A bit of a delay but I'm back to continue this. Nancy learns more about Joyce and what she's been doing all this time. Please review!

"Where have you been?"

"Huh?" Nancy was spacing out twirling spegehitti on her fork mindlessly.

"I asked you where you've been," Her mother said firmly.

Mike, sitting across from Nancy mumbled, "She's been hanging out with Ms Byers..."

Nancy stopped eating and frowned at him.

"Nancy is this true?"

"I...I just run errands for her sometimes. I do for a lot of people. It's part of my job."

Mike smirked and said between bites, "Are you their maid too?" She kicked his shin under the table, "Hey!"

"Nancy...I do admire you getting out and doing something but I think maybe you should start mingling with kids your age."

Nancy couldn't be more irritated, "I already told you, no one wants to hang out with me!"

"Nancy, calm down. There's no need to go into hysterics."

Nancy rolled her eyes. Karen continued to eat once things quieted down. Ted had left the table long since, hardly paying any attention to the conversation.

"May I be excused?"

"You've hardly eaten," Karen scoffed. Nancy stayed against her better judgement. "What do you even bring her?"

"Groceries," Nancy said, annoyed.

"She never steps foot out of that place. She may as well be a squatter in her own home. It looked filthy the last time I had the chance to see that house."

Nancy spoke up, "Actually it looks way better now. I helped her with her garden."

"She made you do all the work."

"No. She came outside and helped me," she frowned.

Karen shrugged and went back to eating. "You shouldn't frown so often. You'll get terrible wrinkles."

Nancy didn't even bother commenting after that. Without excusing herself she got up and agressively pushed her chair.

"Nancy!"

Nancy ran up to her room. She planted her face into her pillow. She caught Mike staring at her from out in the hallway.

"What?"

Mike stepped inside. He had this panicked face, "You have to stop seeing her."

Nancy sat up, "Excuse me?"

"Everyone's been bullying me online. I need you to stop."

Nancy shook her head, she couldn't believe him, "What are people saying?"

"They saw you helping her. Everyone knows you see her like everyday. They call her the Hawkins' Witch. You're like her assistant. Some people at school stopped talking to me."

"I'm...I'm sorry about that but that's not my fault."

"It's all your fault!"

"Mike..."

"Everything was finally going back to normal and then you had to do this."

She had never been more confused, "What? Mike, she lost her son. Your best friend..."

"He's gone. People have to move on."

Her eyes started to well, "But..."

"Just snap out of it!" He left in a temper. She wasn't sure how she could get over it. They seemed impossible.

She texted Joyce after failing to fall asleep.

"Everyone hates me."

"Why would anyone hate you?"

Nancy paused for a moment and then sent, "I don't know...I don't think anyone gets me."

"Come see me."

Nancy wasn't sure how to respond to that. She stared at her phone for only a minute before Joyce texted again.

"What else do you have planned tonight?"

After Mike told her everyone knew she did things for her it was a little unnerving. All eyes were on her.

"Nothing. I'm a huge loser lol"

"No you're not."

"I probably shouldn't. My mom she...well she's a bitch and I'm not sure what she'd do."

"You're 18 right? Who gives a shit what she thinks. She doesn't have any control over you."

Nancy almost laughed out loud. "But it's a school night."

"Are you telling me you've never ditched a class in your life? Wow I have a lot to teach you."

"Ok fine you talked me into it."

"Good. Just be careful coming here. There might be kids messing around my property. I think someone stole my mailbox."

Nancy climbed out her bedroom window when it was dark enough outside and grabbed her bike. There was something thrilling about going out late at night as if looking for trouble. She thought there was no one around until she caught a glimpse of a group of kids her age hanging outside someone's house on a porch. Nancy never felt this exposed, she tried not to pay any attention to them but that proved next to impossible. She could feel their stares, their judgement.

Joyce's house seemed 100 miles away. This road to Elm street seemed infinite. She didn't want to get there too late. It wasn't dark yet.

When she did arrive there was Joyce on the porch waving her over as she peddled into the driveway. Nancy threw her bike down and ran inside.

"Sorry if I scared you but it's best you're inside in case they're watching."

Nancy figured she meant the kids that would normally harass her. She followed her into a spare room. Nancy was amazed with what she saw. Newspaper headlines about the lab dating back to the 70's. There was a whole time line leading to modern day. Articles about missing people including Will in the span of the last two years.

Joyce looked over and saw the look of astonishment on the young woman's face. "I know this makes me look a little nuts but..."

"Joyce, this is great," Nancy smiled, pulling on Joyce's arm.

Joyce wasn't sure if she was just humouring her, "Really?"

"You've been at this a while," Nancy walked over to get a closer look at some black a white photos of some very uptight looking doctors; one in particular looked menacing and quite sure of himself even with a thinning hairline. "I've been looking into that lab too...but not as much as you."

She looked over some recent pictures taken outside of the lab. The dates showed Joyce had been going there every three weeks except for the last one three months. The most recent ones showed activity late at night, many gathered outside behind the huge gates of the entrance.

"I was going to go there tonight but I'm afraid that they're on to me."

Nancy didn't say anything for a minute, she simply pondered over the research done, her eyes all a glow. "We should go."

Joyce raised an eyebrow, "Are you sure about that?"

Nancy turned to her and shrugged, "What am going to do? Sit by and not spy on these A-holes?"

They both exchanged a smile. Joyce led the way. Nancy was more than happy to tag along on her expedition for the truth. She was mainly just happy she wasn't the only one who felt ill toward this shady lab.

Joyce reminded her about that trail. She was a bit suspicious it was being watched men in black. She had seen a black car with tinted windows idling there. She thought maybe they wanted to scare her. There had been no recent activity but that kept her away. They tried a different road.

"Keep low and keep quiet. If anything happens...just run and don't look back." Nancy nodded, a bit nervous but she trusted her. It took about 45 minutes. It was getting dark. Joyce got her to crouch down behind some bushes with her.

Nancy nearly gasped when she saw the masked guards by the gate. A car was being let in, not too different from the one Joyce described. Some scientists, men in white coats were there to greet someone. Nancy recognized that hairline.

"That's Martin Brenner," Joyce said with disdain, "He started this place."

They observed for several minutes. Joyce noticed Nancy had been squeezing her hand: she was freezing. Of course a girl of her size would likely need four more layers than her.

"Let's go."

"But you didn't take a picture."

Joyce gave her hand a light squeeze, "It's ok."

They made it back to her house just past midnight. They stayed up together, sitting on the sofa and wrapping a blanket around themselves.

"I can't believe it," Nancy said, "I never thought I'd see it."

"It's a good idea not to go there alone."

"When will you be going back?" Nancy yawned.

Joyce struggled to keep her eyes opened, "It will be a while. I have to be honest. I haven't had many good sleeps. I've been expecting any day now they'll kick in my door. I'm not really sure if having you here was really a good idea...but I'm glad you came."

She found Nancy asleep, leaning into her. She didn't dare move; she had no intention of getting up at this point any way. Somehow she found going to sleep a hell of a lot easier now.

More to come!