AVALONE had known better mornings. Burying a parent wasn't the brightest way to start your day, much less when you'd buried the other a few months before that.

There she was again, walking down the alley in Roane Hill Cemetery, face hidden in the shadows of a large black fedora hat and her body mindlessly following the undertakers who carefully carried her mother's casket to the family grave.

She could have easily been taken for a corpse as well considering how pale her skin was despite the summer sun shining outside and how skinny she had become over the last few weeks. Dark circles now seemed to be engraved on her fragile skin, adding some sickness to her already sick-looking face, her thin fingers were shaking as they rested against her black satin dress. From time to time, her older cousin, would grab her arm and help her remain steady as she would lose some balance because of how sleep-deprived and malnourished she was.

She definitely had looked better.

As the ceremony went on and the casket went six feet underground, Ava repressed a grin, thinking of how thoughtful her mother was to commit suicide precisely a week before her dead husband's birthday.

They can celebrate together at least, she thought.

People stepped to the open grave and threw flowers, sobbing above Faith Greene's casket, saying goodbye to her, and blowing her kisses. Ava did nothing of that, she knew it would not ease the pain she would feel afterward. For now, she was just numb because of the intense week she'd spent preparing for the funeral, the goodbyes took the form of signatures on the bottom of a few papers, and a golden inscription on the casket. Burying her mother had just become another task to check off of her to-do list, now she just longed for a well-earned night of sleep and a few days of self-isolation.

So she sat on a bench and observed. She looked at her shallow family, or at least the people who cared just enough to fly across America for the second time in a trimester to pay their respects to the Greene Family. She didn't really know most of them, her parents never had the money to go see them and they never bothered to visit them in Hawkins, probably ashamed to be sleeping in a trailer.

As her eyes drifted away, she noticed a few people her age she'd seen at school, standing in the shadow of a tree along with their parents, she didn't really know how to feel about them. On one hand, she felt obligated to be grateful for them coming, because they obviously didn't have to, but on the other hand, she couldn't help but think of how those same kids would ignore her at school or make fun of her at some point in her life. Did they really mean to be here or were they forced to come by their parents for whatever reason? Anyway, she was too tired to think it through, so she didn't bother to come say hello to them since they didn't do it either.

Soon, the queue went from the grave to Ava, everyone coming to her and hugging her, saying they were sorry before going away, probably running to their car to go out of the miserable town of Hawkins.

Some people said the town was cursed, well, Ava started to believe it might be true, maybe she, herself, was the curse of Hawkins, Avalone Greene: as deadly as a plague.

She heard people talking not even a few feet from her, whispering loudly some « poor child » or, « I pity her », but she did not react, she remained as numb as she had been for the last few days.

There was no reception, not that money was the problem, Karen Wheeler had offered to take everything in charge but Ava strongly refused. She just didn't want a reception, they had one for her father and it was even more painful than the funeral: just a big and useless waste of money when they were already ruined.

She just wanted to be left alone.

Having no car, or at least not one that functioned, she decided to walk home alone. But someone had decided otherwise.

A grey car stopped beside her and the window opened. She turned her head and saw the tired, yet determined face of Wayne Munson, her neighbor, inviting her to climb with him.

She knew he worked night shifts, so in order to attend the funeral he had either called a day off or hadn't slept at all and went straight from work. The latter was the most probable in her opinion, knowing the Munson household was as poor as her own, in addition, she could see the bags in his eyes that grew down all the way to his sharp cheeks.

She was definitely thankful that he came, but her anti-social mood was stronger than gratitude.

"I can walk, but thanks," she said.

"Don't be stupid, you burnin' out there" he argued.

There was no room for arguing with Wayne Munson, you just had to do what he told you to, so she sighed and climbed on the passenger seat then Wayne silently drove to the trailer park.

As she watched the road, Ava started to feel a pain in her chest. She had been having this feeling for a week, and as soon as she approached Forrest Hill, she started to feel anxious, not wanting to enter her house again, not with the emptiness her mother left, not with that couch she died on.

Every time, she told herself that the next time wouldn't be so painful, but every time it hurt the same, she was now an orphan, alone in the world. She was the only survivor of a pitiful family.

Faith Henson got pregnant at the age of nineteen, a few months after meeting John Greene. With very limited funds, they resigned to live in Hawkins together and married each other a few days before they found out they were having twins.

The firstborn was Jacob Greene, a thin and pale but healthy baby who cried instantly when his lungs filled with air for the first time. Then came the unexpected baby: a little girl with already dark wavy hair all over her tiny head, who seemed to like it better in the womb since she tried her best to stay in, making her exhausted mother and the nurses fight with her for two hours before they could deliver her safely.

That action might have made the mother slightly angry at her daughter, or so Ava had always suspected; No one in their right mind calls their daughter Avalone unless they wish for her to be, indeed, alone.

And alone she was.

The first to suffer the Greene curse was her twin brother Jake.

