chapter eight — redemption arcs and detective work

Twilight held her in its palm as she woke in a coughing fit, lying in between an empty road. Her body hurdled forward as she spit out the water that suffocated her – it was icy cold. A bone-chilling scream pierced her ears as she picked herself up. It was a muffled cry for help and each time she inched her feet further and further it grew louder. It seemed to be coming from a girl. She moved, jogging toward the sound – like a moth being drawn to a flame. No matter how loudly her thoughts screamed for her to wake up she continued forward.

The same warehouse building from her first vision came into view, Brimborn Steelworks. She halted and a sinking feeling erupted in the pit of her stomach. A familiar blue Camaro was parked in front, with the trunk wide open. The screams echoed even louder around her, screeching now inside her ears, as she crouched down holding her head in her hands. She shut her eyes tightly, fear overpowering the curiosity she was just feeling. Her pulse raced as her palms quickly grew damp.

"Stop!" She cried, "Leave me alone! You're not real, get out of my head! Please!"

Suddenly her mind grew silent.

She opened her eyes one at a time and knew not to be foolish enough to believe the torture was over.

It was dark, the air was cold, and life was still. A soft whisper tickled her ear, she turned and her breath caught in her throat. A girl who looked about her age had been lying on the floor with duct tape over her mouth. She wore a red swimsuit – the words on it were unreadable but it looked like she was a lifeguard. Her muffled cries echoed inside Irene's mind and goosebumps ran along her arms. Someone, tall in stature with a strong frame, stood over her as she wept on the concrete. Irene couldn't make out the face but she recognized the boots and the car she'd seen earlier had tied the loose end. Billy Hargrove.

She regained consciousness, waking abruptly from the vision, and stared up at the faces towering above her. The image of the girl flashed behind her eyelids as she blinked, her body scrambled away from the three. Her throat was dry, her body was sore, and her head felt terribly dizzy. She could also feel the crusted blood underneath her nose.

"Woah, slow down there. It's okay, Rena, it's just us." Steve spoke slowly, holding his hand out toward her. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, placing her palms on the tiled floor as she let its coolness calm her down.

She opened her eyes and looked back at the three, "How long was I out?"

"First you need to tell us what the hell just happened?" Dustin asked as he stood in shock. Irene sighed, the taste of truth felt tart on the tip of her tongue. I can't, she thought to herself,  At least not right now.

"When I was young, once and a while, I would get these awful fainting spells. They happened sporadically but usually when I was overwhelmed, afraid, or panicked by something. Doctors never figured out the underlying reason as to why they occurred and because there wasn't a pattern to them, they told me to just go about my day to day life and work around it the best I could." She explained, which was entirely true.

Her first fainting spell occurred when she was six and her doctor ruled it out as her body's fear response from something that might have occurred at school and the bloody nose was most likely just a response to heat exhaustion. And because she didn't tell her mom what really happened and what she really saw, they all believed it. Even though she had practically witnessed the future, she was so young that when her vision came to fruition she simply regarded it as deja vu. However, after a while she had another fainting spell and finally uncovered that she believed she was seeing things to her mother.

"How come you didn't say anything?" Steve asked tenderly, bringing Irene back to the moment.

"It's in my file and I wrote it down in the complications section of my application. I just thought you assumed it wasn't a big deal if it didn't happen often. I haven't had one in a long time." She explained lightly before taking a deep breath, "I'm sorry." She cowered in front of the three, wishing for the earth to swallow her whole.

Robin was the first to fill the silence, "You don't have to apologize." Irene looked up at her with eyes full of gratitude and was met with a kind smile. They weren't giving her looks of sympathy; they'd all been there before and wanted Irene to know that they were there, sitting in that hole right beside her.

"Yeah. Honestly, we're just glad you're okay. It was quick, but scary as hell watching you just lie there with blood running down your nose." Steve responded before he stood, reaching his hands out to help up the two girls. Irene grimaced as embarrassment coursed through her while she reached up to touch the dried up blood.

"I feel really bad, guys." She whispered, keeping her gaze locked on the floor. Dustin reached down to grab her bag and handed it to her, along with a single wet wipe for her nose.

"Don't," He responded shortly. "Even though I don't know much about you, I still think you're pretty badass." The boy admitted, which warmed her heart. She looked over the three silhouettes of the people that stood in front of her, helping her and being nothing but warm. She was used to people being cruel and cold when things like visions happened. Knowing she had people in her corner that cared made her feel something unexplainable.

