It was dark, and scary. She was in the woods, a faint blue light coating her. How was there light in the woods? There was never any street lights here, nor was it day time. A quick clicking sound came from behind her and Andy screamed, jumping around. Nobody there...
Where was she? The Byers home? Yeah, that was it right? That... that path lead to the Byers home. But why was she there? She had no idea, no clue.
The clicking noise came from behind her a second time. She opened her mouth, ready to scream, when a cold, cold sensation covered her mouth, muffling her fear. It felt almost like... a hand. Someone, something, was telling her to be quiet.
Tears drenched her face and snot leaked out of her nose. Despite this, the hand didn't move. ''Shh...'' A soft, gentle voice said from behind her, and she was cocooned in warmth. That voice... it was familiar in a way, but distorted, as if hearing someone through a really fuzzy radio.
She was slowly guided to the forest floor, the warmth never leaving her side. Fuzziness came from all around her, as if radio frequencies were having a conversation. The sound lulled her, and she slowly closed her eyes, feeling safe and protected by the unknown force.
''What was Will saying?'' Mike asked, sitting on the couch in his basement, El laying down across from him. ''Like home... Like home...'' Andy didn't move from where she was cradled in Dustin's arms. The boy had refused to let go of her, in fear that she'd collapse again. ''But dark?'' Mike repeated Will's words.
''And empty,'' Lucas reminded, sitting beside Dustin and Andy.
''Empty and cold,'' Dustin continued. Andy squeezed him tighter. ''Wait, did he say cold?''
The three looked at Lucas for confirmation. ''I don't know. The stupid radio kept going in and out.''
Dustin sighed, throwing his head back in annoyance. ''It's like riddles in the dark.''
''Worse,'' Andy murmured in a horse voice.
''Like home,'' Mike ignored the two last comments, ''like his house?''
Lucas pointed a finger up at him, exclaiming, ''or like Hawkins!''
''Upside down,'' El spoke hesitantly. Hearing the girl speak, Andy slowly slipped out of Dustin's arms and crawled over to join the other girl. El opened her arms slowly, knowing the other girl was there to hug her. Andy did just that, embracing the child-like teenager.
''What'd she say?'' Lucas asked.
''Upside down,'' Mike and Andy repeated softly.
Lucas scrunched his nose up, ''what?''
''For goodness sake Lucas, she said upside down!'' Andy shouted, her voice cracking like a teenage boys. El rested a gentle hand on Andy's head, her eyes telling her to stop yelling. Grumbling, Andy did as the stern girl commanded.
Mike rushed excitedly over to the D'n'D board, grabbing it. ''When El showed us where Will was, she flipped the board over, remember?'' Dustin and Lucas ran over to join him. ''Upside down! Dark. Empty.''
Lucas shook his head and glanced between Dustin and Andy. ''Do you understand what he's talking about?''
''No,'' Dustin stated. Andy said nothing, laying still beside El.
''Guys,'' Mike drew their attention back to him, ''come on, just think about it. When El took us to find Will, she took us to his house, right?'' Andy shuddered as the memory came back to her, following El and Mike for hours, eventually going to his house, hearing those god-awful sirens and finding Will's not-real-body in the lake and the rest of the night vanishing in a blur.
''Yeah,'' Lucas stated shortly. ''And he wasn't there.''
''But what if he was there?'' Andy's head snapped over to face them. ''What if we just couldn't see him?'' She slowly stood up.
''Like, he was hiding or something?'' She asked, her voice still loud.
Mike glanced over at her, nodding with a smile. ''What if he was on the other side?''
''The other side of what, though? The walls?'' Andy raised her eyebrow, taking a seat at the small table.
Mike shook his head a bit. ''Think bigger, Andy. More... abstract.'' He flipped the board over. ''What if this is Hawkins and...'' he flipped it to show the dark, blank underside again, ''this is where Will is?'' Andy sighed and rested her head on Dustin's shoulder. As much as she wanted to believe him, this whole thing was a bit far fetched. ''The Upside Down.''
''Like the Vale of Shadows,'' Dustin said, gently resting his head on Andy's. Dustin jumped up, grabbing the D'n'D book off the nightstand. '''The Vale of Shadows,''' he read, '''is a dimension that is a dark reflection or echo of our world. It is a place of decay and death. A plane out of phase. A place of monsters. It is right next to you, and you don't even see it.''' Andy shivered, moving away from the book a bit.
She shook her head, the description sounded familiar... she didn't know how or why, but it did. Possibly from her D'n'D research leading up to the campaign that'd started all of this? No... but what?
