I spent 5 dreadful years in London. I hated the place, absolutely hated it. I missed the quiet suburbs of Hawkins. The city of London was too much. Too many people, too many places to go to, too many eyes watching you. People were always in your face in London, and I missed keeping to myself during those times. Elegant balls, extravagant galas, grandiose celebrations for the tiniest and most meaningless shit ever. I suppose dealing with supernatural entities and powers daily kind of numbs you from everyday ordinary events.
Overall, my years in London were...well-rounded I guess. I had a lot of fun, especially in the beginning. It was pretty cool not going to school and learning from home. But I soon realized that school was what kept me close to my friends. I had none in London. Just my dad, and Mr. Lyle and the doctor whenever they visited. It was hard learning all the etiquette of the rich British, and I'm sure Mr. Lyle didn't have an easy time teaching me either. Learning how to waltz was my favorite though, and that I got down easily.
I used to enjoy attending all of Mr. Lyle's parties, meaningless and meaningful ones. But it was the same over and over again. Rich, fake people plastering on smiles to uphold their image, dancing for hours into the night, adultery. I tried to stay really far away from that last one, especially when it involved the old. No offense.
On the other hand, I learned a lot. Curses, spells, enchantments, whatever you want to call it. I studied from my mother's books, and some had the name "Joan Clayton" on it. But there was one book I wasn't allowed to touch. It was black with thin gold linings around the cover, and it looked ancient. Dad always reminded me that the only time I should ever read from that book is when I am in grave danger. And when I do read from it, expect my life to never go back to what it was before. That terrified me, and so I stayed away from that book, stored that curiosity deep behind my thoughts.
Most books were in an ancient and long-forgotten language called Verbis Diablo. Mr. Lyle helped me with that one. He and his father both were experts, scholars in the ancient tongue of Verbis Diablo. I studied all my mother's books like the Bible, all the witches' curses and spells. I wasn't allowed to practice it in front of Mr. Lyle. He was actually terrified to see me put those curses into action, so I'd always go to my backyard and try them on insects.
I'd watch insects burst into flames, flip over and screech in pain, explode into tiny bits and pieces, everything I could practice from the books. I tried to perfect these spells as best I could, so I'd practice day-in and day-out. I loved that feeling when I got the spell right for the 100th time because that meant I could learn another one. Yeah, I was a bit of a nerd with the spells and perfecting them.
I wasn't trying to prepare for a war or anything, though I deeply regret that I didn't. I just thought it was fun. And of course my dad would constantly remind me to never use any spells in public. I was old enough to understand why. If anyone were ever to see me using my powers, they'd bring me my inevitable death. Fear, hysteria, paranoia. All my dad needed to do was tell me a couple stories about the Salem Witch Trials and I was done. Now that I think about it, I was a really good kid. Always listened to everything my dad told me. Never doubted him once on anything.
Going back, I got a lot more lessons in many different subjects from various people. Uncle Kaet visited once in a while from Hawkins to help me tame my divination skills, something he had as well. I loved using my mother's tarot cards, and I used it every single day to practice "sensing" things, people, fate. With just a mere touch, I was able to learn about that object's past, present, and future at will. My dad and Uncle Kaet were smart enough to not let me experiment on them, so I tried on insects again. It made me glad I wasn't born an ant or worm.
The doctor, Dr. Frankenstein, taught me about the human body and anatomy. Every bone, every muscle, every organ, every hormone for any and every purpose. And I understood why. He was actually the first person I tested my divination powers on. I saw his childhood, his prime years, and his final minutes on Earth. I didn't dare tell him about the last one.
Dad helped me the most though. Shooting with precision and accuracy, hand-to-hand combat. Kind of felt like he was training a soldier. Sir Malcolm Murray left a lot of weapons in his chateau, and we used them as pleased. Swords, machetes, rifles, pistols, everything! He even had nun-chucks, spears, bows and arrows. Every weapon you could possibly imagine could be found in Sir Malcolm's chateau.
Honestly, training physically was my most favorite part of the day. I guess that's also why I loved learning to dance. Anyways, I learned everything from my dad and I wanted to make him proud. I trained hard everyday because, I mean, I had 24 hours a day to hone my skills for the past 5 years. Didn't have anywhere to go, didn't have anywhere to be but in the chateau. Hiding from society. Dad even taught me all about plants like what makes what medicine and such. Those lessons reminded him most of my mother because he learned herbology from her.
