chapter fourteen — "i thought she was with you."

"I don't understand, you've seen this before?" Robin asked, confusion scattered all over her face, as the five of them trudged down the steep stairs.

Steve trailed behind, waiting expectantly for Dustin to sum everything they'd been through up; he sure as hell didn't know how to construct it all into one coherent thought. Beside him stumbled Irene who looked sickly pale – like she had back in the elevator. He was hoping it was just the shock from the fight and what they just uncovered that made her look like she'd just seen a ghost; he prayed it wasn't another fainting spell.

She'd been acting strange and he didn't know how to, or even if he should, bring it up. He liked having her around and he was dreading the thought of her waving the white flag and dropping him because it was all too much for her. It was a lot for him to deal with too the first time around; he could only imagine the toll it was taking on his two co-workers.

"All you need to know is, it's bad." Dustin said, not giving Robin the explanation she was hoping for. It left an even darker mystical cloud of questions hanging over her. She was frustrated Irene wasn't as confused as she was (the situation should have elicited the same response from her, right?) – it seemed like they all knew something she didn't.

"It's really bad." Steve echoed as they finally made it to the bottom of the stairs, looking back at Irene who seemed to be in deep thought. Yet again she was mentally out of the atmosphere and it was starting to worry him; they didn't have time to space out. If what he believed was true, they were all going to have to be on very high alert.

"Like, end-of-the-human-race-as-we-know-it kind of bad."

"I have to tell you guys something." Irene meekly spoke up as Robin was about to question Dustin again. Her palms were clammy and her heart felt like it was going to leap from out of her chest, but the truth was itching at her and she knew deep down they deserved to know. She'd finally convinced herself to gain some courage and tell them.

The three looked to her with raised brows and eager eyes, but before she could let the cat out of the bag Erica cut her off, voicing her growing concerns, "Uh, guys? Where's your Russian friend?" They looked around the now empty room and before they had time to think, a loud blaring sound boomed throughout the base.

Steve rushed to the door they entered through and peeked his head out. In the main corridor the man he and Irene attacked was being consoled by his comrades who quickly turned and locked their eyes on him. As they yelled for him to "halt," he slammed the door shut before ushering the rest of the group back up the stairs.

"Go! Run!"

The five of them ran through two different doors, soon leading themselves into the room that seemed to oversee the "rift/gate" operation. Robin laced her hand with Irene's, dragging the girl beside her into another door; they were running like chickens without heads, slamming into people, running down stairs, not knowing at all where they were going. Had they not been in such a dire situation they all would've laughed at how ridiculous they looked and were acting, but because they were running for their lives, laughter seemed to escape them. 

"Holy shit, holy shit, holy shit!" Dustin frantically repeated like a mantra as they stopped in front of the laser-like beam that was tearing through the rift. Irene couldn't help but stare in awe and wonder – she was terrified, of course, but something about seeing what she predicted play out so clearly in front of her made it all the more fascinating. She still couldn't believe it was real.

She felt a tug at her arm again and this time it was Dustin that was dragging her with him down the stairs as he followed behind Steve who was shoving one of the hazmat-suit-wearing men out of their way. Even more guards showed up and once again Steve was doing most of the footwork to keep them off of their trail, however they were slowly gaining and none of them had an exit strategy.

Irene thought quickly – kicking into overdrive – and tugged his arm to the side, guiding him and the rest of the group to another room; she hoped it would buy them some time. The room was tucked behind one of the stairways, lurking in the shadows, so she knew it was going to take a while for the soldiers to figure out where they slipped off to.

"What the hell are we supposed to do?!" Steve asked, looking out of the door's small window nervously. Outside, the men were scattered around, frantically searching in every nook and cranny for the five of them. He turned his eyes back to the others, silently hoping one of them had some kind of plan.

Irene paced the room, "We have to split up."

"Hell no! Do you know what they'll do once they capture one of us?! We have to stick together." Dustin responded stubbornly, looking at the girl as if she was insane. He was slowly growing skeptical with the girl's antics. She was hiding something; they all knew it. No one had the courage to say anything because of what she'd been through. They didn't want to overwhelm her with their questions and have her drop to the floor again.

