Chapter Text
Ask anyone about Daphne Sawyer, and chances are they won’t have a single clue who you’re talking about. But ask about Baby, and they might just have a lot to say. Too much, if you asked Daphne herself – who had long tried to abandon the name ‘Baby’ that had been used for too long to truly be shaken off.
It was a huge surprise to the Hawkins class of 1985 that one of the star girls had completely ditched the graduation ceremony. To Daphne, however, it was greatly satisfying to completely disappear off the face of the Earth. Or, rather, the face of Hawkins, Indiana. Lots of gossip had swirled about where ‘Baby’ ran off to. With such a mysterious exit, there was a vague embarrassment about crawling back into town. On the cab ride, Daphne had all but slouched in her seat – a cap pulled as far down as it would go and big, terrible sunglasses hiding underneath the brim of that cap. You’d think she was some kind of celebrity, with the extent she was going through to hide her appearance. The cab driver had said very little, only wishing her a good afternoon as he put her suitcases down on the sidewalk of her childhood home before getting back in his cab and driving the long way back to the city.
Seeing the home she had never intended to come back to filled her with a sort of odd sorrow. The whole world felt surreal. Dream-like. Even as she hauled her suitcases down the sidewalk to the front door. Even when she pulled the key out of her pocket and tried to push it into the lock. A pit opened in her stomach the moment the key refused to fit. Top and bottom locks, both of which rejected the key, no matter how desperately the girl tried to make them fit.
With an exasperated groan of several obscenities, Daphne abandoned her suitcases by the door and went cautiously around the house to the backdoor, which she had hoped would let her in.
“Are you kidding me right now?”
Daphne ripped off her cap and ran an agitated hand through her hair. She removed her sunglasses, tossing them on the ground beside her cap, before she tried once more to jam the key into the lock. It wasn’t happening, no matter how much the girl angrily tried to make it work.
With a defeated sigh, she sat on the doorstep and rubbed at her forehead. After some deliberation, and a “fuck it”, the girl stood up and brushed off the back of her jeans and made her way back around to the front of the house. Where she kept walking towards the road, in a long-memorized direction.
“God, what a joke.” Daphne mumbled to herself as she dialed into the payphone a number that had been scratched into her palm by the teenager currently manning the counter at the local general store. The phone rang twice before a man gruffly answered, “Lloyd’s Locksmithing.”
Daphne tried to keep the conversation as short as possible. Door’s locked, can’t get in. Key doesn’t work. If it weren’t such a small town, no doubt the man – who one assumes is Lloyd – would’ve been suspicious. But towns like Hawkins held power in names. Everyone knew everyone, especially if there was gossip involved. It took one mention of Julia Sawyer, and the man’s tone changed. “You must be that kid of hers! Hell, how’s she been? Hey, say no more, I’ll be there in about fifteen or so minutes.”
The only thing Daphne offered was a polite “Thank you.” before hanging up the phone and letting the booth door slam shut as she exited.
There was hardly a moment to process anything before a shrill cheer made Daphne flinch with a start.
“Oh. My. God!” Oh my god was right. Daphne could scarcely believe how little luck she seemed to be having today as a brunette with big curls and an even bigger grin came prancing up to her and locked her in a hug. “Baby! Is that really you? You bitch!”
“Hi, Carol.” The distinct lack of enthusiasm from “Baby” was ignored. But it did make Carol let the girl go, if only to look her over with a scrupulous pair of eyes. “God, you look good! I kind of expected you to be – I don’t know! Ugly now!”
“Well, it’s only been a year.”
Carol laughed, popping her bubblegum before looking Daphne over once again. “So, you’re back in Hawkins, huh? You know, everybody was kinda curious about where you ran off to..” It was clear she was trying to get the low-down on what Daphne had been up to, where she’d gone. She was curious, just like everyone else, and maybe she had a right to be. They had been friends once. Carol probably even considered them close, though Daphne would disagree. Daphne often left things one-sided like that, letting others believe they’re as close to her as they want to be.
“Uh-huh. Well, I’m back now.”
There was no hiding the flash of disappointment in the brunette’s eyes when Daphne made no offer of filling her in on anything. But she was quick to recover. “It’s so nice to see you, Baby. Like, you wouldn’t believe the things that have happened! Like, crazy stuff! Tommy and I are still together, of course.”
“Uh-huh.”
“You remember Katie, she’s expecting a baby now! Isn’t that crazy? I mean, we’re barely twenty!”
Daphne knew Carol was starved for story-time, and old-time gossip – but she was tight on time, and eager to get home and finally be able to get inside. Conjuring up her old high school persona, she offered a tight-lip smile of her own, “Carol! I’ve actually got somewhere to be, but we should definitely catch up sometime!”
Stunned, and slightly irritated at being interrupted, Carol seemed to hesitate for a moment before blowing a big pink bubble. “Oh...sure, yeah. Hey! We should totally do a girls night thing, you know – like we used to?”
