chapter thirty-two!
CASSIE PASSED OUT ALMOST THE EXACT MOMENT SHE SAT DOWN in Steve's car. It wasn't exactly her falling asleep as much as it was her body knocking her out from the physical and emotional exhaustion combined with the extreme sleep deprivation she'd been experiencing. Nobody said a word to wake her up, not even Max, who wanted nothing more than to ask Cassie what the hell had happened. Everyone seemed to come to a collective understanding that Cassie more than needed the rest. Steve hadn't even bothered to wake her up as he carried her back down into the Wheelers basement and laid her down on the couch. Dustin pulled a blanket over her and stuffed a pillow under her head.
Cassie slept through the entire night, through the chatters and small conversations happening around her until everyone else too feel asleep. No one even mentioned waking her up to put her on Max duty, just allowing the blonde rest that she obviously desperately needed.
Cassie was finally awoken the next morning by Robin shaking her shoulders lightly. Cassie wasn't even aware of when Nancy and Robin had came in, nor did she bother to ask as she rubbed her eyes tiredly. Nancy and Dustin woke everyone else while Max sat in front of her sister with a plate of waffles. Cassie let her eyes adjust to the light and looked around, not remembering even arriving at the Wheeler residence. She looked between Robin and Max, "What the hell?"
"We're going to the Creel house," said Robin, not meeting Cassie's eyes. Max stared at her sympathetically, making Cassie furrow her eyebrows as she took a waffle into her hands with nod of thanks. "Max saw it yesterday, we think it's important to Vecna."
Cassie nodded, standing up slowly. All eyes in the room travelled to her immediately, each of them looking away as Cassie looked back with a glare. She was unaware of why everyone was being so weird, but she honestly didn't care enough to ask. She grabbed her bag off the floor and went to the bathroom to change. Cassie pulled her hair back into a low bun and changed into a white shirt and threw on her oversized deep forest-green corduroy jacket. She also changed jeans considering the ones she wore still had dirt on the knees from the day before.
She washed her face off with a washcloth, partially just to wake herself up some more. Cassie let out a shaky breath when she pulled the cloth away from her face, only to see Vecna standing in front of her. She blinked, and he was gone. She could hear the clock chime, and the waffle she had just consumed threatened to come back up. Cassie could feel vines wrap around her neck, taking the breath from her lungs. She reached up to pull at them, only to find nothing but skin. Cassie shook the uneasy feeling off as she left the bathroom and rejoined her friends.
Everyone had been talking before, but the second she reentered the room they all went silent. Cassie huffed in annoyance, putting a hand on her hip, "What the hell is everyone's problem?"
The teens avoided her eyes, murmuring variations of nothing or sorry. Cassie rolled her eyes, following as the others went out towards Nancy's car. Cassie missed her own, but everyone agreed to ride together and Nancy's car was the one with the most space. Cassie sat in the far back with Steve and Dustin, tapping her foot the entire ride in annoyance.
Cassie didn't know why everyone was being so weird this morning, but she was more focused on Max's wellbeing to even actually care. Steve eventually began to treat her semi-normal and the two spent the last ten minutes of the ride playing rock-paper-scissors.
Cassie could feel the hair on her arms stick up the moment the Creel house came into sight. She felt the pain in her head sting a little more, and her eyes watched the house with wonder. It was run down, boarded up, and creepy like most old houses. Cassie used to run through 'haunted houses' on dares all the time in California, and it never once bothered her at all. She never even got uncomfortable in the houses. But this house made her want to burn it to the ground. It left an unsettling feeling in her stomach.
Nancy pulled over, parking her car in front of the house. Steve climbed out of the back, and Cassie crawled out next while Steve helped Dustin. The group of teens approached the house hesitantly, and Cassie wondered if she was the only one who felt as uncomfortable as she did.
Steve refused to leave her side as they walked up the sidewalk, the blonde sending him a confused look. He avoided her glare, "Yeah, that's not creepy."
