The car ride was filled with unbearable silence, as Steve drove to the Forest Hills trailer park.
"This better be fast, Mayfield-" Steve says, as Max quickly opened the car door and went out, as the rest looked at her, with worry in their eyes. "Twenty seconds." She says, as she walks off, in which Clemency did not let pass, as she quickly followed the younger girl.
"Clemency... Twenty seconds." The girl says as she sternly looked at Clemency, who just stood there looking back at her, making her sigh, walking off and leaving Clemency standing there with the boys.
Clemency walked over Steve's car, and leaned her back at it, Steve stayed inside the car, looking at Clemency, who had a worried look on her face. The girl kept her eyes on the Mayfield's trailer, as they waited for Max.
"That thing's got batteries in it, right?" Steve asked, looking over to Dustin, as the younger boy looked back at him, and sighed. "I'm not even gonna answer that question...." He sarcastically says, Steve looking with a baffled look.
"Yes, it has batteries." Dustin sternly says looking at Steve as he looks back at the boy. "Yeah, I got it."
As the time passed, Clemency grew more impatient, and walked her way off, Steve furrowed his eyebrows looking at the girl. "Clemency?" He called out, but the girl just ignored him, while the two younger boy's eyes followed her tracks.
As she reached the trailer's door step, Clemency stopped, and just had a strong feeling in her gut. She thought it most likely might have been just because of Max's current case, but then again, it was not just her she was worried about, and the sinking feeling made her feel out of breath, with her head pounding.
Clemency walked inside the trailer, but Max was not there, and immediately worried. She walked further, and saw the letters that Max left on a table, and looking up out the window, seeing the view of the back of the trailer, she saw Max in a trance, and quickly ran her way out of there, with fear in her eyes.
As she got there, Max fell backwards, while Clemency caught her before she could hit the ground. "Max." She says, as the girl pants, breaking in a cold sweat as she looked around her, filled with fear in her eyes, Max got herself off of Clemency's hold, walking off and leaving the girl worrying for her. Clemency quickly followed after Max, as the girl went to Steve's car, the boys stood by the car, and looked at the two girls.
"Hey, that was longer than 20 seconds." Steve says, as Max hurried her way by his car, with the rest of the group's eyes looking at her. "Hey, whoa, whoa. Are you all right?" Steve continued, as he gave Max a worried look, then onto Clemency, with a questioning look.
Max quickly looked over Clemency with a stern look, and opened the car door. "I'm fine. Just drive." She says, avoiding the group's eyes, entering the car, as the rest did too. "Did something happen?" Dustin worriedly asked, looking at both the girls, back and forth.
"Can we please just drive?" Max says with a shaky voice, as Steve quickly drives. Clemency could not say a word at that moment, seeing her at the back of the trailer scared Clemency. Remembering the same thing that she had witnessed happened to Chrissy, blankly staring and could not hear a thing, as she is lost in thought, looking out of the car, worried, scared, and anxious. All she wanted is for Max to not suffer the same fate, but she thought to herself, how in the hell would they even get Max off of that damned curse.
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The group's next destination is the Roane Hill Cemetery. As Steve stopped the car, Max immediately got off, the rest looked at her, Clemency readied herself to get off of the car to follow the girl, but Lucas suddenly grabbed her wrist, stopping her, and made her look at the boy in confusion. The boy sighed, and went out of the car himself, following Max while he called out for her. Steve looked over Clemency's worried face, and sighed.
Max looked back with a grimace in her face as Lucas approached her, and stopped in her tracks. "Lucas, please, just wait in the car." Max says, and keeps walking, but Lucas wont budge.
"Max, just wait. Max, please." Lucas tried convincing the girl, as the girl looked back at her. "Lucas, just wait-" Max says, but Lucas interrupts her. "Just listen to me. Just, please." Making the girl stop, and keeping her eyes on the boy, as he looked back at her, in desperation and concern.
"I know something happened there with your mother.... Was it Vecna?" Lucas says as he reads Max's expression, as she grows agitated, and gives the boy a false smile, but with her easily read, worried eyes. "I told you, I'm fine... Okay."
Lucas kept a worried look at the girl, keeping his eyes on her. "I mean, as fine as someone who's hurtling towards a gruesome death can be." Max says, but the worrying, heavy feeling she is currently feeling, slowly drops her happy facade. "Max... you know you can talk to me. Right?" Lucas reassured, keeping his stern look.