Mike stared down at the image. ''An alternate dimension,'' he breathed.
Lucas' voice was stuttering and nervous. ''But.. ho-how do we get there?''
''You cast Shadow Walk,'' Dustin replied immediately.
Andy scoffed at the answer, shaking her head. ''No, Dustin. How do we get to this... this... Land of Shadows-call it what you want, I am not calling it the fucking Upside Down-,'' she snapped at Mike as he opened his mouth, ''in real life. Because none of us, apart from El hold magic powers.''
''Maybe El can,'' Dustin ignored Andy's speech, or as much as he could with her glaring daggers at him.
They all, bar Andy and Dustin, who was glaring the pants off of one and apologising to the other respectively, turned to face El. ''Do you know how we get down there?'' Mike asked softly. ''To the Upside Down?''
Andy turned to face him, teeth grinding. ''I swear Michael, we are not calling it the Upside Down.'' El shook her head at Mike, ignoring Andy's comment.
''Oh my god,'' Lucas groaned, throwing his head back in annoyance.
Andy cleared her throat and stood up, walking over to El. She held a hand out to the exhausted girl,'' come on, Ellie, let's go.'' El gently gripped the hand and pulled herself up while Andy grabbed her abandoned bag off of the floor. Mike stood up in alarm, speed walking over to the two girls.
''Wait! Where are you going?!'' He demanded, looking over at the two of them.
Andy just stared at him, hand still clasped with El's. ''We are going home. It's Will's funeral tomorrow, in case you forgot. I've got to get up early tomorrow to get myself and El dressed, as well as see what the fuck's happened to Tyler, then I have to wait for Jamie to come over so I can help her with her final resting gift and so she can help me go over my final resting gift, then I'm off to the library to do some more research on whatever this Land of Shadows-''
''Vale of Shadows!'' Dustin cut in. Andy shot a glare his way, making the young boy grimace at the anger and hidden sadness in the brown eyes.
''Whatever this Vale of Shadows,'' she sent a final glare Dustin's way before facing Mike a second time, ''is, then I'm doing some more searching for Christopher and Will, because in case you forgot, but not only is my best friend missing, but so is my brother.'' She stormed past the frozen figures that made up her best friends, gently tugging El behind her.
''And so my friends,'' she pulled open the basement door and walked out, before turning back in to face them, hand still resting on the door knob. ''I bid you adieu.'' She slammed the door shut behind her and left the Wheeler home, still pulling El along behind her.
''Are you... okay?'' El whispered, the words foreign and unused on her tongue.
Andy sniffled back tears and snot, a small, gentle smile on her lips at El's thoughtfulness. ''Yeah... let's go home, Ellie.''
Andy gasped, sitting up straight, muffled sobs already pouring out of her mouth as she awoke. Tears tracked down her face and splattered down on the earth below her. She was in the Byers home once again, rested on the couch. Floorboards were pulled up and torn from the floor, paint was peeling off of the walls. The beautiful throw pillow made by Will for Mother's Day a year ago was shredded, stuffing pulled off the couch and onto the floor.
''Andy...'' someone-something murmured from behind her as strong, firm arms wrapped around her gently. ''You've been fighting so hard for so long. Let yourself grieve, then come back strong. Find me, Andy, find us.''
''We have faith in you, Andy,'' another voice whispered, the figure still unseen to her and the voice still faded. A loud creek and chattering came from behind the door. Andy stared in fear. The voices suddenly stopped talking, the warmth fading from Andy's side. The handle pulled down, and the door slowly began to creep open.
Andy awoke that day to someone violently shaking her, and a scream tearing through the air. ''Andy! Andy! Andessa May!'' A voice shouted. Andy closed her mouth, suddenly realising it was her screaming. Her throat was sore, and her eyes hurt from tears she hadn't realised she'd shed.
Sitting above her was Jamie. Beautiful Jayden Kalum. There to save the day. Jamie had a fearful look on her face, her eyes alight with worry.
''Oh thank goodness,'' she cried when Andy's eyes focused on her, ''you weren't waking up. Your cousin here says you were screaming for awhile. The poor thing was so scared I had to tell her to leave the room!''
Jamie sat poised on the side of the bed, her eyes glazed with unshed tears and blonde hair ruffled. Gently, Andy was lifted up and pulled off of the bed, into one of her closest friends arms. ''What the hell happened?'' she asked, holding her brunette friend close.
Andy shook her head, struggling to regain her breath as she desperately gripped onto Jamie, hands shaking. ''I was dreaming,'' she began, suddenly trailing off as she lost track of her thoughts.
