#heatherhenderson

Hawkins, Indiana

November 2, 1984

Friday

8:50am

Henderson Residence

"I'll be a nice sister-" Heather muttered to herself and she hurriedly walked through her house, dodging random cat toys and writing supplies that had been absent-mindedly scattered throughout the hallway. She would always be great at consistently picking these things up when she saw them, but her head was obviously somewhere else right now.

"Make sure everything's taken care of in my time off," she grabbed her keys from the nook near the front door, slamming the door open and then closed behind her.

Heather had first period off of school on Tuesdays and Thursdays. She had a more lenient schedule her Junior yrar since she decided not to take an extra math class because who would so that to themselves. Probably Dustin. She gave her younger siblings rooms a visit to make sure Dustin had fed Yertle and that Wendy had watered her plants- but what did she find in the brother's room instead? A disgusting lump of goo with eyes replacing Dustin's apparently missing turtle. What the hell was her younger brother hiding in his room.

"Never ever again..." she mumbled off as she started her car and reversed out of the driveway. Should she head to school or just try to find Dustin? Did their mom know about this literal monstrosity?

_____

Heather pulled in her parking space at the high school, her white Ford mustang bouncing upa nd down on the cracked concrete that was probably ten years past needing maintenance. She sighed, turning her car off, cutting off Tina Turner's voice on the radio.

"Okay, okay, it's fine. She told herself, starting out her windshield, "It's probably just some really freakish, rare lizard that Dustin and his friends like," she tried convincing herself. She pulled down her car mirror, looking at her reflection. God, did she always look this tired or was it just the absolute shock she was in earlier this morning?

Her dirty blonde hair was styled up today, a big half up half down, tied together ina. pink scrunched Wendy sewed for her in her home ec class. She tussouled it around a bit more, looking at it from every side. Getting out of the car, she dropped her bookbag, "Shoot," she whispered to herself, bending over to grab it.

In the quietness of the empty parking lot she heard a close whistle- a catcall. Looking up, she saw something that was honestly scarier than whatever is in Dustin's room st the moment- Billy Hargrove.

"Hot damn, Henderson!" The redhead didn't take his eyes off her, leaning on her car.

Heather jumped in surprise- "Jeez, Billy! Creep much" she huffed out, slinging her light pink backpack over her shoulder.

"Relax, sweetheart, didn't mean to scare ya," he smiled, shirking thebgap of space in between them, he crept closer, Heather could feel teh smoke from his cigarette blowing down on her forehead.

"Ew," she plainly said as she winced, crinkling her eyes and forehead in distugust, "And don't call me that, how many times can I say that?" She looked up at him, her usaul kind greyish-blue eyes now staring daggers into his bright blue ones.

"Alright baby, I get it, I get it," Billy threw his hands up in mock defeat, chuckling to himself.

The girl rolled her eyes, gripping his backpack straps tighter, "I've gotta go, ser ya around Billy," she started to walk off but the boy thought it'd be fun to just step right in front of her, suddenly blocking her path.

"When are ya gonna finally admit you enjoyed that night at Bonnie's party, doll?" He looked down at her, his much larger frame casting a shadow on hers.

Heather's eyes went wide, looking from side to side to make air noone was listening.

"I told you, I was drunk Billy, so were you. That obviously isn't a choice sober me would make." She shakingly said, trying to sound as stern as she possibly could. Heather did not need this right now, she had do many other things on her mind and she was probably late to Mr. Greene's English class right now- great.

"So you're telling me you'd never do that again, blondie? Never wanna be touched like that again or-"

"Hargrove!" Heather and Billy whipped their heads to the source of the noise. Steve Harrington. He was shutting his car door, looked like he had come out here to grab his basketball practice things, whatever that entailed, Heather thought. All she knew was he was her savior at this point.

"You gotta bother every girl in Hawkins? How both you just take that anger out on the court and actually get a ein for us once?" He mocked Billy as he walked closer to the pair near Heather's car. She looked up at Billy, all his attention was on Steve now, angerly glaring at him.

