled expressions, he assumed that's not what the doctor meant. JP, never one for speculating, cleared his throat.

         " Uh, who exactly are you talking to? " He asked, a hint of worry in his voice as Owens stopped, turning to look between the three of them with a light shrug.

        " Mm, I don't know. You and her, her and him, him and you, you, her, and him. You all seem like quite the trio. " He remarked, and JP felt his stomach clench at the suggestion that was said so lightly. The blond let out a dramatic groan, shaking his head frantically, squeezing in between Nancy and Jonathan, whose identical, wide eyed expression portrayed the same disbelief.

       " Oh, woah, woah, no way— "

       " We are not together— "

        " How could you even think that?! "

          It was Jonathan's tone of disgust that made JP turn and shoot him a sharp look, jabbing a finger into his chest and pulling the cigarette from his mouth, grey smoke billowing from his lips as he insisted, " Hey, you should not be the offended one right now, Byers. You would be lucky to even see hold my fucking hand let alone— "

          " Alright. " Owens declared, making both boys turn to look at him with scowls, Nancy holding her bag to her body as her eyebrows lowered considerably. The man shook his hands dismissively, insisting, " I didn't mean to incite a lovers' quarrel, so please, try not to burn the place down. "

          Both JP and Jonathan opened their mouths to protest arguably, but Nancy gave them both a look that told them to leave it be, leaving the two teens with annoyed expressions and red-tinted cheeks as they continued to follow Owens.

           " Want to see what really killed your friend? " He asked, not really expecting an answer, and JP couldn't stop the scoff from coming out of his mouth; this man had a way with conversation, that was for sure.

          He opened a door and led the trio inside, revealing an expansive control room filled with half a dozen scientists. Rhythmic beeps and dings were coming from the panel full of various buttons, levers, and monitors, but more captivating was was laid behind the glass sheet across the room. There was a titanium door that led to a small walk off, leading to what JP could only describe as a literal hole in the universe. The wall was blackened, full of ridges much like a volcano's aftermath, and the crack in it had thin tendrils of orange something rising from it. Pieces of black ash floated around inside the area, and there was an odd, almost silent sound that filled the air. Nancy, Jonathan, and JP stood frozen as they tried to comprehend what it was, as Owens told a man named Teddy, who was getting dressed in a silver astronaut-like suit, that he brought company.

           " I call it one hell of a mistake, wouldn't you? " Owens asked the three teens, walking up to stand beside them as he crossed his arms, " You see, we can't seem to erase our mistake, but we can stop it from spreading. It's like pulling weeds. "

            With their eyes still glued to the tear, to the portal to the Upside Down, the teens intently listened to Owens as he continued, " But, imagine for a moment, if a foreign state— let's say, the Soviets —if they heard about our mistake, do you think they would even consider that a mistake? "

            As much as JP would hate to admit it, Owens was right. Technology was just a big competition between the countries, and if the Russians knew about Eleven, or the Demogorgon, or anything that had transpired in Hawkins over the past year, it was safe to assume that the United States would be in grave danger.

           " What if they tried to replicate it? " He suggested, and they watched as Teddy walked out on to the walkway, some sort of advanced blowtorch-looking weapon in his hands as he stood near the edge. " The more attention we draw to ourselves, the more people like the Hollands know the truth, the more likely that scenario becomes. You see why I have to stop the truth from spreading, too, same as those weeds there. "

           Teddy then turned on the flamethrower, exerting two streams of fire right into the Gate. Startling the teens, it made a screeching noise that was ear piercing as it burned. JP's eyebrows scrunched together as the 'weeds', as Owens put it, were burnt to ash, and the Gate seemed to feel it. Owens moves behind the trio, throwing his arms over their shoulders with an emotionless smile.

            " So, we understand each other now, don't we? "

        No less than ten minutes after seeing the Gate, Owens personally escorted the trio out of the Lab. He bid them farewell and insisted that they not come back again, for their own safety. A few guards stood at every few blocks, and there were a pair near the gate, where Jonathan's car had been parked. Owens tossed Jonathan his keys before turning his back on them.

           As they climbed back into Jonathan's car, JP felt indescribably confused. Nancy and Jonathan were relatively calm and oddly not angry for two people that had pretty much just had all the answers they needed shoved at them only to be thrown out in the end. They were also scarily quiet, something that might've been normal for the Byers boy, but JP knew better than to think that Nancy Wheeler would be satisfied by the past few hours. Jonathan twisted the keys in the ignition, and JP leaned forward, draping his arms on either of their seats and he he turned his head to look at both of them with furrowed eyebrows. The car was dead silent as they pulled out of Hawkins Lab, driving down the winding road that led back into the heart of Hawkins. JP waited that long for them to speak, but he was getting impatient.

