Marilyn and her father sat at the police station, waiting for the detectives to come back with hopefully good news.

Casper hadn't returned home the other night. Both Marilyn and her father had brushed it off as Casper always stays at a friend's house without telling them.

But he's been gone for two days and two nights. And with a kidnapper on the loose, the family should've been more concerned.

Marilyn stares out the rain streked window, her knee bouncing up and down as a thousand different questions  cloud her mind.

Where is he?

Is he okay?

...did the grabber get him.

The sound of the door opening has both heard snap towards the sound.

A dark man with grey hair walks through the door, another detective with pale skin, mustache and a receding hairline following behind him. 

They stand infront of the girl and man with saddened looks over their features.

"We asked around. The last person to see him said that he'd been spotted approaching a magician...?"

The last word of his sentence was told as a question, the story didn't make any sense.

"So thats it then. He's missing?"

The detectives nod and Marilyn feels as if a storm cloud filled with every stage of grief rains through her.

Denial.

Anger.

Bargaining.

Depression.

And acceptance.

He was gone. No questions asked.

There wasn't anything she could do to change that.

Marilyn just sits there, numb as her father yells at the detectives. All sounds were muffled and she felt as if she was drowning. With no one there to help her.

+++

Marilyn didn't go to school for the next few days.

People questioned her disappearance, some growing worried that she got taken.

It wasn't until they spotted flyers for her missing brother hanging around on fences and poles.

Which is why she was getting all these looks as she walked through the school halls.

People sent her sympathetic stares and small smiles as she made her way past them.

It was annoying. People she had never met had sent her their sympathy and it made her feel pathetic.

Opening up her locker, shes met with a photo of her and Casper smiling. They were probably eight in the photo.

Smiling, Marilyn remembers laughing with her brother all the time. Even after the two had their sibling fights, they always made up.

And now he's gone.

"Oh! you're back." A happy voice says and Marilyn turns to see Robin standing behind her, a smile on his face.

"I'm back." Shes smiles.

Robins gaze saddens a little, he was friends with Casper, the two had pranked Marilyn a few times in the past. Even got into a few school rumbles together.

"I would ask you if you're okay, but I know your not." He steps toward her, holding his arms open for her to join.

Marilyn smiles, stepping forward and the two engulf eachother in a warm hug.

It was nice, having someone to hold. Marilyn liked feeling the comfort radiate from her friend.

The hug lasts a few seconds before they break apart, small smiles on either of their faces.

"Do you wanna talk about it?" His voice is soft, calming. Marilyns glad to have a friend like Robin.

"I feel like I should cry, but I dont. I just feel sad."

Robin nods before Marilyn feels another pair of arms wrap around her from beside.

"I'm so glad you're okay." She hears her bestfriend whisper causing her to smile.

Turning to hug him back, she laughs lightly before they both release, Finney was infront of her with a bright smile on his features.

"Yeah, just keeping on keeping on I guess." She smirks, copying the same words shes heard him repeat for the last few years.

While the three were catching up, Vance stood across the hall watching them.

He didn't know why, but he didn't want to bother Marilyn today. He thought it was because her brother had gone missing and is probably dead. But it was for a different reason, a reason he wasn't quiet sure of yet.

It saddened him to see her sad. He didn't know why he felt like this. He should be happy that shes suffering. But all he wants to do is comfort her.

Wait—what the fuck?

Vance shakes his head, shoving the thoughts from his mind. Turning his focus from the trio and towards his friends.

+++

In English class, Marilyn had chosen to sit in her usual spot.

She decided to come to class a little earlier just so she could get her spot back, knowing someone else would've taken it before she got here.

Her fingers graze around the small butterfly that rests on her neck, listening to the bell ring and watch as people begin dripping their way into the class, the teacher following behind.

Almost all the seats were full in the classroom, all except for one.

Vance's.

Rolling her eyes, Marilyn shakes her head.

Typical.

Hes failing almost all of his classes and he still decides not to show up.

The teacher begins explaining the topic they're going to be working on for the next few weeks and Marilyn listens closely.

But hers and others focus is soon cut short when the door slams open, almost denting the wall on impact.

Vance walks through, a scowl on his face as he makes his way right to his seat, sending Marilyn a small glare on his way. Her returning his nasty stare.

"Thank you, Vance. For that wonderful entry." The teacher says sarcastically and Vance flips her the bird, leaning back in his chair.

The teacher resumes the lesson and Marilyn feels a hand tap her shoulder softly.

Turning around, shes met with an unfamiliar boy.

"Yeah?" She whispers.

The boy sends her a smile. "Do you have a pen I can borrow?"

Nodding, Marilyn reaches down to her bag before grabbing out a pen and handing it to the boy.

"Thanks." He smiles and she sends him a nod before turning back to the front.

Before she begins focusing again, the same hand taps her shoulder again.

Slightly annoyed, she turns around confused. "What?"

The boy now looks nervous, scratching the back of his neck. "I uhm, do you maybe wanna—" He's stuttering and she spots his hands lightly shake. "did you wanna maybe go out ....with me?"

Marilyn was confused, she's never met this boy before. Hell, she's never even seen him. So why he wanted to go on a date with her was a mystery.