The group continued on up towards the door, which was unfortunately boarded up like the rest of the house. Cassie leaned on the beam holding up the porch-roof, her arms crossed over her chest. Cassie tilted her head, then grabbed Lucas by his jacket, pulling him over to where she stood. Out of everyone, he was easily being the weirdest. She gave him a look, one that he shrunk under, "What's going on, why is everyone acting like I died?"
Lucas opened his mouth, then closed it. He was thankfully saved by Steve speaking up as he and Nancy pulled the nails out of the wooden board.
"What exactly are we supposed to be looking for in this shithole?" asked the older boy.
"We're not sure," admitted Nancy, "We just know that this house is important to Vecna."
"Because Max saw it in Vecna's red soup mind world?" asked Steve, making Cassie snort at the description.
"Basically."
"Great."
"Don't worry, Stevie-poo. I'll save you from the dust and cobwebs," smiled Cassie sarcastically, making everyone let out a breathy laugh at her joke. Steve rolled his eyes, holding his middle finger up to the younger girl. Cassie gasped, her hand going over her chest in mock pain, "Oh, no! I've been wounded! It's fatal, Steve, look what you've done. How could you?"
Steve groaned in annoyance as Cassie fell to the porch floor dramatically, her other hand on her forehead as she mockingly cried in pain. Max, Robin and Nancy laughed, the boys at least breaking a smile at the refreshing humor in such a horrible situation. Cassie smiled in triumph at the sound of her friends laughing.
"Maybe the house holds a clue to where Vecna is, or why he's back," spoke Dustin. His words were aimed at Steve, who's uncertainty was obvious. "Why he killed the Creels. And how to stop him before he comes back for Max..."
Dustin's eyes flickered over to Cassie, who wasn't paying any attention. She had pulled herself off the ground moments prior, and was now picking at her nails boredly.
"We don't think he's in here, do we?" asked Lucas hesitantly, Cassie looking up from her nails at the idea.
"Guess we'll find out."
Cassie hummed, pulling her switchblade out of her pocket and twirling it around in her hand happily. It wasn't much, but it'd done a lot for her so far. She felt extra protected with the two butterfly knife tucked into her jean pocket, along with three extra switchblades, and the three daggers, and kitchen push dagger in her backpack. Ten blades in total.
The blonde watched as Steve and Nancy let go of the wooden board they had been removing, making it fall to the ground and blow out dust. Cassie swatted around her face, coughing a bit. She looked over to the door, the familiar stained-glass window seemingly staring dauntingly back at her. She felt eyes on her, and she looked over to Max who wore the same familiar look. She gave Cassie a tight-lipped smile, nodding once in her direction. Cassie was surprised she hadn't asked her anything yet.
"It's locked," said Steve, tugging on the door handle. "Should I knock, see if anybody is home?"
"Oh, of course," said Cassie, sarcasm dripping from her voice. "It's only polite."
"No need," said Robin from behind the blonde. Cassie turned around, a grin growing on her face at the sight of her friend holding up a brick innocently. "I found a key."
Cassie backed out of Robin's way, bowing down to motion her forward. Robin grinned stupidly at her friends antics as she walked up the steps of the porch, everyone backing up instantly as the brunette threw the brick through the stained glass window. Cassie let out a cheer, grabbing Robin's hand and twirling her around.
"Oh, if I could marry you," cried Cassie mockingly, wiping a fake tear from her eye. Robin rolled her eyes, a grin on her face.
"Too young for my taste, Hargrove," teased Robin in return as Steve reached through the hole in the door. Cassie gasped, sniffling in false sadness as the door is swung open.
Steve walked into the house first, whistling as he did so. Cassie and Robin followed close behind, followed by Nancy. Cassie flicked on her flashlight, shining it around the dusty house. Cassie cringed, knowing she was allergic to dust. Cassie sniffed almost immediately, feeling her nose getting tingly almost instantly.
Lucas attempted to flick on a lamp, making Cassie look at him stupidly. The house had been uninhabited for years, why would it have electricity. Lucas shrugged, "Looks like someone forgot to pay their electricity bill."
Dustin flicked on his flashlight, Steve looking around to see that everyone else had one also. His eyebrows furrowed, and Cassie laughed. Sometimes she enjoyed being only the second-stupidest in the group.
