★☆
CHAPTER EIGHT ; GRAVEYARD NOISES
also known as;
( the flea and the acrobat ; part two )
★☆
"YOU LOOK BEAUTIFUL," PATTY COLLINS SMILED DOWN AT HER DAUGHTER, RESTING HER HANDS UPON THE YOUNGER GIRL'S BROAD SHOULDERS. Stella stared blankly into the mirror before her, taking in her appearance with downturned lips. She had borrowed one of her mother's dresses, a dark, cotton material that fell to her knees and long sleeves that reached her hands. A naked silver chain hung around Stella's neck, one she had forgotten she owned until recently.
Stella forced a smile in response to her mother's words, before reaching up and tightening the dark bow that held half her hair up, the rest falling down her back in soft curls, as she had finally washed her raven locks that morning. Her face was free of make-up; she didn't have the patience or motivation to put any on. She wanted the day to be over with, as she hated funerals with a burning passion.
Her pink lips parting slightly as she sighed, Stella turned around and faced her mother, enveloping her in a hug. Patty immediately held her back, allowing the teenager a moment of weakness. Stella sniffed and buried her face in the woman's shoulder, dreading the idea of leaving the house to mourn the boy who died too young.
"Come on, sweetheart," Patty whispered as she spotted Gary in the doorway with his car keys in hand. The man wore a loose fitted suit, as he couldn't really afford a proper tailored one. Working as a teacher at the local kindergarten didn't read put a lot of money in his pocket, though he loved what he did. Patty had the higher paying job as a nurse, which kept the family on their feet despite her late hours and agonisingly long shifts. Still, the couple both made enough for Stella to have a safe and healthy upbringing, which was good enough for them. "It's time to go."
Stella pulled away from her mother, lacing her trembling hands in front of her stomach. She turned and quietly walked out of the master bedroom, side-stepping her father and trudging down the hall in an uncomfortable pair of high heels (also her mother's).
A hollow feeling rushed through her gut as she trailed through her home and towards the front door. Dread seeped through her at the thought of burying a little boy she had known for years. She still could barely process the situation; Will Byers was dead.
"You ready, Star?" Gary's hand rested on Stella's shoulder, and she swallowed thickly, before nodding once.
"As I'll ever be."
★☆
Stella could barely process anything as she stepped out of the car, pulling her yellow tinted sunglasses off of her face. Part of her wanted to keep them on, maybe they'd distract everyone from the tears that were already welling up in her eyes. Keeping her gaze locked on the ground, the dark haired teen instantly wished the ceremony could be over -- she was being forced to watch the small boy she had known for years be lowered into the ground, something that should have been an afterthought for decades to come.
"Look, there's the Kahue family," she heard her mother mutter, leading Stella and Gary towards the familiar group. Stella trudged behind her parents, her fidgeting fingers laced together before her, her anxious feelings clear to those in the cemetery. It made her feel even sicker knowing that Will was being buried so close to Annie's grave, a place she dreaded visiting anyway.
Before another thought could race through her mind, Stella froze slightly when she felt a pair of arms wrapped around her. At the well-known feeling, Stella slowly lifted her head to see the neatly brushed hair of her small best friend. Leilani pulled away after a moment, her own dark eyes soft and full of sympathy. Despite how she wanted to break, Stella held her head up high and forced a smile, though by the way Leilani squeezed her arms gently, the taller teenager knew she wasn't fooling anyone.
Leilani's hand trailed down to Stella's, gripping it tightly as they began walking towards the funeral. There were many townsfolk Stella recognised, most kids from the Middle School, as well as many of Joyce's friends. A tall, silver-haired man stood beside the uneasy mother, and Stella could only assume it was Will and Jonathan's absentee father. Will didn't really talk about him unless he was going to a baseball game with the man (which hardly ever happened).
"Hey, guys," the quiet voice of Kevin inched closer to them as the girls stepped into the crowd. Kevin's eyes settled upon Stella, and he frowned softly before reaching out and giving her a hug from the side. "How're you holding up?"
"I've been better," Stella muttered softly, her gaze scanning the group of individuals surrounding the casket, seeing the party of boys chatting to one another as if there was nothing out of ordinary. Pursing her lips, the teenager glanced down to see Joyce Byers' hunched figure sitting in the front row of limited seats. Holding in a sigh, Stella debated whether or not to step forward and give her condolences to the struggling woman. No one else seemed to be talking to her, as they were intercepted by the Byers' dad, who was shaking hands and thanking people for coming.