''What the fuck about?!''
''I... I don't know...'' Andy turned her head, pulling back to gaze at Jamie in the eyes. ''I can't remember... but, I'm scared, Jamie.'' She sniffled, pulling back the snot and tears. ''I was terrified, and confused.''
Jamie bit her lip, very obviously searching for the words to say to her. ''I don't know what to say,'' she settled on, truth reigning through her words and tone. ''We should focus on Will. It's his funeral. Tonight,'' she sighed, ''we will go to the library, and see if there's anything on dreams there.''
How easy it would've been for Andy to burst into tears at that very moment. She was forever glad at her and Jamie's friendship, however secretive and strange it may seem to others. Her mama raised a strong girl, though, and Andy banished any thought of sadness from her head.
''Thanks,'' she whispered, holding her friends arm as they left the room together, grabbing onto a terrified El's with a soothing smile as they passed. It was time to get ready.
It was time for Will's funeral.
"Fear not,'' Pastor Charles read out to the crowd, ''for I am with you. Be not dismayed, for I am your God.''
Andy stood beside Dustin and Mike, El sat in front of her. Her head was held high despite the small tears tracking down her face, and her hand tightly clasped Dustin's in her own. Her black dress swayed to a fro in the wind, her poncho protecting her from the cold. El's blonde, fake hair shook against her backless dress, the girl wearing Mike's coat to keep warm. Beside them was Mrs Byers, Jonathan and Tyler, the Fisher son rubbing soothing circles into Jonathan's shoulders as tears drifted down his face.
''I will strengthen you,'' the Pastor continued. ''Yes, I will help you. I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.'' El's eyes glimmered with curiosity as Andy's shone with depression. Why did it have to be Will? Sure they had a theory that he was alive, but it was just that; a theory.
''It's times like these that our faith is challenged. How, if He is truly benevolent could God take from us someone so young, so innocent?'' Innocent, indeed. Will was quite sheltered, if a bit broken from his parents divorce. ''It would be easy to turn away from God, but we must remember that nothing, not even tragedy, can separate us from His love. We are here today to find comfort-'' Andy was snapped out of focus by Dustin's sharp elbow.
''What?'' She hissed sharply and quietly. Dustin reached over and pointed to just across from them, where Jamie stood with her friend, Jennifer Hayes. Jennifer was crying gracefully, leaning into Jamie, who was putting on a brave face from them both.
''Just wait till we tell Will that Jennifer Hayes was crying at his funeral,'' Dustin whispered.
Andy held in a his, squinting her eyes at Jennifer in a glare as jealousy burned though her body. Who did Jennifer think she was? She'd never given a damn about Will before now, in fact, she'd always avoided the boy.
Who'd stood up for him when he was bullied? Andy.
Who'd held him when he cried about the rumours? Andy.
Who'd told those bullies to fuck off more times than she could count? Andy.
Who'd stood by and done nothing but watch and laugh? Jennifer. That girl had no place to be distraught.
Mrs Wheeler stepped forward, hushing Dustin gently and quickly. Andy tilted her chin in thanks to the woman, placing her head back on Dustin's shoulder, trying to ignore the world around them, if just for a moment. It worked, and the ceremony was soon over. People were standing up, coming forth and placing roses on top of Will's coffin.
Andy almost growled as she watched people simply chuck them is, as if giving a street performer a dollar as they were passing. As if it was a second thought; a common curtsy rather than a loving parting gift. She wasn't surprised though, all of these bitches never once seemed to care for Will; why would that change once he died?
She did watch, though, as Jamie stepped forward, setting down a beautiful painting of Will, smiling and happy as he never was in life.
''I want him to be happy in death,'' Jamie had told Andy as they'd set to painting the sketched lines, ''even if people couldn't accept his sexuality in life, in death I want his peace.'' Andy had ignored the comment of Will's supposed sexuality, and had smiled at her friend and her big heart.
''Be in peace now,'' she faintly heard Jamie murmur under her breath as she carefully dropped it on top of the coffin. Andy stepped forward shortly after her friend, gently pushing a flower wreath and several photos of herself, the party and Will on top of the coffin. The flower wreath was made of flowers and sticks found at the old Byers hideout, the massive white flowers adorning the left side hand picked from Will's small, hidden garden he'd never dared to show anyone, except her.
''Be in peace,'' she whispered, ''be safe.'' It was only hope keeping her belief that Will was still alive, but the young girl had decided to make her peace with his supposed passing at his funeral.
