ANY TRACE OF RAIN from the previous night had vanished as Amara pedaled to school the following morning, the light wind whipping her hair behind her shoulders. The sun was journeying to the apex of the sky, which was mostly clear other than a few clouds dotted here and there like a child's drawing. The trees swayed gently, the final leaves of the year descending to the depths of the forest floor, providing cushions she would be stepping upon in just a few days. She could hear the early morning bustling of the townspeople of Hawkins, preparing for another normal day in the quiet town they loved.

        Except it wasn't. The small, safe neighborhood Amara had grown accustomed to in the past year was now uncharted territory. She rode to school with caution, as if she was dreading that a masked individual cloaked in black would catapult out of the forest and capture her, dragging her limp form into the woods to perish alone. She could faintly hear the voices of the search party organized for Will Byers calling his name, not knowing that he could hear them but was unable to respond.

        She attempted to brush her worry aside as she slid her bicycle into one of the school's many racks, but it came rushing back to meet her as she entered the school. Fliers were scattered among the walls, reminding everyone of Will Byers's disappearance. Amara highly doubted anyone cared though: the boy rarely spent his time in the company of anyone other than his nerdy, misfit friends, and his older brother, Jonathan, who preferred photography over social interactions. The students of Hawkins High had dismissed this anomaly as the recurring tale of a kid who had run away from the clutches of their overprotective family, only to come crawling back a day or two later.

        Amara reached her locker, dropping off her backpack inside. Her schedule was busy as usual: history first (Robin would discretely pass her notes ranting about Steve Harrington and his perfect hair), chemistry (she could finally get that dreaded test out of the way), geometry (Robin would look over her shoulder the entire time), Spanish (she would look over Robin's shoulder the entire time), and English, her weakness in all of its abstract metaphors and centuries-old language. Heck, she understood algebra better than English.

        She drowned out the announcement of an event honoring Will and his family that night, knowing she would be in her room, reading The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy or some other sci-fi novel instead. She wondered if anyone at Hawkins High would attend, considering the assembly was not mandatory. Many of the students would rather go to the movies, or throw a party, or even go to sleep early than show up at an event to honor someone they didn't even know existed until now.

        But then again, tragedy had a way of bringing people nobody knew into the spotlight.

"SOMETHING ON YOUR MIND?"

        After another long day of school, Amara found herself in Robin's room again. Chemistry had been swapped out for English, their teacher unexpectedly springing on them an essay about potential careers due in a week. She barely knew where to start: she had drilled into her head that she would not make it far in life due to her autism, and she was unlikely to even be hired by anyone if they received word about all the schools she'd been expelled from.

        "Just this stupid essay," Amara muttered, rereading the guidelines for what felt like the thousandth time. "I don't even know what I want to do with my life. I figured I'd just live with my parents forever," she said, realizing it was true.

        "Well, remember that this is an essay, not a college application. Make something up," Robin suggested nonchalantly. "Go for something commonplace, like a teacher or a doctor. Or maybe something fancy like a tour guide for Mount Everest."

        Amara glanced up from her papers and smiled at her friend. "What would I do without you?"

        Robin shrugged her shoulders, looking up as well. "You'd be pretty damn lonely. I would too."

        Amara looked at her assignment one more time before placing it in her backpack and making her way to the door, bag in hand. "C'mon. We deserve a break after that blasted test."

        "Now you're talking," Robin grinned, propelling herself up from her chair. Richard Buckley was at work and Melissa Buckley was out shopping for groceries, leaving the living room TV available for Amara and Robin to use. The two friends journeyed downstairs to the living room and plopped down on the couch, Amara reaching for the remote. "I would kill for a murder mystery."

        Little did they both know, they would get their desired murder mystery. A real-life one.

        "C'mon, why is there an ad for Coke on two channels?" Robin groaned as Amara kept switching stations, her thumb becoming irritated as she struggled to find something interesting for them to watch. "Do they have nothing better to advertise?"

        "Apparently not," Amara responded. She breezed past a local news broadcast but returned to the station upon spotting a familiar structure.

        "That's... that's Benny's Burgers," she muttered, mostly to herself, surprised to find the restaurant she had been to several times on the news.

        "What happened there?" Robin questioned, shifting her attention from her chipped nail varnish to the screen, where police cars surrounded the restaurant.

        "Early this morning Benny Hammond, the owner of Benny's Burgers, was discovered dead in his kitchen," a reporter stood several feet away from the scene of the crime, addressing journalists from local news outlets. "He appears to have shot himself in the head. However, the residents of Hawkins, Indiana have made it clear that Mr. Hammond had never displayed any mental health issues, and that this was completely unexpected. A team of doctors is en route to investigate whether this was a suicide or a murder."

        "Well damn," Robin whispered as Amara turned off the TV. "First Byers, now this? Hawkins is literally turning into hell."

        "It's definitely strange," Amara remarked as she stood up and swung her backpack over her shoulders, ready to go home. "I mean, Hawkins is estimated to be one of the safest towns in America. Nothing ever happens here. But then two days ago one person disappears and yesterday someone commits suicide out of nowhere? This can't be an accident."

        "I mean, that could be a possibility," Robin replied from where she was lounging on the couch, feet dangling off the edge. "Or it could just be a weird coincidence."

        It was no secret to anyone who knew her well that Amara's mind was unique. She saw connections in seemingly isolated incidents, refused to back down from any mystery until she had every question answered, and had a memory like no other. She herself was an enigma, a puzzle waiting to be solved by anyone who dared to look close enough.

        It was her oddly wired brain that would enable her to uncover the truth behind the sudden change in Hawkins.

        She could feel the cool air against her skin as she pedaled home. The sun had already disappeared over the horizon, and unlike the previous night, the sky was completely clear, stars scintillating against the velvety backdrop. The days were becoming shorter, the danger increasing as the nights became elongated. She momentarily thought of Kevin, who was forced to work extra hours to make up for Joyce Byers' absence. While she sympathized with Joyce's worry, she felt bad that her brother had to bear the brunt of Will's disappearance.

        As she passed by the section of woods enshrouding what she knew was Steve Harrington's house, her bicycle's headlight flickered.

        It came back on no sooner than it had turned off, and Amara furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. But something else caught her eye, and she quickly braked to a stop. Illuminated by a nearby lamppost, reflected in the silver of her bike handle, she could barely make out a figure. It stood tall in the middle of the road, facing the region of woods she had just passed. It appeared humanoid but it was taller, its limbs longer, its shoulders broader. The oddest part of its appearance was its pointed head. It seemed to have no facial features.

        She turned around to get a better look at it, but it was already gone.

published to quotev: 8/2/20
published to wattpad: 6/6/24