I hope you enjoy this edited chapter! Had a few mistakes to fix up. I fleshed out Max's story about why they left California. As always, I only own my OC.

I wake to the sound of scratching. Not animal scratching, static-scratching. Like a broken needle on a turntable or a TV on the fritz.

"Ica. Ver. Ica. Do. Copy? Ver. Ica. Co. Son. Bitch."

Vision blurry and neck a little sore, I reach around for the source of the noise. My hand touches my walkie talkie and I bring it close to my face, rubbing my eyes with my free hand. "Veronica, this is Dustin. Do you copy? Code red. We have a code red."

With a gasp I sit up, world turning a bit from the force of my crunch. "This is Veronica, I copy!" There's radio silence for a moment too long. With an exhausted groan I press down on the button once more. "Ye said I was no archer, but say so now again!" It feels strange, saying those words - I haven't had to use that quote since the junkyard incident last year.

"Son of a bitch, Veronica! I've been calling you for hours! Over." Dustin's angry voice comes through, all scratchy from the poor reception.

"Sorry. I, uh, I knocked right out. Over." I blink and look around Castle Byers, nearly slapping myself silly for passing out when I should have been up and making sure the area was secure. I'm out of practice.

Practice.

The events of last night hit me like a train, and I scramble off the mattress, bemoaning the fact I never changed into pyjamas, so my jeans made an imprint on my stomach. "Where the hell are you, Leia? Over." My brother asks me, and I falter a bit at the nickname. He hasn't called me that in a while.

"Castle Byers. I'm at Castle Byers. Why, what's going on? Where's the fire? Over."

"Look, I can't… I have to tell you in person. Over."

I breathe out. "Jesus Christ, D. What did you do? Over."

"Something really stupid. You can hit me later. Look, remember the junkyard fr-from last year? Over."

I nod, even though he can't see me. "Ye-yeah. I remember."

"Great, okay. Did dad ever take you by the train tracks? Have you seen them before? They lead to the junkyard. Over."

"I know where they are. Do you need me to come home and bring you there? Over."

"No. Can you meet us there in an hour? Over."

"Yeah. Of course. Wait, 'us'? Who the hell is 'us'? Over." I ask, wondering if the rest of the Party is with him. Shit, I should probably tell them about the Shadow Monster, right? About Will? I would have told Jonathan if I knew where he and Nancy were, but I haven't seen them since Thursday, and it's Saturday now.

"I'm with Steve Harrington. We'll meet you where the tracks start. Bring your weapons. Over and out."

Before I can say anything, his connection clicks off, leaving me more disoriented than when he woke me up.

Why the hell is my brother with Steve?

I trudge through the mud, shifting my weight in my boots so I don't slip around on the wet leaves. Though I'm armed to the teeth, I don't want to alert anything else of my presence so I keep my steps light and careful.

I haven't been to the junkyard since last year, so it's been awhile since I wandered down the tracks. Still, I used to visit them once a week for years - since I was twelve - so muscle memory has taken over.

As I look around me, at the dew gleaming on the leaves and the staggered trees, I can't help but remember my first time in this part of the woods.

"Jonathan, c'mon man, we've been out here for five hours. Your mom's bringing home Benny's, and I'm freaking hungry!" I complained, hopping from rock to rock, in sync with the clicking coming from my best friend's camera.

"Ver, I promise we'll feed that bottomless pit you call a stomach soon, but I have to get some more diverse shots or Mr. Adams will be on my ass." I rolled my eyes and mouthed along to his words, laughing as he shook his head. "Just because I can't see you, doesn't mean I don't know what you're doing."

"You suck, you know that? You're a total killjoy." I jogged up to walk beside him, legs having to stretch further than his to keep up with his stride. Every now and then we'd stop, my arms crossed impatiently as the cool January air sent shivers down our spines.

"Are you done yet?" I finally asked, nearly exploding into icy shards. "Because I can't feel my damn toes, and normally I wouldn't complain but you said two hours, and it's been six!"

Jonathan laughed and turned around, walking backwards. "I swear, the only time you're impatient is when food's involved. Just give me half an -" He went crashing on his ass with a yelp, camera fumbling around in his hands before he caught it with visible relief.

I couldn't help it. I laughed. A full-bellied cackle. I just laughed, and laughed, and laughed.

My dad had been gone nearly three months, you see. So, despite the bruises that no doubt formed on his ass, Jonathan shot up just as excitedly as I laughed, two of us embracing in a long, sob-filled hug.

I blink back into the present, realizing I've been staring beyond the treeline to my left, like I would be able to actually see me and Jonathan.

