✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*🐝 *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧
AUDREY LEANED HER HEAD AGAINST THE GLASS OF THE WINDOW, WATCHING THE ROAD AS IT SPED PAST HER VERY EYES. The car had been filled with nothing but silence and it caused her mind to start racing. An image of Benny's limp body crashing into the ground flashed in her head and she winced, feeling a pang in her chest. It was almost unimaginable to believe that someone could be there one minute and the next... Gone, like a whisper in the wind.
It nearly hadn't occurred to her that although it seemed like Benny was all she had, it was also the other way around. Benny needed her and she felt an ounce of guilt weighing her down with each breath, not to mention Eleven, the young girl she had encountered and recently lost. They were two people she was responsible for taking care of and she had failed.
"So, " The voice from the driver's seat began. "You gonna tell me what you were doing out so late?"
"I was going for a stroll." She replied curtly, moving her gaze to her hands in her lap, fiddling her fingers around nervously.
"In the pouring rain?" Chief Hopper interrogated, not quite believing the lie.
Audrey gulped loudly, knowing she didn't have a single bone in her body that was capable of coming up with a decent enough lie. She was too honest.
"I was looking for someone, sir." She explained after a few minutes of awkward silence, shutting her eyes after the image of the bald girl flashed in her mind.
"Oh yeah? And who exactly were you looking for," Hopper pressed. "Because from what I've seen, you were the one everyone was looking for today."
Audrey's brows furrowed in confusion at his words.
"God, Addy. We thought you went missing... Just like--" He cut himself off, shaking his head in denial. The truth is, Chief Hopper saw his daughter in Audrey. Her bright nature and caring personality were what he had seen and hoped to see more of in his little girl in the coming years. Unfortunately for Hopper, the world wasn't finished punishing him.
Audrey's head shot up, curiosity running through her veins.
"Just like who? Who went missing?"
Hopper looked over at the girl briefly before focusing back on the road, sighing deeply.
"Will Byers."
The air was sucked out of the car like a vacuum, neither of them having anything left to say. Audrey's heart stung once more, feeling at fault for the disappearance of the child who was placed in her custody while his mother and brother went off to work. Images of Jonathan and Joyce now flashed in her mind, their crestfallen faces as they were looking for the boy that lit up their life.
"Take me to them, please." Audrey choked out, attempting to keep the tears at bay.
"Right now?" Hopper asked incredulously. "Hell no. It's late and they're probably asleep, as you should be."
Audrey knew Jonathan Byers and if someone he cared about went missing, he would definitely not be getting any sleep. But she also knew Hopper and was aware that he wouldn't relent.
So she nodded in agreement.
✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*🐝 *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧
The car slowed to a stop, signaling that the duo had reached their destination and Audrey gulped as her gaze landed on the house she grew up in for all these years.
"Thanks, sir. I really do appreciate it." She turned to the chief and smiled gratefully at him, reaching for the door when he grasped her arm to stop her.
His eyes held a certain urgency that caused Audrey's heart to drop.
"Just... Be safe. Okay, kid?"
She gulped and nodded, reaching for the handle of the car once more, freeing her from the vehicle. Small droplets of rain fell on her head, dampening her golden hair with every passing second as she paced up the steps. Each time her foot tapped against the pavement, she felt as if a small weight was added to her back.
Audrey made it to her doorstep and reached for her keys before another hand reached for her arm. Startled, she jerked to the side and let out a little squeak, looking up at her attacker.
Jonathan Byers.
His clothes were soaked in mud and water, his eyes were red to the brims and Audrey had assumed it was due to crying. Jonathan opened his mouth to speak but all that came out was a choked cry and he shut his eyes.
Everyone always wondered what it was about the Valentine girl that made her your go-to girl when there was an issue. Maybe it was the way she hugged the life out of you in a time of great sadness or even the way she left judgment completely out of the situation, just allowing you to be yourself for a few minutes. Something about Audrey seemed to allow people to feel safe; at home.
"Aw, come here." Audrey opened her arms wide, welcoming the boy into her arms.
They stayed like that for what seemed to be forever, simply holding each other at that moment. For Jonathan wasn't the only one that needed comfort that night.
-
I knoe this was an early post but I couldn't wait to say I'm back and better than ever! i decided to give you all a couple of chapters to make up for my absence and to also express my gratitude. thank you all so much for being so understanding these past two weeks. sophomore year was trying to kick my ass, haha. anyway, i really hope you enjoyed this chapter and have a wonderful day!!
quick note!! I changed the scene of Steve's p.o.v. Carol is no longer Audrey's sister and the girl who answers the door has been changed to Mrs. Valentine.
-g <3
