end zone | STEVE HARRINGTON

Chapter two

CHAPTER TWO

ANASTASIA & MAX

AFTER BILLY'S DEATH, Anastasia could tell that Max was struggling, she wasn't sleeping or eating properly and she was speaking with a therapist. Even though Max and Billy weren't close, they were siblings and no matter what, the feeling of losing a sibling was indescribable.

Anastasia understood what she was going through, she had lost her brother in a situating that she could of prevented, since then, she hadn't told any one about what had happened nor did anyone know about her brother, he was a memory in the back of her mind and their last conversation was constantly replaying in her head.

As she knocked on the front door of Max's new caravan home, the younger girl opened the door. Anastasia could see the dark eye bags under her eyes along with her matted hair and baggy clothes. Max smiled softly at her, letting her inside as they walked into the miniature living room, there were empty beer bottles on the ground along with food boxes as Anna stepped over them.

When they sat down on the couch, making room for themselves as they sat in silence for a moment until Anastasia spoke. "Are you okay, Max?"

"Yes." Max answered for a moment until she sighed, shaking her head as tears swelled in her eyes. "...No."

"And you're allowed to feel that way, but you need to talk to people. We are your friends, Max, we want to help you." Anastasia said in a soft tone, reaching her hand out to her's as she took a deep breath. "You know, I had a brother too."

"You did? But, you never told anyone." Max said, her eyes slightly widening, she knew that Anastasia wasn't lying and she did understand what she was going through.

Anastasia nodded, her eyes softening as she thought to her twin brother. "His name was Dmitri Petrovna, we were born in Moscow, Russia. We don't know who our parents are as from the age of two we were raised to be the the soldiers of Russia. The man who trained us made us do terrible things, things that make me feel sick whenever I think about them. Then, one night, the man told me that my brother was dead. For months on end I didn't know how to feel or act, I didn't even cry. I just sat, staring at my wall in shock because I refused to believe it."

"Then what did you do?" Max inquired.

Taking in a deep breath, Anna continued. "It was like there was a voice in my head telling me that I had to get out of there, so I studied everything, I built up my power so that I was able to get out. It was the hardest thing that I have ever done because I knew that once I left, they would all be after me. But still, I kept pushing. Every time I would begin to give up, it was like Dmitri was telling me to get back up and soon enough, I was knocking on the door of Jim Hopper's cabin."

"Every time I think it gets better there's something that knocks me back down. I don't think I can handle it anymore, Anna." Max whispered, the tears rolling down her cheeks as she spoke.

Anastasia nodded, bringing the ginger girl into her chest as she hugged her. "I understand. I used to think the same thing, but I remember that it isn't my time and as much as it wasn't theirs', fate thought different."

"I kind of hate fate right now." She chuckled, sniffling.

"So do I, Maxie." Anastasia laughed too. "God, we have gone through so much. We fought Demogorgon's, weird creatures and so much more."

"I hope it doesn't get worse than this." Max sighed, "I just...I don't want to lose any one else."

"You won't, I'll do everything in my power to make sure that doesn't happen." Anastasia promised, holding out her pinky finger as Max wrapped her pinky around hers.

note -
shorter chapter but i love max and anastasia together so i had to write about them 🫶🏻