#titfortat

So, when the call came to the L/N residence, you weren't at school, and your father made his way immediately to the police station. Upon his arrival, a worried Joyce Byers was also there.

"Just letting yourself in, Malik?" The Chief of Police stated, raising an eyebrow. He had his eyes focused on a few other papers. Joyce was biting her nails, on the edge of her seat. In the back of the room was Jonathan, worried as ever.

"Y/N L/N. I'm making a missing persons report, Hop," He says. The room goes silent. A pin could drop. "16 years old. Last seen heading the the Byers." his eyes scan and land on Joyce's.

"You sure? She's 16, she's quite the popular girl, no? A girl like her is probably off doing who knows what," Hopper huffs. He doesn't believe Malik, understandably so. You did seem like the girl who would just be doing her own thing right now. But Malik knows his daughter. "No, she's never missed a day of school, rain or shine, sick or healthy."

"Not even volleyball tournaments?"

"Those don't count, Hop." Malik sneers. He went into thought. You and your father recently got into an argument and never fully resolved it. Maybe you really were just rebelling? Still, missing school isn't something you'd do.

Jonathan sighs, "We were hoping you'd seen her." he begins pacing. "Since they were both together last."

"Y/N isn't one to just leave Will, either. She'd fight tooth and nail for my boy." Joyce added, She's hysterical, she was a second mother to you. Hopper sighed both out of concern and exhaustion and began writing yet another missing persons report, this time with your name. Never in his years as chief as he ever had two missing people at once, especially kids who were well known in their groups.

"I guess I'm adding Hawkins High to my list of stops for questioning. Is there anyone specific I can ask? Close friends, boyfriends, classmates..." Hopper asks, and Malik thinks for a second. "Kelly Martinez has been her other half since we moved here. If she's been seeing boys, she hasn't told me."

"Nancy Wheeler and her know each other through school and babysitting Mike, too." Jonathan chimes, and Hopper writes down a few notes as he nods. "They friends?"

"...Not exactly."

Hopper's lips form a tight line, and he nods again.

˗ˏˋ ★ ˎˊ˗

SMACK ! The volleyball hits past two bodies, just before the boundary line. There's an uproar from a few voices on the sidelines. A brunette high-fives a few of her teammates and smiles are her teammates on the other side of the net.

One blonde girl speaks. "Kelly, where's Y/N? Haven't seen her all day."

The brunette frowns, full lips form into a pout as her dark, full eyebrows furrow toward one another. The blonde takes this as a sign to shut up, and she quickly hurries to the sidelines to grab her duffel bag.

Kelly sighs, hands on her hips. She doesn't sit still long enough to think of the fact that you aren't here. No call, nothing. Just gone. It's driving the poor girl crazy as she begins overthinking when she grabs her duffel and school bag.

The girl can't even make 10 steps into the hallway before being bombarded by Carol and Tommy. "Yo, Kelly!"

"Hi, Carol." Kelly is seething; she would rather be anywhere but with these two idiots.

"No Y/N, huh? Wonder where she went. Bet she's pretty crucial to the team to go to nationals, right?" Tommy chimes. He puts his arm around Carol as he watches the people passing by. His eyes widen, and he smiles. "Is it true she ran off with Jonathan right before she went missing?"

Kelly turns her head, and Jonathan putting up missing flyers for Will. She cocks an eyebrow and makes a face at the couple, seriously wondering why they're as popular as they are. "I'm not sure."

"She was over at my place," a voice says, approaching the group. A brunette emerged through Tommy and Carol; it was Nancy. "She was babysitting the boys last night."

"That's not helping your case, Nancy Drew. Makes me wonder if you did something," Kelly snickers, but she knows fully Nancy would never do such a thing. Nancy visibly deflates at the comment, just before Steve comes up behind and wraps an arm around her.

Steve plants a small peck on Nancy's cheek before drawing his attention to Kelly. "Any news on Y/N? Heard Mr. L/N made a missing report."

"He did?" This was news to Kelly. She knew you and your father had issues, so the fact that he made a report this early was a bit out of the blue for him.

"Dunno, that's just what I heard," Steve comments.

"From who?"

"Jonathan."

Carol cackles. "You seriously listened to that moron?" Tommy joins in on mocking him. "Seriously, he's probably the one who killed both of them."

For once, Steve looked oddly concerned when he eyed Kelly. He raised an eyebrow as he looked around, perhaps you were around the corner playing a prank on the town of Hawkins.

Kelly looked over her shoulder again at Jonathan. Sweet, quiet Jonathan. He was simply an introvert compared to Steve and his group. You and Jonathan had known each other since you moved to Hawkins your freshman year. You were one of the few extroverted, popular kids who had the heart to treat Jonathan like a human rather than some loner. You saw him for who he was: an animal lover, mixtape enthusiast, and photographer. You two often had late nights together after watching Will, where you would just listen to his mixtapes in a comfortable silence, messing with Jonathan's camera and taking pictures.

Kelly's eyes looked at the missing poster; the face on the left was Will's, the other was yours. She and Jonathan shared a small, knowing look at one another, grieving for their respective friend.

˗ˏˋ ★ ˎˊ˗ 1982.

"How about..." you flash a pose, a damsel in distress. "Hurry, Jonathan, my leg is cramping!" Jonathan quickly gets into position and snaps the. camera, a flash temporarily blinding you. As quickly as the flash hits you, you're on his bed next to him, waiting for the Polaroid to eject.

Tonight marked the third night you two spent together. Joyce was working late tonight, and Will was fast asleep.

You grabbed the Polaroid and shook it, seeing the image slowly come to life. You couldn't help but smile and admire yourself, considering you were in pajamas with hair rollers. Faint music played in the background, a mixtape that you and Jonathan both made.

