PARANORMAL | ❝Nothing is stranger than believing...❞
Cath knows a thing or two about Will Byers. Daphne, on the other hand, knows virtually nothing about Tonya McCarthy. Still, none of that changes the fact that both of them have up and vanishe...
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FRIDAY 11th NOVEMBER, 1983
THE woodland floor is caged away from the bleak sky by the wiry, nude branches overhanging, now and then creaking under the weight of a bird perching there. Daphne has been hearing almost nothing but the crunch of dead leaves under her feet for... however long they've been walking now. She doesn't even know. But with every snapping twig or new sound she is alert, wondering if the monster is near.
She pulls her woollen fingerless gloves over her knuckles, hoping it will somehow provide extra warmth. It isn't the first time today she has wondered what she's really doing here. Daphne shoots a glance forward at Jonathan, and then Nancy behind him. Why is she committing her day to monster-hunting with a couple of sophomores, when she could be spending this time making further amends with Felix, or something else more useful?
For Tonya, she tells herself. And that she doesn't question. Maybe Tonya McCarthy isn't her closest companion in the world, but she is an innocent girl who might be in danger. If she can help, then of course she will...
Nancy stops in front of her, pulling out a flask of water and taking a swig. Daphne stops next to her and sticks her thumbs under her backpack straps. "You alright?" she asks.
"Yeah, just thirsty..." she replies, slipping the flask back into her bag and wiping some water from her mouth. They continue walking for a while, now falling into step with each other, before Nancy pipes up again. "Hey, have you noticed our siblings hanging out more recently?" she asks.
"What?"
"I mean... Cath and Mike. She's suddenly there all the time whenever I see him with his friends."
"Yeah," Daphne feels her features lighten as she purses her lips through a fond smile. "I think it's really nice, actually."
"Oh yeah, me too. It's just... pretty random. For years, the most I ever heard Mike talk about her was when the Middle School Science Fair came around. Who is it she's friends with again?"
"Pamela, Sandy and Gina."
"Right, that's it," Nancy snaps her fingers. "Well, all I can say is if he's let her hang out with them, she must be pretty special."
"She is special." Suddenly Daphne finds her heart sinking, as she thinks of her sister as of late. There's something about her the past few years. She just seems a little bit... sad. Like she has lost her colours. And worst of all, she thinks Cath might not even realise it. Daphne opens her mouth and shuts it again hesitantly; but it's too late, Nancy has already noticed.