Jonathan, my brother. Who has no idea about what's actually been going on with me and Will. Who doesn't know about the shadow monster. He's going to hate me for all of it, when he finds out.

My fingers itch for my walkie. I tried getting in contact with Mike and Will after Dustin got in contact with me. Nothing. So I stopped at the house, and it was empty. I thought about calling someone - maybe the station, to see if Hopper came in after being rescued, or if he was at a hospital - when a voice sounding eerily like said man's reminded me that the Lab would be monitoring calls to the station that sounded remotely suspicious. Asking about the return of the Chief of Police, and that question coming from a girl who escaped the Upside Down would both definitely count as "suspicious".

I couldn't stay, though, or investigate further. Dustin needs me, after all.

I march on, continuing on my path, relying on muscle memory to get me where I need to go. While the train tracks do cross through most of the woods, there's a specific point where they burst out from the ground rather than remain buried thanks to erosion. You can even park your car near there, which I'm sure is what Steve's doing if he's with Dustin.

Why the hell is he with Dustin, anyway? I mean, they know each other, but D rarely talks about him unless I bring him up.

I trek over a collection of boulders, boots thankfully doing their job so I don't slide all over the wet rocks. My slightly baggy jeans have a few holes in them, sending the early November chill up my legs. My sweater is thin enough that it doesn't weigh me down, but thick enough that I'm not freezing. Not that I could, anyway - dad's hunting jacket is helping on that front.

My hip quiver's attached to my belt, occasionally brushing against my left leg but not in an irritating way. I have my walkie clipped on my right hip, a reassuring weight, along with Jonathan's old hunting knife. While I'm used to doing my business in the woods while camping, my quick stop at the empty Byers house allowed me to reapply the gauze on my hands sanitarily. The white wraps aren't as thick as they've been the past two days, but they provide me with some warmth. I mean, my fingers are still cold, especially after I smoked my last two cigarettes.

And boy does that suck. Not for my lungs, obviously. But definitely my nerves.

My backpack's light, at least, considering I've been hiking for almost an hour and there are no aches going on. All I've got in there is my First Aid kit, walkman, extra batteries, flare gun, and water. The rest of my shit's at Castle Byers, packed away.

I take a sip from my bottle of water, cold thanks to the weather, and grin when I hear a familiar engine cutting off in the distance. Still, I know there's darkness lurking in these woods, so my right hand remains wrapped around my bow.

The voices I hear as I walk through some bushes confirm their identities before I even lay eyes on them. Dustin's busy shutting off his walkie, having just griped at Lucas. Meanwhile Steve is slamming the trunk of his car, hands covered in yellow cleaning gloves. He's also carrying a heavy-looking bucket, and wearing his usual Nikes, a blue-grey jacket, and a backpack with his nail-bat tucked inside.

Dustin's wearing matching yellow gloves, and as he stands also picks up a heavy bucket. "Son of a bitch, where the hell's Leia?"

"Dude, relax, she'll be here." Steve reassures him, sounding a little irritated. Guess my brother's been antsier than usual.

"We can't waste any time, she -"

"D! Calm down." I announce myself, stepping quietly through the foliage. Dustin jumps, but sighs in relief when he sees me. Before I can say anything else, he drops the bucked and rushes to me, wrapping me in a surprisingly strong hug.

I gasp for breath but hug him back. "What's wrong?"

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry, I messed up, and I get why we don't keep secrets from each other anymore. I'm sorry!"

I peer over his shoulder and up at Steve, a questioning look on my face. He bites his lip nervously and shifts his weight.

Something bad happened.

And shit, they need to hear about this, too.

"It's okay, D. Whatever you kept from me. There's something I need to tell you, too. So we're even. Got it?"

"Got it." He confirms, breaking away from me.

I look back up at Steve, who's awkwardly standing by his car. "Steve." I greet, smiling softly.

What, I missed him. Sue me.

"Roni." His awkward stance morphs into a comfortable lean, his lips quirking up in amusement and his eyes clearer than they've been since Halloween and our big blow out. It's almost like the first time we saw each other, all those years ago in middle school. Even with the way my world's flipped and all this shit taking over my mind, it's like everything's settled.

I begin to feel guilty, too. I'm with Billy now. And while it's definitely not "love" I do legitimately like him. Like, I'm not using him to get over Steve. I'm allowing myself to be happy.

I also realistically can't move on from feelings I've had for almost two years, in less than a month.

"You look good." Steve tells me, after a few moments of comfortable silence. I furrow my brows and look at my outfit - I mean, I don't look crazy by any means, but I haven't showered in a day and my blonde curls were pulled into the messiest ponytail ever. "No! I mean, not like that. Well, you do, like always, but I meant… it's nice to see you, uh, here. In the woods."