They all walked out into the parking lot, talking about anything and everything instead of what just happened or what they just discovered. It was a calm before the storm kind of conversation – like they were all trying to take their minds somewhere else that night. Robin poked fun at the two boys whenever she could as Irene laughed along. Steve insisted on giving her a ride home; he didn't want her taking the bus all by herself. She eased his nerves and told him she'd call her house instead.

Robin leaned against the phone stand as Irene punched in the numbers, "Calling your brother?" She asked quietly to which her friend nodded before placing the phone to her ear. Robin furrowed her brows at the mumbled words that left Irene's lips in a hurry. The latter hung up, exhaling before looking over at her co-worker with concerned eyes.

"He said it's gonna take about fifteen minutes with the bus, you think Steve will wait that long?"

Robin nodded as she tiredly draped her arm over Irene's shoulders, "He better." She leant against her slightly shorter friend, guiding her towards the car. They approached the window together and looked down at the brunet.

"Her brother will be here in about fifteen."

"You think it's okay if I take him home really quick?" Robin chuckled at the question.

"I think we'll manage." She tugged at Irene who seemed lost in her thoughts, recollecting again what happened to the girl she saw in her vision. It terrified her, but she didn't want to worry either them. She let Robin walk off without her, turning to gently grip the car door as she leaned in. Her eyes scanned Steve's face for a moment.

"Just hurry, please, and be careful." Steve nodded, refraining from spouting some joke about her being such a mom. She looked frightened and the last thing he wanted to do was make fun of her when she was in such a fragile state of mind. He hesitated leaving as he watched her walk off, but Dustin's quiet complaints about him "needing to get home" forced him to change gears and exit the mall's parking lot. He watched the two girls from his rearview mirror, praying to whoever was listening that nothing would happen to them while he was gone.

"Giving your knight in shining armor a goodbye kiss?" Robin joked, filling the silence as best she could once Irene joined her side. It was a topic that was practically dying to spill from her lips after she'd seen them whispering to each other the other day. She had a feeling her co-worker's had some kind of thing for each other, even though Irene had given her that speech about being different, she knew there was something there.

Irene's face twisted in disgust as she reached in her bag for the Swedish Fish. The two of them rarely talked about boys, let alone Steve. Both of them were very private in that aspect of their friendship still; Irene knew nothing of Robin's crushes and vice versa.

"Gross. Really, Robin?" The girl next to her laughed, throwing a red candy in the air before catching it in her mouth.

"Oh confess already." She threw a fish at Irene, "You like Steven and even though I think it's insane I'll allow it because it's you and I adore you."

"Steve is nice but I don't feel that way about him at all. To be completely honest, I still don't know much about him — at least not enough to form any romantic feelings — what I do know has literally come from you. You seem to have more history with him than I do." He was a good friend, but Irene wasn't attracted to the superficial ideals he proudly clung to and she didn't have a problem telling him that.

Robin rolled her eyes, "Sorry, I forget you're enamored with some mystery guy who writes you letters like we're still in the Victorian days." Irene's mouth was left agape as she stared at the girl next to her.

"Rude!" She nudged Robin softly with her elbow, "I am not enamored with him, I just happen to think he's nice and that I should broaden my horizons in terms of friends. And hey! Don't try and avert the conversation Ms. Buckley. What about you? Didn't you used to go to school with Steve?" She pointed out and Robin threw another candy at her, her posture seemed to stiffen. Irene caught the candy this time, taking a playful bite as she wiggled her eyebrows.

"We had a few classes when he was still in school." She shrugged, "However, I have far more history with you and we've only known each other for a month." Her face turned into a frown as she recollected her past school years, "If you weren't in Steve's circle then he didn't give a damn about you. He was an asshole who hung out with other assholes." She muttered before plopping down on the curb. Irene drew her lips into a thin line as she sat beside her friend, nuzzling her head into the crook of Robin's shoulder.

"Perhaps...he's in his redemption arc?" She responded truthfully and Robin couldn't help the snort she let out, her shoulders shook roughly as she laughed. Irene stared up at her innocently with a smile, "What? You know, like a character who was awful or did something terrible and they embark on a self-reflective journey thus redeeming themselves. Kind of like Darth Vader." She explained with a half serious, half smiling face. Robin continued to bellow her infectious laugh, making Irene follow suit.

"You are too pure for this god awful place." Her head shook as the girl beside her placed herself back on the spot of her shoulder.

