Liprikonn : the night when the candles will be lit

After a cheerful dialogue with Argyle, his “team” got into the van and they hit the road; others: Nancy, Jonathan and Mike went outside and waited for Steve to arrive (they still decided to go in his car). -Have you collected everything? — Nancy turned to Jonathan. - Of course, — Joe took out his backpack that was on his back and showed everything that was inside. - Well done! — the girl smiled sweetly and stroked his head, Joe also answered her with a smile. Then Nancy turned to her brother: - Didn’t you leave anything? — she asked seriously. - Oh, by the way, yes! — Mike perked up, previously looking sadly at the ground. — Thank you for reminding me! — he shouted and ran into the house, to his room for a very important thing. “What if… I’ll have one last chance to show him what’s in the box? I would like him to know about my feelings, even if it ends badly… Oh, I don’t want to think about it… How could I forget about the most important thing — what is in the box. And this is not just a gift… This is a whole world that I am ready to give him…” — he thought while he was going upstairs. “Hmm, maybe not “what’s in the box”, but… Well, I don’t know… “WHO IS IN THE BOX?!” MAYBE IT’S YOU?!” — an angry voice shouting at him came from his head, Mike was dumbfounded, a panic attack overtook him. The voice seemed to come from Hell itself and seemed familiar… “It can’t be Will! This is not his voice! But…” — Damn it, who is this?! — Mike exclaimed furiously. — Ha — ha — ha, do you want to know who I am?! — as if a psychopath said a stranger from the head that suddenly settled in his thoughts. Mike was incredibly scared; he didn’t have time to answer anything when the voice continued to speak in its mocking manner: - However, whether you want to know or not is not so important, I’ll say nothing anyway, I just… I can take care of your friend, for example… - Don’t touch him, okay! — Mike shouted to the whole house, and of course Nancy and Jonathan heard him and began to look anxiously into each other’s eyes, intending to check what was happening there. The unknown person laughed again: — The end of everything is coming. All you need is Lipriconn, — he said at the end and disappeared from his head. Mike, in the wildest fear and lack of understanding of what just happened, nevertheless takes the gift and goes downstairs, where Nancy and Jonathan, who came back, are waiting for him. — What’s wrong? — his sister asks him worriedly. -I heard a voice… It seems it was that same voice… — Mike says, trembling with fear, lowering his head down and putting the box on the floor. Nancy looked at Jonathan fearfully, then turned back to her brother. - And what does he need? — I don’t know… — Mike couldn’t hold back his tears and burst into tears. — It seems that his main goal is Will, — these words came to him very hard, with palpable pain in his heart and soul. Realizing that something bad could happen to Will, he wants to rush into this complete tower right now and save him at all costs! Don’t care about Steve! Nobody cares at all! Anyone but him! “Not him!!!” — flashed through his head, and tears flowed with terrible force. Nancy looked at her crying brother with sympathy and also began to cry, hugging him tightly. “I love you very much, Mike,” the girl thought, not daring to say it out loud, but Jonathan did it instead, looking at Mike with a cheerful smile: - She loves you very much, Mike. Mike, looking up from his sister’s embrace, looked at her in surprise: - Is it true? — True, — she said sincerely, patting her brother on the top of his head, smiling kindly, looking at him again with all the kindness and warmth in her eyes. — Then, me too, — the guy answered her embarrassedly. Then Steve bursts into the house: - What did I miss? — He asks grinning, all the other people laugh at him in response. - Nothing, let’s go! — Nancy said happily. - You look so funny for another creepy adventure with monsters! — Steve says without understanding anything and with a smile goes to start the car, inviting everyone to follow him with his hand (Mike, of course, does not forget about the box). “In any case, a good attitude never hurts!” — Mike tries to think positively, learning from Max, who is no less dear to him than the rest.

