Disclaimer: I do now own Stranger Things or IT. I only own my OC.

A/N: My knowledge of Dungeons & Dragons is limited. I've only played it once a while ago. So forgive me for that. I'm learning as I go. Also did anyone else hate Chemistry when they were in high school because I sure did. I will forever be thankful for my notebook and all the notes I took because that's what managed to keep my B grade. Anyways...we are now entering the first episode of season one. Let the fun and angst begin. Although let's be honest, the angst has always been here.

"How does knowing 'things could be worse' than what I already deem awful make me feel any better? You mean I could sink even lower? Oh joy!"
― Richelle E. Goodrich, Smile Anyway: Quotes, Verse, and Grumblings for Every Day of the Year

Chapter 9: The night Will Byers disappeared

Two days after Gwen's birthday, the sixteen year old went over to the Byers' house after school. Jonathan and Gwen didn't only spend time during school, they sometimes even hung out after. Usually it was either at the Hawkins Public Library where they did homework together, or they'd walk around town, enjoying each other's company.

Sometimes Will walked around with them before he went to join the others. It had been Will, during one of their long walks, who showed Gwen the town's arcade. The Palace Arcade was way bigger than the arcade in Derry. The arcade in Derry was connected to their local theater and it didn't have as many games as the Palace Arcade.

Gwen knew the moment she entered the arcade that Richie would have loved it. She made a mental note that if Richie ever came to Hawkins the Palace Arcade would be the first place Gwen would show him in town.

Will told her Mike, Lucas, Dustin, and him would go to the arcade a lot but Gwen had yet to go with them. She'd been at the arcade on her own time, setting the highest scores on both Ms. Pac-Man and Pac-Man.

The only negative thing she could say about the Palace Arcade was Keith, an employee there. Gwen knew Keith because he was in the same grade as Nancy and her.

Keith used to try talking to Gwen whenever she was in the middle of a game. Flirting was more like it, although he was very awkward about it. He also chewed the cheese puffs he ate loudly. So Gwen thought of him to be more annoying than creepy. Besides, she thought no one could ever be as creepy as Patrick Hockstetter had been.

Keith was harmless, aside from him being annoying. She especially thought Keith was annoying after he ruined her chances of getting a good score on Galaga.

That had ticked her off. Keith had been smart enough to leave her side after receiving an irritated stare. Now the lanky teen approached her with caution when she wasn't in the middle of an intense game.

However, today wasn't an arcade day. Today was even better than a day at the arcade. Today Gwen was visiting the Byers' home. And as Gwen learned after getting an overjoyed greeting by Joyce, Jonathan had never brought over a girl before.

Being welcomed happily by Joyce, an adult, into her home left Gwen feeling bemused but not at all uncomfortable. Aside from her family members, for the most part adults were either just the right amount of civil, indifferent, or flat out boorish with Gwen. At least that's how it was when she lived in Derry. Maybe not at all the adults in Hawkins were the same way. Even after the whole shoplifting incident, and Joyce coming to her aid, she remained kind to her.

Joyce handed Gwen the glass of water she got her before taking a seat. After initially greeting Gwen, Joyce and the teens had moved over to the living room."So did you have a good birthday Gwen?"

Gwen took a sip of her water before answering. "I did. Thanks again for the chocolate, Ms. Byers."

"Gwen, you can call me Joyce." The older woman smiled, good-natured. "And I'm glad you enjoyed it. Sorry that the chocolate probably didn't compare to your other gifts."

Gwen didn't compare the gifts she got. Despite not being all proper ladylike as her mother wished her to be, Gwen knew it wasn't a very polite thing to do. She also didn't want to think about her other gifts.

Alright, that was a lie. Gwen actually didn't want to think about Stan's gift which came in the form of a letter. A letter she had yet to find the courage to read and was locked away at the bottom of her desk drawer. Gwen was being a coward for not reading it because she knew whatever Stan wrote to her would make her breakdown.

Gwen wanted to think positive things but her head was able to convince her that Stan probably wrote about how much pain she caused him, and honestly? She deserved to feel bad about it. Gwen usually was one to allow the emotional pain to sweep through her yet she wasn't running to read the letter. She was prolonging the tears that were her heartache this time but eventually they'd be released. She wouldn't be able to keep them in forever.

Gwen took another sip of water again, trying to ignore the way her heart was racing. "I liked it." She said afterwards to Joyce about the gift she gave her. By now Gwen's heart was somewhat calming down. "That's all that matters." She added placing the glass of water on the living room coffee table.

