Chapter Seven
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Running Up That Hill

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Back in the basement, Dustin, Steve, and Lucas were staring at Max as if she was going to break any second from now. "I know you guys are staring at me," Max accused. The boys instantly deny it and mindlessly pretend to be focused on something else. Olivia rolled her eyes at the boys, understanding where Max was coming from.

            "How you think your eyes are boring the back of my head is protecting me from Vecna, I don't know," Max stated, standing up from the desk and walked over to the them.

            Steve pretends to mindlessly toss a ball back and forth to the ceiling and Max shakes her head. "You can look at me now," She mumbled and hands each of them a freshly folded envelope.

            Olivia glanced down at her envelope curiously that had her name neatly written on it. She knitted her eyebrows together in confusion and looked back up at Max. "Oh and um, give these to Mike, El, and Will. If you can ever get a hold of them again," Max instructed, handing three more letters to Olivia.

            The boys began to open their letters, but Max quickly stopped them, telling them to open them later.

            "I'm sorry, what is this?" Dustin asked.

            "It's um..." Max hesitated, carefully choosing her words. "A fail-safe, for after. You know, if things don't work out."

            If there were only three words Olivia could use to describe Max, it would be brave, courageous, and fierce. Olivia couldn't grasp the idea of possibly loosing Max, the young girl Olivia thought of as a her little sister. She would do anything to protect her, and only hoped that Nancy and Robin would soon have some answers on how to save her. She wasn't going to watch Max die right in front of her eyes, let alone a horrible and gruesome death that was supposedly waiting for her as Eddie described.

            "Wait, woah," Lucas interjected, feeling protective over the girl that he loved. "Max, things are going to work out."

            "No! No, I don't need you to reassure me right now and tell me that it's all gonna work out. Because people have been telling me that my entire life and it's almost never true. It's never true," She scoffed angrily. "I mean, of course this asshole curses me. I should've seen that one coming."

            Olivia could feel the sadness that was lingering in the air, and Olivia wished there was some way she could comfort Max. Olivia desperately wanted to tell Max that everything was going to be okay, but she couldn't bring herself to, not when she was terrified herself and had no idea of what was going to happen.

            This was far more worse than anything they have experienced before. Even worse than monsters. If Olivia went back in time to four years ago, and someone were to tell her everything that she was going to go through, she would have never believed them. Even now, she still sometimes thinks she's stuck in a terrible dream and that one day she'll wake up, back in the real world where monsters didn't exist and Hawkins would just be Hawkins, a quaint and simple town where nothing bad ever happened. She really missed those old days when the only worries she had was passing her history class.

            Tears started to glisten in Max's bright blue eyes. She turned around and picked up Dustin's walkie, her eyes filling with curiosity. "If we go to East Hawkins, will this still reach Pennhurst?" She asked.

            Dustin nodded, resulting in a look of confusion painted over Steve's handsome features. "Wait, why are we talking about East Hawkins?"

            Widening his eyes, Steve immediately shook his head. "No, no, no."

            Ignoring Steve's response, Max darted up the stairs. The others were quick to follow her outside of the Wheeler's house to Steve's car.

            "Max. Max! Seriously, I'm not driving you anywhere," Steve said firmly.

            "Steve, if you think I'm going to spend what is likely the last day of my life in the armpit that is Mike Wheeler's basement, then your out of your mind," Max fired back with a shot of determination sparking inside of her. "So you're either going to take me where I need to go, or your going to tie me down which is technically kidnapping of a matter. And if I live to see another day Steve, I swear to God I will prosecute. Open the door," She demanded.

            When Steve denied Max's request, she stared at him with a straight face. "I know a good lawyer," She stated seriously.

            Olivia stood by Max's side, facing Steve. "Steve, unless Nance and Robin find some answers, this could possibly be her last day. Take her where she needs to go."

            She knew how much Steve cared for the kids, even if he would never admit it, and that made her heart melt. She would never admit it aloud, but there were many times she thought about having kids of her own someday with Steve. She scolded herself, this was not the time to be daydreaming about a future with Steve when Max was in danger.

            A look of defeat settles over Steve and with a heavy sigh, he opened the car door. "Henderson, that super walkie of yours better reach Pennhurst," He warned to Dustin.

            "Thank you," Max whispered. "Of course, leave it to Liv to convince Steve about anything."

            Rolling her eyes at the young girl, Olivia climbed in the front seat by Steve. "Are you alright, sweetie?" Olivia asked when she noticed Max was looking back at the house.

            "Yeah... yeah, I'm fine," Max answered, settling herself in the car. "Just drive, Steve."

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            As everyone waited for Max to say goodbye to her mother, Olivia was playing with her golden necklace Steve had given her the night of the snowball. That night seemed like a million years ago, though she never took her necklace off since that night Steve put it on. She smiled warmly at the memory, but her smiled faltered as she thought about her fate that was awaiting for her.

            "Maybe I need to be saying goodbye to my mom too. You know, j-just in case..." She sniffed.

            "No, Liv. Please don't finish that sentence," Steve begged. "I made a promise to protect you, and I am not breaking that promise. You're the only good thing that I have going in my life... I am not loosing you, alright? I can't loose you."

            Olivia leaned forward in her seat and kissed Steve lovingly on the cheek. "I'm so glad that we met, Steve. You've changed my life for the better. You even helped me through a heartbreak with someone I used to love that never loved me back. I used to think that you and I lived in two different worlds, but I was wrong. I never thought someone like you would ever love someone like me. I love you so much, Steve. So much."

            "Don't say that like it's your last time saying it," Steve pleaded.

           "Well, I'm saying it just in case, Steve," Olivia replied. She turned around in her seat, facing Dustin and Lucas. "And you know I love you guys too, right?"