"Yeah, I know that-" Max says, as she gave her the same smile. "Okay, why do you keep pushing me away? Okay, look. I don't need a letter. I don't want a letter. Just talk to me. To your friends." Lucas heartfelt, and sincerely says, Max kept her eyes at him, and looked over the rest of their friends.
"We're right here... I'm right here. Okay? I'm here." Lucas added, as he looked at the girl with desperation. Max paused, and kept her eyes on the boy and sighed. "Wait in the car. This won't be long." Max says, as she quickly walked her way to the cemetery, as Lucas kept his eyes on her as she went.
Walking back to the car, and catching the rest of the teens, as he went and leaned his back in Steve's car, Clemency got off the car, and closed the door, approaching Lucas, as he turned his head looking over to the older girl. "So?" She softly asked the boy, he let out a heavy sigh and looked at Max, sitting in front of Billy's grave. "Let's give her time." Lucas quietly replied, as Clemency nodded in response.
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Max just sat there, as the group stayed and waited. Steve sat in front of the wheel, Dustin stood by the car door, while Clemency and Lucas leaned outside of the driver's seat.
Clemency fidgeted, getting Lucas' attention, as he looked over the worried girl, as she shook her left leg. Clemency is feeling a sinking feeling. "You okay?" Lucas softly asked her, in which she did not answer, as she stared blankly on the ground. She did not know if they had given Max enough time already, or if it was way too much time, as she sighed out and went her way to approach the girl, the others looking at her. "Clem?" Dustin called out.
"Clem? What are you doing?" Lucas says, as Clemency proceeded to go her way to the girl. "Just trust me on this." She responded, keeping her eyes on Max.
And as Clemency reached the girl, she looked at her in horror, as Max's eyes rolled back, the same sight as Chrissy that night, then and there, she knew, slowly started to hyperventilate, as she quickly snaps her head looking back at the three voice in the verge of tears. "Guys, hurry!" She yelled, in which they immediately came running, as Clemency quickly grabbed Max, she knelt in front of her, squeezing both her shoulders. "Max, please, wake up." She exclaimed, as her tears fell on her cheeks, looking at the unresponsive girl.
The four teens surrounded Max, shaking her vigorously, while Clemency continued crying, knowing that whatever they do, she would not wake up from the trance she is in, just as unsuccessful as she and Eddie were with Chrissy. Steve grabbed Dustin, startling Clemency while her tears kept falling. "Call Nancy and Robin! Go get 'em! Call Nancy and Robin! Go!" Steve hurried the boy, making him run, and stumbled on his way back to the car to grab the walkie-talkie to contact Robin and Nancy, who are still doing their mission in the Pennhurst Asylum.
Dustin tried racing them, but it did not seem to reach the two, making him stand on top of the hood of Steve's car, desperately waiting for a response from the two. "Robin, where the hell are you? This is a code red. I repeat, a code red!" He urged as he waited for a response back.
"Dustin, it's Robin. We copy." Robin answered, still panting from all the running she and Nancy did. "Holy shit. Finally! Please, please tell me you guys have this figured out." Dustin says in desperation, as she quickly shares with him what they have discovered.
They had found out that music is the key, because music can reach parts of the brain that words cannot, and it can be a lifeline back through reality, by learning information from Victor Creel and his experience on surviving the curse, as he heard 'Dream a Little Dream of Me' and getting him off of his trance.
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As the three kept shaking Max, screaming at her, trying their best to get her off of her trance, when Dustin came running, screaming, and hurtling towards them, carrying Max's walkman and many cassettes in his arms, startling the others as he dropped all of them on the ground. "What's this?" Lucas asked, as they all looked at him in confusion."What's her favorite song?" Dustin hurriedly asked. "Why?" Lucas yelled back at the boy.
"Robin said if she listens-" Dustin says, as a sniffling Clemency grabbed his wrist, and stopped him. "Explain later. I think it's a Kate Bush song, but I'm not sure-" She says, as she looked for the tape, as the boys joined in. "I got it!" Lucas exclaimed, as they got the cassette out and quickly put it on the walkman and put the headphones in Max's ears, and they waited, staring at the girl.
