I hope you enjoy this (edited) chapter! The next rewrite should be updated sometime this evening. As always, I only own my OC.
I ran out the house, the door slamming behind me. The further I get, the less I can hear my mom screaming my name. My lungs burned as I sprinted down the street, keeping to the side of the road as cars whizzed by.
It wasn't until I reached the edge of town that I stopped, nearly collapsing to the pavement as I curled up under a streetlight, sobbing into my knees. I shivered in the cool breeze, rubbing my hands up and down my arms to keep them warm.
Dad left. He actually left. He hadn't just divorced mom, he married Allison and they left town. They're gone, not coming back, not close. He wasn't going to stick around, not even for his kid. "Fuck you, you bastard! Fuck you!" I screamed into the night, a misty rain falling down on me. "Fuck you." I whimpered, sniffling into my knees.
Two bright lights crept towards me, and I looked up to see a large car slowly making its way towards me. The driver slammed the breaks ten feet away and I stood, ready to run.
The door opened, and a giant of a man stood in the mist, wearing a big hat and large dark coat. Oh, it's a cop. "Veronica Henderson? Right?"
"Y-yeah." I stuttered out, frozen in place. The man sighed and closed the door, walking towards me. "Who are you?" I wondered, having never seen him before.
The man unzips part of his navy coat and points to the badge on the left side of his chest. I squint, wiping water from my eyes. HAWKINS POLICE CHIEF. "I'm Chief Hopper, kid. And you're a long way from home. Come on, before we get caught in a storm." Noticing my shivering, he unzipped his coat and wrapped it around my frozen frame. With one arm over my heavy shoulders, Chief Hopper led us back to the car.
I walk away from the movie theater as quick as my tired body can move. With one hand on the brim of my hat to keep the wind from blowing it off, I keep my head down.
Jonathan's car had been towed away, along with my duffle bag and the supplies he and Nancy bought at Hunting & Camping. Which means I have to get my ass to the police station and figure out a way to spring Johnny out. Or get his keys so I can finish what we haven't even had a chance to start.
The closer I get to the station, the more tired I feel. Bracing my hand on the brick walls beside me, I use it as a crutch while I force myself to keep moving. Every now and then I have to lift my hand, feeling phantom vines slithering over my wrists and hands, tangling themselves with my fingers. My vision occasionally blurs, the world around me going dark and cold. The air's too fresh, now, and it gets hard to breathe.
When I reach the police station, I crouch behind a row of bushes, trying my hardest to remain unseen. I avoid putting my fingers in the ground, wary of roots coming to life and wrapping around me, squeezing like a boa constrictor. I don't know how long I stay there, hidden in the shrubbery, as quiet as I was in the woods of Not-Hawkins. It's not until I hear a familiar voice shouting at someone that I shoot up. "Joyce!" I call, just between a whisper and a yell.
She stops and looks around, Hopper next to her. When both adults see me, I'm treated to a wonderful show of their faces going from shock, to surprise, to happiness - on Joyce's part, that is, Hopper just looks a little relieved - to anger and impatience.
"You are supposed to be in the hospital!" Joyce growls, storming up to me as I climb over the bushes and stumble over to her, throwing my arms around her neck and tearing up. "Oh my God. You had us all so scared. Where the hell were you?" She asks, shaking my shoulders a little as I cry silently.
"I-I was taken." I bite my lip and look up at Hopper. "Didn't you tell her I was taken?"
"We've been a little busy, Robin Hood." He grunts. "I take it you're here for your best friend?"
I nod, wiping away my tears and leaning onto Joyce, who's arms are around me protectively. "Yeah. And Nancy."
"Nancy Wheeler?" Joyce asks as we follow Hopper inside the station. I don't have a chance to answer as she becomes focused on her son. Jonathan's nursing an ice pack on his right knuckles, Nancy sitting next to him and an unhelpful Callahan at the desk behind them. "Hey, what happened?" Joyce asks, coming closer. I keep my head down, but Powell still notices me.
"You're not supposed to be here. What's going on, Chief? She escaped the hospital, we've got men looking everywhere -"
"None of your damn business, Callahan. Leave it. No one radios this in. Got it?" Hopper gripes, and the man closes his mouth.
Joyce continues, though, pointing at her son's cuffed wrists. "Jonathan? What's going on here?"
"Ma'am." Callahan walks towards her.
"I'm fine." Jonathan mumbles, pouting a bit.
"Why is he wearing handcuffs?"
"Well, your boy assaulted a police officer, that's why." Callahan sasses, acting as patronizing as he usually is.
"Take them off." Joyce orders.
"I'm afraid I cannot do that."
"Take them off!" Joyce yells, and I wince as the volume makes my ears ring.
"You heard her. Take 'em off." Hopper tells his man.
"Chief, I get everyone's emotional here, but there's something you need to see." Powell speaks up.
Oh boy.
Flo - the receptionist at the station - pulls out a chair so I can sit. She also brings me some juice boxes from the break room, a water bottle, and a bag of Fritos. No one asks me any questions, not wanting to go against the Chief's orders. Nancy takes my hand, squeezing it nervously.
A few minutes later, Hopper returns with Callahan and Powell. He's holding one of the boxes containing our monster-hunting gear, as well as my duffle. The box and bag are dropped onto the desk, my fingers itching to grab my bow.
"What is this?" Joyce asks, riffling through the box.
"Why don't you ask your son? We found it in his car." Hopper states, tone even. He's scariest when his tone is even.
"What?"
Jonathan ignores his mother. "Why are you going through my car?" He glares up at the cops.
"Is that really the question you should be asking right now?" Hopper asks in return, putting his hands on the desk and leaning forward. "I wanna see you in my office. All three of you." We nod and stand, Jonathan stepping in front of Nancy to wrap his good arm around my waist in support. I keep munching on my chips, happy to have something solid in my stomach. I have to tell myself to be slow about it, not wanting to suddenly ralph everywhere.
Hopper takes the duffle and the box with him as we all march to his office, and he locks the door behind him. "Sit." He orders, and though he sounds as irritated as usual he drags over his chair so I have something more comfortable than the worn couch to sit on.
Joyce pulls out the other chair and sits in front of us, Hopper leaning against his desk with his arms crossed. "What's with the hunting gear, kids?"
"Something took Will." Jonathan gruffly spills. "A monster. We're going to find Will and kill that thing."
"A monster." Hopper nods, running his hand down his face. "Right."
"It's true." I murmur, looking off into space. "A monster took him."
"What the hell are you talking about, Robin Hood?"
"Hopper!" Joyce snaps at the man, and I feel someone taking my hands. My eyes flick over to hers. "What happened, dear?"
"You won't believe me. You won't believe us."
"Answer her question, Veronica." Hopper grunts at me. I look down and pull my hands back, twiddling them. "Now."
"I… Barb and I… we were taken. By this thing. To… to another world. The Upside Down, I guess. It looks like here, but. But there are vines everywhere. Living vines that squeeze you. Other monsters, too. Like wolves." I bite my lip, trying not to close my eyes. Don't let me see it, don't let me see it. "Barb helped me climb out of the pool -"
"What pool?" Hopper asks.
