I held ice to my face, tear tracks drying, as Joe tried to get a hold of my mother.

He walked back over to me with a sigh. "She said she's held up with Chief Hopper right now, want me to try your brother?"

I sniffled. "Yes, please."

I watched as he walked back to the phone. It was very sweet of Joe to do this for me, and to send me home early. The thing about soulmates is that the false pain is just that; false pain. And with how often these kinds of things happen, many managers don't care to send their employees home. I was lucky to have a manager like Joe, honestly. He was always very sensitive and cared about his employees' well being.

"Nancy Wheeler answered," Joe said, "said the two of them are stuck down at the station."

"Oh no, did she say what happened?" I asked. He shook his head. "Dammit." The phone rang again, and Joe went back over to it. I watched as he nodded and 'uhuh'ed.

"Ok. That was Joyce- she said her and Hopper are on their way back now to see Jonathan, they'll pick you up on their way through."

"Thank you so much, Joe," I sighed, taking the ice away from my face and looking at it, as if it could tell me how my bruises were doing. One of my eyes was swelled shut, and I worried for my poor soulmate. But I also couldn't help but wonder what happened, and whether or not they deserved this awful beating. On one hand, I hoped not. I didn't want to be stuck with an asshole, someone like Steve Harrington who I'd kick from here to Texas if I had the chance. But I also didn't want them to get the shit beat out of them for no reason. It was a toss up.

I didn't have to wait too horribly long before my mom came running in.

"Oh, Jo! My poor baby, look at your face!"

"I'm ok, Mom. It's starting to hurt less already." I said, shying away from her hands. I was still sore to the touch, that's for sure.

"I wish I knew who did this! I'd show them how a Byers fights," her brows pulled together with worry.

"Mom, really. I'm alright now. Let's go get Jon."

She nodded and helped me walk out to the car.

"Hi, Chief," I said as I slid into the seat of his truck.

"Hey, Kid. How's your face feeling? That's some nasty bruising you got there."

I nodded. "It's ok now, I iced it. Still kinda sore, though." Mom tutted as she slid in next to me and closed the door.

I whistled as we walked in and caught sight of Jonathan and Nancy waiting at one of the desks.

"Hey. Jonathan? Jesus, what... what happened?" My mother asked, rushing over to him.

"I'm fine," Jon said as an officer tried to get her attention.

"You look better than I do," I said, pointing to my face. Nancy and Jon looked at me with wide eyes before sharing a glance. I noticed a bruise under Nancy's eye, similar to one under Jon's. I did my best to hide my suspicions.

"Why is he wearing handcuffs?" My mother asked harshly.

"Well, your boy assaulted a police officer. That's why."

"I'm sorry, what?"

"Take them off." Mom demanded.

"I'm afraid I cannot do that," Callahan replied. I raised my eyebrows and crept over to my brother and Nancy to talk to them.

"What the fuck happened?" I whispered.

"Well, Steve was being an asshole," Nancy started.

"Ah, as he does," I said with a nod.

"And I lost it and beat him up." Jonathan concluded.

"Hot damn!" I cried as Callahan started taking off the cuffs. "You did not!"

"Did too," he said, with a slightly proud turn of his lips. "Didn't know I had it in me."

"Neither did I," Nancy and I chimed before sharing an awkward smile. I was starting to think Nancy wasn't really all that bad. Sure, she had awful taste in men, but if the way she was sitting and sharing looks with my brother had any indication... Maybe she was getting better at that, too.

"What is this?" Mom asked, looking in the box on the table that I hadn't cared to notice.

"Why don't you ask your son? We found it in his car."

"What?" Mom looked at Callahan with wide eyes.

"Why are you going through my car?" Jon asked angrily.

"Is that really the question you should be asking right now? I wanna see you in my office," Hopper snipped.

"You won't believe me," Jon said, looking at his freed hands that were clasped on the desk.

"Why don't you try me?" Hopper asked.

I shrugged. "We warned you, I guess."

We all filed into Hopper's office, where we started explaining everything.

"Jonathan took this picture the night Barb disappeared, and when I saw it I noticed something weird standing behind her. So I went to him, and we blew up the picture, and we saw this... this monster."

"Yeah, so then we decided to be morons and go out looking for it," I added as Nancy pulled out the picture and handed it to Mom. "And lemme tell you, worst decision ever. But we think we figured out a few things about it."

"Yeah, like it's drawn to blood. We found this dead deer, and soon after it showed up." Jonathan explained.

"Well, it was a dying deer, but yeah." I said.

He shot me a look. "Not really important right now."

I shrugged. Mom handed the picture to Hopper to look at with a sigh.

"You say blood draws this thing?" Hopper asked while looking closely at the picture.

"We don't know," Jon said.

"It's just a theory," Nancy added.

"You two, hallway, now." Jon and I shared a worried look as we followed our mother out.

"I'm sorry, Mom," Jonathan said immediately.

"What, you're sorry? You're You're sorry? That is not good enough, Jonathan."

"I know," He said.

"That's not even close. That's not even in the... In the ballpark."

"I wanted to tell you, I just-"

"What if this think took either of you, too? You risked your life, your sister's... And Nancy's."

"We know Mom, but..."

"I thought I could save Will," Jonathan said softly. "I still do."

"This is not yours to fix alone. You act like you're all alone out there in the world, but you're not. You're not alone."

"I know," He said, "I have Jo, and Nancy helped, and we were fine."

"Damn it, Jonathan."

"I know."

She reached out an arm for me and my twin, and we enveloped her in a hug. "Damn it."

"I want an apology!" Some woman yelled, causing us to pull apart.

"An apology for what, exactly?" Callahan asked the lady.

"Where's the chief? I want to speak to him right this instant."

Hopper came out at that moment and told us all to stay put.

"Ma'am, I need you to calm down."

"What is your name, Deputy?" She asked, rounding on poor Callahan.

"Well, I'm an officer... Okay?"

"Name and badge number, both of you!"

"What the hell is going on here?" Hopper yelled as he walked over to them.

"Man, this lady is nuts," I whispered to Jon and Nancy.

"Chief..." Powell warned.

"These men are humiliating my son."

"No, no, no. Okay, that's not true." Callahan said, waving a hand.

"Yes," The lady corrected.

"There was some kind of fight, Chief-"

"A psychotic child broke his arm!"

"A little girl, Chief. A little one." Callahan broke in.

"That tone!" She cried. "Do you hear that tone?"

"Honestly, I'm just trying to state a fact."

"I don't have time for this," Hopper groaned, rubbing his forehead.

"It was a little girl-"

"Will you please take a statement?" Hopper cut him off. He turned to leave as Callahan asked what she looked like. The boy's response stopped him short.

"She had no hair and she was bleeding from her nose. Like a freak."

"What'd you just say?" Hopper asked, walking right up to the boy.

"Ooh, now this is getting good. Anyone got popcorn?" I whispered. Mom smacked me upside the back of the head. "Ow! I was only kidding!"

"No, her hair. What'd you say about her hair?" Hopper asked.

"Her head's shaved. She doesn't even look like a girl. And..." He trailed off, looking away.

"Tell the man, Troy," His mother urged.

"She can... Do things."

"What kind of things?" Hopper prodded.

"Like... Make you fly. And piss yourself."

I tried to hold back the snort, I really did.

"What? Was she alone?"

"She always hangs out with those losers." Troy said.

"Losers, what losers?" Hopper said, getting close to the truth now.

"Mike Wheeler, Lucas Sinclair, and Dustin Henderson."

"Oh, shit."