           " Okay, what the hell was that? " He promptly asked, and, sharing a look briefly, Nancy and Jonathan turned to look at him with knowing expressions; JP lightly shook his head, cocking an eyebrow, " Stop looking at me like that, you fucking weirdos, wh-what, am I green or something? I told you that radiation shit was serious, Byers! "

           " JP! " Nancy exclaimed, making him stop and give her a pointed look. A serious look was adorned on her small features, to which JP couldn't decipher.

           " Oh, for God's sake, just say it already! " He demanded as Jonathan began to pull off onto the rocky road, Nancy trying hard to hide her giddy expression as JP clutched a hand to his chest, gasping theatrically, " The suspense is killing me, Wheeler! "

           " You really think we're stupid enough to get caught on accident? " She asked, making him quirk an eyebrow in confusion; upon seeing his reaction in the mirror, Jonathan quietly laughed, earning a glare from JP. " We knew they were listening when I called Barb's mom, we wanted to get caught, and they fell right into our trap. "

            She wore a proud look on her face but JP just gave her an incredulous look at the revelation, " Are you fucking kidding me?! You did this on purpose? Why?! Oh, my god, I nearly shit myself when that wack ass scientist showed us the-the Gate, or whatever, Nance! Why wouldn't you tell me? "

         " Because this would've been too uncharacteristically quiet of you, " Jonathan replied as Nancy pulled something out of her bag, holding up a small device and pressing a, Dr. Owens' voice replaying his admission to being responsible for Barb's death, then, in a quieter, more staticky voice, JP could be heard muttering, " I swear to god, if I see E.T. I'm gonna phone home. "

             Nancy lowered the voice recorder, and she gave JP a look that seemed to reason that that was exactly why they couldn't tell him. While seeing their point, JP still let out a huff and flopped back against the seats, insisting, " You know I say stupid ass shit when I'm scared. "

             Nancy hummed in agreement, smiling at him from the mirror before directing her attention back to the road. The ride was quiet for a few minutes, then, as JP looked defeatedly out the window, arms crossed defensively over his chest, he sighed heavily to catch Nancy and Jonathan's attention.

            " I hate that you two are fucking geniuses. " He declared, and Jonathan shifted in his seat to look over at Nancy.

            " You still want to do this? " He asked, and Nancy gave him a solemn nod in return before turning in her seat to JP.

            " Are you still with us, JP? " The boy nearly said no, not entirely sure what would come from whatever plan the two of them had concocted, but, looking into Nancy Wheeler's electric blue eyes full of determination and hope, he knew that was impossible.

             He clenched his jaw, eyes shifting to Jonathan's in the rear view mirror before he nodded back at Nancy, asking, " What's next? "

             Then, Nancy declared, " We're gonna burn that lab to the ground. "

X X X

       " Thanks, Steve. " Franny said gratefully as she shut the door to his car, leaning her forearms on it and dipping her head into the car to give the brown haired boy a thankful smile. Charlie was already walking towards the Byers' door, not bothering to say so much as a goodbye to Steve.

         " Yeah, you're welcome, too, Charlie! " Steve called after him sarcastically, to which the boy didn't turn, simply raising his hand and lifting his middle finger before approaching the door; Steve scoffed, but a grin was on his face, directing his eyes to Franny as he insisted, " Your brother's kind of a dick. "

          " Try living with him, plus JP. " She reminded him, to which Steve made a comical face of disbelief, shaking his head with wide eyes as his fingers tapped against the wheel habitually.

          " I wouldn't survive the night. "

           " Mm, no, you wouldn't. "

            At Franny's agreement, Steve looked offended, but he rolled his eyes playfully and leaned towards the console, raising an eyebrow at her as he trailed, " So, uh, see you at school? "

            " Actually, probably not. " Franny answered truthfully, ignoring Charlie as he exclaimed to her that they needed to go and that she could talk to her 'boyfriend' later. " Whatever's going on with Will, I can't leave him. And, something tells me that it's not going to go away overnight. "

             " Understood. " Steve nodded, smiling reassuringly as his eyes drifted towards the road before returning back to Franny. " I'll just see you, then. "

             " Eventually. " Franny teased, tilting her head to the side as Steve let out a mocking laugh; she lifted away from the car, holding her bandaged hand to her chest and saying, " If I need you, I'll call. "

             " I'll be waiting beside my phone all night. " Steve replied in an overly cheesy voice, making Franny roll her eyes as she followed in her brother's footsteps, turning on her heel to march up to the quaint house, flipping Steve Harrington the middle finger. She heard him let out a scoff and mutter something before he drove off, honking to alert them of his disappearance.

