Welcome to my story!
This is set after Season 1 & 2. I will try as much as possible to only use information regarding characters that we're given within the show so as to stay within canon. However, a few liberties have been taken later in the story for the sake of plot. Nothing major, though.
I hope you enjoy this little project of mine!
Disclaimer: I own nothing except for Meg and her mom.
In early January, a red Ford Escort passed a roadside sign bearing the phrase,
Welcome to Hawkins, IN.
Within the car was Virginia Henderson, who was humming excitedly in the passenger's seat, and her daughter, Megan, who was driving while glaring at the road. The pair shared the same pale skin and straight nose, but the resemblance stopped there. Virginia had auburn curls and bright blue eyes, and a slightly confused smile which seemed to be her default expression. Her daughter sported shoulder length dark hair and beneath her bangs were eyes that were almost black. She most often wore a calculating frown, and if she was smiling, it was most likely to be mischievous in nature. Virginia was the colour that floated on the autumn air; Megan related more the dirtied snow which lined the road upon which they drove.
"We're here, dear," Virginia announced. She giggled at the rhyme and Megan forced her eyes not to roll up and into her head. "This is so exciting! I spoke to your aunt on the phone this morning-"
"I know, I was there."
"And she was so excited for us to come in today." Virginia clasped her hands together. "She already has the guest room all made up, and I shouldn't really tell you this – Claudia wanted it to be a surprise – but she's making us a special dinner."
"How exciting," Meg deadpanned.
They finally began to drive past things other than trees; a gas station, a diner, what looked like a car wash but boasted a cardboard cut-out of a cartoon dog in the bath. What was that advertising? A pet-wash? These small-town people couldn't be bothered to wash their own pets? Meg's frown deepened as they drove further into this whacked town. Virginia noticed, and turned her own frown on her daughter. "Now don't you start, young lady. And don't even think about giving your aunt attitude. We're here to help her, not weigh her down with your adolescent drama."
Megan didn't look at her mother. "I was under the impression that us moving here was for your benefit as much as hers. It sure isn't benefiting anyone else."
Her mother huffed. "Claudia and I both want to live near each other again. A sisterly bond is important." She crossed her arms, and Meg could sense a lecture coming. "And this attitude of yours is completely unjustified, Megan. Living in Hawkins has the potential to be good, and you aren't even considering it. You may not be benefiting from it right now, but you're certainly not suffering either." At this, Meg turned an incredulous look on her mother. Virginia just put her finger up. "This is not a punishment, and I don't see why you're treating it as such. It is just a change."
Tightening her hands around the steering wheel, Megan felt her jaw began to ache from how tightly she was clenching it. Not a punishment. If her mother was going to make her suffer, the least she could do was be outright about it. "Are you telling me this has nothing to do with what happened?"
Virginia made a tsk-ing noise. "What happened was you misbehaving, dear. And us moving here was not a result of your behaviour. You know that I'd been considering it for a few months."
"But it was the deciding factor," Meg insisted.
At this, her mother let out a sigh and looked out the window. "Not everything is about you, Megan Robbins." Meg bit down so hard she was sure her jaw would break. That particular phrase was one she had heard much too often, and in much worse circumstances. Virginia turned her head to look at her, and there was a beat of silence before she spoke again. "I did not decide to move just to punish you for what you did. But if leaving Indianapolis and living in Hawkins teaches you a lesson, all the better."
It wasn't an outright confession, but it said enough. Megan glared at the street and the passing buildings. She had been right. Moving to Hawkins, Indiana was a punishment that Meg did not deserve.
The first thing that Meg noticed about her aunt was that she wore the same perfume as her mother. When they pulled their car into the driveway, Claudia Henderson had come whirling out of her house in a rush of greetings and giggles. After the two sisters gushed over one another, Claudia had pulled Meg into a smothering embrace. Meg was ensconced in the scent of old sweaters, cat hair, and the musky perfume that her mother had worn for as long as she could remember.
Claudia's hair was the same reddish hue as her sister, and their plump lips stretched into the same smile. With her aunt's arms wrapped around her, Meg realised that there was perhaps only one thing which differed between the two women. Where Claudia was soft and pliable, Virginia's bones were lined with glass beneath her thin skin. Meg glanced at her mother, and caught the brief weariness lining her face. It was gone in a second.
"You're here! Oh, come inside!" Claudia had grasped both women by the hand and led them into a stiflingly warm house. Before her aunt swung the door closed, Meg cast a last look at her car where it sat unlocked. Surely even towns as small as this still had crime. A frantic thought came suddenly, suggesting that she could insist that she go back out to lock the car, and then climb inside it and drive away before anyone could stop her.
