Chapter One : The Conformed Society
EPISODE ONE OF SEASON FOUR
━━━ the hellfire club

MOONIE CARVER wanted to stick out.

She wanted to be a name worth remembering. And in a way, she already was. But just not how she wanted. If you were to enter the halls of Hawkins High, grab the first person you see then ask about her, you would receive a lengthy answer. A long story. But don't fret, I'll tell you the summed up version. Moonie was, for the most part, kind. Since her mother died, which was about eight months ago, she spent her free time tutoring the more unfortunate, staying after school buried in the depths of the library. She used to just go home and hang out in the trailer park, but that wasn't really an option anymore. She just finished with swim team.

Come fall time, you'll be sure to find her on the soccer field. Captain of the team. Straight A's, honor roll, pristine record, perfect attendance. The list went on and on. And on. And on. Before her father gained custody of her, it was a little different. She still had flawless everything of course, but she was different. Happier. More... there. Present. Now, she just continued on living the same day over and over. A repeat of the same, boring, nauseating routine of making herself valuable for others.

But that was it. Moonie spent her life proving her worth. She never considered the possibility that maybe she had nothing at all to prove. That maybe, all she had to be was herself. Instead, she continued to apply the conformed rules of society to herself. She forced them into her life, and she became someone she never thought she would be. An obedient girl. A good wife. A smart woman, but not when it comes to the men in her life. For them, she had to seem stupid. Little.

To let people take advantage of the state of fragility she made a home within. To let her father control her life, find her a husband. To shape her into the housewife she was destined to be. Moonie was nothing but a pawn in his sadistic game of chess. So, she kept her mouth shut and listened.

But like I said, that was just the summed up version. And while listening, Moonie had learned a lot. About the town she lived in, the students that walked the halls of Hawkins High. Being the sister to one of the most popular boys in town seemed to help out a lot on her adventures. Though being kin to Jason Carver sure as hell had it's downfalls. Her twin brother loved to control her life. He loved shaping her into the perfect woman for her future husband. You know, like a good brother would.

That morning when she got out of bed, Moonie felt a change. There was a heavy sigh that fell from her lips. She knew today was going to be a draining day, if anything. On Monday, the basketball team won the second to last tournament, which meant there was one more game left of the season before Spring Break. Jason would be on a kick and Dylan Cornett, Moonies unfortunately planned boyfriend, was sure to follow. Her exterior mask had to be pristine and perfect.

The next thought that passed through her mind made her stomach twist with anxiety: they'll be celebrating today, so her father will want her to look pretty. You have to know that Dylan wasn't her choice. That relationship had her dads name written all over it. It's existence was fabricated by nothing else other than his hands. Jason helped set it up, which gave him yet another part of her life to sink his teeth into.

She wore a jean skirt that stopped a few inches down her thighs, a set of beige pantyhose on her legs. It was laid out for her. Moonie slipped a red flowed printed shirt over her head, one with thin sleeves cropped at her shoulders with a corduroy jacket that was burgundy in color. She made sure to wear the thin heart shaped necklace Dylan gifted her for Christmas, adorning her ears with small golden rings. Her hair was straightened with a few curls, and cherry almond scented lotion was rubbed into her skin.

Every little detail mattered. Her legs had to be shaved, completely. That goes for her armpits, too. That perfect image of hers had it maintain its position somehow. But her mind could run free and do whatever it pleased, that was what she envied. How she could have a leash around her neck, whereas the brain inside of her skull taunted her. Her own thoughts even betrayed her.

With a few pats of makeup and sprits of expensive perfume, Moonie gathered up everything she needed and made her way out of her bedroom. Morning passed as it usually did, slow and boring. Her stepmother made a good luck breakfast for Jason, who didn't really care enough to give it any attention. He thanked her and drank a cup of OJ while Moonie made herself a warm plate of the pancakes after downing two pills for her headache.

Their father left for work, thankfully. But not before leaving two twenty dollars bills for his son and kissing his daughter on the cheek. He told her she looked pretty, which made her smile. She didn't want to, but she knew that would get on his good side. Daddys little girl, the words that made her stomach twist and warm saliva fill her mouth. Today, she had to be perfect for Dylan. Her arranged boyfriend.

Her father is close with his father. You know how the story goes.

So, she wasn't surprised in the slightest when he came knocking at their front door to offer her a ride to school. In fact, she was prepared for it. Moonie had timed it perfectly, because Jason was in a rush to go pick up his girlfriend Chrissy which meant he couldn't ready his bait. She bid goodbye to her stepmother with a small smile after dumping her leftovers in the garbage and her plate into the sink, then she grabbed her bag and left.