“Sure, sure! Tomorrow! Whatever you want! I real-llly gotta get going now,” Daphne stepped around Carol and started retreating back towards her old home. “See ya around, Care-bear!”
“Bitch.”
“Alright, sweetheart. You’re all set.” Got to hand it to Lloyd. He took quicker than Daphne had expected. Not that she really knew anything about locksmiths. “Thanks. Hey, do you know anything about getting a key made?”
“Yeah, I can do that for you. I’ll only charge for today, not for making the key. I mean, Jul’s would kill me if I didn’t take care of her Baby.” The locksmith suddenly seems awkward, dusting his palms on his pants despite them being clean. “I – uh, I’ll have the key by tomorrow morning. The names Richard, by the way – in case you need anything, you can ask me by name.”
“Oh.” Daphne nods slightly. She had assumed he was just Lloyd. Thank God she hadn’t said it. “That’s sweet of you, Richard. Thank you. Again. The phone here works, number hasn’t changed so, you know, if you’ve got Jul’s number..”
“Yeah, yeah I still know it.” Richard seemed a bit bashful at admitting that, but Daphne had expected as much. Everybody knew Julia, and nearly everyone was sweet on her. It was hard not to be. Julia had never hardened with age. Always remained bubbly and soft. Daphne offered Richard a small smile, which he returned with a nod, “Well, I’ll get out of your hair. You have a good rest of your day, and stay out of trouble.”
“I’ll try.” And with that, Daphne closes the door and gives a big sigh. She’d been sighing a lot today, more than normal. But with the circumstances, she mused that maybe she could’ve sighed even more.
With some inspections, she was pleased to see all of the utilities on and in working order, just as Julia had said they’d be. There was a blown bulb in the hallway, but that was of little concern to Daphne – who doubted she’d use it anyway. After inspecting utilities, she took the time to really look around.
The house was entirely empty, save for the little bit of furniture that had been left behind by the woman who Daphne considered the closest thing to a mother she had. Julia Sawyer, like Daphne, had tailed it out of Hawkins as soon as freedom presented itself. Daphne had kept contact with Julia, who promised her Baby she would never get rid of the house - just in case any of them needed a safe place to be.
“A girl’s gotta have a fail-safe, Baby.” Julia had said over the phone, right after saying she planned to leave Hawkins. “If things don’t work out for us, we gotta have somethin’ to come back to. Roots, you know? Can’t grow without ‘em!”
Daphne roamed from room to room. The house was small, but far from suffocating. There was a coziness in not having too many rooms, in short hallways. You could have conversations from across the entire home, without having to yell.
The master bedroom was completely empty, save for the vanity that must have been much too big to carry to California. It was a big, hulking thing. Dramatic. But Daphne had spent many moments watching Julia preen herself in that big mirror. That mirror had seen a lot. Prom night, homecoming dances. It had seen women cry, seen them smile. Good and bad, that mirror had seen it all.
Daphne’s bedroom was down the hall. It was nearly unchanged from the day she had packed anything that would fit in a suitcase and left. All that seemed different were a few photos had been taken, as to where – that was no mystery. Julia was sentimental like that. If Daphne didn’t want them, then Julia definitely did. Otherwise, the room seemed like a blast from the past. It felt far longer than just a year since she’d last been there. She felt out of place among all of her old things. Almost akin to a stranger, though she had picked out every last detail – down to the deep eggplant color of her walls. She felt older than just 20 years old. Older, bigger. Like she’d outgrown everything in that room of hers. There was a thought to up and throw everything away, an impulsive need to not be reminded of the girl she used to be. The urge to prove to herself that she was different now. Real. Not who she pretended to be. If not for the vague feeling of exhaustion that was settling itself into her bones, she might’ve done it – but all she could manage now, was plopping down on the bed and all but groaning at the feeling of her bones beginning to relax.
The bliss of relaxation was swiftly interrupted by Daphne covering her face with her hands. In a moment of recollection, it occurred to her she had definitely promises Carol Perkins they could hang out. Tomorrow. And if Carol hadn’t changed (and Daphne was nearly sure she probably hadn’t) she was going to make sure Daphne made good on that promise. There was no hiding it, no avoiding it. Carol had been privy to many sleepovers, and everybody knew where the Sawyer house was. Daphne supposed she could run away. Even entertained the idea of hiding in the forest, living there like some kind of hermit. But she’d never cut it in that lifestyle. Too privileged, indoor plumbing and all. All that was left to do was resign to the fact she’d have to see her promises through. As badly as she didn’t want to. There was no choice. She couldn’t hide in the house forever, she’d have to go out eventually – for cigarettes, for food, for any semblance of fun in this dull, god-forsaken town. And if she went out, eventually someone would recognize her. She’d have to get over it.
Baby was back in town, and by tomorrow – everyone would know it.