Chapter Three : Out of the Woods
EPISODE ONE OF SEASON FOUR
━━━ the hellfire club

IF YOU WERE TO ASK MOONIE CARVER WHAT HER BIGGEST FEAR WAS, she would immediately know what she wanted to say. Growing up to be like her father. Now, is that the answer you'd receive? Most definitely not. It stayed reserved in the deep, dark depths of her mind to never be spoken aloud. Instead, she would probably tell you her biggest fear was dying. That was true, too. But Moonie knew better than to say anything bad about Rick Carver and that was only because she knew how protective he was of his image. How badly he desired to be desired.

When her mother died, she expected her father to throw her in the nearest foster home. If not that, then at-least into the hands of her grandmother. When neither happened, Moonie was shocked. She never expected for him to genuinely want her. Though she wasn't sure that's what it was. If Rick didn't take his daughter in, how would that have made him look? It would've ruined his reputation, and that seemed to be his worst nightmare. Not losing his kids, not them hating him. Ruining his image. That was his biggest fear. If Hawkins, Indiana didn't idolize him, nobody ever would.

Surprisingly enough, Moonie would still prefer her father over his mother. If she would've lived with Granny Ke, she would've been forced to throw away her wishes of going to college or making a life for herself. There, it was all about becoming a nice, obedient housewife for the man you were picked to marry. Granny was ninety seven years old, though. When she was in her twenties, those were the only rights women had. To be a mans. Now things were different and still, she failed to see the opportunities. Which meant she would undoubtedly make it the same way for Moonie. Rick cared just enough about his daughter to believe she deserved a future.

And to think she thought the day would play out in her favor.

She was so sure that it would. Especially after lunch. But then the last period of the day rolled around and Moonie was left with thoughts that had one goal: to suffocate her. She never thought they would meet their end, not even when Ms. Kelly called her out of class for a mandatory session. The empty hallways no longer felt comforting, they were barren and long━━ almost entirely draining to walk down. Her backpack felt heavy, her eyes were tired, the clothes she wore became itchy and irritating. And her head hurt. Again. Which has been a reoccurring theme for her in the past few days, a bottle of Advil becoming her best-friend just as fast.

The idea that she caught whatever Chrissy came down with crossed through her mind when she entered Ms. Kellys' office. The space was cold, per usual. The lights were dimmed and the green plants that hung by the window seemed to be the brightest thing in the room. There were motivational posters scattered across the office walls, pink brick walls, to be specific. It always smelled like Fruity Pebbles in here. That was something Moonie picked up after her three forced sessions with the schools therapist. It was all mandated because of what happened to her mother. Which was just great.

Moon had been incredibly good at making excuses, she managed to get out of most of the appointments with fake practices and surprise periods.

That was the only thing she'd let through to her mind. How the therapy was necessary. Because god forbid if she started thinking about what she was really trying to keep out. Moonie was sure that before long, Ms. Kelly would pull it out of her like a stubborn loose tooth. But right now she was trying to prevent that from happening, her fingers tapping rhythmically against the chairs armrest. Another One Bites the Dust. The lyrics to the Queen song ran through her head like a broken record, her foot eventually joining in on the distraction ploy for her thoughts. It was on Jason's workout tape.

Every Sunday morning at 8:27. The garage doors would go up and his stereo would start blasting. Without fail. Every Sunday. Moonie hadn't received the pleasure of sleeping in on that day since her father took her in. She found that life was somewhat easier if it had routines, so a part of her was thankful for Jason's on-the-dot music ritual. There was even a point in time when Moon decided to join her brother with a ploy to make him change his schedule, but she was very quick to give up when she woke up the next morning and couldn't move a single muscle. But that other half of her? It wanted nothing more than to see his stereo smashed to pieces.

Compared to her house on Sunday mornings, Ms. Kelly's office was dead quiet. The only noise Moonie could focus on was the fans on the air conditioning unit outside of the window, a burst of chilly air plowing through the office to remind her of its purpose. She held her stare on the counselor in front of her, her eyes glancing to the tab on the folder she held. It had her name on it. And that could mean one of two things: A. She accidentally missed an assignment, causing her grade to drop and Ms. Kelly's worry to rise or B. Mandated therapy was no longer going to be mandated. Personally, Moonie would prefer option B. It seemed solid and true to it's word.

