Summer's bleeding into fall and two sisters were leaving another past behind them as they were getting onboard a Newark plane heading to Hawkins. Their home of seven years with their religious Aunt Darla and Uncle Rudy had burned down, leaving their guardians dead. Flying brought out some PTSD in the sisters since their parents died in a plane crash when they were 10 and 12. However, their only living relative left was their Uncle Adam in Hawkins and neither girl had a car so flying was the only option. Nicole, the younger of the two, deep down was grateful for her sister Simone coming along. Legally, Simone could live on her own in Jersey as she was 19. Nicole was still a minor so she needed to go live with her Uncle Adam. They hadn't seen their Uncle Adam for as long as their parents died, partly since Uncle Rudy and Uncle Adam never got along. Still, for the time being Nicole needed a place and so did Simone and they would be going together in this next chapter in their lives.

The airport worker asked the girls for their tickets and Simone passed them to him. He glanced at the tickets and raised an eyebrow.

"One way?" he asked.

"Yes…staying with family." Simone told him nicely.

He looked carefully at the two sisters and they were similar enough but clearly they were different. Simone had shiny blonde hair, hazel eyes, and very light freckles. She was dressed in a pastel pink skirt, white dress shirt, and a jean jacket with white tennis shoes and bangles. With her she had a knapsack, a suitcase, and a case for her violin. Nicole on the other hand stood out a bit more. She had brown hair with a blonde dyed streak, hazel eyes, and long eyelashes. She wore a green tweed jacket, a checked black and white shirt, leather pants, and white studded boots. She had a schoolbag, a decorated suitcase with paint splatter, and a guitar case. The airport worker lingered on Nicole but he didn't think too much as he handed them the tickets and his co-worker took the suitcases and instrument cases.

Nicole glared at the worker when she got the guitar case and she stumbled a bit and placed it carelessly on the conveyor belt. She flinched angrily at the airport worker since it was very important to her and they were being grabbed her sister's arm to calm her down since they really didn't want to cause a scene and could be detained.

The female worker nodded and said,

"We will be sure your luggage is safely kept and is well managed."

Nicole simply nodded but she wanted to say and do so much more. Simone thanked them and the pair were allowed into the terminal.

"They better not lose or damage it." Nicole expressed as they went into the terminal to wait for their flight.

"They will not lose or damage your guitar Nicki. Plus it will be easy to see in the baggage carousel. I still can't believe you were able to hide that from Uncle Rudy for three years. Some guts you have."

Nicole chuckled as she rubbed the back of her neck nervously. She couldn't believe herself that her Uncle Rudy, who was an overly religious zealous pastor, never bothered to look under her bed and found her guitar. Their Uncle Rudy hated all forms of rock music and stated it was the devil's work on corrupting the youth. Unfortunately for him, Nicole loved rock and heavy metal music and had a nifty little collection of tapes. Some of them burned in the blaze but she still had some of her favorite tracks and walkman in her carry on.

"I'm just kind of pissed that instead of being on the road and being a Jersey Siren; we're being sent to exile in Hawkins." Nicole expressed in a bitter tone.

Simone glanced at her sister and gently placed an arm around her.

"You still need to explain to me what was going on in your head that night? I can understand you sneaking out with your band…

"Ex-band, they betrayed me." Nicole interrupted bitterly.

"Right, but that night they still were and you were packed to skip town. What happened?" Simone pressed.

Nicole sighed since she hated that night…


Flashback Three days ago.

Nicole had it with her Uncle Rudy. He was so small minded and wouldn't even give her interests a chance. It was like living with a dictator and she was tired of masking who she was and what she wanted. Luckily, her band the Jersey Sirens were planning on pulling the trigger and going to tour around the U.S. with gigs to hopefully get signed and become famous. An all female metal band wasn't nearly as common and Nicole got lucky in finding some ladies during her nightly rebellious sneak outs. She had been with the band for three years and now all their hard work was about to pay off in spades. Nicole was sad about leaving Simone but she needed to do this as music was ger greatest dream and passion; more than even love. She had packed a suitcase and bag with clothes and stuff for the road and of course, grabbed her ocean blue Alveraz electric guitar and its case. After carefully tossing her things out her second story window, she climbed down the tree near her bedroom window and made the grueling walk to the abandoned warehouse the band usually hung out in. There was Heather; a wonderful drummer with long honey blonde hair and brown eyes; Jennifer the bassist who had short black hair and blue eyes, and lastly Christina who had bleached blonde and blue hair with green eyes and a mole near her left eye.

