HAVE YOU SEEN ME?
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STARCROSSED (book one).
°• CHAPTER TWO •°
" THINK OF THE STARS,
OKAY? "
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THE MOONLIGHT OVER THE STREET'S HEADLIGHTS IS WHAT GUIDES ELIJAH HOME THAT NIGHT. He didn't know how much time he spent at the Byers's house but it had to have been hours. He's still struggling to comprehend how in just one day, one bike ride home from a friend's house, Will Byers went missing. When has anything this terrible happened in Hawkins? It was such a small town. Crimes like that didn't really happen. Other than the few idiots who were much too cowardly to try and track Elijah down for his bold choices with the intention of assaulting him, because he didn't hold back. If they knock him down, they better pray that's where he stayed. Meanwhile, he was praying despite the belief there isn't a higher power watching over them, that Will would find his way home safely. He had to. He was just a kid. And they couldn't find him, no matter how hard they looked.
The idea makes him sit in his car in silence, without music for once. God, he hoped there was some moonlight wherever Will was that he could follow home.
Elijah isn't so surprised that his father's car isn't parked in the driveway when he pulls in. He must be working late again. Sometimes, he wondered if Tobia ever slept. Or, at least caught more than a three hour nap. A part of him wishes his father would be there, passed out on the couch and snoring loudly with his work boots still on, but he isn't there. Elijah shut his eyes for a second in disappointment. He then wondered if Tobia even heard the news. But he is surprised that the door to Nevaeh's room is left wide open. She hated when he let himself in but because he's the older brother, and he doesn't give a single fuck, Elijah does so anyway.
There's a single lump on her bed. Elijah's breath catches in his throat at the sight. He's seen her room empty one too many times with only the window open and a light draft that hints to where she had disappeared to. The windows shut, but he's still timid when he fists her blanket. There could be a line of stuffed pillows in the place of her body because there wasn't a bone in Nevaeh's body that gave a damn if her family panicked. But Elijah's even more afraid considering his best friend's own younger sibling was missing. He couldn't handle another.
The blanket flies back and Elijah releases the air he held. Nevaeh was fast asleep, deeply it seemed, curled into a ball with her mop of curls on her soft pillow. Her limbs are twitching, making weird mumbles that he can't quite catch, but he's just glad she's there. A faint smile appears on Elijah's face before he slowly, and very carefully, leaned over her sleeping form to press a gentle kiss on her temple. Nevaeh stirred under the touch but luck must be on his side as she doesn't wake.
Elijah doesn't shut her door when he leaves. He's about to make his way back to his own room, exhausted and prepared to flop on his bed so he can pass out without another thought when the sound of their telephone suddenly ringing blared through the empty house. He lets out a surprised hiss, rushing to the kitchen so he can answer it before it can wake his sister. Elijah practically rips it off the wall in annoyance before pressing the speaker to his ear. "Hello?"
"Eli?" The voice on the other end is familiar, deep. It's Tobia Wolfhart. And he doesn't sound so happy. "What are you doing home this late? I've been calling for over an hour."
An hour? Surely the sound would have woken Nevaeh at some point. "I'm sorry," Elijah found himself apologizing. "Um... The younger Byers brother, Will, went missing yesterday. I was trying to help Jonathan and Joyce look for him," he explained in hopes his father would understand.
There's a heavy pause. Tobia must be processing the information. "Is that why you skipped school yesterday?" He finally questioned. Elijah's silence in response is enough of an answer. It's almost like an admission of guilt. Tobia heaves a sigh. "Yeah, the school called. Eli, for all you know the kid could be perfectly fine. Maybe he ran off. You can't be missing your classes when your grades are already slipping."
"Or maybe he didn't run off. Maybe he's lost somewhere," Elijah defended in a harsh snap. "I don't give a damn about school. I was just trying to help my friend - "
"Your responsibility is to look out for your sister when I'm not there," his father reminded him, his voice matching Elijah's sharpness. "The Byers's are not - "
He's cut off when Elijah slams the phone to its attachment on the wall. He prays his father values the overnight shift more than calling back as he stormed to his room. God, he doesn't care that much about school. Plus, if anything happened to Nevaeh, he doesn't doubt he'd have Jonathan by his side to help because that's what friends do. Screw school. Finding a missing kid was more important. If it was Elijah's sister, he'd tear apart the world to find her. He'd move the sky, the sun, the moon, and every star in the sky until she was home safe.