She shook her head, "No, that's not the way it's supposed to happen." Her shaky voice boomed between the five of them. Her heart was beating furiously as her mouth moved far too fast for her brain.

"Yes, that's how it has to be!" Dustin further argued frustratedly, "Rena, we can't just leave someone behind, friend's don't do that!"

"But that's how I saw it!" She yelled back in frustration and the group grew silent. She shut her eyes and fists tightly. This was not how she planned on telling them her secret.

Inside she was a slew of emotions: bubbling, bubbling bubbling. The kettle was hissing even louder now, screaming for her to just go for it. She couldn't bite her tongue any further. If they had a grievance with her, it was going to be solved here and now during the small window of stillness that they were in. And even if the grievance wasn't solved and she lost her friends at this point she couldn't care – there was too much at stake for her to keep quiet any longer.

"What are you talking about?" Dustin asked as he and the other three eyed her cautiously. The girl standing in front of them muttered a few words underneath her breath in Spanish as she shifted her weight from one foot to the other, beyond them the men were drawing near.

It's now or never, Irene, and never isn't really an option.

"Screw it." She finally whispered into the atmosphere, unclenching her fists with the shake of her head. She looked back up, meeting all of their piercing eyes, and sighed, "You know how some families pass down different traits like brown eyes or blonde hair? And sometimes you get those rare occurrences where traits from generations ago like green eyes or freckles get passed down? Well—"

Dustin groaned, "Rena, what does any of this have to do with–"

"I'm getting there!" She snapped at the young boy before taking a deep breath. She looked visibly shaken to all of them; she kept rubbing her palms against her shorts and wiping her forehead, "In grade school, did they ever tell you a story about a boy from South America who swore he could tell the future? Over the years they changed it to 'the boy who cried wolf,' but that's not the point. Have you heard of it?" Her eyes searched theirs, looking for some inkling of hope – something that would make her confession easier.

"The Bolivar story?" Robin asked quietly and Irene looked at her with bright eyes, her shoulders visibly dropping in relief.

"Yes," She breathed. "They use the story for different things like the effects of lying; some churches even use it to show why children shouldn't stray from God." Robin nodded her head, taking a step toward her friend.

"The boy was cast out from his town and died in an accident that he didn't see coming, right?" Robin asked and Irene shook her head furiously.

"No," She let out a breathy chuckle, "That's where they get it wrong. Santiago Bolivar left Buenos Aires and married Julieta Vasquez, my great-great-great-grandmother."

"Wait–"

She continued to ramble quickly, "Santiago could and did tell the future, nothing bad ever happened to him because of it. His children did too and then they passed it on to their children and so forth. The gift faded overtime, but people in my family say I got lucky."

"Rena, what are you talking about?" Robin asked slowly, and her friend grabbed both of her arms as she stared at her with wild eyes.

"I have precognition." She whispered, her eyes traveling to the rest of the group. The girl standing in front of her went slack-jawed before a wave of realization washed over her features and she smiled wide.

"I knew it! Well not entirely, but I knew there was something you were hiding. That's why you told Erica the liquid wasn't drinkable and that's how you knew I was going to get all of us sick that one time and how you knew the secret flavor Steve hid in your Banana Boat even though we blindfolded you and it's why you were acting so strange once you came to consciousness after your fainting spell–wait! Is that how you see the future? Holy crap–this –this is insane." She exhaled with the shake of her head, running her hand through her hair.

Irene was ambushed with feelings of relief as she looked at her friends. A part of her was fully prepared for a different kind of reaction; one full of confusion and disgust. But she was surprised at how well they seemed to take to her secret – it made her heart swoon at how giddy Robin seemed. Dustin looked like he was still trying to process the information, as well as Steve, and Erica wore wide eyes with a surprised grin. She wished she'd told them sooner – she felt silly for thinking they'd respond any other way. Could they blame her though? No one had seen through Irene Vasquez like they had and stuck around. This was entirely new territory she'd never thought she'd travel to.

Dustin took a step forward, "Wait. So you know how this ends?"

"To a certain extent, our abilities, mine and my mothers, aren't as strong as they used to be — we typically use tarot cards as a way to facilitate and make sense of our visions, but I clearly don't have mine with me. What I know for sure is that we don't stick together after this point, the rest is foggy – fragmented." She explained with a slight shrug, feeling lighter than she had in a while.

