Big thanks to Marloweee1856 for beta reading this and turning my trash into something that is readable!
Disclaimer: I do not own anything from Stranger Things.
Chapter Two | The Girl from Mirkwood, Part One
"Where secrecy or mystery begins, vice or roguery is not far off"
-Samuel Johnson
Melissa was stationed in the student parking lot, leaned up against her brother's car, with a cigarette resting between her lips. Her brother had the night shift tonight, which meant that she was able to take the car to school. She absolutely relished the times she was able to drive herself to school. There was a driver's license in her possession, but, she didn't do a lot of driving.
In her mind, it felt like such a waste.
She had arrived a little early, and while her sisters dashed off to the middle school, she stayed behind in the parking lot. Hoping to get a few smoke sessions in before class starts.
She took in a long drag, and breathed out, watching the smoke swirl into clouds in front of her face as it rose in the air. As she glanced around, she was surprised by the normalcy of everyone around her. Will's disappearance didn't seem to hold any sort of meaning with these people. Granted, it's only been a day, still, in a small town where nothing like this happens, Melissa thought that everyone would be somewhat alert, or freaked out.
No. They don't give a shit. She thought to herself, bitterly.
Taking one last moment with her cigarette, Melissa dropped it to the ground, stepping on it for good measure. Then, she started for the school.
When she passed the main parking lot, she glanced over at a familiar face. This made her pause. It was Jonathan Byers. In an instant, she felt her mood change. It felt like the air grew thicker just by the sight of him. And she debated with herself; should she go over and say something, or just leave him alone?
Melissa had known Jonathan for as long as she'd known Will, which was a long time. But while Mike and Will were best friends, Melissa and Jonathan were more of friendly acquaintances. She'd seen him and interacted with him several times over the years. Whether it was him picking Will up from Mike's home, bumping into him in the school hallways, or somewhere in town. He was a really nice guy. Quiet, shy, kept to himself most of the time, which didn't bode well with the jerks that attended their school. She heard the whispered conversations they've had about him. Casting him as the outsider, the weirdo, someone that you would want to stay away from.
It was all bullshit. And it was coming from people who didn't take the time to talk with him. But, she knew him, albeit not incredibly well, she still knew him.
She sucked in a deep breath, using it to stable herself, then strode across the parking lot towards his car. The entire time she was praying that she wouldn't make things awkward. God, that was the last thing either of them needed.
Jonathan had his back to her. He was shuffling through some papers in his bag. And for a few seconds, Melissa just stood behind him, trying to think of the right things to say. Also, she probably looked like a complete idiot just staring at him.
Finally, she found her voice. "Hey, Jonathan."
He straightened his back, and turned to the source. Clearly, he wasn't expecting anyone to approach him. "Hey."
And in the worst possible moment, Melissa's mind went blank. She widened her eyes as she continued to stare at him, mouth agape, but nothing was coming out. What was she supposed to say?
Just say something.
"I just wanted to say sorry." That was such a lame thing to say to him. Pull yourself together, Hughes. "I'm just really sorry about...all of this." Poor choice of words. She knew it because Jonathan didn't say anything back, he just nodded. She needed to salvage this conversation, if it could even be considered that. "How's your mom doing?"
"She's managing." Jonathan made sure to put emphasis on the last bit. "It's just been really hard, you know?"
"Yeah." She scratched at her head. "And, what about you? How are you doing?"
There was a moment of hesitation. Jonathan had been so focused on making sure his mother was in the right head space. Throughout this whole ordeal, he hadn't given much thought to his own well-being. "Just trying to keep my head up. Keep myself grounded and focused. I don't want to lose myself in all of this."
"Yeah. I mean I can't imagine what this must be like for both of you. I mean just the thought of my sisters, or my brother..." She paused. The last thing Melissa should be doing was trying to relate to this. It just didn't work. And it put focus on a non-existent feeling. His brother was the one who was missing, not her siblings. It was just creating a false connection with him. "Have you heard anything yet? I mean, do the police have any leads?" She quickly moved the conversation along.
