In My Blood

Episode 1 - Cabin Fever

OCTOBER 30th, 1984 / HAWKINS, INDIANA

I had always enjoyed the Halloween season when I was younger. The ability to dress up and pretend to be someone else to earn candy while having my own hour or two of freedom was heaven to me. As I grew older, I continued to have likings toward it, but everything changed when I became a senior. Pretending to be someone else wasn't a single day event anymore.

It was my life.

"Stop!" I held my breath, keeping in formation with the other cheerleaders around me as our Coach Duke glared at all of us. He was a muscular man in his thirties, obsessed with perfection. Throughout high school, I always managed to avoid him like the plague. Now I was forced to be around him every sixth period and allow him to stare me down with condescending remarks every time I made a mistake. "Holloway!" I released my breath as Heather, a row in front of me, wilted, her arms falling to her side in defeat as she tried to hold back tears. "We're counting in eighths, not sevenths! Get it through your head!"

"I'm sorry, it won't happen again!" Duke shook his head in annoyance, swirling his hand around once to signal us to start again.

"I was so scared that was going to be me," Diana Crossby whispered to me, a relieved smile on her face. I had always seen her around during my years at Hawkins High, but the two of us never became friends until the beginning of senior year. What a time to grow close to someone. Her dark brown hair had been brushed into a high ponytail with a large bow holding it in place, and I could smell the perfume she had sprayed into it before school burning my nose. "I almost twisted my ankle landing a cartwheel."

"He'll never yell at us as long as Charity calls us her friends," I pointed, whispering back. I tightened my own ponytail, wincing as my hair was pulled almost out of my scalp. I couldn't help but look at Charity as we restarted, the head of the triangle formation we were keeping. Unlike Diana, I had known who Charity Green was before joining her team. She was... a bitch. Teachers would always ooh and ahh over the innocent blonde girl who spent hours every weekend volunteering around town while the student body would steer clear out of her path. If she wanted something, she would get it before anyone could even question it. All of the underclassmen looked up to her like a goddess, and to be somehow related to her meant you were at the top of the food chain.

"That's because she screwed him sophomore and junior year." Diana's head whipped back into place as she passed me, jumping into a split along with two other girls. I followed along a few seconds later, praying my shirt would lift too high and show off the claw scars I had received almost a year prior. I could feel my necklace rubbing against my skin. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw two familiar figures walk by the open gym doors, laughing to themselves. Steve glanced over and caught eyes with me, giving me a sad look before running back to Nancy. I thought senior year was going to be as good as the other graduates described it, but all I attributed to my two months back at school was grief and fear.