Unforgettable | Steve Harrington [1]

10 (THE NEW PLAN)

CONTENT WARNING: This chapter contains mentions of abuse.

"Mom, what the hell is going on?"

"I'll explain everything once we're in a safe place to talk," Dorothy told Jenna as she continued driving.

"I don't think anyone can hear us talking in the car with the windows up."

"That doesn't mean we aren't being watched."

Jenna, Carter, and Dana exchanged puzzled and worried looks as they sat in silence for the rest of the ride. They even looked out the window to make sure that no one was following them, and fortunately, none of the vans from before were around from what they saw. All Jenna could do was grow worried as her mom kept driving, the speed only going up. As much as she wanted to tell her to slow down, she could see from her side profile that she was just as concerned for her.

A while later, Dorothy pulled into the gravel driveway of a small house that Jenna and Dana didn't recognize. Carter, however, seemed to know where they were, even with the confused expression he had on his face.

"Ms. Howard, why are we at the Byers'?" he asked.

"We'll talk once we get inside. Let's go." She was the first to get out of the car with the same manila folder from before in her hand, and the teenagers followed suit.

When they got to the house, Jenna stopped the moment she passed through the entrance. There were strings of lights all over the house, hanging up all over the place. There was nothing but trash scattered on the floor, along with most of the furniture destroyed. She then saw the alphabet written in black paint on one wall, followed by the hole in another wall at the front of the house covered in tarp to prevent anything from coming in until it was fixed.

"What the hell happened here?" Jenna asked.

"Sit down, you three," she told them as she closed the door and grabbed a chair nearby.

The three of them headed for the couch, wiping off any dirt and papers on there, and sat down, to which Dorothy placed her chair across from them.

"Okay, now can you explain all of this?" Jenna questioned, almost at the point of getting annoyed.

Her mom took a deep breath before she began to talk. "Joyce swears she's been hearing Will ever since he disappeared and has been trying to get in contact with him. It started with her phone going out, then seeing stuff in the walls, the lights flickering..."

"So, has she actually talked to him?" Jenna inquired.

"She said she has."

"And you believe her?"

Sighing, her mom leaned back in the chair. "I wasn't sure at first, but it wasn't until after I picked you up from school the other day that I thought maybe she was onto something. Then, Chief Hopper started to get suspicious regarding Will's disappearance, which led him to do some digging into Hawkins Lab, and that was when he connected the dots with you, Jenna. I think the lab figured out who you really are."