Stranger Love [Billy Hargrove]

Stranger Love -Chapter Twenty Four

Stranger Love

Chapter Twenty Four - Redemption

How had life continued since that night?

Anya wasn't sure. In fact, if it wasn't for the sun rising and setting, the calendar on the fridge being ticked off day by day courtesy of her Mom, Anya would swear time was standing still.

The first day after the upside down and general saving of Hawkins (probably even the world), Anya slept for 16 hours straight. She awoke, having missed the entire day of school, to an empty house and a note from Patricia, saying she was working at the diner.

Her Mom seemed distant. She wasn't unkind to Anya, and for the past week had been prone to random bouts of small talk. They hadn't discussed that night, nor Anya's powers. Patricia was scared, Anya knew this. She could see it in the subtle glances her mother would warrant, the not so hidden fear in her eyes or the worst one – the despairing look of utter sadness.

Patricia thought Anya made a massive mistake, discovering her powers. Anya battled with this notion constantly, wondering the very same thing. Her dreams were full of fire, flames surging and hot and wanting to be released, wishing to be free from her. Did they have a life of their own? Had she truly opened Pandora's box?

She ignored the phone calls from Gemma, Steve and even once or twice, Billy. All three had even knocked on the door asking for her, but she'd insisted her Mom say she was ill, or out. Anya couldn't face any of them, couldn't face the reality that was bound to catch up with her in one way or another.

Her bedroom was becoming her safe haven, a place to hide from the world and its harsh stare. Unfortunately, seven days of barricading herself away and she had become stir crazy. The walls felt as if they were going to start pushing in and crush her, like the scene from Stars Wars, so she rolled out of bed from her blanket burrito with an idea.

"Oh, hi honey," Patricia said in surprise, as Anya padded down the stairs in a pair of denim jeans and a jumper. "Going out?"

"Yeah...going to take Bracken for a walk," She responded, pulling on her coat and scarf.

"Do you want me to go with you?" Her Mom suggested sincerely.

"I'm good...just need to go and clear my head, you know?"

"Sure. Just try to get back before it gets dark, then,"

Anya nodded, as Bracken started dancing around the hallway once she spotted the lead in her owner's hand. She marched past Billy's house quickly, hoping he wasn't in and hadn't spotted her, taking Bracken into the forest.

The earth was hard and biting cold, frozen from the lowest temperatures they'd had in Indiana in decades. Anya noticed the change in the air the moment El closed the gate. It was like a weight had been lifted, like the sky was back in its rightful place, rather than hanging low and heavy over the small town.

According to Dustin and the others, any demodogs that were out of the upside down when El shut the gate would be dead, considering the young girl had cut them off from their source. It still didn't stop Anya from jumping occasionally at a shadow in the tress, or the rustling of an animal in the undergrowth.

She kept walking, further and further in. Anya realised she needn't have bothered with her coat; she couldn't feel the cold in the slightest. Finally stopping to take a breath, she pulled off both her scarf and coat, setting them on the ground. Bracken milled around, tail wagging happily, as Anya let her palms flare.

The fire danced just above her skin. The flame was blue where it was the closest to her flesh, then faded into orange and yellow. She wondered if her entire body could be amerced in the flames, though she hadn't bought out any spare clothes – the leg of her green jumpsuit from her escapade through the tunnels had been burnt to a crisp. If this was the case, would her hair burn? Or because it was part of her, was it flame proof?