↣ 𝘚𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘪𝘧𝘦𝘨𝘶𝘢𝘳𝘥

"Bailey, please open the door! We need you!"

Bailey approached his front door, perplexed, and observed Max and Eleven standing before him clad in red and yellow raincoats. "What are you doing here?" What is going on?" He inquired while permitting the two girls to enter.

"This." El presents a red fanny pack, resembling one used by lifeguards, which further perplexes Bailey on its purpose.

"It is one of the lifeguards; we discovered it in my bathroom, where the bathtub was filled with ice." Max expressed discomfort as Bailey glanced at El, who was engrossed in contemplation, and he realised that their discovery was not entirely conventional.

"She goes by Heather." Looking at the fanny pack, El clarified. "We believe she's in trouble."

Bailey considered it; something about this all felt so strange. "Okay let's find heather; I will drive you; you are not staying in the rain any more than you must." Walking over to retrieve the keys from the bowel, he murmured, then turned around. "El do you know the way?"

"Yes."

𐬽𐬼𐬽

Bailey arrived at Heather's residence, which resembled his own but was smaller in size. He exited the vehicle as the rain cascaded, while the girls disembarked warily, and El observed the house in silence.

"Is this it?" Max inquired while attempting to remove the wetness from her face; they both directed their attention to El.

El just simply nodded.

All three hurried to the porch, with Bailey positioned behind the girls, thereby allowing the rain to predominantly shield him. El gazed downward and gradually opened the door using her abilities. Bailey felt unease when the door unveiled the remainder of the house.

Upon entering the property, Bailey shut the door behind them as they traversed the foyer and scrutinised the residence that belonged to the Holloways.They appeared affluent. Bailey comprehended affluence, having originated from a prosperous family. However, there was something excessively idyllic about this household.

"This is her house." Max said while observing the photograph displayed on the wall. "Heather's house."

Laughter echoed from down the corridor as Bailey positioned himself to remain in front of the girls. They proceeded towards the source of the laughter. Upon entering the dining room, they observed Heather's parents seated at the table alongside Billy Hargrove.

"Max." Billy, gazing upward at them, made Bailey uneasy due to his scrutinising stare.

"We didn't mean to... barge in."Max spoke rapidly, glancing back at the entrance before directing her gaze at the them. "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 inquired, glancing at Billy with perplexity.

"I'm sorry." Billy emitted a laugh as he ceased eating. "Janet, Tom, this...is my sister, Maxine, and  my friend Bailey Cameron." Bailey regarded him with revulsion. They were certainly not friends.

"Oh!" Janet smiled contentedly as Billy approached the three of them. Bailey positioned himself slightly ahead in case Billy attempted anything.

"What on earth are you doing here?" Billy inquired with evident anxiety. "Is something wrong?"

"We just wanted to make sure everything was okay." Max replied while gazing at her brother.

"Okay?" Billy displayed concern on his face. His gaze was solely fixed on Max. "Why wouldn't it be okay?"

"Where is she?"

Billy turned to face El, his demeanour abruptly altered as he straightened slightly while gazing at the brunette girl. "I'm sorry...Where is who?"

They heard footsteps and immediately turned to see Heather herself, entering the dining room with a tray of cookies and a bright smile. "Well, they're a little burnt, I'm sorry..."

"Heather!" Billy proclaimed with an expanded grin. "This is my sister, Maxine, and This is Bailey. And, I'm sorry, I did not quite catch your name."

El scrutinised Heather from head to toe before directing her attention to Billy; the two appeared to be engaged in a gazing contest. "El."

"El." Bailey found something unsettling in the manner he said her name, though she could not identify the source of her discomfort, which was increasingly palpable.

"Now, what is it you were saying, El?" Billy inquired, his expression clouded with concern as he tilted his head slightly to the side. "You were looking for somebody?"

"The girls expressed concern and requested that I accompany them to Heather's residence, as she had not reported to work."Bailey stated.

"Heather wasn't feeling so hot today, so we thought we'd take the day off to nurse her back to health." Billy articulated while directing his gaze towards Heather; an aspect of Heather's appearance unsettled Bailey little. "But you're feeling just fine right now,
aren't you, Heather?"

"I'm feeling so much better." Billy smiled at them, as if to convey 'I told you so,' but El remained unconvinced, merely gazing at him. "Do you guys want a cookie? They're fresh out of the oven."

"The storm is really getting bad, so we should leave so I can get the girls home." He slowly turned them around to face the other way, away from Heather's strange looks and Billy's prayerful eyes. "Have a wonderful dinner."

He accompanied the girls outside while Billy trailed behind, closing the door and bidding them farewell with a wave. He assisted the girls inside the vehicle and exhaled deeply. "Either that was drug use or something seriously bad is happening to the lifeguards of Hawkins."

────────────────────────

𝗔𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗿'𝘀 𝗡𝗼𝘁𝗲𝘀

- Bailey observed that Billy and Heather were behaving strangely; Steve will not appear in the forthcoming chapters.Technically, yes; however, simultaneously, no. There will be no contact with Steve or Bailey for now .

To all the people that have supported me closely
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