Born with a rare genetic disease whose name Ava never learned to remember, he fell sick at the age of seven, at the age of eight he could barely walk a few feet without hyperventilating, and as the twins came closer to the age of nine, Jacob Greene closed his eyes forever in a cold morning, curdled up against his dearest sister who had spent the last five hours by his side. He left two heartbroken parents with no more money even after they had sold their small house and moved out into a pathetic trailer in East Hawkins, and when they'd care to remember, a second twin who tried to adjust to the fact that she was now orphan of a brother.

A few years later, her father was diagnosed with the exact same disease he had passed upon his son.

John Greene fought for his life for the next eight years but eventually joined his son in the graveyard.

The day after her father was buried, Ava took worked double shifts at Family Video, having left school to work full time and bring money home hadn't been enough, she and her mother were definitely broke. Besides, remaining away from home as long as she could during the day was the best way she'd found to cope with the loss of her father.

But little did she know that back in the trailer, someone was slowly diving into despair.

After her husband's death, Faith lost all the strength she had left in her, abandoning not only her nineteen-year-old daughter but also her dignity and her faith in a somehow decent future, ironic considering her first name.

Wayne parked beside his trailer and got out of the car, quickly followed by Ava who stood still, eyes glued on her home in front of her, a few feet away. She did not want to go in there.

"Want a coffee ?" Wayne asked.

Every part of her body urged Ava to say yes.

« No, it's okay, thanks thought » she shyly smiled. « I still have some papers to do » « You sure ? » he asked. « Yep,» she replied. « Gotta get to it before going back to school » « I thought you graduated already,» he said. « Nope. I dropped school last year to work and pay for my dad's medication »

« Well, maybe you might help Eddie graduate with you this time » he laughed. « That kid, he's smart, really is. But school, ain't his thing »

It had been a while since Ava had a proper conversation with Eddie Munson.

Being kids in the trailer park forced the connexions, hence Ava and Eddie rapidly became friends, their bond only growing stronger with time, especially after Jake's death. They were simply the best friends in the world, or at least that was what they used to say.

But life went on, Ava's father got sick, Eddie and Wayne lost their meager savings after paying for the boy's father's bail, and the once two inseparable teens just progressively grew apart, even though they lived next door to each other.

« I guess I can do that » she simply said as she took a step back, starting to wave goodbye but stopped herself when she saw the front door of the Munson trailer opening.

« You're very loud, you know that ? » the long-haired boy yawned as he stretched his arms.

« Well, next time don't sleep until noon » his uncle replied harshly.

« What are you even doing up? You're supposed to be asleep right now »

Silence filled the air around them as Wayne turned his head to look at Ava, Eddie instantly understood.

« Oh, fuck, I'm sorry Ava, I slept in » he sighed.

« It's okay » the girl said. « I should get going though. Have a lot of stuff to do. See you later? »

« Yeah,» the boy answered. « Yeah, totally, see ya »

After waving goodbye to the Munson men, Ava slowly walked home.

She opened the door to reveal, once again, the dirty couch with had stayed untouched since she found her mother lying dead on it, the ashtray knocked over and broken in half on the carpet floor, a sink filled with dirty dishes, and a dining table that looked like it had been caught into a tornado of paperwork.

This was home, apparently.

She sat at the table and started organizing everything, putting aside the papers she still had to do.

She didn't remember it being so dreadful when her father died, all the paperwork just made her sick.

While the other teens were enjoying the Mall that had opened a few days ago, Ava was grabbing a piece of paper and a pen, writing down all of her expenses, which were way bigger than her income.

While the kids her age were diving into Lover's Lake, enjoying the weather of late June, Ava sat a few feet away from where she found her mother lying dead, precisely a week ago.

She hadn't chosen this life but had gotten it anyway, that was her curse, the chore that's left to the survivor.

The minutes passed by, then the hours, without her even noticing, until eventually, a loud yawn came out of her mouth involuntarily, indicating to her that it was time to take a break. She grabbed the last cigarette lying on the table and practically ran outside, eager to feel the smoke fill her lungs again.

As the night crept in, Ava couldn't get herself to go back inside her trailer, not wanting to face loneliness once again.

She knew that eventually, she had to get used to it but she intended on waiting as much as possible before being confronted with the dreadful silence of her once lively home.

At some point, she even wandered down the pitiful playground a few houses down from hers and sat on a swing so old and rusty that it might give up its function and let her fall down at any moment.

From here, she observed the flow of cars coming in and out of the park, people sighing as they finally came home after a long day of work that didn't pay them enough, young parents trying to calm down their kids by putting them in a cheap stroller and walking all the way around the park, teenagers sneaking out, couples arguing loudly. She watched them all as they lived their lives before her, like some sort of show she could have watched on TV.

She swung a few times, not finding as much pleasure as she did when she was just a kid. Being almost an adult was far less exciting.

Young Ava would be disappointed, she thought.

She was so lost in her observations that she didn't even notice a dark figure approaching her calmly.

Ava jumped in surprise when she heard the clinging of the swing next to her and turned her head to face the noise.

Eddie was sitting beside her, a cigarette between his fingers, chuckling « Sorry, did I scare you? »

« You just surprised me, is all » Ava replied softly.