"Oh. Uh, well, thank you."

He nods and scratches at the back of his famous hair. My brother blinks between the both of us, smirks, then clears his throat. "As cute as that was, we need to move. Come on!" He picks up his bucket - full of chunks of raw meat, what the hell? - and proceeds to walk past Steve and the car and into the woods towards the start of the visible tracks.

I tilt my head then look at Steve again, who flushes a bit and clears his throat before picking up his bucket of meat. "Do I need -"

"No!" He shakes his head. "No, you're good. Besides," Steve smiles at me, "between the two of us, you're the better fighter." I grin back and walk with him, moving just behind Dustin.

"So, baby bro, what's up?" I ask after a handful of silent minutes, the boys shifting nervously. "Seriously, 'fess up and I will, too."

"Okay. Okay." Dustin waits for us to catch up, then stands between Steve and me. "I want you to remember that I prefaced this with 'I did something stupid.' So you can totally be pissed at me, but I also know I messed up so it's not like I'm pretending I'm innocent."

"Dustin. What. Did. You. Do?" I ask, voice direct so he gets to the point, or he'll talk himself out of this very necessary conversation."

"IaccidentallyadoptedademogorgonanditgrewtothesizeofadogandkilledMewssoIlockeditinourbasementandgothelpbutitescapedandnowwe'regoingtocaptureandkillDart."

I blink at him, eyes narrowed. Because despite how fast he spoke, I'm used to it, which means I heard exactly what he said.

"You adopted a demogorgon and named it Dart, and Dart killed Mews." I repeat, and he nods in confirmation. "You kept a demogorgon in the house and it killed our mom's cat."

"Yes."

"Jesus Christ, D!" I finally shout, less angry and more disappointed. "How the hell did you even find one?"

"It was in our trash can, looking for food, and I couldn't just leave it there!"

"So you brought it into the house?"

"He was the size of a slug! I didn't know he was a demogorgon until Dart ate Mews!" Dustin yelps back.

I frown and rub my forehead with my free hand. "Dustin, man, come on."

"I didn't know, I swear I didn't know!" He promises, eyes welling up with tears. "I was just... I felt so alone, Leia. And Dart was alone, too, and he was my friend. I'm so sorry!"

Any residual anger from the news fades out, and without hesitating I pull him into a hug, keeping my arms wound tight around his body. "Oh, D, shh. I'm sorry you felt alone. I'm sorry I wasn't there enough - that I haven't been there enough for you recently."

"It's okay. You-you've needed time to heal. It's okay."

"No." I shake my head and move back, wiping the tears off his soft cheeks. "It isn't okay. You are one of the most important people in my life, and I let you down. I haven't been myself. I kept saying who I've become is who I really am. I was so, so wrong. I know I've been different these past five years, even before the Upside Down. I'm sorry you've been stuck with the Ice Queen for an older sister."

"You're an amazing sister, okay, so shut up about that. And you aren't the Ice Queen with me. You're just Veronica, my Huntress."

I smile at his words, then frown and drop my hands from his cheeks. He furrows his brows and I sigh, staring at him and Steve. "We should keep moving."

"What about your 'confession'?" Dustin asks me as we take the final few steps onto the tracks.

"I need to find the right words, first." I admit, the three of us walking over the tracks and the boys tossing chunks of meat on the ground - bait for Dart the demogorgon. Nice and bloody. "Okay. Well, you know how Will's been having episodes?" I ask Dustin, who nods.

"Wait, little Byers is having episodes?" Steve cuts in.

"Yeah. Well, I've been having them, too. At first I just thought they were bad dreams or hallucinations from PTSD, or even my mess being out of whack. But, um, they're real."

"Real?" Steve asks.

Dustin blinks, though, taking my hand gently in his eyes. "Oh my God, you're like Will! You've got true sight!" He exclaims.

"True sight? What the hell does that mean?" Steve's started to get an angry little flush, and I silently breathe in.

This won't end well.

Before Dustin can jump in and spiral, I clear my throat. "Yes. Well, sort of. You see, with Will, it's like the connection goes both ways. He can see the Upside Down and the Mind Flayer, and they can see him, but with me, it's different. I thought it was the Upside Down only being able to see me, but it's the opposite. I'm the one who can see that world, not the other way around. Not unless I allow them to, I think. My depression and anxiety medication have made it so I don't have control, because they're stabilizers."

"And those stabilizers balance out everything in your brain, which plays a role in you seeing into the Upside Down." Dustin follows my train of thought.

