the flea and the acrobat

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SUE STOOD BEHIND HER NIECE IN THE MIRROR, brushing the shoulders of her black dress out with a sigh. On the other side of the room, Lucas stood in front of his father as he helped him tie his tie, making sure it was even and correctly tied.

Scarlett braided Erica's hair into a bun as the little girl sat in front of the mirror, unamused at the fact it was taking this long to braid her hair.

Scarlett knew the funeral would be hard to get through. But not because of the pain of losing a loved one, but instead, knowing that Will wasn't even dead, but no one else knew. Staring at herself in the mirror, standing in her black dress, felt weird to her. Will wasn't dead, but he definitely shouldn't be in danger either. He was only a boy. A scared little boy who was hiding. He was alone, cold and losing hope. It made her feel worse about attending his funeral.

Suddenly, her room was empty. Short, quiet clicks were heard. The sounds seemed to be traveling around the corners of her room, bouncing off the walls. "Lucas?" She called out, hoping someone would hear her. She squeezed her eyes shut as the clicking and growls gradually became louder.

"Scarlett?" A soft voice pulled her out of the darkness. A voice which she recognized, it belonged to Will. She felt the pit in her stomach growing larger as she heard the voice behind her.

"Will?" She opened her eyes, staring into the mirror she was still facing. Will stood behind her, drained of color and wide eyes. His veins were apparent and bright blue, red rimmed his eyes. He looked like a living corpse. Horrified by his appearance, she took a step back into her vanity.

"Why are you scared? It's just me." Will advanced towards her, speaking in a creepily eerie tone. Scarlett felt uncomfortable in the presence of Will. Putting two and two together, she soon realized that this was not Will. This was something else.

Knocking over the items on her vanity, she tried to take another step back, shooting her finger out. "Stop! Don't come any closer." She stuttered. Her attempt of being commanding came out weak.

"Scarlett? Open your eyes." Will started, taking another step towards her.

"What?" She shook her head, more confused now.

Will's voice gradually faded away, her aunt's voice filling the void again. "Scarlett? Open your eyes, please. I can't put mascara on with your eyes closed." Sue tapped her niece's cheek with a soft laugh.

Scarlett opened her eyes, looking back and forth as her scattered mind slowly pieced itself back together. "Oh, um. Yeah, yeah. Mascara." She was hallucinating, her mind was messing with her. She forced a smile up at her aunt as she let her apply the mascara onto her eyelashes.

The door swung open as Erica waltzed in, facing Scarlett. "Your smelly boyfriend is here." Erica sassed, crossing her arms over her chest.

Scarlett rolled her eyes, turning to see Benjamin Clemson just walking through the door. He sent her a small smile and wave, to which she returned. As he greeted everyone else in the room, Scarlett turned to Erica.

"He is not my boyfriend, Er. He's my best friend. And that's not gonna change." She explained to an unimpressed Erica, who still stood with her arms crossed, tapping her foot. "What, Erica? We're friends. Right, Ben?" She turned to Ben, who stood with Lucas as the young boy gave him a high five.

"Oh, yeah." Ben nodded vigorously, seeming to almost give himself whiplash. "Friends. Best friends." He shoved his hands in his pant pockets. The room was silent as they nodded and stared at the boy. "Um, should we get going soon?" Ben broke the silence, pointing his thumb to the door.

Scarlett felt awkward explaining her and Ben to her family, as they were best friends, nothing more. She shot him a nod, swinging open the door and motioning for Ben to come with her. "We'll meet you there." She said to her family, Ben waving to them as he shut the door behind him. "Gosh, they never listen to anything I say."

She sat herself in the passenger seat of Ben's car and waited for him to get into the drivers seat before bursting into a full blown rant. "Don't get me wrong. I love them so so much and I'm so grateful for them, but I feel like they think I'm crazy sometimes, when I say something, I mean. Like, I feel like I don't belong with them. They didn't have to take me in."

