Love And Hellfire

Chapter 16: Marked, Tormented and Pure

"Lucas." Avila ended the awkward silence that had been plaguing them, ever since they left the cemetery. "I need you to promise me..."
"I promise." He smiled, the two walked side by side throughout the woods, making their way back towards the cabin. "Can I ask why you don't wanna tell the others?"
"I need more time to think about what's going on." She admitted. "They've all got enough happening in their lives already to have to worry about me-"
As the cabin came into view, so did the distant sound of shouting. Looking quickly to one another, Avila's sentence was cut short as her and Lucas sprinted towards the noise. The closer they became, the louder it got. Bounding up onto the porch, Lucas opened the door like a shot. 
The fights and arguments that still continued amongst the others briskly came to a stop as Avila and Lucas stepped into view. 
"Where the hell have you two been?" Steve asked firmly, releasing Dustin from his grasp. Looking around, it appeared that the gang had been busy in their absence. Dustin had almost filled the wall with notes containing his master plan. Mike and Will sat quietly on a nearby couch. Nancy was easily noticed by Avila, as she rolled her eyes at the mere sight of her. That left Robin, who was curled up on the opposite couch to the boys, hand over her face. Losing the Will to live. Eddie it seemed, was nowhere to be seen. As she scanned the room, Avila failed to answer Steve's question at first. She began to panic, she hadn't thought of a convincing excuse for her strange antics. Luckily, Lucas well and truly had her back. 
"I wanted to visit Billy's grave, so I asked Avila to join me." Lucas lied, very well indeed. "I just thought, seeing as Max can't go herself, someone should be keeping up the tradition."
No one dared question him. This was extremely mischievous of Lucas, using his almost-dead girlfriend as an excuse to get out of further questioning. Impressed, he strutted off to join his friends and Avila followed sheepishly behind. 
"Having fun?" She asked Robin, joining her behind the couch. 
"Am I that transparent?" Robin huffed. "I am so glad to see you. Save me, please."
Frightening Robin all of a sudden, Steve jumped on top of her on the couch. 
"Trust me when I tell you Avila, you were better off in the graveyard." Steve joked. "Things have gone from stupid to utterly brainless here whilst you were gone."
"I can hear you, yanno!" Dustin informed them. Turning back around, he continued to scribble notes down. 
"Who awoke the devil in him?" Avila chuckled. 
"What gave it away?" Robin giggled. "It's his tone of voice right? Or the way he stands with his panties clearly in a twist..."
The three chuckled together, much to Dustin's annoyance. Looking over her shoulder for a second was when Avila finally noticed Eddie stood alone in the kitchen. He seemed busy, reading books as he leant over the counter top. 
Robin smiled sweetly as she watched her staring at him. 
"I'm just gonna, grab myself a drink." Avila informed Robin and Steve. The two of them instead looking to one another suggestively, smirking as they watched her walk away. 

