The bell on the door chimed merrily, with the strong mouthwatering smell of freshly brewing coffee and sizzling pancake batter. Even in the afternoon, Brenda's Diner was still stacking them up high and sending them out to hungry customers.

A beleaguered looking waitress dodged a young couple as they were leaving, carrying four plates of food, two on each arm. How anyone could balance that much while moving at the speed she was, pure magic and willpower.

It was a rather popular spot, tons of locals parked at the counter which wrapped around almost like a bar looking into where you could see part of the kitchen. A pair of western saloon style doors separated the customers from the rest of the workers in the kitchen from the distraction of the busy lunchtime rush.

The '50s style decor hadn't changed much since the place first opened back in '52. All the gaudy black and white tile floor and vinyl red booth seats had definitely not aged well. Although the jukebox from the period was still in perfect working condition and had been updated with the latest hits. However, despite the shortcomings in appearance and the occasional issues with the plumbing in the washroom crapping out (no pun intended), the food was always right on point, the staff were kind, and Brenda was a local staple of the neighbourhood.

It was a Sunday, so the place was packed full of people. Families, people getting off work or taking their coffee breaks and young teens either hanging out with their friends or there on a date. The energy was that of any other Sunday, light and filled with mirth.

However, at a table tucked into the back-most corner of the diner, tension and gloom had latched itself into the atmosphere. The couple sat quietly over their food and drink. Both were deeply taken up, wrapt in conversation.

"I know it hasn't been easy, but I'm sure once your finished with it, and let me have a look it won't be as bad as you think." Reaching over the table Nancy took Steve's free hand in her own as a gesture of comfort. She hoped at least that he would see it that way.

"I just hate writing. I can never really get what I want to say across right. I wish they had scoring a perfect three-pointer as something for college applications instead of this torture." Steve ran the fingers of his free hand through his perfectly quaffed hair.

Nancy wanted to be more comforting for him. To be there in the way a girlfriend is supposed to be. However, no matter how much she tried to be present her mind was simply not fully able to be there.

Barb was gone? That's what that girl, Eleven, had said right?

What did that mean exactly. Gone could mean the obvious. Dead. However, gone could mean other things to. It was to vague, not concrete enough to make it truly real.

On top of that there was also the matter of what to say to Barb's parents. How was Nancy supposed to sit there and say nothing to them. Leaving them with nothing but their own thoughts on the matter felt almost cruel.

"Would you kids be wanting the bill or some more coffee?" Nancy was snapped out of her thoughts by Laurie, and older waitress who often wore an excessive amount of makeup caked onto her face. She looked more clown than woman.

"No thank you, the check is fine," Steve answered.

"One bill?"

"Yes, thanks," he answered before Nancy could even object. It had started to bug her a bit, him always paying for their meals. It was such a small menial thing, but it made her feel like a child that needed to be helped, not someone who could be self sufficient.

"Alright dears," Laurie snatched up their plates, turning to Nancy before she left.

"Do you want a to-go box for this?" Nancy had basically spent most of their little date picking at her BLT, only managing to get through a quarter of it.

"Yeah sure."

"You alright, you seem kinda.. like your not really here," Steve leaned forward, one of those compassionate worried expressions he'd been giving her ever since he really figured out what had happened to Barb was plastered on his face.

"Sorry, thinking about finals," Nancy hoped the lie sounded convincing enough.

"Those aren't for months."

"Yeah, but it pays off to be prepared."

"You know, over preparing can sometimes be just as bad as not being prepared. You cram all that stuff in your head and it all just gets mixed in the end."

"Speaking from personal experience," Steve and Nancy both chuckled at this comment. He had been studying like mad to the point where he'd been exhausted after his finals. Said he'd probably forgotten most of the information he'd soaked up working together over the weeks leading up to them.

"Here you are dear," Laurie swooped back in with the packaged food placing it in front of Nancy and the check in the centre of the table.

She made to casually snatch it but Steve's reflex's were much quicker then hers.

"It's on me," Flashing one of those winning smiles.

"It's always on you, let me cover it for once," she hoped that her playful tone and return of his smile would circumvent the mild frustration she was feeling.

"I'm the one who had a part time job in the summer, I should cover it," He was insistent and as much as Nancy was bothered by it, she didn't want to push the subject.

Steve placed the cash on the table, counting out the crisp bills from his wallet and leaving a change tip, before the both of them made their way through the busy diner and out the front doors.

Brenda's was located right in the heart of town, so exiting the building, Steve and Nancy looked out onto the semi-crowded local streets. The local supermarket was fairly close and the parking lot was nearly completely full. Typical for the day before the start of the working week.

Steve had managed to snag a pretty good spot across the street from the hardware store at the end of the block which Nancy and Steve were currently on. Taking in the cool fall air, they both made their way to the car.

"Oh, have you seen the new people who were moving in across the street yet?" Steve asked curiously.

"No, I just saw the sign and that's really it. From what the Carmichael's told my mom, they ended up getting a really good deal from one of their friends in California. That friend had some family members who were looking to relocate and they worked out a reasonable price. But I have no idea who exactly is moving in."