The thought terrifies him. Wherever Will was, all they knew for sure was that he was missing. That was it. Who knows what other leads there could be? Elijah is afraid of who's next and that's the fear that keeps his eyes burn from being trained on the ceiling when he's on his back, spread on his mattress, frightened of what could come next.
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The house isn't as quiet as it was that night. Elijah had been dozing off for a few hours, but now he was wide awake when there's another crash. The sunlight peeping through the shades covering his window nearly blinds him, but he only rubs his eyes before kicking the blanket off and shrugging aside the tiredness. Elijah's limbs struggle to keep up with his fast instincts as he stumbled out of bed and grabbed the first thing he saw which happened to be a bat made of wood from the days he was a kid interested in sports.
He keeps every step out of his bedroom quiet, balancing his weight correctly on the balls of his bare feet, having memorized each spot that creaks. Elijah's bat is clenched tightly between two fists, arms raised, propped on his shoulders, in preparation if he had to swing. He doesn't know who the fuck or what the fuck took Will - he wasn't taking any chances for him or his sister.
Luck is once again on the side of the Wolfhart siblings because Elijah sees the back of Nevaeh's head seconds before he swings and puts his sister in a coma.
He huffed and lowered the bat as she whirled around at the sudden, startling noise after thinking she was alone. "What the hell are you doing?!" Elijah demanded. "I could have killed - "
Then their eyes meet, and Elijah is at a sudden loss of words. He's never seen Nevaeh in this state. Her hair is frizzier than ever, curls sticking in different directions, her bronze skin now a ghostly pale, her eyes seemingly sinking into her skull, circled with dark patches. She looked deranged. She looked crazy.
"Where is it?" Nevaeh demanded. She's uninterested in the fact her older brother could have beat her brain like mashed potatoes because Elijah could see she was searching for something if the state of the living room said anything.
Various items were scattered around the room. The cushions have been ripped out of the couch and one of the drawers to a stand was tugged free. Elijah had been so focused on the scene he walked into that he almost misses Nevaeh charging towards him so she can seize his arms, fingernails practically shredding through the sleeves of his shirt. "Where is it?!" She screeched again, more frantically.
"Where's what?!" Elijah exclaimed back as he fought off Nevaeh's hands.
"That - that stupid blue case where dad puts the extra money! I need it!" Nevaeh's words come out as a shrill, bouncing off the walls.
What Nevaeh called a stupid blue case actually meant much more to the small family than what she described it to be. It was what little was leftover from Tobia's checks and whatever odd tasks Elijah could pick up. It was for emergencies, like groceries and missing bills. Tobia kept it in the kitchen, tucked securely in the cupboard under the sink, but Elijah didn't say that. He doesn't know what she wants it for. He only speaks one word in question quietly, "Why?"
"You don't understand," Nevaeh snarled at him with a scoff. Elijah staggered back when she sends a hard push to his chest. "None of you understand or give a shit, I just - " She offers no other explanation other than, "I need it!"
"Nevaeh..." Elijah reached out to grasp her wrist, but his sister ripped her limb back as if the touch burned her skin. She hisses a curse before returning to the task, tearing apart the living room in her search for the money. "Nevaeh, hey, hey, hey - " Each touch is only returned with a shove, a hit, a shout to piss off, but Elijah doesn't give up.
"Nevaeh!" He grows frustrated in seconds and snakes his arms around his sister's hips. "Look at me! Neveah!" An animalistic shriek crawls out of her throat as he tugged her to the ground when she won't turn around. Their bottoms hit the floor at the same time so he can cradle her, almost like one would do to soothe a crying baby. Her back is pressed against his chest and Nevaeh is struggling with a strength that must come from adrenaline, her nails scraping at Elijah's arms to break free, but he won't let her go. "Nevaeh, hey, listen to me."
A few kicks are uselessly swung in the air because Nevaeh's aim is off. "Let me go!" She screams so loud that surely the neighbors hear the commotion. "Let me go, Elijah, I swear to God!"
It's nearly impossible to stay calm and not panic, but somehow Elijah does so anyway. "Shhh," he hushed over her wailing, close to her ear, her stray hairs tickling his nose. He can feel her chest rise and fall at a rapid pace. He's pretty sure her heart is pumping more than it should. "Nevaeh, calm down. Calm down and I'll let you go," Elijah promised.