"Scar. They took you in with no hesitation. I mean, if I saw a baby on my doorstep I most definitely would leave that little shit out there. And crazy is good. I love your crazy." With one hand on the wheel, he began to excessively use hand motions with his free hand to explain, taking his eyes off the road to grin at her.

She laughed at his words, but nonetheless she appreciated them. "You love my crazy?" She furrowed her brows, the smile on her face growing.

"Obviously. You wouldn't be Scarlett without it." He nodded, stating very matter of factly. The two shared a happy look, Ben focusing on the road once again.

They pulled into the cemetery, immediately taking notice of the large crowd of people. "Must be Will's." Scarlett said, keeping her eyes on the crowd.

Ben hummed, parking the car and stepping out with Scarlett not too far behind him. "Is that Katie Hayes?" Ben's face lit up with amusement. The Katie Hayes in their grade wouldn't hesitate to call Jonathan a freak, yet here she was, crying at Will Byers funeral with her little sister.

"I think it is." Scarlett's jaw sat on the floor as they continued walking towards the funeral. "Oh it definitely is."

"You're fucking with me. No way." Ben laughed, slightly skipping. Earning a glare from Scarlett, he readjusted himself, clearing his throat as they stood behind Lucas.

"Fear not, for I am with you." The pastor began speaking to the crowd, everyone silent as they listened to him. The boys laughing was clear as day, causing Scarlett to kick Lucas in the leg and tell him to act more upset. "Be not dismayed, for I am your God.. I will strengthen you. Yes, I will help you. I will uphold you,with my righteous right hand."

Scarlett scanned the crowd, noticing a boy already looking her way. She sent Jonathan a sympathetic smile and wave to which he returned, and observed the rest of the crowd. Her smile wiped off her face as she realized Steve wasn't there. Of course Steve wouldn't go, he didn't care that much.

Dustin let out a short laugh, elbowing his two friends and nodding in the direction of the Hayes family. "Just wait 'till we tell Will that Jennifer Hayes was crying at his funeral." His friends grinned, but earned a hush from Karen and a kick to the leg from Scarlett.

As the funeral concluded and people began to stray away from the grave, Jonathan approached Scarlett with an urgent message in his mind. "Meet me in ten." He whispered to her, leaving the girl confused but she nodded.

A short but suspenseful ten minutes later, Scarlett rushed around the cemetery in search for Jonathan, with Ben following behind her like a lost puppy. She immediately sat down when she found Jonathan and Nancy behind an enclosed grave.

"Hey, Scarlett. Ben." Jonathan smiled at them, holding out the map so they could all see. "This is where we know for sure it's been, right?" He pointed out the X marks on the map, earning nods from the two girls but leaving Benjamin more confused than he's ever been.

"So that's..."

"Steve's house." Jonathan finished Nancy's sentence, he moved his finger over to another cross on the paper. "And that's the woods where they found Will's bike. And that's my house."

Scarlett felt a sickening feeling growing in her stomach. "Um, can I see that? For a second?" She reached out for the paper, Jonathan handing it to her without hesitation. She pulled a pen out from her purse, drawing an X by Hawkins lab which stood oddly close to the woods where Will went missing. "That's where I saw it." She stated, handing the map back to Jonathan.

"It's all so close." Nancy stared wide eyed at the map.

"Y-Yeah. Exactly." Jonathan stared at Scarlett for a moment, composing himself and continuing on confidently. "I mean, it's all within a mile or something. Whatever this thing is.. it's not traveling far."

"You want to go out there." Nancy looked at the boy next to her with realization in her eyes. Scarlett could tell that she was worried and maybe even a little scared, but would go, nonetheless.

"We might not find anything."

"I found something." Nancy said, looking from Jonathan to Scarlett. "And she did too. But if we do.. see it. Then what?"

"We kill it."

"Oh hell yes. I'm so ready to kick that things ass." Scarlett threw her hands up triumphantly, Nancy and Jonathan laughing as she cheered.

"What is it? Why are we killing it?" Ben yelled, clearly panicked and seemingly ready to yank his hair out.

