𝕕𝕒𝕞𝕒𝕘𝕖𝕕 𝕘𝕠𝕠𝕕𝕤: 𝕒 𝕓𝕚𝕝𝕝𝕪 𝕙𝕒𝕣𝕘𝕣𝕠𝕧𝕖 𝕗𝕒𝕟𝕗𝕚𝕔𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟

ℂ𝕙𝕒𝕡𝕥𝕖𝕣 𝟚𝟟: 𝔼𝕣𝕒𝕤𝕖

Billy closed the door to his room, where Darcy was currently being held. He slumped against it with exhaustion from the night's events. His mind still swam with what Max told him about Hawkins and the secrets and creatures that lie within it. But seeing Darcy tied up and just as confused as he was made his stomach twist with guilt. Max and her friends convinced him that it was for her own safety and theirs, but he thought otherwise. Now, not only was Darcy scared, she was angry and distrustful of him, which wouldn't be of much help in finding the answers to the questions they all had.

Billy picked himself back up and walked over to the dining table, where Max and her friends sat, talking amongst each other.

"Congratulations; we pissed her off." Billy's statement was further confirmed by Darcy's angry shriek and the lights overhead flickering.

"She's telling the truth," El began. Billy had seen her hanging out with Max throughout the summer and hadn't thought much about her until Max told him she could read minds. Now, he tried to keep his mind blank every time she was near. "She doesn't remember what happened after you dropped her off at her house."

Billy rubbed his hand over his jaw out of confusion. "But why?"

"We don't know." Max glanced over at Billy, taking in his weary eyes and yawning. He needed to rest, but with all this new information, how could he, knowing that Hawkins wasn't exactly safe? "But in the meantime, we need to watch over her closely."

Mike scoffed. "How are we going to do that? Babysit her? We don't even know exactly what she's capable of."

Max turned to Billy. "Didn't you say your car wouldn't start when you tried to escape Brimborn?"

Billy nodded, suppressing a yawn. "Yeah, and it was working fine when I dropped off Darcy at her house. Full tank of gas and everything."

Dustin snapped his fingers. "Electrokinesis; she can control electricity. The lie detector, Billy's car, the flickering lights—it all makes sense."

Billy huffed. To say that the night keeps getting interesting would be an understatement. "If she can control electricity, how dangerous does this make her?"

"If she doesn't know that she's capable of controlling electricity, it could make her either a low risk or a threat." Lucas said. "But if whatever is making Darcy act out like this uses her powers, then all of Hawkins is in trouble."

Will furrowed his brows. "So what, we just keep her tied up?"

"Like Max said, we need to watch over her," Mike answered. "But someone needs to tell her the truth."

Billy began returning to his room before the rest of them could. "I'll tell her. And if she acts out, you all will know."

As he walked back to his room to untie Darcy, Billy felt a warm, pleasant feeling seeping into his head. He glanced over his shoulder to find El staring after him, her face expressionless, but her eyes knowing of his feelings.

Billy took a deep breath, opening the door of his room and closing it behind him. Unlike before, the room was coated in complete darkness without the lamp, and the tarp didn't help much. He felt around the wall until his hands found the light switched and flicked it on, but stayed off. Must be Darcy.

Billy began tearing off the tarp from the walls and floors of his room until he tore the last tarp off his window. The moonlight streaming in coated a sleeping Darcy in an ethereal glow, softening her features. After everything Billy had seen and been told tonight, he still couldn't believe the girl he checked out at the pool just a week ago could be capable of things far beyond his understanding. He removed her binds before standing in front of her, watching her carefully.

Suddenly, Darcy opened her eyes and spit in Billy's face. Billy raised his hands in surrender, wiping his face off with the bottom of his shirt.

"Relax; you're free to go."

Darcy glanced down at her freed hands for only a split second before tackling Billy to the ground, pinning his arms and legs with her own. "What is going on?!"

If Billy didn't know the secrets Hawkins was hiding, he might have flashed Darcy a grin and told her it was all a joke. If he wasn't so terrified of her, he might have even tucked a strand of Darcy's curls behind her ear right now. He studied her face, hovering so close above his own. There was no mask of confidence this time and no sign of the Darcy from the steel mill, only the whirlwind of fear and anger that he was all too familiar with. His heart clenched painfully.

Billy spoke gently. "Darcy, I know you're angry and confused. But please, listen to me—"

Darcy tightened her hold on Billy. "No, you listen to me. I know this town thinks that I'm a kidnapper and probably much, much worse now. And I thought you were better than them, that you chose to believe me instead, but it turns out you're no different from everyone else. So you can keep up your superiority and savior complex of yours, but it doesn't erase the things you've done."

Billy frowned, fighting against Darcy's physical hold on him. "I'm no savior, Darcy, and you don't know the things I've done. And you don't even know the things you've done."

Darcy released her grip on Billy, allowing him to sit up. "What are you talking about?"

Billy brushed himself off and began to recount everything he'd seen and been told.