"Steve Harrington's pool." I clarify. "Only the one in the Upside Down is empty. I got up and I tried to help her up too, only I wasn't strong enough." I let out a sob. "I... sh-she let go. I tried to follow, I did. I promise I did! But she… they just disappeared. And I was alone. Until Nancy found me, and she got me out." I cry harder, nails digging into the palms of my hands, drawing blood as I shake. "I was so hungry, and thirsty. There wasn't water or food I could trust. I was so scared. I'm sorry I was so scared." I plead, looking at Joyce, who's crying too. "I tried to find Barb. And I had this idea, that maybe Will got taken too. So I searched the whole forest. I swear I did. But I couldn't breathe, even with my mouth covered."
"Veronica, hey -" Hopper tries to interrupt me, but I keep going.
"I thought I couldn't breathe because of my anxiety. I thought it was just one long panic attack. But it wasn't only that. The air, it's so… polluted. Thin. Cold. I'm sorry, Joyce. I promise I tried." I plead, curling in on myself.
In the blink of an eye, a woman who's become a second mother to me has carefully pulled me up and into her arms, holding on for dear life. "Shh, shh. I know you did, Veronica. I'm so proud of you. You did so good."
My eyes flick over to Hopper. "My doctor, this morning. He… he said his name was…" I think for a second. "Brenner. Dr. Brenner. I didn't trust him, so I snuck out. There were these other nurses and doctors who broke into my room when I'd left. They said he wanted me brought to 'the Lab'. I ran. I mean, I think I kneed him first, it was all just… chaos." He nods, stroking his moustache. "I stole a nurse's uniform. Then I called Nancy. I want to find that thing, too."
"What did this doctor look like?" He asks, Joyce releasing me as I walk towards him. He pulls out a notepad and pen, staring at me expectantly.
"Tall. White hair. He looked too… professional. Not like the other doctors." He nods as he writes. Then he puts down the pad and looks down at Nancy and Jonathan as I return to my chair.
"Alright. We know this one's story. How did you two get involved?" The chief asks, Joyce sitting back down.
"Well, I was looking for Will. In the woods. And I stopped to take a break. I was taking pictures, and…" Jonathan trails off, but I know him well enough to see the guilt in his eyes, "well, I guess I caught something."
"Yeah. I went to go check on him, when we were in school. And I wanted to know if he'd heard from Vera. Only I found him developing pictures, and there was one of this thing. So we decided to go looking for it." Nancy speaks up, not as timidly as she used to. "We came across this deer. It'd been hurt, badly. Before we could put it out of its misery, it was pulled away. We looked around, tried to track it's blood, and I saw this hole in a tree. I went through it. I was there, where Veronica was taken."
"The Upside Down." I remind her, voice a whisper, and she nods.
"Yeah. I saw it, when Vera and I were escaping."
"Here." Jonathan pulls out a developed photo, and I look away when I get a glimpse of the subject. Hopper takes it, blue eyes going wide. "It's the blood, we think. It's like a shark."
The Chief of Police nods. "So, blood draws this thing?" He clarifies.
"We don't know." Jonathan admits, and Nancy nods, blue eyes wide.
"It's just a theory."
I close my eyes, remembering the pool. Barb, and her screams. The sound of her blood dripping into the water -
"Barb." I gasp, opening my eyes. Everyone looks at me. "That night, Nance, remember? She cut her hand." Nancy nods. "I put a Band-Aid on it, but when we went to wait outside for you, she took it off to inspect it. The thing came and pulled her away. I don't think it was interested in me, not until I jumped on it."
Joyce sigh and stands up, pointing to her son. "We need to talk." She grits out at Jonathan, who nods morosely and follows her out, closing the door behind him.
"How're you feeling?" Nancy asks me. I shrug, rolling my head.
"Alright. The juice is helping, and the chips. The painkillers are wearing off though." I tell her, leaving out how much I want to just sleep.
"Veronica." I look up at Hopper, who gives me a rare soft smile. "You're a fighter. I hope you know that. Ain't many who could have survived what you did."
I almost didn't, but I appreciate the sentiment. "Thanks, Chief." He nods.
Any other discussion is prevented when an exasperated woman yells, "I want an apology!" Hopper steps away from me and leaves the room, brushing past Joyce and Jonathan. The remaining three are unable to prevent me from following him. I walk like I'm back in the Upside Down, quietly and careful. Around the corner, Powell and Callahan attempt to calm down the woman. Her arm is wrapped around a mean looking boy, his arm in a sling. It's Troy, the bastard who bullies Dustin. Finally, someone gave him a taste of his own damn medicine.
"Ma'am, I need you to calm down." Callahan requests, panic in his voice when he talks to the distraught mother of the psychopathic middle schooler.
"What is your name, Deputy?"
"Well, I'm an officer, okay?" He awkwardly chuckles, and I roll my eyes.
"Name and badge number, both of you!"
Hopper had remained unseen when he stepped into the main office, but claps his hand as he walks towards the woman. "What the hell is going on here?"
"Chief." Powell looks over at him.
"These men are humiliating my son!" Soccer mom cries out, and I have to bite down on my lip to prevent a laugh from escaping. Serves him right, the little dipshit.
Callahan panics. "No, no, no. Okay, that's not true."
"Yes!" The woman yells back.
"There was some kind of fight, Chief -" Powell attempts to explain the situation, only for Troy's mom to interrupt.
"A psychotic child broke his arm!"
"A little girl, Chief, a little one." Callahan demonstrates the height difference, like that'll help.
"That tone! Do you hear that tone?"
"Honestly, I'm just trying to state a fact!" Callahan tries, again.
"I don't have time for this!" Hopper cuts in, having completely given up on everyone in the room.
"It was a little girl -"
"Will you please just take a statement…" Hopper interrupts Callahan and points at the door, but I can't hear what else he says.
Callahan gives him a thumb's up, though. "Yes."
Hopper turns and walks away, noticing me before I can hide. His eyes narrow and I smile innocently.
"So what did this girl look like?" Powell asks.
"She had no hair and she was bleeding from her nose." Before I can stop it, my innocent smile falls and morphs into a look of shock. Eleven.
Hopper stops too, throwing me a confused look before turning back around. Troy keeps talking. "Like a freak!"
"What'd you just say?" Hopper asks, walking back over to the small group.
"I said she's a freak!" He yells at the Chief.
"No, her hair. What'd you say about her hair?" He asks, looking down at the bully.
Troy shrugs. "Her head's shaved. She doesn't even look like a girl. And…"
"And what?" Hopper asks as the boy trails off.
"Tell the man, Troy." His mom gently orders, the bully nodding as he refocuses on the Chief.
"She can… do things."
"What kind of things?"
I gasp, remembering what Dustin had told me in the hospital. "Eleven. She's like a superhero. She made Troy pee his pants after the assembly for Will, before his funeral."
I wasn't really in the right mindset, then - you know, escaping Hell, and all. But shit, things just got stranger.