Nicole smiled at first when she heard the band was practicing…that was until she heard another guitarist. Anger filled her since they were a four person band and she was being replaced by some nobody. She stormed into the warehouse to see her bandmates Heather, Jennifer, and Christina with some girl taking up lead vocals and guitar. Nicole shoved the girl and she needed to be held back by Jennifer so Nicole's fists wouldn't end up the the girl's face

"What is this shit!" Nicole yelled, pointing at the unknown girl.

Heather got up from the drum set and sighed deeply. She knew this was going to be tough to break it to her but it needed to be done.

"She's Erin and….she's our lead singer and new member." Heather explained.

"Uh no the lead singer is me and we only have four members in this band. When was this decided on?" Nicole asked.

Jennifer rolled her eyes and asked Heather,

"I thought you were going to handle this Heather."

Nicole stepped back a bit, away from Jennifer's grip and was kind of getting an idea on what was going on.

"Handle what Heather?" she asked.

Heather shook her head and looked at her with a sorrowful look.

"Nicole…Nicki, you're a good singer….but you really really suck at the guitar and we can't really wait anymore for you to get better. We want to get out there but…it has to be without you."

"Bullshit, I am good at guitar. Yes I'm not the lead guitarist but that's why I am the main vocalist and the songwriter of this band. But come on, if I was also lead, what would Christina be doing?"

Christina glared at her and flipped her off.

"Fuck you Nicki. Besides, you're holding us all back. We first let you in the band because you were talented as a singer and your lyrics were good too. But you don't synergize with us, like at all and we need that. You lag behind me and we need kick ass solos from me and you and you're failing us. Make this easier and just go." Christina told her.

Nicole started to tear up since they were just trying to hurt her.

"Stop lying! You told me I was perfect for the band and that you would be lost without me! You said I was getting better and that we were sisters in metal~"

Christina chuckled coldly and shook her head.

"You really believed anything we told you…all the more reason we don't need a naive girl being our lead in this band. Erin is just as good as you and she's been playing guitar for twice as long. It's for the best, Jersey Sirens are ready and we are moving on without you."

"We are tired of having to babysit you. It's embarrassing to have a 17 year old with us while the rest of us our in our early and mid 20s. You're still a girl compared to us and you really thought we were having you on tour with us. Where we need to worry about you drinking underage, the drugs, the men….yeah you being with us was never long term. We really just wanted your material so we could set off and with a better guitarist and singer. Face it sweetie, we were using you until we found someone better." Jenneifer added.

Nicole looked to Heather and she couldn't help but feel so stupid and betrayed.

"Please tell me you're against this and that you still care about me." Nicole asked.

"It's not about not caring about Nicole but we really need to think about what's best for the band. If we took you along and kept you as the lead, your uncle is going to have cops after us once it's out there that you're with us in Jersey Sirens. He's a big name pastor here and he's going to plant kidnapping charges…."

"I turn 18 in November! We could wait until then if you're worried about my age! I would be an adult and there's nothing he can do about it." Nicole screamed.

Heather pinched her nose in annoyance and shook her head.

"Nicole, we don't want to wait. We have a gig in Conniecuit in two days and there is going to be an agent in that bar that can sign Jersey Sirens. You're a liability and not even your voice or song writing can save your spot in the band. I'm sorry if we gave your hopes up, but we can't take you with us or have you hold us back." Heather expressed.

Nicole looked to Erin and she asked,

"How long?"

"Sorry?"

"How long were you taking my place? You seem to know our set, so how long?" Nicole pressed.

"Two months…maybe three or four. They told me they were helping out a young fan at times but I swear I thought their last singer left and that you were already gone."

Nicole scoffed bitterly.