             Charlie had already knocked on the door during their farewell, so the two siblings stood on Joyce's welcome mat, waiting for the woman to answer the door. Franny noticed the dry look on her brother's face, which he wasn't trying to hide at all, and she lowered her eyebrows at him, punching his shoulder lightly.

           " What's wrong with your face? " She asked, making him glare up at her; he was only a few inches shorter than her now, having sped through puberty lightning quick. Well, the height portion of it, anyways. Franny rolled her eyes, " Jeez, I'm just kidding. But, seriously, you look like you just smelled Dustin's shoes, so, fix it before Will sees. "

           Charlie made a noise of annoyance, shifting his gaze to the door as he muttered, " That was just. . gross, and weird. "

           " What was? Steve's car? 'Cause he really did clean it, and I didn't see anything— "

           " God, Fran, sometimes I wonder which one of us is really the observant one. " Charlie cut her off, raising an eyebrow at her as Franny cluelessly shook her head, still not getting his point. The boy let out a loud, dramatic sigh, throwing his hands to his sides as he turned to look at his sister, " The flirting or whatever that weird goodbye was, and not to mention the ride over here, oh, my gosh— "

           " We were singing Queen! " Franny defended, giving Charlie a look of disbelief as she crossed her arms tightly over her chest, frowning at her brother. " And that wasn't flirting, Charlie, Steve and I are friends. "

          " You can't be friends with the boy you've been in love with for like, three years. " He stated so matter-of-factly, Franny first shooting him a questionable look, asking him how he even knew about the crush she had on Steve; she'd never explicitly told him, so he gave her a sheepish grin. " Uh, yeah, I might've read through your diary from like freshman year, and, by the way, I cannot believe you lied about Goldberg dying! "

            " Oh, what eight year old can't tell when a fish is upside down that it's not trying to lick its own tail? " Franny questioned, and Charlie rolled his eyes, shaking his head dismissively.

            " Besides the point, you are still very much in. . . well, in something with him. Whether you accept it right now or not doesn't matter, because eventually I'll get to say 'I told you so'. " Charlie insisted, and, upon hearing Joyce's approaching footsteps and her calling to assure them that she was coming, Franny plastered a wide smile on her face and wrapped an arm around Charlie's neck, pulling him into her side.

            " Coming from the one who's in love with his best friend. " She reminded him in a hushed voice, and Charlie opened his mouth to retort only for the door to open, revealing Joyce with alarmed eyes staring at them. Charlie's annoyed expression quickly melted into a smile, and he cheerfully greeted the woman.

            " Hi, Ms. B, we just wanted to come by and check on Will. Is he doing alright? " His last words sounded the most genuine, probably because they were laced with serious concern; Joyce let out a soft sigh, hand still against the side of the door. Her hair was disheveled, and her eyes looked wild, so that was an immediate red flag to both Walkers.

           " He's better than thirty minutes ago, kind of." She responded, no trace of confidence in her voice as she spoke; Franny, still with her arm tightly wrapped around her brother's neck, leaned over to catch the woman's attention, face softening.

            " Would you mind if we came in? We won't stay long, if you don't want us to. " Franny insisted when Joyce's lips pursed, " We just want to see him, after what happened at the school. . God, I can't get that image out of my head. "

             Joyce gave her a sympathetic look, one that said she knew all too well what the teen meant, then she glanced between the siblings briefly before another sigh left her lips. She opened the door wider, allowing them to walk through with quiet 'thank you's as she shut it behind them. The two Walker siblings found themselves standing in the chaotically organized mess of the Byers' living room. They were both a bit surprised to see Chief Hopper sitting on the couch, hands clasped in between his knees as he looked deep in concentration.

          " Hopper, " Charlie said in a surprised voice, making the man look up at them before his eyes darted to Joyce. Charlie also looked to Joyce, knowing that she wouldn't have asked for more help if she didn't think something was seriously wrong with Will. " wasn't expecting to see you here. "

         " Yeah, kid, well that makes two of us. " Hopper replied, let out an exasperated sigh as he ran a hand over his face. He met Joyce's concerned eyes, not unfamiliar with bluntness, and questioned, " What are they doing here? "

          Before Joyce could answer, Franny scowled at Hopper and stated, " We're here because we want to help. Will's our friend. "

         " Right, okay, sure, here. " Hopper agreed rhetorically, rising from the couch and picking up a pile of papers from the coffee table, marching over to the duo; he towered over them easily, but neither Walker was easily intimidated as he thrusted the papers into Franny's hands.