But her mother would be alone with her aunt, and neither of them were prepared to be on their own, not really. Not after all they'd been through. And if Meg left, it would hurt both women. Her mother would probably be frantic with worry, and might even get her father to hunt her down. The image of her father's frown was enough to make Meg turn around and breathe in the musty air of Claudia's home. She wiped the image from her mind.
It was around five in the evening, and the sun outside was already beginning to set. Claudia had herded Virginia and Meg into the kitchen and sat them at a table laden with food. Meg may not have wanted to be there, but the smells wafting up from the cooking dishes before her had her planted in her seat. It was a pot roast: beef, potatoes, carrots. There were four pieces of corn on the cob and a gravy boat which called Meg's name in a sultry voice. Her mouth began to water and her stomach reminded her that the last she'd eaten was a few chicken nuggets for lunch. Maybe her aunt's food would make this hell-hole bearable.
"Ta-da!" Claudia sang. She beamed at them over the table. "Are you surprised?"
Meg thought back to the last time she'd been with her aunt: Thanksgiving, the year before last. Claudia had been in charge of the turkey, and had produced something that looked like a turkey, but tasted more like cardboard. Meg had attempted to block the memory out entirely, but to no avail. Without thinking, she blurted, "Yes."
Claudia was clearly pleased by her answer, but Virginia knew exactly what her daughter meant, and gave her a warning look.
Meg cleared her throat and gave her aunt a smile. "This looks great, Aunt Claudia. Thanks for having us."
"Of course! I'm just so glad you're here." Her smile looked wide enough to split her plump, rosy cheeks. Meg absently wondered if it hurt at all. Claudia's eyes suddenly widened. "Oh, Dustin isn't even in here yet. He's probably talking to his little friends on the radio again. My, those boys can chat all day and night. I haven't the faintest what they even have to talk about!" Meg didn't think she wanted to know what exactly teenage boys 'chatted' about. "Just wait one moment while I grab him."
Her aunt trotted down the hall, and Meg set her eyes back to the feast laying before her. Muffled voices drifted down the hall. Meg took a deep, lingering breath and basked in the rich scents of each overflowing platter. Her lips quirked as she caught sight of Virginia eyeing the roast beef with bright eyes. They met each other's gaze, and for the first time in a few days, Megan found herself sharing a genuine smile with her mother.
And then a loud groan met their ears, and the warmth of the moment leached out into the winter air.
"Fine," a disgruntled voice agreed. A cheery response rang out – clearly from Claudia – and was followed by the sound of footsteps approaching the kitchen. Meg and Virginia shared a different, wary look.
Claudia entered the room with the same thousand-watt smile as before. It was in stark comparison to the frown on her son's face as he looked at Meg. She met his look with a cool stare.
Suddenly that Thanksgiving came surging forward in Megan's mind. Her cousin's incessant chattering, her parents snapping and growling at each other, her aunt being blissfully unaware of the tension. She remembered whirling around and hissing at the nearest target. 'Do you ever shut up? Just go away, toothless.'
Looking now at the hostility in Dustin's gaze, she knew he hadn't forgotten her words.
"Dustin!" Virginia cooed. Either not noticing the tension between the two youths or choosing to ignore it, she rose to smother her nephew and leave a smear of Rich Rosé lipstick on his cheek. Dustin mustered a smile and a greeting, and when Virginia turned to the table, he wiped his cheek with the sleeve of his sweatshirt.
Meg's eyes followed him as he moved to sit across from her. "Hey."
Dustin just looked at her as he sat. He gave her a slight nod before looking away.
Perhaps she should apologise for what she'd said. But it was two years ago! He should've gotten over it by now. And from what she could see, all of his teeth had grown in. Besides, he wasn't the one who had been watching his parent's marriage fall apart at the dinner table.
Meg shrugged off her thoughts. She couldn't care less what Dustin thought. But she did care about the heavy-laden table in front of her.
Claudia returned from retrieving the water jug from the kitchen, and finally all four relatives were sitting around the table in varying degrees of excitement. The two sisters were chattering away at the speed of lightning and releasing bouts of clucking laughter in between bites of their supper. Megan had managed to get her hands on the holy gravy boat and didn't bother to restrain her gleeful smile as she poured a lavish amount of the coveted sauce over her plate. If she was going to be forced to be here, she was going to take as much gravy as she pleased.
Dustin, on the other hand, was not participating in the conversation and picked at his food more than he actually ate it. He'd flick his eyes up to look at her every once in a while, only to look back at his plate as soon as she met his gaze.