"I see….you wanted my songs but never me. It's the singers they give a shit about and the rest of you are just the supporting cast. You were hapless without me! You're going to fail without me!" Nicole yelled.

"Just get out of here Nicole. We're not changing our minds. We are all adults except you and we want to start living out our dreams." Jennifer told her.

Christina smirked at her and got in Nicole's face.

"Bye bye baby girl. Go back to your mommy and daddy….Oh wait, you don't have them and just some religious zealots. Dream another dream." she mocked.

Nicole's breathing slowed and felt heat rising in her body. She glared in Christina's eyes before socking her in the nose. Blood spilled out and she spat in Christina's face.

"Fuck all of you and I hope you never get big except in your waistlines. Fuck you and fuck this band. You'll fail without me!"

Nicole stormed out, clenching her bags in her hands and felt tears starting to poor out once she was far enough away from the warehouse. Her dreams, her greatest dreams, they weren't coming true but they were being dashed. They weren't sisters, they were harpies, leeches, backstabbing witches….they wanted her songs since none of them could make a song to save their asses. Now she was alone in her music dreams and her life would only get worse.


Simone was horrified and angered that those women took advantage of her sister's talent and crushed her dreams. Still, she was very relieved that Nicole decided to return home. She had to come home to their house on fire and was worried sick that Nicole was being burned alive with her Aunt Darla and Uncle Rudy. Simone wasn't mad that Nicole was originally going to leave Jersey with her band; the fact she did that was the action that saved her life.

"How old were they Nicole?" Simone asked.

Nicole sighed.

"Heather was like 23, Christina was like 21, and Jennifer was 22. I had met them three years ago when I was out buying my guitar. Heather took an interest in me and more so when I auditioned to be their lead singer. I hadn't played guitar before and Heather helped me to practice even though she was better with drums. Thinking back, I was stupid to think they would want me and all they cared about were my songs."

Simone wrapped an arm around her and gave her a tight hug.

"Maybe Hawkins will be good for you. Maybe you'll find a cast of outcasts you can form a new band with or join one when there. If being a musician is important to you, you should keep trying."

Nicole simply scoffed at the notion since no one could replace what she almost had. Still, Simone was trying to be hopeful and supportive of her music so she did smile a bit and nod.

Both women went on the plane nervously and endured their rather short plane ride to Hawkins, Indiana. Least god was being kind to them today Nicole thought as she followed her sister off the plane with their carry ons. They immediately went to the baggage carousel and Nicole breathed a sigh of relief when she saw her guitar case. She opened it to see her guitar was still intact. Simone looked at the guitar and raised an eyebrow since something was just…off about it in what she knew about her sister.

"Hey don't judge, she's precious!" Nicole snapped.

"Oh I'm not saying it's a bad guitar, it's just…interesting is all."

They grabbed their suitcases and Simone grabbed her violin and they needed to find their uncle.

Both ladies went to the terminal and saw a huge sign with their names on it. This made Nicole and Simone smile as this had to be Uncle Adam. Before her parents died, they saw him a lot. It had been seven years since they last saw him and Nicole went up to hug him without a second thought. Simone offered a small smile since in some ways, Uncle Adam was a lot like their dad in appearance. He had blonde hair like their dad and brown eyes and wore bomber jacket with some slacks and a t shirt. He was not overly tall but he was taller than Simone for sure. Adam was slender with a bit of muscle and light stubble.

" Hi Uncle Adam how have you been?' Simone asked.

Uncle Adam motioned Simone to come in for a hug, which Simone reciprocated warmly.

"You know, been better but not awful you know. Sad we had to be reunited like this but…aren't you glad to see me again. I can't imagine how Uncle Rudy and Aunt Darla treated you since they were strict as hell ironically."

Nicole chuckled and nodded.

"She sure was…so we don't have a new aunt?"

Uncle Adam sighed and shook his head.

"Nope, not that lucky but I am pretty well off. Good investing here and there. But at least I have you both again. Your Uncle Rudy never liked me and made it impossible to contact you both."

Uncle Adam noticed the guitar case and he chuckled warmly as he patted Nicole's shoulder.

"Guess I need to get you an amp and have the basement be where you practice. I'm all for it."