It was as easy as that. And it wasn't that she had anything against Dylan in particular, he was actually a sweet boy. But, she did prefer him when he wasn't under the pressure of having to impress the men in her life. She found he was much more tolerable.

During the drive, Moonie took notice of the morning fog that rested against the backroads. Her stomach wasn't settling right, there was just something about the air that made her feel completely uneasy. She was sure it was from the fact that she had to attend a pep rally today centered around her brothers basketball team. Those always made her feel weird. It disrupted her routine, which she hated more than anything.

According to the school counselor though, that might just be what's good for her. And Ms. Kelly had a way of words when it came to Moonie. She was really motivationally convincing. After all, it was her idea for the eighteen year old to dip into something different for a change.

She was on the bleachers when she snapped back into reality. When the Advil she swallowed this morning kicked in and the pressure of her migraine began to fade. The gym was bright and loud, and she wished nothing more than to be skipping the entire thing. When the squeaking of the cheerleaders shoes ceased against the gym floor and the bands instruments fell silent, Moonie watched as her brother and the rest of the basketball team (including Dylan) tore through a brown sheet of paper.

The boys flooded into the gym, standing in a straight line across the floor as the students cheered them on. School spirit seemed to be at an all time high today. And for some reason, Moonie couldn't find it in herself to participate at all.

Jason being Jason took charge of the pep rally. Moonie wondered why they let teenagers talk at all during these things. Her brother stepped out into the floor, his hands wrapped around a microphone with a wire that trailed behind him. He gave his thanks to the students, of course. Then the cheerleaders, especially his girlfriend who managed to be the captain.

Chrissy Cunningham. She had pretty red hair though in some lights it shined as blonde. She was always nice to Moonie, who appreciated the gesture more than she knew. She also always smelled like coconuts, which was just something the younger Carver girl had picked up. And apparently, Jason really loved her. So, that had to count for something.

"I think I can speak for all of us when I say..." He started into the microphone, his voice sincere. "It's been a tough year for Hawkins. So much loss. And sometimes I wonder, how much loss can one community take? In dark days like this, we need something to believe in." Jason started━━ pacing the gym floor. He caught Moonies eye for a second, and she knew where he was going. What kind of speech he was going to give.

"So, last night, when we were down by ten points at half to Christian Academy, I looked at my team. And I said, think of Jack. Think of Melissa. Think of Heather. Think of Billy. Think about our heroic police chief, Jim Hopper. Think about each and every one of our friends who perished in that fire. What did they die for? For us to lose to some... crap school?" He continued, causing his sisters stomach to twist with every word that he spoke.

He never said their mothers name. At some point, Moonie even started to question if he even remembered that she died that night, too. But, not in the way of it being so traumatic that he suppressed the memory. It wasn't like that. It was more so that he didn't care enough to acknowledge her death. Moonie was a witness to it all, it'd become engraved in her mind how much he didn't care. How much he hated her, blamed her for everything that happened.

That was when she felt her mask crack, her features twisting in anger.

And Jason watched with his attentive eyes as his sister stood from the bleachers, grabbing her backpack from the floorboards before leaving the gym. His hand tightened around the microphone he yelled. Dylan stood quiet in the lineup, his stare switching between his captain and his girlfriend━━ he knew that he couldn't go after her and make an exit. Not one like Moonies. He thought maybe that was a good thing, though. He supposed that he would probably only make things worse if he attempted to tend to the raging flames that made up the Carver siblings relationship.

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Moonie found her solace in the bathroom. Standing amongst the dim lights and blue tiles, her hands wrapped around the cold edges of the ceramic sink. Water spewed from the faucet, filling her cupped hands that stopped its path to the drain. The cold liquid soon found itself splashing across her features, the loose strands of her hair sticking to the sides of her face. Another heavy sigh fell from her rosy lips, filling her lungs and stretching the anatomy, burning her chest until she released the breath. A refresher. She needed one almost every morning, and it usually always worked for her.

Today was different. It didn't seem to have the same effect. The water and deep breaths were futile, and she hated that more than anything. It wasn't long before the loud cheers from the gym fell silent and every student inside left to return to their day of classes and study. Moonie knew she at-least had a good five minutes before the bell rang and she had to go to second period, seeing as her first had been taken up by the pep rally. School spirit seemed to be more important to everyone else. She didn't complain, though. She hated math class and it hated her just as much.