How you ended up here is a bit...odd. Jonathan is a boy who always keeps to himself, never speaking unless spoken to, and even then, he mostly just listens. You two had the same chemistry class, and you were desperately struggling. Instead of simply struggling, you swallowed your pride and asked for help, who happened to sit next to you. The more sessions you had with Jonathan, the more you realized that he was quite an interesting person behind closed doors.

"It's nice, I like it." You say, looking around Jonathan's room as if you hadn't already seen everything there's to see. Jonathan stays quiet, but you know he acknowledged you. "You should really try and get clients to grow your portfolio."

Jonathan smiled. "How?"

"Asking kids around at school, duh." You roll your eyes and hop off of his bed. "I can ask for you?"

"No, it's fine, really."

"What? Why not? You know, you could, like, get some sexy photos of girls. They're into this kinda stuff." You start rummaging through some of the albums of photos he already has. Most are of nature, a good chunk of his mother, Mrs. Byers, and Will, the boy you've begun to babysit after school on weekdays when Jonathan and Mrs. Byers work. "Just sayin'."

Jonathan rolls his eyes at your comment. "Is that all you care about?"

"No, but I'm sure it's all that you think about. It's what all teenage boys think." Your eyes land on an odd photo. It's dark and also has a dark figure. "What's this?"

"Huh?" Jonathan gets up and comes up next to you. "I don't remember taking that..." he grabs the photo from your hand and examines it closely. He flips it, and there's no label. Jonathan always labels his Polaroids. How odd.

˗ˏˋ ★ ˎˊ˗ . . . ?

The air is cold. The floor is sticky. You feel wet. You're shivering, you gave your jacket to Will, and had nothing but a thin long-sleeve shirt between you and the fall air. Will was quietly asleep, still shivering. You laid a hand on his arm as you kept a close eye on your surroundings, trying to make out just where you were. The forest you were in was exactly like the one near the Byers residence, just with a red hue.

Your mind begins running as you get up and peek outside of Castle Byers. Everything is exactly the same, just dark. You've been here for only God knows how long, and it feels like an eternity. Your eyes shift back on Will; he's cold and wet. If you don't get him somewhere warmer, he might get sick. If everything truly is the same here, why not try to give a call?

You quickly grab your backpack and pull out your English notebook and a pen. You begin scribbling: 'WILL, WENT OUT TO FIND HELP. DON'T FOLLOW. STAY HERE! BE BACK SOON.' You tucked the note into his jacket to ensure he would find it when he woke up and grabbed a small flashlight that was lying idly in Castle Byers.

The walk feels endless. There are loud cracks of lightning that make you jump just about every time, frantically looking around for those weird creatures that drag you and Will down here. So far, so good. You slowly open the door to the Byers' residence before hurrying to the home phone. You can barely feel or move your fingers, both out of fear and coldness, as you slowly spin the dial on the phone to call Joyce. There's a slow dial tone, you shut your eyes, hoping that someone picks up this time.

"...Hello!? Will, baby!? Where are you!?"

Oh my god. Your hands grip the phone tighter than ever. "Mrs. Byers!? Mrs. Byers! Can you hear me!? It's Y/N!" You hold the phone even closer to your ear as the voice slowly drifts to static and makes a POP! "...Mrs Byers? Jonathan?"Shit. You can use the house for a second phone, which you may recall was always in Jonathan's room.

You repeat the same as before, shakily dialing the phone number and waiting for the infamous ring. It only has to ring once before this time, and Jonathan picks up. "Hello!? Y/N, was that you!? Where's Will!? Where are you guys--"

POP! The phone bursts again. You begin to visualize a house that's closest to the Byers. That's it, it's Kelly's. You sprint before your mind can even make a decision through the forest and onto the road, your car still off on the shoulder, lights flickering. You stop, feeling your pockets for your keys, the familiar jangle heard as you grab them and run to your trunk. There's the baseball bat that's been sitting in your trunk for ages now, after you picked up your brother from practice and he seemingly forgot about.

Jonathan and Joyce begin seeing their lights flicker across their house, and out the door, the headlights of their cars begin flickering. Hopper raised an eyebrow.

There's a loud slam as you shut the trunk and begin running towards Kelly's house. Your hand wraps around the doorknob, locked. You begin pounding against the door before huffing and swinging your bat. After a few short tries, the door is broken just enough for you to enter.

Kelly whipped her head, noticing her front porch light flickering. She got up and opened the door; perhaps the pizza she ordered was here. Nothing.

The door slowly opens, and you run to the home phone.

The phone rings behind her. Maybe it's the pizza guy telling her he would be late. That's alright, the pizza delivery boy is quite cute, anyway. She grabbed the phone.

"Kelly!? It's Y/N I need your help--"

"Huh!? Who is this!? Where's my damn pizza--"

POP! This isn't a very fun game. You groan and start thinking again, leaning against the wall. Kelly lived in the same neighborhood as...

...Steve. Wonderful. Like he would help you.

You need help, though. To give the town a sign that you and Will are very much alive. You begin jogging down the road, your lungs and throat hurting from running the most you have in a while.

Kelly looked at her phone in confusion. Her lights began flickering again, this time moving out the door. She slowly followed them, noticing the flickering moving down the street and making a turn to the boy next door, Steve Harrington. She was too hungry to deal with this.

You stand in front of the Harrington residence. The luxurious house makes you seethe with jealousy. His pool was bigger than yours and was heated, something you didn't have. You begin wondering how good that house party he threw was. The pool was empty, though. The gate that led into the backyard was also open, and you let yourself in. Surely Steve had multiple phones, so you could make a clear message for him.

There's a squeal to your left, a feminine one at that. Your head whips, seeing a young woman being dragged, she's gripping onto the handrails of the pool, knuckles turning white.

