Tʜᴇ Fʟᴀʀᴇ ꕥ Lɪᴢᴢɪᴇ Jᴏʜɴsᴏɴ

sᴇʀɪᴇs ғᴏᴜʀ ꕥ 10

Dustin sighed as he heard Running Up That Hill click off on the walkman attached to Lizzie's jean hem and saw his sort of girlfriend take the headphones off.

They were searching the upstairs.

"I wish we had a longer loop," Dustin commented as Lizzie started to rewind the tape.

"Forty six minutes isn't bad," Lizzie shrugged. Yes, she did have a forty six minute tape that was just Running Up That Hill. "I think there are bigger concerns, like... what if, by listening to this all the time, I get bored of it and then I go off it and it doesn't work if... you know. Will it still work, or, will Kate Bush, like, lose her magic power or something?"

"Kate Bush? Never," Dustin smirked.

"You like Kate Bush?" Lizzie asked, a smile almost dawning.

"Yeah, now I do!" Dustin grinned.

"Really?"

"She saved your life!" He backed up. "Besides, we're hot on this creep's trail. We're gonna find Vecna, and kill him before he even thinks of messing with you again."

He had reached a hand out and put it on Lizzie's shoulder.

And, for once, she didn't shove it off.

"In fact," Dustin said, going over to the piano. "I bet if we hit these suckers in the right combo, we might just open the door to his secret lair!"

He played a few out of tune notes. Lizzie smiled. "You're such a dork," she chuckled.

"Just doing what I do best," Dustin smiled.

And, for the first time in ages, Lizzie laughed. A proper laugh. One that no one could ever replicate. Because it belonged to Lizzie and Lizzie only.

"I've really missed that," Dustin commented, staring at her lovingly.

"Missed what?" Lizzie asked.

There were basically hearts in Dustin's eyes. "Your laugh."

Lizzie smiled. It was the first proper feeling she'd felt since reading out Flora's letter yesterday.

"Dustin..." Lizzie said unsurely.

She knew this was the time.

"Yeah?" Dustin asked, head popping up.

"Can I tell you... something?" Lizzie asked.

"Yeah, yeah anything," Dustin said, reaching out for her shoulder again. Then he saw her expression. "What's- what's wrong?"

Lizzie sighed. "It's just- yesterday - when I saw Flora... she- she said something to me- and I haven't been able to stop thinking about it..."

Tears sprung up. "She- she said that I- I- I wanted her to die. That I- was glad when she did.

"And, I sw-swore to her- that that wasn't true- and I thought- that Vecna was just trying to scare me-" she took a deep breath. "But... I think... I think maybe he was telling the truth."

Dustin took this in. "No- Lizzie-"

"Dustin," Lizzie said firmly, eyes grazing the floor. Then she took a deep breath. And explained.

"I was... four when she was born, and my life was... it was great. I had... I had two amazing parents... and... and I had never been used to sharing.

"Then... then Flora came along. And... everything changed. I was no longer my parent's number one, and... they barely had time for me anymore. They were too busy looking after her.

"And I remember... years ago, walking past Flora's bedroom and hearing my mum say. "You're my favourite girl in the whole wide world..." and I remember- I remember feeling so-"

She was crying now, biting her lip as tears fell down her face.

"I just felt so alone. And I'm not sure if- if my mum meant it, but... still, I persisted to be friends with Flora...

"But-" Lizzie had contemplated this, and thought about it long and hard. And she was going to tell him what really happened before Starcourt.

Lizzie sighed. She then took a minute to force herself to look into Dustin's eyes. And explain.

"Before Starcourt... I told Flora something," she said shakily, shaking her head as more tears came. "We... we were fighting... I wanted her to stay behind- she'd been in enough trouble already- and she was annoyed I had never told her about the Demogorgon and the Mind Flayer- and- I guess it was just all bottled up-"

Look at him... look at him... LOOK AT HIM!

"I told her... I told her that I wished she wasn't my sister... that I... I wished she had never been born.

"And... I guess I got my wish, right?" Lizzie asked with a shallow chuckle, tears shining on her face. "Flo's dead... I'm here... and I think that's why... that's why I just stood there..." she thought. "That's why I was perceived as... as glad."

Dustin was crying as well. How could she have kept that a secret for this long?

Lizzie sighed. "And I've tried to forgive myself," she said. "I've tried but... I can't... I can't."

She looked down, silently sobbing.

Then, for the first time in a year, she allowed her guard down a little.

And threw herself into Dustin's arms, tears flying off her face.

"It's okay, it's okay..." Dustin whispered into her ear. "It's okay..."

His top dampened with the tears she was crying, but he didn't care. He just held her, not even getting excited.

"You don't understand," Lizzie said, pulling herself away a couple of minutes later. "I wanted Flora to die. I wanted her to- to-"

She couldn't finish the sentence.

Dustin sighed. "She didn't think that."

Lizzie looked up. "What?" She frowned, wiping her face.

"Before... before everything happened, Flora tried to come with us. She tried to get in the car."

Lizzie was just watching him, hooked on every word.

"Erica asked- she asked why she wasn't getting in, and Flora said that you didn't want her to. But she also said that she was going to stay with the 'Mall Crew' and tough it out there."

He sighed. "And then... I told her to... I told her to take care of you. And I said, 'I love that girl, you better make sure she doesn't get hurt.' And, I don't think I was meant to hear this, but- as she turned round, she said-

"She said, 'I love her too'," Dustin finished, wiping the tears from Lizzie's face. The girl who was in shock.

"She... she said she... loved me?" Lizzie's voice was small.

"Yeah," Dustin smiled. "Her last words about you weren't about how she hated you, or how you were annoying. They were that she loved you, which she really, really did."

Lizzie didn't know what to say. She felt like the weight she had been carrying around with her for ages was suddenly gone. As if everything around her was lighter, somehow.

And Vecna realised it too, in his lair, wherever it was. He realised that Elizabeth Johnson wouldn't work anymore, as a target, because she had healed.

She was no longer capable of the curse.