"What kind of things?" Hopper repeats, and Troy gulps.
"Like… make you fly. And piss yourself."
"What?" Powell asks, amused. I hide my snort while Hopper holds out his hand to stop Powell from continuing.
"Was she alone?"
Troy shakes his head, then answers the Chief's question. "She always hangs out with those losers."
This bitch.
"'Losers'? What losers?"
"Wheeler, Sinclair. Henderson." Troy mumbles, and when Hopper turns to give me a look I bring my body back behind the corner, out of sight.
"Okay. Powell, take a statement. I have something to take care of." I hear Hopper announce, Troy's mother calling out,
"What about the girl? What about those boys?"
Hopper ignores her, though, and takes my small elbow in his large hand. "What else didn't you tell us?"
"-it was raining. We went to Mirkwood, to look around. I brought my bow, just in case." I add when Joyce throws me a look, Hopper busy driving us to the Wheeler house. I cleaned her up. She's nice, Hopper, I swear. She's just a kid. A scared kid." I reiterate.
"Jesus Christ." Hopper mutters, no doubt bemoaning my stupidity.
"Look, it was a rough night, okay? Mistakes were made! I wanted to tell you, I did, but that seemed like a bad idea at the time." I cross my arms, Jonathan patting my knee in solidarity while Nancy bites her lip, baby blue eyes wide with disappointment. "Oh, don't you look at me in that tone of voice." I growl at her, pointing, and she rolls her eyes. "Listen, our plan was just to have Mike sneak her out when he left for school and have her ring the doorbell. We figured Mrs. Wheeler would know what to do, call the right people."
Hopper sighs again. "Kids." He mutters.
"Hey, how was I to know that didn't happen? I was a little busy being abducted and dragged to another dimension." I bite out, and those judging me stopped at the reminder. "Yeah, I said it. Abducted and dragged. So let's maybe not dig into my poor life choices right now."
"It's okay, dear, it's okay." Joyce soothes me, reaching back to take my hand. My other one clutches tightly onto my duffle. We had to leave the monster-hunting box in Hopper's office, but I don't feel safe without my bow, even with the knife still strapped to my calf.
Finally, Hopper pulls up near Nancy's house, only to slam on the breaks. "Shit!" He yells in the car, getting out and pulling a pair of binoculars with him. Nancy and I follow him out, holding each other tight when we see cars parked in front of the Wheeler house, men in suits walking in and out, all official-like.
"Dustin." I whisper, hand on my mouth.
Please, God, don't let them touch Dustin.
"I have to go home." Nancy tells Hopper, who shakes his head and keeps observing the scene through his binoculars.
"No, you can't."
"My family's there!"
"They're going to be okay." Hopper tries to reassure her, but Nancy is walking away and towards the gate blocking us from her house. Hopper rushes after her. "Hey, hey, hey, hey."
"Let go!" She orders, trying to pull her arm out of his strong grasp. "Let go!"
"Hey, listen to me!" He crouches down a bit to look at her. "Listen to me. The last thing in the world we need is them knowing you're mixed up in all this. They're definitely searching for Veronica, too, so we can't draw more attention." I shuffle guiltily.
"Mike is over there - Dustin is over there!" She gestures between us, frantic. "Our little brothers!" I get more nervous, breathing in and out sharply. If anything happens to Dustin, I'm going to burn Hawkins to the ground.
"They haven't found them. Not yet at least." He gestures to the sky, and I follow the movement to see the helicopter scoping an area not too far from the house. Hopper leads Nancy back to the car, wordlessly forcing us both in.
"That's for them?" Nancy asks on the way in, surprise written all over her face.
"Come on, get in the car." Hopper orders, slamming the door behind her first, then getting behind the wheel and doing the same with his.
Joyce turns in her seat to look directly between Nancy and me, Hopper doing the same. "Veronica, do you have any idea where they can be?"
I blink, thinking. "The only other places they would go are one of the Party's houses. Back at the hospital, I told Dustin that I didn't trust the doctor, so he's probably steering clear of our place. Other than that, there's Mirkwood, but I'm not sure they'd be there either." I shake my head, tearing up. "I'm sorry, normally I know, it's just I was gone for so long, and -"
"Breathe, Veronica." Hopper orders, and I nod. "Nancy?" The Chief asks the girl who saved me. She shakes her head, just as terrified as I am for her own brother. "Look, we need to find them before they do. If you -"
"I don't know where they could have gone." Nancy frowns.
"I need you to think."
"I don't know! We haven't talked a lot." She admits, guilt laced in her words. "I mean, lately…" She sighs and sinks down in her seat.
"Is there… is there any place that your parents don't know about, that he might go?" Joyce asks.
"I-I-I don't know."
"I might." Jonathan announces, and we look at him.
"What?" Hopper asks.
He bites his lip. "I don't know where they are, but I think I know how to ask them." I gasp, understanding what he's saying.
"We can't go to my place -"
"You didn't bring it?"
"If I had it with me, we could've -"
"Don't get snippy with me, Ver. So -"
"We need to go to yours." I finish, and he nods in agreement.
"Okay, what the hell?" Hopper asks, and Jonathan and I look at the adults. Joyce has a soft smile on her face.
"Sorry, sometimes we -"
"Finish each other's sentences."
"Don't interrupt." I point at him without looking. "But yes."
Hopper raises his eyebrows, less impressed than I hoped he'd be. "That answers nothing, Robin Hood."
I roll my eyes, and Jonathan speaks up. "Will's walkie is still at home, in his room."
"And our brothers never leave the house without theirs. Not when they're on an adventure, at least." I add. "I'm pretty sure this qualifies."
"So we need to go home, mom." Jonathan tells Joyce.
Hopper sighs and starts the car, reversing. "You two better be right, because we're running out of options." We all sit back as the Chief drives to the Byers house, us teens holding each other's hands.
The minute we step inside the house, I realize I missed a lot during my time in the Upside Down. The walls are covered in strings of Christmas lights, the house darker and messier than I've ever seen it. Someone painted the alphabet on one wall, a bulb over each letter.
"Whoa!" Nancy gasps, the two of us wrapped around each other. We keep moving, though, following Jonathan and the two adults into Will's room to search for the walkie. Moments later, Joyce calls out, "I've got it!" She gets out from under the bed and hands the device to me, Nancy wrapping an arm around my shoulders while Jonathan gives me a reassuring smile.
I sigh and turn it on, hoping it's set to the right frequency. "Gimli, this is Huntress, do you copy?" Radio silence. I sigh, and try Mike this time. "Dungeon Master, this is Huntress. I repeat, this is Huntress, do you copy? Lancelot, do you copy? I repeat, this is Huntress. Do you copy?"
"Give it to me!" Hopper orders, but I shake my head and clutch it tighter.
"No, no. They probably think it's a trap! Dustin knows I didn't trust Brenner, he knows something was up at the hospital. Just give me a couple of more tries." I ask, and he nods, sighing.
"Okay, okay."
I breathe out. "Don't you two have that code?" Jonathan patiently reminds me, kneeling on the floor in front of where I'm sitting.