"Where'd everybody get those?"
Dustin turned around with a look of disbelief on his face. "Do you need to be told everything?" he asked, Cassie snorting at the offended look on Steve's face. "You're not a child."
"Thank you," hummed Steve in sarcasm.
Dustin shrugged off his backpack, shoving it into Steve's arms. "Back pocket."
Cassie fist bumped her ex-boyfriend as he walked past her, a smile on her face. Dustin grinned back, a giddy feeling growing in his chest at the contact. That had to be the nicest interaction they'd had since Cassie came back to town, and he had to feel like it was progress in getting her back. He didn't care what was going on, he wasn't just about to let the girl he loved slip through his fingers over a couple mistakes.
Dustin would admit all day that he was the one in the wrong in regards to what happened to him and Cassie. He did promise to call her each night, and he did ditch her three nights without a single word, warning or explanation to talk to another girl. He felt horrible, but he just wanted advice. That's why he went on and on about how great Suzie was, because she was helping Dustin. He needed a woman's opinion, and Max wasn't even talking to them at that point. He wanted to know how to help Cassie when she seemed so distant, and he wanted to know what he could do to get her to open up. Most importantly, he wanted to know the right way to tell her that he loved her.
In the moment that Cassie broke up with him, he didn't want to explain to her why he was talking to Suzie so much. Cassie hated being pressured into opening up, she hated other people being in her business, and Dustin was terrified she would distant herself if he told her he loved her. Then he got upset when she was upset, and he said things he wished he hadn't. He regretted it all. If he had been truthful, they might still be together and she would trust him enough to open up to her. He wouldn't have to hear things from Lucas, and he wouldn't be giddy from a fist-bump.
Nancy walked towards the living room of the large house, shining her light around sadly, "They just left everything."
"I guess a triple homicide isn't good for resale value," commented Robin in response.
"Hey, guys," said Max, her voice light and somewhat fearful. Cassie turned back around, facing her sister. Her eyes followed Max's light and went wide at the sight of the clock. That damn clock. The one that infested her dreams and chimed in her ear almost constantly. "You all see that, right?"
There were a few mutters of confirmation from the group. Nancy came up beside Cassie, her hand resting on the blondes shoulder as she looked to Max. "Is this what you saw? In your visions?"
Max nodded. Robin leaned forward, squinting at the clock before frowning in confusion. "I mean, it's just a clock, right?" asked the brunette, looking to Max for a second before moving towards the clock, wiping her hand across the dusted covered glass. Robin looked back to the group, "Like a normal old clock."
"Why is this wizard obsessed with clocks?" asked Steve, his nose scrunched slightly. "Maybe he's, like, a clockmaker or something?"
Cassie gave him an incredulous look, her eyes wide in humor. She paused for a second, then snorted. She let out a few small giggles, obviously trying to hold back heavy laughter. Dustin bit back his own laugh, turning to Steve with a deadpanned look, "I think you cracked the case, Steve."
"All I know," started Nancy, "is the answers are here. Somewhere."
Cassie looked around, her expression doubtful.
"Okay, everyone stay in groups of at least two," said Nancy, looking over to Robin with a nod, "Robin, upstairs."
Robin saluted her new friend. Cassie raised her eyebrows with a wink as she passed, Robin pushing her shoulder harshly. Cassie smiled and let out a silent laugh, knowing she had gotten to her friend. Cassie watched as Max grabbed Lucas and walked off, turning around long enough to send Cassie a wink of her own with a pointed look towards Dustin. Cassie's grin turned to a scowl.
Steve looked to Dustin, who stood with a cheeky smile. The older boy grabbed Cassie's arm, pulling her towards the stairs as he sighed. Dustin's smile dropped into a look of offense, following after the two other teens. "Was that a sigh?"
"No, I did not sigh," denied Steve. Cassie rolled her eyes playfully at their bicker, finding it humorous.
"Why'd you sigh?"
"I didn't sigh," repeated Steve. "Just come on, dude."
"I heard you."
"You may be hearing things, Dustin," said Cassie as she turned around with a sarcastic smile. Steve grinned at his best friend before responding to the boy.
