Shutter [Jonathan Byers] Stranger Things I

XLIII: Apprehension

ap·pre·hen·sion

noun

anxiety or fear that something bad or unpleasant will happen.

Even though Emilia wanted to see this monster in the picture -despite having seen it in real life- she stayed out of the red room while Nancy and Jonathan blew up the image. If there was something that needed to be said between Nancy and Jonathan -which Emilia suspected there would be- they wouldn't want Emilia there overhearing. It was not that she was going to get upset about any words exchanged, but Emilia understood that the words might never be spoken if her presence was there. Jonathan didn't understand at first, and had tried to convince her to go in there with him -Emilia saw that he didn't want to be alone with Nancy- but she had not caved.

In fact, she had something else to think about; in her hand was a key. Hopper had found her before they left the funeral home and had thrust it into her hands carelessly. When she looked at the man, eyebrows pulled into a confusion expression, he made a face. An exasperated sigh had emitted from his lips as though he had no idea how to word what he wanted to say, but simply wanted to do it instead. After ruffling his metaphorical feathers slightly, he had explained to her that he wasn't sure if he was going to make it home that night, and that Emilia was welcome to go there anytime.

Jonathan and Nancy had stared at him, stunned and in disbelief. Hopped had looked between the three kids, and then shook his head and left. There was something about the way he moved that made Emilia concerned for him; and then told herself that he was just distraught from what had happened the night before with Will. He had lost his own daughter, and finding any one dead, especially a kid, it did damage to someone that was not repairable.

Now outside the red room, sitting in the photography class she'd spent so much time in before, she thumbed the key. Part of her wondered what Nancy and Jonathan would talk about, but most of her didn't want to know. She hadn't much time to think about it, either, as the two of them stepped out of the red room. Image in hand, they walked over and spread it out in front of Emilia. She glanced down at the monster and forced herself not to recoil. Looking up at them, she felt as though she were being interrogated. Seated in an hard, plastic chair, with these two standing across the table from her, pointing at the picture.

"Is this what you saw, Emilia?" Nancy asked.

She nodded, "That's it."

"So it does have Barb," Nancy stood up, crossing her arms around her stomach, looking slightly ill.

"It's had Will for longer," Emilia said, though not to make Nancy's concerns about Barb any less valid. But to make her feel better, "And both Joyce and I have heard Will in there. I can confirm that he was alive, Joyce can too. Jon, are we going to tell her?"

"No," Jonathan shook his head. "I mean, I'm not sure yet."

"So what is the plan?" Emilia stood up, feeling powerless underneath the gaze of Nancy and Jonathan, for some reason.

"We find it," Nancy said. Then she looked as if she'd just said the most ridiculous thing ever, and tried to correct herself. "Or... uhm..."

"Tomorrow?" Emilia asked.

"The funeral," Jonathan said, "It's tomorrow."