Before they could ask her any further questions, and before she could fully tell them about her visions, a rough shove to the door made all of them freeze. Suddenly, there was a symphony of yells in Russian that could be heard from the other side. Steve leaned all of his weight against the door – the men on the other side signaling their time was up. He called for Robin to help and she quickly joined his side as the men began to bang against the metal.

He frantically looked to Irene, "Well, what do we do? What's gonna happen next?!" Her expression fell at the question and her eyes turned into two slits.

"I can't just close my eyes and see the future, you idiot! That's not how my gift works." She yelled to the brunet, "I already told you, we have to split up!" As the two were yelling at each other, Erica found an exit for them to wiggle their way through and even though they wanted to believe all of them were going to pull the wool over the Russian's eyes, Irene had to snuff their flame of hope. This was truly where they went their separate ways.

A layer of sweat was forming against Steve's skin as he shook his head, "Okay, fine! Just go get some help! Protect the kids!" He roared, as he locked eyes with his co-worker. She nodded, knowing what needed to be done and shoved Dustin down the vent. He clawed his way back, popping his head up to declare that he "wouldn't forget" Steve, before she grabbed a fistful of his shirt and yanked him back down.

— — — —

"He's here," were words that Mateo never thought would make his head feel faint and stomach feel like it was being turned inside out. Nevertheless, every bone in his body quivered with fear as he stood beside the group of teens. The lights were softly flickering and any normal person might have blamed the occurrence on the electricity bill not being paid, but Mateo knew it was more than that.

The six of them moved quickly, running down the hallway and ignoring the nurse's remarks that only two visitors were allowed. They came upon the elevators and Max desperately pressed the up button, but nothing was happening. Mateo looked around and then nudged Mike, motioning his head toward the door to their right that read stairs. One by one they ran up, adrenaline coursing through all of them as their fear trickled away into oblivion. Mateo kept to the back of the group, making sure nothing happened to any of the kids as they made their climb.

Finally, they made it to the right floor and El could sense where the chaos was unfolding. Jonathan dropped his shoulders in relief once he caught a glimpse of the girl running toward him, however he still held his breath over whatever harm his girlfriend was in on the other end. To his luck, El ripped the door open before the creature could make any further moves.

Mateo wanted to hurl at the sight. A boney creature with a body of bloody mush towered over Nancy, staring back at them in what seemed to be rage. It scrambled its spider-like legs toward them in a hurry, but El extended her hand out and slammed it into the side of the room with a loud yell. She slammed it to the other side, to the ceiling, and then into the floor, before finally pushing both of her hands forward to throw the creature out the window.

"Go!" She ordered the five behind her. They all rushed down the stairs again, toward the exit closest to where the creature should have dropped. She pushed the double doors open and held her friends back from the creature that was mushed together in a ball – looking nothing like it had when she first faced off with it.

Mateo looked to Nancy and Johnathan as they joined his side before turning his gaze back down toward the creature, the sight made his skin crawl. A bubbling and squelching sound came from it as it slithered toward a nearby sewer vent, oozing through the bars – only leaving behind a few bones in its wake. Mateo had to put his hand over his mouth to stop the bile that was creeping up his throat and threatening to leave his body. He knew the image was going to haunt his dreams, waking him up in the middle of the night.

They all walked to the Wheeler's car, feeling both confused and tired. No one spoke a word as they squeezed inside the vehicle; none of them really knew what to say. They'd been through this twice already, but it was different this time around – then again, when was it ever really the same?

"Just meet us back at our house tomorrow morning, you should get some sleep in your own bed. I can only imagine how worried your mom must be." Nancy spoke quietly to Mateo as he leaned against the passenger window, fatigue evident in both of their faces. He looked over at the group of kids that were all leaned against each other with droopy eyes and then back to the two older teens that sat in the front.

"How do you guys do it?" He asked, his words soaked in awe. Both Nancy and Johnathan let out a breathy and tired chuckle through their noses, not entirely giving him an answer. He matched their tired and soft smiles before bidding his goodbyes to the both of them and the kids. He watched them go before mounting his motorcycle and heading home.