"We haven't used it in years, I don't -" I start to panic, and he clutches my hands. It's a nice gesture, but it doesn't calm the storm raging in my mind.
"You do. I know you're freaking out right now. I know a lot has happened. But I need you to focus. Get out of your head, and save your brother and his friends. You're Veronica Leigh Henderson, and you are too stubborn, proud, and loving to give up." I nod at his words, then hold down the button one last time, closing my eyes and remembering.
"If one of us gets taken by a Russian -"
"Oh my God, Dustin. That's not going to happen. We live in Hawkins." I tell my ten-year-old brother.
"Well, let's say we do, or if one of us ever gets into trouble - we each have to have our own code. You know, to make sure the other knows we're safe. I'm thinking -"
I open my eyes and smile. "Ye said I was no archer, but say so now again!" I quote from The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood.
I hear something click on the other side, and smile. "Hammer and tongs! I am so torn between rage and joy, that if I do not burst, it will be a marvel!" Dustin's voice rings loud and clear, the same words spoken by Gimli the Dwarf in The Two Towers.
I let out a breathless laugh. "Oh my God, Dustin!"
"Sis!"
"Veronica!" I hear Mike and Lucas shout together, just as joyful. "We copy, over."
"Roger that. Requesting your position, over."
"Are you alone? Over." Mike asks, presumably taking the walkie from my brother.
"Negative. I'm with Nancy, Jonathan, Mrs. Byers, and Hopper. Over."
"My sister? Over."
"Copy, did I stutter? Over." I sass. Hopper moves his hand. "Dungeon Master, I need your position, over."
There's some mumbling, then he sighs. "The Junkyard, over."
My eyes flick up at Hopper. "Copy. We're coming for you, over."
I shut off the walkie before the kids can protest. The Chief ruffles my loose braid. "Good job, hooligan. You four, stay here. I'll go get them."
"I'm coming with you." I announce, standing up.
"Veronica -"
"My brother is there. There's no way in hell I'm sitting back. Not when I can do something."
"You're exhausted, hooligan. You need to rest."
Now, this voice doesn't usually work on adults. It doesn't stop me from trying. "I will rest when my kids are safe." I declare, voice cold as ice. "They're alone, and scared, and are being hunted down by men with guns. There is a little girl with them, who looked like she'd been put through hell even before everything happened. So no, I'm not staying here." I glare up at him. "You said I was a fighter. Let me be your backup."
Hopper glares down at me. "You just said the men looking for you will have guns."
"I won't be going in unarmed, remember?"
Hopper sighs, running a hand over his face. "Shit." He then points down at me. "This is a terrible idea."
I grin wickedly. "And that's why it's going to work."
"Goddamn kids." He mutters, then storms out of the bedroom. I turn to look back at the other three, all staring at me nervously.
"I'm going to get our brothers, Nance."
I start to follow Hopper out, only for someone to pounce on me, wrapping their arms around my body tightly. "You better come back." Jonathan mutters, shaking with fear. "I'm not losing you again, Rockstar."
"Johnny, I'm coming back. You're not losing a sister." I promise. He nods and gives me one last squeeze before letting go.
"Robin Hood, if you don't get your ass out here I'm leaving without you!" Hopper shouts. I grimace at the volume but rush after him, leaving my friends and second mother behind.
"Be safe!" Joyce calls after me, and I smile.
"Promise." I call back before escaping the house. Hopper's already starting the engine of his car, and he doesn't stop glaring until I jump into the passenger seat. He reverses and turns, driving in the direction of the Junkyard.
We travel in silence, and I use the time to pull my bow and quiver out of my duffle, checking the sharp arrowheads.
"This is a bad idea." Hopper mutters to himself, again. His head swivels to look at me. "You could get seriously hurt, Veronica. And then that'll be on my conscience."
"Hopper, no offence, but I just spent the past four days battling death. What's a little more danger?"
He looks back at the road ahead, gruffly, and as we drive into the woods I try not to panic, not to remember what they looked like in the Upside Down. "You being gone scared the shit out of a lot of people, Veronica." He finally says. "Me included."
I blink owlishly. I've interacted with Hopper a lot, over the years. Ever since he came back to Hawkins. He came back the same year my dad had his affair. I was in a bad place. Not just because of the depression and anxiety. I was so angry. And one night I just snapped. I ran away because Dustin kept asking when dad was coming home, and mom could barely hold it together, not after she found out he was leaving Hawkins, leaving his kids.
I didn't get far, though. Mom had called the station and Hopper'd personally gone out looking for me as a favor for his former classmate. He found me at the edge of town, crying my eyes out. I'd yet seen an adult more pissed off than him.
Chief Hopper drove, the wipers the only kind of music playing as the steadily falling rain beat out the tempo. He was tense, like a rubber band about to snap. But he didn't yell. Every now and then he'd shake his head, muttering to himself. It was only until we reached Downtown that he finally spoke, fixing me with a glare. "Your old man is a dick." Was the first thing he said.
"How'd you know him?" I asked. "You're not from Hawkins. I've never seen you in town."
The Chief snorted, sounding a little sad. "I am, actually. Born and raised. Your parents and I were in the same class."
"Huh. They've never mentioned you." I narrowed my eyes, and the Chief raised his brows.
"You've got an attitude, huh?"
I shrugged. "Probably. I'm twelve. What's your excuse?"
A few moments passed, and then the Chief was laughing. Like, loud. It filled the car, and it even got a smile out of me - a real smile. He wiped at his face, carefully making a turn. "Jesus." When we'd both calmed down enough, he continued. "I wouldn't say we were close. I knew your dad better than your mom, which is why I wasn't surprised to hear what he pulled on you guys." I hummed and looked at my hands, watching as they clenched into fists. My nails bit into my skin, probably drawing blood. "What he did was awful, and disgusting. It's okay to get angry, to want to walk away when the rage builds. But you don't walk out the door in the middle of the night, that ain't smart or safe. You go to your room, you close the door, and you scream into your pillow. You ask to be left alone for a few minutes. What if you got hit by a car? What if someone took you? What if you got lost? You've gotta be smart, Veronica. And you gotta be safe."
I smile as I remember his words, remember the way he held my shoulder and let me just cry. These past four years, Hopper's been a constant in my life. It's not like were in each other's business every moment of the day, but he always makes a point to check up on me and Dustin. He goes to my archery competitions when he can. My own father hasn't been to a single damn one. He taught me self-defense when guys started taking an actual interest in me. He threatened my Spring Formal date last year. Brian Davis still refuses to even look at me.
No, actually. Hop isn't a constant. He's the closest thing I have to dad. At the very least he's the gruff-but-secretly-caring-uncle.
"I'm sorry I scared you. I tried to be smart and safe down there." I finally say, waiting for his response.
Without losing focus on the path ahead, he pats my shoulder. "I know you did. That doesn't mean I like you doing this."
"I know. Sorry." I mutter.
"Shut up." He grunts, and I close my mouth. "You're a good kid, Robin Hood. You've done good. I know it ain't been easy."