"Bold of you to assume you're coming." Scarlett laughed, earning a glare from Ben. "We could use an extra hand though. You have to promise not to freak out like you just did right there though."

"I promise."

"So, the thing we're talking about is a giant monster thing with no face. We don't know where it came from, but we do know it took Will and most likely Barb too." Scarlett carefully explained to Ben, who had the same confusion plastered on his face since they first met with Jonathan and Nancy.

"What? No, no. You're messing with me. Monsters aren't real." Ben shook his head vigorously, not quite understanding his best friends explanation.

"Well then, believe what you want to believe. We," She motioned to her, Jonathan and Nancy. "have a monster to kill."

"Meet me at the field through the woods behind my house." Jonathan said to the two girls. "And you too Ben, if you decide to believe us."

✄ - - - -

Scarlett scavenged her entire house for a certain item she knew was hidden somewhere. She opened drawers, searched in boxes, looked under mattresses and still couldn't find anything. She pulled apart the entire office, still finding nothing.

There was only one place left to check.

Rushing to the fireplace, she immediately reaching into the chimney. Running her hand up the brick wall, she felt an opening where a brick should be. Her hand touched a cold piece of metal, grabbing it and pulling it out.

Her face lit up when she realized what she was holding. In her hands was her uncles gun, an weapon she would use to finally kill the creature terrorizing her and her friends.

Jumping up, the girl rushed to her bike, deciding that taking her car would maybe not be the absolute best option for this mission. She biked as quickly as she could to the field, the gun strapped to her waist.

Gunshots were heard in the distance, indicating that Jonathan was practicing his aim. The teenager dropped her bike on the ground, approaching the sound of the shots. She walked into the clearing and realized Jonathan wasn't hitting anything. She stifled a laugh as she pulled out her gun, aiming and firing. She hit each of the five empty cans that sat on the logs, causing Jonathan to jump at the sudden sound.

"If you want to use that gun I suggest you maybe try and hit the cans." Scarlett pat the boys shoulder, looking back at him as she set the cans back up. "Were you like, aiming for the grass or something?"

"Yeah. Definitely." Jonathan nodded, his voice cracking a bit due to embarrassment.

"Try again." Scarlett joined him, standing by his side as he aimed for the can in the middle again. He pulled the trigger, the bullet flying past the can. While it was level with the metal, it was no where near close.

"You're supposed to hit the cans, right?" A voice called out in the distance. Nancy Wheeler approached the two, a bat in her hand.

A smile tugged at Jonathan's lips, "No actually, you see the spaces in between the cans? I'm aiming for those."

Nancy looked at Jonathan then at Scarlett for confirmation. "He's not aiming for those." Scarlett laughed, putting her own gun away.

"You ever shot a gun before?" Jonathan asked Nancy, fumbling with the weapon in his hands.

Nancy scoffed, "Have you met my parents?"

"Yeah, I haven't shot one since I was ten." Jonathan chuckled. "My dad took me hunting on my birthday. He made me kill a rabbit."

Scarlett expression softened. She remembered how upset Jonathan was after his first and last hunting trip. He came to her crying because he felt bad. So little ten year old Scarlett made him a grilled cheese in hopes he'd feel better, because she hated when he was sad.

"A rabbit?"

"Yeah," Jonathan began, taking his gaze of Nancy and looking at his hands instead. "I guess he thought it would make me into more of a man or something. I cried for a week. And Scarlett made me a grilled cheese every day of that week."

"Jesus."

"What? I'm a fan of Thumper." Jonathan grinned.

"I meant your dad."

"Yeah. I guess he and my mother loved each other at some point, but.. I wasn't around for that part." Jonathan cocked the gun, debating on shooting it again.

Nancy reached out for it, and Jonathan handed it to her without a second thought. "Just, uh.. point and shoot." The boy glanced at her before looking at the target.

"I think she's got it, Jonathan." Scarlett laughed quietly, earning a glare from Jonathan.

"I don't think my parents ever loved each other." Nancy told them, pointing the gun towards a can.

"They must've married for some reason.."