Her dark brown eyes wandered over to Will who returned after putting away his backpack in his bedroom. Gwen waved, greeting him with a genuine smile. The gloom she felt from before was slipping away. Not entirely but enough for Gwen to interact with the Byers honestly and contentedly.

Will waved back as he took a seat next to his brother. It was Friday so Jonathan had expected Will to go over to one of his friends' houses. Will for the most part was out of the house more than Jonathan was the day leading up to the weekend but for today he decided to stay over while Gwen visited.

A beige scruffy dog Gwen had seen when she first entered approached her. The dog sat down in front of her, tail wagging on the carpet.

Gwen's features softened. "Your dog's adorable." She liked dogs as much as she liked cats. However Richie and her always wanted a dog but their mother never allowed it. She said that animals were too much of a responsibility and didn't believe Gwen and Richie would after it. Gwen figured her mother was making excuses because she just didn't want an animal in the house.

"His name's Chester." Jonathan told her. He petted him and then gestured for Gwen to do the same. Once getting the okay Gwen gently petted Chester.

"He's crafty." Will commented, looking at the scruffy dog. "He likes to eat from our plates whenever we have dinner. So if you ever stay over for dinner you need to watch out for that."

Chester wagged his tail a few more times before he scurried off to the front door.

"Excuse me, he wants to be let out." Joyce got up from where she was sitting. Chester happily spun in circles and then ran out with a bark once the front door was open.

"So what are you guys' plans?" Joyce asked once she took a seat again.

"We're just going to do our English homework." Jonathan informed his mother. "We figured it'd be best to get English out of the way since we both have tests next week for other classes." He had a Math test to worry about and Gwen had a Chemistry test to stress over.

Jonathan was relieved he didn't have Kaminsky's for Chemistry because from what he heard the tests given in that class were the worst. Also he was pretty sure he saw a guy coming out of the class crying the other day.

"So the weekend will be about studying." Gwen waved her hands in the air giving a fake cheer.

"Can't say I miss cramming for exams." Joyce laughed, finding Gwen's fake enthusiasm amusing. It reminded her of how she used to be in high school all those years ago. She cleared her throat. "So I have to leave in a few. I have the late afternoon shift today but help yourself to anything we have in the fridge." She kindly told Gwen.

"Thanks Ms….I mean Joyce." Gwen smiled sheepishly. She was reminded of the time when she used to take piano lessons and had to get used to calling Bill's mother Sharon and not Mrs. Denbrough. Gwen continued to make small conversation with Joyce until she excused herself to finally get ready for work.

"So what exactly is the English homework you two have to do?" Will asked the teenagers, curious. English wasn't his favorite class but it was one he excelled in along with Science and Math.

Jonathan answered first. "It's a question worksheet we have to finish."

"We're reading Homer's epic poem The Iliad." Gwen announced dramatically. She thought Richie would approve of the way she said it. She grabbed her backpack to move closer to where Jonathan and Will sat. She took out her English textbook and notebook. Jonathan did the same as her.

Jonathan and her both had Mrs. Davis for Sophomore English but during different periods. However they were still assigned the same homework assignments. Working together meant finishing the worksheet a lot faster.

"So listen…" Gwen spoke again, catching Jonathan and Will's attention. "I know we're not really studying the character of Cassandra but I just find her so interesting."

Cassandra only had a minor role in the epic poem but Gwen did more research on her when she visited Hawkin's Public Library. Ben would have been proud with the amount of research she'd done at the library. As she learned, Cassandra'sbackstory was rather messed up.

"Her life's really sad." Gwen went on to say, voice soft.

Will tilted his head. "Why is it sad?"

Gwen looked at him and saw the curiosity on his face. She vehemently began talking about Cassandra's story. "You see, Cassandra was one of the princesses of Troy. She's the daughter of Priam and Hecuba. She's described to be the most beautiful of her siblings. Like, astonishingly beautiful." She let out a wistful sigh. "Now according to myth, Apollo, the God of archery, music, dance, and a bunch of other stuff, fell in love with Cassandra and granted her the gift of prophecy. Being able to see into the future." She explained to Will who was listening attentively. "Cassandra agreed to the gift but then refused to be with him. Apollo got so mad that she rejected him, he placed a curse on her."

"What kind of curse?" Will nervously asked. "Did he take away the gift of being able to see into the future?"

"No he didn't." Gwen shook her head. "That's just it though. She'd be able to see into the future, see all the horrible things that would happen but nobody would believe her when she'd tell them what was going to happen. Everyone thought she was crazy. And so the gift that was once a blessing became a curse."

