brontide ; stranger things

EIGHT

Latibule (n.)

a hiding place, a place of safety and comfort

-Collie's Word of the Day #29

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  HER feet aching from running for what seemed like miles, Collie sniffled as she walked down the street towards town. Her head thundered with pain, the soft breeze making her hair dance behind her. Collie's eyes and nose were red from crying and her cheeks were flushed from the cold, as she had run out without her jacket.

Had Hopper really meant what he'd said about her being too big of a handful? Or her being a brat? Just thinking about him calling the lab and sending her back, even though she knew he would never do it, made her furious.

A shot of anger surged through Collie and her eyes suddenly flickered to their white state, her hands tingling with energy. With a jerk of her wrist, a nearby lamp post blew out, the glass falling to the ground and shattering.

Back to their normal color, Collie's eyes filled with tears and she hurried down the street, the dim lights of the town becoming closer. Hawkins was eerily quiet as she made her way past the buildings and shops. Finally, she trekked up the long driveway of the Byers' house and dragged her feet up the porch, hesitating to knock on the door.

Did she really want to wake them all up? Making up her mind, she rapped a few times on the wood and stepped back, wiping her tears away with the back of her hand. A few minutes later, the door opened and Jonathan appeared, looking surprised but pleased at his girlfriend's appearance.

"Collie, hey, wh-" He stopped as she looked up to meet his gaze, hugging herself and trembling. "What happened? Here, come inside." He quickly pulled Collie inside and led her to the couch, wrapping a blanket around her. All the lights except a single lamp were off, the house silent and seemingly tranquil.

"What happened?" Jonathan asked again as she leaned into his side and buried her face in his shoulder.

"Hopper-" Collie choked out. "Hopper... we had a fight. And-and I flipped out on him and I completely trashed the house." She purposefully left out what started the fight, clinging to her boyfriend tightly.

"Alright, shh, shh," Jonathan cooed, rubbing Collie's back. He didn't pry, not wanting to upset her even more.

"I did something," Collie hiccuped, looking up at him through her blurry vision. "There was this... this electricity. In my hand." She raised her hand to stare at it, though there was nothing there. Jonathan pulled her into his lap and tucked her head into the crook of his neck, shushing her.

He hated what these abilities were doing to her. They put an extra burden on her shoulders, made her question herself and think about what could happen if she got just a little too worked up. They were slowly driving her insane.

After Collie calmed down, Jonathan took her back to his room to let her sleep, on the way passing Will's bedroom. The door was cracked a bit and Collie stopped, peering in upon seeing Joyce laying with the younger boy, her arms wrapped around him protectively.

"What's wrong with Will and Joyce?" Collie asked as they continued on.

"Uh..." Jonathan trailed off and looked back at her. "Will's been a little... out of sorts." He explained to her what his mom had told him, Collie's heart heavy as she listened.