Splinters In Time

"Talk to me." Lili said the moment they closed the car doors. When they both were done strapping in, Lili turned the car on and pulled out onto the road. "What's going on? Why do I keep hearing reports of you being involved with fires?'

"It wasn't me!" Lydia insisted.

"Lydia..." Lili said softly. "Don't worry, I'm not going to drop you in it. It's just me— nothing you say has to leave this car."

"But I didn't do it! It really wasn't me!" Sulking in the passenger seat, Lydia crossed her arms. "The barn was an accident— the match sparked and I dropped it 'cause it burnt my fingers. The trashcan— I don't really know what happened with the trashcan! Someone must have put something in there before me." Irritably, she wiped her nose on the back of her hand. "... Can I have a tissue? I think I have a nosebleed."

Plucking one from the dashboard, Lili passed it to her. As Lydia mopped the blood, her sister gave her a long side-eye.

"What?" Lydia grunted, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"Don't tip your head back like that, you'll choke on it." Breaking eye contact, Lili looked back at the road, but it was clear something was turning over in her mind. "...Tell me again exactly what happened. And this time, slowly."

***

"Hey, we're back! We're going up to her room." Lili called out as they walked into the house.

"Lydia!" Esther appeared in the living room doorway. "What on earth—!"

"It's fine, it's sorted. I've handled it. She's very apologetic but it's no harm, no foul." It wasn't really moral to interfere with their parents emotions, but the slightest nudge on Lili's part did help calm them down enough for her to get Lydia up the stairs.

Lydia bristled. "What do you mean, she's apologetic? I didn't do anything!"

"Shh!" Lili hissed as she shuttled Lydia inside her room.

Quietly, she closed the door behind them and came over to join Lydia sitting on the bed. "I'm going to try something. I just need you to trust me. Close your eyes."

"Alright." Giggling awkwardly, Lydia did as she was told.

Softly, Lili swept strands of purple hair back from her sister's face.   "I see you've changed your hair again." She smiled as Lydia sniggered. "Now, I just want you to think back to what happened."

"What, are going to hypnotise me or something?"

"...Or something. I will say, I've only successfully done this once before, but when it works, it's rather good."

Lydia laughed. "Should I be concerned?"

"Not in the slightest. Now, just relax and think back..." Raising her hand, she touched her fingers to Lydia's forehead. Beneath her closed eyelids, Lydia's eyes began to flutter.

When she opened them again, they were standing together at the side of the road, next to the trashcan that had caught on fire. Lydia stared at the clearly-not-burnt trashcan and then wildly around at their surroundings. "What the—? How are we here?"

"Shh." Lili put her finger to her lips. "I just want to watch."

Lydia gawped as before her eyes a cop car pulled up, a cigarette was thrown in the bin and Hopper rolled down the window. "Considering the last time we met, this isn't a good look for you."

Lydia heard her own voice reply. "I changed my hair like you said. What, don't you like it? I'm surprised you recognised me with it."

"...But that's me!" Lydia exclaimed.

"It’s your memory." Lili didn't break her gaze away from what was happening— she didn't even seem to blink. Still watching, they heard all of Hopper's questions and Lydia's increasingly angry responses. Lili threw her arm out to shield Lydia as they flinched back from the flames erupting from the bin.

The scene around them faded and a new one replaced it. They were in the barn. Dan, Nikki and Lydia were talking and Lydia was lighting match after match. Emotions ran high and the match burst into a ball of brilliant light, got dropped and set the hay ablaze.

Lili narrowed her eyes. "When did this first start happening?"

"Nothing started happening, it was clearly an accident—!"

But the scene changed again. Now they were in Lydia's home economics class, where they were making fruit tarts; facing down Megan and her gaggle of friends, they watched as the hot pan set ablaze. Then there was the encounter with Jess and the bonfire that exploded with heat and flame.

"I think... it genetic." Lili breathed. "Every time, it's happened when you've got upset."

She saw the Halloween kiss between Lydia and Eddie, interrupted only by the shout from another party-goer that the lawn was on fire. "Well, perhaps not every time. You and lover-boy?"

Flushed scarlet, Lydia crossed her arms. "I'm not a goddamn pyro!"

"Pyromaniac? No. You're not." Lili's eyes twinkled knowingly as she dismissed the dream-like images with a wave of her hand. "But it does seem to be connected to your emotions."

And suddenly Lydia's eyes were open and they were sitting on her bed in her room.

"Whoa, what the hell was that?" Lydia lurched away. Her eyes went wide with fright. "Your eyes! They're bleeding!"

Lili scrabbled for a tissue, mopping up the blood. "Shh! Shh! It's alright! You're alright! Breathe! Just breathe for me, okay?"

Lydia took several shaking breaths. "What was that? What the hell is going on?"

"I will explain!" Lili held out her hands like she was trying to soothe a startled horse. "I will explain everything." She paused for a long moment, nibbling on her lip, her gaze not meeting Lydia's. "I just... have to figure out how."

A/N: So originally this was going to be even longer, but you've seen how much there is already, so ultimately I've decided to split it. XD

Besides, how do you go about having the "we secretly have psychic powers" talk with your high-strung little sister? XD

Please comment your thoughts and don't forget to leave a like! Thanks for reading!