"I can't," Nevaeh's past screams turn into breathless sobs. Elijah shuts his eyes so he doesn't have to see her cry. He can't bear to see tears stream down her face in the midst of her meltdown that he doesn't even know why she's having. None of this made any sense. Nevaeh swiftly shook her head so quickly the motion is a blur. "I can't, I can't, I can't - "
"Hey, hey. It's alright," Elijah breathlessly comforted her over the powerful sobs. It takes all of his own power to keep his anxious thoughts under control. Two people panicking wouldn't fix anything. Nevaeh's struggling isn't as strong as they were so he seizes the chance to rock her in another attempt to soothe her. He can feel her back shuddering with each breath she took against his chest. So Elijah does what he does for himself when he's in a state like this. "Think of the stars, okay?"
Her hands curl over where Elijah has his arms circling her. He can feel Nevaeh's palms trembling as she sniffled, sobbed, then whispered, "the stars?"
"The stars," Elijah confirmed. He tilted his head so he can press his cheek over his baby sister's head while swaying her and shut his eyes. He goes with the first story that popped in his head, one of the many he used to tell her before bed. "Tell me about Ursa Major," he prompted. When Nevaeh says nothing short of quiet cries, Elijah gave her a gentle push. "Come on, Nevaeh. You can do it."
There's a few seconds of Nevaeh piecing herself together enough to say something. "Ca-Callisto," she finally whispered. "She... She was turned in-into a bear, and then a star by, um..."
Elijah helped her. "Zeus."
"Zeus," Nevaeh repeated although it sounded more like a choking noise. "He did it - did it to protect her, her and Arcas, their son... From, um, Hera. He threw them in the sky."
When she was done, Elijah nodded, relief spreading through him. "There," he soothed. "You did it, see?" Nevaeh is still quivering, eyes squeezed shut, the lids brimmed with tears, but she isn't trying to fight her brother off anymore. It was as if everything that overwhelmed her slowly started to fade into almost nothing.
Elijah kept his promise from before and carefully unwrapped his arms from around her. Nevaeh exhales loudly, her knees driving up so she can press her forehead against the caps. He frowned and put his hand over her shoulder. He tries not to feel an ache when she flinched under his touch. "It's okay. It'll be okay, I promise you," Elijah told her quietly instead. He waits until she picks her head up and meets his eyes before asking the million-dollar question, "tell me what's happened."
Nevaeh isn't back in hysterics, but she shakes her head quickly again. "I can't," she mumbled thickly before swallowing what must be a lump in her throat. "I can't, um, tell you. I just needed to buy... Something."
Lying seems to just become easier and easier for Nevaeh and it stings because the siblings have never kept secrets from each other. And he thinks it's because she believes he'd never look at her the same. "Nevaeh," he urges as they stagger to their feet in sync. She goes to turn in the opposite direction, but he isn't letting her leave so easily. "Nevaeh," Elijah repeats with more sincerity. "You tried hitting me because I was in the way of you and that safe." Nevaeh freezes at his words. "Tell me what it is. I promise you I'll help - "
Then Nevaeh is charging at Elijah. And he stops, half-expecting her to try and hit him again, but she doesn't. To his shock, she launched herself into his chest, cheek pressed against his collarbone while her hands moved to fist the cloth of his shirt. She's trying to embrace him.
Elijah hesitated in a state of confusion. Then he takes a deep breath and brings his arms around her again to pull her into a tight hug. He thinks maybe Nevaeh is doing it so she can cry again, but he doesn't feel any tears seeping through his shirt. She just wants comfort.
"Tell me," he pleads with her because all Elijah wants to do is help. He'd give anything to stop whatever pain his sister is going through alone because she thinks she's alone.
There's a long pause between them. And just when Elijah thinks she'll never tell him, that she'll shove him away and crawl into her hole, she lets out a breath like she'd been holding it for years. "It's Shane Lewis," Nevaeh admitted so quietly and muffled that Elijah almost misses it. "I... I owe him."
Anger that is so strong it feels cold instead of hot shoots through Elijah. God, fuck Shane Lewis, that little psycho who takes like the bottom feeder he is, just so he can score. There, hugging his frightened sister, he truly believed he was going to kill him. "I'll take care of it," Elijah says in a promise for the third time in the past few minutes even though his instincts and the way Nevaeh tensed tell him there's more to the story. "You'll stay home from school, okay?"