"My mom was young.. my dad was older. But he had a cushy job, money, came from a good family. So, they bought a nice house at the end of the cul-de-sac.. and started their nuclear family."

"Screw that." Scarlett and Jonathan mumbled in unison.

"Yeah. Screw that." And with that, Nancy pulled the trigger, knocking the middle can off the log. Scarlett grinned from ear to ear.

A rustling was heard in the bushes behind them, causing the two girls to immediately cock their guns and aim at the bushes. A yelp was heard as the rustling continued. "Don't shoot! It's me!" Benjamin Clemson rose out of the bushes, walking towards them. "Two girls with guns? I'm not sure if I trust that."

Scarlett gasped. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"No! No! Not like that. Like-" Ben thought for a moment, coming up with nothing. "Sorry, Scarlett." He hung his head as he approached the group with a sad sigh. "Girls with guns are seriously badass." He looked at the two and grinned, a grin to which they returned gladly.

"Should we get going?" Nancy suggested, pointing towards the woods with her gun resting in her pocket. "Before it gets too dark.."

The group agreed quickly, and they began their trek through the woods with all their necessary essentials. The boys carried bats, while the girls kept their guns at the ready. Scarlett slowed her pace to walk beside Ben. She wanted to throughly explain what was going on before fully throwing him into the fire.

"You know you didn't have to come, right?" Scarlett looked up at her best friend, who already had been looking at her.

He shrugged, "I wanted to."

She pressed her lips together, nodding slowly. "So, this thing we're up against. It's not like anything you've seen before. It's a monster, all jokes aside. It's tall and gray, skinny and slimy, and it had no face. Or.. well. When it's head opens, it looks like a flower, but with a bunch of teeth. And it's always hungry. For people, animals.. I don't even know if it can die or not." Scarlett explained. "For all we know, it took Will, took Barb, and who knows who's next."

"You're gonna need that gun then." Ben let out an exasperated laugh. "Don't miss."

"I never miss." Scarlett simply shrugged, walking ahead again and investigating an inhuman footprint by a tree. It seemed to end at that specific tree though.

"You know, I was actually starting to think that you were okay." Nancy said in the distance, arguing with Jonathan. Ben and Scarlett shared a looks, rushing towards them.

"Yeah?" Jonathan's voice held a pang of heartbreak and sadness as he listened to Nancy.

"Yeah. Yeah, I was thinking, Jonathan Byers, maybe he's not the pretentious creep everyone says he is." Nancy approached Jonathan as Ben and Scarlett watched from a distance.

"Well, I was just starting to think you were okay. I was thinking, Nancy Wheeler, she's not just another suburban girl who thinks she's rebelling by doing exactly what every other suburban girl does.. until that phase passes and they marry some boring one-time jock who now works sales and they live out a perfectly boring little life at the end of a cul-de-sac. Exactly like their parents, who they thought were so depressing. But now hey, they get it." Jonathan yelled, leaving Nancy standing with her jaw on the ground.

"Oddly specific." Ben whispered to the girl beside him. Scarlett had to stifle her laugh. Of course it was specific, it was her parents.

They followed after Nancy and Jonathan, creating small conversation with each other while both Nancy and Jonathan stayed quiet. The sun set and the stars came out, twinkling through the trees as they walked. Moonlight gave the forest floor a shimmery appearance. The four pulled out their flashlights, turning them on and shining them around the forest in hopes they would see something abnormal.

Nancy suddenly stopped, the group stopping with her. Jonathan turned around to face her with a groan, "What, are you tired?"

"Shut up." She hushed him, listening to her surroundings.

"What?"

"I heard something." Nancy said. Everyone was silent as they listened for a moment. It was barely audible, but they heard whimpering coming in from the right.

Without hesitation, they followed the sounds of the whimpers, the noise becoming louder and louder as they approached. A deer was laying on the ground, injured beyond nursable. The only way to help it was to put it out of its misery.

"It's been hit with a car." Nancy stated, reaching down to touch it as it slowly lifted its head to look at her. "We can't just leave it."

