Natalie stretched and rolled over, feeling the muscles tighten in her legs as she curled her toes. Sunlight dimly streamed through the partly opened blinds, specs of dust dancing in the rays. Her eyes flicked over to the clock on her nightstand: 06:03. Sighing, she pushed herself up on the mattress, and rubbed the heel of her hand into her eye trying to dislodge the sleep that would undoubtedly be settled in the corner. She blinked and looked back over to her nightstand where her calendar sat, her eyes settled on the date circled in bright red marker: Friday March 21st 1986 - HELLFIRE.

A smile curled at the corner of her mouth, she kicked her legs out from under the covers. "Finally," She said, sliding out of bed and pulling her top over her head. She padded to her closet and pulled out the slightly too big Hellfire Club shirt that she had made what seemed like a lifetime ago. Somehow she still hadn't grown into it, despite several summers growing into it. She pulled the sleeves up to her elbows and grabbed the faded jeans that had been tossed into the corner the night before. She slid into them, jumping once-twice, buttoned them one handed as she grabbed her brush from the nightstand and ran it through her auburn hair.

Hellfire had spent months building up to the end of this campaign and it was all culminating tonight. The Cult of Vecna would be a spectacle to behold, would they triumph or accept defeat and flee? Sometimes it is better to live to fight another day, not everyone wants to be a hero. Natalie had been part of Hellfire since her first month at Hawkins High, she was sat alone in the cafeteria, Seek & Destroy by Metallica blasting in her ears via the Sony Walkman clipped to her waist. The lunch tray slamming on the table infront of her made her jump. She looked up, pulling the headphones from her head, ready to give this jerk a piece of her mind. "What the-" She stopped, taking in the mass of black shaggy hair that was before her, the smirk curling at the side of his mouth meant mischief.

"Hello lost little sheep," he smiled, dark eyes twinkling. He wore a leather jacket, topped with a denim jacket with the arms torn clean off. Various badges, buttons and patches of new metal bands adorned each side of the denim, carelessly stitched. Seek & Destroy faded and Metal Militia began as the noise of the cafeteria overtook the guitar. Around her, several boys dropped their lunch trays on the table, climbing into the seats next to the first boy, they smiled at her. "You look like you're missing a band of freaks- Luckily, we're missing a member."

That was the first time she met Eddie Munson and the rest of Hellfire. The club she'd spend the next few years of her life with and long after that. It was them who introduced her to Dungeons and Dragons. They helped her build up her Rogue, Nat the Nimble, and together they faced off against many a great and terrible foe. All that was in the past though, today was the day of reckoning, today was the day they faced off against the Cult of Vecna.

Nat finished getting ready, pulling on her shoes and clipping her walkman to the waistband of her jeans. She threw open her bedroom door and took the stairs two at a time, landing at the bottom with a dull thud. The faint crackling of eggs and warming smell of buttered toast meant her Pa was already awake, no doubt making a banquet of delights as he always did for the last day of the semester. "Full bellies in the morning gets the brain juices flowin'" is what he always said.

She spun round the bannister and pushed open the kitchen door. "Morning Pa," she said, heading across the kitchen to grab a glass for some apple juice.

"Mornin' Nattie," he said, giving her a small squeeze. Looking at her outfit he smiled, "Big day today, huh?"

"You bet, Eddie's been building up to the end of this campaign for months, it's gonna be wild."

"Big breakfast then," he smiled, "Can't go into battle on an empty stomach. An extra pancake will suffice I think."

"Thanks Pa."

Nat sat down at the counter, her Ma wouldn't be awake for a few hours, she worked nights at Hawkins Hospital during the week so her Pa always made sure he was awake to see her off in the mornings, even though she turned eighteen last week. She grabbed a slice of buttered toast from the rack in the centre of the counter and took a large bite. Her Ma didn't really understand Nat's love for fantasy games and rock music, in fact they were like chalk and cheese when it came to their hobbies, so she liked the fact her Pa took an interest in Hellfire and her music tastes. Pa' put a plate down in front of her, two rashers of crispy bacon, two eggs and not two but three pancakes. She tucked in immediately.

"You know," she mumbled in between bites, as her Pa sat next to her. All this food won't be good for my waistline. I'm supposed to be Nat the Nimble."

"Nat the Nimble needs to stop talking with her mouth full," he chortled, taking a sip of coffee. "Besides, an extra pancake is hardly going to ruin your waistline."

Nat shrugged and finished off her eggs. "Whatever you say."