"Dad will - "
"I'll handle dad," Elijah cut her off. "You need the day off." And she has to avoid that prick as much as possible, but he doesn't say that.
Once Nevaeh reluctantly agrees with him, murmurs an apology, and wanders back to her room, the phone rings on cue. Elijah expects his father again, demanding he and Nevaeh haul ass to school before the first bell rings, but when he picks it up and says, "Hello?"
"Eli, hey," the voice on the other end greets. It isn't Tobia. It's Jonathan. He must sense something off in Elijah's tone over the speaker as he asks, "Everything alright?"
"Yeah, um, just something with Nevaeh," Elijah dismisses quickly. He doesn't want to burden his friend with his family issues when he has his own rough problems going on. Elijah took a quick glance at the hall that led to Nevaeh's room in hopes her door was shut and she couldn't hear him. "Did you need something?"
There's some fumbling on Jonathan's end before he replies. "My mom was able to pay for some posters today. I just thought, maybe, we could cover more ground hanging them up?" He suggested hopefully. "She's just not doing great. I think she's, um, hearing Will or something. I don't know, I just need to... Yeah."
Elijah shut his eyes for a second and tried to calm the storm of his thoughts so he could think. He knows he's Jonathan's only friend as he is for him. They practically relied on one another when one needed help. If Joyce wasn't doing so well or stable enough to do something, he was next in line for assistance. And this was important.
"Yeah, of course. Any time," he answered. Elijah turned his back to the exit of the kitchen so he couldn't be heard. "I just need to make a quick call then I can meet you at school, okay?"
"Thanks, Eli," Jonathan says genuinely before reminding him, "Hey, the first bell rings in, like, ten minutes."
"I'll make it," Elijah responds with no confidence because they both know for one, that's bullshit and for two, he doesn't give a damn. He hears Jonathan let out a breathless laugh before saying their good-byes and hanging up.
And this was the last thing Elijah wanted to do, but he has to suck it up and do it anyway. So he takes a deep breath and dialed the number from the fridge he memorized long ago for emergencies like this.
"Hey," he greets the older woman who answered with her name and pharmacy title after a few rings. "Can I speak to Tobia Wolfhart, please?" He requested politely, fidgeting with the hem of his shirt. "This is his son."
"Of course, hun." Elijah cringed at the use of the pet name but he bites his tongue and instead waits patiently for his father to pick up.
"Hello?"
Elijah knows what he's about to ask is unfair and stupid but he does so anyway without holding back, cutting right to the chase. "Dad, I need a favor..." He slightly tightens his grip on the phone. "Look, so, Jonathan needs me and... Could you, uh, come home early from work and watch Nevaeh?"
There's a heavy silence. Tobia isn't thinking it over, he's just shocked his son has the audacity to request that of him. "Are you serious, son?" He demanded. "I just clocked in an hour ago. And you both should be at school like I told you yesterday - "
There's building frustration in Elijah that is hidden behind a dam, disguised as anger, and he finally snaps as the bricks of the wall crumble completely. "Are you fucking kidding me?" He snapped. He hears his father warn him about his language, but he doesn't stop. At this point, Elijah doesn't care anymore if Nevaeh hears him. "If you paid attention to us at all over that stupid job then you'd know there's something - something wrong with your daughter, and... God, can you just - care about us for once?!"
He's begging, and he doesn't even realize it. Just once, Elijah wanted to come home and see his father there. He wanted to be a real family. They haven't had a night to sit down and eat dinner together since his mother passed. He knows Tobia isn't just working to pay bills and keep food on the table. He's distracting himself and unintentionally neglecting his children by keeping himself busy so he doesn't think of his grief. And Elijah has reached about all he could handle at that point.
"I do care about you both," comes Tobia's soft voice. Elijah wants to punch a hole in the wall for that. "I know how hard things have been for you since that Harrington boy." Elijah grits his teeth at the mention of Steve, but his father can't see his reaction, so he tries to finish. "I would do anything - "
"Then prove it," Elijah spits with a coldness before he can finish and slams the phone into its rightful place on the wall again.
The anger is worsening. His blood pumps with a hot fury that could pass as magma and it brings a warmness to his skin like he's overheating. He's been angry since the second Nevaeh mentioned Shane Lewis and then his father has to go and be a dick, so here he is, boiling with wrath. Why does nearly everyone around him have to bring this anger in him? Elijah could tear his hair out with a fist and scream. He wanted to, just so he could feel something else.