"Barbra?" you mutter, confused. You didn't know Barbra well; you two shared a few classes together, but that was about it. You didn't mind her too much; you were only not a fan because she's best friends with Nancy. Your eyes move from her knuckles up to what exactly is dragging her, the very thing that also dragged you and Will to this hellhole.

Your heart sinks in your chest, eyes widening. You look at Barbra, then at the creature. Half of you want to save the girl, and the other screams to run away. If you just get your message through, maybe it could save all three of you. You begin slowly running away and moving the sliding door to go to the first home phone, looking at the yellow phone book to find the Harringtons' home phone.

The loud ring of the phone startles both Steve and Nancy out of their makeout session. Steve sighed in frustration but quickly recomposed himself to continue. After the second and third ring, Nancy smiled and backed away from Steve. "You should answer. What if it's your parents?"

"So?"

"Maybe they're checking in on you." Nancy continues, and Steve ponders for a minute before grabbing the phone, sighing a half-assed hello.

"Steve! It's Y/N," you begin yelling, squeezing your eyes shut in hopes the phone doesn't pop again. There's a crackle.

"What?"

"Look, Steve, I need you to tell Hopper that--"

POP! You run to grab another phone and repeat the numbers. A confused Steve picks up. "You need to tell Hopper that Will and I are alive!"

"Alive? Where the hell are you two?" Steve covers his other ear to try and listen better through all the static. "The whole town is looking for you guys." Nancy comes into the room, her eyebrows furrowed in confusion about who he's talking to.

"I-- I don't know where we are, but--"

"Is this some kind of sick joke?" Steve sneers. He hangs up.

Your eyes fall on another phone. This is your last chance.

The phone rings from a different room. A frustrated Steve picks up. "Look, Y/N, if this is your way of getting back at me, you win; I don't care anymore. You've had your fun, just stop this sick joke."

"STEVE! This isn't a damn joke, you dimwit! God, you're so insufferable! Can you please tell Hop that we're alive and to inspect the shed at the Byers!?" you yell, your face is hot with frustration.

"What? No. Just come out of hiding, Y/N. You win, the whole town loves you. Is that what you wanted to hear?"

Is he for real? Your grip tightens. "I'm not joking, plea--"

POP! Steve has his eyebrows furrowed, and his cheeks are flushed. He hates this game he's playing with you, competing for the top spot for popularity. He feels like he's been humiliated and humbled, realizing just how many people miss and are looking for you. He slams the phone back into the receiver.

You yell in frustration. Why would the moron ever listen in the first place? There's no relying on the guy with hair bigger than his own brain. You throw the phone across the room, brushing your hands past your face and into your hair, confused about where to continue from here.

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There was a slap on your shoulder by your teammate and best friend of three years, Kelly. "Don't."

"Huh? What? I'm just a little shocked, is all." You defend, seeing Nancy Wheeler of all girls with the infamous Steve Harrington. Never in your life would you think Steve would ever go after a girl like Nancy, amazing grades, home before her curfew, oh so sweet and innocent Nancy.

You and Nancy don't really know each other. You guys simply tolerate one another. If anything, you two were academic rivals, competing for the top spot as valedictorian in your graduating class, Nancy winning by just a hair. Not to mention you were a frequent babysitter for her younger brother. Whatever. They won't last long.

You lift up your wrist to look at your watch. The time read just past three pm. Today was Sunday, meaning the Byers were working late tonight. Sundays were the days you babysat a young Will Byers into the late hours of the night and even occasionally helped him get to school after you fell asleep at the Byers' residence. Practice was over, and you had just thirty short minutes to get to Will; otherwise, he would never forgive you.

"Shit, sorry, folks," you start, brows furrowing, realizing the short amount of time you have. "I have to go, talk later, yeah, Carol?"

The redhead perks up at your words. It's the first time you've ever talked to her. She looks like she might faint at you just simply saying goodbye; she's been absolutely dying to be your friend, to hold a conversation with you. You can't help but smile and snicker at that thought as you grab your duffel bag and give a quick wave to Kelly and Carol's group before speed walking out of the school and into the parking lot.

You reach your car, tugging at the handle before you realize it's locked. Your hands instinctively reach into your duffel bag, where your keys normally are, but to your surprise, they aren't to be found. Shit.

You hear a familiar jingle. One that only your car keys could make. You gasped, inhaling the cold winter air as you whipped your head back.

"You forgot a few things," said the voice holding your keys. Your eyes scanned from the feet all the way upward to meet a pair of dark brown eyes and a full head of wild hair. "Also forgot your scarf. What's the rush?" It was Steve.

Steve was your counterpart. Most popular guy at Hawkins High, contrary to your title as the most popular girl. Despite his title, you couldn't stand him. Nancy was just an annoying fly; Steve was a pest. You two always seemed to be stuck in the same classes, which was odd since Steve didn't seem as invested in school as you. Your rivalry wasn't like Nancy's for the top graduating spot; instead, it was over the constant struggle for more eyes on you. Ever since you arrived in Hawkins, Steve's popularity has slowly dwindled, and it's pissed him off.

In all honesty, though, you couldn't really pinpoint why you hated him so much. There has always been just something in your body that repulses you from him, and you're not one to not listen to your gut.

The only thing you had in common with each other was that you were both assholes. Especially to each other.

You both stand in silence, seeing one another's hot breath in the cold Indiana air. Steve cocks a brow, and you follow suit. He's expecting an answer.

Your arms cross. "I have somewhere to be soon," you take a few steps toward him to grab your keys, but he steps back. "Steve--"

"Don't talk to Carol anymore," he cocks. His hand raises above your height just high enough that you can't quite reach your keys.