"How have the headaches been?" Was not the opener she expected, her attention falling to Ms. Kelly who sat the folder down to meet her eyes. "You mentioned you started taking Advil?" She added, leaning back in her office chair to cross her arms over her chest. She seemed calm. Like she was in complete control over the conversation at hand.

Moonie wished she could talk like that. Instead, she swallowed the reluctance that formed in her mouth and nodded. "Yeah. It helps." She informed, twisting the promise ring on her finger. "They haven't gotten any better. But they haven't gotten any worse either, so I'm taking that as a good sign." Moonie added, a small smile of assurance curling around her lips as she spoke.

Ms. Kelly nodded, rolling her lips together as she scooted closer to her desk. The teen before her watched her grab the small notepad she had sitting off to the side, retrieving a ballpoint pen from a cup on the desk. Great. She's taking notes, Moonie thought while crossing her hands over her lap. There, she fiddled with the hem of her skirt━━ messing with anything to distract her mind from moving too fast. She moved her eyes to the clock on the wall, skimming over its hands to check the time. 3:05. School was letting out soon, which meant she'll be meeting up with Eddie in no time.

"How long do you think this will take?" Patience was not Moonie Carvers best-friend. She hated beating around the bush, she'd much rather just get all the bad stuff out before it got to her. And each mandated session was nothing but beating around the bush for an hour straight. No improvements. No fixes. Definitely not any cures. The only thing that changed was that somebody knew about how she was feeling. It wasn't like motivational posters were gonna make her forget that her mother died in a mall fire when that was the last place she would ever be caught dead at. And that was literal.

Instead of replying to Moonies' question with an actual answer, Ms. Kelly chose to answer with another damn question. "Spring Break plans?" She said with a smile on her face, stopping the movement of the pen in her hand. "I thought you said you were staying in all weekend to finish Something Wicked This Way Comes?" The addition to her sentence caused a forcedish smile to form on the teens face, her back straightening against the chair.

"I finished it already. I've been having trouble sleeping." She gave an honest answer, speaking in a matter-of-fact way with the hint of let's get this over with already. Moonie opted on continuing with her words, deciding that if she gave the counselor something then maybe she could leave early. "I actually annotated it. I was planning on giving it to a friend. It's a good read. That is if you're interested. It can get kinda dark. Then again, isn't that your thing?"

Her head tilted in confusion, brows furrowing slightly. It's been a while since she had attitude. Ms. Kelly moved her eyes from Moonie then back to the notepad on her desk, tapping the ballpoint pen against the surface before scratching is across the paper. The words she wrote were hidden to the Carver girl, a sigh of defeat huffing from her lips as she gave up on her perfect posture. "This morning at the pep rally." The woman spoke, ceasing her writing. "You left. Was it because of what your brother said? Or rather, what he didn't say?"

She was prepared for questions like that. Moonie knew exactly what Ms. Kelly wanted to get out of that; a reaction. But she stayed still, the emotions in her features unclear. She swallowed the anger, absentmindedly twisting the ring on her finger━━ the silver beginning to grow warm against her skin. "I'm not upset because Jason didn't say my moms name. I was upset because he used actual deaths as a way to get people excited for a stupid basketball game." Moonie informed, irritation peeking through her voice before she cleared her throat and pressed her back into the chairs cushion.

"Actual deaths? Do you not take your mothers passing as actual?" Ms. Kelly retorted, the sound of her pen against the paper pushing into the corners of Moons distraught mind.

"I know that my mom's dead. If that's what you're asking me." The girl was quick to respond, sighing deeply as she reluctantly moved to follow through with her next words. "It's just..." Moonie started, fighting back the urge to curse underneath her breath. Being honest was best, but that didn't mean it was easy. And she could tell that Ms. Kelly was willing to drag it out until she got what she wanted. So, she sucked it up and trudged through. "I guess I haven't had the best of luck with Jason since everything."

The counselor nodded, putting her writing to a rest. "Do you believe that your brother blames you for what happened that night?" Ms. Kelly spoke softly, her words full of support. But Moonie only shook her head in denial.

"No. No, I don't.. I don't think he blames me. I just think maybe he has a hard time understanding what went down. I mean, he isn't the only one." Moonie excused Jasons actions as she always did, twisting the ring on her finger anxiously which Ms. Kelly noticed. "You know?" She added, meeting the therapists eyes.