But he doesn't. Instead, he keeps his lips pressed tightly together, grabs his school bag, car keys, and storms out of the house as if nothing was ever wrong in the first place - because that's how Elijah Wolfhart always got by.
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Elijah is smart enough to keep the window down as he drives to school. The wind is cool enough that it starts to calm his rage and brings his temperature down. He knows he's late and makes that estimate when he parked in front of the school to see every inch of it was empty as the students already piled inside for their first class. Elijah's heartbeat picks up when the secretary is a smartass about scribbling him a pass so he can go to class and he thinks for a moment he may jump over the desk so he can chokeslam her, but he bears it with a tight, sarcastic smile before snatching the pink piece of paper out of her fingers and marching off to Science.
There's something about being in the lab that makes things easier. Elijah's tense muscles start to relax the second he sits at his desk and steam is no longer leaving his ears. He's always loved the class, the lab reports, the homework, tests, everything. He's never failed a paper. It was like his safe place, it was the one thing Elijah was good at that he didn't screw up like everything else in his God-forsaken life. Here, in this classroom, he could pretend he was normal.
So it's safe to say when the bell rings to signal the end of class, Elijah is a little disappointed. He had more fun in the lab than he did during lunch. He's gathering his books and stuffing them in his bags as he keeps a normal, steady pace down the filling halls when he sees Jonathan. The older Byers boy is pining papers he kept as a stack tucked under one arm on the board with tape.
Elijah knows what's on the paper before he comes up behind him and peers over his shoulder. An ache is brought to his heart when he sees Will's smiling face, printed clearly in a black and white image that Jonathan must have taken, with the capital letters HAVE YOU SEEN ME? at the top. A clearer description of Will and a phone number was typed boldly at the bottom.
"Hey," he greets Jonathan quietly as to not startle him. "Did you put it together yourself? It looks great." Elijah isn't sure how else to go about complimenting the missing poster, but it must work because Jonathan smiles back.
"Thanks." His eyes flicker over Elijah's statue. "Those are some nice pajamas, too."
Elijah frowned because, yes, he was indeed wearing the clothes he slept in since he was later than death that morning and was too damn lazy to change into school clothes. He opens his mouth to respond with sarcasm in hopes of keeping the smile on Jonathan's face, but someone beats him to it.
"Yeah, busy night for the flamer, huh?" A voice pipes in smugly.
The derogatory name made Elijah whip around so fast he feels a crack in his neck. He sees the bystander passing them with a cock of his head and replies harshly without missing a beat. "Definitely," he agreed with a sharp tone. "You should ask your dad all about it."
Within a second, the grin is wiped off the male's face as his skin pales. Elijah holds the stare, his features hard, to show he isn't afraid and won't back off for a second until the other breaks it, turning the corner of the hall since he was proven wrong. Coward, Elijah thinks with a roll of his eyes before choosing to ignore the look of pity on Jonathan's face. If there's one thing out of many he doesn't like, it's empathy. Pity, too, while he's at it.
"Anyway, I can cover the rest of the halls and around the school, if you'd like to go for sticking them around town," he offered with his arm out.
Relief washes over Jonathan and he parts with a small section of the stack to settle in Elijah's arm, who tucked them safely away. He made a mental note to swipe a roll of tape from his next classroom when he hears softer, faint footsteps making their way towards them. He's about to bite again, teeth baring, prepared for anyone else to taunt him, but his lips pull back over his sharp teeth when he sees the girl standing there.
Nancy Wheeler, Elijah places the name to the face. His heart starts to sink. He's seen her around the school, even Hawkins, multiple times, Steve Harrington's arm dangled over her shoulder. That alone was enough for him not to speak to her. She must make a pretty good shield because no one's ever doubted his reputation or sexuality. Nancy must have a hunch that Elijah wants distance between them by the way she shuffles awkwardly with the colorful, pastel binders cradled in her arms. "Hey, Jonathan," she greets unsurely.
The color pink blooms in Jonathan's cheeks. "Oh, hey," he replies.
Nancy's attempting to avoid meeting Elijah's eyes that are locked on her. He knows she, just like everyone else, was aware of his reputation. She knew the dirty things Elijah Wolfhart did to Steve Harrington in the dark and chooses to make an attempt at being civil. "Hi, Elijah."