"What? I can talk to whoever I want. Just give me my--"

"I just got back on good terms with Tommy after your stunt." His eyebrows furrow. Stunt? Your stunt was when Steve didn't let you into a weekend party hosted by Tommy. He shut the door right in your face. Rather than being the bigger person, you called the cops on the party and later pinned the blame on Steve, causing a rift between him and Tommy's friendship. "Can't let you ruin it again by talking to Carol, feeding your ideas--"

"Oh my god, Steve, who cares? What happened, happened. Can I have my keys now?" You snapped, hopping to finally grab your keys and quickly unlocking your car.

"Look--!" He quickly turns, his palms hit your car door as you open it. "I also know you're going to the Wheelers' today, and I am begging you to not do anything funny."

"Funny? You really like Nancy Drew, huh?" You smile. Steve said too much. You had something to hang over his head. Blackmail, if you will. "Yeah, sure, whatever. I didn't plan to. I don't hate Nancy that much." It was the truth, you couldn't care less what Nancy did in her extra time. Plus, you were going to be stuck in the basement for the rest of the day with four 12-year-old boys.

Steve is taken aback at your response, raising an eyebrow. You shut your car door and quickly roll down the window, hanging your elbow out as you look at him. "I won't do anything, I'm not that mean." You rolled your eyes and quickly pushed the clutch, changed the gears, and sped off, leaving a trail of mushy snow in Steve's face.

Steve Harrington thought very differently from your last statement. Ever since you arrived in Hawkins, you've been nothing but trouble, pulling up in your daddy's Porsche, hair curled in just the perfect way that only expensive hot tools and hairspray would do, brands that the small town kids would have never heard of. Steve was a guy who was desperate for attention, for validation, and he worked his ass off for where he was now. You did it in a month without trying. Simply put, he was jealous. You knew this, and you assumed that his dating Nancy Wheeler was a way to one-up you.

Two can play such a game. It's why you're leading Carol on. And Steve hates when you're an ass to his friends.

Your car rumbles up to the Wheeler residence, where Will is waiting in the garage, hands on his hips, tapping his sneaker against the concrete. He raised an eyebrow, and you sighed, grabbing your backpack. "Sorry, Will, practice ran late."

Tsk tsk. He lifted up his wrist, tapping on an imaginary watch. "Over 15 minutes? Or were you talking to boys?"

You smiled. "The only boy I talk to is you, Will, don't you worry." You shrugged an arm over his shoulder as you two made your way through the residence and down into the basement. "...and your stinky friends."

You've been babysitting Will Byers since your Freshman year, watching him grow into the young man he was becoming was not something you saw yourself getting emotional over until you started crying on his first day of middle school.

The boys roared when you took your final step down on the basement floor, bombarding you with a million questions. Some discussed the possibility of pizza, while others ensured you had absolutely everything for the continuation of their campaign for Dungeons and Dragons. "Can we get pizza?" said one. "What? No! McDonald's?" said another. "Did you bring the right dice?" "No, what about the figures you said you'd bring?"

"Boys--" you start.

"NO! Let's get Wendy's, can we?" "Did you bring the books I told you to get?"

"Mike--"

"KFC sounds good, too..."

"Dustin--"

"Ew, no, Burger King!"

"Lucas--!"

"GUYS!" Will shouted. "Let the lady speak!"

Thank goodness for this boy. You smile, approaching the table in the middle of the basement and slowly unloading your backpack full of every single Dungeons and Dragons-related item Mike specifically requested. Your hands also dug into the front pocket to grab a small wad of cash, holding it in front of Dustin and Lucas, their faces lighting up. See? You're not a bad person after all.

Over $50 in food, hundreds of moves, a dozen more arguments, and a few thousand spells later, Mrs. Wheeler was finally calling for the boys. She tapped on her watch, and after many protests from Mike, the ten-hour campaign for the weekend ended. You've never felt so relieved to leave.

You begin packing and cleaning when you notice the singular slice of pizza left. You contemplate throwing it out; no way you were eating it, maybe Dustin would. Your mind drifted as your eyes did to Dustin. You grabbed the pizza box and handed it to Dustin, "Dusty, go give this slice to Nancy, yeah?"

"Wh--"

"You like her, don't you? Acts of service, kid; it's how you win a woman's heart." You state firmly. There's an awkward moment of silence as Dustin cocks a suspicious eyebrow. You snap your head to point upstairs, and the boy is already out the door.

After a few goodbyes to Mrs. Wheeler, you and the boys are all outside. Lucas and Dustin are on their bikes as you're trying to stuff Will's into your car. With a few hard pushes, it fit: narrowly.

"Nancy isn't nice anymore," Dustin says, breaking a moment of silence, and his friends look at him with confusion. "She didn't want my pizza."

"Yeah, well, it's because she's all in love with that douchebag Steve Harrington," Mike stated. He rolled his eyes hard as he walked into the garage. There was a silence as all the boys slowly turned their gaze to you. You can't quite tell what they want you to say.

"Uh..." you say under your breath, the cold air reaching your face. "He is...and you should convince your sister to break up with him."

Mike scrunches his face, "What, why?"

"...Because...he's an ass. And...he's...he's cheating on her." You snap, smiling as the idea comes to you. "Yeah."

"Uh huh...riiight..."

You shrug. "I don't know, Mike. I don't really like him either."

Mike was content with that answer as Dustin and Lucas began slowly riding down the driveway on their bikes, your cue to get going. Will quickly said his goodbyes as you entered your car, slowly following behind Dustin and Lucas. Before you know it, the boys have already peeled off into their respective houses, and it's just you and Will.

There's a beat of silence.

"Were you talking to Jonathan?" Will asks, his question is laced with genuine curiosity rather than his typical sass and attitude, which takes you aback a bit.