Gwen decided not to tell Will the rest of Cassandra's story about her being enslaved by Agamemnon and becoming his concubine after the fall of Troy, only to then be killed by his wife Clytemnestra. It didn't seem age appropriate and Will already seemed sad enough.

"All because she didn't want to be with him?" Will now looked perplexed and upset. "Seems like he overreacted. He should have just accepted being told no by her."

Gwen thought the same as Will. "Yeah, he really should have. People with big egos tend to overreact, and unfortunately that's not just in stories but in real life too."

"It is important to remember that no is no though." Jonathan quietly but earnestly added to the conversation. He'd been silently listening, intrigued and bothered as Will.

"No is no." Will softly echoed.

Joyce appeared then now wearing her work uniform. She walked to the kitchen, calling for Jonathan. Gwen and Will continued to talk as Jonathan went over to his mother.

"She's a sweet girl. A little misunderstood but sweet." Joyce softly said, glancing at Gwen. She kept her voice low as she spoke to her oldest son. "I'm glad you two are getting to know each other."

Jonathan nodded his head. "Yeah, she's a good friend."

Joyce sent her son a knowing smile. "Friend?"

Jonathan ducked his head shyly, sighing from what his mother was trying to suggest. "Yes, she's just a friend." He insisted.

Joyce lightened up on the teasing. "I'm just glad you have someone you can talk to. You know, other than me and Will."

"I'm glad too." Jonathan quietly responded. The friendship between Gwen and him wasn't romantic in the slightest. It was strictly platonic and it was a comfort he was not used to having. It really was nice to have a friend his own age. Someone who didn't look at him like he was an odd duck or took pity on him.

After Joyce said her goodbyes Jonathan passed by Gwen and Will in the living room. He had more notes that would help out with the worksheet they needed to do. When he walked by them Jonathan overheard Will tell Gwen about Castle Byers and asked if she wanted to visit it after she was done with her homework.

Jonathan had almost stopped walking from surprise. He knew how big of a deal Castle Byers was to his little brother. Even though Gwen hadn't been in Hawkins that long she really must have made an impact on Will because only the people he trusted were allowed to enter the safe place he created.

As Jonathan went into his bedroom to find his extra English notes, Gwen and Will were still talking. Gwen had just said yes about wanting to see Castle Byers after she finished with her homework when Will suddenly remembered something else worth talking about.

"So Mike told me he gave you his old Dungeons & Dragons handbook."

The pencil Gwen had been tapping against her notebook came to a stop. She'd been trying to tap to the beat of Barracuda by Heart but it was probably way off. "Yeah he did. It also came with a character sheet."

"Cool!" Will exclaimed. "Mike's been planning this campaign for the weekend. Maybe you can join."

Gwen learned that a campaign in Dungeons & Dragons was a series of sessions and adventures where players continue with the same party of characters, picking up where they left off. To her surprise, a campaign can last more than a few hours. It can last days, and even weeks.

"Oh, I don't think so." The teen girl let him know in a less than confident tone of voice.

Would she have liked to join this upcoming campaign? Yeah but Gwen didn't necessarily feel right joining a campaign Mike had been working on for only his friends and him. She didn't want to intrude and cause Mike any further annoyance. Plus she didn't feel ready to play yet.

"Why not?" Will asked, and then took a guess. "Have you filled out your character sheet?"

Gwen shook her head. "No not yet. There's a lot of options about who I can be and then there's also the character's level, health, class, their background story, and a bunch of other stuff."

"Yeah but that's the fun part." Will encouraged.

Gwen appeared sheepish. "I can't even think of a name." She quietly admitted to him.

Will's jollity from before hadn't gone away. "How about I help you figure out a name for your character then."

"Really?"

Will saying he wanted to help with her potential Dungeons & Dragons character had Gwen tapping her pencil again. All her energy mixed with the feeling of…happiness? Was that actual happiness she was feeling? Yeah, there was no denying she was happy. It reminded Gwen of how she used to feel whenever she hung out with Richie and the rest of the Losers. Her friends. She supposed it made sense she'd feel this way now because Will was her friend.

Will nodded his head.

"Alright. Do you have any suggestions?" Gwen asked him.

Will paused, his eyes then shining gleefully when smiling at Gwen. "Have you read any of The Lord Of The Rings books?"

Gwen never thought there would be a day where she hated a subject more than Math but Chemistry was now her most hated subject. She was aware from her first day at Hawkins High that Kaminsky's class was no walk in the park. However she came to the conclusion that Kaminsky was a sadist for making her and the rest of the class memorize so much shit.

Her attention span when it came to her studies wasn't the greatest but she really was trying. So much that she gave herself a headache earlier on the day.

