This chapter contains mentions of a difficult topic. Please look at the trigger warning for more information and if you find yourself sensitive to this content, please do not read it. I will continue to provide trigger warnings when these things are present. Thank you for reading my descriptions and if you decide to continue, please proceed with caution and enjoy.

trigger warning: mentions of sexual assault, rape

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Looking in the mirror ahead of her, Emelia carefully examined her appearance. Her best friend, Lexi, and her were fianlly having a girls' day after countless weeks of planning. They had an entire list of things they wanted to do today – realistic and not – and Emelia wanted to look her very best. Due to their vastly busy schedules, the pair hadn't met up with each other in over a month. Of course, they saw each other at school but being that they had completely different schedules, they weren't able to do much other than wave or greet each other in the hallway for a brief second.

Emelia and Lexi had met in their middle school cafeteria, both desperately looking for a spot to sit that wouldn't make them stand out too much. Emelia was sitting all alone at an empty table towards the back of the lunch room and before she could comprehend what was going on, Lexi sat down right next to her. She bore a huge smile, slipping her arm around Emelia's shoulders like they had known each other all their lives and ever since that day, they have been inseparable.

Lexi was only a year younger than Emelia but that didn't separate them. Luckily for them, they had the majority of their classes together in middle school. Even if they were sitting across the room from each other, they always found a means to communicate. Despite how much their teachers tried to stop their activities, nothing could stand in the way of their friendship. They did homework with each other every night they could and sometimes when they just wanted to see each other, they would go for a quick run to the park on Main street.

After Emelia started high school and joined the HHH, she began to spend more time in the classroom and less time with her best friend. As far as Emelia knew, this hadn't affected their friendship very much. Every time they hung out, it was like nothing had changed. They were still the same goofy kids they were years ago – aside from the small differences that came with growing up.

Once Lexi had become a freshman, puberty hit her like a truck. She got her braces taken off and no longer wore her hair in her signature braids. They still sat with each other at lunch, but Emelia could tell something was different. Lexi would always be risking a glance over her shoulder at the cheerleaders and basketball players when she thought Emelia wasn't looking. It was obvious that she felt she was missing out so after a few days, Emelia began to spend her lunches elsewhere. She told Lexi that she was spending more time working on the paper so that she wouldn't feel bad but quite often, Emelia would find herself walking the barrier of the sidewalk kicking scattered pebbles across the road.

Lexi had caught up to Emelia after the game had come to a close and while everyone else was swarming the team on the court, she was standing in front of her demanding a girl's day. Emelia knew she stood no chance at turning down her best friend, especially now that she had this newfound glow about her, and eventually agreed. The entire ride home, her body pulsed with nerves. She was excited, of course, but a part of her was scared that they wouldn't get along as much as they used to.

Now, standing amidst the mess in her cramped kitchen, more important things played on her mind. Emelia couldn't shake last night's events, the same piercing eyes staring back at her every time she closed her eyes. She grabbed the remote out of habit, turning the channel to the news and stopped dead in her tracks. The sandwich she was holding fell to the ground, her mouth resting a gape as she moved forward. She turned the volume up more to listen as they elaborated on the murder in Hawkins.

"Holy shit," she muttered under her breath, bolting out the door without a moment's thought. She could see the feint lights of blue and red bouncing off neighboring trailers; it was just as she had thought. Not only was there a murder in her trailer park, but she was a potential witness.

Lexi's car was parked in front of her trailer, and she was yelling something to get her attention. Emelia held up her finger half-heartedly, not taking her eyes off the blinking lights for one second, before making her way towards the scene. The closer she got, the more engulfed she got in the crowd of both residents and press. She ignored the numerous questions and thoughts spurring to life in her brain and pushed herself towards the trailer. There was an officer positioned at the front of the crowd but thankfully for her, he was far too busy trying to manage the crowd that he hadn't seen her slip through.

Based on the parked ambulance in the driveway, they had still yet to retrieve the body from the trailer. Emelia took refuge behind a tattered trash can alongside the home and waited anxiously. She thought about peaking her head up to look through one of the neighboring windows but dismissed the thought, knowing it would be unwise to take her eyes away now. The gurney was brought out only seconds later and it was surrounded by a bundle of men trying to keep the case discreet. She stood up a little more, maneuvering her body to try to get a glimpse of the body as it passed her. She pursed her lips in frustration, figuring she wouldn't be able to see anything, before her eyes landed on the individual's disfigured hand stretching out from underneath the sheet.

She had seen that before.

Her blood drew cold and her posture immediately stiffened, causing her position to be given away.

"Hey!" an officer called out, drawing eyes on her. Wasting no time, Emelia bolted behind the trailer and began plotting out a path to escape her inevitable arrest. If she wasn't a suspect, she surely was now. She could only hope they didn't recognize her or get a good view of her face. She didn't realize she was barefoot until she felt the cold, rough ground digging into the skin on the bottom of her feet. She could tell someone was hot on her tail, the steel-toed boots and shouts sounding faintly from behind her.