A loud thrill broke from the intercom, the extended bell signaling the end of the school day. Without second thought, the chair she sat in screeched against the tiled floors as she stood up. Moonie retrieved her bag that hung from the side, guiding the strap up her shoulder and looking to Ms. Kelly who shared a sympathetic look. She hated that. She hated being looked at like she couldn't be helped. "I should go. I hope you have a nice break." She nodded her head, a tightlipped smile wrapping around her rosy lips, her voice cracking slightly.

When she pulled the office door open, Moonie had to force down the lump that formed in her throat. Jason did blame her, she knew that for a fact. That was actual. She never knew why she couldn't say that aloud, maybe because it made it feel more real. If she talked about it, if she told someone, then it turned actual too. But now, she was still struggling with accepting the fact that her mother was dead. And she was never gonna see her again. At least Jason wasn't. He was still breathing, he was here. And he seemed to be the only thing she had left.

☪︎

About forty five minutes later, Moonie found herself to be in a much different state of mind. The cracks in her mask had been sealed and fixed, that kind and innocent persona she polished reclaiming its' place. In the girls locker room was where she hid out until the storm in her thoughts blew over, changing out of the uncomfortable clothes she forced herself to wear for the entirety of the day. Now, you would find her in a pair of her old gym shorts and a black tank top she used to wear for soccer practice. Of course, she planned on changing before the big game but she deemed being comfortable more important than being fashionable. At the moment, that was.

Waking up that morning, she never expected her evening to be spent with her brothers girlfriend and the boy she used to have a crush on. Making a drug deal. That wasn't even in the proximity of becoming a possibility. Now, it was happening. Fully fledged. And there she was, her index finger hooked into the heel of her tennis shoes as she slipped the remaining one onto her foot. Moonie was quick to tie the laces, making sure to double knot both sets. The locker room was cold, it seemed like most rooms in the school had their air conditioning on high today. It wasn't even that hot outside, but she guessed that most of the teachers just preferred cold air.

Before leaving she slipped on a zip-up hoodie, it's large size leaving the dark grey sleeves past her fingertips. The material stopped a few inches below the loose track shorts she wore, the cold zipper causing a swarm of goosebumps to scatter across her thighs. When she stood to her feet and began making her way out of the locker room, Moonie inched the long sleeve up to look at the thin watch on her wrist that sat clipped next to a charm bracelet. 3:57.

She was supposed to meet Eddie around four. She suspected Chrissy Cunningham would beat them both there because she was never not on time.

And ole Eddie? With him, every single decision was like an uneven scale. Unknown. Indecisive.

Moonie was actually pretty surprised with how close she was to being late. She was usually on time with everything, but today it seemed like the entire universe was thrown off balance. Her head felt heavy and her eyes were tired, the hallways were still long and barren. Draining. Her mind couldn't help but track back to the conversation she shared with Ms. Kelly when the empty halls became too quiet to bear, stomach twisting with nerves at the memory.

Moonie started wondering what she'd done wrong to deserve this torment, but then she remembered she was doing a drug deal and the thought settled. That's all it was. Just her anxiety acting up. That was what she told herself and that was the story she was sticking with. She continued on down the halls until she reached an exit, heaving the heavy doors open with a push before stepping out into the sunlight. It was chilly, as expected. The tall trees of the woods provided a shade over the empty soccer field, it's distant bleachers flooding into sight as her eyes adjusted to the change of light.

The question of if she was going to be the second or last to arrive filled her mind on her journey across the field, spotting the hidden trail amongst the forest sidelines. The shade completely consumed the evergreen trees, some still dead and dry from the change of seasons. A layer of leaves were scattered across the forests floor, their fragile shell grounded into the dirt from her footsteps. It was quiet when she stopped, the only sound following her being the faint snap! of a twig━━ her breath catching in her throat. Then nothing. Dead silence, you could hear the sound of a needle dropping.

Moonies' heart quickened in her chest. The forest felt darker, colder. Her hands started shaking by her side, a cold sweat marking her tanned skin as she stepped forward. She turned her head, stare fading down the forest- off the path. Something looked weird in the trees. She couldn't tell what it was and her body stepped off the trail faster than she herself could decide, the sun peering through the trees just right. There was a deeper, more polished wood compared to the bark around her as the silence grew tense and the air turned thick.

