Melissa’s eye twitched as she stood over the boy, her brain working at warp speed to try and understand the situation. It had been risky coming back to Hawkins, even if the lab had been destroyed during the attack on the mall. There was no one who could’ve recognized her in town– Grigori was dead, Alexei was dead, well, all of the Russians were supposedly dead like she was supposed to be– no one, except for the two Scoops Ahoy employees.
A rush of memories ran through her mind as she thought back to that time two years ago, when Melissa was allowed to roam the mall like a dog on a leash, excited by all the bright lights and loud sounds American culture had to offer. In fact, Melissa had walked past Scoops Ahoy nearly a thousand times, always invigorated by the absurd theme of the ice cream establishment. It was incredible, mesmerizing.
Then the two employees had somehow gotten inside the laboratory, and all hell broke loose.
Back in the present, Melissa knew that he was lying about searching for a certain book and ‘finding’ it. He was afraid– of her, she did not know– but there was no reason to be. She was more afraid of him in that moment, of the things he knew about the old Russian lab.
She calmly slid one of the misplaced books in her arms into the empty slot beside him, hoping that the tremor in her hands would cease. She should just walk away now, pretend that she and the ice cream boy didn’t know dark secrets about the other– but something kept her rooted to the spot in the otherwise empty isle.
“Is that all that you are looking for?” She asked, careful not to let her American accent slip, although there was really no use now. “I’m sure there is more on the subject, if you are interested.”
Playing it cool was almost as stressful as addressing the elephant in the room. Steve couldn’t be sure if she knew. He thought he had been pretty convincing, but it didn’t take a rocket scientist to see through his odd behavior.
Still the fear he felt kept him from saying anything. Sometimes he still had dreams about the Russian lab. He dreamt about being tied to the same metal chair in the cold Starcourt basement, beat up by the hands of someone even colder. He could still taste the coppery tang of his own blood in those dreams, as it filled his mouth with every slap and punch. He remembered fearing for his life and worse, his friend’s, as they were interrogated by Russian men. And no matter how many times he begged for it to stop, they never believed him. He just kept thinking of how he was going to die and how no one above the surface would ever see him again.
It was enough to keep him quiet. When the authorities asked about his involvement in Starcourt’s destruction, he left out any details that might incriminate him to the remaining Russian staff.
But now, sitting in front of Melissa, he didn’t know what to do or say.
If he wanted to look less suspicious, he would take her up on her offer. Slowly, he stood up from his position on the ground and turned the book over in his hands. It was with much hesitation that Steve replied.
“Sure, if you don’t mind.”