            "Yeah, you pretty much tell me that everyday," Dustin joked, trying to be in a positive mood. "But yeah," He continued, his voice softening. "I know. I love you too, Liv. You're the best sister anyone could ever have," Dustin smiled softly through tears with Lucas nodding in agreement beside him.

            "I wish Joyce and the others were here," Olivia frowned, thinking about all of her loved ones and wondering if she would ever get to see them again. "I'm just glad their in California though, where it's far from here and their safe."

            "Hey, things are going to work out and you will see them again," Steve said comfortingly.

            Moments later, Max approached back to the car, though a look of fear was evident in her eyes. "Hey, that was longer than 20 seconds," Steve scolded.

            "Max, sweetie, are you alright?" Olivia asked with worry.

            "I'm fine, just drive," Max demanded, climbing back into the car. Not wanting to push things, Olivia remained silent, though was still extremely worried for Max. Olivia knew they were running out of time, and Nancy and Robin better hurry up with answers.

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            "Turn here," Max instructed to Steve after 10 minutes of driving.

            "Here?" Dustin repeated with concern as he realized where Max wanted to go next.

            Pulling up to the graveyard, Max got out of the car again and it isn't long before Lucas follows her. Olivia watched the young couple from the car window, and it was clear how much Lucas loved Max, just from his facial expressions. Max tells Lucas something Olivia couldn't quite read, but Lucas turned around with a defeated look on his features before begrudgingly walking back to the car and it was obvious that the conversation didn't end well.

            Steve never realized this until now but he could relate to Lucas with both of them wanting nothing more than to protect the girls that they loved, both fearing that they could both possibly loose the love of their lives.

            Max was sitting in a criss-cross position in front of a graveyard stone, and in the whole time they waited for her to be finished, the car had been silent with no one knowing what to say in such a time like this.

            Steve was anxiously tapping the steering wheel, having had enough of waiting for Max, his worries visibly increasing by the minute. "Alright, it's been long enough," He quivered, getting out of his car and headed towards Max's direction.

            "Steve, just give her some time," Lucas said calmly, leaning against the car.

            "I have, alright Sinclair?" Steve exclaimed. "I'm calling it. If she wants to get a lawyer, she can."

            Olivia got out of the car moments after Steve, standing next to Dustin. As she watched the scene that was unfolding in front of them, her breath hitched when she could hear Steve repeatedly calling for Max, only she wasn't answering him.

            Olivia, Dustin, and Lucas all panicked and the three of them immediately rushed over to Max. When Olivia finally gets into view of Max, she covers her mouth and let out a small gasp at the terrifying sight in front of her. Olivia's worst fears were coming true. Max was in a trance, but this wasn't just any normal trance. Her bright blue eyes were suddenly now white and she couldn't seem to hear anything, no matter how hard they tried.

            Olivia kneeled down on the grass and began to do everything she could to get Max's attention. "Max, sweetie, please wake up!" She yelled again and again. "You can't die on me. Come on, Max. You're my sister. Please don't leave me. Wake up!"

            When Max still remained in her trance, Olivia grabbed Dustin gently. "Dustin, call Nancy and Robin!" She shrieked. "Hurry!"

            Dustin nodded and darted to the car to fetch his walkie, tripping over the grass along the way. A few minutes later, Dustin was back with an armful of mixtapes and dropped them all on the grass.

            "What is this, Dustin? I told you to call Nancy and Robin!" She yelled, panicking that Max was going to die any minute from now.

            "Her song! What's her favorite song?" Dustin shouted.

             "Why?" Olivia quirked her eyebrows. "I don't think now is the time to—"

            "Robin said if you listen— it's too much to explain right now, what's her favorite song?" Dustin roared.

            With shaking hands, Olivia and the others began to shuffle through Max's mixtapes that was piled on the grass. "K-Kate Bush!" Olivia blurted, remembering Max telling her one day that she loved Kate Bush.

            After spotting the right cassette tape that they needed, Olivia quickly inserted the tape into Max's Walkman, blasted the volume as high as it could go, and placed the headphones carefully over Max's ears. Olivia had never been so scared, so frightened in her entire life, and hoped that Nancy and Robin were right about this.

            Nothing would ever prepare Olivia for what she next. All at once, Max shot up in the air and began to levitate, almost like invisible strings were holding her up in the air and she stayed like that, just floating. Olivia's eyes grew wide and she scooted back in her spot, completely speechless.

            Standing up from her spot, she screamed out Max's name continuously as if that would help wake Max up and bring her back down. Steve held her in his arms as she cried out her name. She closed her eyes and leaned closer into his side, not wanting to see what she knew was going to happen next. "W-we r-ran out of t-time," Olivia cried. "W-we didn't s-save h-her." Her voice was muffled from crying into sleeves shirt and her eyes were swollen from her tears.

            However, as the four waited for the inevitable death that was sneaking up to Max, something else happened, something Olivia didn't expect. Max plopped to the ground. Olivia raced over to the young girl's side and pulled her into her arms. "I-it's okay, sweetie. I-I got you," She cried. Her heart was still racing intently, but she was more than relieved to know that the music worked and that her friend was safe.

            "W-we thought w-we lost you," Lucas trembled.

            "I-I'm still here," Max assured, scared and shaken up. "I'm still h-here."

            The sun was glowing over them, just beginning to fall into nighttime. The group of friends stayed seated on the green hill, hugging each other without saying anything, not wanting to let each other go. Now noticing that they had been sitting in front of Billy's grave the entire time, Olivia winced at how Billy died at such a young age. She pulled her attention back to Max, who had been sobbing quietly in Olivia's arms, and told her that everything was going to be okay.