"Hi," he deadpanned in a flat voice.
The hidden hazard hidden within Elijah makes Nancy shift her feet in uncomfort. Good. "I just... I wanted to say, you know, uh... I'm sorry about everything," she apologizes in a small voice with her attention averted to Jonathan again. "Everyone's thinking about you..." She paused before shaking her head. "It sucks."
How sweet of them, Elijah thinks dryly, but he restrains himself from saying so. He lets Jonathan agree with a quiet, "Yeah."
"I'm sure he's fine," Nancy went on to insist kindly. "He's a smart kid." This time, it's Elijah who looks away. Will was smart, but he was a kid. He shouldn't be on his own. The school bell rings loudly then, signaling the beginning of a new class, and Nancy glances over her shoulder unsurely. "I have to go," she says suddenly with a faint laugh. "Chemistry test."
Elijah sees what Nancy is really looking at when he follows her gaze to the end of the hall. By a row of lockers stands a group of three - Tommy, Carol, and Steve because of course, that's how the luck in his life goes right now. He's obviously seen Steve more than once since the shit hit the fan. And it still sucks just as badly as the first time he saw his face after the house party. Elijah drags the tip of his tongue across his lower lip as Jonathan wishes Nancy luck and she leaves, joining the trio who starts laughing under their breath. Elijah knows without a doubt they've whispered something about him. They're fucking pathetic.
So Elijah does the first thing he thinks of, making sure the flyers were crammed without a wrinkle under his arm, and sticks both of his middle fingers in the air so they can see the fuck you without him having to say it.
That's enough to make them dismember and walk off, mumbling. Whatever. Elijah hopes they think he's an asshole and a queer that kisses other boys. He scoffs and turns to Jonathan again whose eyes have filled with pity all over again. "I'll see you after school maybe, yeah?" He suggested. Jonathan nodded in confirmation and thanked him again, quieter than before, then leaves. Elijah assumes the school gave him a pass or something to have the option not to attend classes because of his missing brother and a part of him wishes he could go without him to help, and so he doesn't have to be in that building any longer.
But because Will Byers isn't blood-related and it isn't Nevaeh Wolfhart who disappeared, Elijah has to stay where he is, pinning the posters on the walls as he moves on to his next class.
It wasn't until the end of the day that he sees Shane Lewis.
The boy was a self-entitled, selfish, stuck-up, prick who Elijah can't stand. You could be on fire and he'd sit next to you, sipping a glass of water while claiming he was thirsty. He was your typical everyday pale boy with blond hair and blue eyes. He's seen him here and there during the days he and Steve hung out, but Lewis was often with the wrong crowd, the ones who found peace in bottles of pills rattling or thin, powdered lines on tabletops. And again, Elijah hates him. He hates Lewis for roping his sister into his life and making Nevaeh think she owes him something. And he hates she thought she was so alone that the only person who cared about her was Lewis.
Elijah is taping the very last paper he had, eyes peeling off of Will's face the second he hears the familiar voice from the other end of the lockers. His features morph menacingly when he gazes to the line of lockers because Lewis must have moved from selling under the bleachers to being comfortable enough to do so in front of his open lockers. God, does the school not even check what could be stashed in their own property?
If they don't handle Shane Lewis, then Elijah Wolfhart will because he's brave, reckless, and he loves someone who Lewis hurt. The vow he made to his baby sister is still there, lingering in the air.
Elijah waits for his little buyer to leave. He thinks he can wait forever, patiently, because he knows, in the end, he'll get what he wants. He doesn't care who's in the hall because the more people that know what a piece of shit Lewis is, the better. Elijah makes sure he has an audience the minute he marches towards him with determination and slams his locker door shut so hard that the metal echoes long after.
"What the hell is wrong with you?" He snarls so darkly his throat becomes dry as if he swallowed a mouthful of ash before Lewis can get a word in because Elijah isn't shy. He doesn't sit on the sidelines and watch shit happened, especially when Nevaeh is involved in said shit.
Lewis's eyes dart from the hand on his locker to the rage radiating off of the other, so warm it must singe his skin. "With me?" He repeats, bored. "Man, you could have slammed my arm in the door. Could have had a lawsuit on your hands."
Elijah is going to wipe that stupid, cocky smirk off his smug little face.
