✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* 　eight　 *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

- diva, camélia jordana

" diva rêve à la vie d'avant
rêve rêve
au temps des soupirs des soupirants "

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* 　gracie's memory　 *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

The two waited out the morning for sunlight before they began walking through the forest. It was around seven am when they heard the noises of a construction unit.

The two had no ways of communication to the way of the group as Gracie had accidentally slung water onto the walkie-talkie when she was trying not to drown.

She completely felt bad about the whole ordeal, it ruined something that wasn't hers. So she'd just have to give Dustin her own when she and Steve get back home.

There was an obvious amount of tension between the two from yesterday, neither knew if it was mainly because of Gracie's confession or the freak out she had on the boat.

Either way it had to do with Gracie and they both knew that. She hasn't told him of the visions she's been seeing, or told anyone besides her counselor.

The two were supposed to be staking out the construction unit but Gracie couldn't take her eyes away from Eddie Munson leaned up against a tree. It was as if time had slowed down and she was truly allowed to take in every detail he had to offer.

Mostly, her eyes couldn't peek from his face. Every time he swept his tongue across his lips all she could think about was the first time they ever hooked up. She could see his lips moving but all she could truly see were the crinkles in his cheeks when he pronounced certain words.

His head turned allowing her to take in his brown eyes under the sunlight. Her brows nearly knit together as he started waving his hand in front of her face.

His lips were still moving but it took him snapping his fingers in he face to bring her back."-cie, are you there?"

She blinked rapidly, a pink blush coming to her cheeks. "Yes, sorry. What were you saying?" He smirked to himself looking at her flustered form. "I'm going to go see if I can snag a walkie off of those guys, and you can stay here where you'll be safe, princess."

Princess. It reminded her of someone but she couldn't remember who. Ever since the boat she felt as if she was starting to lose memory of certain things. She found herself dozing off more often, daydreaming almost walking into trees, and humming the tune of 'edge of seventeen'.

"Whatever you say." She agreed with a smile, bopping his nose before giving him a kiss on the cheek. "I'll be back before you know it." He crouched down against the dirty and ran off towards the construction site.

She huffed out a breath in worry when he exited her sight. She may have acted fine with him going out there but she truly wasn't.

She'd known that by now Jason had reported their whereabouts to the police. She hasn't known if she'd been named as an accomplice yet or if Jason thought she was kidnapped from the way she acted last night.

Kicking a small rock she walked off around the woods, thinking she was going on an circle but she truly wasn't. Eddie crouched behind a truck, seeing a man leave his belt on the truck and going into the porta potty.

Quickly, he moved making sure no one was look as she snagged the walkie from the holster. Turning back around he walked in the direction he came from but seeing no sign or the bronze haired girl.

"Gracie?" His heart began to beat harshly against his chest. The thoughts of 'what if's' running through his mind. What if someone took her? What if she got lost? What if she got caught?

His breath hitched in his throat as the crunch of the dead leaves sounded from someone's feet. He hid behind a windowing tree seeing their shoulder and a black leather jacket on their figure.

"Jesus, where the hell have you been?" He breathed out as he came from behind the tree startling her. "Holy shit nuts! I could've peed myself just then!" She held her heart as she leaned against the tree to catch her breath.

"I was, um... I was walking around in a circle but then I realized it wasn't a circle more of a octagon, and I sorta got lost for a bit." Eddie sighed rubbing his fingers against his temples. "All right, if you weren't Gracie Hopper..."

He grabbed her hand behind to walk off, mumbling the last few words. He lead her to skull rock a mile away from the construction site, she had never been there before she had actually been amazed at the sight.

She let go of his hand walking to the side of it. "Oh my shit! It does look like a skull." She pointed to it with a grin that nearly reached her ears. Her legs bending back and forth before she clapped her hands together.

"That's why I'm in love you." Eddie muttered to himself a small smile on his lips, walking towards the girl pulling her back against his chest when she turned.

"Let's get in contact with the lollipop guild." He pecked her lips when her turned her head up at him, moving to the top of the rock. Gracie's fingers trailed over her lips feeling them curve under her fingertips.

She followed him up to the top of the rock which he basically pulled her up with no issues when he saw her walk over. "Dustin, can you hear me? Wheeler?" He spoke into the the walkie-talkie.

"Eddie. Holy shit. Are your guys okay?" Eddie shook his head, rubbing his fingers against his eye. "Nah, man. Pretty.. Pretty goddamn far from okay." He laughed a laugh full of sarcasm before he let his eyes follow Gracie who laid on her stomach looking at him with a frown.

"Where are you?" She tore her eyes away from him staring at the skull like features on the rock. "It's a goddamn skull." She whispered almost as if she were mesmerized. "Skull Rock. Do you know it?" He smiled at her seeing the way she traced the skull through the air with her finger.

"That's near Cornwallis and-" Dustin was interrupted as her, basically, brother's voice came through the end. "Garrett, yeah. I know where that is."

Gracie shot up from the rock reaching her hand out at Eddie. "Ooh, can I talk to Steve really quick?" She pouted her lip out when he pursed his at her. Sighing, he handed over the walkie-talkie allege to talk to him.

"Steve!" She waited a few seconds before he answered back, "Gracie!" She smiled, accidentally biting the inside of her cheek. "Ow. Wait. I need you to bring me some tissues and ice or tylenol! Thanks, bye."

She pushed the antenna down turning off the volume and shoving the walkie back at Eddie. Gracie slid off of the rock and went down under the giant skull of a rock.

Eddie sighed following after her, nearly landing face first in the dirt. "Shit." He brushed any excess dirt from his jeans sitting himself beside her under the rock. "So what do we do now?" He asked, playing with strands of her hair, moving closer to her so their legs touched.

