Holey-Moley, Me oh My, I'm back at it again with an edited chapter. I'm finally cleaning up everything that has to do with Veronica's Upside Down acquired powers.

I sit next to Will, on his bed, while Mike walks around the room analyzing the drawings taped to the walls. A frantic Joyce had explained that they were vines. The vines. My stomach's been twisting with dread non-stop, especially after she told us Hopper had gone out to investigate, not giving up a location in his rush.

I can't lose Hopper. I-I can't lose anyone, but I especially can't lose Hopper. Not after all he's done for me.

The whole house is covered in the crayon-etched vines, though, and it honestly makes me long for last year, when Joyce had put up strings of flickering Christmas lights instead. At least there was a festive element in all the horror and trauma.

I'm just kidding. I could barely handle seeing the lights on my tree this past Christmas.

Despite how sweaty Will is, I pull him into my arms and let him rest his head on my shoulder. I close my eyes when I hear Joyce slam down the phone before shuffling around the house some more, trying to piece together Will's pictures.

I'm sure Hopper's fine. Really. He's fine.

"What's it like?" Mike asks, taking a break from the pictures.

"It's like… it's like I feel what the shadow monster's feeling. See what he's seeing." Will answers, shaking in my arms.

"Like in the Upside Down?"

"Some of him is there." Will breathes out. "But some of him is here, too." The hair on the back of my neck is still standing up, in permanent danger mode.

Mike comes closer. "Here, like, in this house?"

"In this house and… in me." He whimpers a bit and I hold him closer, stroking his back. "It's like… it's like he's reaching into Hawkins more and more. And the more he spreads, the more connected I feel to him." Mike joins us on the bed, sitting next to Will.

"And the more you see these now-memories."

Now-memories: Seeing what the shadow monster can see, feeling what he can feel.

"At first I just felt it in the back of my head. I didn't even really know it was there. It's like, when you have a dream, and you can't remember it unless you think really hard. It was like that." Will straightens in my arms, pulling away a bit, and I let him. I stand up and walk around the bed to stare out the window. "But now it's like… Now I remember. I remember all the time."

"Maybe…" Mike speaks up, voice soft. "Maybe that's good."

I scoff, Will just as incredulous as me. "Good?" I hear him ask.

"Just think about it, Will. You're like a spy now. A super-spy. Spying on the shadow monster. If you know what he's seeing and feeling… maybe that's how we can stop him. Maybe all of this is happening for a reason."

"You really think so?"

"Yeah, yeah I really do."

There's a few moments of silence, then, "What if he figures out we're spying on him?" Will sniffles. "What if he spies back?"

"He won't."

"How do you know?"

"We won't let him." Mike swears, and I close my eyes, forehead pressed against the glass and tears sliding down my cheeks. My shoulders shake and I cover my mouth to hide my crying. "Veronica?"

I suck in a deep breath and wipe away my tears, refusing to turn around. "Yeah?"

"Are you okay?" Mike asks.

I snort. "Yeah. I'm fine, kid."

"You still suck at lying." He lightly comments, and I snort, eyes still wet.

"Eh. I can lie about certain things. Kept my shit quiet for almost a year."

Will's bed creaks, and two pairs of footsteps walk over to me. I'm blocked in by the two boys, one taller and one shorter. I feel safe, despite the tingling in the back of my neck. "Do you see anything?" Will asks, still shaking. I wrap an arm around him to bring him back to me.

"Here or there?" I ask.

"Both."

I shake my head. "Nothing. I'm getting nothing."

"What's it like for you?" Mike asks, leaning on me a bit.

My fingers twitch, wishing they had a cigarette to keep them occupied. "Different. It's different. The one time the shadow monster saw me was yesterday. But it didn't… it didn't go in me. It swirled around me, like a damn tornado. Like it was trying to get me to submit. The vines are the only thing that have hurt me, so far. But this has really been the only time." I huff. "I'm not sure they can see me, but they feel me. They gave me these." I unwrap my wrists, and the boys gasp with worry. "The bruises were worse yesterday, remember, Will?" He nods, Mike tilting his head in confusion.

"But they look almost healed - oh."

I nod. "Yeah. Remember my arm, last year? It healed faster than what's possible. I've still got the scars, but they've faded enough to look like I've had them for years." I shake my head. "I'm different."

"How?" Mike asks.

Before I can answer, Will takes the lead, his voice soft. "Dr. Owens said her DNA had changed." Mike blinks at me.

I shrug, trying for a smile as I clap Mike on the shoulder. "I guess I'm kind of like a mutant, now." No one laughs, and I exhale. "We didn't know what it meant. Well, I think I did, I just didn't want to admit it. There's this ash in the Upside Down. It just… it floats around. Kind of like really big flecks of peeled skin."