"No." He shook his head, his thumb brushed over copies of the 'missing' posters of Will. "Hopper thinks that Will might be with Lonnie, but my mom just thinks that he's wasting his time with that."
Ah, yes. Lonnie. A man that Melissa never knew that well. Only from what she could gather from the things Will has mentioned over the years. He and Joyce divorced a few years back and he left Hawkins not long after. Not the most upstanding guy, but Melissa couldn't forge much of an opinion on him. It wasn't her place.
"Well, it's worth checking out. If he's not there, then at least you'll be able to cross off that possibility."
"Yeah."
He sounded incredibly doubtful. Jonathan and Will's relationship with their father was strained and unhealthy. While it was logical to exhaust every possibility, he couldn't find the logic of Will running away to be with their dad. For one, the last they heard from him, which was a year ago, he was in Indianapolis. God knows if he was even still there. Second, what reason would Will have to go with their father? Jonathan, much like his mother, did feel that it was just a waste of time. The probability of Will not being there was extremely high.
Melissa noticed some of the other students casting looks at her. Confused looks. As if thinking, why was she even talking to this guy? She bit her tongue, refraining herself from telling them off. At least, not with Jonathan standing right in front of her.
Instead, she focused on him, finally noticing how tired and worn out he looked. If only there was more she could do for him. "Look, I know this may not help much. And I may not be as close to Will as you, or Mike, but I do know enough. And Will is really smart, and resourceful. He'll know what to do. And the police are going to find him. They're going to bring him home. You just hold onto that thought."
It was somewhat comforting. While he did appreciate it, Jonathan had a sickening feeling that this won't be the case. Of course, he was hopeful that his brother would be found, alive. And while he tries to ignore it, and fight it, there is a small inkling that fills him with dread when he does acknowledge it. What if they don't find him? Or if they do, what if it's not the rescue they had been hoping for.
Reluctantly, she glanced down at her watch, seeing that class would be starting in about five minutes. "Um, I have to go. But, if there's anything I can do to help, please just let me know."
"Yeah. Yeah, I will. Thanks."
Now, she had to depart on a good note. So, she said that first thing that came to mind. "Have a nice day."
"You, too."
That went better than she was expecting.
However, the reality of what she said to him hit her like a ton of bricks. Giving her best smile, she turned and started for the main entrance. Once she was out of his sight, that's when the self-berating started. Her eyes narrowed as she recounted the last thing she said to him. "Have a nice day?" She whispered to herself. "What the fuck was I thinking? Have a nice day?" She finished with a scoff. Why did she think it would be a good idea to tell him that? His brother was fucking missing, and she was stupid enough to tell him to have a nice day.
When she made it to her locker, she wasted no time. Melissa pressed her forehead against the locker door, and just stood there. Thinking of a dozen other things she could have said to him. They all would have been better compared to what came out of her mouth.
"You're stupid, Hughes," she whispered to herself. "So. Fucking. Stupid."
The bell rang.
She quickly grabbed her books, and slammed the locker shut. The only thing she wanted was a distraction so she could forget about what took place only a few minutes prior.
Melissa felt a hand gently grab her shoulder, making her jump. When she saw that it was Barb, she rolled her eyes at her own skittish reaction.
"Oh, sorry," Barb gave a sheepish shrug. "Didn't mean to scare you."
"You didn't scare me." Melissa retorted.
"Right." Barb replied. The word sounded so mocking coming out of her mouth. While it was a light tone, Melissa still didn't find it funny. "Has Steve tracked you down yet?"
"What? No." Melissa raised her gaze to level with Barb. The fact that Steve would even want to find her, means that something was going on. "Why on earth would he track me down?"
"He invited Nancy, and I guess us as well, to his parents' house tonight. They're out of town, so he's gonna throw a little party. Tommy and Carol are going as well."
"Wow." Her eyes widened for effect, then she let out a small, distasteful hum. "Doesn't tantalize me at all. The last thing I would ever do is submit myself to a social gathering where the three of them would act as hosts." Actually, if it was just Steve who was hosting, while Tommy and Carol are nowhere near the event, then yeah, Melissa would probably attend. She could handle Steve's antics and mannerisms. But, the other two. God, no.