''Be in peace,'' El muttered from her position crouched beside her. Andy sent her a watery smile. She was trying.
They both were.
Andy sat at the round tables, head in her hands and El's soft hair tickling her shoulder. Dustin, Lucas and Mike had run off to get food, leaving the two girls at their seats. The mood was somber and relaxed, a melancholy feeling surrounding them.
Smooth hands pressed themselves into Andy's shoulders, Tyler's gentle, heartbroken voice reaching her ears. ''Hey, Addie,'' he sniffled, ''they found Christopher's car. It had some chick's clothes in it. The police think he's skipped town; might've gotten some girl pregnant. They think it was Barbara Holland, she went missing the same time.''
''He wouldn't do that,'' Andy whispered after a moment of silence, moving her head from her hands to stare at her brother. His eyes were bloodshot, his normally spick and span hair slightly messy, as if he'd rushed it. His suit was old and slightly tacky, clearly rented cheap. Normally, Andy would be mad at the disrespect to Will's name, but Tyler... her family... they were in ruins.
Tyler chuckled. ''I know,'' his voice cracked, ''the cops don't believe me.''
Andy reached up, grabbing her brother's hands and threading their fingers together. ''Then they're fucking idiots... we'll find him, Ty. We'll find Christopher and bring him home.'' Faintly, she could feel El's eyes on her, sense the sadness within them, and for the first time since she found out her brother was missing, she wondered, would they bring Christopher home?
''I'd better go,'' Tyler said to her, after catching something in his eye, reluctantly letting his younger sister go.
''Will you be home tonight?'' She asked, grabbing onto his hand, pleading with her eyes to say yes.
Tyler nodded, ''yeah... I need some time with my sister.'' He the left the table, not a moment too soon as the Party arrived again, seating themselves at the table with Mister Clarke.
''Andessa, hi,'' Mister Clarke spoke softly, as if scared of scaring a frightened deer away. He nodded over at El, ''Eleanor, right?'' El nodded, laying her head on Andy's shoulder once again.
''So, you know how in Cosmos, Carl Sagan talks about other dimensions?'' Mike asked, plopping down beside El, Dustin beside Andy. ''Like, beyond our world?''
Mister Clarke nodded, ''yeah, sure. Theoretically.''
''Right, theoretically.'' Mike hurriedly agreed.
''So, theoretically, how do we travel there?'' Lucas questioned, ignoring Andy's eye roll.
''You guys have been thinking about Hugh Everett's Many-Worlds Interpretation, haven't you?'' Mister Clarke raised his eyebrows, his face revealing that he believed he knew exactly what was going on. Andy's forehead creased; Hugh Something's What-now? ''Well, basically, there are parallel universes. Just like our world, but just infinite variations of it. Which means there's a world out there where none of this tragic stuff ever happened.''
''Yeah,'' Lucas shook his head, ''that's not what we're talking about.''
Dustin placed an arm around Andy's shoulders, gently moving El's head. ''We were thinking of more of an evil dimension, like th Vale of Shadows. You know the Vale of Shadows?''
Mister Clarke nodded, ''an echo of the Material Plane, where necrotic and shadow magic-'' Andy, for once when it came to science, payed attention. These words were all new to her, she'd have to do some digging.
Mike interjected quickly, much to Andy's annoyance, ''yeah, exactly. If that did exist, a place like the Vale of Shadows, how would we travel there?''
''Theoretically,'' Andy and Lucas chimed in simultaneously, sending each other weird looks.
Mister Clarke shifted in thought, ''well...'' He reached forward, grabbing one of the paper plates and a simple black pen out of his coat pocket. Holding the plate up so the Party and El could see it, he described as he drew, ''picture... an acrobat,'' he drew a stick figure and two lines on it, ''standing on a tightrope. Now, that tightrope is our dimension. And our dimension has rules. You can move forwards, or backwards,'' he drew two arrows on the plate.
''But, what if, right next to our acrobat, there is a flea?'' Andy tilted her head to the side as Mister Clarke drew a small flea. ''Now the flea can also travel back and forth, just like the acrobat. Right?''
Andy absentmindedly nodded in agreement. ''Right,'' the rest of the Party responded.
''Here's where things get really interesting. The flea can also travel this way,'' he drew some more, smaller arrows, ''along the side of the rope. He can even go underneath the rope.'' Andy sat up straighter, everything suddenly clicking together in her head.
''Upside Down,'' El murmured as the other boys did. Andy turned her head to face the disguised girl, shock coating her features. What kind of sorcery was this?