He can hear his blood pumping in his ears so powerful that they almost pop when he loses it. Stars were in his blood, and now they were turning into razors. His temper is over the line, gone. Elijah surges forward and grabs the collar of Lewis's shirt, fingers curling around the cloth so tightly that the skin of his knuckles become tight. The protests and swatting are nothing compared to the wave of rage about to wash over him, unlike anything Lewis may have ever seen before.
"If you ever come near Nevaeh again," he began in a dark threat. "I swear on my mother's grave that I'll make the rest of your miserable, pathetic, short life hell."
Lewis blinks a few times like he's unaffected. But Elijah sees through it because he knows when someone is afraid. The twitch of their muscles, the way they swallow thicker, even the way they breathe. And Lewis is beyond frightened but he knows his reputation will be shot the second word gets out that a flamer pummeled him.
"My short life?" Lewis raises his eyebrows and gives him a tilt of his head. "You should really think about Nevaeh's short life... Correction - miserable, pathetic, short life."
Funny. Because it's Lewis's life that is about to become much shorter. Elijah's jaw ticks as the back of his teeth grind together. He rips Lewis away from the locker doors, the clutch tightening so their nose to nose; measuring dicks like men asserting dominance do as their crowd would say. "She's not scum like you - selling drugs to kids? What, mommy and daddy didn't love you so you have to destroy everyone else's life, huh?" Elijah hissed with a scowl, going for the lowest of blows.
The unphased expression Lewis kept remains. "No. They didn't. What about your daddy, huh? Did he love you a little too much? Is that why you chase after - "
The end of Lewis's weak comeback dies when Elijah shoves Lewis away from him with all the strength he can muster before he can finish that sentence. "You're just a boring fucking wannabe," he sneered. "You're nothing, Lewis. You're a waste of air." It's way beyond him how the universe could come up with someone like that.
It's like Lewis hasn't learned his lesson when it comes to what Elijah will do to protect his sister. He seems to like aiming for the lowest of blows too. "Yeah?" He challenges. "I hope you feel that way about everyone like me. Nevaeh's no different, huh?"
"You manipulated her!" Elijah exclaimed with another powerful jab. He's seething now, struggling to breathe as his lungs fill with nothing but steam. "I swear if you come close enough to touch her ever again, I'll - "
The confident grin returns, curling on the corners of Lewis's lips. "I've already been there, Wolfhart."
All of Elijah's buttons have finally been pushed. He's burning alive now as if Lewis pushed him into the volcano and the lava had swallowed him whole. An animalistic snarl comes out as a shout as he swung his arm forward, hand curled in a tight fist with every intention of beating Lewis until he's even more of a nothing except a bloody mess. But he's faster, sensing that his attacker had reached his limits as he caught the limb without another thought.
Elijah doesn't feel Lewis seizing his wrist because a millisecond later, the knuckles of his own fist crack against his jaw. Pain explodes like sparks in the bone, pricking across his cheek and spreading. His head whips to the side from the impact. And then it cocks, tongue running across the inside of his cheek where he started to taste blood. Elijah then blinked a few times, their gazes connecting, and something even darker snaps inside of him. He may have gone for the first hit, but Lewis managed to do it first. And now he's letting the very same darkness consume him instead of fire.
He doesn't know how it happens. One second he's standing, then the next he's throwing the hardest punch he could pitch to a nose in hopes of shattering the bone, Lewis is on the ground, and Elijah is on top of him. The skin of his hand splits and mixes with Lewis's blood from each hit, but he doesn't care. He was a nuclear bomb and the wires have been cut the wrong way without perfection because he's blowing up, and taking Lewis with him.
This was the game Lewis set up for himself. Violence against violence. He made a mockery of Elijah and his blood because he second-guessed just how lethal he could be. Now, he was filled to the very brim with so much hate and fury played into the game. Whether it was chess, checkers, or some other stupid fucking board game, Elijah won because when the world turned its back on him, he learned how to survive.
The exploding bomb that they'll call Elijah Wolfhart is somehow put back together as if time rewinds when arms come at him from different directions to redo their mistake. They pull him off of Lewis, his blond hair stained in pink from the same blood he was spluttering on, and shout at him to stop. They make poor threats of detention, being expelled, suspended, whatever, and it brings the wildfire that the bomb rose to ash.
