Darkest Minds || Archie Andrews & Jughead Jones [3]

Wonderful Us

WONDERFUL US

Eleanor climbs down the stairs to what she thinks is her small hideout now. "Jug, you won't believe the story my Mom –."

But she clearly forgets that place is stained with maybe death even. That bunker is where that game's demons go to hide too, not just hers. And now everyone else's. Ellie knows what that game can do to people – she gives her mother all the reason in the world – because she's feeling drawn to play it lately, especially with everyone else playing it now.

Only she didn't give in to it, but Jughead Jones did.

"What are you guys doing?" Ellie breathes, and everyone around the small table turns to look at her. The small circle from the Serpents are there, and that terrifies her.

"Ellie, all we had to do was play deeper." Jughead raises the rule book, and stands up. There's this dark smile on his face, and she can see right through his own demons lingering over his shoulders, tainting him. "It's all making sense now. I'm on level three. It's only a matter of time until I ascend. And I get to meet him,"

. . .

"Did you check it?"

"Of course, always check your sources, right?"

"So, my Dad played G&G in high school, huh?" Jughead thinks out loud. "It makes sense."

"All of our parents did, and they swore each other to secrecy." Ellie explains. "But, Jug, while they were playing, one of them killed their Principal back then, Felix Featherhead, either accidentally or on purpose, but he had blue lips, just like Ben and Dilton."

"Just say it," He breathes, but looks away from her.

Jughead knows that look on Ellie's face all too well, because he knows her all too well too. The way she looked at him from the entrance when she caught him playing with their friends, the disappointment was there, but the fear? She looked terrified.

"This" She gestures around them, and especially at the table. The environment around her gives her chills, and suddenly she doesn't feel safe here anymore. "has to stop. All of it. We promised we would bury this game! You sat in that chair and told me not to drink from the cup."

"The fact that our parents played G&G just corroborates what I've come to believe. That we've been playing this game for a lot longer than we know. And off-board." Jughead speaks up, but his voice is different. He's different, and Ellie can't help but notice how this is pulling him away from her, and into a path she's not sure she can follow, but knows she would only for him. "Think about it. The Hot Dog rescue. What was that if not a quest? The Serpents, the Ghoulies."

Ellie runs her hands through her face as she comes to the conclusion that maybe she should have never turn her back on Jughead yesterday. Now she can only hope that he's not too far gone. He's still talking, when she interrupts him. "Stop, ok? Just... Stop. You're not making any sense. And you're also not listening to me, I'm telling you that we have nine suspects that are all real, tangible leads. You don't need to play this stupid game."

"And you're not seeing the big picture." Jughead's voice drags a little at the end, and she wonders if maybe he's just drunk. But there's no alchool on his breath. "And you're also sounding a lot like Betty with who I'm breaking up by the way."

Ellie leans back, shaking her head, trying to make sense of what he's even saying. "Are we even talking about the same thing? Are we on the same page, right now? Cause I –."

"I'm hoping we are."

"Jughead," She leans over the small table, there's concern all over her features. "you have to stop playing this game."