The leaves crushed with each step she took, growing closer to the hidden structure within the dense forest.

"Carver!" A distant yell whipped through the emerald sea, pulling Moon out of the frozen trance she found herself in. Her chest rose, small and panicked breaths brushing past her lips as she looked to her feet. The ground beneath her was paved, marked by wooden logs to create a barrier between it and the forest. She was still on the trail. She never left it. The realization settled in the deep pits of her stomach, confused eyes tearing from the dirt and to the sound of the voice. It didn't make any sense. It all felt so real. She almost saw it.

Down the path stood Eddie Munson, his brows raised along with his waving hand. "Everything okay?" He added, voice echoing across the forest as he jogged forward to reach her side. "I found Chrissy. We're just waiting for you." The words left his mouth with a hint of worry, slowing down a few feet ahead of her with careful eyes. Eddie bent down slightly, inching closer to get a better look at her face. "Moon... you okay?" He spoke with a wave of his hand, the gust of air brushing past her features at the close proximity.

"I'm sorry?" Her response came out as breathy, a loose smile haphazardly lacing through her lips. Eddie noticed her eyes were distant when they met his, like she was there but then she wasn't. "Sorry." Moonie repeated, clearing her throat with a shake of her head. "I think I saw a squirrel. What'd you say?" She questioned with a lie, her smile turning into a soft one as he reluctantly lowered his hand from her face.

"I said Chrissy Cunningham... you know, the Queen of Hawkins High. She and I we're waiting for you. It's like 4:10." Eddie informed, taking a step back while crossing his arms behind him.

Moonie studied his actions, slowly nodded her head in confirmation while glancing down at the watch on her wrist to see if he was lying. He wasn't. The revelation caused her heart to skip in her chest, mind hastily becoming distraught as she absently followed the boy in front of her.

He wanted to make sure she was okay. But, he decided to bite his tongue. Eddie knew that Moonie hated being sympathized, or taken care of. She wouldn't allow anyone to do it unless it was herself. She figured it was easier that way. He disagreed, but he knew better than to do that verbally. Even though she hadn't talked to him in months before today, Eddie remembered how fragile she was. Even before her mother died. And it wasn't in a bad way or anything, she had just carried too many burdens for way too long.

So he stayed silent for the rest of the walk to the picnic table where Chrissy waited━━ the cheerleader greeting her boyfriends twin sister with a small hug. They took their seat on the same bench, followed by Eddie who claimed the other. To him, both of the girls already seemed totally out of it. He even started to grow a bit concerned when Moonie tucked her knees to her chin, silently watching the conversation take place between him and Chrissy.

The usual discussion of drug sales and prices.

It wasn't until a frantic Chrissy jumped at the sound of a twig snapping when Moonie took interest. She watched as the girl snapped her head back, uneven breaths racking her chest as she spotted a squirrel scurry up the bark of a tree. Her dark brown eyes fell to Eddie who was beginning to grow uncomfortable, what if this was all some prank on the freak? Oh, that evil Eddie lured two innocent girls into the woods to sell them drugs. Surely he works with the Devil!

Moonie watched as he anxiously clasped his black lock box shut, his rings clanking against the metal. Shit. She could basically feel the anxiety wavering off of him. Straightening her back, she untucked her legs from the bench and reached out to grab his hand. "She's just nervous. She's never done this before." She was quick to assure, a warm smile greeting her features. "Right, Chris?" Moon questioned, quietly nudging the cheerleader with her tennis shoes.

Chrissy got the picture when she saw Moonies eye twitch. She gulped, clasping her hands together in her lap before nodding. "Yep. Yeah, she's right. I'm sorry." The apology timidly slipped from her lips, attention falling to fiddle with her fingernails. It reached Eddie who reluctantly sighed, his stare moving to the hand that sat atop his own. He recognized the promise ring around her middle finger, five small moons decorating the thin gold band. Her nails were painted white, the edges of her index and thumb chipped from anxious picking.

When Moonie returned her hand back to her lap, he took immediate notice of the lack of warmth against his own. He watched her turn to Chrissy with that same smile, "Please feel free to continue." She urged━━ crossing her leg underneath her body. At least pretending like everything was normal got her mind off things. She sunk in to the excess material of the jacket she wore, tucking her fingers between her legs to shield them from the chilly air.

