‧₊ ·˚ ༘❁ ┊ep 5. The Nina Project. ▬▬▬▬▬▬
꒰ ✎ ꒱ؘ STARGIRL, a stranger things fanfiction

Once Max was done catching her breath Nancy told them to come rest at her house. Knowing that the cops that were now looking for her back in Pennhurst wouldn't be out here looking for them.

"Morning Max, what are you drawing?" Franny asked from the kitchen as Mrs. Wheeler placed pancakes on her plate.

"Just... Just something, it's not," Max gulped during the word not and sighed, "really important."

"We've been drawing houses and stars!" Holly cheered smiling while going back to her drawing full of the whole party.

Franny smiled to Holly as she walked to the table placing her plate down before Mr. Wheeler walked in.

Ted ignored the girl before sitting down on a stool and grabbing his cup full of coffee Karen had made for him before grabbing the paper left on the table from last night.

Franny's eyebrows arched while she exhaled before grabbing a fork, "Here you go sweet," Karen smiled handing her the syrup and a few napkins.

Franny nodded before she sat next to Max and Holly, Max kept her gaze on the paper where it had a door.

Franny didn't notice it. She cut into her pancakes before she happily cut into the food. Once she finished cutting her food she placed the syrup on her food before tossing it into her mouth.

Franny and Max out of the whole group were the only ones awake besides, Karen, Holly, and Ted.

A few moments later Max had her headphones on while Franny was on to her second plate of pancakes.

Footsteps could be heard from the basement. Could've been Steve, Nancy, Lucas, Robin, anyone.

It was Dustin and Nancy who looked at the three girls sitting at the table doing whatever.

"Morning guys!" Karen smiled as Franny turned her head to the two. She gave a slight wave as Nancy nodded with a smile.

Nancy took an exhale. Her mother asked her if she was okay which she replied with a slight yeah.

Max soon noticed the talking in the room before Karen spoke, "I think it's so good that you guys are sticking together like this,"

"Try to stick together at a different house for a change," Ted remarked as Franny rolled her eyes.

"Yeah well, we all don't have a basement, Mr. Wheeler," Franny muttered as Dustin laughed hearing what his best friend said.

"May I?" Dustin asked as Karen handed him a plate before he took about two to four pancakes.

"Yeah, why not?" Ted said, looking at the paper he was still reading. "Take us for all we're worth."

Dustin and Franny snorted before Dustin smiled, "Okay," Ted watched Dustin load up a plate of food.

"Mrs. Wheeler, can I have some more, please?" Franny asked as Ted sighed as Dustin laughed as Karen nodded.

Franny grinned to herself as she stood next to Dustin before loading up her plate exactly like Dustin.

Ted started intensely at the two, realizing their "plan". They never had a plan, the two just go on with it. Franny chuckled to herself as Karen went back to make more for the others.

"C'mon. We can piss him off more later," Franny chuckled going back to her chair where Nancy was talking to Max.

"Has your dad always been a dick?" Franny whispered to Nancy as Nancy shrugged her shoulders, "Maybe, I think just to Mike. Holly and I are the good kids around here."

"You're all good kids, Nancy!" Karen replied back as Nancy gave a small laugh and then went back to Max.

Nancy and Max had a conversation about Vecna, "Like he didn't want me there," Max sighed as Dustin spoke up, "Maybe you infiltrated his mind," Franny gave a sarcastic look with her mouth hung open as she was shocked.

"I think he wanted her to go in there Dustin," Franny joked as Dustin rolled his eyes with a smile on his face. "Ha. Ha. Funny." Franny gave a cheeky laugh. "You know it's not fun to joke around when your friend is on the verge of dying," Dustin told Franny as she scoffed.

She rolled her eyes as she chuckled. "I never said it was a joke!" She argued as and Nancy connected and folded the drawings. Then she grabbed a black marker outlining the house and added details to the house. "It's pieces of a house."

Franny and Dustin stopped their arguing right when Max said that. "Not just any house," Nancy added the final drawing to the house, the door.

"It's Victor Creel's house." Nancy stood up as she left, "Where are you going?" Dustin asked having food in his mouth. "Waking the others."

Dustin stood up and ran to the kitchen grabbing bacon from Mr. Wheeler. Franny sighed as she stood up and grabbed a few pancakes before following Dustin.

