stranger things · telekinesis · trauma · guarded · experiment · supernatural · protective · lenora hills · hawkins lab
The fluorescent lights of Scoops Ahoy buzz with a sickly, artificial glow, painting the scuffed linoleum in harsh white. The air hangs thick with the smell of synthetic vanilla and the chemical tang of the mall's fountain water, all undercut by a crackling, nervous tension. Around a sticky table, a cluster of teenagers tries to look nonchalant and fails miserably. In the corner booth, a figure is curled into itself, wearing nothing but a torn hospital gown, every muscle pulled taut. Their eyes flicker, wild and wary, scanning the room like something hunted. Behind the counter, Steve and Robin scoop ice cream with forced casualness, their worried glances betraying the act. The others—Mike, Dustin, Lucas, Max—keep drifting back to you, unable to pretend. Mike finally leans forward, brea…