That's all that has to be said, between us. We drive the rest of the way in a comfortable silence, until we notice two cars parked in the Junkyard, a way's ahead. "Shit."
"Amen." I agree with Hopper, and we park a safe distance away. He looks at me as he loads his weapon.
"Stay low, stay smart, stay safe."
I nod at his words and we get out, silently closing our doors. I creep after him, quiver slung over my back and bow in hand, lightly stepping over roots. If it weren't for the fact I have to save my brother, I'd be panicking.
I watch carefully as Hopper quietly subdues one suited man, the other delving too far into the woods. There's another walking straight towards the school bus parked in the middle, gun drawn.
Oh, hell no.
I creep out from behind my hiding spot and walk behind him, stepping in the same spots he had, just like I would when I'd go hunting with dad.
Just as the man is opening the door, I tap him on the shoulder. He turns in confusion, but before he can lift his weapon I grasp my bow with my other hand, twisting it so I hit him on the head, as hard as I can. He crumples over with the blow, the other side of his head bumping into the door. He collapses, dazed. I kick his gun away for good measure.
The remaining man wasn't as far as I thought he was, though, and he comes barrelling towards me, gun up. I notch an arrow and shoot it at his shoulder, just as Hopper comes out and bops him on the head. The suit falls to the ground with a pained yelp and a grunt. I stare at my bow in shock, but Hopper gives me no time to dwell on the fact I just shot an arrow at a man. Instead he's picking up the gun I kicked and opening the doors.
As soon as I board the bus, three bodies latch onto me. I can't really make out anything they're saying. "Hey, hey. I'm okay. We gotta go. C'mon. Where's El?" I ask.
"You know her name?" Mike asks, and I point to Dustin.
"Here. I'm here." A soft voice answers, and I let go of the three boys, pushing them towards Hopper. Eleven is standing there in a pink dress and blue jacket, both a little too big for her. "Veronica." She whispers, again.
I blink. "I never told you my -"
"Dustin." She points to my brother, and I nod.
"Right." I hold my arms open. "Come here." I'm not sure if she's going to accept it, but the little girl tentatively comes over to me, stepping into my arms. "We're gonna get you somewhere safe." I turn to look back at the three boys. "All of you."
"Come on, we gotta go." Hopper gruffs out. "Let's go!" He orders, when no one listens. We all follow him, El still holding onto me. I wince when my left side bumps into the bus door.
"Hurt?" She asks, and I nod.
"Yeah, El. Hurt."
"You?" She points to the goon with the arrow in his arm. I nod and quietly shuffle us closer to the boys.
"Yeah, me."
"Dustin said you saw the bad man. Saw papa."
"Dr. Brenner?" I ask. She nods. "Yeah. I kneed him."
"Need him?"
"No, no. Not need. Kneed. Hit him in the dick. Uh, balls. Um. I kicked him here." I gesture to my crotch, and she nods.
"Dick."
"Shit. Don't say either one of those words." I tell her.
The boys are already sitting in the backseat when we get to the car. "Get in with them." She nods and the boys make room, grumbling but making sure she's in. I catch Mike holding onto her as I close the door, and I smile to myself before getting in the car. Hopper starts the engine and we're peeling out, just as the sun is starting to set.
It's dark by the time we get back to the Byers house. The minute Hopper cuts the engine the kids are leaping out of the car. Joyce comes out of the house first, followed by Jonathan and Nancy. But it's the latter who has the biggest reaction.
"Mike, oh my God, Mike!" She shouts, hugging him close as her body shakes with fear. I walk past her to hug Joyce and Jonathan, bow in hand and quiver on my back. "I was so worried about you." Nancy pulls back, but her hands are still on his shoulders.
For his part, Mike just looks confused. "Yeah, uh… me too?"
I snort at his awkwardness, then step away from the Byerses to hold out my arms for Dustin and Lucas, ready for a longer hug now that we're far away from the junkyard. Both boys accept the affection, rushing over to me and tripping over themselves. "Erica would have killed you if she lost her favorite sitter." Lucas tells me, and the though of an 8-year-old sassy Erica Sinclair beating me up with one of her dolls has me shivering.
"Oh, God, now I'm really glad I came back."
"Is that my dress?" Nancy's question grabs our attention, and I notice just how awkward El looks.
"We should go inside." Joyce suggests. Hopper nods, and our small gathering shuffles into the Byers house, Hopper locking up behind us.
We all take a seat in the living room, gathering around the coffee table. I sit at Joyce's feet. "Okay, can someone please explain this 'Upside Down' shit to me?" Hopper asks.
"Yeah. But it makes more sense visually. Can someone get me some paper and a pen?" Mike asks.
Jonathan nods and disappears into his room, coming back with a yellow notepad and red marker. Mike takes it and rips off a page, and I watch him draw a line, a person, and a tiny blob with an arrow curving under the line. He holds it up to us. "Okay, so in this example, we're the acrobat on the tightrope." Mike uses the marker to point to the person on the line. "This flea," he points to the tiny blob next to the curved arrow, "is Barb, Will, that monster, and was Veronica."
"Oh, that's nice, I'm a flea." I mutter, and Jonathan snorts.
Mike just keeps talking, ignoring me. "And this is the Upside Down, where Will is hiding." He points to the blank space under the line. Mr. Clarke said the only way to get there is through a rip of time and space."
I hum. "Oh." Everyone looks at me. "When Barb and I… it felt like I was falling. And there was that hole, in the tree. Remember?" I ask Jonathan and Nancy, who nod.
"Like a gate?" My brother asks. I tilt my head.
Yes.
"That we tracked to Hawkins Lab." Lucas adds.
"With our compasses." My brother finishes. The boys stare at us, all of them sighing when they realize we don't understand. "Okay, so the gate has a really strong electromagnetic field, and that can change the direction of a compass needle." Dustin explains, and I honestly start to get misty-eyed, completely impressed by the geniuses surrounding us.
"Damn, you're so smart." I tell him, and then I glance at the other two boys. "All of you."
Lucas blushes a bit, and Mike looks pleased with himself. My brother is just as teary as me, but doesn't say anything about it.
"Is this gate underground?" Hopper asks from his chair.
"Yes." We all look at Eleven.
"Near a large water tank?" He asks the little girl.
She nods. "Yes."
"H-how do you know all that?" Dustin asks the Chief.
"He's seen it." Mike pieces together. Hopper doesn't say anything, so I assume that means the kid was right.
Joyce clears her throat. "Is there anyway that you could…" El looks away from Hopper, breaking their staring contest, "that you could reach Will? That you could talk to him in this -"
"Upside Down." I gently remind her, squeezing the woman's hand.
"Yeah. Upside Down."
El nods.
"And our friend Barbara," I look up at Nancy, who leans over to hold my shoulder, "can you find her too?" El nods.
"Okay." I get up. "What do we need in order to do this?"
"White noise and a blindfold." Mike tells me, and I hold out my hand to help El stand up. We walk to the table and I take a seat next to her. Jonathan returns from his room with a bandana and a ripped up photo of Barb and I on the diving board. I look up at him, confused, but my best friend refuses to look at me, his cheeks stained red. I notice Nancy's cheeks are too, but decide not to push.