"We could make out." She suggested with a shrug. Eddie nearly froze his hand stopping in her hair as he gulped deelply. "Are you serious?" His tongue slipped from his mouth swiping against his already wet lips.

"Yes but no?" The two stared at each other before sooner than later they found their lips molded together, Gracie on top of his lap, legs on either side of him.

Her hands tangled up in hair nearly grinding against his jeans. His hands moved from her waist ti her bottom, only going as low as she allowed him previously.

Eddie took his lips from hers giving her one more peck before kissing against her cheek down to her neck. She drew one hand from his hair placing it in the rock for support, eyes fluttering closed.

"Goodness, Gracie Hopper. You are truly one of a kind." He gazed into her eyes, both of their lips slightly plump and red, the hair on their head tousled.

She smiled at him before bringing her lips back down to meet his. "God, I love you Eddie Munson." She said without a thought, the words just pouring from her mouth as she mumbled against his lips.

His hand froze on her shorts but he tried to shake the feeling off for now, moving his lips against hers. Eddie didn't know how he felt when it came to love of the sorts. He had only received the smallest of the such from his uncle who he adored but he never truly said it to someone before.

It scared him, he knew he held love for the girl he just didn't know how to tell her. All he knew was that over the course of the seven months he started to grow madly in love with a someone who was just meant to be his fling.

The sound of Steve boasting drew their lips from each other in a fright, but she couldn't moved from his lap as their hearts raced together.

Her cheeks flushed when all six of them stared at the girl sitting on his lap, taking in each one of their appearances. "He, um, he had something in his uh..."

Steve walked forward crouching down with a smirk. "What? In his mouth?" He laughed loudly, patting her shoulder as he stood. Eddie's eyes moved from Steve to Dustin who stared at them in total shock.

"You, Dustin Henderson, are a total butthead." Dustin's one of a kind grin appeared on his lips as he threw himself forward to wrap his arms around two.

"Jesus, I though you guys were goners." Eddie removed his hand from the pocket of Gracie's shorts to Dustin's back. "Yeah, me too, man." Dustin suddenly moved back, face contorted into disgust.

"Ew, don't touch me with that hand, or any hand for the fact. Nasty." He walked away back to the group, trying to wipe the back of his jacket clean.

Gracie rolled her eyes playfully, standing up from Eddie's lap, lending him a hand to get up. He smiled, taking her hand and pulling himself from the ground. "Thanks, sweetheart." He patted her bottom before walking to the guys.

Max pulled Gracie's flustered form away from the rock looking at her in bewilderment. "Since when were you 'fucking-fucking' Eddie 'The Freak' Munson?"

Gracie placed her hand over her mouth looking around at nothing in particular while she mumbled, "Since, like, September..." Max's eyes widened as she threw her headphones off of her head. "Septem-!"

Gracie covered her mouth stopping her form spewing the information to the rest of the group. The group made Eddie and Gracie sit down and explain what happened.

"When I got to the shore, I tried calling you guys, but, uh," He took a swig from the canteen, handing it to Gracie allowing her a drink before screwing the lid back on when she finshed, "my walkie was busted, man."

Gracie winced as she remembered how she accidentally destroyed Dustin's walkie. "Drenched. So, uh, I did the think that I do now, apparently. I took Gracie and I ran." He chuckled sarcastically, wiping the dripping water from his lips.

"Do you know what time this was? The attack?" Nancy asked. "Yeah, no, I... I know exactly what time it was. My walkie wasn't the only thing that got soaked." He undid the band of his electric watch throwing it at Nancy to catch.

"Nine twenty seven." She read. "Same time our flashlights went kablooey." Robin cleared. "Which means what, exactly?" Steve questioned utterly confused. "That-that surge of energy was Vecna attacking Patrick."

Nancy threw the watch back at Eddie. "Gracie probably doesn't want me to tell you guys this but, um, she's not exactly been 'oh so normal Gracie' the past forty eight hours."

The group stared at him motioning for him to continue as their eyes all flickered to Gracie, even Dustin as he paced, seeing her head tilt down in shame.

"First, she looked like she had just woken up from a nightmare, cold beads do sweat, pale, breathing fast. She told me she was fine so I let it go as a nightmare. Then, when we got on the boat she started freaking out after Patrick started floating in the air. She was crying, screaming for me even though I had her in my arms and she was holding onto me, she couldn't stop moving, don't let me even forget about the waterfall of blood pouring from her nose."

Eddie seemed extremely stress as he laid out all of the information to the group. Max stepped closer to the Hopper girl. Crouching down near where she was seated.

"Gray, have you been seeing things? Clocks? Vines? Hopper? Billy? Hearing chimes?" Gracie's breath hitched in her throat at the last word.

"Uh- after the, during the basketball game it was like I was taken somewhere when I went to the bathroom. I was still in the school but it was like the upside down when I went looking for Will."

Everyone stared at her as their theory came to play. Her hands wrapped around her neck, Eddie wanting to comfort her but couldn't from the shock holding him back.

"The clock... it was so loud, over and over the chimes! Then this man came." The group perked up, Max especially waiting for her to describe Vecna like she had seen.

"His hair was long and curly almost a blonde but almost brown. Really blue eyes and he had a wife-beater just covered in blood. His stomach was torn and there as so much blood. He spoke to me like he knew me and I spoke back like I knew him. Then- then..."

She recalled, wanting to put in the part where he held her against the wall but she couldn't, tears building up in her eyes. "Then I came back to my senses."

Max's brows furrowed as she ran her thoughts back over the girls words. "It was Billy?" Gracie's lips turned down staring into her eyes,

"Who's Billy?"

- from honey

... doo da doo da doooo