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[ 1984. October ]
MARY-JANE HARGROVE DOESN'T BELIEVE IN SHEER COINCIDENCES. When her father announces they're moving to a small town in Indiana, she's not as opposed to that idea as her siblings. Yes, moving halfway across the country from the "state of dreams and possibilities", California, to Indiana isn't exactly any teenage girl's dream scenario but she rolls with it. If the universe has a plan for her, then surely this must be another piece in the puzzle. Somehow, believing that there's a path paved out for you, a plan, makes everything seem less tough. From her parents splitting up to moving to all the other hardships she's faced over the years, if it's all a part of some master plan then all of those things become more bearable. And she needs a bit of that. Something to make things easier, seem... important even when it gets tough.
Plus, Hawkins is hardly that bad. It's a cute little place. As they roll through the town, down the Main Street and past all the stores, that have now started to bedazzle their windows with brightly colored Halloween decorations, excitement is flowing through her veins. The town is pretty empty this time of day for whatever reason. She can count maybe nine cars scattered across the street outside various stores. One thing does catch her attention. "Hey Max, there's an arcade here." Mary-Jane speaks excitedly, breaking the awful science in the car. Her stepsister perks up, looking out the window to where MJ is pointing at the large sign stretching far into the sky reading Palace Arcade with large, bright orange letters and she smiles, their eyes meeting.
"Cool, we'll have to check it out." Max replies, genuine excitement flashing in her eyes. At least that can cheer her up. She's not very excited about this move either, and MJ has made it her personal mission to make her as happy as she possibly can without trying too hard. She feels like she knows Max well enough to pull that off and she's clearly off to a great start.
"Yeah, definitely." MJ nods, smiling at her little sister with admiration. Max is the little sister she always wanted but never got. She may just be a stepsister but the two spend a lot of time together, especially at the arcades, trying to beat each other's records.
From the other side of the backseat, her evil twin brother huffs out of annoyance, shaking his head lightly. MJ narrows her eyes at him, about to say something, but before she can do so her father speaks up. "This is it." He announces and they pull up on a driveway in front of a small, lonely house that definitely has seen better days. A sigh escaping her lips, MJ takes in the sight, coming to terms with the fact that this is going to be her home for the foreseeable future. It can't be that bad, right?
Taking a good look inside the house, Mary-Jane quickly comes to the realization that there aren't enough bedrooms in the house. "Uh, dad there's only three bedrooms." She swiftly turns around to look at her father who, just like everyone else in the household, is carrying boxes inside. As he sets it down, he wipes his sweaty palms on his jeans. He shrugs, tilting his head.