Just as Nat was finishing off her bacon, she heard the loud rumble of a very recognisable battered van pulling up outside the house. She pushed her chair back. "That's Eddie, gotta go Pa. I'll be back late."

"You be careful now," he said, "Tell Eddie to bring you home after. I don't like you walking by yourself."

"Sure thing," she called, snatching her bag from the hall, walking quickly down the hallway and pulling the front door open. The van was parked across the driveway, the window half wound down with a leather clad arm hanging out the side. Nat jogged down the drive, slinging her bag over her shoulder. Eddie tilted his head out the window, taking her in.

"There she is," he called. "C'mon little lamb, we don't have all day."

Nat opened the passenger door and climbed in, throwing her bag into the footwell. "I'm not a little lamb any more," she muttered at him, slamming the door. She barely had time to clip in her seatbelt before the tyres screeched and they were careening down the road. "You can be Shepherd to Dustin and Mike now, I've long outgrown the little lamb trope."

Eddie smirked at her, she smiled back and chuckled. "You'll always be a little lamb to me."

"Oh shut up," she said, turning the volume up on the cassette player, Disposable Heroes began to play. Eddie hadn't changed the tape since Master of Puppets released just under two weeks ago.

Bodies fill the fields I see, hungry heroes end

No one to play soldier now, no one to pretend.

Nat glanced out the window, Hawkins flew by as fast as Eddie could get this pile of scrap to go. "Are you ready to face the wrath of Vecna's occultists?" Eddie mocked, wagging his ring clad fingers infront of her face.

"Uh-Duh," she rolled her eyes, "We've only been preparing for this for months, there's no way we'll be defeated. I hope you're ready for defeat."

"Oh, brave and true though you are Nat the Nimble, I really do believe you are outmatched on this one." His fingers tapped the wheel in time with the drums.

"Hmm, we'll see."

Soldier boy, made of clay

Now an empty shell

Twenty-one, only son

But he served us well.

They pulled into the parking lot just after 7:15, Eddie cut the engine and kicked the door open. Luckily nobody was parked next to him yet or a large dent would surely be the outcome. Nat climbed out of the van, slamming the door and circled round to Eddie. They walked together up through the grounds, twice Eddie tried to trip her, as he usually did for kicks, she shoved him so he knocked into a bench, earning scathing looks from the cheerleaders that sat there. Eddie bowed low to them, a mock apology and Nat laughed as he took two long strides to catch up with her.

"What's the torment this morning?" Eddie said, Nat puffed at him.

"Oh, so I'm your personal timetable now too?" She elbowed him in the side. "Ms. O'Donall's, you know, the one class you need to pass to actually graduate?"

"Yeah, don't remind me." He slung an arm over her shoulders. "This is it, this is my year, even if I have to kiss O'Donall's wrinkly ass to get there." Nat smirked, she wasn't going to question Eddie's commitment for getting his diploma this year.

"Maybe before you start kissing ass you could just try to pass today's pop quiz." He gripped her shoulder slightly.

"Shit-shit-shit," he muttered and Nat snorted.

"Maybe just get to the ass kissing then."

They met Gareth, Jeff and Chris outside. They all donned the same Hellfire Club shirts that Nat and Eddie did. They too, excluding Jeff, had forgotten about O'Donall's pop quiz, but shrugged it off with the excuse that they had been mentally preparing themselves for the battle ahead. They walked together to O'Donall's class, taking seats in the back corner as usual, or Freak Corner as it was known to most. O'Donall gave the usual lecture explaining how important it was that they take all pop quizzes seriously as each one prepares them for their final exam which was only months away. By the time she had finished, Nat had sketched a mini battle across her blank notepad. Nat the Nimble and her companions Gareth the Great, Jeff the Just, Chris Cauldronborn and Eddie the Banished, facing off against the fearsome Thesalhydra. She turned the page towards Eddie who glanced over and raised his eyebrows, a small smile twisting at the corner of his mouth.

The pop quiz was more like a full exam, it lasted for an hour, but felt much longer than that. Nat thought she did well, she handed the paper over to O'Donall and returned to her seat. While O'Donall marked the papers she set them to the task of reviewing this semester's syllabus, something that those who had actually studied for the pop quiz would have already done. Nat returned to sketching, adding more detail to the Thesalhydra and the armour of her companions.

When O'Donall dropped the papers back onto their desks at the end of class, Nat sighed in relief, B-. That'll do. She looked over to Eddie who clenched his fist in delight. He turned the paper towards her, D-.

"Eighty-six, baby." He smirked.

Maybe thought Nat, maybe this is Eddie's year.