Franny soon rushed down to the basement as she left the door closed three inches. She slowly stepped down the stairs not wanting to drop her food.

Nancy tried to wake Steve, Steve being the heavy sleeper he is, he doesn't wake. Nancy rolled her eyes and continued to wake him. Franny continued to eat her pancakes. She held one of her pancakes in her arm as she woke Lucas awake.

"Steve, god damn it! Get your fucking ass up!" Nancy roared shaking him before taking his feet and pulling him off the chair. Steve soon awoke from him being pulled off the chair. "No, no, no, Nancy!"

Franny soon awoke Lucas by placing one of her pancakes on his face. As he awoke to the pancake on his face, Franny couldn't help but laugh.

Lucas rolled his eyes from annoyment then soon started laughing. Franny wasn't the usually one to be funny or do anything like that, but she made him laugh. They made each other laugh.

Steve groaned as he got up from Nancy dragging him. "We have to go," Nancy started. "Like right now." Steve furrowed his brows to what Nancy meant.

"The Creel house." Nancy rolled her eyes as she saw Steve look. "The one down, who knows whatever street." Nancy smiled before she rushed back upstairs to grab her keys.

Lucas placed his shoes on his feet, before eating the pancake Franny had put on his face. Franny smiled as he ate it before she went upstairs to go back with Max.

"Hey Max, we're about to go someplace, the Creek house as Nancy said," Franny explained as Max took off her headphones as she spotted Franny.

Max soon nodded getting up and following Franny to Nancy's car. Nancy and the others were waiting for them as Lucas saved a seat for Max and Franny.

Nancy asked Steve for directions since Kirby and Robin told them they were going to meet them there.

So, as Steve pointed and told Nancy the directions. Lucas and Franny stayed quiet. Until Lucas spoke, "Hey, that pancake thing you did was actually pretty funny." Franny smiled and nodded, "It was really funny," Franny said in between little laughs.

Nancy made a turn onto an empty street where in the view everyone could see a house boarded up with a playground. Kirby and Robin were already there since they left first.

Nancy came to a stop stopping a few feet down from Kirby's car. Robin and Kirby were sitting on the hood of the car where Robin turned her head to spot the rest of the group.

They all got out as Lucas held out his hand to help Franny. She gave him a thank you and a smile before he shut the door as everyone walked and looked at the Creel house.

"Yeah," Steve spoke as Robin and Nancy exchanged looks. "that's not creepy at all." Soon they all walked to the door of the house before Dustin pulled out two hammers for Nancy and Steve to unscrew the screws before talking of the board.

"What exactly are we supposed to be looking for in this shithole?" Steve asked as a screw came flying across Franny's face. "We're not sure," Nancy added as they continued.

"We just know that this house is important to Vecna,"

"Because Max saw it in Vecna's red soup mind world?"

Nancy nodded, "Pretty much." Dustin fixed his backpack as he chimed in, "Maybe it holds a clue where Vecna is. Why he's back? Why did he kill the Creels? And how to stop him before he comes back for Max."

Franny and the others nodded. "We don't think he's in here, do we?" Lucas asked as Franny exhaled before starching her nose. "Guess we'll find out," Max added before Nancy and Steve dropped the board.

A loud bang came from the porch as everyone covered their eyes from the dust. Everyone saw the drawing Nancy had shown them. A rose-stained door.

The door was locked as Steve sighed. Everyone looked around to find something to open the door with. "Should I knock? See if anyone's home?"

Robin chimed in, "No need." Robin showed a brick as everyone turned to her as she bit her lip and then looked at the brick, "I found a key."

Steve then sighed before he told Franny to get the brick from Robin as she gave her the brick before going back. "Steve, I can do it," Franny told him as Steve nodded before Franny threw the brick into the stained glass door.

They all looked through the hole in the door as Steve walked in front of them before looking for the door handle. The door screeched as it opened slowly.

Everyone was given flashlights as they all walked in behind Steve. Lucas tried to turn on the lamp, but Franny rolled her eyes to see her boyfriend play dumb. "That isn't gonna work dingus," Franny said, using Robin's word that Kirby had told her.

Lucas turned to her, "What? Someone forgot to pay their electric bill." Lucas then walked to her before Dustin turned on his flashlight. "Where'd everyone get those?" Steve asked as Dustin and Franny stared at Steve.