"Exactly! But now that I know that I've been subconsciously losing control of both when I see through the plane and when I get out of it, I've worked on actually controlling it." I look down briefly. "I only managed to do it once, last night. And I realized that while sometimes I really am walking in the Upside Down and Hawkins at once, I can project myself there, too, without moving from my spot in the normal world."

"Cool, like Dr. Strange!"

"No, Dustin, not cool." Steve interrupts, fingers twitching a bit with nerves and cheeks flushed with anger. He stops walking and stares down at me, and while he's definitely pissed off the concern in his eyes is calming rather than intimidating.

He doesn't hate me. He's just worried. God, he's been worried this whole time, and I've been an idiot about it.

"You... how long has this been going on? How did you know they were real? Who else knows? Does Jonathan?"

I bite my lip and side-step Dustin so I can carefully put my free hand on top of Steve's. "I know you're upset. You have every right to be. This wasn't because I don't trust you. You're my best friend, Steve, of course I trust you. I didn't tell you because I was afraid I'd been losing my mind. I didn't trust myself." He starts to speak but I shake my head. "No, let me talk first. They started when I got out of the Upside Down. That's when I thought they were hallucinations. Dr. Owens - the Hawkins Lab guy in charge of mine and Will's appointment - told me that whatever toxins, organisms, I'd breathed in down there changed my DNA. Made me a mutant, or, um, like the Fantastic Four. That's a better analogy." He tilts his head. "Right, sorry, comic book characters. Anyway," I look up at Dustin, who's leaning against me a bit, "they got worse on Christmas Eve. Then this past week, it's like Will and I have been on the same frequency. We've seen the same thing, at the same time, only I'm invisible to it. It's like I don't matter to the Upside Down, because even when the Mind Flayer finally saw me he just swirled around my body like a fucked-up tornado then disappeared -"

"The Mind Flayer attacked you?" Dustin panics.

I nod. "Yeah, or at least wanted me to submit. It got Will, though. Got in him."

"Will, where is he?" Dustin asks, still panicking.

I bite my lip and hold in a sob. "I don't know. I saw him yesterday, with Mike and Joyce. We were... we were looking for Hopper. He was missing. We found him in these tunnel things, I think, but when I left for the woods I didn't know where. Then when I astral-projected myself last night, I saw Bob and Joyce rescuing him, and then the scientists burning the vines. But when I went to check in on them this morning, the house was empty. I didn't want to make a call and alert the Lab about anything. I don't trust them."

"Yeah, for good reason." Dustin gripes, and I smile. Then I refocus on Steve, my eyebrows furrowing in confusion when I notice his fingers twitching, like he's itching to reach out for something.

"Steve?" I whisper, blinking up at him. He just gives me a slight head shake and clears his throat.

"We, uh, should probably keep moving."

I nod, breathing out. "Right, yeah. I'll go on ahead, scout around. Make sure things are safe."

"Are you sure you're okay, out here?" Dustin asks me, worriedly biting at his lips.

I look around, wincing when some branches swing in the breeze like the vines. There's that itching under my skin, like my body is fighting my mind for control, nerves singing to go back in the Upside Down. "Don't stay too far behind." Is my answer, and I set off in front of them, wrapped right hand clutching my bow like it's anchoring me in Hawkins.

3rd Person POV (Steve)...

Steve sighs as he watches Roni walk ahead of them, the three companions having followed the train tracks for almost an hour in relative silence. So far she hasn't seemed to project herself or whatever, and there hasn't been the usual level of panic he's unfortunately observed from her. Hell, just two weekends ago she nearly stumbled over her feet on their jog, when they got a little too close to the woods.

But now she's marching ahead like some sort of soldier, shoulders rolled back and posture more straight than when she's confronting a dickhead. It's the same way she held herself last year when this shit went down. He knows he shouldn't be relieved to see her so ready to throw down, but… but it's good to see her back in her element.

Still, he's worried for her. He always worries about her. He has since he overheard his parents gossiping about her father, that time they were home for three consecutive months. He was in the eighth grade, Roni was in the seventh, and while she would smile at him in passing Steve's sure he wasn't on her radar. But she was on his, had been for years. There was just something so magnetic about her, and it keeps on pulling him in.

God, he misses her. Ever since she met Hargrove, it's like he doesn't matter. Yeah, he was with Nancy, and it's a total douchebag move to be jealous of her being with another guy when he was too chicken shit to get the girl. The right girl for him.

He still feels the anger burning through his veins from Hargrove's words. "She's mine. That just kills you, right? Huh, Harrington? That I'm the one who gets to touch her. Feel her. Take care of her. She's never going to be yours. See, you spent so much time trying with Wheeler that you let the real prize slip away. And I won her. She's mine."

Dickhead. He should tell Roni about that shit, right? She's his best friend, regardless of how he feels about her. She needs to know.