"If the Carmichael's know them, then they're probably just as boring as them," Nancy nudged Steve playfully at this snide comment, earning a warm smirk in return.

Reaching the corner of the street Nancy walked around to the passenger's side of the car as Steve unlocked it. For a moment her eyes caught sight of someone she recognized, stopping in her tracks. Mrs. Holland was leaving the supermarket, a brown paper bag of groceries supported in the crook of her arm. She looked thinner and haggard. The lively colour which once graced her skin before was now gone, replaced with a waxy waned complexion.

God, what Nancy wouldn't give to change the past. Make things turn out differently. If only she'd been there for Barb.

"Nancy," Steve this time brought her out of her distracted state leaning over to the passenger side and looking to her through the window at her.

"Sorry, I just... I thought I saw someone I knew. It's fine." Sliding into the seat quickly, Nancy ignored the concerned look of her boyfriend.

Hopefully they could find something to talk about on the way back to her place. More and more their time together seemed to start being filled with awkward silences instead of the kind of comforting silence that once could fall into with their partner.

Pulling out onto the street the couple began their way back toward the nice suburban area of town where the Wheeler home was located. The streets were straightforward, simple for a town which should feel just as simple and safe. However, after all which had occurred last year Nancy didn't know if she could Hawkins either of those things.

Would it ever be the same again? What if all the bizarre otherworldly crap just kept coming back up to the surface? A literal other world underneath their own was something unpredictable, and if those strange creatures which Dustin Henderson dubbed the Demogorgon could come through, then what else?

It had been five months since all of the horrific bizarre events had occurred and for a while the anticipation had started to ware Nancy thin, but now that sense of tension had just become numbed by all the 'real world' stuff she had to deal with. Exams, tests, assignments, Steve. It all took up the space which that tension and fear of the unknown was meant to occupy.

"So, do you think you'd be able to look at my paper before school tomorrow? I have to go help my dad before he goes off again on another business trip," Turning onto the long stretch of forest road which came before reaching Nancy's neighbourhood, Steve caught her eye in the rearview mirror.

"Yeah, that's totally fine. We can get there early, maybe get some coffee along the way." She could see the nervousness written on his face.

Eventually it would be her turn to figure out what she would have to do for her future, and now that she thought about it... She wasn't so sure what she even wanted. She knew she didn't want to settle for being a housewife to a man she didn't love. The very thought made her want to toss herself into the quarry. Nancy didn't want to make the same mistakes as her mother, living life stuck in limbo.

"Do you ever think about just leaving?" The thought just came out before she could even stop herself.

"You mean leave Hawkins?"

"Not just Hawkins, all of it. Just leave all the garbage here and get out, for good," Nancy studied Steve's expression carefully as he took a moment to pause and think. His eyebrows scrunched slightly in contemplation of her words. He looked more concerned then deep in thought about what she was asking.

"I'm not completely sure I'm following."

"What I mean, when you think about what you want out of life, do you ever feel like you could get that literally anywhere else but where you are."

"I mean, I guess I can see where your coming from. Sometimes I feel like that, but then I remember that you're here and it makes all the stuff we deal with worth it," Steve said, looking over to Nancy, with an expression of genuine affection before focusing back on the upcoming turn into the residential area.

She didn't feel like he was really following her. Was she really the only thing in his life making the monotony of staying in Hawkins worth it? Did she want to be that only thing?

Bringing her eyes back to the road, she watched as Steve turned onto Piney Wood Lane. The houses were spread out enough that there was plenty of room for kids to explore and play.

Nancy could remember being around Mike and his friends age. She used to do all sorts of fun things, but she also didn't have the kind of friends Mike did. That tight knit group who had so much imagination geared around exploring every nook and cranny of the town.

The woods had started to creep in more and more over the years, to the point where some people had to come out and do some remodelling of the amount of trees around the homes. Nancy liked their presence though. Strangely it was more comforting than invasive. Even with her little experience being sucked through that portal located in a tree the year previous.

As they passed the last gap of forest, they came up to the former Carmichael house. It was one of the smaller houses on the street, which suited the former occupants well. They had been an older couple who often weren't in town as much as the other locals. They travelled a lot and had longed to move for a while. Only fitting that they finally got their wish.

Parked in the driveway of the house was a off-white volvo with red detailing. The trunk was open and Nancy could make out a young boy crouched in the back and hauling out a duffle bag. He was wearing an offensively brightly coloured pattern shirt and board shorts. Typical of the loud Californian style, and in deep contrast to the much more subdued Hawkins colour palette.

The front door opened and a older boy who looked around Steve's age lumbered slowly out with a box in his arms. He had sharp defined features, a handsome face which was surrounded by shorter curly dark brown hair. He called out to the younger boy in the back of the car something which Nancy couldn't make out.

However, she was jolted from her staring by Steve's BMW braking suddenly, causing both of them to be thrust forward against their seatbelts.

Nearly in front of the car, a large husky was standing in the middle of the street with a chew toy between its jaws. Standing next to the dog was a small child, probably a couple years younger then Nancy's brother. He looked wide-eyed up at the at Steve and Nancy.