Nicole smiled since he was already more warm and supportive than Uncle Rudy in spades.

Adam got their bags and put their things in the back. Nicole got in the front seat and Simone sat in the back.

"So…since your parents are dead and so are Darla and Rudy…you have access to the money your parents left for you. I'm not taking a cent so you can split whatever money is left among yourselves. I only ask you two not to get into drugs with it." Adam told them.

" I not into drugs or alcohol really, so no worries" Simone said calmly

"Same, but I will go on a small shopping spree. Most clothes burned in a fire and I need a new wardrobe before going back to school. I really want some nice jackets and skirts." Nicole said.

"I thought since we're not with Uncle Rudy you would just wear…I don't know, your rocker clothes and get more of that?" Simone asked.

Nicole shook her head.

"I want to not be labeled since Hawkins High will seem to be very closed minded. Plus I can maybe subvert perceptions by appearing to be some 'out of town new prep type' while really being a wolf under all that. Plus; easy to get away with shit if you don't look like a delinquent."

Uncle Adam chuckled at that.

"If you're into the heavy metal look, you should be proud of it. But I can also understand having a diverse wardrobe too. Plus you only have one year at Hawkins so don't stress the labels or cliques okay." Uncle Adam suggested.

Nicole nodded and maybe could gauge possible friends by quoting song lyrics. If it goes over heads or get a 'what the fuck' reaction no go, humorous enough friendly to be friends, and rare get the references they will be great friends.

" Any jobs in Hawkins?" Simone asked, turning to her Uncle.

Simone needed to keep busy and save up more funds in case she wanted to go to college. She was taking a year off to discover what she might want to do and now she was in a town rich with mystery to keep her interested.

"There's a couple but man Hawkins has been very messed up in the last few years. But anyway; there's openings at a Radioshack, a mom and pop shop, and I think the local grocery store needs a new stock person." Uncle Adam mentioned.

"Radio Shack sounds good to me."

"I might try and see if I can make money tutoring since I kind of did well enough in school." Nicole mentioned.

Simone chuckled and expressed,

"You're probably the only metal head with an almost perfect gpa. You will do more than 'well enough'."

Nicole scoffed.

"Not by choice. You lived with Aunt Darla too, if we weren't perfect we were a disappointment. Can't believe she was mom's sister…like night and day."

"Ah yes…a real hellraiser despite her pastor husband. Still wherever her soul is, I hope it is answering for keeping family apart for so long. I care for you all so much and I know if your parents were still alive; they would be happy we're together again." Uncle Adam stated warmly.

They arrived at Uncle Adam's place and it was a slight downgrade from where they once lived. Instead of a rather small mansion, it was a friendly looking family home that was at least two stories high. It was warm, inviting, and looked to be a lived in but a respectable home that they would make new memories in.

"You both will have your own rooms. I thought I would have had….well in a way I have a family now. I might still be a bachelor but I'm blessed to have my brother's girls living here/"

Nicole cracked a smile and nodded.

"Thanks Uncle Adam. We've missed you so much. I still remember going apple picking in fall with you one year and star gazing when I was six." Nicole reminisced.

" I'm glad to see you again too Uncle Adam aside from our parents, it seems you're the only decent relative we have left. I was upset when we had to go live with Uncle Rudy since I always knew he kind of hated kids." Simone noted

Uncle Adam nodded and brought the girls in for a group hug.

"Courts didn't want me to have you girls because a single man with slight ties to a community didn't seem right to them. They trusted Rudy and Darla because they were married and had strong ties to community and religion. I want us to regain something and to be a family in how much time we have left."

"Uncle Adam, we will have a lot of time even when we go off and live our own lives. You are family and we want you in our lives." Simone told him.

"Yes and I promise to stay out of trouble…for the most part." Nicole said with a grin.

The trio laughed and this was a new start for them all. Uncle Adam as a family man, Simone as a person figuring her life out with a new home, and Nicole; who needed to start over and make relations in senior year while figuring out if there was anything or anyone she could connect to aside from family. She's had bad hands before, but Nicole Lowell is in a new town and thus given a new hand to work with. All she needed was heart and a bit of luck to get through her senior year in peace while having fun along the way.