But Hargrove also makes her happy, happier than she's been in awhile. He should let her have that.

So he looks away from Roni and focuses on Dustin, the younger Henderson throwing down chunks of raw meat absentmindedly. Huh, the youngest Henderson had actually gotten a little ahead. Steve sighs, tired of the silence. "Alright, so let me get this straight. You kept something you knew was probably dangerous in order to impress a girl who… who you just met?"

A bell-like laugh rings out, and Steve smiles breathlessly when he sees Roni's shoulders shaking with mirth. She gets further away, most likely not wanting to tease her brother too much after the shit the two finally admitted to each other.

Yeah, he's not over it either. Dart and the fact Roni'd been so closed-off about what she was dealing with. He knew about the PTSD last Thanksgiving, but Roni never brought it up again and he thought the hallucinations had gone away with time. Freaking assumed some more bullshit.

That ends now. From now on, he isn't letting her hide anything as traumatizing as what she's been going through. He won't allow himself to be distracted from her anymore.

"Alright, that's grossly oversimplifying things." Dustin finally responds.

"I mean, why would a girl like some nasty slug anyway?" He asks, still confused by Roni's nerdy little brother. He's a cool kid though, almost as tough as his older sister.

"An interdimensional slug? Because it's awesome."

Steve catches up to the younger male, multitasking by keeping an eye out on Roni as she gets further away. "Well, even if she thought it was cool - which she didn't, I… I just don't… I don't know. I just feel like you're trying way too hard."

"Well, not everyone can have your perfect hair, alright?" Dustin gripes.

"It's not about the hair, man." Okay, this kid needs some help. Like, yesterday. "The key with girls is just… just acting like you don't care."

Crap, not what he meant to say. Whatever, roll with it. It does work, when it comes to the easier girls. Not sleezy-easy. Safe.

"Even if you do?"

"Yeah, it drives them nuts." Steve looks ahead at Roni, wishing that technique worked on her. And yeah, sometimes he felt like she was interested in him the same way, but that's not possible. Steve was a dick by choice, and then he just became one for real. "Don't be a dick about it." He finally amends. "But… don't come off as too interested. Let them come to you."

Dustin nods, throwing down some more meat. Steve does the same, feeling a little less guilty for his earlier advice.

"Then what?" The kid asks, looking up at Steve.

"You just wait until you, uh…" Steve glances at Roni before continuing, hoping she's far enough away not to hear the former playboy of Hawkins dispense his wisdom on her innocent little brother. The kid needs it, though. Steve wishes he had someone to help him with girls and relationships. "Until you feel it." He nudges at Dustin affectionately, having liked the little dude ever since he confronted him on Roni's birthday.

"Feel what?"

"It's like before it's gonna storm, you know? You can't see it, but you can feel it, like this, uh…" Steve purses his lips in thought, thinking up the word for only a moment before finishing his sentence. "Electricity, you know?"

Dustin nods in understanding. "Oh, like in the electromagnetic field when the clouds in the atmosphere-"

"No, no, no, no, no." Steve cuts him off. Man, the kid's way smarter than he is. That's depressing. "Like a… like a sexual electricity." Aw, shit. If Roni finds out he said that, Steve's so dead.

"Oh." Dustin accepts, nodding his head in understanding. Well, probably attempting to understand. The dude's still only thirteen.

Steve decides to just go for it, then. No use having all this wisdom about girls and not sharing it with the youngest Henderson. "You feel that and then you make your move."

"So that's when you kiss her?"

"No, whoa, whoa. Slow down, Romeo!" Steve shuts that down.

"Sorry." Dustin apologizes, actually regretful. It feels good, having someone look up to him. "Sure, okay, some girls, yeah, they want you to be aggressive. You know, strong, hot and heavy, like a… like a lion."

"Hmm." Dustin hums, now walking a little behind Steve, who continues.

"But others, you gotta be slow, you gotta be stealthy, like a ninja." He turns his head and smirks down at Dustin, throwing some more meat on the ground.

"What type is Nancy?" The kid asks, and Steve falters a bit, his heart a little pained.

In the chaos of last night and the anxiousness of today, he hasn't really thought about Nancy, off with Jonathan most likely. No matter the bombshell that came with him finally fully accepting both he and Nancy had been bullshit, rejection from someone you've come to love still hurts. Maybe it really hurts because being bullshit stopped them from getting with the people they truly love. Maybe it really hurts because Nancy gets to be with Byers, but Steve has to watch the new King of Hawkins cozy up with Roni.

"Nancy's different. She's different than the other girls." Steve finally responds, memories of their relationship flash-forwarding through his mind.