After getting a good look at Barb, El gestures to her head. I cover her eyes with the folded bandana, making sure it's not too tight. Mike sets the walkie on static and places it next to her, and we stay silent.
I watch as her hands clench and her body shakes, more patient than I've ever been in my whole life, which is saying something because I'm not known for being impatient.
We watch as the light flickers, then El rips off the bandana, tears in her eyes. "I'm sorry." She whispers to Joyce.
"Wh-what? What's wrong? Wh-what happened?" Joyce stammers out.
"I can't find them." Her voice breaks and she stands up, rushing towards the bathroom. I follow her without hesitation.
With my hands in my pocket I enter the small bathroom, El splashing her face with cold water. "Hey, El." She looks over at me and whimpers.
"I-I'm sorry. I wanted to help." She looks down mournfully and I come over to her, wrapping her in a hug. After a few moments she accepts it. "You helped me. I can't help you." She tells me, voice even softer than usual.
"El, shh. It's okay." I comfort her, and in the back of my mind I'm hearing Barb's screams. They fade when El starts to sob quietly, and I hold her even closer. "Hey. This is not your fault."
"I-I opened the gate. My fault." She whimpers.
"Did you open it? Or was it the bad man's fault?" I ask, pulling away to look down at her, not much taller.
"Papa… papa made me." She admits, and I nod.
"See? This is not what you wanted. Okay?" She nods. "Good. We'll figure something out. Okay? We'll find them." I move to turn off the water, realizing the sink is still running. Before I can, El holds my hand, staring at the faucet. "El? What's wrong?"
She blinks up at me. "I know how to help." The girl brushes past me and leaves the bathroom, turning off the water. I stand there for a second, confused, then follow after her.
When we return to the kitchen, the group is talking amongst themselves. But the conversation gets interrupted when El says, "The bath."
"What?" Joyce asks, briefly looking at me. I shrug, just as lost as she is.
"I can find them." El states, her eyes flicking around the room. "In the bath."
"The bath?" Nancy asks, sitting up, intelligent eyes bursting with questions.
"Papa put me in the bath. So I could see it." El timidly explains, and Dustin snaps his fingers.
"Sensory deprivation!"
"But how do we do it?" Mike asks, and Lucas shrugs.
Suddenly Dustin grins. "Mr. Clarke." He rushes over to the phone, having memorized his favorite teacher's number last year. Seriously, he calls him a lot. Mr. Clarke's awesome, though.
"Dustin, it's Saturday night, I don't think -"
"Leia, come on. He's our only hope." I roll my eyes, but Dustin ignores me. Instead he holds the phone to his ear and dials the number with his free hand, tapping the phone as he waits. And waits. And waits. Until, "Mr. Clarke? It's Dustin. Yeah, yeah, Veronica is okay. I just, I… I have a science question." Dustin shakes his head at himself, and I smile. "Do you know anything about sensory deprivation tanks?" He asks, words a little rushed. "Specifically how to build one?" He stops speaking for a moment, then says, "Fun." He turns to look at me, nervous, and I can tell Mr. Clarke is on the other end itching to hang up.
So I mouth "talk" to my little brother, and Dustin does what he does best.
"You always say we should never stop being curious. To always open any curiosity door we find. Why are you keeping this curiosity door locked?" He asks, and I give him a thumbs up as I try not to laugh. "Awesome. Okay, wait a sec -" Dustin rushes over to the table and sits at an empty seat, grabbing a pen and a pad of paper. He writes down whatever instructions Mr. Clarke is giving him, only interrupting a few times. "Uh-huh. How much? Uh-huh. Yep, alright, we'll be careful. Definitely. Alright, Mr. Clarke. Yeah, I'll see you on Monday, Mr. Clarke. Bye." He hangs up without so much as a thank you, ignoring the swat I deliver to the back of his head. He looks over at Joyce. "Do you still have that kiddie pool we bobbed for apples in?" He asks her.
"I think so, yeah. Yeah?" She asks Jonathan, who nods.
"Yeah."
"Good, then we just need salt. Lots of it."
"How much is 'lots'?" Hopper asks my little brother, who briefly glances down at his notepad.
"1,500 lbs."
"Well, where are we going to get that much salt?" Nancy asks.
Hopper looks at us, already a step ahead. "The middle school keeps de-icing salt in their gym."
I clap my hands together. "I guess that's it, then. School's back in session."
Mike groans. "On a Saturday?"
I smile icily at him. "Well, we could always wait until Monday, if that works better for you?"
He glares at me, but his cheeks are flushed which means he knows he lost the battle before it began.
We drive to the school in separate cars. I ride in the front seat of Hopper's Chevy, Dustin and Lucas in the backseat. El and Mike ride with Nancy, Jonathan, and Joyce. As soon as we get there, Hopper barks out our marching orders. Dustin and Lucas are given the inflatable pool, charged with setting it up in the gym. Mike and Nancy are sent to grab hoses to fill it up. Jonathan helps Hopper get the ice, and I follow Joyce and El into my old middle school to get her ready.
We sit in the science room, El's tiny body on my lap as Joyce grabs a pair of goggles and ductapes the lenses to block out light. My bow and quiver of arrows are resting on the desk beside us. "Alright. This will keep it dark for you. Just like in your bathtub." She hands the goggles over to the girl, giving her a soft smile, one usually reserved for Will when he draws something for her.
Will's a really good artist. There's this arrow he drew me, inside an elaborate snowflake. I want it tattooed on me at some point.
"You're a very brave girl." She continues. "You know that, don't you?" El looks away, but Joyce only keeps talking in that persisting motherly way of hers. "Everything you're doing for my boy… for Will… for Barb, for my family…" Joyce takes my hand in hers without looking away from the little girl in my lap. She sighs and sniffs. "Thank you." She takes one of El's hands in her free one. "Listen. I am gonna be there with you the whole time."
"Me too, kiddo." El looks back at me briefly, giving me a small nod before returning her gaze to Joyce.
"And if it ever gets too scary… i-in that place, you just let us know, okay?"
El nods, then says, "Yes." It's as soft as when I was taking care of her cuts in the basement of the Wheeler house, when everything was strange to her.
This poor girl. This poor, brave girl.
It's not pity that's making me affectionate towards her, or even protective of her. Like I said before, pity is the worst.
Pity does not breed affection, compassion does.
"Ready?" Joyce asks.
El nods, and lets out a breath. "Ready."
We all stand up and walk out the door of the science room, my arm around El's shoulders and weapon on my back. "I'm sorry you were stuck with the boys." I finally murmur, noticing how nervous she is. Like Barb would get… will get… before a test.
"Wasn't bad." She whispers.
"No fighting?" I ask. "Was Dustin nice?"
"Dustin was nice. Called me his friend." I smile with pride at her words, wondering how I could have ever doubted my little brother, no matter how brief. I mean, yeah, he lacks a filter and tact, but he's a great kid. Mom and I've made sure of that.