The notes Barb gave her helped a lot and also studying with Nancy. Gwen and her had been studying for the last couple of hours but it all came to a stop when Nancy got a phone call.

Based on the way Nancy's cheeks turned rosy it had to have been Steve who called. Gwen certainly didn't want to stay in Nancy's room while Steve Harrington chatted her up so she quickly picked up her books and the flashcards she made with Nancy to excuse herself.

Nancy was at least nice enough to acknowledge her leaving by giving Gwen a nod before giggling from whatever Steve said over the phone.

It was gross, and yet Gwen felt a sting she didn't think much about due to her stressing over an upcoming Chemistry test.

Usually in the Wheeler household everyone ate together as a family. Today was an exception. It was Sunday, and aside from Nancy and Gwen telling Karen ahead of time that they needed to study, Mike also had the campaign Will mentioned to Gwen he'd been working on.

When Will arrived with Lucas and Dustin he asked if Gwen was going to play with them but all the books he saw spiraled in front of her gave him the answer he needed so he quietly said he'd say goodbye before he left later.

That had been about ten hours ago. That's how long they'd been playing but that's basically how long Gwen had been studying with a few breaks in between. The longest break was when she ate her dinner rather quickly.

Gwen groaned, her forehead laid on top of her Chemistry book. All the formulas were starting to look the same now. She decided that she was done with studying. She lifted her forehead to close her textbook and got up to brush her teeth. On the way to the bathroom she bumped into Dustin in the hallway holding a pizza box. Gwen wasn't puzzled by that knowing that the boys ordered pizza for dinner. She was more puzzled about Dustin's sad eyes.

"Hey Dustin." Gwen greeted him. "Are you guys finally done for the night?" If they weren't surely they would soon. It was a school night and Gwen didn't think her aunt would allow them to continue playing when it was almost ten.

"Yeah." Dustin gestured to the pizza box, a little solemn. "You want the last slice of pizza? Nancy didn't want it."

Gwen furrowed her eyebrows. "She said no to pizza?"

"She shut the door in my face." Dustin grumbled.

Ah, that explained his sad eyes. Nancy doing that certainly wasn't nice but Gwen decided to give her the benefit of the doubt. "She's probably stressed. I know I am. There's an upcoming Chemistry test this week we've been studying for."

"Nah, she didn't look stressed and she wasn't studying." Dustin was quick to say. "She was on the phone blabbing away about Steve Harrington."

Gwen's mood soured a bit at the mention of Steve, even indirectly, being the cause of Dustin feeling sad. "Oh…." She mumbled before reaching for the pizza box. Even though she was about to brush her teeth she thought that maybe someone accepting the last slice would make Dustin feel better. Plus….it was a free slice of pizza. "I'll eat the last slice then. Can't let it go to waste." She said before taking a bite of the sausage and pepperoni pizza."Thanks Dustin."

Dustin looked at Gwen as she ate the pizza. He noticed The Doors t-shirt she was wearing and her slightly ripped jeans. She was smiling as she ate. This was the reaction Dustin expected from Nancy but didn't get.

Unlike Nancy who'd given him the cold shoulder, Gwen was friendly. Despite the rough start with Gwen yelling at him and the others, and after her apology, Dustin thought Gwen was alright but he was suddenly seeing Gwen in a whole different light now. He nodded his head. "You know Gwen, you're cool."

Gwen hadn't been expecting that. She swallowed the piece of pizza she had in her mouth."Um, thanks Dustin." She replied, sort of unsure. It wasn't often she was called that. Usually people around her own age called her loud, annoying, and a loser.

Henry Bowers in particular would call her awful names. Gwen used to think being called a loser was an insult but after what she went through with the Losers club, she now thought being called a loser was the highest of compliments.

"Nancy used to be cool like you but she's changed. Does high school do that to a person? If it does, I hope you don't change in the process." Dustin frowned. "I hope I don't change when I start high school."

Gwen tried being reassuring. "Don't worry I'm still me." She patted his shoulder with her free hand. "And I'm sure you won't change either Dustin."

"Let's hope not." Dustin muttered.

"Hey." Will voice's caught their attention. He was at the top step of the stairs. He smiled seeing his friends. "I was about to say bye, we're all leaving now."

Gwen took one last bite of her pizza, leaving the crust. Usually she ate the crust but since Will and the others were leaving she decided to skip the crust this time. "I'll walk you guys out." She said in between chews, not caring how unladylike she appeared. As they walked down the stairs she took the pizza box from Dustin to put in the recycle bin the Wheelers had and the crust in the trash can.