"Has Nancy decided if she's gonna go yet?" Melissa asked once she and Barb were standing outside her first class.
"She didn't say anything. But, I have a strong feeling that she's going to go."
No parents. Big empty house. Lots of alcohol, no doubt. And the fact that Steve was known for being quite promiscuous. This wasn't sitting well with her whatsoever.
….
As soon as first period was over, Melissa charged out of the classroom with only one thing on her mind. Find Steve. She knew that during the switch to second period, he always stopped at his locker to switch out books. She could catch him there.
The entire walk to Steve's locker, she repeated to herself, act civil. It was like a mantra in her mind. Besides, she wasn't going to him looking for an argument, she just had a few things that she wanted him to be aware of.
A few feet ahead of her, she spotted Steve, just about to reach his locker. She picked up her pace, and called out for him. "Harrington!"
Steve paused momentarily to see who had called his name, and his expression was nothing but surprised when he saw who it was. "You calling for me, Hughes?"
Melissa huffed out a heavy breath as she came to a stop next to him. "I need to talk to you."
He was surprised. But, it was underlined with a real smugness, something that made her roll her eyes. "Oh, you need to talk with me? Never thought I would see the day when you voluntarily track me down."
"Yeah, don't get used to it."
They both only had a few minutes before their next class starts. Might as well just work fast to get this over with. After dialing in the locker combo, Steve gave her a side-glance, "what can I do for you then?"
"I want to talk to you about this little party that you're throwing tonight."
"Oh, yeah," he pointed over at her. "Almost forgot, you're more than welcome to come over for the festivities."
"No thanks. Not interested. I didn't come here to talk about the invite, I came here because I wanted to talk to you about Nancy."
This piqued his interest, and for a split moment, there was a flash of concern in his eyes. "Nancy? Why, what happened?"
"Nothing is wrong with Nancy. That's why I'm here, to make sure that it stays that way."
Any semblance of brief concern he had was gone now. Instead, he tilted his head, fully preparing himself for what was going to be coming out of her mouth. She could sense that he was already annoyed, so she mimicked his posture.
"Listen, I promised Nance that I would try and tolerate you, for her sake. So, this is me being serious with you." He raised his eyebrows in response. "I can tell that you just want to get into Nancy's pants. I know that's how you are because there has been a lot of talk about your previous relationships, that have turned out to be true." She paused, waiting to see if there would be any genuine reaction. There wasn't really. Just a deadpanned look from him.
"We don't have that much time, Hughes."
"Fine." She retorted, and leaned against the lockers. "Long story short, I know what you're thinking. And I know what you hope to achieve by inviting her over to your house tonight."
"Hughes...come on."
"I'm not fucking stupid, Steve. Are you kidding? You invite her over to your house while your parents are out of town? What other possible reason would you do that, besides wanting to hop in bed with her?"
He could have denied it. He could have gotten defensive, and tried to convince her otherwise. Instead, he remained quiet, foot tapping insensibly on the floor, and a look on his face that made it seem like he'll walk away from her at any moment.
Melissa rubbed at her mouth, then cleared her throat before continuing. "Look, I'm not here to dictate what you guys do, or don't do. Nancy is allowed to make her own decisions. But, if I find out that you did anything to hurt her, I'm going to make sure that your ass gets handed to you."
Steve hummed in amusement. Something that agitated her even more. He wasn't taking her seriously, and nothing pissed Melissa off more than when someone blows off her concerns. "That's a very bold statement."
"I'm being serious Steve." She stepped closer to him, reaching an arm out to stop him from messing around in his locker. That way, she would have his full attention. And it worked. "The last thing I want to see is my cousin getting hurt by some guy."
"Okay, listen." Steve gently moved Melissa's arm out of the way, so that it was no longer blocking him. "This is me being serious with you. I know that I'm not your favorite person in the world, and to be honest, you're not mine either. But, the one thing we both have in common is Nance. And I can assure you that the last thing I ever want to do is hurt her."
