𝙎𝙃𝙀'𝙎 𝘼𝙉 𝘼𝙉𝙂𝙀𝙇, 𝙈𝙔 𝙊𝙉𝙇𝙔 𝘼𝙉𝙂𝙀𝙇.
Diana Blake was who everyone in Hawkins wanted to be or be with. Her family name held power in the town and she wore her popularity like a crown. Until she discovered that her crown was made with...
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DIANA WANTED TO run away. She wanted to turn around and run in the opposite direction until she was far away from Hawkins Memorial Hospital. The thought of being under the same roof as Max and her friends when she had no control over herself was terrifying. At any given moment, the Mind Flayer could make her do something she would never dream of doing under normal circumstances. But these weren't normal circumstances, and Diana was just another solider fighting for a cause she didn't believe in.
Her feet carried her to the second floor vending machine. Her head hung low in the dim light and she stared at the junk food in disgust. Lately, her appetite consisted of toxic chemicals. It was a wonder how her body was still functioning.
Down the hall, a familiar redhead turned the corner. Lucas was at her side, trying to keep up with her and rambling about something that brought annoyance to Max's face.
"Max?" Diana called, stepping away from the vending machine.
Max and Lucas stopped in front of her, the former relieved and the latter skeptical. "Ana? What are you doing here? You said you were in Purdue."
"I was, I just got back. Deborah's on the third floor and the vending machine up there didn't have any Snickers—" Diana shook her head and placed a hand on her hip. Concern swam in her eyes, and the two younger teens couldn't tell that it was fake. "What are you doing here? Are you hurt?"
"No, I'm okay." Max turned on her heel and beckoned the girl to follow. As they walked down the hall, she explained how Nancy and Jonathan were chasing their own story at Hawkins Post related to the Mind Flayer. "Nancy and Jonathan are talking to Mrs. Driscoll now."
Diana's brows furrowed. "About what?"
Neither of them noticed the way she didn't question who Mrs. Driscoll was.
Max shrugged. "I don't know, about chemicals, I think?"
The others came into view after they turned the next corner. El, Will, and Mike were sitting on the chairs pressed against the sides of the hallways. At the sound of footsteps, they looked up. Diana's presence was met with relief, confusion, and hesitance.
"Hey," Diana greeted as she approached them. "I'm sorry for going awol. Things have been crazy tonight for my family, I'm sure Max told you."
Mike regarded her carefully before humming. "Mhm," he nodded, causing Diana to raise a brow. His skepticism was met with a glare from both Max and El.
The latter lifted from her seat and moved to hug the older girl. Diana was careful not to touch her skin. She didn't want anyone pointing out her clammy skin, especially since a low body temperature wasn't just a low body temperature to these kids. Any symptom of being flayed was monitored, and she couldn't allow her cover to be blown.