Elijah feels himself start to smile against his better judgment before letting out only one word at the damage.
"Whoops."
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Okay, it's a tad bit funny that Elijah is still wiping blood droplets from his lower lip after walking through his front door. He was smiling like nothing was ever wrong because he walked away with a split lip and bruised jaw. The nurse who gave him an icepack said Shane Lewis was sent home with a broken nose being the worst of his injuries. So, yes, Elijah smiled with pride. There was no ounce of guilt or regret in his system. He'd do it again given the chance because Lewis was a dick who deserved it and more.
His smile is gone for the first time in possibly an hour or so when he enters the living room.
Elijah mostly expected Tobia to be there to be keeping an eye on Neveah, ready to chew his son out for the fight as he hoped. But, as always, he was let down. Because Nevaeh is there. She didn't sneak out. She's on the floor, her head resting against the arm outstretched over the carpet. Elijah swears her eyes are rolling to the back of her head until he can only see the white beneath her lids.
He screams her name in a way he never had before and is by her side before he could blink. Elijah is careful when he touched her head, turning it to the side, wondering if she's seizing. But there's no movement, no foam leaking from her lips. The only sign of how this happened was an open bottle of pills rug almost hidden under her hair.
She lied to him.
And for fuck sakes, Lewis was telling the truth. Everything made sense now. She wasn't just helping him in his game of selling drugs as Elijah assumed. He was her supplier. Nevaeh must have been on something that morning when she was searching for money which is why she looked so unlike her. Elijah wants to kill him twice, but he turns his sister's head towards him and releases a breath when he sees she's still breathing.
Suddenly, Nevaeh's body jerks a few times just when he's about to run to the kitchen and call for an ambulance and her eyes return to the normal, rich brown. They're wider than normal and as soon as they meet his, Elijah is pulling her into the same position from that morning, except her head is pressed against his chest.
"Eli," Nevaeh sobs when he can't speak.
"Nevaeh," he chokes out. Blood falls from the open wound in his skin and kisses her forehead. Tears have started leaking from his eyes. "What did you do?"
"I'm sorry," she cries again and again. "I'm so, so, sorry."
And Elijah wants to help. He wants to save his little sister like he wants to save everyone. But he can't. This is out of his power. He starts to move, breathing out, "I have to call dad - "
"No!" Nevaeh lunges and traps Elijah on the floor, clutching him as if he'd disappear into thin air. "Don't. Don't do it, don't tell dad!" She pleads. There's so much desperation in her voice all he can do is try to hush her. "He'll never believe me! He won't understand, please - "
All Elijah can do is hopelessly choke, "Nevaeh", but it sounds more like a plea. He doesn't know how to help her anymore.
"I don't know what it was," Nevaeh whispers but none of her words are making any sense. "I - I couldn't find Shane, so I just... I don't know, I don't know what it was - please, I'm not crazy."
"I know you're not," Elijah promised. He shuts his eyes, puts his chin on the top of his trembling sister's head, and for now pretends his world isn't falling apart all because he can't find Will, his sister, or himself.
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author's note:
elijah wolfhart threatening someone before beating the shit out of them? my pants are off.
then saying "whoops"? icon status.
hotel? trivago.
it's what lewis deserved. i also put a faceclaim for him in the synopsis as lucas till who I think looks like a soft boi but is a great actor that can play a jerk. it also had to be a white boy cause, well ,,, ya already know how the white male species are.
sorry if the ending seemed a bit rushed, but it's currently 1 am and i'm exhausted. i just needed to get this chapter out, i'm so excited to see any reactions to it!
while i'm here, i'd like to mention that nevaeh & tobia wolfhart may seem like really mean or awful characters right now but i promise development is coming. nevaeh is my girl that loves her big brother and is doing her best, and their dad tobia is just doing what he thinks is best for his kids because he's a semi-great dad that cares about them so much. their characters will improve, i promise!
while we're at it, elijah says it's on sight. especially with shane lewis & steve harrington. such a protective cinnamon roll. and, to be clear, i love my other girl nancy wheeler, but elijah at the moment thinks steve is a piece of shit and therefore anyone around him is too so their relationship is rocky at first but a brotp is coming. i love them.
i had so much fun writing this chapter, i didn't think i'd get so into this story! which doesn't explain why this chapter is so long as is this authors note so i'll shut up now, so thank you for encouraging me and reading!
- koda
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