JULY 19th, 1978
6:53 P.M.
Ziggy ended up leading Y/N to the arts and crafts cabin and she watched as Ziggy grabbed a bucket of red paint and a paint brush before going to open the bucket.
But before she can get far, they hear the cabin door open and a voice, "What are you doing?"
Ziggy and Y/N turn to see Cindy Berman standing in the door way, Ziggy immediately rolling her eyes, "Art projects." She replies.
"I need to talk to you." Cindy says, coming around the table to where Y/N is as she hops up on the table to get ready for whatever is about to go down between them.
"I'm not in the mood."
"Earlier you said Mary was upset," Cindy starts despite Ziggy's protests.
Y/N crosses her arms as Ziggy turns to face her sister. "Oh," She says with a scoff, "So now you care!"
"Ziggy, this is serious." Cindy cuts her sarcastic remarks off, her brow furrowing.
"Yeah, well, it was serious earlier and you didn't give a shit." Ziggy snaps, turning back around to the can, motioning for Y/N to follow as she grabs the supplies, Y/N hopping down from her spot.
Cindy sighs and follows the two out the doors, "Come on! You two were the last people to see her before she snapped. What about drugs, did you see any around?" Cindy questions the pair.
"She was a nurse, so yup."
"Well, did she mention anything — "
"Nope."
Y/N keeps quiet as the sisters fight, not seeming like it's her place to interject, even if she probably would've told Cindy some of the answers to her questions just to get her off their tails.
Y/N heard Cindy sigh again, "Ziggy I'm just... I'm trying to understand what happened today."
"Who cares, it's over." Ziggy sasses.
"Ziggy," Y/N calls quietly, catching one of her wrists, only for Ziggy to shake her off with a frown.
"Well — Well not for Tommy." Cindy speaks again, Y/N almost hoping that she would shut up before Ziggy snaps and says something she'll regret, "He's still freaked out and acting weird and it's just a big joke to everyone. 'Mary was possessed by the witch.'"
"Maybe it was the witch." Ziggy says, her eyes trained on the ground. When Cindy tries to talk again, she cuts her off, "What? That doesn't fit your carefully constructed bullshit view of the world?"
Y/N notices Cindy's steps slow for a moment before picking back up as she speaks again, "Why are you being like this?"
"I dunno," Ziggy shrugs, "Maybe because Nurse Lane was one of the only two people who were nice to me at this stupid camp, and now her life is over because bad things always happen to Shadysiders."
Y/N looks over her shoulder in apology to Cindy as the two continue walking, but the older Berman sister calls out one more time, "Nothing just happens. There's always a reason."
Ziggy turns to her again as Y/N goes to open the cabin door, Ziggy's hands full as she talks to her sister, "Not always a rational one. Deep down, you feel it, don't you? Shadyside, there's something here. It's just holding us down, cursing us."
"Ziggy, that's enough." Cindy mumbles, her voice getting quieter. This is what Y/N was afraid of, but Ziggy talks again before she can shut it down.
"You're too scared to admit it. So when things go bad, you wanna explain it away."
Cindy shakes her head as Y/N fumbles with the lock, not really ready to head back inside yet. "I'm sorry," Cindy rebuts, "I'm not going to blame everything on some fairytale. Life sucks sometimes. I get that. I mean, God knows it's been hard since..." She trials off, looking nervously to Y/N.
Ziggy follows her eyes and scoffs. "Since what? See, you can't even say it! Since dad left. Since mom started drinking. Since we're going to lose the house," She lists, making Y/N's mouth part slightly in shock. "Mad it's not gonna magically get better. And saving up all summer to by a super cute polo shirt can't hide that." Ziggy says, grabbing the collar of Cindy's shirt to prove her point.
She steps away from Cindy and continues her speech, "Trying to explain why nice old Nurse Lane almost lost it today can't either. We're all cursed. For Mary, it was today. But someday, it'll be you. And this whole fake bullshit life of yours is gonna come crashing down."
Y/N can see the tears forming in Cindy's eyes at her words. "That's a horrible thing to say." she chokes out.
Ziggy shakes her head slightly, her eyes never leaving Cindy's, "It's not horrible if it's true."
"I don't know who you are anymore, but you're not my sister." Cindy trembles.
"Then who am I?" Ziggy shoots back.