"Mike?"
"Took care of me." She blushes a little, and I wink at Joyce, who is staring at us with a soft expression.
"Lucas?"
"We fought. He didn't trust me."
I frown a little. "I'm sorry. Lucas is just - he's very protective. Cautious." She gives me a confused look. "Careful. He, uh, he doesn't rush into things. He takes his time and wants to keep his friends safe. But you two are better now?"
"Yes. I… apologized? For throwing him. He said sorry, too. Friends don't lie." She finishes, and while I want to ask about the "throwing" incident I feel like that's a story for another, less pressing time.
We get into the gym, the rest of our group is patiently waiting for us. Mike's turned the walkie back on, setting it to static. I steady El as she removes her jacket and socks, handing the Wheeler boy his watch. He carefully puts it on his wrist, then helps me remove my bow and arrows, setting them down beside the pool.
Joyce hands El the goggles and she puts it on, taking a deep breath. Between Joyce and I, we're able to get her carefully into the pool. She settles in the water, floating on her back, and we sit around her. I'm in between Hopper and Joyce, the former patting my shoulder when he sees me favoring my right side. I wince a little at the soreness, but honestly if I ignore the pain long enough it goes away.
The electricity begins to surge, the lights getting bright before shutting off once more. We're all completely silent as El keeps floating, waiting for her to find the missing. She suddenly begins breathing heavily, the electricity pulsing once more. I know panic better than most. Hell, it's practically my best friend.
"What's going on?" Nancy asks Mike, who looks scared, too.
"I don't know."
"Is Barb okay?" I ask El, trying not to show how absolutely terrified I am.
"Is she okay?" Nancy repeats, my question unanswered.
The word she yells out a second later will haunt me for the rest of my life.
Splashing in the water, El yells, "Gone! Gone!"
Gone. Gone. Barb is gone. Gone. Gone.
I can hear her screaming, feel her sweaty hands in mine as I hold on. I can hear her screaming for me, for Nancy, for anyone. I can feel her letting go of my hands, yelling at me to "Go, Smarties, go!"
I don't know what's happening. I can't see anything, I can't breathe. I don't know where I really am. Half of me sees the gym, the other sees the empty pool, feels the vines.
My fault, my fault, my fault. It's my fault. Should have died, should have died. Should have died. Should have saved Barb. Should have tried harder, why didn't I try harder?
"Veronica!" Someone roars, and I open my eyes to see Hopper sitting in front of me. My knees are up and I'm rocking back and forth violently, my hands covering my ears.
Someone is screaming. Who's screaming?
"Veronica!" Hopper shouts once more, and the screams get louder. "Hey, come on. Breathe, Veronica. Breathe!" He orders.
I try, I really do, but I can't. I can't do anything but lose it.
"Leia." My eyes flick over, vaguely making out Dustin as he crawls over to me. "Leia, please. Please. You're scaring me."
Scaring him. I'm scaring him. Can't do anything right. Who's screaming? Why is it so loud?
"Leia, please. Come back to me."
"Veronica!" Joyce cries out, one arm wrapped around a scared little girl, the other reaching out to me. "You promised El! You promised! Come on, dear, snap out of it! You need to breathe. Breathe, Veronica, breathe."
I keep rocking, ears covered. I feel like I'm being strangled by vines, ripped apart by sharp claws, bit at with pointed teeth.
"Leia, please. Please come back to me." Dustin pleads. I look into his wide blue eyes, see the fear. My throat is throbbing, and the screams have stopped. Was I screaming? "That's it, c'mon sis. I'm so sorry. I'm so, so sorry. I know I shouldn't be asking you to do anything but break down, but right now I need my older sister. I promise, the minute this is over, I'll hold you as tight as I can. But I need you, milady. Please. Please don't leave me."
I nod and move my hands, rocking subsiding. I can make out Nancy's mournful face, and I feel so guilty. So, so guilty.
I couldn't save her best friend.
Before I can panic more, the blue-eyed girl is crawling over to me, arms wrapped around my shaking body. "It's not your fault. Come back to us." I nod into her neck, then move away from her to hold Dustin.
"Sorry." I croak out, and he holds me tighter. "Not gonna leave you." After a few seconds, he lets go of me, and I stare at El, her goggles off and big brown eyes full of tears. "El, I'm so sorry. I promised. I'm so sorry." I reach for her and she pulls away from Joyce, her wet dress soaking my top as we hug.
"Sorry. Sorry. Wanted to help." El whimpers.
"Oh, El, you did. You did so good. Are you okay?" I ask, wiping away her tears as I look at her. She nods.
"Yes. Joyce helped."
"I'm sorry I couldn't." I apologize, still not breathing quite right.
"Saved me." She reminds me of that first night, when we found her in the rain. "Already helped."
I nod. "Okay, sweetheart. Okay."
"Go… again." She tells Joyce, putting her goggles back on.
"Okay. Okay, honey. I got you. We got you." She nods at me and we help El lie back down, both of us holding one of her hands. The lights flicker again, and she breathes. I try to match hers, Dustin wrapped around my back like a koala in a form of comfort, Nancy leaning her forehead on my shoulder while Jonathan watches us with a soft, mournful expression.
"Don't be afraid. We're right here with you." Joyce tells El, and we watch her nod her head.
"I'm not going to break my promise again, sweetheart." I whisper, holding her hand a little tighter. She squeezes back, just enough for me to know she's listening.
"Castle Byers. Castle Byers." El whispers. My eyes flick over to Joyce, then to Jonathan.
Castle Byers, Will's little hideout in the forest. Jonathan and him built in the rain, the night Lonnie and Joyce got divorced. I came over the day after, only to find both Byers boys sick. I caught their cold and bitched about it to Jonathan for a week, but also spent that time telling Will it wasn't his fault. It's a cool place, full of photos, drawings, random gadgets. It's the safest place Will knows.
Please be there, Will. Please.
"Will?" El asks. I gasp, eyes tearing some more as I look at Jonathan, his hand covering his mouth.
"You tell him… tell him I'm coming. Mom is coming." Joyce shakily requests.
"Your mom, sh-she's coming for you." El says, stuttering a bit.
"Hurry." We hear on the radio, and I smile a little.
Will. It's Will.
"Okay. Listen, you tell him to… t-to stay where he is. We're coming, okay? We're coming for you, honey." Joyce stutters out.
"Just… hold on a l-little longer." El says. "Will. Will." Her voice becomes distressed. "Will? Will!" We can hear her whimpering over the radio, and Lucas and Mike jump back when she abruptly sits up, tearing the goggles off her face.
Joyce and I burst forward to hold the whimpering girl. "Okay, okay, we've got you." Joyce murmurs.
El holds onto us, breathing heavily, and gives me the smallest of smiles. "Helped?"
"Sweetheart, you did so good." I say it just like my mom would, and the other girl nods. "When this is over, I'll get you whatever you want."
"Eggos? I like Eggos." She whispers. I nod tearfully, my ears still ringing with Barb's screams but my heart full of hope in getting Will back.