"We're just always partners, okay?" admitted Steve, shaking his head. Cassie raised her eyebrows, nudging Steve. The boy gave her a look as if to say she was excluded from that statement, making her grin.
"You have a problem with that?" asked Dustin in offense.
"It would just be nice to, you know, mix it up a bit."
"So, I'm boring you," said Dustin, shaking his head in disbelief. "Is that it?"
"No, the opposite, actually," said Steve, turning around to face his younger friend. Cassie paused on the steps, turning back as well. "Sometimes I'd just like a little peace, that's all."
"Peace? What the hell, Steve?" asked Dustin, only growing more and more offended.
"Okay, lets just shut up, shall we?" asked Cassie, a sarcastic grin spreading across her lips briefly. The boys listen, pouting as they follow Cassie up the stairs and onto the second floor. Cassie looked around, shining her light into rooms in search of anything that seemed odd. Steve and Dustin shared a look, then looked over to the blonde and back to each other. Dustin slapped Steve's arm, shoving him forward.
"Hey, Cas?" said Steve, gaining the teens attention. She turned around, her eyebrows raised as she hummed in response. "Why didn't you tell us?"
"Tell you what?" asked the blonde teasingly, "That you're both annoying as hell? I didn't think I had to."
"No," spoke Dustin, his face serious. Cassie's grin dropped and she leaned on the doorway of what appeared to be a bedroom. She tilted her head, urging him to continue. "Why didn't you tell us you were cursed?"
"What?" Cassie stood up straighter, panic filling her mind instantly. It was like the breath had been sucked completely from her chest, and she took a step forward. Steve took a step back, while Dustin followed Cassie's lead and stepped forward. "What are you talking about?"
"Lucas told us," muttered Steve, he looked more sad than Cassie had ever really seen him, "All of us. Max was talking about everything she saw, and mentioned how you were there. Like, actually there. Lucas spilled everything after that."
Cassie pursed her lips, mentally reminding herself to throw Lucas down a flight of stairs the moment the opportunity presented itself. "We needed to focus on Max. If Lucas told you everything, then you understand that I'm different for some reason. I haven't fuckin' floated in the air or shit. We had to put Max first."
"But we have to help you, too," said Dustin, reaching his hand out to touch Cassie's shoulder. Cassie dodged it, taking a step back. Steve frowned. Right before his eyes he could practically see the joking, happy Cassie that had came back that day slip back into the shadows. The wall she was building around herself was almost visible from the cold look on her face. "You can't die either."
"It wasn't Lucas's place to tell you," she said, her voice firm. "I don't want to talk about it anymore."
"But, Cas-," started Steve, a sigh escaping his lips.
"No, Steve," said Cassie. She gave the boys a glare, "I'm done talking about it. That's final."
"But-," started Dustin. Steve held out his hand to stop him, shaking his head. He didn't want Cassie to be any more irritated. Steve mouthed don't, making Dustin frown but listen nonetheless. Dustin didn't understand Cassie's reasoning for not telling them. She could have died, but it didn't even seem like she cared. He didn't understand how she couldn't care. Didn't she know there were people who would be lost without her? Didn't she know how special she was to everyone?
Steve, on the other hand, understood. He knew Cassie, and he knew how she thought. Steve knew she didn't want to take any of the attention away from Max, especially when she one) thought her situation wasn't as bad or urgent and two) valued her own life a lot less than she did Max's. Steve knew that Cassie couldn't lose another sibling, and he didn't even know if she would make it if that was to happen. Cassie just wanted Max to be safe. Steve also understood that Cassie never expressed emotions properly. She was fantastic at showing happiness, humor, pride, arrogance, and strength. However, she never did understand how to show sadness, anxiety, love, or care because she was never showed a proper way to express those feelings. Steve empathized with that, so he understood the need for a change of subject to at least attempt to relieve some tension between the three. "Hey, uh, Henderson?"
"Yeah?"
"Could you maybe, uh, clarify what sort of clues we're supposed to be looking for here?" asked Steve, he nudged Cassie, "You know, for the non-geniuses in the room."