"No, I told you, practice went on late."

"You always make sure to get out on time on Sundays, though. Last time you were late, you were talking with Jonathan." He put air quotes around 'talking'. He was right. Today was no different; you technically were out of practice right on time. If only Carol and her group hadn't flagged you down, you would've been on time.

"Well, aren't you a smart cookie," you say. "I got caught up talking with Kelly, that's all. Oh- and for the record, I really was only talking to Jonathan." You also put up air quotes to mock him, and Will smiles.

The road ahead of you is pitch black; only your headlights illuminate in front of you. That was until they began flickering on and off. There was an eerie silence between you and Will as the headlights slowly sputtered out. Odd.

A large figure is in your view, only illuminated by the bright moon. You quickly swerve out of the way into the shoulder of the road to avoid the figure. Holy shit.

"Wh--what was that!?" Will exclaims, he's out of breath, rightfully so.

Your engine sputters off. The cold fall air begins seeping into the car, your and Will's hot breath from breathing so heavily begins fogging the windows. "I don't know," you huff. Your head snaps back to grab one of your larger textbooks for your calculus class.

The air is crisp and quiet. Too quiet. After a few deep breaths, you push your keys into the ignition to turn on the car, but your efforts turn awry. The engine sputters and fails to start. Your heart is pounding, face pale. "Come on," you whisper, grabbing Will out of the car and making a break for the Byers residence.

Your feet are running faster than you could ever imagine, your torso barely able to keep up. Brushing past cold, hard branches, bound to leave nicks and cuts, but the adrenaline temporarily rids you of all your pain. Your push Will be in front of you as the dull, old house comes into your view. "Go! Open it!" The boy fumbles with the doorknob to open it and eventually opens it, and you slam it as soon as you're in.

Will runs to grab the phone and quickly dials 911, but his eyes widen as there's only the dial tone. No one's coming for you two.

"Mrs. Byers!? Jonathan!?" you shout. Will scans across all the rooms of the house. No one is home. You turn around to look out the window, but all you can see is the blackness of the night. A gust of wind quickly blows before you see the same figure you saw before, abnormally tall with odd proportions. Your heart feels like it might flutter out of your throat before the figure disappears again. You make sure the chain to the door is on and grab Will to head toward the back end of the house. He hugs you, tighter than he ever has.

Your eyes scan for anything to defend you as you also grab the phone this time to dial your parents. Only the dial tone again when your eyes catch the glimmer of the silver chain that holds the door shut, somehow moving. "Wh..." Your body physically jumps from your skin as you grab Will to run out the back door and into the shed just behind the house. Just as you did with the house, you slam the door shut and prop as many things as you can to keep the mysterious figure away from you two.

Will grabs an old hunting rifle, slowly and shakily putting a few bullets in as he cocks it. You hold the door back by placing your whole body weight on it and grabbing an axe that was nearby. You shut your eyes. This can't be happening, right? It's Hawkins of all places.

The small lightbulb in the shed flickers. Before you can open your eyes to register what's going on--

--it all goes black.

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"You--" you lock eyes with him, and he cocks an eyebrow. Steve's fully recomposed himself. The hallway is silent, and everyone is looking at both of you. The dynamic of Hawkins High has changed in just the two short days you've been gone. Everyone looks at you weirdly, with disgust. No one bats an eye when you walk into the room anymore. You initially chopped it up to be back after a dramatic disappearance, but Steve just told you everything you need to know. He turned them against you.

"C'mon, let's just go." Kelly was behind you on the other side of the hall during your interaction with Steve. She puts a hand on your shoulder, eyeing him down suspiciously.

You sigh. Your eyes glance across Carol. She darts her eyes back and forth between you and Steve, unsure of whose side to take. "Hey, Carol." You put on your sweetest, fakest smile, and her face lights up as you approach her.

You have Carol, Tommy, and even Nicole wrapped around your finger; all Steve's closest friends. They've been drooling for your attention since you first arrived in Hawkins. You always left the three musketeers on your back burner for when you really needed them. You knew the three of them would drop Steve in a heartbeat for you.

You also knew that Steve threw a party where Nancy Wheeler's dearest friend went missing, and a few questionable pictures were taken by a grieving brother, Jonathan. The perks of being popular? You get the gossip served hot.

"What's up? Stevie annoying you?" Carol holds her notebooks tight to her chest.

You roll your eyes dramatically, "Oh, em, gee, yes," you say, noticing Tommy coming to join his girlfriend, slouching an arm over her. "I heard he threw a party?"

"Oh, yeah, it was kinda lame, though." Tommy smiles. "It's too bad you couldn't make it."

Carol shoves her elbow into Tommy's side after his ignorant comment. She mouths an apology, and you smile. "What'd you guys all do?"

"Nothin' much, got drunk, hung out, made out," Carol starts, tilting her head upward, recalling the night. "Apparently, that freak Jonathan took some pictures of us, even one of Nancy in her bra," she eyes Nicole. Nicole was the one who found Jonathan developing the photos. Wonderful to know.

"Steve and Nancy have been distant, too." Nancy chimes in, she says in a hushed tone. "The police are also questioning all of us about what happened to that one girl."

That one girl was Barb, Nancy's best friend. The girl you saw as you were trying to find a way out of that place.

You look over your shoulder at Steve, who's idly chatting with random people. If you can't get into his skin through popularity, you sure can through his friends, especially his girlfriend.

˗ˏˋ ★ ˎˊ˗

The police never called you down, considering you were also one of the three kids who went missing in Hawkins. You suspect your father had something to do with it, giving them hush money to keep your family name out of the spotlight. He needed to; his job required it. You even waited after school for some time for them, but no one called for you.

You're not too sure how to feel, but the grind never stops. Back to volleyball practice. The tournament is at the end of the week.