            Franny's glare lingered on Hopper momentarily before she looked down at the papers. Flipping through a few of them, she saw that it was a bunch of drawings, well, some what. It was really just a load of random harsh scribbles, done with purple, blue, and black crayons, she'd guess. Charlie took a handful from her, also looking through them in confusion. Franny raised the pile in her hand, looking between Joyce and Hopper, who stood with his arms crossed.

            " What is this? "

           Hopper nodded towards them, " That is how you help. "

          " Elaborate. " Charlie responded, not entirely liking the hardened stare Hopper had placed on him and Franny, so he looked to Joyce for more information, " Please. "

           Joyce sighed, raising a hand to her face as she explained, " Will. . Will drew them, he started almost as soon as we got home and he hasn't stopped since. "

           " Where is he? " Franny asked, taking the other drawings from Charlie before leaning forward to place them back on the coffee table; Joyce looked hesitant to tell her, but the girl took a small step forward, insisting, " Maybe. . Maybe one of us can talk to him, get him to tell us what he's drawing. "

            Joyce contemplated it for a moment, then she lifted her hand, gesturing around exhaustedly before agreeing, " Yeah, sure, wouldn't hurt to try. He's in his room. "

           Franny nodded gratefully to her, grabbing the back of Charlie's shirt and pushing him forward lightly, the two of them walking down the hall to Will's room. The door, cracked open just an inch, was covered in signs and posters, the most evident one being a thickly bolded warning that read NO GIRLS ALLOWED. That rule never really applied to Franny, though. Charlie and Franny exchanged a quick look before the elder sibling slowly pushed the door open, peering inside.

            Will was sitting at his desk across the room, his back to them. His shirt was tossed carelessly to the floor near the door, and his spine was practically visible through pale, translucent skin. Franny nervously took a step inside, holding her hand back to tell Charlie to wait. As she walked into the room, her eyes trailed away from the sickly looking body of the boy to the papers scattered in a pile near him. They looked nearly identical to the ones Hopper had showed them. She could hear him making more, aggressively scribbling as his arm seemed to move at lightning's speed, flicking another drawing to the floor before routinely creating the next.

          " Will? " Franny said softly, careful not to step on any of the papers piled on the floor as she inched closer. The boy didn't stop his frantic scribbling, and he didn't seem to acknowledge her voice or her presence, but it didn't deter her. Charlie still stood by the door, but his focus had shifted from Will to Franny, eyes glued to her injured hand. It had been bandaged by Steve, who, after quickly explaining that Nancy had made him keep a first aid kit in his glovebox, had wrapped the large gash in a thick white bandage. Franny said it had stopped bleeding, but Charlie could see purple something soaking through.

           Franny stood just beside Will, her hand hovering over his shoulder as she stopped herself just before touching him. Her eyes glanced over the way his eyes had sunken in, and the wild look in his eyes as he drew subconsciously. She could feel her breath hitch as her chest tightened at the sight of the boy, who was sitting right in front of her without really being there.

           " Franny. " Charlie hissed to her, making her glance over her shoulder with furrowed eyebrows; he shook his head lightly, trying to tell her to leave him be. He had a heavy feeling in his stomach, like something wasn't going to go right, he just knew it wouldn't.

She didn't listen, per usual, and turned her attention back to the boy. She inhaled a sharp breath before lowering her hand to his shoulder, and Charlie saw it a split second before it happened: a spark of black ignited between them as soon as the bandaged wound touched Will's freezing cold skin.

" Franny! " Charlie's cry was the last thing Franny heard before her sight went black and her ears began to ring.

Her eyes seemed to open in a different place. She turned her head every which way, trying to find Charlie, or Joyce, or even Hopper, but she quickly realized, even with the aching feeling in her head, that she wasn't at the Byers' house anymore. She wasn't even entirely sure she was in the real world anymore.

She couldn't see anything in the pitch black darkness, except for another figure in the far off distance, surrounded by shreds of white. Her eyebrows knitted together, and she took a shaky step forward, seeming to be walking on nothing, or, rather, the absence of everything. The ringing in her head was turning into a muted buzzing noise as she got closer to whoever was on the ground, and the scene before seemed to become more detailed. While everything she stood on stayed black and empty, she recognized the body collapsed on the ground as Will, and her pace quickened to a jog, then a quick sprint as she felt her heartbeat accelerate.