"Gross." Mike complains.

"Yeah." I snort. "Tell me about it." I clear my throat and continue. "Will thinks it's because the ash chose me." I furrow my eyebrows, then glance at Will. "What if the ash was the first step? Like, it was preparing us for whatever the vine did to you?" I pose.

Both boys hum, and Mike snaps his fingers. "Maybe that's why it's only a one-way bond? I mean, what if the Upside Down is only connected to you because it changed your DNA, but you didn't have the same biological impact on the Upside Down? Will's connection was completed because the vine was in him, which means the Mind Flayer was able to make direct contact. If you're only getting the debris, that means there's not enough of the Mind Flayer in you to control." He offers. I shrug.

"Sure. I mean, science was never my thing, and it's not like this shit comes with an owner's manual."

"Did you tell Dustin?" Mike asks. "About any of this? Your episodes, the vines?"

I bite my lip. "Not everything. Only what I knew, then. That it was just hallucinations. PTSD. The Anniversary Effect. No one knows about this, besides you two. Well, Joyce and Hopper know because of our appointments. And I told Nancy."

"But why didn't you -"

"I tried not to think too deeply about them. I wrote them off as… well, anything else. The truth can be hard to accept, sometimes." I caution, biting my lip and staring down at my wrapped hands. "You two should get ready for bed. It's getting late."

"Are you staying the night?" Will whispers. "Your mom dropped off your camping gear. Mom told me."

I release my lip and smile down at the kid who's practically a younger brother. "I'll stay. But tomorrow, I'm going into the woods." I look back out the window, still protected by the two middle schoolers. "I'm tired of not knowing what's happening in my own mind.

Hopper pants as he lies curled on the ground, smaller than I've ever seen him before. With every step I take towards him, the vines beneath me hold me in place. With what little light shines through, I realize we're in a tunnel.

I turn around when I hear footsteps behind me. It's Will, confused, but he just walks past me. It's like he never even saw me. The vines make a path for him, releasing me, and I call his name. He doesn't respond. Instead, he reaches out for the Chief of Police -

I shoot up from my spot on the floor, body barely covered by my thick sleeping bag. My breaths are heavy, just like Will's. He shot up in bed the moment I did, just as panicked. "I saw him. I saw you. Did you see me?" I frantically ask him, gasping for air.

Will does the same, only he shakes his head. "Didn't see you. Saw him, though."

"Will, Veronica, what's going on?" Mike asks, sitting up in his own sleeping bag.

"Hopper. He's trapped." Will answers, throwing the covers off him and practically leaping over Mike to leave his room. We follow in a rush, and find Joyce sitting in the middle of the living room, legs crossed as she looks around the picture-covered room. "Mom. Mom? Mom." Will tries to get her attention, but she's zoned out. So he reaches forward and taps her shoulder. "Mom?"

She gasps and turns. "Yeah?"

"I saw him. I mean, we saw him. Me and Veronica." I wave at Joyce from behind Will, and she tilts her head.

"You saw who, baby?"

"Hopper." He answers.

"Joyce." The woman looks at me. "He's in trouble. Big trouble."

"I… I think he's gonna die." Will whispers to her, and my whole body sings with fear.

I try to push it aside, though. "Not if we find him first."

"Then that's what we're going to do." Joyce says, standing up strong though she's breathing shakily. "But we're gonna need a lot of coffee."

As Will sits at his desk, hunched over and using crayons to harshly sketch out his "now-memories" I sit on his bed and take another sip from my coffee. Mike and Joyce hover over Will, and with every completed picture we rush around the house finishing the whacked-out puzzle.

Most of the time I've had my Walkman on, my eyes closed. I've been trying to get some "now-memories" too. Surprisingly, I want to be in the Upside Down. Especially if it means I can find Hopper. What I'm doing isn't enough. Not when it comes to him.

Will hands Joyce the next picture, and she walks into the hall with Mike on her heels. I stand, too, but only to go over to Will and place a supportive hand on my shoulder. He crosses his left arm over his chest to pat my right. "I need to go." I finally whisper.

He sucks in a breath, but nods. "I know."

"I don't want to."

"I know." He looks up at me with a small smile. "Veronica, it's okay."

I nod and wrap my free arm around him, hugging the youngest Byers from behind. "I have my walkie with me. But let's be honest, there's not much I can do here. I need to figure out this one-way bond. I need to know how to get to the Upside Down on my own terms."

"I get it. It's fine, Veronica. Really." I nod and press my forehead to the top of his hair. "But you'll contact us, if something happens? You won't go off completely on your own?"