Dustin turned around, putting on his best English accent, "The world is full of obvious things, which nobody by any chance ever observes."
"What the fuck was that?" asked Cassie, a dumbfounded look on her face. Steve's expression mirrored her own, staring at Dustin in confusion. Dustin looked between the two, a frown of disappointment growing on his face.
"Sherlock Holmes?" said Dustin, hoping to ring a bell for the two. Cassie made a mocking oh face, then shoved past him and walked into another room. Dustin followed behind her, neither noticing Steve to stop behind and check out something. Cassie shined her flashlight around, cringing at the nasty old dollhouses and rocking chairs. It was as if it were taken straight from a horror movie.
Cassie wiped along the dresser, dust flying into the air from the contact, going directly into Cassie's face. She sneezed almost instantly, then again, and again. Dustin looked over at her in amusement, finding it humorous that someone as proud and tough as Cassie could be overpowered by some simple dust. It was almost ironic.
"Bless you," he muttered to her with a smile. Cassie went to respond and sneezed again, then continued to sneeze almost non-stop while Dustin cringed in pity. "Bless you...?"
"Fuckin' allergies," she managed to get out, her voice almost nasally. She sniffled and wiped at her watery eyes, "Fuckin' dust."
"Shit, Cas," said Dustin, not knowing whether to be concerned or humored. He took a step closer, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Are you all right?"
"I'm fine," she scowled, although her sickened voice and the sniffling of her nose said otherwise. Dustin didn't push it, but instead looked over at her adoringly. He missed being close to Cassie. He missed being with her. Dustin hated having her mad at him, and it pained him to think of the possibility of one of them dying without working things out.
"Cas, I want to apologize," said Dustin. Cassie closed her eyes and sighed, moving to walk away. Dustin grabbed her arm, holding her in place and ignoring the glare she sent him, "I'm sorry, truly. For the way things are between us. I am sorry for my part in driving us apart, but-."
"Your part?"
"Yeah, I mean, I know I could have handled the situation a little better, but-."
"Jesus, Dustin," she muttered, pulling her arm out of his grasp and bumping his shoulder harshly as she walked back towards the door.
"I love you, Cassie," he called after her, his words quiet but she heard nonetheless. Cassie stopped walking, closing her eyes with pursed lips. Part of her felt angry. Cassie didn't know if he said it because he meant it, or if it was help his argument. She shook her head with a sigh and went to turn around.
"Dustin-."
"Hey, Cas! Henderson! They got something downstairs," called Steve as he came into view. He stood in the hall, looking between Cassie, who was right in front of him, and Dustin, who was still inside the room. Both wore distressed expressions, although Cassie's was more of anger while Dustin looked like a kicked puppy. Steve coughed at the tension, holding back a grimace, "Max and Lucas, they found something."
Cassie nodded, walking past Steve and towards the stairs. Dustin made his way towards the hallway, Steve holding out an arm to stop him from following behind Cassie. Steve remained where he was, looking off into the direction that Cassie went. Once he knew Cassie was out of earshot, Steve turned towards Dustin with wide eyes and an open mouth, "What the hell did you do? She looked like she was going to murder someone."
"I tried to talk to her, and I made it sound like us breaking up was partially her fault while trying to apologize," said Dustin in one breath, then closed his eyes in embarrassment, "Then I kind of told her I love her while she tried to walk away."
Steve stared at the boy with wide eyes, then whacked him hard across the head. Dustin winced, but knew he deserved it. He didn't know it, but he had embarrassed Cassie. He had known she wouldn't be able to say it back yet, but said it anyways in the middle of an argument in a poor attempt to stop her from walking away. Cassie felt embarrassed, like he was teasing her somehow by even saying it.
"You are a moron," scolded Steve, grabbing Dustin by the arm and dragging him to the stairs.
Everyone else was already standing around a flickering chandelier by the time the two boys made it back downstairs. No one acknowledged their arrival, too interested in the light shining above them. Cassie stood between Robin and Max, no sign on her face of the conversation that she had just had with Dustin.
"It's like the Christmas lights," muttered Nancy. Robin turned to her in confusion.
"The Christmas lights?"