"A monster." Cindy whispers, but the two still hear it quite audibly.
Ziggy nods before turning to Y/N with cold eyes before seeing the way her hands are shaking before they soften, going to unlock the door, turning back to Cindy to show her their fucked up cabin, "That's what they say." She says, showing Cindy the evidence before pulling Y/N inside and closing the door.
"Ziggy..." Y/N says, coming over to her bed as she starts to pour the red paint into a bucket, "I had no idea,"
"It's fine." Ziggy says sternly.
The two look to the speakers in the room as 'Carry on Wayward Son' plays through the whole camp, the campers mostly likely getting ready for the Color War.
Y/N looks between her tense posture and the way she aggressively stirs the paint, knowing it's probably best to not push any further, "So, what's the plan?" She asks instead, sitting on the other side of the bed.
"You pour the paint, I'll pour the water," She instructs, betting out another paint can and a gallon of water.
"That's still not telling me the plan." Y/N points out.
Ziggy looks at her with a glint in her eye, the previous fight a fleeting memory, "We're gonna Carrie that little bitch." She says, pouring the water into the bucket as she motions for Y/N to pour the paint.
They start to mix the solution, trying to get the water to mix with the paint to get it more blood-like, when a series of knocks are heard on the door. "Go away, Cindy!" Ziggy yells, assuming it's her sister.
"It's me, it's Nick." the voice calls, making Y/N still, Ziggy looking at her skeptically.
"Go away, Nick!" Y/N shouts in the same tone Ziggy had just used. But, of course, Nick Goode doesn't listen to her, as per usual.
"Woah," He mutters at the sight before him, the two girls on the bed with a giant bucket between them, the graffiti blatantly evident on the walls, neither of them bothering to do anything about it. "I like what you've done with the place." He teases.
"This wasn't us." Y/N states firmly.
"I'm shocked," He laughs silently. "Ziggy is a witch bitch," He reads over it, turning to Y/N's side when he stops himself after he saw the same message from earlier. Clearing his throat he turns back to the pair, "Jeez. Sheila?" He asks without a seconds hesitation.
"Colonel Mustard." Y/N answers with spite.
Nick peers into the buck and notes, "Oh, looks like blood."
"Brilliant observation." Y/N mumbles.
Ziggy nudges her and answers instead, "Yeah, well, we didn't have a pig, so..."
Nick nods in approval, "Carrie. Cool."
Y/N snaps her head up with surprise. "You've read Carrie?"
Nick rubs the back of his neck with embarrassment, "Yeah, second favorite after Salem's Lot. I wanted to impress you, but..."
"Yeah." Y/N responds, not sure how to answer that as Ziggy looks between the two, her eyes widening as she comes to a realization.
"Wait a minute, you and — "
"Can we not talk about this right now?" Y/N cuts her off, ignoring the bemused stare she's giving her. Turning back to Nick, she says to him, "We're kind of in the middle of something."
Nick shrugs, "I dunno, paint seems a little pedestrian."
Ziggy looks at him and scoffs, "Oh, I'm sorry. Do you have a better idea."
"Maybe."
Ziggy and Nick share an evil grin and Y/N groans, "No, no this is not happening. Shouldn't you be like turning us in or something? This could never work, I mean, we don't even need you help."
Nick chuckles at her frustrated state. "First of all, I'm supposed to be supervising Color War, uh, but noticed you two were MIA and — "
"You decided to stalk us?" Y/N says, raising an unimpressed eyebrow.
"Check in on you." he corrects. "But, clearly you don't need my assistance. All good. Go ahead. 'Carrie' on." He says with a cheeky smile before turning to head out the door, completely ignoring the glares he was getting from both of the girls.
Y/N sighs thankfully, but almost dies when Ziggy speaks up, "What's your idea?"
Nick turns around and looks to Y/N before looking to Ziggy and holding up the keys to any door on camp. "Science and Nature." He says, Ziggy looking Y/N with a smile.
When the other girl only huffs in response, she sighs, "Oh, come on, just think of the look on Sheila's face."
Y/N looks nervously at Nick before turning back to Ziggy, and seeing the hopeful look in her eyes, she sighs, giving in. "Fine."
Nick smiles before motioning for the girls to follow him as they leave the paint and bucket behind.