"Jesus, I didn't even see him," Steve said as he rolled down the window.

"Laddie!" A young woman had now appeared from inside the house and was jogging over to the boy in the road.

She was striking. Nancy hadn't seen any girl in town like her before. Opening the passenger door and getting out of the car, Nancy hung by the open door.

"Why are you playing in the middle of the road, you know that's dangerous," the girl said sternly, her brows thuroughing in concern.

The young boy, Laddie, rushed to her side with the husky following quite unconcerned behind him.

"I'm so sorry, I told him to be careful." Her eyes were a deep brown like Steve's. However, they seemed warmer in colour. Her hair was long and curly almost wild in it's quality.

Nancy had also never seen someone who dressed like her. A jacket that looked in part like it had stitched on additions from golden fringe on the shoulders to similar colour embroidery around the opening collar. Her long flowy dark maroon skirt flowed against her hips and legs with the light breeze.

"I-it's okay. Sorry, we didn't see him at all. We should have been paying more attention," Nancy said, composing herself as best she could. For some reason this stranger made her feel self-conscious. Nervous.

"Hey, yeah, I'm so sorry. Is everyone alright," Steve was leaning out the window on his elbow looking between Laddie and the girl looking as nervous as Nancy felt.

"Don't worry. No harm was done."

"What's he done now?!" The boy from crouched in the back of the car had seemingly finally noticed this interaction. Nancy hadn't noticed that he was wearing headphones, which was why he hadn't reacted to the sound of Steve's loud brakes. The other older boy had, having finally jogged up behind the girl.

"Sam, just get your stuff inside," The older boy called over to the other one, before addressing the group: "Everyone alright?"

"Yes, no one's hurt."

"Your the people moving into the Carmichael's old place right?" Steve asked, from what Nancy could see, sizing up the older boy.

"Yeah. I'm Michael, Emerson." The older boy introduced himself, holding out his hand to Steve, which he shook in turn.

"Steve Harrington, that's my girlfriend Nancy."

"I live right over there," Nancy pointed a little farther down across the street to where her house was located not far away.

"That's great. We'll be able to get more acquainted then. I'm Star, this is Laddie and this is Nanook," Star looked down to Laddie ruffling his hair as she each of them. She then landed her eyes back on Nancy with a small smile.

Her smile was infectious, causing Nancy to shyly return it. She must be the kind of girl that gets all sorts of attention from boys, Nancy thought to herself. She seemed welcoming and much more mature. Comfortable in the way in which she carried herself.

"You guys must have had a long trip coming all the way from California," Steve said, interrupting Nancy's thoughts once again.

"Yeah, it was pretty brutal, but we survived," Michael, the older boy replied.

"We should be getting back to unloading though, as much as it would be nice to chat for longer," Michael added, looking back over to the still mostly half full Volvo and the overturn box he must have dropped when he stopped to come over and check that no one had been hit by Steve's car.

Nancy could see that Steve was sizing Michael up, staring intently but trying not to be too noticeable about it. She wasn't sure why. It wasn't like he was trouble, although he certainly had a bit of a rebellious look. At least he was nice, in fact they all seemed nice as far as their short acquaintance had revealed.

"It was nice meeting you, even if it was a bit odd," Star addressed Nancy as she said it, smiling once again. Returning the smile Nancy ducked down through the open car door to say goodbye to Steve.

"Hey, I can just walk home from here."

"You sure you don't want me to walk you to the door?"

"No it's alright. I'll see you tomorrow before school to look at your paper." Before Nancy could duck out again to begin her short walk home, Steve reached out and took one of her hands in his.

"Hey, thanks Nance. I really couldn't do this without your support." Leaning in Steve kissed her gently, before leaning back.

"You'll do fine. I'm sure It'll be a lot better than you think," Nancy said before finally leaning back out of the car and making her way towards home.

As she heard Steve's maroon BMW's engine gearing up, and doing a u-turn to head back to wherever he needed to be for the rest of the day, Nancy looked back over to the former Carmichael's home. Star and Laddie had disappeared, presumably back inside, but Michael had gathered up the box he had been holding earlier and was rummaging through the back of the car for something.

What an interesting family. Nancy wondered what their stories were. If they could be that different to her experience growing up in the mostly average forgettable town of Hawkins.

Mostly she was curious about that girl, Star. What a strange name. It seemed fitting though. She gave off an energy which Nancy couldn't quite put her finger on. Whatever it was, it felt a bit magnetic, intriguing.

Before Nancy looked away from the house, she caught a glimpse of a woman opening one of the large sets of windows on the second floor, letting out the stale air. Catching sight of Nancy, she waved. Nancy waved back politely, before turning up her driveway and putting her focus back onto getting home.

Inevitably, she would end up meeting the new family again when her mother decided drag Nancy and Mike to bring them her famous 'welcome-to-the-neighbourhood' fruitcake or lasagna dishes.

It would inevitably be awkward, but a part of Nancy was looking forward to it. The idea of meeting people who had come so far and from somewhere as alien to her as California had an appeal.

However, for now she needed to focus on the immediate issues of her life. Steve, Barb's parents and school.