Emelia looked around the trailer park for a place to hide, taking a moment to inhale a few deep breaths. She was convinced that all the blood in her body had been completely drained and replaced with pure adrenaline. Her eyes landed on the tattered familiarity that was Ms. Keating's trailer and a small chuckle escaped her throat.

"You'll do," she breathed, glancing in both directions before sprinting across the gravel pathway. The past few years had not been kind on the property. Debris was littered all across the lawn – some looking newer than others – and the tile on the trailer was covered in black mold and moss. Being that not a lot of people knew about the location, the trailer had been a key spot for parties and drug deals. Emelia had been invited to one just shortly after the trailer had been put up for sale but declined, the image of Ms. Keating's disheveled body still playing over and over in her head.

Throwing herself up the stairs, Emelia did her best to avoid the broken glass that decorated the wooden deck. She tugged on the door, groaning in frustration when it wouldn't open. Either it had been locked down after another bust or whomever was gatekeeping this trailer wanted it all for themselves. Either way, Emelia knew that unless she found some place to hide quickly, she was going to find herself handcuffed in the back of a police car within minutes. She scanned the property line for something to break the window with and within seconds, her eyes landed on a half-split brick.

Emelia wrapped her fingertips around the material, throwing it up into the air one time for good luck, and thrust it through the window. If she was going to be a criminal, she might as well add breaking and entering to the list of charges. Within seconds, she had managed to unlock the trailer and spin inside, her breathing heavy at her lips.

The inside of the trailer was in pretty good shape for what it had been through. Remains of previous parties were still present, beer cans and empty bottles of liquor scattered all about the interior, but aside from that, it looked as if Ms. Keating was going to come back at any moment.

She could definitely see why people took refuge here. It had everything one needed to survive. There were unlabeled cans sitting in the pantry that Emelia assumed to be vegetables and although the water didn't work, there were still a few unopened bottles of Aquafina that were left on the counter. All of the food in the fridge had gone bad and upon opening it, Emelia almost threw up. The roof wasn't in the best condition but it was being managed by scattered buckets placed on the floor to catch the water. They were almost halfway full now; if they weren't emptied soon, they would surely overflow.

Although it wasn't as big as some of the other trailers, there was still a lot of places one could sleep. The furniture was covered in plastic – more than likely a solution that the owners had placed to prevent the maximum amount of decay – and a few sleeping bags were scattered along the border of the room. Ms. Keating's bed was still in tact, the only flaws being a few tears and stains that Emelia assumed resulted from the lack of care.

Emelia risked a peek out of the blinds and scanned the area outside for any source of life. From what she could tell, the officers had officially lost her trail. She assumed they were patrolling the area now, all of them on high alert now that their security had been breached. She could see Lexi's car still parked in front of her trailer and although Emelia couldn't see exactly what she was doing, she knew that it probably wasn't a good idea to keep her friend waiting.

Removing her fingers from the blinds, Emelia opened the closet behind her and chuckled to herself. There was a few suitcases stacked on the floor and above them hung a vast amount of old clothing. Based on the varrying styles, she figured they had been left there from previous tenants. They must have been in a hurry to leave if they left it here, but she was thankful nonetheless.

After a few minutes of sorting through them, Emelia slipped on a loose blouse and a pair of capris to conceal her identity. She had taken a long piece of yarn from Ms. Keating's old sewing supplies and tied it around her waist to keep her pants from falling down and topped off her outfit with a large, red hat. There was no doubt in her mind that she looked ridiculous but if she had to choose between winding up in police custody or looking stupid, she definitely prefered the latter.

"Looking good, Ms. Keating," she teased, doing a twirl for her reflection in the body mirror on the wall. With such bright colors, she would surely stick out like a sore thumb. All she had to do was make it to Lexi's car without being seen, and she would be safe. That was her main goal. "You sure loved your patterns, didn't you?"

Peaking her head out of the door, Emelia made sure she was in the clear before she slipped outside with ease. She kept the door unlocked in case she was faced with a similar dilemma in the future, figuring it would be a good idea to have an escape route close by if she needed it. She made sure to keep her head down to avoid making eye contact with those who passed by and weaved behind the trailers to keep from being seen. The car was only a few yards away now; it was a straight shot.

"Of course, I'm sure."

Just before she was about to make a run for the car, Emelia heard voices around the corner of the trailer. She released a small gasp and plastered herself against the vehicle, covering her mouth to stifle her breathing. Based on the abrupt halt of the conversation, Emelia knew for a fact that she had been heard. Their footsteps grew closer, proceeding with caution, and it was in that moment that she believed she was a goner. She could hear the man's breathing now, meaning that there was only a few feet separating the two now.

"Michaelson, do you copy?" a mechanical voice sounded, interrupting the man's journey towards her. He let out a small sigh but before he could walkie back, the voice spoke again, "Michaelson, we need you back over here. We found something you might want to see."

The silence was deadly and for a moment, Emelia thought the man was going to whip around the corner and she would be faced with the barrel of a gun, but after a few moments, he replied back, notifying the individual that he was on his way. He said something to his partner – words that Emelia couldn't exactly make out – before disappearing back towards the crime scene.