"Uhm...no." She watches his face drop before she turns back to face the front.

Vance, who had just witnessed the whole thing, sent a glare in the boys direction.

Who the hell is that guy.

He felt an unfamiliar feeling bubble in his stomach as he stared at the guy. He didn't know why he felt so mad, he just knew he automatically didn't like this guy.

He didn't know this feeling he felt. But he knew he's felt it before. Mainly when someone gets something he wants.

Clenching his fists and jaw, Vance faces forward, zoning out of the world.

+++

The air was cold as Finney and Marilyn begin their journey home. The sky was dark and cloudy, letting the town know rain was soon going to start pouring down.

It was Friday. Which meant Gwen was staying at her friends house, leaving Finney and Marilyn to hang out.

Robin would've been with them, but he decided to stop by the shop before coming to Marilyns house for a movie.

The three of them had agreed to finally watch Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Robin having already seen it before, Finney and Marilyn not.

"Do you think it'll be scary?" Finney says, referring to the movie they were going to watch in just a few hours time.

"Not sure, Robin said it wasn't. But then again...Robin's Robin." Marilyn shrugs. Robin wasn't scared of much, so they didn't know what to expect of the movie.

Finney was especially scared. That boy couldn't watch a horror movie to save his life.

The two continue begin to speed up their pace as they notice the clouds growing darker by the second.

What they didn't know though, was that there was a black van sitting on the corner of a street just behind them. A man sitting in the drivers seat, watching the two walk home.

+++

Vance enters the Grab 'n Go, the same ringing of the same bell hes been hearing for a majority of his life.

Ms. Beckett smiled at the boy, nodding to him in recognition.

The store was pretty crowded as it was Friday and multiple people wanted to buy stuff for their plans.

Vance just wanted to play pinball.

Making his way to the machine, hot spots un unfamiliar head standing above it, playing the game.

"Hey!" He yells. And everyone in the store freezes, everyone except the guy playing his game.

People watch with wide eyes as they realize what was about to happen. Everyone knows that the pinball machine basically belongs to Vance.

Anger begins flooding Vance as the guy ignores him, continuing on the game.

"Are you fucking deaf?!" He stomps forward, pulling the guy from the machine.

"Oi—" The guys cuts himself of when he spots Vance Hopper standing above him.

Vances face contorts from anger to joy.

It was the same guy Marilyn had been talking to in English class.

Oh am I going to have fun with this.

Vance reels his hand back before slamming his fist onto the guys jaw.

The people in the store all let out a collective wince as they watch blood fly though the air, landing on the floor.

Vance doesn't waste another second before pushing the boy onto the floor, getting on top of his and throwing multiple punches to his face.

The guy tries his hardest to hit back, only getting a few small hits in before Vance adds more hits into the mix.

Once he's satisfied with his work, Vance grabs him by the collar and pulling him up so they're face to face.

"Stay away from the game, its mine! You got that?"

The boy nods, blood pouring from his mouth. His eyes were both puffy from the hits and his skin had split in a few places.

Vance was unhappy with the response, shaking the guys collar. "I said. Shes mine! Do you got that?!" He says louder and almost everyone, including the bloodied and bruised guy felt confusion wave over them.

Shes?

After not getting a reply Vance reels his fist back again but just before it connects with the guys face, he hears a reply.

"I got it! I got it! Okay!"

Smiling, Vance drops the guy like a piece of rubbish before standing to his feet. Vance had a small cut on his lip from where it split and his knuckles were bloodied and bruised.

People stare at him from all corner of the shop, causing him to grow madder.

"What the fuck are you motherfuckers looking at?! This has nothing to do with you!"

Everyone immediately goes back to doing what they were doing, not wanting to end up like the guy who was still laying on the floor.

Vance looks back down at him with a smirk before stepping over his body and heading right towards the game, playing it for himself.

Ms. Beckett shakes her head lightly before clearing her throat.

"Everyone out! The store is closed!"

The whole store let out small groans of disagreement but Ms. Beckett doesn't take any of it as she ushers everyone out of her store. Even threatening to throw her walking stick at them if they don't leave.

"Someone grab the poor kid and take him to the hospital please." She adds and a few people move to grab him before dragging him out of the store.

Vance stays behind, knowing she was going to want to talk to him. Sighing, he turns from the game and towards the elderly woman who stands behind him, her eyebrow raised.

"You need to stop getting into fights boy, I'm running out of fucking cleaning supplies." She asks and Vance laughs lightly at her use of language before stopping when he spots the seriousness in her face.

"He had it coming." Vance says, following the woman to the front counter as she grabs out the cleaning kit she has for situations like this. "He ruined my game."

"Don't you lie to me young man. It is not your game. Everyone heard what you said, and you had no reason to beat him up." Ms. Beckett takes his hand in hers as she begins to clean his knuckles.

"So, what was the real reason."

Vance clenches his jaw, forcing his mind not to stray off to the reason. He didn't know why he did it. He couldn't help himself, all he saw was red.

What made him feel this way? He doesn't know. The feeling was foreign.

"Nothing." He replies.

+++

Finney and Marilyn wait on the couch in her living room, Texas Chainsaw Massacre paused on the t.v infront of them, talking as they waited for their friend.

But he never showed.