"Yeah, when Will was in the Upside Down, the lights came to life," explained the short-haired girl.
"Vecna's here," said Lucas, making Cassie turn to him with a frown. She could feel it, Vecna's presence that is. It was unsettling, like the temperature in the room dropped twenty degrees and someone was pressing against her throat. "In this house. Just on the other side."
The chandelier dimmed, then the light went away completely. Cassie felt the warmth come back to her body and the pressure on her throat release.
"I think he just left the room," commented Robin. Max looked around worriedly.
"Did he hear us?"
"Can he see us?" asked Steve, his eyes wide.
Lucas looked to Max, "Headphones."
Steve looked over to Cassie, who avoided his eyes with a clenched jaw. Max pulled on her headphones and grabbed ahold of Cassie's hand, squeezing it tightly. Cassie returned the favor, ignoring the eyes on her.
"Wait, wait," said Nancy. Cassie looked towards her friend, already trusting whatever plan she had. "Everyone, turn off your flashlights and spread out."
Cassie nodded, walking off as she clicked off her flashlight. She could hear Steve complaining behind her and smiled in amusement. Cassie wondered around downstairs for a moment before heading up the steps. She moved her flashlight around, hanging it off the side of the stairs in the odd case that Vecna was flying. Cassie walked around upstairs, bumping into Max and Lucas as she walked around.
Cassie looked into the bathroom, tilting her head before walking inside. She poked her flashlight into the shower, then over the toilet. It was a long shot, but even Vecna had to poop sometimes. Max walked past the bathroom as Cassie is waving the flashlight over the toilet, stopping to look inside at her sister with a look of pure disbelief and disappointment. Cassie simply smiled and shrugged.
Cassie had barely made it back into the hall when she heard Robin yell, "I got him! Got him!"
Cassie took off in the direction of Robin's voice, which came from downstairs. Robin held her flashlight high in pride as it shone brightly.
"I got him," she said with a smile. The light went out and she frowned, "I had him."
Cassie looked around the room at her friends, her eyes widening as the light on Steve's flashlight turned on. Steve blinked back, "Oh, whoa. Oh, I think he's moving. He's moving."
Cassie followed closely behind her friend, the group following him the stairs. Cassie began to think they should have had an elevator installed, not bothering to hold on to the railing as she held her flashlight in her mouth like a dog bone. She dug through her pockets, grabbing two of her knifes and holding them in each hand.
They made it to the top of the stairs before the light in Steve's hand went out. "I lost him."
"No, you didn't," said Max, stepping forward to open a door. Cassie hadn't even been aware there was a door there, and judging by the looks on everyone else's faces, nobody else had realized either. Max opened the door, a light on the other side shining through.
Cassie followed behind Steve as they followed the narrow and steep stairs upwards towards the attic. Cassie cringed at the cliché of an evil attic. She heard Robin voice her concerns behind her, "It's an attic. Of course it's an attic."
"Hold up, guys," said Dustin, everyone ignoring his call. "What if he's leading us into a trap?"
Cassie grinned to herself as she faintly hears Dustin curse, finding humor in his frustration. Cassie looked around the attic as she climbed up the final step. On the ceiling, a little lamp shined brightly. Cassie could see the flashlight in her mouth turn on, shining as she removed it from her mouth. Dustin's shone as well.
"Flashlight," he told the group, everyone grabbing theirs and watching all of them shine as they stood around the ceiling light.
"Okay," muttered Steve, looking up at the light, "What's happening?"
Cassie felt the cold wash over her once again, the pressure on her throat making it hard to breathe. This wasn't a panic attack, she had grown used to what those felt like. This felt like a force, tying to pull her down and suffocate her. Cassie watched the lights shine brighter and brighter until each flashlight busted, one by one.
Everyone screamed and jumped back when their flashlight busted, trying to avoid the flying glass. Cassie's was the last remaining, and the she could feel her body sway before the glass shattered and her body hit the ground.
The last thing she heard was four chimes before everything went dark.
a/n: super excited to finish
this season, I have big
plans!
question: do yall like the
story so far? please lmk
what you think, im
super curious and open
to criticism!
-maddie