HEAVEN ► STRANGER THINGS

THREE

"Dad, I—" Eli moved forward with open, surrendering arms, only for one of them to be snatched up by an iron hand. A high-pitched squeal of pain left his curled lips, and he was forced to gaze into those mad eyes once more.

"You ruined everything. You always do!" He spat, his saliva brushing against Eli's cheekbone and causing him to grimace. "I want you out of my sight! Go home, and don't ever think about coming back here again. You hear me? Ever!"

Eve's chest burned, and she felt like crying watching her brother hang limply and fearfully in their father's hold. She knew he was in pain too, watching his eyes continue to grow wet with the promise of tears.

"Y-You don't want us to help clean up?" Eli stammered heavily, his entire body a tornado of pins and needles and overheated nerves.

"Just go!" He hollered, slinging Eli's aching arm out his furious fist so harshly the young boy stumbled backwards and slammed into the filing cabinet. "We'll discuss your punishment later. You're lucky I'm still letting you go trick or treating."

Now that was a surprise to hear, but Eli could hardly reflect on that with hot liquid seeping through his shirt, a throbbing wrist, and now a mass of pain swirling in his lower back. He and Eve scurried out of the office, dashing out of the building without any regards to the odd stares they received from people passing by.

By the time the twins arrived back home, Eli's handlebars had become damp from his tears.

~

Eli and Eve stared blankly at the empty hairspray can quietly, as if looking long enough would spawn enough product to redo the Brooks boy's costume. "Mom didn't want to waste an entire can for a one time use," Eli grumbled, water droplets still dripping from his freshly washed curls.

Another figure appeared in the doorway, huffing and taking the small can from Eli and tossing it into the bin. "Guess you'll just have to go as Eli Brooks instead of Eli Electro."

Eli's face flattened into annoyance. "Rene," he murmured, not bothering to greet the Campbell before ducking out of the bathroom.

"Nice to see you too," she rasped dryly, following him into the twins' quaint bedroom. A stack of horror movies was curled in her arms, a devious glint in her robin egg blue eyes. "So Eve tells me you spilt some weird chemical?"

"Hey, it was not my fault!" Eli replied defensively, holding a tired hand out. "Eve was the one who knocked it all over me."

"Again, I'm really sorry," Eve apologized half-heartedly, only because she had mumbled those same words fifty times already. "At least neither of us got—" She cut herself off, a dark realization casting over her.

At least neither of us got hurt.

Eli noticed it too, but didn't say anything. Instead, he sat limply on the toe of his bed, cradling his wrist marked with a circle of dark bruises beginning to form.

Rene plopped the set of movies onto Eve's bed, flopping onto the mattress herself. "What were you guys doing at your dad's work anyway? Performing a science experiment?"

"Not exactly," Eve answered nervously, lightly perching on the space next to her friend. "Our dad has been weird ever since he started working at the lab. We just...figured we'd check up on him." Her eyes were glued to the back of her brother, and he could feel their sting but still refused to meet her stare.