Meg shook her head. Were all boys this mopey? She stifled a snort. Let the kid pout, she didn't care. She stabbed a piece of gravy-slathered roast beef and slid it into her mouth, her tastebuds anticipating the rush of heavenly flavours.
Only to snap her mouth shut so fast she almost bit her tongue clean off. An unholy union of unrecognizable spices hit her tongue seconds before she realised that the beef itself had the texture of leather. The gravy – the blessed, god-sent gravy – was the only thing keeping Meg from spitting out the meat and wiping at her tongue. She carefully schooled her features and sent a furtive glance toward her aunt, hoping she hadn't noticed Meg practically gagging. Thankfully, Claudia was wiping tears of laughter from her eyes and paid her no heed.
Meg turned back to her plate and her eyes caught on the sly gaze of Dustin sitting across from her. The wicked glint in his eyes and toothy grin caused a lightbulb to click on in Meg's head. The way he was picking at his food, the furtive glances he snuck at her. The brat had known exactly what Meg was about to bite into, and had planned on enjoying her torture.
Frowning at him, Meg stabbed her fork into a chunk of potato without breaking eye contact. She held it up for him to see and raised a single eyebrow. Is this safe for humans to consume?
Dustin made a poor attempt at hiding a grin and gave her a shrug. Maybe.
Her brows furrowed. That's not an answer.
She watched him for a few seconds, her lips pursed. She eyed the potato. It seemed innocent enough. With a bracing breath, Meg shoved the potato into her mouth. Maybe if she just ate really fast, her tastebuds wouldn't suffer and she could get out of this torture-dinner mess-free.
But as the warm, soft potato and gravy melted in her mouth, Meg realised with a start that it was actually quite good. She slowed the desperate pace of her chewing, and swallowed easily. Her eyes flew up to her cousin, whose smile was wide and unabashed. He was laughing at her! Meg looked at his plate and noticed for the first time that he had eaten more than she'd thought. All of his potatoes were gone and only a few bites of carrots and corn were left. The only untouched food was the roast beef from hell.
Dustin's green eyes were full of mirth and he smiled at her through a mouthful of carrots. Megan wrinkled her nose at the mushy sight. Disgusting.
Suddenly, her mother turned to her as she spoke. "Meg and I didn't dare blink when we came into town. We just wanted to see everything!" Meg stifled a scoff. She'd kept her eyes on the road and critiqued whatever she did see. There was an outrageous amount of potholes in the streets for a town this size. "But Hawkins hasn't changed," Virginia mused. "It's still the quaint little town I remember from our childhood, Dia."
At this, Dustin perked up. "Actually, Hawkins has changed a lot, even in the last couple years." He paused, glancing at his mother. Was he seeking her approval? For talking? Or maybe for correcting an adult. Meg frowned at the idea. He was allowed to correct someone, especially if he really did know more about the subject than they did. Her mother hadn't been to Hawkins in at least ten years. Megan had never stepped foot in the place.
"We've gotten a lot of new stuff," Dustin continued, seeming to have shrugged off whatever had given him pause. "The arcade was put in last year and the bowling alley got refurbished the year before that. And the old library got replaced by a big movie theatre, which was a while ago but it's still kinda new. I mean, the seats don't smell like-"
"Dustin," Claudia chided.
The boy just grinned, but held his hands up in surrender. "Some stuff is gone, too. That gross diner got demolished. Me and my friends went and watched. It was crazy."
At this, Virginia let out a slight gasp and turned to her sister. "He doesn't mean Benny's diner, does he?"
"He does," Dustin answered with a slight frown. Meg hid a grin behind a sip of her drink. No kid liked being spoken around instead of to. Virginia just pursed her lips and stabbed a carrot. "And that creepy, whack lab got shut down last year. Finally." Dustin's gaze darkened for a brief moment before looking away.
Virginia and Claudia went back to their discussion, but Meg looked at Dustin. Hawkins used to have a mysterious lab? She wondered what went on in there, and why it had gotten shut down. Watching her cousin look darkly at his plate, she also wondered what he knew about it.
Before she could ask him about it, Claudia turned to her with a sunny smile. "Are you excited to start at Hawkins High, Meggie?"
Meg forced herself not to wince at the nickname from her childhood. "I don't know if I'm necessarily excited to start my second half of senior year at a new school, Aunt C. But I do think I'm prepared."