"Yeah, she seems pretty special, I guess." He nods at Dustin's words, but his eyes are trained on Roni's back.

"Yeah, she was."

They walk in silence for a few moments before Dustin asks Steve something that makes him stumble a bit. "And Veronica? What kind of girl is she?"

"I, uh… what?" Steve asks, looking down at the kid.

He knows, he knows, he knows.

Dustin just looks up at him with big blue eyes, reading the older male in the same way Roni does. "You got her a ring for her birthday."

"She's my friend."

"You're dating Nancy."

Steve snorts. "Not anymore, kid."

"Oh." Dustin nods then clears his throat. "But still, you were dating Nancy. And I know you were a dick to her, but I'm pretty sure that's because you were pulling Leia's pigtails."

Steve snorts self-condescendingly. "Yeah. I was. And I was a dick." Steve sighs and keeps looking at Roni.

"I don't think she knows. No, actually, I know she doesn't have a clue about your feelings for her." Dustin offers, and Steve breathes out in relief. Oh, thank God. "Leia's smart and observant when it comes to most people, but she's oblivious about herself a lot of the time, and about things concerning her. Like her hallucinations being real, and about people who matter liking her." He admits, and Steve nods along because yeah, he knows she is. It's goddamn endearing, for the most part. It was mainly frustrating, back when he actually had the balls to tell her how he feels. Now it just makes him happy that there's still some innocence in her, that she isn't as hardened as she makes herself - and others - believe.

Yeah, he's always seen her.

So for the first time, Steve finally opens up about the girl he's come to love. If only it wasn't to her little brother, but whatever, it's time. "Roni… Veronica… she's different, too. Not in the way Nancy was. I guess because it actually really matters when it comes to her. Not that Nancy didn't matter."

"She just isn't Veronica." Dustin responds, voice soft.

Steve nods, relieved the kid understands he isn't trying to talk shit about Nancy. She's still an amazing person. "Right. Well, with Nancy, I did have to be a ninja. I took control, but I also let her. I guess she's more the 'slow and steady wins the race' kind of girl. But Roni? Man, she's… she's the type of girl who you've got no choice but to be honest with, like, emotionally, or you've got no shot at even making a move on her. I kept messing up by being a dick and thinking I could just act like she meant nothing to me, when she means everything to me." Steve blushes a bit, but Dustin doesn't seem to notice as he hangs onto every word. "See, I didn't find a good balance between 'not caring' and 'you matter to me'. It exists, somewhere. Back then, when I had a chance with her, it made me sick to my stomach every time I was a complete dick to her or pretended to ignore her existence. Then it was fun, bantering with her. She's awesome, man. Like, in terms of sisters, you lucked out."

Dustin dimples, grinning. "I know. She's the best."

"She really is, isn't she?" Steve smiles as he briefly checks on Roni, smiling when he sees that she's still too far away to hear their conversation.

"You love her." Steve stumbles again, breathing in sharply. "Like, you seriously love her."

He can't help himself. "Yeah. For almost four years now. I've liked her since I was in the sixth grade and found myself wishing I could pass by her in the halls. I just… man I was so stupid about it. That's why I'm helping you. I wish someone had helped me when it came to Roni." Steve admits, and he feels light for the first time in years, like this weight has been lifted off his chest. So this is why people tell the truth, huh? It really does 'set you free' or whatever.

"Oh. Thank you." Dustin smiles up at Steve, throwing down some more meat in time with the older teen. "For the record, though, I'm pretty sure she's still in love with you."

Steve nearly faceplants on the worn-out tracks. "What?!" He whispers sharply, and he watches Dustin's eyes grow as big as his sister's. "She… love… she told you about me?" He whispers, again, body almost going into shock.

Dustin shakes his head. "She didn't tell me anything, but she knows I'm not stupid. I may not know shit about other girls, but I know my sister very well. She's been in love with you for probably three years now. Not as long as you've been in love with her, but… you matter to her, too. That's why I confronted you on her birthday. I thought you were playing with her feelings back then. But the way you looked at each other, it made me realize you did, do, care. I mean, you bought Leia her favorite flowers. You got her a ring. You let her drive your car. And, like, dude, you're always watching her. But not in a gross way. Not like she's property or whatever." Dustin nods and keeps looking at Steve, who's still having a hard time breathing. Jesus Christ, he could have been with her this whole time? Man, what a fucking mess. "And look, I know she has a boyfriend now, but even I'm smart enough to know that whatever she feels about him is nothing like what she feels for you. I've seen her staring, too. And, like, you two have that electricity you were telling me about."

Steve rolls his eyes and snorts. "Alright, alright. Enough about me. What about this girl? What's she like?"