They kept screaming for her, waiting for any reactions from the girl, to no avail, the three looked in horror as the girl slowly started levitating, Clemency quickly grabbed her, but the force is too strong, taking Max away from her grip, as she kept floating higher, far from anyone's reach. They all called for her, and cried in frustration, waiting for her to get off of the trance. Max floated there for a while, as the three expected for the worst as she had stayed there, they kept weeping, went all of a sudden, the girl fell back, Clemency caching her, but falling on the ground with her, as the three boys looked in shock, and Max, hyperventilating, and cried out in full terror.
Lucas quickly grabbed Max and hugged her, as the rest did the same. "I thought we lost you..." Lucas stammers, as he tightly holds Max in his arms. "I'm still here... I'm still here..." Max reassured, catching her breath, Clemency caressed both of their shoulders as she knelt behind them, and could not contain her sobs.
‧₊˚
On the car ride back to the Wheelers, Clemency kept her eyes on Max, as the girl kept her headphones on, and continued to listen to 'Running up that Hill' as she looked out on the road. Clemency wondered if she is really off of Vecna's curse, and what they could do to get her off of it, but permanently off of it, finally.
Reaching the home, and meeting back up with Robin and Nancy, they informed them on what happened and how they saved Max, as they rested at the house and watched over Max.
The girl did not get any sleep the whole night, understandably so, while Clemency stayed up as well. Max notices and wonders why the older girl has not slept yet, while the others are completely knocked out and sleeping soundly on the floor. Instead, Clemency could not sleep, it had always been a struggle for her to sleep, well, the first time she found out about the horrors of the Upside down, less than two years ago, she started having trouble sleeping unless she is feeling extremely tired, she is in pain, or when she felt comfortable, which is not quite often.
These past few months she had hang out with Eddie helped her somehow, though her sleep schedule is still messed up, but it is improving, somehow, adding the fact that she thought everything is back to normal months later after the events that occurred in year 85' at the Starcourt mall, still being popular, finally meeting people that she actually liked and not just the ones she had to go with just to keep the unnecessary popularity status she wanted to maintain, somehow, but then they are back to saving the world again.
Clemency did not get a job to enjoy the last few months of high school after many terrifying encounters, and all she got is two dead classmates, the guy she likes getting blamed for it, and a sister figure who might just suddenly die any time soon.
And speaking of sister figure, Clemency got startled as got off of her blank staring at her book when Max suddenly showed up in front of her face. "Clem? I'll just go to the kitchen." Max softly says, as a wide-eyed Clemency nodded in response, as Max put her headphones back on and walked off. Clemency sighed, and closed up her book, and went to the kitchen, following Max.
She watched Max as she drew using red crayons, as Clemency's youngest sister, Holly sat in front of her. Clemency took a seat, as Max looked over to her, giving a soft smile, and proceeded with drawing.
"Morning, Clem. Have some pancakes." Karen offered her daughter as she lightly nodded in response, Clemency grabbed a few pancakes, and proceeded watching Max, when the girl suddenly looked over at her. "I think you should check up on your boyfriend." Max says, catching the older girl off guard, as she widened her eyes at her and quickly shook her head.
"Eddie's not my boyfriend... and he's probably doing fine... maybe." She says, unsure, but her danger senses did not seem to go off, and she always trusted her guts, Max sighed looking at the girl lost in her thoughts. "I'll be okay here, and I have Kate Bush on." She playfully reassured Clemency, making her lightly chuckled, and went her way to the basement.
As she went down the flight of stairs, she immediately heard the familiar voice on the walkie that disturbed Nancy's slumber, while Clemency quickly looked for it and answered. "Eddie?" She softly asked, as her sister watched her.
"Clem? Princess? That you?" Eddie says in a thrilled tone upon hearing her voice, making Clemency chuckle to herself. "So, you're still alive, huh?" Eddie playfully says, as Clemency furrowed her eyebrows from hearing clunking on Eddie's end, as he is holding a small pot, and having his breakfast.
"Of course I am... anyways, how are you?" She wondered, as the clunking noise finally stopped making her hear Eddie much clearer. "I'm still alive, but I ran out of food supplies so... I'm gonna need a food delivery service, like, really soon." Eddie says, as Clemency nodded to herself. "Of course, of course... we'll be there."
"Oh wait, can you pick me up a six-pack?" Eddie requested, as Nancy, who is still there listening to the two, rolled her eyes. "Really?" She says in disbelief, as Clemency looks over to her.