And that medicine from Dr. Jekyll. I didn't turn ever since I started taking that medicine. I tried convincing dad that I could learn how to control my animal instincts like him and Uncle Kaet, but he refused to listen. He didn't give me any other option but to take that disgusting medicine. Ugh, wish I could drink it down with a spoonful of sugar, but we didn't have the luxury. Sometimes, I used to wonder what would happen if I stopped taking the medicine, but I never tried it out. I took that medication down religiously, never skipping a day.
Now, as a 15-year-old girl, you could say I was an educated marksman/combatant, anatomist, linguist (at least in Latin and Verbis Diablo), and clairvoyant. But something just wasn't right. I felt something dark grow in me as the days went on. I grew weary and I knew it was because I was locked up in the house. Something inside of me was telling me to leave the place, that my time there was done. Maybe it was because I was lonely. I mean, I love my dad and all but we're not peers. He's my father, not my friend.
I kept thinking more and more about home, Hawkins. I wondered about the house, my friends, and it certainly worried me that I wasn't getting any lessons in math, science, and history. Or at least math, science, and history that has nothing to do with anything spiritual or religious. I wasn't getting a "proper" education.
Above my poor excuses of loneliness and not getting a "proper" education, I felt like something was pulling me to go back to Hawkins. It was an unexplainable feeling, a sort of...affinity, attraction to my hometown. But it wasn't because of nostalgia. No, it was something stronger, something bigger than that. I could imagine my mother whispering "fate" or "destiny" to me, and she'd be right.
The final straw was the night before my 16th birthday. Yeah, I guess birthdays are huge milestones in my life.
Before I got ready for sleep, I started my usual night routine in my room. I laid out the tarot cards in a semi-circle with one swoop on my bed, and I hovered my hand over the cards like a scanner. And that's exactly what I was doing. When doing the cards, you must use your full intuition in choosing a card, mean it when choosing. I felt a pull to the mid-right side, so I chose and flipped one card. "Home" was what it said. That's when I knew I had to go back to Hawkins.
I cleaned up the tarot cards and went on my knees next to my bed to do my nightly prayers. The Lord's Prayer, Apostles Creed, and Jude's Prayer all in Latin, then finally ended with my own intimate prayer also in Latin.
"Lord, I come before you as a sinner asking for repentance. I was selfish during my time here in London. I wanted to learn the ways of a daywalker like my mother. But I continued and still continue to forget that that was what brought her demise. Help me make better choices, Lord, for all must bow down to your will. I bow to your will, your servant. Please watch me and protect me. I pray you will show me what to do next in Hawkins. In your holy name I pray, Amen."
Another nightmare. They always start out the same way, every time. The dark, quiet world. The monsters. The eerie quietness of the forest. But this time, there was a child. A young boy, maybe 10 or 11? He had these big, round eyes and brown hair. He wore an orange vest and he was running for his life. He hid, he ran, he tried to survive against those monsters.
This kid needed help. The monsters were trying to sniff him out, I could feel it. It kind of felt like I knew the monsters so well that I knew I could hunt one down if I really tried. I heard a voice, a woman's voice shouting. It was faint but she sounded frantic. She was shouting out "Will" constantly, and her voice echoed through the dark world. The boy ran to a tree, and there looked like some jelly barrier between him and another world. I could barely make out a figure through the jelly. Couldn't tell if it was a man or woman.
The woman kept shouting "Will" but much louder now, and the boy was crying out "mommy". My heart tore into pieces, watching and listening to this mother and son crying, calling out for each other. I could hear the monsters coming, I could feel them drawing closer. I knew there wasn't going to be a lot of time, not if the boy wanted to survive a little longer. "Hey," I called out to the boy. The boy gasped from fright and turned around.
"What? What's happening, Will? Talk to me! Will?!" the mother cried. I walked boldly towards Will, and he backed up against the tree looking at me with those big eyes. He was terrified, and it made me want to help him more.
"Don't be afraid," I said with a smile. He took a moment to look at me, and he immediately pounced at me for a hug. He dug his head deep into my chest, and he was trembling even while hugging me tightly.
"I'm so afraid," he confessed.