He's relieved when Dustin answers the question, moving their discussion away from the mess that is SteveandVeronica. "She's special, too. It's just, like, something about her."

That makes Steve freeze in concern. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hey, hey, hey." He stops Dustin.

"What?" The kid asks, confused. Jesus, it's like Henderson's purposefully ignoring the conversation they just had about him and Roni.

"You're not falling in love with this girl, are you?" Steve asks, and he absentmindedly feels some meat falling from his gloved hands and landing on the ground.

"Uh, no. No." Steve watches Dustin shake his head.

"Okay, good. Don't." Steve frowns and keeps walking.

"I won't." Dustin promises, sounding a little confused by the sudden hostility.

"She's only going to break your heart, and you're way too young for that shit." Steve grumbles, heart filling with regret as he looks at Roni, again. Even with the darkness she was probably seeing, the fear she was feeling, she holds her head high and marches on. She didn't mean to break his heart and definitely doesn't know she did, but she still did. Hell, he probably kept breaking hers without knowing he did, too.

She broke his heart when she took off her ring and said she needed to take a break from it. Like it was weighing her down. Damn, he really was an idiot. That should have told him how she really felt about him, when he was too blinded by self-doubt to recognize it was all mutual. She broke his heart when she started walking around with hickies and smiled more because of another guy. Dustin said she loves him, but Steve's actually seen her around Hargrove. He knows what she feels for him, despite it being new, is real. Realer than Steve's relationship with Nancy, at least. Maybe if he'd been braver, he'd be walking with Roni right now, rather than watching the girl he loves walk away and move on.

He sighs and glances down, biting his lip when he notices how sad the kid looks. He knows he was too harsh in his warning, and even though he and Dustin have only very recently started getting to know each other outside of Roni, hurting the kid makes him feel all disappointed in himself.

Well, in the spirit of being honest…

Steve nudges Dustin affectionately. "Fabergé." He admits.

"What?" The kid looks up in confusion.

Damn it. Steve sighs and points up at his hair. "It's Fabergé Organics. Use the shampoo and conditioner, and when your hair's damp - it's not wet, okay?" Steve turns and stops Dustin briefly. "When it's damp…"

"Damp." Dustin repeats.

Steve breathes out. "You do four puffs of the Farrah Fawcett spray."

He looks away as the youngest Henderson snickers under his breath. "Farrah Fawcett spray?"

And shit, Steve knew this was gonna happen. "Yeah, Farrah Fawcett." He stops walking and forces his companion to, too. He gets a little in the kid's face, only posturing a little, and points warningly at him with raw meat still clenched in his hand. "You tell anyone I just told you that and your ass is grass. You're dead Henderson, do you understand?"

Dustin's eyes fill with a touch of fear and he nods. "Yup."

Amused, Steve just sighs in relief. "Okay." He throws down the meat in his hand and keeps walking, Dustin trailing behind him like a duck. And, like, a year ago Steve would've been irritated about bonding with a middle schooler, but now he feels a little less alone.

"Farrah Fawcett, really?" Dustin mutters amusedly.

Steve laughs under his breath, knocking into his companion. "I mean, she's hot." Not as hot as Roni, but…

"Dude, gross." Dustin complains. "Don't talk about my sister like that." Steve blushes, realizing he'd said that last bit out loud.

"Sorry man. To be fair, it's true."

"Gross."

Steve laughs and walks a little ahead. "It's mainly just nice to see her happy, you know. Like, Hargrove's a dick, but -"

"He tried to run me and my friends over!" Steve stops and turns, confused by what Dustin just said.

"Who did?"

"Hargrove. Billy Hargrove, on Halloween." The kid looks shocked, like he's surprised he admitted it. How long had he been holding that in?

Steve starts to see red, anger building up in him as he glares at Roni. She… how can she still be with Hargrove? Last year she threatened Tommy when he tried to say some shit, but this guy from California rolls in and suddenly he's more important than the kid? "Why the hell is she still with him, then?" He growls out. "Did he threaten her? Is he hurting her?"

"No, no!" Dustin shakes his head at him, and the youngest Henderson looks totally afraid. "Damn it, shit, I promised I wouldn't say anything. The others don't know… I mean I… Shit. She can't know."

Steve falters and nearly drops the bucket of meat as he stares down at Dustin, watching the younger guy start to tear up. "Dustin, hey, why can't she know?"

"Because she's happy, man. I can't ruin that for her. Besides, Hargrove was just messing around. It was Halloween, after all. And I can't… she deserves to be happy. Even when the relationship ends, because it will, she shouldn't have one more person to distrust."