" Will? " Her voice echoed, reverberating off of nothing as she approached Will, moving to kneel beside him, not laying a lick of attention to the papers laid around him in an expansive circle. She lifted his head, his eyes being wide open and panic-stricken as they seemed to notice her, unlike Will had done in the room. He was actually looking at her now.

Suddenly, his thin hand shot up and grabbed her wrist, pulling her downwards. He looked weak, weaker than he did in real life, if that was even possible, and he barely opened his mouth to say, " Its. . a puzzle. "

Then, before Franny could even try to respond, to ask what that meant, he was gone, vanished right from her arms like he hadn't even been there to begin with. It was then that she noticed that she wasn't sure if she even felt his weight in her grip in the first place. Her body felt numb, but she forced herself to stand, mind spinning as she tried to wrap her head around what was going on. Now, with Will gone, she stood in the center of the drawings, the same ones that he had scribbled down.

She looked down to see that she was standing on what looked like the middle piece, a big black swirl that branched out with purples and blues, hints of brown within them. As she turned on her heel to look around at all the drawings laid out before her, something clicked in her head as she remembered Will's words.

It's a puzzle.

She could see that, now, as if her head had cleared. The buzzing had turned into a low growling noise, but she had barely heard it. Her hand began to burn, and she took that as a sign that whatever place she was in, she was about to leave. So, quickly, she tried to remember ever placement of the drawings, noting that they were like puzzle pieces, each one connecting specifically to another, the lines drawn almost perfectly together while having been done randomly and singularly. The burning in her palm felt like flames were engulfing her fingers, searing her skin, and she could hear the growling had been replaced by a muffled screaming. It sounded like her name.

Then everything went black again.

" Franny, oh, my, god, Fran, wake up, wake up, please, " Charlie whispered frantically, his previous shouting having drawn the attention of both Hopper and Joyce, who ran to the doorway, questioning what was happening. The boy stood beside his sister, who had collapsed beside Will's desk, her head narrowly missing the exposed bed frame and instead landing on the pile of drawings.

" Charlie, what happened?! " Joyce asked, her face contorted into one of deep concern as the boy shook his head, hands hovering around Franny's body, afraid to touch her and cause a chain reaction. It would do them no good if they were both out.

" I-I don't know! She touched Will and she just, she just fell! " He exclaimed, breathing frantically as he clenched his hands into fists, feeling frustratingly helpless, " Damn it, Franny, wake up! "

Hopper moved past Joyce, walking towards the Walker siblings, the younger blocking him from touching his sister, a hardened look on his face, where a stray tear had fallen, shaking his head as he insisted, " No, you can't touch her, you don't know what could happen— "

" Move, Charlie. " Hopper ordered, and the boy continued to protest, shoving at the much larger man, who was getting aggravated with his fighting rather quickly, " Charlie, move, now! "

A loud gasp made them freeze, both males turning at the sound of Joyce's shout for them to stop. The three of them all looked over to see Franny sitting straight up, eyes wide and hands splayed onto both the bed and the desk for steadiness as she lifted her head to look between the three of them. She said nothing, chest rising and falling rapidly as she quickly shifted to her knees, scrambling to pick up as many of the drawings as she could.

" Franny, Franny, what happened? " Charlie questioned, grabbing her arm and trying to pull her away from Will, not wanting a repeat of whatever panic-inducing nightmare just happened; the girl ignored him, though, insisting that he help her pick the papers up. He grunted when she pushed him away, and he latched onto her wrist, holding it out in front of her face, making her pause as Hopper and Joyce also stared down at it. " Fran, your hand. . . "

Her eyes darted to his, following his stare down to her injured hand, where the bandage had somehow come unraveled. The long gash had stopped bleeding like she said, but there were pulsing, violet veins sprouting from it, flowing through her palm and down to her wrist before fading into her skin. Franny swallowed thickly, the burning feeling fading just as the pulsing slowed. She pulled her hand away from Charlie, unable to hold his frightened look for long before she held up a fistful of drawings, eyes moving between the two adults before she told them what she had seen.

" It's a puzzle, he said it, " Franny declared, shaking the papers lightly as a slightly relieved smile found her clammy face, sweat flattening her hair to her forehead. " the drawings connect, like puzzle pieces. It's a puzzle. "

X X X

note.
well then, not much to say is there? ;)

as always, all feedback, comments, questions, and predictions are greatly appreciated!