They sat quietly for the next five minutes, just soft chewing coming from the both of them as it filled the void of silence. Irene's eyes began to droop and she didn't know how long she'd be able to wait for Steve or her brother. She blinked, trying to bring some life back into her while looking down at her watch. Yawning, she rubbed her face before pushing herself off the pavement.

"What are you doing?" Robin asked, looking up at the girl who shook her arms and legs.

"I can't fall asleep." She responded before turning to look down at her friend, "Hey, you wanna see me do a cartwheel?" Robin laughed at the question, but nodded her head nonetheless.

Irene walked toward the empty parking lot and got herself into position. She flipped her body and landed poorly on her feet, falling almost seconds later on her bottom. Robin laughed along with her tired friend. Irene was about to flip again, but the sound of a car horn shook her in surprise. She yelped before turning to Steve who was hanging his arm out of his window with a devious grin on his face.

"Dick move." She frowned once she was close enough to him, crossing her arms. Robin soon joined her side, shaking her head at Steve who rolled his eyes.

"What were you even doing anyways?" He asked, motioning behind the two.

"She was showing me her super awesome cartwheel skills while we waited." Robin spoke up, draping her arm around Irene. They yawned in unison, sharing a weird look before laughing. A dark figure caught Irene's gaze and she clutched onto Robin's side. The figure continued to walk toward them, suddenly passing underneath one of the lamps, and Irene sighed in relief once she saw it was her brother.

She turned to Steve, "My brother is here." He nodded, stepping out of his car and walking over toward the oldest Vasquez.​​ They shook hands and exchanged a few words, laughing with each other like they were lifelong friends. Irene raised her brow at the sight before turning to look at Robin who shrugged.

Steve jogged back toward the two, "How come you never bring your brother around? He seems really cool." He breathed, leaning against his car. Irene gave him a pointed look.

"Goodnight, Steven." She deadpanned before turning to Robin. She engulfed her best friend in a bone crushing hug before leaving into the dark with her brother.

JULY 1st, 1985
Irene hadn't shown up to work the next morning, opting to stay home and as she explained to her brother to "do some investigating." She wanted to get to the root of her vision and it started with taking a trip to the Mayfield/Hargrove house. She forgot to call in, but figured that her co-workers would understand whatever excuse popped into their heads first in regards to her absence.

What seemed to catch her off guard that gloomy afternoon was how cooperative her brother was being with her – even after she briefed him on her vision from the night before. It seemed like a complete 180 from the previous times she told him about a vision; Samuel's personality had to be rubbing off on him.

"I'm pretty sure I know what girl you're talking about and anyways I work with Billy, so it makes sense for me to help." He reasoned, leaning against his sister's door frame as she shuffled through her things. She triumphantly held up the paper with the number sloppily scribbled on it and rushed to the home phone. She called and to her dismay the line wasn't picked up. She was running out of yarn to connect the dots with; perhaps she wasn't cut out to be a detective.

"Shit." She groaned, slamming the phone on the hook and turning to her brother. He shook his head, holding up the keys to their mothers car. His sister's eyes widened slightly, her features washed over with fascination.

"She won't even know." He convinced her, which was partially true. Their mom decided on taking the bus to work that morning, leaving the car with her kids "in case of emergency only." She didn't like them riding the motorcycle and knew her car would be better if it were to rain. However, she also made it known to the both of them that she would be calling every hour to check up on the two.

Irene contemplated the offer for a moment before grabbing her denim jacket from the couch and shrugging her shoulders, "Let's do this." She breathed before yanking the front door open. She looked up at her brother before sliding into the car, "We've only got thirty minutes until the next call." He rolled his eyes, taking a seat behind the wheel and setting a timer on his watch.

"We'll make it."

The Mayfield/Hargrove house was empty; no cars were parked in the driveway and there seemed to be no life inside. Irene sighed, slumping further into the passenger seat as she pinched the brim of her nose.

"No one's home." She groaned and her brother unbuckled himself quickly before stepping out of the car. She looked over at him, watching as he walked toward the door and jiggled the knob. Drizzle began to pepper the window of the car and the pavement. She opened the door and jogged toward her brother.

"What do you think you're doing?" She hissed and he continued to look around the house, investigating the windows and backdoor.

"Did you know carbon monoxide is a silent killer? What if they're passed out on the floor of the house because of carbon monoxide poisoning?" Mateo questioned only to earn an eye roll from his sister.

"You always have an answer don't you?" She questioned in annoyance, following her brother. He clapped lightly at a window that was left unattended and turned to Irene, giving her a sheepish grin.

