✓ Her Mixtape, Stranger Things

xii. fellas, i think he's possessed

　 "Mafia . . . bosses?" the person trailed off, "Wait . . . you are not Emilia." they spoke slowly.

　 Rue slowly opened her eyes, and her fear disappeared when she saw a girl with short curly brown hair. She huffed, lowering her hands, "No, I'm not. She's my mother."

　 "Where are we? Who are you?" Rue asked, and the girl narrowed her eyes at her tilting her head.

　 "Jane," she said, and Rue hummed. "I've seen you before, at Hawkins . . . Middle school?"

　 "You were the voice looking for Mike."

　 "You were the girl in my head."

　 Rue frowned, shaking her head. "No," she mumbled, "I wasn't in your head — "

　 "Yes, you were — "

　 "What do you want with Emilia?" She quickly changed the subject.

　 Jane huffed, "I am looking for her. I think — I think she is my sister."

　 Rue nearly laughed, "No, she's not. She doesn't have a sister."

　 The girl frowned and looked down at the ankle-deep water. Rue felt a shiver crawl up her spine the longer she stayed in this place. Spinning around, she tried to look for a way out, but it was all pitch black from as far as she could see.

　 "Where can I find Emilia?" Jane asked. "Where can I find your Mama?"

　 Rue winced, looking down at the smaller girl. "Portland,"

　 "Port . . . land?"

　 She nodded, "Portland's cemetery, next to the only church that doesn't have spray paint on the walls."

　 Jane furrowed her eyebrows, not understanding.

　 "She's dead."

　 "Oh." The girl chewed on her lower lip, thinking, "Maybe . . . since you're her daughter . . . with her . . . abilities . . . maybe that's why I found you instead."

　 "I'm sorry, what? What did you say?"

　 Jane fiddled with the sleeve of her flannel, and Rue watched her, utterly puzzled, but she looked away and up to where the sky was supposed to be when she heard a familiar voice calling for her. "Rue, Rue — Rue, come on, wake up."

　 A sad smile grew on Jane's face, and a tear slipped down her cheek, "Mike," she whispered.

 　"Rue!"

　 She spun around as she felt the water moving beneath her feet. Jane has disappeared into vapour, causing her to gasp and grip around her torso in fear she'd turn into smoke as well.

　 Blinking awake, Rue was glad to be pulled away from that nightmare. She jerked aside from the hand that was on her upper lip, and that's when she noticed the tissue stained with blood.

　 With a shaky hand, she tapped under her nose, feeling the warm liquid rolling between her fingers. Rue looked up to see Joyce, Bob, and Mike staring at her. Joyce, holding onto the tissue, Bob, running his hand through her hair and Mike watching.

　 Her eyes traced down to the trail of countless bloody tissues that lead to the garbage can by the door of Will's hospital room.

　 "Your nose was bleeding again," Mike said, and Rue forced herself not to roll her eyes.

　 "I'll get you some water," Bob told her while Joyce gave Rue an extra tissue to hold onto her nose while she cleared the rest from the floor.

　 Mike shifted in his seat, a blanket wrapped around his shoulder, "You bleed a lot,"