Take Me Home Again (Eddie Munson X OC)

Chapter 2 - Shopping Spree

Phoenix's eyes shot open, cold sweat dripping down their warm face. Another nightmare, they thought to themself. Phoenix had been having nightmares since as long as they could remember. Eyes adjusting slowly to the sudden brightness in the room, they gave a dazed and confused look to the empty air around them, as if expecting it to answer their unspoken question. 'Home, that's where I am', the thought mumbled quietly, unsure if they had just thought it or spoke it. They sat up and stretched, the reoccurring nightmare playing back in their mind. No matter how many times they dreamt it, the dream always stayed the same. They first started getting them when they were ten, waking up in the middle of the night crying and screaming. The frequency had since descended but it was always there, in the back of their mind. A dark looming, almost human, figure standing just in the shadows, using the darkness as a curtain to hide away in. They'd look to their feet to find the bodies of their close friend and family lying limp on the rotting ground. 

That's where the dream always ended. Nothing changed, not a detail out of place. No matter how many times they had the dream, it shook them to their core each and every time. They had since gotten better at dealing with it though. Phoenix stood and stretched, messily throwing the bed back in a semi-neat way. They stumbled out of their room, their groggy mind slowly awakening with every step they took. Once they reached the kitchen, the voices of their family and young friends had penetrated the fog of sleep over their head, greeting them quietly before going back to their conversation. Phoenix dropped into the chair as a plate of heart shaped pancakes was placed in front of them. They looked up to thank Claudia and found her chuckling back at them. She had even remembered the whipped cream. Phoenix slowly cut a piece off and chewed slowly, their stomach sending out a low rumble. They bit their lip in embarrassment as they realized the slice of pizza they ate the night prior must have awakened their long lost appetite. They quickly scarfed down the rest of the stack of fluffy discs. The only evidence left over was a few streaks of whipped cream melding with syrup on the plate. 

With help from the food now in their system, Phoenix tuned into the excited conversation the three boys were having. They were talking about the shopping they were going to later that day. The conversation coming back to their mind. 

Claudia gently interrupted the boys to remind them that they needed to go home to get some money for the mall. The three agreeing.

"We could all meet up at Mike's afterwards and mom can just pick us up from there, if that's okay?" Dustin met his mom's eye as she nodded.

"That would be perfect Dusty-kins." She smiled before turning to Phoenix, "You should go ahead and get dressed, we'll be leaving soon."

Phoenix nodded and went to wash off their plate in the sink, finding themself back in their room riffling through their clothes before landing on a plain black tank top and black jean shorts. It was only now that they noticed the small shoe rack that Dustin placed in their closet, three pairs of shoes sitting on top. Their old sneakers, a pair of flip flops, and a pair of brand new black converse high tops. They quickly pulled on a pair of socks, excitedly pulling the new sneakers on over them.  A glance into the mirror Dustin helped them hang on the back of their door was all they needed to show that their hair was a mess, thinking back to what Claudia was chuckling at. They fought with the tangles in their hair for a good five minutes before tying it up so it hung just at their shoulder blades. 

They peeked into the mirror again, pulling one of the necklaces off their rack and clasping it behind their head. As it fell into place, Phoenix knew they were ready to go. They quickly brushed their teeth before finding their way to the front door, opening it as their cousin and his friends raced out, getting onto their bikes and riding back to their houses, Dustin following Mike. 

Claudia smiled and waved the boys goodbye before getting in the car. "Now, the meeting won't be too long since he had to squeeze us in kind of last minute, but it will be plenty of time to get started with everything."