"Where do you think you get it from? Now stop pouting and get on my shoulders so I can hoist you up, like we're nine and eleven again." He crouched down waiting and his sister couldn't help but snort at the sight. He looked back at her and smacked his lips in agitation, "Come on! We don't have a lot of time."

"This is breaking and entering." She deadpanned, crossing her arms. Her brother groaned as he stood in front of her, dropping his heavy hands onto her shoulders. He smiled at her sweetly.

"Look, the window was open and the guy I work with and his little sister that you practically adore could be dying. Now, so help me God Irene, if you don't get on my shoulders I will tell mom that you secretly hate her cooking." His sister gasped, slapping his arm with a frown.

"You wouldn't dare!" He crossed his arms, giving her a challenging gaze. She muttered something under her breath in Spanish and stomped over to the window. He helped her up, groaning as she pushed his head to the side, "Hold still."

"I'm trying."

Irene stepped carefully on the nightstand that was in front of the window, carefully jumping down off of it. She looked around and instantly knew from the half nude women on the wall, to the cigarette buds scattered everywhere, that they were in Billy's room. She exhaled, pushing the nightstand slightly out of the way before poking her head out to signal for her brother to follow. He grabbed a hold of her extended hand and gripped the window frame, hoisting himself in the room. His body clattered into the nightstand, flinging the ashtray that was perched on it to the floor.

"Really?" Irene whispered sharply, catching her brother before he fell completely on the floor. She fixed the nightstand, placing the ashtray on top and using her foot to drag a towel from the floor over the ash.

"It's not like we dirtied it anymore than it is." Mateo shrugged, looking around the disheveled room. He scowled at the sight, shaking his head as he moved around in search for clues. He opened drawers, looked underneath blankets, and even checked underneath the bed – there was no luck. Mateo turned to his sister who stood at the center of the room.

"Are you going to help?" He asked exasperatedly, angrily closing one of the drawers. He ran his hands through his hair, tugging at the ends.

Irene looked up and shook her head, "I think his room is too obvious of a place to hide something."

"If I wanted to keep something secret I'd keep it where I know no one would go." Mateo whispered to himself, pinching the bridge of his nose as tension spread throughout his forehead, "I'll be back." He said before walking out of the room and searching for the bathroom. He found it and quickly turned on the tap to splash his face with some water. It squeaked as he turned it off before rubbing his face again.

He took a seat on the closed toilet, putting his face in hands, and sighed. He brought his hands up, smoothing back his hair, before suddenly something caught his eye. There was a bloodstain near the knobs of the bottom cabinet that piqued his curiosity. He reached for the side that wasn't covered in anything and mentally groaned when there was nothing but a few cleaning supplies, toilet paper, and a trash can underneath. He was about to close it, ready to give up on searching, when he spotted a yellow cord hanging from the bin. He pulled the trashcan out and his breath caught in his throat.

"Irene." He called, pulling out the bloodied yellow lifeguard whistle along with the lifeguard pack which he was sure now was Heather's. He took a shallow breath and called for his sister again, a little louder and examined the items in his hand. He looked up and called for her again and was met with silence. He placed the things back into the bin, shoving it underneath the sink before closing the cabinet and running back to Billy's room.

"Shit. Shit. Shit." He whispered frantically once he caught sight of his sister lying on the floor, devoid of any life. He crouched down, placed her head on his lap and moved her hair out of her face while he wiped the blood from her nose with the sleeve of his flannel. The time on his watch beeped and he cursed even louder. He sat close, watching in horror and sadness. He was never around when she passed out, however he'd overheard stories from his mom and dad. It was scary – he could confirm this now. It made him feel terrible.

Irene opened her eyes, reaching for whoever was near, before gulping when she realized it was Mateo. Her brother helped her sit up and kept quiet as she stared down at her hands. Tears pooled in her brown eyes and she wiped them away quickly, looking over in fear at her brother who seemed genuinely concerned, "I'm sorry, it just...happened." She whispered breathlessly before he scooped her into a tight hug – once which made both of them feel somewhat whole. He shushed her as she apologized over and over, stroking her hair to calm her down.

"Let's just get out of here." He finally muttered, guiding her toward the window.

He was the first to hop out, reaching back over to help his sister down. They ran to their mothers car in the rain, saying nothing to each other as they rode home.

The car ride gave both of them time to calm down; Mateo filled his sister in on what he saw and how he believed it was Heather's things when he felt like she was prepared to listen. Irene filled her brother in on her vision when she felt like he was prepared to listen.

