𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝘄𝗼 / ❛ she's like a little kid seeing everything for the first time ❜

[ episode two, the weirdo on maple street ]

"Is there a number we can call? For your parents?"

"Where's your hair? Do you have cancer?"

"Did you run away?"

"Are you in some kind of trouble?"

"Is that blood?" Lucas extended his arm toward the girl, but Mike intervened, swatting it away.

"Stop! You're freaking her out!"

"She's freaking me out!"

"I bet she's deaf," Dustin remarked, clapping his hands in front of her face as she flinched back. He glanced aside. "Not deaf."

"Guys, stop," Lydia muttered, scanning the room before her eyes landed on a nearby basket. She swiftly crossed to it, retrieving a dark blue hoodie and tenderly placing it into the girl's hands. "You can get dressed—you're probably freezing."

The buzzed girl hesitated, then rose to her feet, reaching for the bottom of her shirt. Mike and Lydia reacted instantly, grabbing her wrists to prevent her from undressing.

"See over there? That's the bathroom. Privacy," Mike instructed, gesturing toward the door. Lydia looked around, clueless.

"Come with me," she signaled to the girl, leading her toward the bathroom. Although she had never set foot in that basement before, figuring out the layout was easy enough. The brunette girl entered the bathroom, leaving Dia standing outside with no idea what to do next.

She attempted to close the door behind her, but the girl stopped her, grabbing hold of it. "No," she stated.

Lydia raised her eyebrows slightly. "Oh—okay. I'll just leave it like this?"

After a moment's pause, the girl nodded. Lydia retreated to the boys, exhaling a sigh of frustration. As Lydia returned to the boys, she could feel the weight of uncertainty pressing down on her shoulders. The girl's presence had stirred up a whirlwind of questions and emotions, leaving Lydia grappling with how to navigate the situation, and she barely even knew them.

Mike glanced at Lydia, concern etched into his features. "What do we do now?" he whispered, his voice barely audible over the sound of rain tapping against the basement windows.

Lydia chewed her bottom lip, her mind racing as she considered their next steps. "I don't know," she admitted softly, her gaze flickering back to the closed bathroom door. "But we can't just leave her down here alone."

Dustin shuffled nervously, his eyes darting around the dimly lit room. "Maybe we should call the police," he suggested, his voice tinged with uncertainty.

Lucas shook his head. "And tell them what? That we found a random girl in the woods with a buzzed head?"

Mike sighed, running a hand through his hair in frustration. "We need to figure out who she is and how she ended up here," he said, determination creeping into his tone.

Lydia nodded in agreement, her heart pounding with a mixture of fear and determination. "We'll find a way to help her," she declared, her voice steady despite the uncertainty swirling around them. She placed a reassuring hand on Mike's shoulder, offering a small, encouraging smile as she tried to calm her own racing heart.

"She's probably from Pennhurst" Lucas spoke. "The nuthouse in Kerley"

Dustin snickered. "You got a lot of family there?"

"Bite me"

"Alright, here's the plan. She stays here tonight. In the morning, she sneaks around my house, goes to the front door and rings my doorbell. My mom will answer and know exactly what to do. She'll send her back to Pennhurst or wherever she comes from, we'll be completely clear. And tomorrow night, we go back out, and this time, we find Will and Alex"

Lydia tilted her head slightly. "Okay, that would work"

As Lucas and Dustin made their way up the stairs, Lydia lingered behind, her mind still racing with the whirlwind of the night's events. She watched them go, a small sigh escaping her lips. Just as she turned to make her way out, she heard a voice call out to her.

"Lydia, wait!"

She turned to see Mike standing at the foot of the stairs, holding something in his hand. He looked a bit nervous, but there was a glint in his eyes. He quickly descended the stairs, making his way over to her.

"Hey, I, uh—I wanted to give you something," he said, his voice soft but earnest. He held out a walkie talkie, the bulky device catching the dim light of the basement. "I thought you might like to have this, you know, so we can keep in touch. Just in case."

Lydia's eyes widened in surprise, a warm smile spreading across her face. "Mike, you didn't have to do that. Thank you," she said, her voice filled with genuine gratitude.

Mike shrugged, a faint blush creeping up his cheeks. "It's no big deal. I just figured... well, it's always good to have a way to talk, especially with everything that's going on."