"Star," the attention of the teen was caught by young Mike Wheeler, who jumped in front of her path with Lucas and Dustin trailing behind him. Stella forced a comforting smile onto her face, looking down at his smaller figure. She felt Leilani squeeze her hand before walking off, leaving her to have a moment with the boys.
"You guys alright?" She queried softly, her eyes scanning across the surprisingly neutral faces of the three kids. "I know that this is hard for yo-"
"Yup!" Dustin cut her off, suspiciously energetic. Stella glanced over at him with raised eyebrows, and his smile dropped and he rubbed his eyes. "We're in mourning."
Lucas sniffled for effect.
"Well, okay," Stella exhaled, before waving them towards her. The three boys stepped forward and enveloped her in a group hug. On most days the boys reached just under her shoulders, but they seemed a little shorter now that she had heels on. "We're gonna get through this, like we always do."
"Y-Yeah," Mike muttered, glancing up at Stella with a hopeful smile. "Like we always do."
★☆
"'Fear not, for I am with you,'" Pastor Charles spoke loud and clear over the deafening silence the cemetery provided. Stella stood with tears in her eyes, her hand gripping Leilani's tightly. Kevin stood at her other side, his arms at his side as stared down at the flower-covered coffin. "'Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you. Yes, I will help you. I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.' It's times like these that our faith is challenged. How, if He is truly benevolent, could God take from us someone so young, so innocent? It would be easy to turn away from God, but we must remember that nothing, not even tragedy, can separate us from His love. We are here today to find comfort in the truth of scripture, and to surround Will and his family with support and love, with the knowledge that he is in a safe place, that he will be guarded and protected for the rest of time. Let us bow our heads in prayer."
Stella had never really been religious, as she had always wondered that if there was a higher power, how come the world was a pretty shitty place? How come there was war? Why did people like Will and Annie have to die? But, that was just her opinion, she didn't really care what other people got up to. But, in the moment that she stood watching everyone around her lower their heads and close their eyes, she decided to give it a try. What it would do, she didn't know, but it was worth a try if it meant Will would be okay moving on.
As the group progressed to dropping roses on Will's coffin, Stella's stomach started to churn. As she inched closer and closer as the line shorted, she felt sicker and sicker. She didn't know if she could go through with it -- dropping a flower on the covered corpse of the young boy she had known for a number of years.
Once she reached the front of the line, Stella's hand trembled as she reached out, the yellow rose between her thumb and index finger. A soft sigh escaped her dry lips and she shut her eyes as she dropped it, wincing as one of the thorns sliced her skin. Stella quickly retracted her hand and grimaced as her blood dripped onto the ground. With a huff, she clenched her fist and hid the scratch, glancing down as more flowers fell to the wooden surface. "I'll miss you, Will."
"Hey, you okay?" Stella turned around, somewhat surprised to see Nancy Wheeler speaking to her. Nevertheless, the older teen composed herself and forced a smile, temporarily forgetting about her hand. The dainty sophomore eyed Stella's hand, her lips downturned. "You're bleeding."
Stella lifted her arm, opening her hand and seeing spots of blood across her palm. Her thumb was coated in the red liquid, and Stella sighed softly, looking up at Nancy. "Do you have a tissue?"
"Oh, uh, yeah," Nancy muttered, reaching into her deep coat pockets and pulling out a small packet of tissues and handing her one. Stella thanked her and took it, wiping her wound, which ended up only being a shallow cut. Nancy still remained a little antsy, her eyes trained on the pathetic gash. "Why don't you go inside? Everyone's going to the reception."
"Yeah, I'm sure they have a first aid kid somewhere there." Stella mumbled in agreement, before glancing up at the younger teenager. "You coming?"
"Oh, um," Nancy's eyes trailed to behind Stella's figure, before back to her face. "I have to talk to Jonathan...you know, to comfort him."
"Okay, well, I'll see you there?" Stella asked softly, and Nancy nodded with a forced smile upon her face. Stella returned the gesture and pardoned herself, stepping past Nancy and quickening her pace to catch up with the rest of the group.
A sudden thought popped into Stella's head, and she pursed her lips, coming to a halt and ripping her eyes from the townspeople who piled into the reception. Her eyes trailed across the cemetery, over the by the large willow tree on the other side of the site. The girl glanced down at her hand, seeing that the bleeding had slowed.
The reception could wait.
Stella turned and began walking over to the willow tree, knowing exactly where she was going. Her heart was beating quickly, as it did every time she visited the graveyard. She hated the feeling of dread that immediately rushed through her as she stepped through the uncut grass, her shoes causing her feet grief.
It took a few minutes, but soon enough her gaze rested upon an all too familiar gravestone.
ANNABELLE CONNELLY
LOVING DAUGHTER TO MARK AND PENNY.