Sofia was pacing the living room, her hair in a curly disarray after running her hands through it far too many times, as she waited for some kind of sign that her kids were okay. She'd kept calling the station to see if they'd stop by but they were still nowhere to be found. She felt helpless because there were no signs, at least that she'd seen, that indicated they'd run away or were abducted or...well you know the list. She felt like she was stuck at a dead end.

She felt like a terrible mother.

The sound of someone killing the engine to a motorcycle made her heart beat rapidly. She looked over at the door and gulped at the slight jiggle of the knob before it was pushed open and there stood her son, looking disheveled and tired. She rushed toward him, engulfing his tall frame.

Mateo froze at the instant contact but slowly hugged his mom back, both confused and relieved by the gesture. He was glad she wasn't mad at him, however he didn't understand why his presence seemed to be so crucial. He wondered if Irene had another vision and got into her mothers head with her own anxieties. He felt her shoulders shake roughly and noticed she was sobbing into his chest. Instinctively, his arms wrapped tighter around her.

His heart broke at the sound of her muffled cries and mumbled spiel about being a bad mother; it had been a while since his mom broke down in front of him. He knew she tried her hardest not to. It made him feel awful for purposefully making things harder for her – all she ever wanted was for him and Irene to be happy. She'd sacrificed a lot for them; sure, she missed assemblies and important games, but she always made up for it. She worked herself to the bone so they could live a life she couldn't – so they could feel as comfortable as possible in a world that made them feel extremely uncomfortable.

He always thought his father was his best friend and maybe to some extent he was but, he was there when he had to be there, not when Mateo needed him to be there.

His mom, on the other hand, was the first to raise her hand (out of all the fathers) whenever any help was needed in the dug-out or during practices, she always brought him snacks when she picked him up after school, she taught him how to cook empanadas (sweet and savory), and was always there with a tender smile and neosporin after scuffles he'd gotten into on the way home. She was also always on the phone with stuck-up mothers who never scolded their sons for what they'd done, but the sentiment was there and he continuously admired her for sticking up for him.

She had been there all along, unmoving despite the harsh winds that blew from his adolescence. She was there even when he selfishly didn't want her to be. Even when she missed things, she still showed her pride for him every chance she could.

She loved him, unconditionally, and for a long time he hated that.

He took all of his anger and frustration out on her, unjustly. He blamed her for the divorce, he blamed his sister, but he never blamed the main person that broke his heart in two; his father. He'd gotten it wrong and it was a mistake that couldn't be fixed with a simple tune-up and fresh coat of paint. It made him feel awful...ugly.

He found himself softly crying as he held her. He shook his head and grabbed her shoulders, "You are not a bad mom. You are the best mom any kid could ever ask for and I'm sorry–I'm so sorry for ever making you feel like you weren't–aren't. I'm sorry I was such a shitty son. I just–I love you mom and I'm so sorry." He sobbed and she wiped his face, caressing it gently with her soft palms. The light had casted a bright glow on him and she was moved at the gesture. Her son was finally reaching out to her.

"Hey, hey, hey. Don't say those things about yourself. You're my son Teo, and I will always love you no matter what." She cooed and brought him into another embrace, rubbing his back softly as he cried.

After a while he calmed down and the two of them sat across from each other on the couch, the soft crackling sounds of some record his mom put on played in the background. It dawned on him as they sat that his sister still hadn't come out of her room to say anything; either she was being respectful of their space, eavesdropping still, or...

"Where's Irene?" He asked, wiping his nose with a tissue his mother gave him. She looked over at him with furrowed brows and concerned eyes.

"I thought she was with you."

— — — —

JULY 4th, 1985

Irene crawled behind the two kids, checking her watch every now and then. She had just finished giving Dustin and Erica a crash course on her family's precognition as they trekked through the vent. She told them some things she remembered from her visions – not entirely knowing how to disclose other things – as they were searching for the path that would lead them out of the vents.

They rounded the corner and groaned at the sight of a fan that was blocking the rest of the way. Irene reassured the two that she knew how to turn the fan off through its electric panel and quickly got to work. As she did so, Erica pestered Dustin about sharing how he knew about the rift and what it all meant. He began his tale and as he explained further it made Irene's ears perk up; perhaps, he knew what the creature in her visions was...

