Hawkins High School, despite all the events that happened not a year before, was as normal as any other school. There were the typical popular kids, the bookworms, the nerds, the athletes, the extroverts, and the introverts. And there was Kagome Higurashi.
Kagome Higurashi moved from Tokyo to Hawkins right before the start of the school year. A long list of fake diseases and a missed year - congratulations to her grandpa and her adventures fighting an evil half-youkai 500 years in the past - turned into a shadow on her history. Because of that, finding a decent high school was hard; and graduating from it was even worse. The once somewhat popular student became an outcast, haunted by her ghosts of the past and present.
Mama Higurashi watched her once bright child becoming a pariah, apart from everything and everyone. It hurt more than watching her face the unknown. Back then, Kagome had dreams of love and the support of powerful friends. Now, she had nothing but a loving family that couldn't completely understand what she went through. Once Kagome turned 18, Mama Higurashi had made up her mind and came with an unexpected offer.
"Why don't you start anew somewhere else? Far from everything and everyone you know."
Kagome was quick to jump. The idea had been living on her mind for some time, but she never gave it too much attention. It wasn't fair for her family if she just left. But Mama gave her arguments and after a night of hugs and tears, they designed a plan.
Kagome dropped out the school and spent the following months getting a better hang of English and working around getting her papers. She called several rental agencies in different areas until she found an affordable place in a small city called Hawkins.
There wasn't much about Hawkins available in Japanese newspapers or books. The most recent piece of information was the closing of a national lab due to a chemical spill that caused the death of a teenager - which Kagome assumed was the reason for the below-average renting and living costs. After some calls, she landed a place and enrolled in the local school for her senior year.
Upon arriving, she found out that a sequence of tragedies resulted in dozens of deaths in a short period - the latest happening just a month before. The gruesome stories would have made her mother rethink funding her stay there, therefore Kagome never mentioned it when phoning home.
For most, the morbidity surrounding the city's recent history would be enough of a reason to stay away from Hawkins but Kagome had seen entire villages being slaughtered, with the corpses used as puppets and meat shields. She beheaded countless demons, bathed on their insides - although not willingly, had been on the brink of death, and faced things that tormented her dreams for years to come.
Kagome Higurashi was a survivor. She promised her family and lost friends to live her best life, and she would.
Being somewhat older than most, a foreigner, and having joined the school in the senior year made it a few times harder to make friends. She found no use in joining any extracurricular activities when she would be leaving in less than a year. While not a complete castoff, Kagome spent most of her time alone, but she didn't resent that. After everything, it was only a temporary nuisance.
Kagome stood by her locker, picking up what she would need for the day. After Jason's speech earlier, which soured the mood of half of the students present while the other half got excited by his words, she sneaked out before anyone asked about her apathy. It wasn't that she was indifferent to the tragedy, she just didn't want to drown in the overwhelming feelings that always followed whenever these events were mentioned.
Her senses had been all over the place in the past few days, especially towards certain students. Many times Kagome prevented herself from approaching them. How could she ask if something was wrong when she barely knew their names? Chrissy was a cheerleader, dating the basketball captain, and never spared her a single glance; Patrick, she only knew the name because it was stamped on his uniform; the red-haired girl was in freshman year and always walked with a headphone on, barely acknowledging when someone approached her.
Kagome closed her eyes and sighed. If there was one thing she learned the hard way was that most people don't want others asking about their problems, much less when they were strangers. If an opportunity came, she would surely act on it; if not, Kagome would just accept and move on.
Distracted by her thoughts, the Japanese student gasped when two younger students appeared by her side.
"Hi! " The first boy asked. He had a cute baby face, with round cheeks and curly brown hair. On his side was a tall slender boy, with dark hair and pale skin.
"Hi?" She raised an eyebrow. It wasn't common for freshmen to approach her - or anyone at all.
"I'm Mike. This is Dustin." The other boy said. "We are looking for a sub to join our game tonight. Do you like role-playing?"
"What's role-playing?" The term didn't ring any bells.
"It's like a stage play. You create a character and must act according to it. You attack, cast spells, fight monsters-"
"With a dice!" Interjected Mike.
"Do you throw a dice at each other?"
"No! We roll the dice and our lives will depend on the result!"
"You are scaring her, Dustin."
Kagome frowned. "Sounds… interesting, but-"
"You should totally join us today in the old theater club room after classes."
"-I can't compromise today." The boys' spirits deflated. "Maybe next time."
Kagome's heart ached for them, especially Dustin. Their disappointment was a punch in her chest. They reminded her so much of her baby brother Souta she wanted to hug them and pet their heads, telling them everything was alright.
"I'm sorry," she said. "I just don't wanna let you down in case I can't make it. You really should find someone else."
Dustin rolled his eyes and huffed. "As if we haven't been trying the whole day," he murmured while walking away with Mike. The taller boy waved his thanks and they left.
