chapter one — the clairvoyant and the scornful brother

The girl sat alone in her grassy backyard. Spring was just breaking through as the flowers in her mothers garden began to bloom. The breeze blew her hair in front of her face as she watched the ladybug that crawled between her frail fingers. The air smelled of smoke from a grill and the machinations of a bright Sunday afternoon.

"I knew I'd find you here," Her older brother's gentle voice could be heard from behind her. Beyond them, somewhere inside their home were their bickering parents — arguing again over things which were never disclosed to Irene. If there was one thing her parents agreed on, it was that arguing in front of their children was never right. However, the signs were there and even if they tried their best to keep the looming shadow of a crumbling marriage away from their children it still lingered. The weight of their heartbreak was unbearable.

"I always come outside to think." She looked up at him; the sun illuminated her brown eyes. Mateo's soft smile faltered for a moment, he knew that when she spent hours by herself outside it was because she was trying to quiet her always-moving mind.

"What was it this time?" He asked, taking a seat beside her. The grass flattened beneath him, supporting the twelve year-old as he scooted closer to his younger sister. The atmosphere was still and they could faintly hear the slam of their fathers truck door and then the gentle revving of its engine.

"Us moving again...except we were older, I'm not sure where dad was, but mom seemed sadder—lonelier." She sighed, placing the ladybug back onto the grass before pulling her knees to her chest. Her head gently fell into the crook of her brother's neck and he placed his head atop hers, slinging his left arm around her.

"Who knows maybe it'll be wrong this time around." They both shared hopeful looks, although they knew the truth deep down. They were only children yet they felt so much older – like the world had aged them, sometimes they secretly look back and wish they'd cherished those moments more. The times before everything changed. 

PRESENT DAY HAWKINS, INDIANA: APRIL 28, 1985

"I just don't get why we had to leave Arizona in the first place." The oldest Vasquez groaned as he hulled yet another box into their living room. His voice echoed throughout the house as sour feelings rose within the depths of him. He hated saying goodbye only to greet another town which he knew they were just passing through.

"I thought we could use a fresh start." His mother chirped optimistically, moving past him with a box labeled kitchen. Mateo scoffed at her response, he knew the real reason and it bothered him that she and his sister were acting so nonchalant about it.

"I think it's nice...quiet." Irene gave her brother a hopeful smile, one which he grimaced at. Ever since their parents divorce and the move, he'd ignored her every chance he got. She missed when they were closer – when he would sit at the edge of her bed and ask about her visions or even just about her day. She was lucky now if he even muttered a simple good morning to her. His distaste towards her was vibrant.

"Es una mierda." He spat under his breath and his mother lightly pinched his arm as she passed him.

"What did I say about talking like that?" She scolded before he dragged himself to his new room, glaring at Irene as he moved past her. She turned to say something to her mother, to fill the uncomfortable silence, but was met with emptiness. She dropped her shoulders and placed her headphones back onto her head, Linda Ronstadt played loudly in her ears as she finished taking her things to her room.

It had been a year since her father walked out, leaving nothing but divorce papers behind for the three. They all were grieving differently; Mateo was angry at just about everything, Irene shut herself off from everyone, and Sofia just desperately wanted her kids to talk to her. It was hard for all of them, outsiders would say the signs were there and perhaps they were but to walk out and not even leave your family with at least a note was something that struck them to their core. Sofia was trying everything she could to make herself available to her children, sometimes she would hear from Irene but she could count those times on her hand; all Mateo did was argue in frustration. She was hopeful that the move would give them all a clean slate – they deserved something new and peaceful.

Sofia thought that perhaps the quiet town in Indiana would be right up their alley. She had ties from her previous precinct put in a good word and was able to snag a comfy three bedroom near downtown. Mateo did everything he could to make her re-think leaving Arizona, they were going on two years – the longest they've ever lived in a state. He scoured the news looking for things to steer his mother away, but to his dismay his research was futile. Irene was nervous but tried to cling to the small strands of optimism that stuck with her. 