Nancy hesitantly lifted her gun, aiming at the deer as she fought back the tears welling in her eyes. Jonathan noticed and reached out for the gun, "I'll do it."

"I thought you said-"

"I'm not nine anymore." Jonathan interrupted her, taking the gun with confidence as he aimed it.

The four teens stared at the deer with sadness written all over their faces. Just as Jonathan was about to pull the trigger, the deer was violently yanked back into the bush, a loud growl echoing off the trees.

Gasps were heard as they stared at the blood stained ground where the deer once laid. "What was that?" Nancy breathed out, fear in her eyes.

"That has got to be.. it." Scarlett's eyes were widened as she shined her flashlight over the bloody trail the deer had left. "We have to follow it."

"Are you crazy?" Nancy whisper yelled, staring at the girl while shaking her head.

"We said we wanted to kill this thing, yeah?" Ben pushed himself past the four, raising his eyebrows at them.

"Well, yeah.. but-" Nancy began.

"No buts. Let's follow the trail." Ben gave a small smile and nod, walking on. Scarlett happily ran after the boy, grinning as she did so. She was proud of him, he was putting himself right into a situation he knew nothing about and led the way.

"Where'd it go?" Nancy whispered. They had been following the trail for a quite a bit.

"I don't know." Jonathan answered, looking around. "Do you see any more blood?"

"No." The three others said in unison, realizing the blood trail had ended.

Scarlett noticed Nancy staring at a tree, and decided to follow after her. "Whatcha looking at?" Scarlett watched Nancy jump, placing a hand on her heart.

"Oh my gosh, you scared me!" Nancy shoved her, then pointed at the tree. "Look."

The smile on Scarlett face faded quickly as she saw the opening in the tree. "What.. is that." Scarlett asked, not taking her eyes off the tree. It was big enough for the two of them to fit in, but not big enough for the boys.

"I don't know." Nancy whispered, standing beside her friend and staring at the exact same thing as her. She still wasn't sure if she was seeing straight. Matter of fact if either of them were actually seeing what they were looking at.

"Let's see then." Scarlett shrugged and approached the tree, squatting down to the level of the opening. Cautiously reaching her hand in, her expression morphing into one of disgust as she felt the grimy and liquidy substance of the abnormal material. Using all of her power to push forwards, she held her breath and crawled into the opening, through to the other side. Nancy followed suit, not wasting a second.

She stood up, smacking her flashlight as it flickered on and off before looking up to observe her surroundings. Scarlett looked around in shock whispering slowly, "Was that a fucking portal or something.."

"I have no clue." Nancy responded. The two looked around aimlessly. The new world they were in looked like Hawkins, like the forest they were in but but snowy, and cold. Dark and covered in vines. It was Hawkins, but not.

Something in the distance caught Scarlett's eyes, causing her to freeze and launch her arm out, stopping Nancy in her tracks as well. The creature with no face sat in front of the deer, gnawing on the skin of it.

The two slowly backed away, one step at a time with horror written all over their faces. One more step back and Nancy stepped on a twig, snapping it. The monster took notice, snapping its head around and letting out an ear piercing scream in the direction of the girls.

Nancy and Scarlett ran away from it. They ran as fast as they could from the beast, not stopping until they found a solid area to hide. Squeezing themselves behind a tree, they took a moment to catch their breath. "Holy shit, holy shit, holy shit." Scarlett whispered, heaving in and out as she tried to calm herself down.

On the other side, Ben and Jonathan had heard the girls screams, rushing in the direction only to find Nancy's bag and bat sitting on the ground.

"Scarlett? Nancy?" Jonathan's panicked voice rang out, not receiving a response.

"Shit." Ben ran a frustrated hand through his hair as he presumed the worst. "Scar? Nancy?" He was scared his friends had ran into the beast, and now they were about to end up like Will.

The boys never noticed the portal to another world slowly closing, instead they walked away, searching elsewhere for their friends.

✄ - - - -

3972 words

happy birthday to me😁