She explained to him that this vision was quicker than the one she experienced the night before; the entire gang of kids were there except for Dustin and they were in the pool's locker room staring at something in horror, glass broke and it seemed like someone was in trouble. She recollected seeing her brother there too.

The entire situation confused both of them – neither understanding the weight of the information they held.

Once they got home they rushed to the phone, dialing their mothers' desk number. They both gained an earful as she requested to speak to both of them separately. Thankfully, she bought their lie that they fell asleep watching a movie and hadn't heard the phone ringing.

"So now what?" Mateo asked his sister once she hung up the phone. As she opened her mouth to respond, a knock from the front door interrupted her. They both stared at each other curiously before Irene strolled over and answered, she was greeted by two familiar faces.

"Oh, hey Max and El," She breathed. "Come in, it's pouring out there." Her hand  ushered the two inside before she offered them something to drink. They both declined, sharing gazes with one another until they both turned to Mateo.

"We actually came to ask if you've seen Billy, I know that you both work together. I'm asking because he wasn't home when I got there. Has he been acting weird lately?" Max questioned and the older Vasquez gulped nervously. El observed him intently, as she did with many of the people she came across, and could tell there was something about him and his sister that was different – they held onto a secret. They both looked like they'd seen a ghost.

"I mean, he seemed a little strange the other day, but you know how Billy is." Mateo said, a dry chuckle leaving his lips, "Last I saw he was hanging around a co-worker of ours named Heather – he might be at her house." He responded, looking for some sign in their faces that they knew what he was talking about. The two girls nodded, standing up to excuse themselves before Irene moved quickly from her spot.

She stammered, "Um, Mateo knows where she lives. Maybe we can swing by there, see what they're up to? Mateo's been really worried about her; she didn't show up for her shift today." She gave her brother a look and he nodded furiously, speaking up before the two could protest.

"Right, she's a good friend of mine and I just want to make sure she's okay. It's a win-win, I can check on Heather and you can check on your brother. And you two don't have to ride in the rain." He spoke quickly and the girls nodded hesitantly – something was up with the two, they both could feel it. The Vasquez siblings grabbed their raincoats and headed out of their house yet again.

The car ride was still, the faint sounds of the radio filled the space between the four of them. The rain hit their mothers car roughly as thunder boomed in the distance. Suddenly the atmosphere brought Irene back to the vision she had of Will and it made her skin crawl and heart sink with grief.

Mateo stopped in front of a nice house, the red front door standing out amongst the rest. The four of them got out of the car, trying their best but also failing miserably to cover themselves from the rain.

"Is this it?" Max quietly asked El and if Irene wasn't standing beside them she wouldn't have heard. Has she been to this house before? She thought to herself before shaking her head and walking up the grass. The three followed behind her and she bit her lip, wondering if knocking would even work. The storm seemed to silence any other sounds of life. She knocked anyway. Nothing. She sighed, looking over at her brother. From the corner of her eye she saw El look extremely concentrated on the knob – almost like she was trying to open the door with her mind. She turned fully to whisper something to her brother and as she did Max jiggled the knob before pushing the door open.

She looked up at the two with raised eyebrows and walked in, El following. The Vasquez siblings shared another look before trudging their wet boots into the house.

There was light music playing from another room and Irene stared up at the pictures of the girl from her vision, Mateo confirming it was the "Heather" he was talking about. Shared laughs filled the quiet house and the four all looked over to where the sound was coming from. They walked slowly toward the living room which connected to the house's dining room. Irene was stunned at the sight of a vibrant Billy, sitting beside Heather's parents. They stared over at the group.

"Max, Mateo...Irene." He said in surprise, sending them a tight lipped smile.

Max was the first to speak, "We didn't mean to...barge in. We tried to knock, but...maybe you didn't hear us over the storm."

"I'm sorry, who is this dripping all over my living room right now?" Heather's father asked, quite rudely, to which Billy chuckled.

"I'm sorry. Janet, Tom, this...is my sister Maxine and a few good friends of mine." He responded before standing from his seat. He waltzed over to the four; Irene noticed something different–something she couldn't describe–seemed to radiate from him. She moved the two girls behind her, some kind of sisterly instinct washing over her as Billy neared. She was terrified of the man that nearly gave her a bruise when she tried alerting him about a vision she had with him in it. She remembers the day vividly; the anger that coursed through him as he pulled her into an empty store, his fingers curled too tightly around her arm. Despite her fear, she sized him up the best she could anyways. She'd go down swinging against him if it meant protecting the girls.