Here she was now, plopped onto the shag carpet floor, sizing up the room as she tried to figure out what to put where on her wall. She still had to fix her bed frame and carry in her mattress but she didn't want to move from the warm spot. She laid back staring at the cream colored ceiling, her eyes began to droop as she slowly succumbed to sleep.

The gift of precognition in their family was complex; because the previous generation hadn't accepted their gifts as widely as they were expected, it had lost a lot of its effect. It was harder for those who still practiced it, to control when their visions would occur and how exactly to decipher them – they weren't as clear cut as they used to be, which is why they used Tarot cards. Typically one would be able to summon a vision, if need be, and it would appear concrete and fairly easy to deconstruct. Now, one could be asleep and a vision would occur just like a dream, or nightmare, and it was all over the place. It's the main reason why many of them utilized the Tarot – it put a lot of their visions into perspective, especially if they asked the right questions.

Irene's visions would come abruptly – sometimes causing her to faint. These visions were stronger and more vivid than when they came to her in her sleep.

She "woke" in a sea of people mindlessly following each other into a warehouse-like building. They pushed past her, blank stares etched into their faces. She curiously followed, looking around for a familiar face and to her dismay she didn't recognize anyone in the crowd. Whether that was a good or bad thing would be uncovered shortly.  She made it into the building – her eyes fell onto what everyone was walking towards. The atmosphere was still despite the disturbing scene that played out right before Irene's eyes. She couldn't breathe and quite frankly didn't want to inhale the rancid smell that filled her nostrils. A chill moved up her spin as she froze.

The people dropped to the floor, their bodies turning into bloody mush and bones before forging into a decrepit creature that she'd never seen before. Its skin seemed like it had been constructed of bloodied mush, spider-like, with multiple arms. She stared in horror as the bodies just kept dropping, one after another, mindlessly falling to their demise. Her pleas for them to stop didn't even stir them, her hands reached for theirs as they shuffled towards the monster – one woman pushed her roughly down to the floor causing her head to collide with the pavement.

She opened her eyes as a soft neon glow casted itself over her face. She pushed her body off of the floor before brushing the dust from her pants as her eyes fell to the sign above her, Starcourt Mall. A chilling inhumane scream vibrated inside her skull and when she turned to run away the same monster towered above. Irene noticed it had doubled in size – she could tell it fed well off of the people that sacrificed themselves prior. She tried to run again but the walls were closing in on themselves, pushing her closer and closer to the creature. She sobbed, covering her eyes that were shut tightly. It's not real, it's not real, she chanted.

"¡Irene, despierta!" Mateo's voice rang in her ears as he grabbed onto her shoulders. Her eyes shot open, before she frantically reached for him. Her face was pale and beads of sweat collected above her brow. "Jesus, you were crying in your sleep! What happened?" He questioned and for the first time in a long time it felt like he actually cared.

"Teo," Irene whimpered and he embraced her tightly. "It was so real this time." She heard him heave a sigh. 

"Irene," He pleaded. "Please, we just got here." His words felt like an ice burn. She let go of him, wiping away the tears she shed while in her sleep. She turned her body away, hugging her knees to her chest like she used to when she was younger. He scoffed softly, finding nothing wrong with what he said. "Come on, you know what I mean."

"Vete, ya estoy bien." Irene muttered, however her quivering lip gave her away. Despite his sister's shaken state, Mateo picked himself up and began to walk away. "Don't tell mom, please." Her soft words made her brother stop for a moment; this was the first time she ever chose to keep her vision a secret. She was always off telling someone of the future events she'd just seen. It took him a while to respond but instead of questioning her wishes he just nodded his head, silently agreeing that their mom could do without the extra stress.

Irene fell back onto her carpet, sighing to herself as her thoughts ran wild. She was anything but fine, however this was yet another secret she forced herself to keep tucked away from her mom. With everything that had happened within the small span of sixth months, she knew her mom could do without her bubbling anxiety. She couldn't help but think back to the reading she'd done on herself a month ago before the move when the Tower card flew from her grasp and she was filled with instant grief and fear, much like now. 