"Do you ever feel like you're losing your mind?" Chrissy inquired, breaking the silence with her innocent voice.

A pfft sound left Moonies' lips as she nodded, "Always."

Eddie looked between the two girls, "Um... y'know. Just on a daily basis." He smiled, leaning forward slightly as he twisted the rings on his fingers. "I mean, I definitely feel like I'm losing my mind right now doing a drug deal with Chrissy Cunningham, the queen of Hawkins High." He added, his eyes moving to Moonie who sat beside the strawberry blonde. "And Moonie Carver... don't even get me started on you. I could write a book. Maybe several."

She smiled, tucking her lips in as she shook her head. A pretty red flushed through her features, warming her skin as Chrissy laughed softly at the two. Eddie reluctantly pulled his stare from Moon to look at the cheerleader, "You know, believe it or not, this isn't the first time the three of us have... hung out." He spoke, the information leading to Chrissy furrowing her brows. "No?"

Moonie knew immediately, and she sat there with purely entertained eyes as Eddie filled the girl in on the story. It always made her smile when she thought about it, but not as much as she did when the Munson boy theatrically threw himself back into the forests floor. He explained it in great detail, with Chrissy filling in a few blank spaces that suddenly filled in her mind. And Moonie stayed quiet. Just watching, her eyes following the smiles that formed on both of their faces.

Long story short, during their eighth grade talent show, they were forced to get into groups and preform one song each. Only thing was, one person had to draw names for their group. Moonie drew both Chrissy and Jason. They were in a very rebellious stage. The song they decided on? A very dramatic reenactment of Video Killed the Radio Star. Problem was, it was banned. So, what do they do? Bribe the band playing the music, who just so happened to be...

"Corroded coffin!" Chrissy jumped up in excitement, the name coming to her as Eddie clapped his hands━━ "Corro- You do remember!" He laughed, turning to look at Moonie with wide eyes of I-told-you-so. "See? What'd I say? I told you she would." The words left his mouth teasingly, reminding the Carver girl of one of many conversations they had months ago before she disappeared off the face of the earth from him.

The conversation then led into how different they looked compared to now, specifically Eddie. Moonie hadn't changed that much, only matured. But him? Well, he laid the evidence out the second he pulled the neck of his shirt down to reveal one of the several chest tattoos he has. Plus he had buzzed hair, now it was long and voluminous. Moonie liked his hair. It was probably one of her many favorites features.

It didn't calm until Eddie returned back to his seat, prying the black lockbox open and laying out his options. Chrissy observed them closely, as if it was a life or death situation. Moonie stayed silent, resting her chin against the palm of her hand. As the cheerleader leaned forward, Eddie fixated his attention onto the quiet one. Her eyes looked tired, he took notice of the bags underneath that had been futilely covered by concealer.

That was when he saw the blood drip from her nose, splattering onto the surface of the picnic table as she flinched. Moonie hastily raised her hand to her face, cupping her fingers over the falling crimson. Chrissy gasped, scooting to the side as Eddie's eyes widened. "Holy shit, Pie." He spoke, using the old nickname that Moon hadn't heard in months. He hurriedly moved overtop the table, untying the bandana he had laced around his belt loop as he planted his feet by both her thighs.

As he retrieved the bandana, the Carver girl wiped her finger across the bottom of her nose━━ feeling the warm liquid continue to fall down past her lips. Eddie was quick to stop her, his rings smushing into the side of her wrist as he pulled her hand from her face. Lifting the bandana, he pressed it underneath her nose to suppress the bleeding. "I think you have to look up." Chrissy advised, carefully moving to stand up from the wooden bench.

Moonie listened, her heart pounding heavily against her ribcage. Her eyes felt sore when Eddie tilted her chin up, the sun burning into her irises. She tightened her lids shut, the buzzing image of the trees opening up to the sky flashing in her mind. His rings felt cold on her neck, feeling the blood soak through the thin material of her shirt and onto her chest. She blindly lifted her hand to the spot, fear creeping up on her as she followed the bandana until her fingers wrapped around Eddie's wrist for assurance.

Lesson learned, never make a deal with the Devil.

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