Stranger Love
Chapter Three: The Strangest Thing
Anya got home from working in Benny's around ten thirty, the air turning slightly cooler as the night had already drawn in. Charles often worked with her until close, unless he decided to take a night off. In any case, the man had been a godsend. He always made sure Anya wasn't overworking, either, but she usually ignored his advice.
Her eyes were drooping as she rounded the corner, glad she was nearly home as all she wanted to do was face plant her bed.
She pulled up to the driveway and her headlights caught the figure of a girl sitting on the small stone wall between the two properties.
Realising it was Maxine, Anya jumped from her car and trotted over to young girl. "Maxine? Are you OK?"
The young redheaded girl just shrugged, a rather forlorn expression on her face. "I'm good. And it's just Max,"
"Ah, right then, Max," Anya was just about to ask her why she was sat outside so late, when loud bellowing filtered from the house next door. She could hear Billy's father roaring like a bear, occasionally the quieter, feminine voice of Susan breaking through two male voices. "They do that a lot?"
Max nodded. "It's usually because of Billy. He's such an asshole."
"He's your stepbrother, right?" Anya asked, planting herself next to the girl.
"Yeah. My Mom met Neil in California and we've been a happy family ever since," Max's voice was laced with sarcasm, her tone sounding too worn out to be one of a child's. Anya wondered how long this sort of thing had been going on for. She knew the damage it could do to a kid to live with parents who were at odds.
"Do you want a doughnut?" Anya voiced, holding out a paper bag full of the sugary treats. Max eagerly grabbed one, sinking her teeth into the soft dough immediately.
"Thanks," She said with her mouth full.
"No worries. There are from my Dad's diner, secret family recipe," Anya tapped the side of her nose.
Max finished off her doughnut in record time, reaching into the bag for another one. "Your Dad was shot, wasn't he? I heard some kids talking about it today at school,"
Anya winced slightly, though hid it from Max, who had started munching her second doughnut and seemed unperturbed by her rather insensitive question. "Yeah...he was. At the diner. Apparently, some people came in to rob the place, my Dad was working late, so they put a bullet in him and took the $40 that was in the til."
"That sucks." Max sighed, licking her fingers one by one. "Didn't think things like that happened in small towns,"
"Me neither," Anya agreed. "It was a bit of shock,"
"Do you miss him?"
"Everyday."
The shouting increased in volume, and suddenly Billy burst through the front door, stomping over the porch. He looked furious as he shrugged his black leather jacket on, his bare chest almost gleaming in the moonlight. Anya felt her heart racing, glad it was dark enough so no one could see her blushing.
His eyes found both Anya and Max. "What the fuck are you looking at?" He spat. "Get back inside Max!"
"Alright, you asshole!" Maxine retorted, equally as angry. She stood up, the bag of doughnuts still in her hands. She turned to give them back to Anya.
"No, keep them," Anya muttered. "See you around Max,"
"Bye Anya," The redhead answered mutedly, the door swinging shut with a snap behind her.
Having already had two encounters with Billy that day, Anya did not want a third. She also knew he was unpredictable and very angry. She made her way back to her own house, intent on leaving the situation behind. Billy, it seemed, was not so keen to do so.
"Why were you talking to Max?" He barked from behind her.
Turning around, she watched as Billy got closer to her. "She seemed upset so... I wanted to check on her,"
Billy looked at her dangerously, his eyes blazing. "What goes on in my house is none of your god damn business, do you understand?"
"She was upset Billy, what was I supposed to do?"
"Leave it alone! Don't use Max to butt your nose into my life!"
Anya stared at him, mouth slightly agape. "I wasn't! Believe it or not, the world doesn't revolve around you! Goodnight Billy!" She marched up the wooden porch steps purposefully, feeling her own fury boiling in her blood. That boy was a real piece of work!
He didn't say anything else, and she heard the roar of his engine. Anya watched as the blue Camaro skidded down the road and out of sight.
...
Anya couldn't remember having a birthday she had not looked forward to - until her eighteenth approached.
Born on September 21st, 1966, Anya Louisa Hammond came into the world with a mass of dark ebony hair and a cry that could have woken up the whole of Indiana.
