Chapter one

Mia had never felt so alone. It felt like the entire world was against her as she sat, her feet crossed over each other on the rotten bench she had found herself lounging on. She didn't know the area all too well and was thankful that she was able to slip away without too many prying eyes. She just wanted to sit and relax. To not let anything upset her.

Despite the fact that it was her own idea to sit there she still felt frustrated that there was nothing else to do. See, Mia had only just moved into a small town called Hawkins and she really didn't know anything or anyone here. Even the reason for moving was lost on the young woman, her grandmother simply packing up all of her stuff and shoving them into a suitcase before heading off. Mia had just turned eighteen and it became apparent that no one actually wanted to parent her anymore. She just had a set of keys stuffed into her pocket along with a credit card and that was that.

To say she had been confused was an understatement. Every call she had sent over to her grandmother was dodged. It was like she was completely on her own. Maybes it was her families backwards way of trying to make her more independent? To get her to stand on her own two feet? Whatever it was Mia knew it was overboard. So what if she still wanted to live with her family? It wasn't exactly a crime.

Mia had to get herself signed up to continue her college course at the new college campus that had just recently opened up in Hawkins. She was dreading visiting it despite how shocked she was that a place like this even had such facilities. She had signed up as soon as she had arrived in Hawkins and given the circumstances (and lateness of the school year) her application had been rushed through and accepted within days. She had arrived on Monday and by the Friday she had got word back that she was ready to join the year. It was Sunday 10th November 1985 and she couldn't have wished for time to slow down anymore than she already was. She didn't want to face reality. She wasn't even sure she wanted to continue studying. It wasn't her choice in the first place...

But she wasn't a quitter and so she had no choice but to continue her journalism course in this new place. She was sceptical of just how good the education would be compared to her last college in Florida. The building was new and the staff were inexperienced in her opinion - from what she had seen most of them were only just older than herself!

But she knew that she couldn't let these bitter thoughts ruin her time here. She just had to be patient. She had to stick it out. Who knows... She might make some new friends and then everything would seem a little bit brighter!

She picked idly at the wood underneath her legs as she scoffed, not even believing her own thoughts as they went through her head. Nothing would compare to her old life and she knew it. She wasn't stupid after all. This time of year meant that the brisk mid afternoon air had turned quite chilly, the breeze blowing her brown hair across her face as she shivered.

Whether it was from sheer boredom or the fear of developing hypothermia, Mia decided that now would be a good time to head back the way she had come and to her car. Her car was something that she was secretly quite pleased she brought with her, it was like a little piece of florida that she could relax in whenever she needed a moment. The car itself was a dusty brown coloured 1979 BMW 733i - she had gotten it as a gift when she had gotten her license and never wanted to upgrade it to a newer model. Even if the car had started to develop a strange rattle sometimes when she drove it, or the radio didn't always work Mia knew that she had way too many memories with the car to part with it now. It had been an expensive vehicle in it's prime and despite the wear and tear visible on the cars bodywork it still stood out from the others around it.

She had begrudgingly parked it at the entrance of the desolate woods she had wandered in too. She hadn't even wanted to stop here, she had just felt compelled to do so as she drove around aimlessly trying to get her bearings. She knew sitting alone in the woods when it was getting darker wasn't the smartest move but she had just wanted temporary silence.

Now that she had spent time just sitting her mind felt clearer, she felt as if she could drive back to her home without worrying too much. Mia rooted around in her pocket as she walked, digging out her well used car key and slotting it into the chipped door handle lock. The car didn't resist, the lock barely providing much security anymore, allowing her instant access to the comforting seats. She allowed her head to fall back onto the leather behind her once the door was shut and the ignition was turned on, her mind whirring as she knew what was to come. A deep sigh fell out of her mouth, the drivers window fogging up as she looked out of it lazily.

She felt drained. Tired. Fed up with it all. She didn't want to drive home but she did. She didn't want to drive past her future nightmare but she did. She didn't want to sit at home on her own all night but she did.

She did it all without complaining.