WARNING: DO NOT ENGAGE [stranger things] [1/2]

XXII - Where Is My Mind?

"With your feet on the air and your head on the ground

Try this trick and spin it, yeah

Your head will collapse

But there's nothing in it

And you'll ask yourself

Where is my mind?"

  •  

"Rosemary, Rosemary please look at me." Nancy begged, holding onto her friends shoulder. Rosemary sits up more, a hand over her heart as if she was trying to grip it, and with hesitancy she turned her head to face Nancy. Her breathing was ragged and scratchy, and her shoulders heaved with every breath. Nancy tried not to be disturbed by Rosemarys rapidly changing pupils, and put a hand on either of her friends shoulders. "Can you hear me? I need you to breath with me, okay?" Her voice shook and she tried desperately to keep calm (it was hard to with the strongest person in the world crumbling before her eyes).

She took a breath in, and thankfully Rosemary tried to mimic her action. It took a while for her to calm down, but Nancy knew there was progress when Rosemarys hand slipped from over her heart to go up over Nancys hand. She squeezed her eyes shut, shaking her head slightly, and her breathing seemed to even out.

"I'm sorry." She breathed, her voice rough.

"What happened?" Nancy asked, drawing her hands back to herself.

"I-" Rosemary shook her head. "I don't know. I'm fine, I'm sorry if that scared you."

"You don't look fine." Nancy said matter-of-factly. Rosemary smiled and raised an eyebrow at her. "I'm breathing, aren't I, Princess?" She said, shrugging. Her smile faded at Nancys serious expression. "What's up?"

"What happened to your arm?" Nancy said, nodding to Rosemarys arm. The four puncture holes under the side of her jacket, the dried blood around the hem of her sleeve. Rosemary muttered a curse, her hands running over her face momentarily, accidentally letting Nancy see the blood on the other wrist.

"Take off your jacket." She ordered. Rosemary looked at her, face unwavering, for a solid thirty seconds. "No." She said decidedly, reaching to restart the car. Nancy beat her to it and pulled the keys out of the ignition. "You're not driving. Not until you show me what happened." Rosemary stopped, hand still in the air from trying to reach for her keys, and she looked bewildered that Nancy took them.

"What the fuck? No. Give them back." She said incredulously.

"Not until you show me." Nancy said, giving her a firm look. Rosemary looked around, out of the car window where people walked by on the sidewalk. She shook her head. "Not here." Nancy pursed her lips, before digging the cigarettes and lighter out of the console and burying them in her pockets. Rosemary frowned at her hands, obviously itching to just take the stuff back. Nancy knew she was addicted to the damned cigarettes, and the lighter was one of her few consistencies. She held the keys out to Rosemary. "Then let's go somewhere you can show me."