"Okay, Nance, let him have his cold beer, he's been through so much, okay." Clemency says, when Nancy suddenly panicked as she looked around her, making Clemency slightly panic as well, wondering what was wrong. "Where's Max?" Nancy asked, startling Dustin awake, as the two made eye contact.
"She's upstairs." Clemency said, as the two sighed in relief, and went upstairs. "Eddie, we'll call you back later, okay?" She says as she turns the walkie-talkie off, leaving Eddie confused, as the girl followed after Nancy and Dustin, as they went and sat with Max at the table.
"Is this what you saw last night?" Clemency heard Nancy ask Max, as she arrived at the kitchen and sat beside her sister, and looked at the drawing that Max had already done, trying to make up every bit of it. "I mean, it's supposed to be. I thought it'd be easier to draw it out than explain it, but... not so much." Max explained, as Nancy pulled one of the papers, containing a horrifying image of two corpses, fully on display as vines wrapped around them. "Is that..." Nancy says, as Clemency covered her mouth in fear, realizing what the drawing was.
"It was like they were on display or something." Max explained, making Clemency quietly gassed in disbelief. "And then there was this red fog everywhere. It was like a dream... a nightmare." She added, as they two looked over to her, "Do you think Vecna's just trying to scare you?" Nancy wondered, as the girl looked at her, while Clemency listened intently.
"With Billy? Yeah. But when I made it here..." She says as she points at her red colored drawings. "I dunno, something was different...He seemed surprised, almost." Max added as Clemency gave her a confused look and sighed out, "Surprised, how?" She softly asked as the girl looked over to her, while Dustin approached them, holding a plate with plenty of pancakes on it, as he sat beside them and listened.
"It's like he didn't want me there." Max explained, as Clemency nodded, intrigued and thinking. "Maybe you infiltrated his mind." Dustin thought, as Clemency looked over to him, pursing her lips and squinting her eyes, as she thought if that could be it. "He invaded your mind, right? Is it that big a leap to suggest you somehow wound up in his?" He added, as Clemency slowly nodded in agreement. "...Like Freddie Kruger's boiler room." Dustin continued, as Holly turned her head looking over to him with a look of grimace. "Freddie Kruger?" She asked, as the boy looked over to her.
"He's a super burned-up dude with razors for hands for fingers and he kills you in your dreams-" Dustin explained to the kid, making her grew scared, as Clemency hit Dustin's arm, interrupting him, as he looked at her and Nancy in confusion, as the sisters gave him a disapproving look. "Dustin, seriously?" Nancy scolded, widening her eyes at him, as he looked back at the little girl. "Sorry... It's a movie. It's not real." He worriedly explained to the kid, as he looked back at the three, making Clemency pinch the bridge of her nose, and shake her head in disappointment.
"Just... think about it. What if you somehow unlocked a backdoor to Vecna's world? Like, maybe the answer we're looking for is..." Dustin says, as he grabs one of the drawings, examining it. "...Somewhere in this incredibly vague drawing... God, we need Will."
"Yeah, no shit..." Max says snarkily. "Or you could have asked Clemency to draw it for you... you can draw, right?" Dustin asked, as Nancy rolled her eyes at the boy while Clemency nodded in response. "Yeah, but it's better that the one who saw everything is the one to draw it for more accuracy, all right?" She sternly says, looking over to the boy.
"Also, I tried calling the Byers' again this morning, and it's the same busy signal..." Max explained, when Nancy suddenly realized something, and grabbed one of the drawings. "Is this a window?" She asked as she stared at it, as Max agreed in response. "Like, stained glass with roses?" Nancy made sure, as the younger girl kept her eye on her.
"Nance, how do you know this?" Clemency wondered, Nancy looked over to her as Max looked intriguingly. "Well, I've seen it before..." She replied, and started putting all the drawings together, folding them all up, and drawing on it with a marker, until she could make up one full image using all of the pieces. "It's pieces of a house..." Max realized, as Dustin and Clemency intently looked at the image.
"Not just any house... It's Victor Creel's house." Nancy says, as she quickly grabbed all the drawings and walked off. "Where are you going?" Dustin asked as he ate up his pancakes, making Nancy stop in her tracks and looked over the three. "Waking the others." She says, as they quickly followed after her.
‧₊˚
the title is a lyrics from tomorrow x together's song called 'frost'