Heather took this as her cue to leave, politely making eye contact with Steve as a 'thank you', then ducking around Billy, mumbling a "I've gotta get to class," she sighed as she walked without looking behind her.

Heather smiled to herself just a bit when she made it to the high school's front door. She didn't even know why, it felt good for someone to actually do something when they saw a girl in that situation. She finally looked behind her, Steve was just behind her, obviously headed ro some practice, meanwhile Billy was walking with a certain angry stride to his car.

Heather smiled a bit while yelling, "And pur that cig out, Hargrove, oh how we'd miss you if your lungs gave out!" she giggled, seeing Steve smile a crack at her comment.

The rest of Heather's school day felt very mundane compared to her dramatic morning with and alien creature and Billy's sleaziness. During lunch, Heather sat in her usual spot in the cafeteria, a table surrounded by her usual cheer friends, a few guys from football and basketball, and her best friend Bonnie. Bonnie was in cheer with Heather as well, they had tried out and joined together their freshman year and had been friends since middle school. Heather waved her friend over with a smile, patting yhe seat next to hers!

"Hey!" Bonnie smiled, setting her tray down un front of her.

"Oh, cute sweater!" Heather smiled at her friend, "Is it new?" she asked, admirning the blue wool.

"Ya, my mom got it for me when she went out of town last week!

Heather smiled but her mind immediately went somehwere else. Last week was Bonnie's party and had been when hed and Billy had hooked up. She still hadnt told Bonnie, she was ashamed or something, it honestly wasnt like her. Hesther didnt get drunk or, god forbid, sleep wirh assholes. Bonnie got to talking with some guy accross the table and Heather's mind went to her interactione earlier. She thought for a second of Steve- he was a grade above her, she had, of course, hung out with him and his friends before. They were both in a more of a "social limelight". Dustin would describe most of her friends as "kids following s primitive construct". Whatever thst meant. Heather had never gotten very close with Steve, he had known multiple girls who had got it on with him but didn't know him personally at all.

"Heather, did ya hear me?" Bonnie asked, looking over st her

"oh, uh- sorry, no! what's up?" Heather smiled at her friend.

"Mom will be out of the house again next week for some work thing...." she smiled wide, "Randy said his dad can supply us, so basically putting teo and two together..." she giggled along with some girls around the table.

Heather looks around, not nearly as excited for this party as she was for the one last week. Great. Another opportunity for her to do something super out of character and embarrass herself. "That'll be so fun!" she managed to work out. That was enough for Bonnie, she immediately turned to Randy and started discussing times and other things that Heather truly did not care enough about.

2:30pm

Hawkins Middle School

The drive home was not necessarily normal. Whatever "normal" was for the Hnederson siblings. You could catogroize that as Wendy picking out one of Heather's many cassettes and "singing" along with the windows rolled down, waving bye to her friends. Dustin would usually sling his bike into the back of her car, it always barely fitting. The two of them would fight over front so often that Heather had to create a system of just switching each ride. But then the twins got into fights of "but the drive to the store was significantly shorter than the drive to school, I should go twice!" And nothing made sense to Heather so she truly just left it up to them to bicker about.

Wendy got the front today, jumping into the seat and grabbing a tape from her purple backpack that was adorned with charms and strings she had tied on in boredom. Heather noticed her brother slouching in the back seat, his off mood and secret was probably the only reason they didn't have a shoving match over who go the front today.

"Look! Becky gave me this cause she said she lost my skirt I let her borrow in the summer!" Wendy shoved a new Donna Summer cassette right in Heather's face, causing her to flinch and put her head back on the seat.

"Jeez, tryna take my nose out?" she chuckled to her younger sister, "That's awesome, hun. But maybe let's not let Bwcky borrow anything else, okay?" she smiled and put the car in reverse.

"Seatbelts," she eyed Dustin in the back. He sighed and strapped his on.

As she was backing out of the parking space and Wendy was switching out the tapes, a certain redhead caught her eye.

