Chapter 5

Once Lacey had reached her own house she breathed a sigh of relief but also groaned because she saw Steve's car in the driveway. What was he doing there? She noticed Dustin's bike propped up against the wall and her mom's car parked in front of Steve's.

When Lacey entered the house she saw them sitting in the lounge. Steve and Dustin were laughing about something on the T.V and her mom was reading a magazine. Her mom was the first to look up and see her. "Hey honey, look who popped by for a visit?" Claudia exclaimed pointing to Steve with a smile on her face.

Lacey walked into the lounge and caught her reflection in the mirror. She didn't look too good but after what she just went through she didn't think she'd look like Miss America. Steve stood up and nodded to Dustin. "Thanks for the snack Mrs Henderson." Steve said with a small smile on his face before standing next to Lacey. "Can we talk?" He asked quietly and Lacey nodded and ushered him into the kitchen where they could be alone.

"Why haven't you told them yet?" This was the first question out of Steve's mouth which was obviously hinted towards their break-up.

"I've just been really busy." Lacey responded and Steve folded his arms around his chest.

"You didn't say anything did you?" Lacey now asked with her left eye brow raised. Steve shook his head and looked down at his feet. "Look, I need to tell you something but I'm not sure how to tell you without you freaking out on me." He started and Lacey stared at him while he stared at his feet. "Steve?" Lacey asked and Steve looked at her, he looked guilty and Lacey didn't like that look.

"I know we're broken up so I shouldn't even need to tell you this but I told Nancy that I would tell you so she didn't have to." Steve added and Lacey took a step back from him. Steve noticed the retreat but he couldn't stop now. "Nancy and I hooked up." He told her.

When Lacey heard the words she thought that Steve had made a mistake or a really bad joke but once she processed the words she felt her whole body collapse for the second time that night.

Steve saw her body sink and he didn't know what to say or do. He felt terrible that he had to tell her like this, he felt worse that he had to tell her at all. He'd hoped that once she was out of her funk she would run back to him but he knew she wouldn't now. He'd broken her one rule – trust – and he didn't know how to win it back because he'd never broken the rule before. Even when they first slept together she'd asked him not to tell anyone and he didn't. Granted, Tommy and Carol had found out by reading texts on Steve's phone and told everyone who would listen but Steve still hadn't told anyone. No matter how much of a jerk he seemed, he knew Lacey meant more to him than all that other stuff.

"Why?" Lacey asked softly, breaking the deathly silence between the two. That was one question Steve wished Lacey had not asked because he didn't know how to answer it. He just shrugged and muttered, "I was angry with you."

Lacey nodded slowly. "So, first the girl at Tammy's party and now Nancy?" She asked and Steve looked bewildered. He had to think back to Tammy's party, it had been a blur. He found the memory he was looking for and wished he hadn't. There he was arm swung around Carol's friend looking particularly cosy with someone who wasn't his girlfriend but he knew nothing had happened with her because Lacey had stormed up to them fuming before anything could have. Steve shook his head vigorously. "Nothing happened with that girl." Steve stated. Honestly. Lacey stared at Steve for a while which made him a little uncomfortable but he let her continue. "Did you sleep with her?" Lacey asked eventually and Steve quickly shook his head again realizing she meant Nancy and Lacey nodded slowly again, processing the conversation. "I'm really sorry." Steve eventually said and he meant it and he knew that Lacey could tell that he meant it.

Even though it felt like Lacey's heart had broken into about a million pieces she couldn't let Steve see her that way so she asked him to leave. "Would you please go?" She asked him softly and Steve could see that he wasn't wanted there anymore so he nodded and walked out of the kitchen. She heard him say goodbye to her mom and Dustin and then she heard the front door open and close. Lacey immediately went up to her room, two stairs at a time, and closed the door. She didn't want to deal with anyone or anything at that moment, she needed to be alone.

There was a knock on her door a few moments later and Dustin opened it. Lacey wiped away her tears and looked up to see her brother peering in. "Are you okay?" Dustin asked quietly and Lacey nodded, "I'll survive." Lacey smiled a small smile and Dustin reciprocated.

Lacey had almost forgotten about the creature that they'd seen earlier but she decided to tell Dustin about it the next day.

Claudia Henderson had left early that morning to go run some errands so Lacey and Dustin were alone in the kitchen eating their breakfast which consisted of scrambled egg on toast.

"So did you guys manage to contact Will again?" Lacey asked Dustin who swallowed a piece of toast and started talking. "Yes, he's definitely alive." Dustin said with an excited nod and Lacey nodded too, "I saw him." She stated and Dustin choked on a new piece of toast he'd just bitten. "What?" He exclaimed loudly after managing to cough up the bread. Lacey recounted yesterday's events and Dustin's eyes grew so wide Lacey was afraid they'd pop out of his head.

"Come on, we need to get to Mike's house." Dustin said, getting up suddenly abandoning his unfinished breakfast.

Lacey cleaned up while Dustin radioed Lucas. "Lucas do you copy, we have huge news. Tell Mike we're coming over, over." Dustin ended. There was a crackle and Lucas spoke and told him he'd meet them there. Once they'd reached the Wheelers house Lacey sighed in relief when she saw that Nancy wasn't home. She couldn't deal with Nancy right now.