His voice is too small - so small that it makes my heart clench. "Y-yeah. I will. I promise. Mind if I use Castle Byers?"

He shakes his head. "It's all yours."

"Okay." I kiss his temple and unwrap my arms, straightening up. He briefly turns in his chair to give me one last smile. "I'll see you soon, Will. Be smart. Stay safe."

He nods at those familiar words. "Promise."

With a small wave I walk out the room, taking my duffle and camping bag with me. I briefly stop in the bathroom to take care of business before washing my hands and leaving, bumping right into Mike. Joyce stands behind him, face twisted into a frown and arms crossed in fear.

"And just where do you think you're going?" She asks, in the same tone she uses whenever she catches Jonathan and I doing something stupid.

I blink and bite my lip, before relaxing my tense shoulders. "Out. To Castle Byers."

"You want to go out into the woods, alone? Is that what I'm hearing?" She questions harshly. I nod and stand my ground.

"Yes, I -"

"Absolutely not! I am not letting you go out there on your own. How do I know you aren't just going to try and find Hopper yourself?"

"You don't, Joyce. I'm just asking you to trust me. Do you trust me?"

She softens immediately, leaning down a bit to grasp my shoulders. "Of course I trust you. It's everything else that I don't. We can't lose you, too."

"You won't lose me Joyce. I just… I feel trapped here. I need to figure out how I access the 'now-memories'. I don't… I'm starting to think the vines aren't bringing me in. It's me. I'm finding ways to fall into the Upside Down, but I don't know how. I need to learn to control whatever the Upside Down did to change me." She bites her lip, and I look to Mike for some help. "Mike, you said last night what I have is a 'one-way bond'. That's what got me thinking that it's not actually the vines reaching out to me. If I can learn how to use my… my weird mutation, I can help Will." I look up at Joyce once more. "Please, I need to do this. Nothing you say now will make me change my mind."

She purses her lips and nods, nostrils flaring a bit. "I know. God, I know it won't. Promise me you'll be careful."

I nod back at her. "I promise. I have my walkie, my flare gun, and a weapon at the ready. If I run into trouble, I'm coming straight here. No heroics. Promise."

"Okay." She nods and pulls me into a tight hug. "Okay. I don't like this, but… go."

"Thank you." Joyce releases me and I pull Mike into a quick hug, the taller boy hunching over a bit. "Call me, if something happens. Same frequency."

"Okay." We separate and I readjust the grip on my duffle, refusing to look behind me as I walk down the hall and out the front door. I frown when I notice it's started raining, and pull up the hood of my sweater to give me some protection.

A familiar car rolls to a stop, the engine cutting off as the driver gets out. "Veronica? Where're you off to in this weather?" Bob Newby asks, round face kind but eyes worried. I catch them flicking towards the house behind me.

"Camping." I awkwardly twist to show off the bag.

"Oh. Okay. Have fun, and be careful. You're not going too far? It could get heavier." He comments, walking closer as I descend from the porch.

"No, not too far. I have my walkie, and extra batteries. And a flare gun."

He smiles a bit wider. "Well, at least you're prepared."

I smile back and wave, boots crushing the wet leaves beneath me as the door to the Byers house opens once more, Joyce greeting her boyfriend.

As I disappear into the thicket of the woods, I can't help but feel like I'm coming home. Even with the anxiety nipping at my heels, I don't feel nearly as scared out here as I have the past year.

Good. I'm starting to get tired of being afraid of what makes me happy.

3rd Person POV (Steve)...

Steve woke up later than he wanted, sleep plagued with nightmares of flashing Christmas lights and Veronica's screams. He saw monsters with sharp teeth and heard the swinging of his nail bat, fingers itching to grab it from its spot under his bed.

His house was empty, as usual, his parents were due to come home Monday evening. Who the hell knows how long they'd be back, but whatever.

And shit, he still had to write his essay. He'd missed the deadline for early application, but he still had time for the others. He even marked down the different dates on his calendar, so at least his dad can't be on his dick about that. The essay needs work, though. So much work. With Nancy and him not… well, he's more screwed than before. There's always Veronica, but… fuck, he messed that shit up too, didn't he? She's probably hanging out with Hargrove, making nice with Carol and Tommy H like they never had any problems.

It's bullshit.

God, he missed her. And he kept missing her, even as he got into his car hours later to go talk to Nancy for some actual closure.

He taps his fingers on the wheel of his car, making the familiar turns on autopilot. As he drives his mind slips back to Thursday, in that stupid little alley behind the gym.

"Tell you what?"

"You love me." He pleaded, staring into Nancy's rounded blue eyes.