If she were to step outside of the bathroom, she would be forced into explaining to her brother why she left all while being a good showcase girlfriend for Dylan. Sometimes it shocked her that Jason was her twin. That they were even related, for that matter. They had nothing in common, they grew up hating each other. It was why Moonie felt ten times more comfortable around their mother, it was obvious that with her━━ she was genuinely loved and cared for.

And with her father? He spent more time trying to convince his children that their mother was a spawn of satan and his biggest regret rather than actually taking care of them. Of course, that was always Moonies favorite thing to hear in the morning. Just how much her father regretted ever getting with their mother. It was backhanded and narcissistic. Which about summed Rick Carver up to a T.

When the bathroom door squealed open and the fluorescent lights from the hallway flooded in, the last person Moonie expected to walk in was Chrissy Cunningham. She watched from the mirror she stood in front of, water dripping from her hands and into the sink. She shook the substance off with the equivalent of jazz hands, sniffing quietly while using her damp palms to push her light brown hair back. "Hi, Chris." Moonie spoke, announcing her presence.

The girl flinched slightly at the sound, a warm smile wrapping around her lips to cover the distraught look she wore. If Moon knew any better, it looked like Chrissy was doing the same thing she was; trying to find a place to hide. "Moonie! Hey," The cheerleader softened her features, letting the bathroom door close shut behind her as she stepped forward. "Sorry, I didn't know anyone was in here." She informed, twiddling anxiously with her fingertips.

"I was just leaving." Moonie informed, wiping her hands down the sides of her skirt before twisting the faucets knobs. The spluttering water ceased at her movements, leaving the two teenagers in a rather awkward silence. Even though Chrissy was dating her brother, they still didn't talk that much. Only the few times Moonie caught the girl in their kitchen, or when a conversation was forced by weird run in's in the school hallways.

"You don't have to go." Chrissy assured, grabbing onto the strap of her backpack on her shoulder before letting it plop to the floor. "I actually have a question." She continued, Moonies eyes following her every move as she neared closer to the sink she stood at. "Do you know of anything that helps with nightmares or headaches?" Her voice fell quiet with the question, like she was hiding some big secret behind it. "Like... anything. I'm open to all avenues." She added.

Moonie felt her brow perk, "Um... like Advil?"

A breathless laugh tumbled from Chrissy's lips at the suggestion. "I've taken enough of that to kill a horse." She assured, the girl before her catching sight of the defeat that clambered into her eyes. "I was thinkin' something stronger, you know? Jason mentioned to me once that when your mother... When she passed, you started smoking? He talked about how much he hated it. I just thought that maybe," The information fell into the open, causing a knowing look to flood Moonies features as she nodded.

"That was like one time." She corrected, "Just so you know."

"Of course." Chrissy was quick to agree, "But I for one, would like to try it." She cleared her throat, straightening her back in a matter of fact kind of way. "And maybe we could do it together. We never really talk that much but maybe this way we can actually get to know each other, yeah?" The cheerleader suggested, her voice laced with a tone full of hope. She really wanted to smoke weed.

Moonie stood quiet on the edge of anticipation, running the possible outcomes of this situation through her head. Jason could find out, he'd get pissed. But she wasn't so sure that he would snitch, because then that would mean he's telling on his beloved Chrissy. Plus, Moonies mind was secretly looking for a way to disrupt her boring, monotone routine. It seemed like the universe was aligning into place today, one meant just for her. A chance to actually, possibly catch a break.

Chrissy watched with expecting eyes as the younger Carver retrieved her bag from the tiled floor. "Fine. I'll go find out how to get some weed." Moonie caved in, throwing the strap over her shoulder. She stopped in her steps in front of the cheerleader, the last person she expected herself to team up with today. "Just promise me you won't tell Jason or anyone else. This deal stays between us." Establishing a safety net seemed important. If all else went to hell, she'd at least have the time to make up a believable story.

With that, Chrissy Cunningham nodded. A warm smile of gratitude found it's way to her lips and she shook the outstretched hand of Moonie Carver━━ who was told to never make a deal with the Devil. But that idea was nowhere near her list of possibilities and endings. She just wanted to do something different. To be fair, how was she supposed to know that the sinister equivalent of Lucifer himself resided in the body of Chrissy? How was she supposed to know that she now, officially, put herself on his radar?

I guess there's only one way for her to find out.

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