teenage tragedy (Max Mayfield)

4. eight

Nancy led the group into the Wheeler house later that night, Dustin behind her with Lucas behind him. Max was next, with Cammie being dragged along by her girlfriend. Steve and Robin brought up the rear, whispering to each other as they looked at Cammie and Max with frowns.

Nancy closed the front door, looking around the dark house.

"Mom?" she called quietly.

There was no reply, so Nancy motioned to the basement.

"I'll get food and stuff. You guys go and get settled for the night," Nancy said.

The boys nodded, starting to head down. Nancy headed to the kitchen, grabbing Steve on her way.

"Someone needs to stay awake with Max and Cammie. We'll take shifts," she whispered.

"Okay," Steve nodded.

"C'mon, Cammax. Bedtime," Robin said, putting her hands on the girls' shoulders and ushering them to the basement door.

They walked down the stairs silently, Cammie letting go when they got into the basement. She ignored the look Max was giving her, heading to the bathroom.

"Cammie?" Robin said.

Cammie pointed at the bathroom door and Robin nodded.

"Okay. But don't lock the door, in case-" Robin started.

Cammie closed the bathroom door over, not locking it. Robin sighed and nodded.

"Yeah, fair enough," she said.

"Is the bathroom mirror covered?" Max said.

"I don't know. Why?" Robin asked.

"She can't look at her own reflection anymore. She needs the mirrors to be covered," Max said, starting to move towards the bathroom.

"Max," Robin shook her head, grabbing Max's arm. "Just... I know you're worried, and I get it. But, uh, maybe give her a minute. She's... Well, there's a lot of pressure on her right now. She's the only one who might be able to defeat Vecna and it's her girlfriend that's cursed, and she had a seizure today. She just needs a minute to process," Robin said.

Max chewed on the inside of her cheek.

"Besides, uh... Steve told me you didn't give her a letter. She's pretty upset about that," Robin said quietly.

Max looked at Robin, tears in her eyes.

"I wrote her one. I just didn't want to give it to her in front of everyone because she thinks there's a way out of this, and I'm not sure there is. I didn't want to upset her even more," Max whispered.

Robin sighed and wrapped her arm around Max's shoulders.

"C'mon, kid. Let's get some food in you and then we can handle the emotional stuff," Robin said.

Cammie leaned against the bathroom door, eyes closed. She was taking deep breaths to try and convince herself she could look in the mirror. She didn't know why she was so scared to look at herself, especially when she thought about the things she'd seen and done in her lifetime.

But, still, there was nothing more terrifying than seeing a monster in the mirror and knowing that, despite all you've done to try and fight it, you became that monster, anyway.

Cammie opened her eyes, keeping her eyes on the floor. She walked forward, putting her hands on either side of the sink. She took a deep breath and turned the tap on, grabbing a towel from under the sink. She wrapped it around her eyes and sat on the floor, leaning against the cupboard.