Dustin didn't plan on letting the two in on his secret world-saving rendezvous he'd been on with his friends, but considering what they'd just witnessed he realized it was time to confess. If Irene had the courage to tell her secret, then he could too.

"So when we set fire to the hub, we drew the Demodogs away so El could close the gate. But now, for some insane reason, the Russians appear to be trying to reopen it, which just destroys everything we risked our lives for." He explained as he sat across from Erica who in return pelted him with more questions about Lucas' involvement with El and the Upside Down. It perplexed him how she believed everything but the fact that her brother was also intertwined in it all.

"Um, you need help with that?" Erica asked, turning her attention to Irene as she slowly unscrewed the tiny bolts on the vents' panel.

"No, I'm good." She mumbled, trying to focus on what she was doing.

Erica looked at her skeptically, "Well, I mean it's taking a while so–"

Dustin groaned, "Yeah, no shit, Sherlock."

"Hey, don't be rude." Irene scolded, turning to look back at the young boy. He rolled his eyes and huffed, however he'd be lying if he didn't say he missed this Irene. She seemed more relax and at ease after telling them about her power. Is that even the right terminology? He questioned, but dismissed the thought. He was glad she opened up to them and was giving them some insight into the chaotic mess they found themselves in. If she knew about some things, who's to say she didn't know about others? She didn't seem fazed at all by his tales from the Upside Down and it perplexed him. Maybe she knew already? How does that even work? He knew he was going to have to ask her to further break down her ability in greater detail.

"If we don't find a more efficient method to stop these fans, we're never gonna find help, and your ice cream buddies are screwed." She mocked boredly and Dustin rolled his eyes at the comment. Irene continued to focus on the panel, knowing her efforts wouldn't be for nothing.

"Not with that attitude, "Dustin argued. "Also, I think you're forgetting the part where Rena already saw this happen and knows we're gonna make it out."

"I'm just being realistic, what if her vision was wrong? I mean, think of it this way, we've made it about point-three miles in nine hours. Then we had to walk three hours down that tunnel, so I'd estimate ten miles back to the elevator, which should take us approximately twelve-and-a-half days." Erica explained and Irene dropped her hands, staring at the young girl in astonishment.

"Woah. You just did all of that in your head right now? You're one cool kid, Sinclair." She marveled before turning her attention back to the panel and the final screw that needed to come undone.

The young girl shrugged, "I'm good with numbers."

Dustin let out a tiny snort, "You're a nerd."

"Come again?"

"You...are...a...nerd."

"Okay, you better take that back, nerd."

"Can't put the truth back in the box." They continued to bicker, Dustin listing out the facts that made Erica a proclaimed "nerd" and  surprising both of them with his vast knowledge on My Little Pony.  Irene chuckled to herself at the interaction; it was evident Erica didn't want to be associated with the word despite all signs pointing to her being a textbook definition of it. She thought it was cool to be a nerd — they weren't all that bad after all. The kindest people she came across were those whose noses were stuck deep inside books either full of numbers, fantasy, mythology, etc.

Her fingers curled around the wires and yanked them out of the panel. The fan slowly came to a halt and she  held her head in triumph. Her eyes fell to the two and she smiled deviously.

"Let's go...nerds." She taunted before leading the way.

A/N!
okay, so i have a love/hate relationship with this chapter and i'm not entirely sure why. but hey! the bandaid has been ripped off and now irene feels like a weight has been lifted off her chest! that was always the way i wanted her secret to come out — in the spur of the moment! what did you all think of that? also the soft scene between mateo and his mother?!?! ugh, my heart.

quick question regarding the future of this book! so how do we feel about extra chapters set during the end of summer and through fall for the beginning of act two? i don't want to dive right into s4...but i also don't want to make it seem like im just adding all these "filler chapters." let me know what you think about this idea...

alright it's 1AM and i must sleep! (this chapter has/hasn't been edited so if there are grammatical errors i apologize) love you all so much <3 !!ps. if you'd like to know more about the characters in this book you can check out my meet my oc's book! i have two chapters out for both irene and mateo!!