"Goddammit," she muttered to herself. Billy shamelessly grinned and half-nodded at Heather. Smug freak. Heather thought to herself. She stopped her car as she let Billy's younger sister pass her to get to his car. Poor girl dealing with that shit evey day. Heather thought, gripping the steering wheel hard in frustration.

When Donna's voice came on the stereo she was joined with Wendy singing along with all the arinik her lungs, causing Heather to lighten up on the wheel and to start their short drive home.

She would look back in the rear view mirror every once in a while, catching her brother staring out of the window with almost no thought in his eyes but also he looked so plagued by so many thoughts. Heather slanted to bring up the creature in his room so badly but had no idea of Wendy knew.

When they pulled into the driveway, the twins tried jumping out right away.

"Dustin! Hold in a sec, help me get your bike out, you always leave it in."

Dustin's head snapped at his sister, annoyed as Wendy just skipped inside.

They made their way to the back of the car, grabbing it together and setting it as the garage as Heather started.

"Dustin, where is Yertle?" He paused, looking up at her, eyes wide and mouth wider, "I saw that mushy lizard- I don't know what it is! What is it?" She said, her hands flying around.

Dustin walked right past her, going inside. Heather turned around, right behind him, following him to hod room.

"His name is D'artagnan, we call him Dart." he said while walking eight past their mother in the living room, pouring food for Mews.

"We? You and Mike and stuff!?"

"Yes, me and the party, he's mine though," they made it quickly to his room, shutting the door and running up to the case.

With wide, concerned eyes, they couldn't help but miss the giant crakc in the glass tank. IT almost looked like someone had thrown a rock at it, breaking it right open.

"What did you do with him?" Dustin panicked, looking up at his older sister then back down, searching the ground frantically.

"I-I didn't do anything! I was not about to touch that thing!" Heather threw her hands up, her pink and yellow bangles clanking onto each other.

"Plus, the glass? Common Dust, it's completely broken, he got out."

Dustin interuppted whatever she was above to say next with a loud, most definitely spit-filled 'shush', putting his finger to his mouth.

Heather heard whatever he was listening to, a bang of some kind and- hissing?

They both crept over to the source of the noise, and Heather was absolutely appalled at the sight in front of them.

Mews was dead in her younger brother's bedroom. That disgusting lizard had killed her- no, eaten her.

"Oh my god- Dustin, what the hell is tha-"

"SHH! Do you want mom to hear?!' Dustin turned his body around to face her, grabbing her shoulders to throw some sense into her.

"What do we tell mom? What even is that Dustin-!"

A sudden hiss cut her off, that lizard thing opened its mouth to show dozens and dozens of teeth.

_______________________________________________

Heather didn’t remember walking down the hall, only that suddenly she was in the kitchen, her palms flat on the counter like the house was tilting and she had to hold it still. Her mom was rinsing strawberries in the sink, humming to the radio, and Heather felt sick that the sound could still exist when Mews didn’t. “Mom,” she said, and it came out too loud, too thin. “Um… Mrs. Henderson from down the street called earlier. She said she thought she saw Mews near Loch Nora. By the woods.” She swallowed hard, forcing her eyes not to dart back toward Dustin’s room. “I think… maybe she got out again.”

Claudia froze, the water still running over the berries. “Loch Nora?” she repeated, worry already replacing the warmth in her voice. Heather nodded fast, leaning into the lie before it could crumble. “Yeah. She said she didn’t want to scare you but she was pretty sure it was her.” That was enough. Her mom was already grabbing her purse and keys and taking her slippers off.

"Oh, my poor Mews! I'll find him, okay Heather? Don't worry baby, I'll be back!" Heather nodded, feeling so shameful to lie to their mom but also needing her out of the house.

Dustin and Heather grabbed old hockey gear and skating pads from their garage and looked quite ridiculous, but Heather was jot about to let them take any chances. Scattering some food behind them, the opened the door and ran outside, Dart not far behind them. Heather had never been so thankful for Wendy's hour long naps she'd take every day after school so she was out of the line of danger.

"Shit, shit, shit, shit" Dustin whisper-yelled as they ran inside the shed.