She regarded him for a moment, repeating his words in her head. A part of her wanted to give him the benefit of a doubt. The biggest concern both she and Barb shared was the idea of Steve pressuring her into sleeping with him. It wasn't the most comfortable thing to talk about with her cousin, but Nancy didn't trust her mom enough. So she turned to Melissa, who had experience in the realm of relationships.
Don't do anything unless it's something you are absolutely sure about. That was the most vital piece of advice Melissa gave to her, because that's where she screwed up in her own relationship.
She cringed at the memory, also making sure that her change of mood went unnoticed by Steve. From down the hallway, Tommy and Carol were making their way towards Steve. That was her cue to leave.
Melissa leaned away from the lockers, and gave Steve a pointed look. "I hope you're right, Harrington. I really do."
….
The rest of the day turned into a game of how many stares could Steve and Melissa throw at each other. They never brought up the conversation from earlier. In fact, they never said anything to each other for the rest of the day. Lunch was same way it has been for the past week-with Melissa remaining quiet and gritting her teeth every time Tommy or Carol opened their mouths.
Nancy noticed that Melissa was quiet, which wasn't weird for her. The growing tension between Steve and Melissa, however, was. It ranged from stares, to extreme lengths of avoidance. No, Melissa didn't tell Nancy about the little conversation she had with Harrington. She didn't deem it important. But she did hint to Barb about it, and that was it. No reason to make a big deal over it.
Last period ended. School was done. Melissa did her usual exchange of books at her locker, only taking the ones she needed, before walking out of the building. She'd just walked out of the building when Barb called out her name and rushed over to her. She paused and turned around, "Hey, what's up?"
"I need to talk to you," Barb said, a little breathless from the jog over.
"Okay." The two of them started walking towards the student parking lot. "What's going on?"
"What are you doing tonight?"
"A few things. Why?"
Barb sighed. The amount of annoyance that was permitting from her was alarming. "Nancy just mentioned it to me. But she wants me to go with her to the party tonight and I was just wondering...if you could come with us as well."
"Oh, I can't. I have to babysit tonight, and I'm having dinner with Nancy and her family."
That wasn't the answer she was hoping to hear. Barb hesitated, thinking if it would be too much of her to ask if Melissa could just drop out of her commitments tonight. "Is there any way you can just-get out of it? Maybe get your brother to watch your sisters?"
"I already told my parents I would babysit. My brother has plans, and I can't just bail on dinner." Melissa was never one to bail on commitments, especially ones that she made to her parents. Besides, she wasn't just babysitting. She was also having dinner with her family tonight. It would be a little rude to just cancel at the last minute. "Why do you want me to go anyways?"
Barb rolled her eyes, as if Melissa should have known the reason. "Because Nancy is going for Steve. Tommy and Carol are their own thing. And I don't want to be the only one without someone."
"Even if I didn't have plans tonight, I still wouldn't go."
"Why not?"
Melissa laughed through her nose and shrugged. "Because I just don't want to. Do you?"
Barb hesitated. "No."
"Then why are you even considering going?"
"You know why. It's because of Nancy. I don't want her to get into trouble, or make any mistakes."
Melissa closed her eyes and gently shook her head. "Barb, you're not her babysitter."
This was something that was one-hundred percent Barb. She was always outspoken about the choices that Nancy made. She also talked it up to just being worried about her, but there were times when Melissa had to calmly tell Barb to just back away a little bit. It was almost as if in her mind, Nancy wasn't supposed to make any mistakes. And that was where Melissa and Barb diverged in their ideology.
Melissa waited until they were at her car. Then she turned to Barb. "Okay, look. I get that you're worried, and honestly, I kinda am too. But I'm not her mother, and neither are you. We can't keep hovering over Nance, trying to influence the choices that she makes. She's old enough to make them, and the only thing we can do for her is to just be there when she needs us."
Barb tilted her head, giving Melissa her infamous 'are you serious' look. "You don't honestly think it's a good idea for her to go there tonight, do you? I mean, you know how Steve is. He just wants to get into her pants."