She took the walkie talkie from him, her fingers brushing against his hand for a brief moment. "You're right. This will help. Thanks, Mike. Really."

He smiled back, a mix of relief and happiness in his eyes. "No problem. If you need anything else, just let me know. Get home safe, okay?"

"I will. Goodnight, Mike," she replied, her heart feeling a little lighter as she made her way to the door.

"Goodnight, Lyds," he said, watching her go with a soft smile.

She paused for a moment, turning back to him. "Lyds?"

"Yeah, short for Lydia. I thought it was a good nickname," he said, a little shyly.

"I like it. Thanks, Mike," she said, giving him one last warm smile before stepping out into the cool night air.

As Lydia began her walk home, she glanced down at the walkie talkie in her hand, feeling a sense of comfort. She looked back once more, seeing Mike watching from the doorway, and mouthed a silent 'thank you' before heading home.

Lydia unlocked the front door of her house and stepped inside, the familiar creak of the hinges echoing through the empty space. The house was dark, save for the faint glow of the porch light that spilled into the entryway. She closed the door behind her, the click of the lock sounding unnaturally loud in the stillness.

"Mom?" she called out, though she already knew the answer. The silence confirmed it—her mother was still at work, pulling another night shift at the police station.

Lydia sighed and flicked on the hallway light, the sudden brightness making her squint. She made her way to the kitchen, grabbing a glass of water before heading upstairs to her room. Each step up the staircase felt heavy, the quiet of the house pressing down on her like a weight.

She reached her room and pushed the door open, the familiar sight of her drawings and doodles covering the walls doing little to ease the loneliness she felt. Lydia set the glass of water on her bedside table and sat on her bed, her fingers tracing the patterns on her comforter. The house was so, so quiet, and the emptiness seemed to amplify every tiny sound she made.

After a moment, she stood up and changed into her pyjamas, a cozy set with little dots on them. The familiar fabric offered a small measure of comfort. She pulled her knees up to her chest and rested her head on them. She felt small and alone in the vast silence of her home.

Reaching over to her bedside table, she picked up the walkie talkie Mike had given her. Holding it in her hands, she hesitated for a moment before pressing the button to talk. Her voice was soft, almost a whisper in the quiet of her room.

"Mike? Are you there?"

There was a brief crackle of static, and then Mike's voice came through, warm and reassuring. "Hey, I'm here. Everything okay?"

Lydia felt a small smile tug at her lips. Just hearing his voice made her feel a little less alone. "Yeah, I'm okay. It's just—really quiet here. Mom's working late again, and the house feels so empty."

"I get that," Mike replied, his tone understanding. "It's weird being alone sometimes."

"Yeah," Lydia agreed, her voice barely above a whisper. "It's hard to cope with sometimes. It's okay though, nothing unusual"

There was a pause, and then Mike spoke again, his voice gentle. "Do you want to talk about it? Or anything else?"

She felt a warmth spread through her chest at his words. "Thank you. I don't really know what to say, but it's just weird being here by myself."

"I know," he said softly. "But you're not alone, okay? I'm here, and we'll figure this out together."

Lydia hesitated, then pressed the button again, her voice even softer. "Mike, I'm scared for Alex. What if we can't find her? What if something really bad happened?"

Mike's voice came back steady and reassuring, even if he didn't feel it to. "I know, Lyds. I'm scared too. But we're going to find her, and Will. We're not giving up. We'll do whatever it takes."

Lydia nodded, even though he couldn't see her. "Yeah. We will"

Eventually, Lydia began to feel the pull of sleep, her eyelids growing heavy. "I should probably get some sleep," she said, her voice drowsy.

"Okay," Mike replied, his voice soft. "Goodnight, Lyds. Talk to you tomorrow?"

"Goodnight, Mike. Yeah, talk to you tomorrow," she said, a small smile on her lips as she set the walkie talkie down.

Lydia curled up under her blankets, the darkness of her room now feeling more like a comforting embrace than an empty void. With the promise of her friends' support, she closed her eyes and let sleep take her, the walkie talkie by her side in the palm of her hand.

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word count : 1600

day published : 04/01/2025

naomi speaks...

i literally love lydia with everything in me. SHES SO CUTESY

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