That was, until your coach told you that you were benched for the rest of the season. Emotional and mental reasons, she says. You deflate in front of her as she gives you a whole speech on how mental health affects not only yourself but the whole team. She can't even finish your speech before you storm out.

Stupid Steve. He's screwed everything up for you.

You're speedwalking back to your car, fumbling with your keys before another car pulls up behind you. The car honks to grab your attention, but you pay no mind, still trying to finagle your key in the slot to open the door.

"Y/N!" the car honks again. You sigh and turn around to be greeted by Jonathan. He has his arm hanging out the window as you lean back against your car, crossing your arms in the chilling fall air. "Hi, Jonathan."

He gets out of his car, still leaving it running. He mimics your posture, and there's an oddly comfortable silence that follows. You raise an eyebrow, expecting the boy to say something. He fidgets nervously as he speaks. "So, uh-- my mom refuses to come with me, so you're the next best thing--"

Another beat of silence.

Jonathan sighs heavily. "Do you wanna come with me to-- choose a coffin for Will?" he speaks in a quieter tone; so quiet you barely register what he says. You lean forward, stunned at his question. No way he thought Will was dead?

"You believe them? That Will's gone, I mean?" You push your hands in your pockets, slowly walking to his car and joining him on the side.

"You don't? I mean- I don't want to, but how do you fake a dead body?"

"Well, did you see it?"

"Of course I did, it was Will," Jonathan mumbles, and suddenly his feet are the most interesting thing ever. You tilt your head toward him, knitting your eyebrows together. "He was all...dead looking and whatever."

"Jonathan," you call out to him, and he looks at you. You can see his eyes glossing up, trying to hold back his tears. "We weren't near the quarry at all. There's literally no way Will drowned," you state, and you know this as a fact. The quarry is the opposite way that you and Will explored while you two were gone.

Jonathan is silent in thought. He doesn't believe you; he's not wrong. How do you possibly fake a dead body? He's already seen it.

"Then what happened?" He asks hesitantly.

"Surely you don't think he's dead, too. We tried calling you and Mrs. Byers just the other night. I know you heard us. I at least heard your voice," you begin, both recalling the previous night with you trying to make contact with the outside world through phone calls before the phone would burst. Jonathan knows all too well, he was one of the people who picked up the phone and heard you terrified and calling out for help. "I had Will with me, in my arms. He was holding onto me."

Your words are jumbled and don't make much sense; you're losing Jonathan. He doesn't interrupt, sensing that whatever you may be talking about is true. He knows deep down that if Will were dead, it wasn't drowning.

Jonathan listens as you ramble until you are interrupted by a familiar voice approaching the two of you. Fast footsteps come up to you two, and a girl, bundled in her winter jacket, comes up to you both, her satchel already half open. "Jonathan, can I ask you something?"

Jonathan nods. You don't move, only listening to Nancy, who is filled with worry. She grabs a photo that was once ripped, now taped back together, and hands it to Jonathan. "I went back to Steve's to try and find something related to Barb," she starts and then points to something in the corner of the photo. "Then I saw something like this. Do you have any other pictures like this one?"

You peer over, looking at the photograph. Barbra was sitting on the edge of the pool, and off to the side was a dark, faceless figure. You immediately recognize it and grab the photo. "Holy shit." You let out a laugh, a relief that you weren't going crazy, that this weird thing is actually real. "Holy shit-- Jonathan, that's exactly what Will and I saw on the road-- where I had to swerve off-- and where it chased us into the house and into the shed--!"

Looks like Jonathan's odd photography skills turned out to be helpful.

Nancy looks at you, then Jonathan. "Do you?"

"N--no, but I can enhance the photo and make it larger," Jonathan replies, and you and Nancy jump at the opportunity, already heading back into school to go to the development room.

˗ˏˋ ★ ˎˊ˗

The red lights of the room cast a red hue amongst all three of you. Jonathan is developing the photos off to the side as you and Nancy look around. You've been here dozens of times to help Jonathan develop his photos, but every time feels like an adventure, noticing new photos hanging.

"Does it take long?" Nancy asks, breaking the silence among the three of you. She moves one of the tubs of liquid, watching as it sloshes around.

"No, not at all," Jonathan mumbles, placing the paper into a new tub and sloshing it around.

"So..." Nancy turns her head to you. "You saw that thing? Does that mean you saw Barb?"

You hesitate to tell Nancy that you more or less witnessed her friend's death. "Very briefly. I didn't even know it was her until now." You look down at the other photos. Nancy seems to take your response.

"What was it like?"

"Huh?" you ask.

"Wherever you were," Nancy clarifies.

"Dark, cold, wet," you begin, trying to recall anything else that seemed to stand out in the place. "It looked just like here, but dark, I guess, I don't really know--"

"I got it." Jonathan holds up the newly developed photo, this time only focused on the creature and larger. You and Nancy creep closer. Nancy only processes what she's seeing. You lean in closer. "Well? Is that what you saw?" Jonathan asks.

You look at the photograph. It's dark, but Steve's pool lights in the photo cast just the right amount of light for you to see the outline of the creature. Tall, no face, and odd proportions. Yes, that was the exact thing you saw that made you swerve off the road and run into the forest, the very thing that forced you and Will to hide in a shed and defend yourself, shaking for help.

Your eyes are wide as you think back to that night. Nancy and Jonathan don't probe for your response. You blink out of your trance, and a small tear falls down your face as you quickly wipe it. "Yes, that's what I saw. That's what took Will and me."

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Your mother was waiting near the door, brushing off the dust and lint on her dress and adjusting her heels. She gives you a warm smile as you approach her, and she cups your cheeks. "You look so beautiful, honey."