Melissa shrugged. "I mean, yeah, probably. As much as I don't like him, I don't think Steve would do anything like that to Nancy." God, she hoped not. He seemed to be a decent enough guy to not force her into a situation where there is no way out. A chill went down Melissa's spine, and she forced the thought out of her mind. "Look, if you end up going, you don't have to stay long. And if Nance decides to... you know," she paused, waiting for the implication to sink in. When it did, she continued. "Then that's her choice Barb. We can't force her to do something she doesn't want to do."
It was never something that Barb wanted to accept. Melissa always felt as if Barb considered it her job to watch out for Nancy. It wasn't like Melissa didn't care, she did. But, she wasn't going to chaperone her cousin during every aspect of her life. She's got to learn it on her own.
Cinching her lips to the side, Barb raised her brow and said, "Are you sure you can't go tonight?"
Melissa offered a thin smile, and shook her head. "Like I said, you don't have to stay long. And when you get home, depending on the time, call me. And you can just vent as much as you want."
With the arrival of Melissa's sisters, the conversation ended. The two girls took their places next to Melissa, waiting for her to unlock the car doors. Though, she reminded them of their manners, and they both gave a quick greeting to Barb.
"Okay, well, we need to head home." She gave Barb a reassuring look, reminding her that everything was going to be fine. "I'll see you later, okay?"
Barb nodded, then slowly backed away from the car. "See ya, Mel."
A few hours later, and Melissa was at the Wheeler's residence. Just in time too. The minute she stepped in, Karen called from the kitchen that dinner was going to be ready in a few minutes.
Melissa helped Laura shrug out of her jacket, and placed it on the coat rack along with her own. Jessica had been dropped off at a friend's house before Melissa arrived. The young girl was rather adamant about spending the evening with her friend, rather than family. Melissa didn't want to put up a fuss, so, she allowed it. Reminding the young girl that she would be picked up at eight.
Laura trotted into the kitchen, with Melissa following closely behind. Karen was bustling around, getting everything prepared. Glancing over into the dining room, Melissa could see that she had already set up the table.
What was she supposed to help with?
"Is there anything I can help with?" Melissa finally asked.
Karen glanced up, her mouth parted, and gave an exasperated sigh. "Yes, there is actually. Holly was acting a little fussy earlier, so I put her down for a nap. Could you go and check up on her?"
"Yeah, sure."
As Melissa headed for the stairs, she heard Karen tell her to let the boys know that dinner was ready. Easy enough. The first thing she did was check up on Holly. When she entered the room, the three-year-old was wide awake in her crib, waiting for someone to get her out of it.
As she peered into the crib, Holly already had her arms out to her. Melissa obliged and picked up the toddler. "Are you in a better mood, now?" she asked, balancing the toddler on her hip.
Holly only stared at her with wide eyes, and gave a small smirk.
Melissa smiled, her eyes widening for effect. "That's good because it's time for dinner, and we don't want you getting fussy during dinner, now do we?"
Holly shook her head.
Melissa then made the short trek down the hall to Mike's room. Standing outside his bedroom door, all she could hear were frantic, hushed voices. She craned her head to see if she could make out what they were saying. It didn't work.
She knocked against the door. "Mike?" The voices instantly stopped. "It's me, Mel." She tried turning the door knob. Locked.
"Just a second!"
Again, she could hear Mike and the others talking, this time much quieter, but she could still hear the intensity in their voices. What the hell are they doing?
There was a thud that came from the bedroom. "Mike?" Melissa said again.
The door cracked open, startling Melissa. All she could see was Mike, just barely poking his head through the opening. "Hey," he said with a lopsided grin.
"Hi," she responded, her brows furrowed at his reaction. "Um, is everything okay in there?" Melissa tried peering into the bedroom, but Mike was trying to be subtle, and block her view.
"Yeah. Everything is fine."
Just then, Lucas and Dustin appeared behind Mike, both sporting huge smiles. They gave Melissa awkward waves. She tried her best at conjuring a genuine smile. "Okay. Well, dinner is ready, so you all come on down."
"Okay. We'll be right down."
With that, Mike shut the door, leaving Melissa standing in the hallway, perplexed by what just happened. She brushed it off, for the time being. Melissa brought Holly down to the dining room, where Karen was setting up the food. She placed Holly down in her seat, and went to help Karen finish setting up.