Emelia didn't realize she was holding her breath until she grew purple in the face. She took one deep breath before she closed the distance between her and the car, jumping into the passenger seat without another word. Lexi turned to face Emelia with a surprised smile before examining her outfit. The grin slowly faltered and was replaced with a look of both disgust and confusion. She opened her mouth to say something but was interrupted with a shout from outside of the car.

"Hey!" Lexi and Emelia's heads whipped around and observed the officer making his way quickly towards the car. Emelia's posture didn't loosen and instead, she turned to face her friend with a grave look on her face.

"Drive."

"What - "

"Just drive, Lexi!" she shouted, her voice growing louder. Without anymore question, Lexi put the car in drive and slammed the gas pedal to the floor. The spinning of the wheels kicked up enough gravel to delay the man, and Emelia kept her eyes fixated on her side mirror as they left the man in the dust. Lexi took random roads to make sure she lost anyone who might possibly be following her and once she was certain they were in the clear, she turned to Emelia with her eyebrows raised.

"Okay," she spoke, searching for Emelia's eyes for some sort of information. Emelia was facing the window, contemplating her next moves. "Are you going to tell me what the hell that was about and why you are dressed for tea with my great-grandmother?"

"Have you looked at the news?" Emelia blurted, her body still jam-packed full of adrenaline. She wasn't sure what she was going to tell Lexi, because she, herself, didn't know all the details. All she knew was that whatever killed Ms. Keating was back and just like a few years ago, Hawkins' was trying to hide it. Perhaps, there was a serial killer lurking amongst the town. That would explain the mass amount of murders that had burned the town recently. Lexi furrowed her eyebrows, glancing between her friend and the road ahead of her.

"There was a murder in Forest Hills," she spoke, still keep her vision fixated on the window beside her. She was never good at keeping eye contact with people, especially in detrimental situations such as this one. She also didn't know how much she should fill Lexi in on. As much as she loved to think Lexi would keep her secret, she didn't want to risk getting caught. "They haven't released any names or anything though."

"Where was it at?" Lexi questioned and instead of answering immediately, Emelia stayed quiet. There was no point in trying to hide information that would come out either way. Surely, if she avoided the question, it would make Lexi even more suspecting of her. She glanced back towards Emelia, raising another brow.

"The Munson's trailer," she replied, her eyes now meeting her friend's. Although Emelia didn't know the boy very well, she couldn't help but have fear for him. Eddie and Emelia had gone to school together. He was two years older than her, but he had been held back a few years, placing him in the same grade as she was. They didn't interact much but from the little that she had seen, he didn't seem like the type to kill someone. That being said, nobody ever did.

"Okay," Lexi started, reverting her eyes back towards the road. Unsettling as it was, Lexi's posture relaxed a bit. "That still doesn't answer my question."

Turning her back to her friend, Emelia rolled down the window and reached her hand out, allowing the small sprinkle of rain to coat her fingertips. Finally, she said, "I may have went behind the officers' backs and snuck into a crime scene."

"Emelia - "

"You should have seen it, Lexi! It was just like they found Ms. Keating – all mangled and bloody and all that. Whatever the hell killed her is back and the police are treating it like just another death."

"Now, you don't know that - "

"You and me both know that! The only thing that matters to them is finding someone to blame to get everyone out of their hair. They don't care if they have an innocent man or not!"

"Jesus Christ, Emelia," she yelled, slamming on the breaks, and Emelia had to do everything in her power to stop her head from hitting the dash. They were both looking at each other in shock and annoyance. "They've already caught the guy who raped you . . . so just . . .  relax."

The pair sat in silence and for a moment, the pair of them were frozen. No one moved or said anything. Lexi continued driving again, trying to stifle her discomfort and regret from bubbling up. Her lips parted, and she blurted, "Emelia, I'm so sorry."

At the same time, Emelia turned her head to face the window and muttered, "Stop the car."

"What?"

"Stop the god damn car!"

Lexi pulled to the side of the road and before she had a chance to put the car into park, Emelia jumped out and started making her way down the sidewalk. She didn't have a destination in mind, but she was certain she would figure something out. Lexi jumped out of the car quickly after her, calling for to get back into the car, but Emelia just kept walking. She hadn't realized how far she had walked until she reached the train tracks downtown. She was certain Lexi had continued following her but when she turned around, the only thing she saw was the steady run of rush hour.

It was pouring now.

The only thing she could do was drown in it.

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Chapter two is complete!

The further I get in writing this novel, the more excited I am to release it. I haven't successfully finished writing a book in a very long time, and I think this is going to be the one to break that vicious cycle. I am almost halfway through with writing the book currently and despite having only released a few updates, I am already receiving so much positive feedback.

I might come back and edit (:

I really appreciate everyone reaching out and reading this story. It means a lot.

I believe Eddie Munson's character wasn't done justice and in writing this, I hope I am able to give it to him.

Thank you again,

Rory xoxo