"Mom..." you sigh, trying to move your head from her grip. "You can't say that stuff; this is a funeral."

"I'm just--" she's cut off by you walking out the front door. Sierra and Malik look at one another. Malik has a disappointed look on his face, and Sierra has the opposite. "Malik--"

"She's been a real brat since she got back." Your father adjusts his coat. "Makes me think she didn't really go missing."

"She's grieving," Your mother sighs as she follows your father, locking the house door.

"Doesn't give her the right to act the way she is, that's all I'm saying. I mean-- we give her everything she wants, and it's never enough for her." Malik sighs. He shoves his hands in his pockets as he looks over at you, waiting next to the car. Your father speaks just loud enough for you to hear; you know he wants you to hear. Your father is a man who is strict on respect and the different roles of the house.

The drive to the cemetery is quiet. Your mother tries making small talk among the three of you, but keeps failing within a few sentences. "Volleyball tournament, huh?" "I got benched." You say. "How come?" "Mental health, I guess."

"How's the progress on investigations?" "Fine, I'm not allowed to say much," Malik says, gripping the steering wheel firmly.

"How are those grades, Y/N?" "Same as ever." "All A's?" "Of course." You lean your head against the cold window, watching the environment outside pass you. One of your mother's questions gets you thinking for a minute.

"Are you still going to babysit those boys?" Sierra asks.

You look at the back of your mom's head, pondering the question. After everything that's happened, you're not so sure about babysitting anymore. But, you know the boys could probably need you now more than ever for a time like this. "Maybe."

Your parents don't ask anything else. That's how it's always been; you and your parents barely spoke. Initially, they said it was because of work, but now the dynamic has changed. You eventually pull up to the cemetery, and the whole town of Hawkins is already there. You quickly grab the small bouquet of flowers you bought earlier this morning, some of Will's favorite colors in it. One of the flowers was one of the dried-up roses he gave you when you took him to your homecoming.

You look around, and everyone is hovering around the supposed grave of Will. Joyce is only standing there, looking off into space. You decide to approach her first. You come up next to her, and she quickly notices you, pulling you into a warm hug. "Oh, Y/N..." she begins sobbing again. This is the first time you two have properly seen each other since everything happened. "Thank you for coming. How are you?"

"Hangin' on, I suppose." You rub Joyce's shoulder blades as she pulls you in tighter. "How about you?"

She only nods, wiping a few tears when she lets go of your embrace. You give her a few seconds before you grab the bouquet off the seat, showing it to her. Joyce brushes a few flowers with her cold hands, and you toss them into the deep hole in the ground, looking at the coffin. He isn't dead. You know it. You can feel it.

Your next stop is Jonathan. You begin making your way, recognizing that brunette from a mile away. He's next to another brunette, they're both sitting, hiding from the rest of the funeral. You slowly approach the two, grass crunching beneath your feet, and their heads snap to face you. It's Nancy Wheeler. "Y/N--" They both scoot over and point at the paper.

You squat down in front of them, hugging your knees as you look at the paper Jonathan is holding. Nancy points to one of four X's, "That's where they found your car, that's Jonathan's house, Steve's house, and then where you were found."

"They're all pretty close." You say.

Jonathan and Nancy share a look. You form a tight line with your lips. "You want to go find it...? We don't know what that is, and what if we do?"

There are a few seconds of silence. Jonathan sighs, looking off into the distance. "We kill it."

"What? With what?" Nancy questions.

"Weapons, I guess. Guns?" Jonathan looks at you. "Your dad's all gun-ho, right?"

"Yeah, we have a shit ton of guns in our basement and shed." You start to visualize every gun you've seen in your house. They're literally everywhere.

"Hold on-- that's crazy. There's no other way?" Nancy is obviously opposed to the idea. You smile. "Too scared, Nancy Drew? What else are we supposed to do?"

"She's right," Jonathan says, looking over at Nancy. "You want to just take a picture and yell at it? We have to kill it and stop it from taking more people."

Nancy sits for a moment to weigh her options. She knows this is the only logical way to go about things. "Fine, what's your plan?"

"We all meet near my house later today, after all the funeral stuff. Y/N, get all the guns you can." Jonathan says firmly, you all give a knowing look and nod.

˗ˏˋ ★ ˎˊ˗

The rest of the day was quiet. You didn't have volleyball practice anymore since you were benched, so your afternoons were free for the rest of the season. As angry as you were at being benched, it's oddly nice having more free time.

That is, to kill weird monsters.

Your parents went out to dinner for the night at Enzo's. It's just you and your dog, Bruce, who's mindlessly following you around frantically trying to determine which guns would be best against that freak creature. What kind of bullets would kill it? Could bullets even kill it? Should you go to your dad's safe to get a better gun? Maybe a rifle will suffice--

There's a knock on the door. Your heart drops. There's no way your parents are back already. You quickly throw the duffel bag of weapons under your bed and head downstairs to peek through the small hole in your door.

You can't help but laugh. "Go away, Steve." You yell, and he also looks through the peephole. "You already did enough damage. I'm this close to getting kicked off my team, and my grades are slipping. Do you feel better about yourself? Is your ego satisfied?" You leave the peephole to go back upstairs before there's another knock. You ignore it before he does it a third time.

A heavy sigh leaves your mouth as you hop down the stairs and unlock the chain, opening the door to see an oddly worried Steve. "What?"

"Have you seen Nance?"

"I'm not your wingwoman."

"You were with her yesterday, no? I saw you drop her off at her house, too." Steve is fidgeting with himself.

"And?"

"She hasn't been answering my calls. I'm worried."

You sneer. "What are you suggesting, Harrington? That I have something to do with your girlfriend issues? Y'know you have some nerve considering you know exactly what you saw the other night and still have the balls to say I was faking everything--"

"Has she been hanging out with Jonathan?" Steve cuts you off, and now you're even angrier.

