“It’s still on fire right now?”

“How exactly do you achieve something like that?”

     “ …i accidentally set the kitchen on FIRE. ”

     a slight squeal escapes the female at the sudden voice near her, dark eyebrows pulling together as she turns sharply over her shoulder. ❝ i-i… ❞ janie momentarily loses her ALREADY shaky grasp on speech in her shock before she releases a breath. ❝ looking… for food. ❞

no one. it’s her automatic response to the question, borne both out of her need to keep a low profile and the after effects of spending her formative years in the lab. under the watchful eye of the employees of hawkins lab, she’d been a gifted child, a promising weapon, or simply 004, but never mackenna, never anything other than their property. and for now, being no one was safer. so why didn’t she want to brush this child off? it was ridiculous to find her familiar. kenna had no family, no friends.

“ i’m no one. ” safer was better.

     Jonathan wasn’t going to reprimand some - lost looking - kid, simply in search of some food. You had to pretty hungry - if not starving - to go to desperate measures. Maybe he’d be mad for the breaking and entering- or… entering, as their door was unlocked after his mom had left. Jonathan was more confused than angry. And maybe he’d have a more clear head if he wasn’t still groggy from sleep. 

     “Where- where did you… come from?” he didn’t recognize the kid. And while Jonathan didn’t know every child that went to Hawkins Middle or Elementary, their town was small enough for recognition. “H-hey, I can, uh… I-I can… cook you something…” he offered, voice light, gentle. he didn’t want to scare the kid - who already seemed on edge as it was.

The eyes gaze in A S T O N I S H M E N T.  Another? The quietest gasp, “…Like me?” He must be safe– he must! He’ll surely understand, they’re suddenly connected, by something so vile and cruel. It’s enough to give her that C O U R A G E to slowly step forward, the guard is not fully let down, but she’ll open up just a little bit, “When?” When did he escape? This is unexpected, “Where are you now?”

THE GIRL MUTTERED UNDER HER BREATH, tapping her fingers on her thigh as she crossed the street. she had no reason for being in town, other than an intense desire to get away from billy. while her threats against him at the byers’ house had held him at bay for a while, he was slowly starting to become his normal, psychotic self again, and max knew that she was going to have to take care of it sooner rather than later. she’d been trying to come up with a plan for days on end — in fact, that’s precisely what she was doing when she crashed into the boy on the corner. startled by the unexpected presence, she yelped. ❝ holy shit, i am so sorry. i wasn’t paying attention and i just…  ❞ max trailed off after she looked at the boy in front of her. he was fairly pale, with deep bags under his eyes, and looked like he hadn’t eaten anything in days.  ❝ dude… are you okay? ❞

               steve couldn’t help but notice this guy  (  for the lack of a better word  )  eyeing him.   it was definitely strange, but for the most part, he seemed harmless.   perhaps a bit too harmless, but steve knew by now not to judge a book by its cover.   fighting the end of the world didn’t leave anyone unscathed, even if he tried to pretend everything was okay  (  lot of good that was doing  )  .   ❛ well, hi, ❜ he greeted, before taking a short pause.   ❛ i’ve never seen you around, you new ? ❜   he pretty much knew everyone in hawkins ; it was a small town, after all.