𝙎𝙃𝙀'𝙎 𝘼𝙉 𝘼𝙉𝙂𝙀𝙇, 𝙈𝙔 𝙊𝙉𝙇𝙔 𝘼𝙉𝙂𝙀𝙇.
Diana Blake was who everyone in Hawkins wanted to be or be with. Her family name held power in the town and she wore her popularity like a crown. Until she discovered that her crown was made with...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
THE MOTION OF a car pulled Diana out of her head and she lifted it off her shoulder to find that she was in the passenger seat of Billy's Camaro. They were driving through the back streets of Hawkins, speeding over the limit with the windows down and cool breeze running over their skin.
"You're awake."
Running her hands over her face, Diana asked, "Where are we going?"
Billy looked over at her. "James tracked the girl to a store across town."
She met his stare and her breath got caught in her throat. His knuckles were white from how tightly he gripped the steering wheel and his tone was flat, but his stare was comforting. There was something in his eyes when he looked at her that let her know he still cared. That he was still there. When he spoke, there were certain inflections that indicated he was himself instead of a puppet. Diana spent too many nights listening to him talk about everything and nothing at all to not notice them.
The truth was that Billy had been fighting his own war against the Mind Flayer. While Diana was spying on Eleven, he had been trapped in the prison cell of his own mind. The Mind Flayer had forced him to stay home, his body sitting on his bed in Hawkins while his conscious was back in California, standing in his mother's old pottery studio.
He spent hours trying to negotiate his freedom. He threw tantrums, punches, and furniture. He yelled, swore, and cursed. He begged, cried, and pleaded. He was so adamant that the Mind Flayer began to question if having him as his primary vessel was the best choice. But between him, Diana, and James, there was no difference. Each member of their little trio fought courageously for the others to be free.
There was a seed of hesitation that planted itself in Diana's chest. She didn't know who to trust anymore. She couldn't even trust herself. Most of the time, she couldn't figure out where she ended and where the Mind Flayer started. For all she knew, the Mind Flayer had learned all of Billy's habits and was currently using them against her.
Her stare flickered across his face as the streetlights glowed in a steady cycle. The only sound running through the air was the engine. "How much of you is you right now?"
She was scared to ask and Billy was scared to answer.
The same thought crossed his mind. Can I trust her? The desperation in her eyes was a good enough answer. "Enough," he replied.
There was a blanket of relief that fell over them when they realized they were okay, even if it was only for a few seconds, and the air felt lighter. Their secret moment did not last long because when Diana spoke again, she said something neither of them wanted to hear.
In a small, delicate voice, she voiced the thought that had been weighing heavily on her heart. "I think..." She swallowed harshly. "I think we'll die if he dies."