Upon walking into the kitchen, Avila caught the eye of Eddie straight away. 
"You're back." He stood upright, deterring his attention from the pages of his large book for a second, long enough to flash her a smile.  "We were all starting to worry."
Flustered, she approached him openly. 
"Really?" She asked. "Why were you worried?" 
With ever-perfect timing, her saviour Lucas suddenly entered the kitchen.
"Oh, it's that Sinclair boy. I've heard he's a real creep." Eddie joked. Winding Lucas up, Eddie smirked at him, poking him as he passed by to retrieve a bag of crisps. "They say he likes to lure women off into the woods before strangling them.."
"Very funny Eddie." Lucas moaned. "It was the cemetery actually."
As quickly as he'd arrived, Lucas was gone, leaving Eddie very confused by his last revelation.
"The cemetery?" He quizzed Avila. "Not my idea of a cute date spot, but I'll admit it's different."
"We weren't on a date." Avila rolled her eyes. "We actually went to Max's brothers grave. Lucas wanted to go on her behalf."
"Wow." Eddie felt significantly awkward, returning his gaze to the pages within his book. "I wanna say 'how lovely', but you've never had the pleasure of meeting Billy Hargrove so..."
"And you have?" Avila pressed.
Nodding, somewhat proudly, Eddie lifted up the bottom of his black tee to reveal a small scar, just above his left hip. Avila became nervous as this reveal. She hadn't seen that much of Eddie, or any boy in a while.
Pointing to the small scar, Eddie looked back at her.
"One lunch time, Billy and his brainless friends corned me and my band in the parking lot behind the school." Eddie revealed. "They kicked the shit out of me, before throwing rocks at us as they ran away. One cut me just here."
"Oh my god." Avila gulped. "That's awful Eddie."
"Nah, I've accepted it." He placed his shirt back down carefully. "Being a freak in a town like Hawkins can get you hurt, I've learnt that the hard way."
Staring to one another, Avila gave him a sweet smile. Realising he was staring, Eddie quickly changed the subject. Stumbling over his words, Eddie instead gestured back to the Hellfire Club shirt she was wearing.
"Uh, the shirt looks good, by the way." He mentioned, trying to remain focused on his reading.
"You think?" Avila chuckled, joining him at his side unexpectedly to take a look into the book herself. "I wasn't sure if it suited me or not.."
"Oh it suits you." Eddie said quickly. "It suits you."
Maintaining strong eye contact once again, Eddie couldn't help but feel as though he was betraying himself. Over and over he'd told himself, and others, that they were just friends. Nothing more. So why, whenever he was in her presence did he struggle to look away from her. Why did her eyes  entice him the longer he found himself staring into them. He knew he had to snap himself out of this utterly ridiculous state.
Quickly looking away, Eddie frantically began turning the pages of a new book. Beside him on the counter, Avila noticed a stack of publications, all seemingly themed around fantasy and Dungeons and Dragon's. Eddie skimmed the first few pages of this new book, but a small piece of writing upon his page attracted Avila's attention suddenly.
"Wait!" She stopped him from turning the page over, pointing to the handwriting that read 'Property of Eddie The Banished'.
"This is your book?" She asked, Eddie began to blush as she read his nickname aloud. "That is so cute."
"There is nothing cute about D&D." He informed her, jokingly turning the pages one by one to avoid her uncovering any more cringey, childhood secrets. "It's a very serious game.."
"Is that why you have a secret code name?" She teased. "For your serious missions with Dustin and the others?"
"They're not missions, they're campaigns." He played right into her hands. "You really know nothing about Dungeons and Dragon's do you?"
Shaking her head, Eddie saw this as an opportunity to wind her up.
"I should take the shirt back." He suggested, smirking widely. "How can you be in the club if you've never played the game?"
"You can teach me." She giggled, crossing her arms to prevent any sort of taking-back of the shirt. "You are the leader of the club after all, the gate keeper..."
"Dungeon Master actually." He corrected her, leaning in closer. "God, you really don't know anything."
Leaning in herself, they remained closely together. Their bodies mere inches apart. Staring up at him sweetly, Eddie couldn't figure out if this was playful or flirting. Either way, he was enjoying it nonetheless.
"Then teach me." She ordered him. "You look like a great teacher."
"Oh I am." Ever the modest chap, Eddie flicked through the thick book to find one page in particular. Landing upon it all of a sudden, he added "So we need to start with a name."
Guiding her through the page itself, Eddie began explaining how every great character in the world of D&D needed a memorable name.
"Like, Eddie the Banished?" She chuckled. "Why Banished anyway? It seems a bit extreme."
"Well, my whole backstory is supposed to explain that I was born into a powerful dynasty of Wizards, who all became scared of my ever-growing abilities." He explained passionately, using hand expressions as well as facial ones to tell her this as though it was a story. "So what else could they do, than banish the most powerful being alive? But little did they know-"
Eddie continued to tell her his tale, to which she just stood and listened. Finding herself lost within the deep, brown pools of his eyes, Avila couldn't work out if she was taking any of the information in. She was far too busy falling in love with him to care about anything else.
Noticing her stare, Eddie stopped and just grinned at her.
"Did you hear what i just said?" He chuckled.
"Ummmm." Avila giggled. "Something about D&D?"
"That doesn't count as an answer!" He laughed. "I actually asked you what your name would be if we played Dungeons and Dragon's."
On the spot, Avila began to panic. Never, in her wildest dreams did she picture herself having to make this decision. It was so out of character for her. She was the kind of girl who likes new clothes and shoes, not dungeons and dragons. Nevertheless, Avila really admired this new side of herself.
"We could go with something like Erica?" Eddie suggested, noticing her struggle. "She plays as Lady Applejack."
"I'm not a lady though." Avila said. "I told you the other night, I'm a queen Eddie Munson."
All of a sudden, taking her hand in his Eddie bowed down to Avila.
"Yes, your majesty." He laughed. "Sorry for the mistake, your majesty."
Returning to the book, Eddie grabbed a nearby pen and began scribbling beneath his own name.
"So, it will be...." Speaking as he wrote, he inscribed her name below his. "Queen Avila the....."
Awaiting ideas, Eddie looked down to her, a mischievous look in his eyes.
"Short." He joked, looking her up and down before receiving a playful punch.
"Absolutely not!" She scowled. "Avila the.... what's the word for being completely amazing but also very modest at the same time."
Playfully bringing his finger to his chin, Eddie pretended to think. Little did she know, he already had a word in mind to describe her.
Leaning over the book once again, Eddie scribbled the words;
'Queen Avila The Enticing.'
Stepping back proudly, he awaited her response as she read the quote, the look of instant confusion in her eyes.
"Enticing?" She asked. "What's that?"
Eddie began to blush as he shook a small step back from her. Leaning against the counter behind him, he smiled sweetly.
"It means beautiful." He told her.