"Oh!" Heather's mother chirped excitedly and the father still seemed displeased with their presence.

"What on earth are you doing here?" The blond asked, "Is something wrong?" His curious and fake concern made Irene's face twitch – she wanted nothing more than to grimace at the act but stood relaxed.

Mateo cleared his throat, moving in front of all the girls, "We just wanted to make sure everything was okay." He clenched his jaw, trying to contain his accumulating feelings towards the entire situation. He and Billy clearly didn't have the best of relationships but he didn't feel like getting into a brawl in the middle of a strangers' house.

"Okay? Why wouldn't it be okay?" Billy brought his eyebrows together as extreme concern weaved itself into his tone.

"Where is she?" El asked abruptly, making Billy's gaze turn toward her. Irene and Mateo simultaneously froze at the question – the girls knew something. Once again, the former felt like the kids held a secret they weren't telling her. She just wanted to know why.

"I'm sorry. Where is who?" The blond standing in front of them asked innocently.

"Well, they're a little burnt, I'm sorry–" A girl walked out from the kitchen, holding a tray of cookies, and all of their faces twisted in confusion. It was Heather.

Irene didn't understand, she felt a sharp pain in the side of her head as she looked over at the girl. Mateo sighed, scolding himself for listening to his sister and another one of her false visions. Despite his pessimism, still something within the depths of him held onto the belief that his sister wasn't lying. The bloodied whistle and Heather's fanny pack in the garbage, that part didn't make sense. Especially since Billy didn't even like Heather; he was always bragging to the guys that he was only stringing her along and was going to get what he wanted then push her away. And even if he and Heather were going steady why were her things in the trash of all places? Those would be things he just shoved underneath his bed or in his closet under a pile of clothes, not in his bathroom trash. His head spun as he thought of all the possible scenarios.

"Heather!" Billy motioned toward her, "This is my sister, Maxine. You know Mateo, this is his sister Irene. And I'm sorry, I did not quite catch your name." Billy spoke apologetically toward El who glared back at him.

"El."

"El. Now what is it you were saying, El? You were looking for somebody?" Irene noticed the way El became frustrated and flustered, taking a step forward as she put on a fake smile.

"Well duh, silly. We were looking for you rascals." She began, giving Billy a light shove, and clenching her jaw as she forced herself to smile again, "My brother told me about how you two hadn't shown up to work today and then all of a sudden your sister comes knocking on my door worried about her sweet big brother. Golly, I am so sorry! We didn't mean to cause such a ruckus, but you know how sometimes love and care can rule over logic and reasoning." She let out a fake giggle and gave the family a sweet smile. Heather's mother smiled and nodded slowly. Billy's face softened like he understood her entire spiel, but beneath his blue eyes Irene sensed the indifference.

"Heather wasn't feeling so hot today, so we thought we'd take the day off to nurse her back to health." He explained before turning to the girl with the blank stare, "But you're feeling just fine, right now, aren't you, Heather?"

Life flickered back into her face as she nodded with a smile, "Feeling so much better." Billy stared back at Irene, his gaze slowly–menacingly– moving down toward El. A smile still plastered on his face. It all seemed so...odd.

"Do you girls want a cookie? I know Mateo isn't one for sweets." Heather chirped by the table, holding out the tray, "They're fresh out of the oven."

"Like brother, like sister. I'm good." Irene lied with a smile before turning to the three beside her, "And you know it's late, so we better get these girls home." She said quickly, ushering the two toward the front door. An unsettling feeling burrowed in the pit of her stomach and she wanted nothing more than to get the hell out of there. If her visions were true then Billy was up to no good and there was clearly something wrong with Heather. She wracked her brain as the four of them walked toward the car.

"So hypothetically, let's say your vision is true, now what? What do we do? I don't think anyone in this weird ass town is going to believe us." Mateo sighed as he sat in front of his sister, taking a bite out of the pizza in his hand. By now they had dropped both the girls off at Max's and were now home. They quickly showered and got into their pajamas before ordering pizza, per usual, and running their theories to one another as they tried to piece their abstract puzzle together.

"I think I know a few people who might."

A/N!
5,000 words holy crap!! longest chapter so far & it's still absolutely one of my favorites because the spool just keeps unraveling little by little and there's so much underlying chaos.

irene & mateo 🤝🏼 being hawkin's scooby gang duo

let me know what your favorite part of this chapter was! it's 1:48 here & i am DOG tired so i hope you enjoy this and i'll reply to comments on the morning <3 ily all.