Once they were all situated in the basement the boys and El gathered around Lacey while she told her story. "The Demogorgon." Lucas cried, pointing to the toy Demogorgon that El had placed on the overturned dungeons and dragons board a few days before.

"Clearly the upside down is linked with Hawkins for some reason but how would we find a portal?" Dustin asked and the boys and Lacey shrugged but Mike then looked at El.

"There should be a way that we could find one." Dustin stated and the boys nodded in agreement.

Nancy had been on her way to Jonathan's house when the thing jumped out in the road dragging a deer with it. Nancy's car had screeched to a halt and Nancy watched the creature drag its prey into the forest. Nancy was shocked and she didn't know what to do. Once she'd come out of her semi paralysis state she drove to The Byers in a hurry. She once again, screeched to halt outside and ran to the Byers front door. Jonathan answered after Nancy's first knock and looked surprised. "Nancy, what are you doing here?" He asked curiously but he saw the familiar look on her face, the look that Lacey and his mom had had the night the apparent creature came out of the wall. Nancy pushed her way passed Jonathan and told him to the close and lock the door. "Nancy, what is going on?" He asked but Nancy started to babble. She was babbling about something she'd just seen disappear into the woods. "What did this thing look like?" Jonathan asked, curiously. Nancy looked up at Jonathan, "Sort of human, but it didn't…" But Jonathan interrupted Nancy "It didn't have a face?" He asked and Nancy looked stunned. "Have you seen it?" Nancy questioned and Jonathan shook his head, "It was described to me before…" Jonathan hesitated but continued, "Lacey and my mom saw it come out of the wall." He ended pointing to the wall in their living room.

"Lacey?" Nancy questioned and Jonathan nodded. "They said it had Will or something…" Jonathan shrugged and Nancy looked shocked.

"Why don't you show me where it went too?" Jonathan asked and Nancy looked at Jonathan, horrified. "Are you crazy?" She cried and Jonathan shrugged again. "Look if this thing that you guys saw is real it could have Will and the sooner we find it the sooner we find Will." Jonathan stated and Nancy's face fell into concentration, "Maybe it has Barb too…" She thought out loud and Jonathan nodded. "Come on." Jonathan grabbed his jacket and opened the door to the outside world. Nancy took a deep breath and the two got into Nancy's car before driving down the road to the scene where Nancy had seen the creature.

"Ready?" Jonathan asked and Nancy nodded slowly. The two got out the parked car and wondered into the woods. Nancy spotted the blood trail from the deer and the two walked in that direction.

"Come on." Dustin cried out in annoyance while he walked around the basement with his compass. Lacey watched her brother torment himself with that damn thing until he stopped. "This isn't true North." He babbled on about something more until he started speaking to the boys about North. "Something is pulling the compass in that direction, something like a magnet or a strong force." Dustin continued. "A force?" Lacey chuckled and the boys looked at her with annoyed facial expressions. "Like a portal..." Mike shot at Lacey who stopped chuckling and nodded, "Ok guys, relax."

Once all the compasses had been gathered they all pointed in the same sort of direction wherever Dustin moved to. "Let's find out where these lead?" Lucas states and the boys nodded. "Let's go."

"Hang on a minute, are we really just going to go straight up to whatever this thing is with no help whatsoever?" Lacey asked the boys who all turned to El. "At least we have her." Lucas stated and the others nodded. "For Will right?" Dustin asked Lacey and Lacey sighed giving in almost too quickly because maybe whatever had taken Will was the same thing that had taken Barbara.

Once they'd left the Wheelers, the group, which included Dustin, Lucas, Mike, El & Lacey, followed in the direction of Dustin's compass. It lead them to the train track which hadn't been used in years. El and Mike were trailing behind and Lacey wondered what they were talking about but soon her thoughts were interrupted when they heard screams. It was female that's what Lacey could hear. "NANCY?" Lacey heard a boy scream now and recognised it as Jonathan's voice. "JONATHAN?" Lacey called out but then there was silence.

Everyone had stopped and was now watching Lacey climb down the train track and head into the forest, "JONATHAN?" Lacey called out again and the two emerged from the darkness. Nancy was shaking uncontrollably and she was full of dirt and what looked like slime. "Lacey? What are you doing here?" Jonathan questioned and when he saw the others he looked at Nancy, "Mike?" Nancy asked and Mike looked at the two of them suspiciously because Jonathan was holding Nancy to control her shaking.

"Who's this?" Nancy asked, her voice trembled a bit but she pointed at Eleven.

"First you tell us what just happened?" Lacey questioned the two and Jonathan looked at the kids and then at Lacey and shook his head. "Don't worry they know about everything." Lacey added. "Lacey…" Dustin moaned and Lacey shot him an annoyed look. "Jonathan knows and I think Nancy knows now too." Lacey advised the group and Mike groaned. Everyone huddled closer and Nancy recounted her story of entering the upside down. "So you were able to get out?" Mike asked, excitedly and Nancy shrugged, "Sort of, I had to look for another portal." Nancy stated and Lacey watched the two curiously, "Did you see anything?" She asked and Nancy nodded, "a creature, the same one you and Mrs Byers described to Jonathan." She informed Lacey. "Let's get back to the house." Jonathan exclaimed seeing Nancy shiver again." Lacey and the others agreed, if the creature was roaming the woods they weren't ready for any sort of attack, yet.

I hoped everyone liked the story. I changed the plot a bit to fit my story but I still hope everyone is enjoying the story.