LOVING FRIEND.
1970 - 1979
Stella stared down at the withered flowers and bird shit that covered the stone, feeling her heart sink. "Hey, Annie."
Gripping the tissue tighter in her hand, the teenager blinked away her tears, trying to swallow the large lump in her throat.
"We buried Will Byers today," she whispered, kneeling down, her knees being scratched by the tough grass and branches on the ground. "Remember him?"
The wind blew through her hair, combing through her dark locks and tangling them. The willow tree leaves swayed in the breeze, and Stella sighed softly, a single tear dripping onto her hand.
"You would've been thirteen last week, you know," she continued, sniffling and choking out a laugh. "It was the one day Steve and I didn't scream at each other. It kinda felt like it used to -- us understanding one another. You were always good at helping us with that, I just wish you were here now to settle all the bullshit between us...pardon my french. I just...I just miss you so much, Annie. A-And now that Will's gone I keep remembering how it felt when you left too. You two had such great lives to fulfil, and it's all gone to waste. Mike tried to tell me he was alive the other day, but I don't think he's really lost anybody before. When you died, I was convinced you weren't gone for a few days, and then your funeral came and it dawned on me that it was all real. But how am I supposed to tell them that he's dead? I don't want to hurt them even more."
Stella then fell silent, glancing down at her hand and unraveling the tissue, frowning when she saw the dried blood surrounding the scratch.
Suddenly, a branch snapped from the forest that backed on the cemetery, and Stella's head snapped over to her left. Her eyes were wide and alert, and her body was instantly ready to flee. Her gaze quickly scanned the area that was largely shielded by trees, her teeth grinding together anxiously. A low rumble rustled through the leaves, and the teenager slowly stood up, her ankles wobbling as she tried to balance on her heels.
"Who's there?" She called out, her voice strong despite her quaking fear. The rumble soon turned into a growl, and she saw the outlining of a figure amidst the gloomy atmosphere. Stella then decided, 'fuck it', turning and bolting, running through the graveyard as fast as she could, despite the grumbling she left behind.
She didn't even get to say goodbye to Annie.
By the time she reached the reception, she was out of breath and with pained feet. She sighed deeply at the door, bending down and pulling off the high heels, holding them in her hands and trudging inside. A few people glanced her way, eyebrows furrowed at her disheveled appearance. The teenager didn't spare any attention to the looks, she only briskly walked through the crowd and found the nearest sink, rinsing her hand of blood.
Her heart still beating quickly, Stella tried her best to remain focused on her shaking fists, the cold water doing nothing to calm her down.
"Stella?" The hand that suddenly rested on her shoulder made Stella yelp and throw her hands up in the air, water spraying everywhere. She whipped around and met the surprised eyes of Kevin, Leilani hanging behind him. The boy's eyebrows knitted together once he composed himself, and he reached forward to grab the hand towel, giving it to the antsy girl. "You okay?"
"Y-Yeah," Stella forced out, averting her eyes to the rest of the room. They briefly landed on the three boys, who were sitting with what looked like one of their teachers from school, probably discussing something of unimportance -- maybe a distraction. "I was just, uh, visiting Annie's grave and I thought I heard something. Don't worry about it."
Her two friends shared an unsure frown, before turning back to their spooked best friend. Leilani stepped forward and looped their arms together. "Why don't we go grab a milkshake? Do something to get your mind off of all this?"
Stella pursed her lips, before shaking her head slightly. "I just wanna go home, then check up on Mike and the boys. I-If that's okay? Maybe we can go out tomorrow?"
"Sure," Leilani smiled, resting her head on Stella's shoulder. "Whatever suits you."
Despite Stella's pounding heart and aching head, she felt safe with her two best friends before her. They knew not to push her, they understood that it took time for her to open up. Though they weren't always sure why she was reserved, they would, without a doubt, forever be there when she needed it, and that was all she could ask for and more.
★☆
GUESS WHO FINALLY UPDATED???
since i've been away with more writer's block (and the newfound knowledge that most of the barbie movies are on youtube), this books gained a bigger audience, and we're almost at 20k?? thank you all sO much for appreciating my work, you're all so wonderful and your comments are such a joy to read!!
i hope you enjoyed this whirlwind of a chapter, we got a little more of an introduction to annie (sike!! she's not her sister!!), and what do y'all think star heard ??? i'm still deciding how the rest of the book is gonna play out, but hopefully i'll have another update for you all pretty soon!! i'm super attached to star and i hope you've been liking her so far!
later homies, i've found some really good vine compilations that i'm gonna go watch, have a good one and tell me what you thought of the new chapter!!