Her mother took this opportunity to gloat about Megan's achievements. "Her high school back in Indianapolis was very sad to see her go, of course. She was on the honour roll, you know." Claudia's smile tightened. Of course she knew. Virginia had to have told her at least fifty times. "But the school here was more than happy to have her enrol. The principal sounded very eager on the phone. He said that 'Hawkins High would be honoured to welcome such a bright student'. He really said that." Virginia looked proudly at Megan. She summoned a half-hearted smile. Her mother could brag all she wanted. Meg knew that she'd never really be able to please her.
Claudia straightened in her chair. "Well, Dustin's been doing very well in school. Straight A's and glowing reports."
"Except for Art," Dustin remarked. "That was a C."
"Sure," Claudia said with a clenched jaw. "But that can easily be pulled up. I'm sure that you'll just flourish in high school. You'll sweep up all of the science awards, just like you have in middle school." She turned to her sister. "Did I ever tell you that they were talking about moving him up a grade? I said no at the time because I wanted him to be around children his own age."
"That was in first grade, Mom," Dustin groaned.
Meg looked at her cousin and gave him a subtle eye-roll, nodding towards their mothers. He looked at her blankly before shaking his head.
Before long, the dishes had been cleared away and Claudia gave her sister and niece a tour of her small, stiflingly warm house. Dustin claimed to have homework waiting for him in his room, but Meg was pretty sure that he just didn't want to be around them. She couldn't really blame him.
After the tour, the three women had sat in the living room as they caught up on all the living they had done while apart. Meg had stayed purely out of wanting to be polite to her host on the first night of being her guest. After a few hours, Meg looked at the clock wearily. She hoped these chats wouldn't become a regular thing.
With a yawn, Meg had excused herself, bidding her mother and aunt goodnight. As she padded down the hallway, she approached Dustin's room. His door was cracked, and she could hear him talking. Her footsteps halted. She leaned closer to the door. A brief thought flashed through her mind that eavesdropping might not be the best way to make the kid like her, but she dismissed it. She didn't care what he thought.
"She's worse than Erica, I'm telling you," Dustin said. His voice was full of attitude, clearly trying to prove a point. He must have been using his walkie talkie. There was a muffled noise; she couldn't make out whatever the other person was saying. "Shut up, Lucas. Erica still likes you. Meg just yells and calls me names."
Meg's breath caught. The little twerp was talking about her to his lame friends. And being rude about it, too! She hadn't yelled at him or called him any names since she'd arrived. He was still holding a grudge from two years ago? Ridiculous.
Another muffled noise. Dustin released a frustrated groan. "It was a couple years ago," he grumbled. Clearly whoever he was talking to had brought up the same point. "And she hasn't said anything yet. But she still glares and rolls her eyes and pretends to be nice around the adults. It's a matter of time before she goes all crazy. She's the worst."
Anger coursed through Meg's veins. Without thinking, she shoved the door open. Dustin had been sprawled across his bed, but shot up when Meg stepped through the doorway, dropping his walkie talkie. "Hey, kid," Meg spat. "Tell your little friend I said hi, since you're telling them everything else about me."
Dustin frowned and pushed himself off the bed. "You were eavesdropping on me? You are the worst."
Meg scoffed. "I'm the worst? You're mad at me for something I said years ago. Talk about petty." She crossed her arms. "I was trying to be nice to you tonight. Clearly I shouldn't have bothered."
"It's not like you ever apologised."
"Oh, please," Megan said. "You want me to apologise? Fine. I'm sorry for hurting your feelings two years ago when my parents were on their way to divorce. I'm also sorry that you're still pouting about it." Dustin's glare darkened. Meg just pointed a finger at him. "And don't think I forgot about how you enjoyed watching me eat that god-awful beef. Nice way to start us off, loser."
Dustin rolled his eyes. "You're mad at me for holding something against you, but you're offended that I didn't warn you about my mom's cooking? Who's petty now? And stop calling me names!"
Meg heard their mothers' voices start to quiet in the living room. She glared at her cousin. Her voice was low as she spoke. "Whatever, dweeb. Just leave me alone, and I'll leave you alone. Maybe we'll survive living together."
Dustin went to respond, but she just stepped back and pulled his door shut. She heard him release an angry sound.
Glowering, she retreated to the room she would be sharing with her mother while they looked for a place to live. The thought left a bitter taste in Meg's mouth as she changed clothes and crawled into bed.
This town was her home now. She'd be driving down streets without lines and going to little Ma n' Pa shops to get her groceries. She'd have to make new friends and work hard to catch up in class. And apparently she'd have to put up with a whiny baby all the time. It's temporary, she told herself. I just have to last six months. She'd return to Indianapolis for college and leave this tiny, awful town for good. Just six torturous months.