''Exactly,'' Mister Clarke said simply, not noticing the revelations the others had had.
''But,'' Dustin began almost sadly, his arm tightening on Andy's shoulder, ''we're not the flea, we're the acrobat.''
''In this metaphor, yes, we're the acrobat.''
Lucas slowly began to pry some more. ''So we can't go upside down?''
Mister Clarke shook his head. ''No.''
''Is there any way for the acrobat to get to the Upside Down?'' Dustin questioned hurriedly.
''We're still not calling it that,'' Andy murmured under her breath.
Dustin nudged her harshly, ''it makes the most literary sense, shut up.''
Mister Clarke missed the strange exchange occurring between the two. ''Well, you'd have to create a massive amount of energy. More than humans are currently capable of creating, mind you, to open up some kind of tear in time and space, and then,'' he paused, folding the plate in half and punching a hole through it, ''you create a doorway.''
Dustin leaned forward in his excitement, ''like a gate?''
''Sure, like a gate. But, again, this is all-''
''Theoretical,'' Lucas and Andy stated at the same time once more, sending each other more strange looks.
''But... but what if this gate already existed?'' Mike tentatively inquired, voice nervous and hands shaking.
Mister Clarke squinted his eyes. ''Well, if it did, I-I think we'd know. It would disrupt gravity, the magnetic field, our environment. Heck, it might even swallow us up whole.''
Andy bit her lip, placing a hand on El's.
They'd found the gate.
''Science is neat,'' Mister Clarke continued. Andy shrugged Dustin's arm off of her, sitting up taller as she felt El lean into her, the cool glaring eyes of Lucas sent her way. ''But I'm afraid it's not very forgiving.'' Andy tightened her hand over El's.
Eleven was their gate, and Andy would be damned if she ever let her go.
They'd gone back to Andy's house after the funeral, sitting tight in the living room. Mike had reexplained everything to El, using the same picture and everything. Andy had only rolled her eyes. El had been there. She knew.
''It would take a lot of energy to build a gate like this,'' Mike told El, his brown eyes jealously marking over where El was sat in Andy's lap, the brunette having taken a seat beside Dustin, at least before the brunet boy had gotten up and started walking in circles. ''But that's gotta be what's happened! Otherwise, how'd Will get there, right?''
El hesitantly nodded, fear lilting through her voice, ''right.''
Lucas glared at her, suspicion coating his usually mellow gaze.''What we want to know is, do you know where the gate is?'' El shook her head, hunching over herself and closer to Andy. ''Then how do you know about the Upside Down?!'' Lucas exploded.
''Alright,'' Andy spoke for what felt like the first time that day, coaxing El off of her lap and standing up. ''First, we are not calling it the Upside Down! That's a stupid name a preschooler would come up with. Second, Mike lay off of her, Lucas, you too. I don't get it either,'' she was quick to say when she saw the boys open their mouths, ''but turning on each other is not the way to go about saving Will!''
''Hypocritical much?'' Lucas muttered. Mike's eyes widened and Dustin froze in place. This was not good.
Andy took a step forward, eyes challenging. ''You want to say that again?'' She spoke warningly.
Lucas' eyes narrowed. ''I said,'' he emphasised, ''hypocritical much? When Will disappeared, who was it that ran off after denouncing us as friends, huh? It wasn't me, or Mike, or Dustin, or even El! It was you, Andy!'' He stood up, his short height still towering over Andy's. ''I'm saying you don't have the right to treat us like shit, or fuck us up.'' He began to walk closer, words sharper than a knife and piercing Andy's heart and skin. ''El is not innocent in this, Andessa, and you know it! And if you run away again, you're just proving I'm right.''
Andy stared into Lucas' eyes, brown on brown. He was right. She was hypocritical, and El was not as innocent as Andy wanted to believe. Lucas was right, and she was wrong. And that hurt, probably more than it should. Because her whole life, Andy had been raised to believe that she was right. That it was right to stand up for bullied kinds and it was right to be smug about her intelligence. She'd always thought she was a good judge of character, and that everyone around her couldn't for their assess to save their lives.
She'd thought she was leading them, not causing them harm. How it fucking hurt to face the truth. She was pulling this Party apart, had been since Will disappeared. For the first time in her life, Andy faced the facts. Lucas was right.
And she was wrong.
AN: Sooooo finally got another chapter up! Yes, I left it randomly, but I guess I wanted to give you guys a chance to sit with what just happened. It was a heavy fight they got into, and I'd like to believe that there's going to be some notable character development from Andy from this point forth. Let me know what you think as always!