"You can have all the Eggos. I promise." I whisper. Hopper stands and helps the shivering girl out of the water, and the boys rush to help her over to the bleachers. Lucas - who had a towel on standby because that boy is always prepared - wraps it around her while she leans on Mike's shoulders and rubs her arms to warm her. I never saw the animosity between them, but looking at the pair now - how protective and caring he is of El - it's impossible for me to picture Lucas not being her friend. These kids. My brother and his Party, they're… God, they're the best.
I wipe away a tear, and feel thin arms wrapping around me, holding me close with a strength I never thought they possessed. "I've got you, Vera." Nancy whispers. I nod, curling into her a bit while Hopper asks for directions to Castle Byers.
"It's in the woods behind our house." Joyce tells him.
"Yeah, he used to go there, to hide." Jonathan tells the Chief. Hopper starts to walk away, only to stop in front of me. Nancy reluctantly lets go, only for me to be brought into a warm hug.
The Chief holds me close. "You, stay smart."
"Stay safe." I whisper. He pulls away with a quick nod and cleared throat, then continues walking out the door. Joyce and Jonathan hurry after him, and Nancy wraps her arms around me again.
"Come with me. Come on, Vera." She whispers. I nod and let her lead me out of the gym, sliding down the wall with a tiger cub's head painted over the American flag. I lean my head on her shoulder, her head bowed down on my own, and she's pulled my legs over hers. We both start to cry terrible loud sobs for the friend we lost, for the girl I couldn't save. I try to say as much, but Nancy only holds me closer.
"Barb was not your fault. Okay?" I know she knows that I don't really believe her, but she pretends like I do, and I try to pretend, too.
"Okay."
Our sobs are sniffles now. "You know, one of the last things she said to me was that she was proud to be my friend. And I made her promise to buy me a milkshake."
"Strawberry, right?" Nancy remembers, and I nod. "I'm sorry it took all of this, to get us… close. Closer?"
I remove my head from her shoulder so blue eyes meet green. "Me, too. I know I didn't make it easy. I probably won't after everything that's happened. But, if you can be patient with me, and stubborn… I'll try not to push you away or hide behind walls."
She nods, smiling wetly. "Okay. But don't lose your 'Ice Queen' abilities."
"And risk letting the assholes at school be bigger, unchecked assholes? Hell no." She giggles, and I put my head back on her shoulder. "We're not going to be best friends. This makes us, like, blood sisters or something." Nancy lets out a small giggle. "You saved me, Nance. If you hadn't found me, I'd be dead."
"It was luck." She whispers.
"Sure." I shrug. "But it was you that dragged me out of there. Luck had nothing to do with you carrying me to safety."
"Well, I wasn't about to lose you. Who else is going to keep teaching me how to drink?"
I chuckle, and it borders on hysterical. Eventually we quiet down, still sniffling.
Jonathan comes around the corner, then, and walks over to us. "Mom left with Hop."
I hum tiredly. "I figured she would."
He sits next to me, finally able to fuss. I lean my head on his shoulder as my brother holds me. He counts my breaths as he plays with my wayward curls. I do my best to match his inhales and exhales, our usual method to keep me calm after a panic attack.
Nancy's the first to break the silence. "We have to go back to the station."
"What?" Jonathan asks while I nod into his shoulder.
"John - Hopper and your mom - they're walking into a trap." I tell him, head moving back to rest on Nancy's shoulder once again. "They don't know the Upside Down, not like I do. They don't know the monster like I do, either."
Nancy nudges the top of her head against mine. "We can't just sit around and let the monster get them, too. We can't."
Jonathan breathes, but it isn't the resigned one he gets when I convince him to do something that'd break him out of his comfort zone. "You still want to try it out?"
"I want to finish what we started."
"Let's kill this son of a bitch." Nancy and I say at the same time, looking over at Jonathan. He nods, then stands up and holds out his hands to help us. "Good. I was worried I'd have to go by myself."
Despite everything I still snort, stabilizing myself when I'm no longer on my ass and instead on two feet. "You're going to kill a beast without me? I'm the damn Huntress." I remind him, bending down quickly to show off the knife on my calf. Jonathan rolls his eyes as I wiggle my eyebrows, then leans down to give me a hug.
The three of us walk back into the gym, and Dustin's the first to notice. He rushes over to me as I'm slinging my quiver over my body, bow in hand. "Where the hell are you three going?" He panics.
"Listen, D." I murmur, cupping his round face in my hands. "Hopper and Joyce need us. We're going to kill that thing."
"The Demogorgon." Dustin tells me, distracted. "We're calling it the Demogorgon."
"Okay." I nod, going along with it. "The Demogorgon. We're going to kill it. And then I'm coming back, okay? So you four have to work together until then, okay?" He nods, and I crouch down to unholster the knife, handing the sheathed blade to him. "If the bad men come, stick 'em with the pointy end."
Dustin delicately takes the blade from my hands, frowning in thought. "I'm not sure you should be telling me to be violent."
I shrug. "Yeah, well, I don't want my brother to get killed, so I'm letting it slide." I kiss his forehead and walk over to the kids, Mike hugging his sister. "You four, work together. You're strongest when you're together. Capiche?"
"Capiche." El says, the others nodding. I smile and crouch down so I'm on her level.
"Don't let them give you any shit."
"No shit." She repeats, and I give her a small hug. Lucas and Mike get one, too, the latter way more affectionate than usual.
Just as Jonathan, Nancy and I are walking away, I hear Dustin yell, "Hey. You said this morning I saved you. How?"
I turn around to look at him. "You gave me those 3 Musketeers bars, when we were fighting. It kept me from completely starving. And, uh, and I saw you. When you were little. Remember the Chewbacca costume?" He blushes, but surprisingly neither Mike nor Lucas make fun of him. "You reminded me of something I promised you."
"What's that?"
"That I'd never leave you. I'm going to come back, Dusty."
He nods, body relaxing. I give him one last smile, then square my shoulders, following Jonathan and Nancy out of the middle school.
Jonathan carefully parks his mom's car outside the station, and we all let out a sigh of relief when we see there aren't any officers lingering outside.
Thank God for budget cuts and understaffing, am I right?
Sneaking into the darkened station is relatively easy. There's only one officer, and his desk is facing away from us. Which means that as long as we're silent, we'll be in and out.
Nancy, I'm discovering, is full of surprises. She literally pulls a paper clip out of nowhere, bends it to her specifications, and unlocks Hopper's office door. Jonathan and I both exchange impressed looks, mine reading more like, "If you don't marry this girl we're no longer family."
He seems to get the message, because his eye roll is the most dramatic one I've received yet. He grabs the box, though, tossing me the keys. We sneak back out into the hall, making sure to lock up the door from the inside. I creep through first, peering into the main office. The night officer has his back to us, and there's still no one outside, so we go out and walk behind the station. I do a double take when I see Nancy holding a large fire extinguisher, but shrug in favor of unlocking the trunk. The box joins the gas tank, and I drop in my bow and quiver.
"Let's go hunt us a Demogorgon." I tell my companions, then slam the trunk closed.