"SHH! language!" Heather scolded. They peaked outside the old shed, green paint clippings feeling dangerously close to their eyes.

"It's gotten so big" she whispered, "how long have you had it?"

"Quiet, I'll tell you later"

All of a sudden thd creature looked what felt like right at them, as much as they could tell with it having no eyes.

"Oh, God!" Heather yelled- "give me that!" She took the hockey stick Dustin was carrying around out of his hand and kicked open the shed door.

"Cat murderer!" she smacked Dart, sending him flying into the open tornado shelter. Her brother was right beside her, he lunged onto of the shelter, holding it down with his weight.

"Holy shit!" Dusting yelled, "That was crazy!"

The metal door rattled for a second, then went still.

Heather and Dustin stayed there, panting, hands pressed to the rusted handle like it might suddenly sprout teeth and burst back open.

“I think… I think it’s stuck,” Dustin said finally.

Heather didn’t move. “I am never touching a lizard again, even 8f that's not what that was."

"Yeah, definitely not a lizard" Dustin panted.

They waited another long, silent minute before slowly easing off the door. Nothing happened.

That was when Heather looked past him—back toward the house—and felt her stomach drop.

“Oh no,” she whispered.

The kitchen window was smeared with dark streaks where Mews had been dragged. The trash can was tipped over, and something wet glistened on the linoleum through the glass.

Mom would still be looking for Mews forever but they couldn't have Wendy waking up to that.

Dustin swallowed. “We have to clean. Like… now.”

They bolted inside. Dustin grabbed paper towels, Heather yanked open eveyr drawer full of cleaning supplies. They worked in a somehow chaotic silence, gagging at any blood and arguing in whispers.

After a few minutes Dustin puled out his walkie.

“Mike? Lucas? Will? Please respond,” he hissed. "Code red, we have a code red!"

Only static answered.

He tried again. Nothing.

Heather stared at him. “So your genius friends are officially useless.”

Dustin shoved the walkie back into his pocket. “Then we go to them. The Wheelers live like five blocks away.”

________________________________________________

Wheelers Residence

The Wheeler house was quiet, Mike's bike missing from the front.

"I doubt he's home, Dust."

"He might be-" Dustin said. He rang the doorbell multiple times in a row.

"Dustin! It's so rude to ring it that many times- stop!" she pushed his hand out of the way.

"Common this is a Goddamn emergency Heather-" he ring the doorbell again.

Ted Wheeler answered the door, eyes squinted at the hot mess the two of them, each frozen in a position of pushing yhe other out od the eay.

“Hi, Mr. Wheeler, your phone has been busy for hours now," Dustin said quickly. “We need help. Is Mike here

Ted blinked. “Karen, where's Mike"

They heard an annoyed "At Will's" from a room away.

Ted frowned, processing this at the speed of cold oatmeal, "At Will's. Is this about some school project?"

"No- no school project- thanks a lot-" Dustin grunted, starting to walk from the door.

Heather whipped her head to her brother then to Mr. Wheeler, "Uh- bye! Mr. Wheeler- thanks!" she yelled, catching tonher brother.

They were halfway back down to the car when they nearly ran straight into Steve Harrinton.

He was standing by his BMW, holding a bouquet of flowers like they were radioactive.

“Oh—hey, Henderson,” Steve said. “Uh… hi.”

Dustin’s eyes lit up like he’d just found buried treasure.

“Steve,” he breathed, then grabbed the front of Steve’s jacket. “We need you."

"Why do we need him?" Heather ruffled her eyebrows in confusion dn insult. Steve looked up at her.

"Sorry, not that I don't think you can't do things, I just! Dustin I'm here, you'll be fine."

Steve glanced between them, slightly insulted by Heather's words. "I’m just here to talk to Nancy—”

“There is a monster locked in a tornado shelter behind my house, we need all the help we can get-" Dustin said.

Steve froze. “A what.”

Steve stared at the flowers in his hands, then back at them.

Dustin was already dragging him toward the street.