"What does it matter?"

"Have they done anything?"

"Who cares? I don't know." You lean on the doorframe, crossing your arms. "Maybe you should take some notes. Jonathan has been taking better care of your girl than you ever have."

With that, you slam the door in his face and go back to packing your duffel bag. Your dog kept barking at the door for a solid minute, which told you Steve stayed there for just as long. You don't care; he's pissed you off, you can do the same.

ZIP!

˗ˏˋ ★ ˎˊ˗

PANG! An old soda can goes flying. Nancy lowers her gaze from her rifle and looks back at you and Jonathan. You're both shocked. You never thought a typical girl like Nancy would be such a good shot.

"Where'd you learn to shoot?" You ask. You thought you were a good shot; your father frequently took you out so you could defend yourself.

Nancy shrugs. You can see a small smile tugging on her lips.

"Nancy Drew can shoot, huh?" You say, seeing that all the cans were shot by her. You and Jonathan don't quite compare to her just yet. Nancy doesn't say anything, looking up at the setting sky, hues of orange and red beginning to dwindle past the horizon. The three of you take it as a sign to start roaming the woods.

The walk is silent; you can't tell if you're third wheeling or not. Nancy and Jonathan are walking close, but Jonathan mumbles something after Nancy asks about the pictures he took a few days ago, and Nancy seems upset at his response. She stopped and waited for you to catch up.

You both walk in a comfortable silence for a while, and only the crunches of leaves and sticks fill your ears. You tilt your head to Nancy, "Your boyfriend has been lookin' for you."

"Steve?"

"Unless you're dating someone else," You cock your eyebrows, facing off into the distance in front of you. "He stopped by my place looking for you earlier. Said you haven't been answering him."

"I--"

You wait for a response. "Well? Trouble in paradise?"

"I don't know, he doesn't understand everything that's happened, I guess." Nancy begins, and you can see the guilt on her face. Her lips formed a small pout, beautiful blue eyes looked down at the leaves. Wait, what? "You and Jonathan actually believe me on all this, and well, you saw that thing. He doesn't think that Barb might have actually been taken or something."

Never in your life would you think Nancy Wheeler said that you got her. Your stomach feels weird, you've always been snarky with her, yet she's giving you the benefit of the doubt. Same with Jonathan.

"Have you told him that?" You just said to Steve you wouldn't be his wingwoman, but you were exactly doing that right now, counseling a fragile relationship.

"I tried, but he doesn't believe me. I don't blame him, I guess." Nancy sighs, moving her flashlight to look past all the trees in the dark. You do the same, pondering.

"Well, he's like, lovesick for you, Nancy." Your shoulders drop, you're just about talking about the yo-yo. Nancy seems to perk up at your response; perhaps she's feeling hopeful now. It's fine, she deserves to be happy, considering she just lost her best friend.

Jonathan stops. You and Nancy both bump into him. "Jonath--"

He shushes you. His head keeps looking off to the side. "Do you hear that?"

Nothing. Nothing. A faint whimper.

You all slowly start following the source of the sound before you find a deer, gravely injured. Large gashes across its neck, labored breathing, heavy.

"We can't just leave it." Nancy frowns, looking at the poor deer. She eyes the pistol in her hand. Jonathan offers to take it, and you all stand up, preparing yourselves for the shot. Jonathan hesitates, cocking the gun awfully slow. He raises up the pistol and puts his finger over the trigger, then--

--the deer is dragged away. You all leap as a response, Nancy screaming just a bit as she grabs onto your arm tightly. You shine your flashlight on the new trail of blood the deer has left behind, slowly following it. Nancy still has a deathgrip wrapped around your arm, her flashlight on the path ahead of you.

Jonathan turns off, and it's just you and Nancy. Her grip loosens a bit, but she's still clinging. You and her both look around, noticing a tree with an odd, slimy, gaping hole, where the blood trail ends.

Nancy gets down at eye-level with the hole. You reach out for Nancy, weary of this weird thing. "Nance-- wait--"

She gets down on her hands and knees, and you crouch down to face the flashlight into the slime. She looks back, asking for your support with fear in her eyes. You follow suit with her, both slowly crawling through the slimy surface.

When you're through, you're back in an oddly familiar face. You gasp, recognizing these woods. There's no way it was that easy to leave this whole time?

"What?" Nancy whispers.

"This is where I was," You reply back hushly. Your flashlights flicker on and off, trying to take in the sight before your lights land on that damn monster feasting on the poor deer you tried to put out of its misery. Nancy jumps in fear, and you're nearly frozen. She clings to you again. It seems you're her personal teddy bear now.

You slowly bring her back, careful with your steps, before one of your boots crushes a stick. Nancy takes a sharp gasp, and you both look at each other, then the creature. It turns around. Shit. You push Nancy off of you and toward the tree, "Go, GO! Go, Nancy!" You help push her through the small hole, hearing Jonathan call for both of you on the other side. You stand in front of the tree, blocking Nancy from the tree as you get your rifle, pointing it at the freak.

You're just close to pulling the trigger before you feel two hands grab at your feet and drag you back through the hole, narrowly escaping the creature.

"Y/N--" Both Jonathan and Nancy exhale with relief. You look up to see the normal night sky, gun still pointing upward. Jonathan takes your rifle, and Nancy looks over you, "Are you okay? Was that the thing you saw!?"

You slowly nod, taking a deep breath and swallowing harshly. Nancy's face goes pale as she connects the dots. That's the thing that also likely took Barb. She's sick to her stomach. "Come on, we should get back. I've-- I've had enough for tonight."

No one says anything. There's a silent agreement amongst you all.

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