Her lips part a bit, incredulous. But then, it was like she'd let go of all that fight from only a few seconds ago. She sighed and briefly stared down at the ground before looking back up, frowning at Steve. "I… I can't say it. Not the way you want me to."

Steve shook his head, laughing a little under his breath as anger crawled up from his stomach and into his chest. It was like his whole damn world was narrowing in. "Great. That's fucking awesome. So this past year, it was all bullshit?!"

"No, no. Steve, I really do care about you, but I don't -"

"Love me. I got that, thanks!" He growled. A whole year flashed in his mind, starting a week after the Byers House Incident, when he asked Nancy out again. When he shoved down everything he's ever felt for Veronica because, hey, he's a goddamn coward.

"You know, I'm not the only one who can't say it the way you want to hear it." Nancy spoke up, getting his attention. "You… I know you love me. But do you love me more than you've loved Veronica?" And it was like she was staring straight into his soul, tearing him open in different ways than her drunken words did. His heart thumped out Bullshit Bullshit Bullshit as she read him like one of her stupidly thick books. "It's okay, Steve. But if you say you love me more than her? That's what's bullshit."

Before he could respond, Alex rushed out from around the corner, sweat clinging to his shirt. Right, basketball. He was playing basketball before the floor was ripped out from under him. "Harrington! Dude, we need you, man. That douchebag's killing us. Let's go!"

"Alright!"

"Come on!" Alex walked away and Steve snorted humorlessly before glaring down at Nancy. Yeah, she looked sad, but what the hell did she expect? That he'd be fine with this shit?

He scoffed. "I think that you're bullshit."

Steve shakes his head, then rolls his neck as he turns onto Maple Street, finally rolling to a stop in front of the "Reagan-Bush '84" sign neatly hammered into the front lawn of his ex-girlfriend's house. Nancy's his ex, right? Because it feels like they broke up, but he's not completely sure. Maybe their talk'll clear that up. If she isn't off with Byers, which he should have seen coming. He probably would've, if he wasn't being an idiot about his feelings.

"You're an idiot, Steve Harrington." He hears Nancy say, and snorts.

Getting out of his car, he briefly glances down at the sign. His parents are backing Reagan, too, but he knew Veronica's mom likes Mondale and after actually reading the news decided he did, too. It made Veronica smile, when he told her a few months back. She looked proud, told him she was happy he wasn't just choosing who to vote for because of his parents.

He walks down the wet grass towards Nancy's front door, the rain thankfully over an hour before. "'Listen, I've been thinking about what you said. You're right. We need to talk about this the right way. I'm sorry' - I'm sorry?" He asks himself, still talking out loud. "What the hell do I have to be sorry for?"

Before he could answer himself, someone called his name. "Steve?" He stops in his tracks and turns in the direction of the voice. A kid with curly brown hair covered in a red, white and blue baseball cap walks up to him, some sort of mic next to his mouth.

"Dustin? What are you -" He asks Veronica's little brother. He actually likes the little dude, but right now Steve's got some shit to handle so he can't really play -

"Nancy isn't home. Come on." Dustin comes up to him as he speaks and tugs his sleeve jacket to pull the larger teen after him. Steve scrambles a bit, Dustin releasing him as the youngest Henderson treks over to his car.

"What the hell? Hey!" Steve calls after the kid, mind briefly flashing back to Veronica when she's in the same determined mood. Dustin probably gets it from her. "Where is she, then?"

"Doesn't matter."

"Where's your sister?" He can't stop himself from asking.

Dustin pauses and turns, reading his face. There's a lot of that shit going around, isn't there? "Camping. She's camping this weekend."

Steve falters a bit. "Oh." He mutters. She… she's camping. She's in the woods, alone? What if… what if she has a panic attack? Or something gets her? Or she goes missing?

"Steve, she's fine." Dustin cuts through, and before Steve can protest anything, the younger teen rolls his eyes. "Come on, we have bigger problems than your love life." Dustin turns around and opens the passenger door to Steve's car. It opens. Shit, did he not lock it? "Do you still have that bat?" Veronica's kid brother asks, briefly turning back around to stare down at Steve.

"Bat? What bat?"

"The one with the nails in it." Dustin twirls his hand around, like he's swinging it.

"Why?"

"I'll explain it on the way." He starts to enter the car.

"Now?"

"Now!" Dustin whines, eerily similar to Veronica. At least he doesn't have her big, emerald eyes. It's so stupid, but they're definitely her greatest weapon.

And as Steve rushes over to the driver side of his car, he can't help but think something very bad is about to go down.

