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COLE WAS MOCKING HER. THE dog was absolutely mocking her. Every few moments, Cole would rub his face against Nancyʼs leg, make a big fuss over her and then turn back around to his mom and wag his tail, mocking her. He stared at her as if to say ʼI know you like herʼ, and Kali hated him. She was now mentally arguing with her dog as if he was her real son. Maybe she really had lost her mind.
"Help me get this straight," Robin said, shaking her head as the four girls and their sloppy mascot took their final steps before reaching the library. "Eddieʼs uncle, Wayne, thinks that Victor Creel escaped from Pennhurst Asylum and that he's the one running around committing these murders?"
"Pretty much," Nancy confirmed.
"But Victor committed the eyeball murders, like, way back in the '50s," Robin stated, and Kali wondered how her throat wasn't tired yet after speaking for the entire ride and walk here without taking a moment to breathe.
"Well, '59," said Nancy.
Riley stepped forward to open up the door for them all to get through, and Kali was slowly starting to appreciate this girl more. She hated her for the fact that she was the one who convinced her to come back to this dreadful, nightmare down, but she loved her for the fact that she only spoke when she needed to. Unlike some people in their group.
"So, that means these murders predate Eleven in the Upside Down, by about 30 years," Robin went on and on and on, unaware that everyone zoned out an hour ago.
"Yeah."
"Which makes spooky Victor Creek like 70 years old."
"Yep."
"Wow." Robin looked at Kali. "He's giving you a run for your money."
Kali turned to her. "I plan on killing Steve when I'm ninety," she said dead-seriously. "I'll make him my last crime."
Robin laughed loudly, making a few old couples turn to her with glares. "Could you kill all these people?" she asked. "Mood killers."
Kali blinked at her. "I'm not killing anyone for you," she stated.
"Um, okay." Robin sighed, turning back to Nancy, who was dinging the bell at the front desk and waiting impatiently to be spoken to. "So, he's a grandpa murderer who can turn invisible and lift people into the air."
"It doesn't make sense," Nancy agreed. "I know." She shrugged. "But Kali can turn on building lights with the tip of her finger, and Eleven can make an entire meal with only her mind — maybe there is some truth to this story."
Kaliʼs heart warmed. Nancy didn't mention murder, or death, or any of the other gruesome, unforgivable crimes she'd caused by using her powers. Instead, she mentioned something so simple, yet so beautiful, and her eyes lit up in awe as she spoke about it. Nancy didn't see the horror in Kaliʼs world, she was too busy exploring the beauty of it. She also appreciated that she said Eleven rather than Cole, because she knew that Nancy knew it would bring down her mood again. Nancy always remembered the small things. Kali didn't deserve somebody like her.
