ACE OF HEARTS ( mike wheeler! )

CHAPTER SIXTY-ONE

As the rest of the group hastily made their way through the doorway, Cassie Harrington stayed behind, her walk slow, her steps hesitant. There was an uneasy feeling in her stomach, the same aching sensation she had experienced before at the Wheeler's house. Only this time, it felt much worse. It seemed like the sight of the house itself brought her nightmares back to life.

"Do you want to stay outside?" Mike Wheeler asked, noticing her frozen stature. "I can wait out here with you."

"No, it's alright," Cassie answered, nervously folding her arms over her chest. "I can go in. Just stay close to me."

"Don't worry," Mike spoke, moving closer to the girl. Brushing his thumb across her cheek, he then lowered his head and placed a soft, reassuring kiss on her lips. After a few moments, Mike then pulled away and placed his forehead onto hers, finishing his sentence, "I'm not going anywhere without you."

Grasping her waist, Mike Wheeler held the girl at his side while guiding her up the wooden staircase leading to the doorway. For a few moments, Cassie Harrington was doing alright. However, the moment her foot stepped into the old house, Cassie felt her body quickly stiffen. The entry room had little to no light shining through the boarded up windows. In fact, it was nearly pitch black. Although she could hardly see, she could still hear the faint footsteps of her friends examining the room around her.

"Looks like someone forgot to pay their electric bill," Lucas spoke, flicking the light switch on and off unsuccessfully.

Sighing, Cassie and Mike both pulled out their flashlights, switching them on and illuminating their path. Following their actions, Nancy, Robin, Lucas, Max, and Dustin pulled out their flashlights as well, using them to light up the room.

"Where'd everyone get those?" Steve Harrington asked, pointing to the flashlights in their hands.

"Do you need to be told everything?" Dustin snapped, rolling his eyes. "You're not a child."

"Thank you."

Groaning, Dustin turned around, "Back pocket."

"Hey, guys?" Max called, pointing her flashlight at the old grandfather clock near the staircase. "You all see that, right?"

"Oh, shit," Cassie cursed, looking at the familiar vintage piece. "You've gotta be kidding me."

"Cassie, you saw this, too, didn't you?" Max asked the girl, turning to face her. "In your nightmares?"

"Yeah, I did..." Cassie trailed off, shaking her head. "This clock was everywhere."

"Why is this wizard obsessed with clocks?" Steve asked himself, speaking his thoughts aloud to the group. "Maybe he's, like, a clockmaker or something?"

Beside him, Dustin scoffed, "I think you cracked the case, Steve."

"The answers are here somewhere" Nancy cut in, scoping over the large area. "Okay, everyone stay in groups. Robin, you're with me. Mike, you go with Cassie, Lucas with Max, and Steve...you go with Dustin."

Letting out a loud, dramatic sigh, Steve Harrington turned on his flashlight and made his way towards the stairs.

"Was that a sigh?" Dustin Henderson asked the boy, furrowing his eyebrows.

"No, I did not sigh," Steve answered.

"You sighed," Dustin scoffed, following behind him. "I heard you sigh."

"It's just that we're always partners," Steve explained, rolling his eyes.

Watching the two climb up the stairs, Cassie Harrington turned to Mike Wheeler and let out a soft laugh, "Never a dull moment with those two."