"Will! Will, please talk to me! How can I help?!" the woman continued to shout.
"I want to go back to my mom," the boy said looking at the jelly disappearing slowly as if closing the barrier between the two worlds. He then looked into my eyes and said, "Please, help me." I nodded, and the boy weakly smiled. The monsters roared, and it echoed all the way to where Will and I were. He gasped, and the one glimpse of happiness and light I saw him in disappeared. I saw terror and darkness spread over his face. "I hear it coming! It's coming!" he cried out with utter fear.
"What's coming? What's coming, Will?!" the mother shouted.
"Run," I whispered to the boy. "Run and hide now."
"But what about you?" The boy didn't want to separate.
"I'll lead it away. You need to run and hide."
"But I'm scared. Please come with me." I looked at Will, and it broke me seeing how frightened he was. But I had to go. This was a dream where I had no idea what the consequences would be if anything happened to me or Will, and I didn't want to take the chance in finding out.
I took off my ring that my dad gave me for my 10th birthday, and I put it in the boy's hands. "Keep it safe. I'll return for it. I promise," I said looking into Will's eyes to show him I meant it. Will opened his hand and looked at the ring for a second, noticing the wolf on the ring. The monsters' roars sounded louder meaning they were closer. Will knew he had to go, so he ran as quickly as he could. The mother kept shouting and shouting for her son, and I went up to the jelly. "Will is safe," I shouted wondering if she could hear me.
"What? What? Who-who are you?" The jelly kept getting covered by the bark slowly like magic. Before I could've told the lady my name, the monster sped towards me. Before it could get to me, I woke up in cold sweat.
Dad and I arrived back in Hawkins, Indiana the next day. There it was, our same old house. It looked exactly how we left it. I took some time looking around; I was struck with nostalgia. I went in my room and unpacked my tarot cards. I decided to try out my first one in Hawkins, so I set it up on my bed. I flipped one card, and my heart sank to the pit of my stomach. "Death"
I stared at the card. I examined the picture. A devil-like creature was feasting on animals with an evil grin as the blood poured down from its fangs. I couldn't put the card down. I tried to brush it off like nothing, but it didn't last for long. As I sat there to think about the card, I knew that this was also an omen. God wanted me to come back to Hawkins, but maybe it was His plan for me to not make it out alive.
Dad and I unpacked all our things. We didn't have much belongings to begin with anyways. We mostly brought back all my books and Sir Malcolm Murray's weapons. That empty house didn't need it anyways.
It took us past dusk to clean up and set up the house. When we finished, we plopped on our couch. I rested my head on my dad's chest and he held me close. "Ah, here, before I forget, I wanted to give you this." Dad took out a picture, and it was a black and white photo of a beautiful and powerful-looking woman. Brooding eyes, pursed yet full lips, a look that was all to familiar to me for I saw it in the mirror every day. "It's your mother. Her name was Vanessa Ives." I held the photo in my hands and examined it. I could see why the doctor couldn't keep his eyes off of me. It was uncanny, she and I. He was probably shocked at how similar I looked to my mother.
The whole neighborhood was asleep. The sun wasn't even close to rising. I decided to take a stroll around the neighborhood, and I stopped by Nance's house first. I could see the lights to her room were on. I took a step forward to see if I could see anything, and boy I did. A little bit too much for my liking. I saw Nance making out and getting real intimate with a boy. I couldn't make out the guy's face, but I definitely knew that was Nancy in there. I looked away to give her her privacy when I noticed a dim light from the basement windows. I ignored it, scared I might see something I'd regret.
I then walked over to Barb's house. Totally dark as if no one was home. As I continued to walk through the neighborhood, I immediately came to a halt to a house glowing brightly with Christmas lights. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. It was so beautiful. It felt like Disneyland or something. It was just absolutely astounding how all the lights were shining through this house.
I heard yelling from inside. The woman's voice was so familiar, but I couldn't figure out where it was from. She was having a shouting match with a male, young he sounded or at least younger than her. After exchanging a couple of angry words with one another, the front door flung open and I saw a teenage boy storm out. He noticed me immediately he lifted his head up to watch his step on the porch, and he jumped from fright. I immediately walked away embarrassed of myself and how totally creepy I was all night long. I picked up the pace and started sprinting back home. Wow, I thought to myself. The first thing I do to the first person I see is run away because this guy caught me being a creeper. Great. Death didn't sound so bad after what just happened.