She met with the party outside who, except for Mike, were grabbing their bikes. The teen made it just in time to hear Dustin complain to Mike.

"There's something wrong with your sister."

Mike frowned. "What are you talking about?"

Dustin gestured to Gwen who was standing next to Mike now. "I was telling Gwen how cool she used to be but now it's like she has a stick up her butt."

Will kept quiet about it but Lucas eagerly joined the conversation, wanting to express his own annoyance. "Yeah it's because she's been dating that douchebag, Steve Harrington. Why do girls go for guys like that?" He moved his gaze over to Gwen who was quick to notice.

Gwen scoffed out of amusement. "Hey don't look at me. I don't like douchebags. Especially not ones who go by Steve "The Hair" Harrington." She made puking sounds. She took joy in hearing them laugh. Even Mike managed to crack a small smile, not that she noticed since he was good at hiding it.

"Well it's a good thing you're not into douchebags because Nancy's turning into a real jerk." Dustin said after his laughter calmed down. "It would be a crime if the same thing were to happen to you."

"But Nancy's always been a jerk." Mike proclaimed. So that may have not been entirely true, but it had been such a long time since Nancy and him got along and did anything fun together. So it was easier to see her as a mean older sibling. He wondered if Gwen and her younger brother Richie were like them, always bickering. Probably not based on how happy Gwen was whenever she spoke with Richie.

Dustin shook his head as he got on his bike. "Nuh-uh, she used to be cool. Like the time she dressed up as an elf for our Elder tree campaign." The lights he had on his bike turned on. Lucas and Will's lights on their bikes turned on as well.

"Nancy dressed up as an elf?" Gwen was genuinely shocked to hear that. She couldn't picture Nancy like that. She didn't even know Nancy had participated in Dungeons & Dragons.

"Yes but that was four years ago." Mike answered, disgruntled.

"Just saying she wasn't always this mean." Dustin then pedaled forward, leaving the Wheelers. He glanced over his shoulder. "At least Gwen's not like that. Night!"

"Later!" Lucas shouted to Mike and Gwen as he took off. Gwen said goodnight to them and then looked at Will who was still there with Mike and her.

"It was a seven." Will admitted quietly, shyly looking at Mike.

Mike, having not heard him, tilted his head. "Huh?"

"The role." Will elaborated and Gwen now understood he was talking about Dungeons & Dragons. "The role, it was a seven. The Demogorgon…it got me."

Gwen suddenly shivered.

Pushing aside his shyness, Will smiled. "Well see you tomorrow." Will said to Mike before looking at Gwen. "Bye Gwen."

Gwen's mouth felt dry when she spoke. "Catch you on the flip side Will." Her voice was so low she might as well not have said anything at all.

Will then took off to catch up with Lucas and Dustin.

The lights from outside above Gwen and Mike flickered. Gwen kept her eyes on Will before the darkness of the empty street made it impossible for her to see him. Even then Gwen hadn't looked away. She felt a drop in her stomach, suddenly feeling really cold despite the dark green military jacket she had on.

"Gwen?"

Mike frowned, a little annoyed that his cousin didn't answer him. His annoyance didn't stay after he walked over to turn off the lights. He thought Gwen would finally say something once she was in the dark but she remained silent and still.

"Hey Gwen…." Mike's voice softened, walking closer to her. The lights were on again now that he was starting to feel uneasy. Her distant expression wasn't helping, so he gently shook her arm. "Are you okay?" Gwen finally looked away from the dark street. She blinked a few times, shifting her gaze onto Mike.

"What?"

"I said, are you okay?" Mike asked, feeling concern for his cousin. She was just standing there with a faraway look on her face. It was spooky as much as it was concerning. He didn't even think she noticed she had been in the dark for a bit. The flickering lights were weird but once turning them off it left them in the dark and Gwen had yet to move. "You're just standing there. Aren't you coming back inside?"

"Yeah, I am. I mean…I'm okay." Gwen still felt so off but Mike sounding worried about her made her gain enough composure. She briefly looked at the dark empty street, thinking of Will. Gwen shook her head and turned to follow Mike inside. She almost laughed at herself.

Gwen thought maybe the sudden bad feeling she got could be because of how stressed out she was. There was no other reason for Gwen to feel the same way she did like in Derry. She had felt that way because of IT but the evil entity was gone. And anyways she was in Hawkins now. A different town in a different state.

Although she told herself this, the sinking feeling didn't go away. Not even when Gwen went to sleep, if she could call that sleep. The eeriness stayed with her and it made her feel like something really terrible was going to happen.