Risky Business ｡ Stranger Things

14 : A Nightmare on Elm's Street

A purple dusk had consumed the sky over the small town of Hawkins, Indiana and despite the fact that both Sam and Caroline Owens were at work, the modest two-story house on Kerley was full of noise. Grey and Jackie were causing a ruckus as they pretended to be characters from Star Wars with Lightsabers made out of painted sticks they found outside. However, Prue didn't mind the gleeful noise; it helped chase the darkness away that pressed against the house. She was making macaroni and cheese by the stove when her eyes spotted the shed out in the backyard through the kitchen window. The wooden shed door stood open wide, and the brunette teenager was reminded of the recon she and Grey had done for Mission Strange last night. She was reminded of the mysterious redacted government documents and her father's job offer letter that was probably still sitting fallen and forgotten on the floor after the pair had fled from the shed, after believing something more than just the wind was out there, crawling and hunting through the tall, dense and forbidden woods that bordered the Owens's backyard. While the recon they gathered hadn't been all that helpful, it did prove something strange and secret was happening at the Hawkins Laboratory and that their father, Dr Sam Owens, had something to do with it. 

Prue was so absorbed in her thoughts that the yellow and gooey mix of pasta and cheese had started to burn and stick to the bottom of the saucepan. She gave a hurried grunt as she pulled the saucepan from the hot stove and placed it on the counter, a tea towel draped over her shoulder. "Grey! Jackie! Dinner is ready!" she called out, feeling very Mother Bird to the younger teenagers that came running in with flushed cheeks and giant grins. "Nope, no Lightsabers at the table. The dinner table is a Dark Side free zone," she added as she scooped out portions of the gooey goodness onto their plates before fixing them with glasses of orange juice.

"Can we pick out a movie from your collection after dinner? Jackie hasn't seen An American Werewolf in London yet," Grey was saying around a mouthful.

"My mother doesn't let me watch scary movies or eat macaroni and cheese," Jackie added before sucking down her orange juice, still a little puffed from running around as a Sith Lord.

"Ah, it all makes sense now," Prue replied in a teasing voice, "why you're friends with Grey."

"Shut up! It is not!" Grey objected while Jackie chuckled. "Can we though?"

"Yeah, of course, you can. But An American Werewolf in London isn't all that scary... I've got The Evil Dead or Psycho or maybe even an old Godzilla, huh?" Prue was suggesting when the doorbell rang, the cheery sound echoing throughout the house. Prue looked from the direction of the front door to Grey. "Are you expecting the other girls?" Grey and Jackie both shook their heads, still spooning up their cheap and easy dinner. Prue slowly padded down the hallway into the foyer, and nerves flicked at her stomach. Grey wasn't expecting anyone and neither was she and that made her uneasy as she reached for the door handle and pulled.

"Hey, girl!" Selena Moreno shouted, extending her arms wide. Ronnie Marra was beside her wearing a smile that picked up her cheeks.

"What are you two doing here?" Prue responded with surprise in her voice. She opened the door wider. "Come in, come in!" she gestured, the November wind nipping at her bare feet.

"Sorry we didn't call first, but you know what Selena is like," Ronnie explained further, shrugging out of her jacket.

"Are you playing babysitter again?" Selena asked, brushing her fingers over the tea towel still draped over Prue's shoulder. "The house is empty of parents, I see. Fantastic!" she added, sweeping into the house like she belonged in it. The Owens' house was the usual place of gathering for Prue and Grey's friend circles.

"Is that Mac and Cheese I smell?" Ronnie exclaimed, eyes shining with gluttony.

"Your pool's heated, right?" Selena was singing and Prue noticed the bright strap of her swimmers underneath her shirt.