She stood, grabbing her walkman and clipping it onto her shorts. She moved past her mother who was frustratedly trying to put the coffee table back together and muttered something about going for a walk. She'd prayed then, when she did the reading, that it wasn't true and she was doing the same now, hoping it was just a silly nightmare. She knew being hopeful was a foolish thing to do when it came to fate. Some things are just written in the stars.

Mateo Vasquez did not believe in fate...because if fate were real, he too would have been endowed with his family's gift. He was the first born, it just didn't seem fair. Sadly, he was just as giftless as he was fatherless. He snapped out of the pity party he was having and began sifting through the boxes sprawled across his floor. His breath hitched as his eyes fell to the photo album his mother made him when he was a child – his father holding him tightly on the cover. There was a growing lump in his throat that made him clench his jaw, he blinked away tears that threatened to cascade down his cheeks. His chest felt hollowed out by the sea of dejection, a cavity that hadn't been tended to for a year. A year that felt like an eternity. Sure, he was twenty and wasn't considered a child anymore but when a parent you've loved for years leaves with no trace–regardless of your age–it does something to you.

Mateo rubbed his cheek with the sleeve of his shoulder, a rush of rage coursed through him. The album fell from his grasp and back in his box, his foot shoved it to the side before he brought his knuckles up to rub his irritated eyes. A soft knock at the door made him tense up. It creaked open softly and his mothers voice echoed against the barren walls, his back turned toward her.

"I was going to head out to get some groceries, did you want to come?" He cleared his throat, rubbing his hands over his face. He turned slightly and Sofia noticed the pink tint on the white of his eyes.

He shook his head, dropping his gaze downward, "I've got a headache. Where's Irene?" He asked and his mothers nose crinkled as she gave a half shrug, leaning her body against his doorframe.

"Went for a walk. I thought maybe we could go and get some snacks and other things for the house before it gets late." Her tone was soft and full of hope. Mateo scratched his head and finally brought himself to meet her gaze. She looked tired–drained–but smiled warmly, waiting patiently for his response. He faked a quick smile before reaching for his flannel and meeting her at the door. His mother's face lit up like a christmas tree as her eyes gleamed. Sure, he was angry and upset but maybe a small part of him realized that she was too – perhaps his mom and his sister were just better at hiding it than him. Nonetheless, he played the part and decided that pretending everything was alright was far better than sulking in his room alone.

AUTHORS NOTE
hello! this isn't that long but I didn't want to go and give too much away because I do that a lot lmao. it's short and sweet and gives you some insight into the vasquez family dynamic which as you saw isn't the most functional. it's very fractured sadly. broken families just burrow themselves into my brain, okay? i'm sorry!

anywho, we got to see irene experience a vision which was very heavy and dark! i feel so bad because she's so hopeful yet so tired. she doesn't believe in herself despite her abilities pulling through and being true time and time again even though sometimes her visions aren't always bright...my poor girl. also can we just talk about how rude mateo is??? like bro your sister literally just had a traumatic vision and you're like being an ass about it???? but yeah, irene predicted some events that occur within the span of the summer and others that may or may not occur...a writer never reveals their secrets...but yeah, how did we feel about that???

I hope you all are enjoying the story so far, next chapter will be a lot brighter i promise!

editing me: hey friends! i added a bit more detail to this chapter because i just thought it deserved more...like an insight into how Mateo is handling things — which we all know he actually isn't...ALSO i changed up how long their father has been gone from fourth months to a year...yeah. it just adds even more weight to the situation. AND they move to hawkins a whole month in advance to the events of the summer so the next chapter will be a brand new one that goes into detail about what happens over the course of may. BE ON THE LOOKOUT because that chapter has a cameo from someone special...alright! that's all you're getting out of me for now. bye!

translations:
es una mierda: it's shit/ it's bullshit.
despierta: wake up.
vete, ya estoy bien: leave, I'm fine now. (this one hurt)