Well, that was what her Dad had told her, anyway.
Both her Mom and Dad were nineteen when she was born, a mere year away from the age she was going to be in two days. She couldn't imagine becoming a mother so young. It was such a responsibility, and she wanted to do a lot with her life before she even thought about having children.
Things were always complicated for her parents. Since her Mom's parents had cut her off, money had been very tight. That's when her Dad had decided to open Benny's, which soon became a staple within Hawkins.
The problem was that her Dad had always made a huge event out of her birthdays. They would always eat a massive breakfast, she would always be 'sick' that day so couldn't go to school. He would close the diner and they would take a day long road trip to wherever they wanted. Anya could do anything, eat anything and most importantly, spend quality time with her parents.
For her seventeenth, they had gone on a hike around the mountains with Bracken. Patricia had stayed behind to relax in the log cabin they had hired for the day, so she and her father had trekked for hours. When they returned, they had a barbeque and ate until they were so full they could barely move. It was one of the most perfect days imaginable.
So, facing a birthday without Benny seemed unfeasible. The pain of not having her father there became so unbearable Anya had to stop herself from thinking about it.
"You are having a party,"
Anya looked up from her book, meeting her Mom's eyes at the kitchen table. "What?"
"For your birthday. Have a party," Patricia poured herself some orange juice. She was wearing her uniform, taking a day shift at the diner. She had recently began working there again, taking a long time to build up the courage to go to the scene of her father's death. "I already spoke to Gemma, and she said she will make invitations,"
"Mom, shouldn't this be the other way around? I convince you to let me throw a party?"
"Well you won't, will you? Come on, it's your eighteenth! If you aren't partying and getting drunk then what's the point?" Her Mom grinned widely. "I will even get out of your hair and go to the diner for the evening,"
Anya was flummoxed. She honestly believed her Mom to be insane. "I mean...I love a good party, but are you sure? The house might get trashed,"
"It's nothing a good clean up won't fix. We can shove any breakables upstairs and to be honest, this house could use a good teenage party, it feels left out,"
With a laugh, Anya caved. "Fine. If you insist,"
"Yay! So, tell Gemma to sort out the invites and leave the rest to me, I will have this house party proof in no time!"
Anya watched as her mother floated away, muttering something about needing a stereo player for music. She shook her head, wondering who the parent really was in the house.
Gemma was slightly overexcited when Anya revealed the party plan. She squealed, jumping up and down for about five minutes before finally calming down. A gust of wind picked up the girl's hair, and they both headed to the front doors of school to get inside, away from the cold.
Anya suddenly spotted a brown-haired boy standing by himself by the wall, his skin deathly pale and a horrified look on his face. It was Will Byers, the young boy who had gone missing in the woods and caused a frenzy in the normally quiet town of Hawkins. It was around that time when Barb had vanished and her father was murdered.
"Will? Will sweetie, are you alright?" Anya asked the boy softly, approaching him with caution. His brown eyes were widened, as if he were petrified. Will seemed to be looking upwards, towards the sky. It was the strangest thing. "Will?" She touched his shoulder.
The boy jumped so high he nearly reached the sky, gasping in shock. Anya also gasped, his reaction frightening her to death. "What's the matter?" She asked him worriedly.
"Did you not see it?!!" He cried. "The shadow?"
"What? What shadow?"
"Will!!" Came a voice to the right. Anya whirled around to see Mike, who was Nancy's younger brother, skidding around the corner quickly. "Will are you OK?"
"I think he is ill, he feels very cold," Anya said as she felt Will's forehead.
"No, no he's fine, honestly," Mike said confidently. "Aren't you Will?"
"Yeah...fine," The young, very shaken looking Will whispered.
Anya was not convinced. "He needs to go to the nurse,"
Mike seemed slightly frantic. "Yeah! Yeah good, I will take him, you have helped enough!"
"But Mike-"
"Honestly, we will be fine! Thanks!" Mike proceeded to drag the slightly dazed looking Will into the school, vanishing from Anya's sight. She was completely bewildered and slightly confused.
"What the hell was that about?" Gemma inquired, having hung back to watch the scene unfold.
"I have no idea. But whatever it was, it's not good."