When the boys finally came down, Melissa kept her eye on them. They appeared to be acting normal. But, she couldn't shake off what happened upstairs. It was just weird. To top it all off, they were oddly quiet. Playing with their food, and not saying anything, not even talking to each other.
Dinner started off normally. Most of it was spent in silence as everyone dug into their food. As she took a bite, she eyed the boys, quietly. Their eyes remained on the plates in front of them. Occasionally, they would take a drink from their glass. Aside from that, they would just remain still. She would have blamed this behavior on them being worried about Will, but she's known these boys for years. And from that, she has sharpened the art of picking up subtleties from their mannerisms. To the point where it seriously annoyed the boys.
Karen even noticed their silence. The boys had yet to touch their food, they merely picked at it with their forks as if it were some sort of science experiment.
"Is there something wrong with the meatloaf?"
Her question cut through the silence, it made Melissa jump.
Dustin glanced up at Karen, sporting a smile. "Oh, no. I had two bologna sandwiches for lunch today. Not really sure why."
"Me too." Lucas said, giving a small shrug. Then, they both returned to their previous state: quiet and focused on their plates.
What the hell is going on with them? Melissa leaned closer to Lucas, eyeing both him and Dustin. "Are you guys okay?" she whispered.
Both of them nodded. Not saying anything to back it up.
"So, there's this special assembly thing tonight, for Will, at the school field. Barb's driving."
All of her attention moved onto Nancy, who was talking to her mother.
"Why am I just hearing about this?"
"I thought you knew."
Melissa lowered her gaze, trying to keep herself focused on the food in front of her, but making sure to keep up with the conversation.
"I told you. I don't want you out after dark until Will is found."
"I know, I know. But, it'd be super weird if I'm not there. I mean, everyone is going."
Not everyone. Melissa thought as she took a drink from her glass.
Karen relented. "Just be back by ten. Why don't you take the boys?"
"No!" All three of the boys spoke up.
Melissa saw that it had startled Laura, who was looking at the boys with wide, confused eyes. She placed her hand against her back, giving gentle rubs. "It's okay," she whispered, trying to comfort her. "Finish your food."
Then, something came into view. It was just a blurred figure, moving around in the outer part of her vision. But, it was enough to catch her attention. She looked up, and much to her bewilderment, she saw someone. A kid. Walking from the staircase, towards the basement door.
What the fuck?
Her mouth parted, in an effort to say something, but nothing came out. On instinct, Melissa began to slowly rise from her seat, in order to get a better look at the person. Then, two loud bangs startled everyone at the table. But, it was a swift kick to her shin that disrupted Melissa's attention.
"Ow!" She sat back down, her eyes turning to the person responsible for the kick.
Dustin.
"Sorry. It was a spasm."
Melissa moved her hand down to the affected leg, hissing as she rubbed at the sore area. But, spared another look in the direction where she had seen the person. They were gone. Of course. Now, her mind was all over the place.
There was a kid in this house. A kid that Melissa had never seen before. And they came from upstairs. Who was that? And, why the hell are they in Mike's house?
Melissa paused, her face frozen in thought. She thought back on what happened upstairs. The boys were talking in hushed, frantic tones. The thud she heard from his bedroom.
It couldn't be.
Taking a moment, she glanced over at the boys. All of them were still a little riled up. Mike had milk all over his face, and Dustin and Lucas were purposefully avoiding her gaze.
It was true. They knew who this person was. Why else would Dustin create a distraction, and kick her in the shin?
Leaning back in her seat, Melissa's eyes were dead set on Mike, who was too busy cleaning off his face. When he finished, he glanced up and was met with a serious, deadpanned look from his cousin. He felt his whole body freeze. He's seen that look before. It was one she has given him many times when he did something stupid, or if he was in trouble.
Then, she mouthed the words, "I saw."
Oh shit. One thing that was definitely for sure. He and the boys were screwed.
A/N: Yeah, this kinda ended on a cliffhanger. I was going to do one big chapter, but I didn't like the transitioning, so I decided to split this up. Hope you all are excited! A review would be greatly appreciated!