Kagome sighed and scowled, wondering if she honestly had to refuse. There was the basketball final, but she was sure she wouldn't be missed there. If the Tigers won, everyone would be too excited to notice her absence. If they lost, the others would be too distracted to realize she wasn't there. Kagome used to be one of those cheering in the stands back in middle school and she vividly recalled having seen Eri, Yuka and Ayumi rooting for their school when they crossed paths a couple of years before. She just didn't find any joy in doing it these days.
Loaded with guilt and a trace of curiosity Kagome walked down the empty halls, following the echoing voices. She had seen Mike and Dustin hanging with Eddie Munson, a fellow classmate and an interesting character, always causing an impression. At the very least, it would be a chance to meet new people.
Inside a room filled with candles and props, Munson sat on a throne, partially hidden behind a book. Dustin and Mike, three other seniors and a younger girl that would often be seen in the stands when the Tigers were playing surrounded a table filled with maps, figures, charts and a dozen cans here and there.
"Come in, Higurashi, don't be shy." She was caught. Kagome flushed under Eddie's tease, "It's not every day that we have a lady spying on us."
The others turned and Kagome graced them with a gritted smile.
"You came!" Said Dustin. He nudged Mike. "Wait, do you know her?" He asked, looking at Eddie.
"We have some classes together, right?" Kagome nodded. "I wouldn't expect you to be interested in Dungeons and Dragons, Miss Higurashi."
"I don't know what it is, but Dustin and Mike mentioned something about role-playing?" She tried. "But I guess I'm too late. Seems you've already started. I don't wanna interr-"
"What?! No, come here, join us." Eddie promptly asked - demanded - Gareth to move, vacating a space between him and Dustin. "The more the merrier."
Dustin went to Kagome and pulled her by the hand until she joined the pack. Eddie handed Gareth his character's sheet and soda cans, cleaning up the space for the newcomer. Kagome took the chance to look at a board set on the table. The small characters were positioned strategically close to a dungeon while a monster stood above the ground in a menacing stand.
"I will just be an observer this time, okay?" Before Dustin could interject, she added, "I don't have a clue about this and your game seems to be rather advanced for me to jump in. I would be merely a nuisance instead of helping. This way I can be more prepared next time." Kagome winked at Dustin, who shifted on his seat and nodded.
Grinning, Eddie named Kagome the official Dungeon Master Assistant for the day. He pulled her chair until she was beside his throne, overwhelmed with the notes and all the plans he had for the group. As they played, he explained some of the basic mechanics, such as the classes and the races using the players as examples.
Kagome understood enough to get anxious as they played. She pictured the group as their respective characters and got nervous at each roll of the dice. As an unbiased observer, she could see the effort Eddie put into making the campaign a pleasurable adventure, hard enough to create a challenge but not to the point of frustration.
The battle was fierce, with the warriors fearlessly facing each of Vecna's minions. Every adversary left its marks, and the heroes got wounded and tired. The dice spared no compassion, equally provoking on them groans of dismay and cheers of glory. One by one, Gareth, Jeff and Mike fell, leaving only Dustin and Erica against the evil Lord of the Rotted Tower.
As the group reunited far from the prying ears of the Dungeon Master, Eddie explained to Kagome the current table setup and their options: flight or fight. Whatever they choose, the dice would decide their fate. They would need a certain number to safely leave the battleground and loads of luck to land a hit powerful enough to kill the final boss of the adventure.
Dustin and Erica chose to fight until their last health point. Vecna could erase their existence in a single strike unless one of them landed the perfect blow.
Dustin went first.
He made up a prayer with lots of curse words and kissed the dice. The odds were against him and Vecna was implacable when the attack failed. The last man - girl - standing was Erica.
Under the apprehensive stares of the Hellfire Club members, Erica grabbed the dice. Its twenty faces mocking each of them while Eddie squeezed his hands together and chewed his lower lip. Erica released the dice from her shaking hands. Every pair of eyes in the room followed the object as it rolled over the table. The success of the campaign depended on Lady Applejack's final action.
"CRITICAL!"
Kagome had only a vague idea of what was happening but their hollers and cheers said enough. The group of warriors celebrated the defeat of the evil boss. Eddie bowed, bearing his defeat and honouring the heroes. Kagome clapped, their euphoria washing over her. Even not having directly participated in the game, she shared their joy.
For the first time since she moved, the past and loneliness didn't plague her thoughts. She lived the moment with these new friends and went to bed wearing a smile that night.
Until she woke up.
Drenched, she heaved as the pressure of malicious energy constricted her chest. Waves of fear and agony filled her mind with pleas for help. Her vision got blurry, and a migraine felt as if someone hammered inside her skull.
Kagome took short and uncertain steps until she got to the bathroom. She knelt by the toilet and vomited. Her bangs were glued to her forehead. Her muscles ached.
The last thing she remembered before passing out was the lights failing and a familiar name: Chrissy.