Veronica's POV…

I settle into the thin mattress in Castle Byers, ass cushioned by my sleeping bag. The rain let up, which is nice, but the wood around me is still too damp to make an actual fire, so I settle for wrapping the giant hunting jacket closer to my body, legs crossed beneath me.

I've been going at this for a while now, judging by the dark sky and moonlight shining through the curtains of Will's fortress. I've been closing my eyes and trying to get myself into the Upside Down. There's gotta be a way, right? If Nancy or Jonathan were here, they'd be reminding me that logic demands certain rules. Therefore, if the vines aren't the ones pulling me into a different dimension, I'm the one doing it.

Another theory pops into mind, proven over and over in every comic book I've ever read; powers are always linked with emotions. I can still see the resolve on El's face when she was killing the Demogorgon. I know she'd been all over the place before, the boys told me so after, but when she figured out something to focus on, she… she did what she had to do.

I won't let my emotions keep me from saving Hopper. I'm not losing another person in November.

With a deep breath in and out, I go for a different tactic. I'm not going to force myself into the Upside Down. It's gotta be smooth, like opening a door.

I grab my walkman from where it rests next to me, and slip my headphones over my ears, muffling the sounds of nature a bit. I'm not exactly excited to do that, but I've got traps set up around me. Shock got me out of the Upside Down before, it can do so again.

I press play, and 'Rock You Like A Hurricane' starts to play. I smile, then nod my head around, dancing to the music. I think about Billy, and thinking about Billy makes my mind -

My mind slips back to his anger. The fire in his eyes, his willingness to fight. His hand on my ass as we walked past a sad Steve.

My finger quickly presses onto the button to skip the song. 'Bad Reputation' starts to play, but as much as I love the song, I skip it. I skip Judas Priest, I skip The Clash. I skip 'Old Time Rock and Roll' because all I can think about is Tina's Halloween party and bullshit.

It isn't until the tape lands on the trumpet intro of my secret favorite song that I stop and smile. 'Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy' by the Andrews Sisters. The song I cook to. When Steve would come over, I'd dance around the kitchen and harmonize over the sound of popcorn popping and Steve laughing.

I close my eyes, and focus on that.

The Andrews Sisters' singing begins to fade out, like I'm getting further away. I open my eyes.

And it goddamn worked. But, not how I expected. I'm not in the Upside Down version of Castle Byers. I'm… I'm back in my dream? The tunnel is lighter than I thought it was, or maybe something else is brightening it. Flecks fall down around me so I know I'm still in the Upside Down. I'm walking over the vines, and they slither out of the way. In the distance, I can hear voices. Multiple voices. They shake with fear and relief all at once. They're so familiar.

Something in me moves faster, because sooner than I'd imagined I'm standing behind Joyce, who's hugging Hopper close to her, Bob waving his flashlight around in disbelief.

I let out a relieved sob. "Hopper!" I cry out, running closer, but it's like they don't hear me. "Hopper, you're okay!" Tears slide down my cheeks and I reach out to grab onto Joyce, but my hand falls through her body. "Wh-what? Joyce. Joyce!" I cry out.

Nothing.

I see a suited-up person quietly walk up behind them and attempt to scream out in warning, but the three adults don't hear me. Hell, I can't really hear them. I look down at my hands and see my body's starting to flicker like a light bulb - off, on. Off, on.

"No. No, come on. Come on!" I scream to myself. Hopper, Joyce, and Bob are whisked away and I shriek, reaching towards them. More men in Hazmat suits come closer, carrying - are those blowtorches?

I get my answer when they set fire to the vines, all of them shrieking and withering but I remain unaffected. There's no pain. There's no heat. I'm not even suffocating. My body flickers more, but I can't hold on any longer. The last thing I hear before I close my eyes and feel the world around me disappearing is something screaming.

I gasp for breath and open my eyes, tumbling off the mattress and landing on my front. I look around in confusion. Vaguely hearing Metallica banging out in my ears I rip off my headphones and toss my walkman behind me.

Mike. I need to call Mike, and then Dustin. Shit, Dustin!

I reach over to grab my walkie talkie, rolling over to see it's on the mattress. I army crawl my way towards it, but every move I make leaves me fighting to keep my eyes open. So as soon as my hand curls around the device, it's only fitting that my body and mind give in to exhaustion.

In case of further confusion, the basic explanation of her powers is this: Because she wasn't directly affected by the Mind Flayer (ie, the white ash being the only part of the Upside Down that entered her, rather than the vine pumping a tadpole into her mouth Will-style), the Upside Down can't necessarily see her. It can feel her presence if she lets her guard down, which is something she doesn't have a lot of control over - powers and emotions go hand in hand.