"Are you serious? Do you need to be told everything? Why do you think Dustin brought a backpack, Steve?"

Everyone soon walked away and then looked around. Max soon spotted a clock, "Hey guys. You all see that, right?" Max asked as they all walked towards Max.

They all spotted the clock as they shined their lights onto it. Everyone nodded. "Is, this what you saw?" Nancy asked as Max kept her gaze on the clock.

Max nods. Robin walked to the clock as she used her hand to wipe off dust. "It's just a grandfather clock. A normal old clock." Robin shifted her head to them.

"Why is this wizard obsessed with clocks? Maybe he's, like, a clockmaker or something?" Steve questioned. Dustin gave a small chuckle. "Think you cracked the case, Steve."

"Okay, everyone stays in groups of two, Max," Nancy spoke before Max followed her. Lucas and Franny walked to another room where they looked around shining their flashlights.

Franny picked up a decoration that looked old and was about to break. She brought her mouth into a line before placing the decoration back on the table.

Franny then walked to Lucas who was looking at a painting on top of the fireplace. "This is nice, us alone. Again." She smiled before letting out a laugh.

"I missed that." Lucas smiled at her. Franny furrowed her brows, "Missed what?" She asked, "Your laugh, it's so..." Lucas said looking at Franny.

Franny gave a smile and a nod before turning back to the painting. Lucas kept his gaze back onto Franny as she inspected the room. Lucas played a few notes on a piano. Bohemian Rhapsody.

"You still listen to them? Did you ever watch Live AID?" Franny asked as she walked closer to Lucas. Lucas continued to play a few notes.

"Radio Ga Ga is still on my top ten." Lucas smiled, "Mine has to be... You're My Best Friend by John, of course, you can never go wrong with Deaky." Franny laughed as Lucas smirked.

A few moments later the lights started to flicker. They both turned to the flicking light. "You see that too right?" Franny asked as Lucas nodded. "Yeah,"

The lights stopped and turned to another light. They both started to follow it as the lights moved from lamp to lamp. The floorboards creaked as they followed it. Franny soon ran up the stairs her ponytail hitting her shoulder as she rushed room to room looking for Max.

Franny turned into every room as she looked either for Steve, Robin, Kirby, or Nancy if she couldn't find Max. She soon found Max and lead her to the lights that were flickering.

Max soon nodded as she saw one go off earlier. She just didn't tell Nancy because she didn't want her to worry. Lucas stayed where he was as more lights started to flicker.

Nancy and the others soon came down after she noticed Max was gone. They all spotted her with Franny and Lucas. They all walked to the dining room where the chandelier started to flicker.

"It's like the Christmas lights." Nancy started. "Christmas lights?"  Robin asked as Nancy nodded as the others watched the lights flicker slowly.

"Vecna's here," Lucas spoke up as Franny sighed, "It's like he's following us through lights," Franny stated as she looked at Dustin. "In the house," Dustin shifted his head to her.

The lights stopped flickering as everyone looked around. "Did he hear us?" Nancy soon turned off her flashlights, "Everyone turns off your flashlights. Spread out."

Nancy soon left the room as everyone did the same and Steve was left mumbling. Franny spread out to the rooms looking for Vecna.

"I got him!" Robin was heard as Franny saw her sister rush past the room as Franny raced out. Kirby and Franny rushed to Robin who had her flashlight slowly flickering. "I had him." Robin's flashlight stopped.

Then Steve's as he lead them to where the light was flickering. They walked slowly and quietly up the stairs and as they reach the final step the light stopped flickering.

"Shit. I lost him," Max soon disagreed as she walked to the attic door where a light was flickering. She looked at the group as she opened the door slowly.

She walked in as the others followed. They all watched the lights flicker as Dustin had second thoughts. Everyone one shushed Dustin as they walked up.

They soon reached the top of the attic where one single bulb was flickering. The buzzing continued to flicker as Dustin and Franny's flashlight started to flicker.

"Flashlights," Dustin spoke as everyone brought out their flashlights. They flickered in one as they walked to the single bulb. "Okay, what's happening?" Steve asked as the flashlights shined in their faces almost making them blind.

Then, the flashlights started to shatter. A piece of glass cut Franny's cheek. She whined in pain as the glass hit her. She then used her hand to cover the blood.