I took a long time getting ready for school. This was a big step emotionally for me. Remember, for 5 years I was completely secluded not counting all those parties with those old people. Small talk doesn't lead to life-lasting friendships.
Today was my first day of school though it was nearly the middle of the school year in Hawkins. "Nervous?" Dad asked at the table reading the newspaper.
"No," I answered strongly. I screamed and jumped when the toaster was done. Dad laughed at me and drank his coffee. I got breakfast ready and was gulping it down.
"Slow down, Val. You'll end up getting cramps like that."
"I'll be fine, dad. Don't worry."
"Remember, make friends but-"
"Don't tell them what you are and what you can do. Oh, and don't show off. I know dad. I'm telling you, don't worry about me."
"Alright, alright. I'll be here when you get back."
"Okay. Love you, dad. See you soon." I kissed my dad goodbye and walked out the door with my backpack. I took in a deep breath and started walking. I lived relatively close to the school and I didn't feel like taking the school bus. I was just happy to be back in Hawkins, and I wanted to soak everything in.
My first experience of school was crazy. I wasn't even inside the building yet and I was enchanted by it all. Girls and boys my age were making out on the grass, girls walking in separate groups with books held up to their chest, boys walking through with a bounce to their step thinking they look cool. I must've looked like a tourist or something because everyone seemed to have noticed me.
High school was nothing like elementary school. That was the last time I was in a public school, when I was 10. I walked to the main office and got my locker combination. I read the instructions and tried out my locker. When it opened, I felt a jolt in my heart. I had never opened a locker before, and it was pretty cool to me. "Oh my god! Val?! Val?! Is that you?!" I looked, and so did many people, and I saw Nancy and Barbara.
I screamed too. "Nance! Barb!" We all ran to each other and squealed and hugged like little girls at a slumber party. We held each other in a hug even when the bell rang.
"I can't believe you're back," Barb said with a huge smile on her face. "It's been so long."
"Yeah, it's been a while," I replied back. "Hey, uh, can you help me with my classes? I don't know where Room 16 is."
"Oh, that's English with us!" Nancy squealed with joy. "Come on! We have so much to catch up on."
It was lunch time, and Nancy and Barbara helped me get my food from the cafeteria. We all sat together at a table near the double doors. Nancy was keeping me updated with everything that went on in her life, and I saw Barbara looking at something past my shoulders. Nancy kind of stopped talking too as she looked in the same direction.
"What are you looking at?" I asked. I looked back to see what Nance and Barb were staring at, and it was the same guy from last night. That house with the Christmas lights, the one I was being a super creep on. He walked in through the double doors with his head down as if not wanting to draw any attention to himself. He put up flyers on the walls quickly as if wanting to leave.
"That's Jonathan Byers," Barb said still looking at him. "His little brother disappeared a few days ago."
"His brother is one of Mike's best friends. Will," Nancy added. Will, that name. The mother in my dreams was screaming that name. That boy...
"Did you say Will?" I asked.
"Yeah. Why? Do you know him?" Barb asked looking at me.
"No, no. It just...I saw that name in the newspaper," I replied and looked back at Jonathan. After school, Nance and Barb offered to walk home with me today but I refused. There was something else I needed to attend to immediately. I told them I still needed to do a lot of unpacking and would rather get home by myself. My friends understood and walked off.
I took in a deep breath and closed my eyes, concentrating. I felt a lot of emotions, not my own. I could feel others' emotions, and I read through them. There it was. I felt anguish, loneliness, confusion, anger. I walked quickly to where I felt that emotion, and there he was. Jonathan threw his belongings into the back seat of his car in the students' parking lot. "Hey," I said rather loudly and boldly. Jonathan was caught off guard and jumped. Guy gets frightened easily I thought. The moment he looked at me, his mouth slightly dropped and he stared at me for a moment. It was as if I brought back memories to him, but memories of what I did not know. I certainly had no memories of this guy even though we're peers.
When I kept walking closer, he looked away shyly. I stood in front of him and said, "I heard you're looking for your brother, Will."
He looked at me cautiously. "Yeah."
"Look, I know you don't know me but...I have something really important to tell you. Will you believe my story?"