« Good surprise I hope? »

« I'd say it's an average surprise »

« I'll take it » he smiled. « I'm an average person after all »

Eddie Munson was far, very far from average, but Ava didn't bother telling him.

« Watcha doin'? » Eddie asked.

Avoiding my house at any cost because I feel like I don't belong there anymore.

« Just living, I guess,» she said. « And you ? »

« Intoxicating my sweet lungs, checking on my favorite neighbor, you know, just the usual » Eddie smiled as he exhaled some smoke.

Ava's smile widened as Eddie's easygoing charm began to lift her spirits. She had longed for a more lighthearted conversation with someone, a moment where nothing was about her anymore, where she could forget how much of a disaster her life was.

"Well, I appreciate the neighborly check-ins, » she said.

« Any time darling » the boy smiled.

They sat in companionable silence for a while, the only sounds were the rustling of leaves and the occasional distant hum of a passing car. Ava couldn't help but feel a sense of calm wash over her like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. Having company felt better than she had thought.

« So, what have you been up to? » Ava asked.

She got used to the politeness of the question, asking how people were doing because it was the thing to do, but with Eddie, it felt different, it felt necessary, genuine even.

« Nothing that interesting » he replied. « You know, dealing, retaking another senior year, playing D&D, classic stuff »

« You still play that game? »

« You remember it? »

Of course, she thought. How could she not?

She remembered the day he barged into her bedroom, telling her all about that boy at school who had lent him a book about a fantasy game called Dungeons and Dragons. She remembered how much of it he had already learned in only a day and how lost she was when he tried to explain it all to her so that they could play together. She could still see the smile on his face when she told him she'd play with him one day.

« Just a little » she lied.

She had kept the character sheet he'd made for her in the drawer of her nightstand.

She remembered the adventures of Avalone Ravenshadows and Eddie The Banished in the Forgotten Realms while the kids were hidden in the blankets fort, escaping the reality of Forrest Hill for an hour or so.

They'd throw a dice and suddenly Eddie's father would vanish and couldn't hurt him anymore. An enemy would take a few damage points and Ava would smile, sending grief in the back of her mind.

She definitely remembered a lot more than what she admitted.

« We should play together again sometime » Eddie suggested. « There's this club I'm running at school. Hellfire. I'm sure the boys will love you; your character is pretty badass »

« I'm afraid I can't live up to your standards » Ava scoffed. « I've never played again since we were thirteen »

« That's okay,» he said. « The first campaign of the year is made for beginners so that everyone who wants to join feels welcome. I can be the judge of their capacities, then I adapt my campaigns to make them enjoyable for everybody »

« How thoughtful of you » the girl complimented, a shy smile creeping on her face.

A smile flashed across the boy's face and his eyes lit with a devouring passion. Despite their time apart from each other, Ava still knew Eddie or at least some parts of him. She knew one thing in particular: if Eddie Munson's eyes are wide open and glittery, he's about to tell you all the things in his mind, all the great ideas that popped into his head. If Eddie Munson looks like he's in love when he talks about something it is because he is, he loves all the things that allow him to wander in the immensity of his imagination.

Eddie Munson definitely was a rare specimen, a boy with an inexhaustible energy to create but also the energy to give. He gave his time for this club, for these people, he exposed his ideas, giving away parts of himself so that people could enjoy a night of role-play. He'd find the same misfits he and Ava were a few years prior and he would welcome them in a safe place where nobody, apart from imaginary monsters, could hurt them anymore.

She had missed him. She had missed Eddie Munson so much and she didn't even fully realize it yet.

« So, what do you say? » Eddie asked, pulling her out of her thoughts. « You in? »

« I guess I can try »

« Yes ! » he exclaimed as the smile Ava thought couldn't get bigger, got,in fact, bigger and warmer.

As the other residents of Forrest Hill were locking themselves up inside their homes in order to avoid the mosquitoes, the two teenagers spent half of their night sitting on the swings, talking and remembering parts of their childhood (only the happy ones). At some point they shared a joint, and laughed incredibly loud as they tried to chase the mosquitoes away, earning some angry yells from the neighbors. And eventually, they did swing.

It was now two in the morning and the munchies had definitely settled themselves onto both the teens who stumbled inside Eddie's trailer in search of a meal that could quench their hunger.

« Let's see what we have » Eddie mumbled as he opened a first cabinet. « Doritos, expired canned beans, cereals, expired canned beans again aaaaand, pop tarts »

« I'll go with cereals » Ava chose

« Good choice m'lady » Eddie turned his head to look at her and smiled.

A few dozen of minutes had passed and they were now lying half-asleep on Eddie's bed, staring at the ceiling, or more specifically the cracks on it, imagining shapes as they would do with clouds in the sky.

Unbothered by the ashtray dangerously close to falling down and spreading all the ashes and cigarette buts all over the carpet floor, or by the cereal crumbs all around them, they reconnected. And just like that, Ava felt she had a friend again. A best friend.

As sleep finally started to crush her, one more thought crossed her mind, a thought she never imagined she could have just a few hours after having buried her own mother.

I feel so peaceful right now.