***

Meanwhile, in Argyle’s van, which has almost reached its destination, there are omissions and altercations that seem very stupid and strange to Jonathan’s friend, but for teenagers they are of great importance. Max was sitting next to Argyle, and in the back seat: Will was in the center, Dustin was to his right, and Lucas was to his left, Eleven somehow fit next to Lucas. For some time they simply drove in silence, no one even looked in Will’s direction, and he often looked in their direction: with despondency, turning into sadness, and soon, even with pain. Even “Mr. Argyle” (as he called himself), said with amusement in his voice during the trip: “You’re kind of sad for another creepy adventure with monsters!” But soon their silence grew into a small dialogue, and Dustin was the first to speak: — Are you guys seriously going to sulk at Will because of what Mike said?! — he decided to present it, actively gesticulating. — Yes, we are going! — Lucas shouted irritably. — We did so much for him and were ready to do more, and then it turns out he doesn’t trust us! And perhaps he never trusted! — Lucas also speaks out sharply and emotionally, throwing out his hands. — Lucas, Will is actually here, and you talk as if he’s not here! — Max suddenly shouted, standing up for Will. - Yes, how can I trust you when you discuss me as if I don’t exist at all! — Will said loudly. El looked at him, lowering her eyes in shame: — Will, forgive me for saying then that you don’t need to be protected, — she said through tears, — we will always need you, Will… — she looked at him with her eyes, wet from tears. — I still remember how Mike was very angry with me for finding you dead then… well, we all thought so then… It’s clear that Mike values ​​​​you very much… Perhaps I shouldn’t have been angry with him because that he… Well, you understand. I was also very scared then, even sad because of you, although I didn’t really know you… — El admitted, looking at her friend again with sadness. Will burst into tears, he forgave El and hugged her through Lucas, who rolled his eyes, crossing his arms over his chest. — Here, guys, learn how to apologize! You need to talk to a person once and for all! — Max said, placing special emphasis on the word “talk”, pronouncing it meticulously. — You’re not mad at me, are you? — she suddenly asked, turning in his direction. — It’s okay, Max, — Byers answered, smiling kindly. — Okay, I’m sorry, — Lucas said, but it didn’t sound very sincere, but the guy with puppy dog ​​eyes and a kind soul forgave him too. — Peace? -Dustin asked him with a radiant smile, extending his right hand to him. -Peace, — Will answers with the same emotions on his face and shakes his hand, then says: — Actually, I would also like to apologize to all of you… You probably really thought that I didn’t trust you, but in fact, that’s not the case. And everyone jumped on him with a hug and a smile. — It’s okay, Will, — Jane said finally.

***

Steve’s car had a more relaxed atmosphere, with all three of his friends sitting in the back seat while he, appropriately, was at the wheel. Mike was in the center, Jonathan was to his left, Nancy was to his right, and each of them was thinking about his own, trying not to burden each other with dark thoughts. But Nancy suddenly asked Mike: — Why didn’t you want to go with Will and the others? The young man did not know how to answer this question. “Maybe because I don’t know how he treats me because of the words I said. I don’t want to talk about it.” — I recently quarreled with El and… I don’t know, in general, everything is complicated…- he said sadly. Judging by the look of the older sister, she did not believe him, shaking her head in disbelief, turning away to the side, then she turns again and looks at him with an encouraging look: — You can tell me anything you want, really. If only you trust me. When did I ever judge you? — She watched his eyes with great interest, assessing his gaze, and it seemed that he was very disposed towards her. - When a guy got me drunk and I ran home drunk! — Mike said jokingly. - It does not count! — the sister answered laughing. — Counts! — the boy answered in the same manner. — In general, speaking seriously, then… — he stopped. He didn’t understand why: and not because Joe and Steve were there, certainly not because of them. He was probably afraid, he wasn’t ready yet, even knowing that his sister would accept him as anyone. — Sorry, I can’t do it yet, it’s not time yet… It’s not time for me… — he said more seriously. Nancy nodded in understanding. Jonathan, meanwhile, was looking at Steve’s car and noticed one detail that he had not noticed before — a tape recorder lying on the next seat. - Steve, why do you need him? — he asked. - I’ll turn it on on the way back — it’ll be fun! — he says, turning to them. “What kind of “fun”? What if someone dies,” Mike thought. - I agree, you probably won’t have time for fun! — he says, turning back to his friends, not noticing some object in the middle of the road. - Steve, look at the road! — Nancy shouted, but it was too late: Steve hit someone… And only then did he stop - Damn it! — Cursing, he gets out of the car and checks the hood. “Guys, I have bad news for you,” he says, not at all comfortingly. — This is a damn demo — a dog!

***

Argyle, meanwhile, plays a cheerful song on the tape recorder that was in the car. — You’re a little late, Mr. Argyll, we’re almost there! — Max announces loudly. — This is so you won’t be so sad, — says Argyle, turning to her, smiling terribly. — Look at the road, you almost hit someone, — Max answers him pointedly. They, indeed, have already arrived and right there, on the horizon, is the Liprikonn tower.