Steve shakes his head, any residual rage fading away. He'd have really lost it if Roni knew. That'd break his heart, too. "Man, you need to tell her. She needs to know. I'm not saying she should because it'd give me a chance with her." He clarifies, Dustin nodding and sniffing a bit. "Dustin, you're her little brother. You matter the most to her. You being safe makes her happy. Okay?"

"Fine." The kid nods. "I'll tell her, after we find Dart."

Steve nods, then laughs a little. "You know, I kind of forgot we were dealing with your interdimensional pet. You're a cool kid Henderson." Steve smiles as the youngest Henderson dimples once more, then nudges him. "C'mon, we've got shit to do." Dustin nudges him back but nods up at Steve, and the two boys start to catch up with their favorite girl. Steve occasionally looks down at the kid, and finally understands how Roni could be so protective of him. And hey, Dustin knows the secret to his legendary hair. That makes them brothers.

3rd Person POV (Steve)...

It's strange, standing with Roni now and knowing how she really feels about him. It's easy and hard all at once. Steve's pretty sure it's just more frustrating, but at least he knows the truth.

After his talk with Dustin, the two sped up, not wanting Roni to be alone for much longer. Yeah, she can take care of herself and protect them without breaking a sweat, but she shouldn't have to. She's spent too long thinking she's alone, and that shit ends today.

The sun's moved further across the sky, the three companions having taken multiple breaks. They were mainly for Dustin, but Steve was feeling a burn in his legs, too. Roni probably could have kept going by sheer will, but they managed to feed her all the same.

Dustin's become more attached to him, too, and Steve would occasionally catch Roni watching them with pure joy in her eyes, before she'd harden once more and twirl her bow around.

Finally, after a few hours of walking, talking, awkward bathroom breaks, and eating, they'd made it to the junkyard. They pass by an abandoned building and Steve looks around, eyes zeroing in on the bus across the field. "Oh yeah. Yeah, this will do. This will do just fine." He comments, smirking when Roni laughs again, all bell-like and amused.

"I'm so glad you approve, Steven." She sasses, and he laughs before walking ahead of the siblings, adjusting his sunglasses as he moves.

"Good call, dude." He calls back to Dustin, then figures he should probably throw around some more meat, just to be safe. He turns and walks backwards as he does so, Dustin copying him. Steve stops moving when he notices Roni's standing still, looking around with a blank expression. "Henderson, you get started gathering some scraps." Steve nods towards the older Henderson and the younger understand instantly, mumbling a thanks on his way.

With a sigh, Steve sets down the bucket of remaining meat and removes his gloves, making sure the gross blood doesn't get on him. Which, like, yeah, he knows Roni is a hunter, but no sane person actually likes being covered in blood.

He carefully walks back towards her, but she remains unfocused, like she's somewhere else. God, he hopes she's just lost in a memory and not in the Upside Down. "Roni?" He finally asks, hands carefully reaching out towards her. She doesn't respond or look his way, so Steve becomes more concerned. "Roni, hey. Come back. Come back to us." To me.

He gently places his left hand on hers, and wraps his right hand around her left shoulder. She still doesn't move, and her eyes are getting wet.

No, nope, not happening. If she cries, he's going to lose it. And by lose it, he means cry.

"Roni, you're in the junkyard." He offers, unsure of what to do. "You're with Dustin, and you're with me. You're here, not there. Not really. I don't know what you're seeing, but you are not alone. I'm never letting you be alone again, I promise." She shudders a bit, and Steve keeps going. "I'm always going to be sorry for our fights. The real ones, not our bantering. I'm sorry I made you cry, I'm sorry I made you feel like you were alone. I'm so sorry." She lets out a breath, but her eyes are still glazed. "When this is over, we're gonna have a long talk. You're my best friend, Roni, and I need you here. Dustin needs you here. So come back to us."

"Steve?" She whispers, blinking away unshed tears as her green eyes become brighter. He nods and stares down at her, resisting the urge to be sappy and kiss her forehead.

"Hey there, princess." It's the softest way he's ever called her that, and it feels nice to say it without being a dick.

"Steve." She whispers, then collapses into his chest, like it'd block out the world and he'd keep her safe.

Well, lucky for Roni, that's what he feels like doing all the time.

He removes his hands from her to instead pull the small girl into a hug. Without her heels, Steve feels like she's half his height. Seriously, his whole body wraps around her. And look, she's no stick - she's skinnier now because of the weight she's lost, but she still has her curves and muscles. Roni always seems bigger because of how she carries herself, so whenever he holds her, he remembers just how tiny she really is.

"You're okay." She nods into his chest. "Where were you? Were you, you know, there?"

"I… it wasn't the Upside Down." Roni whispers, voice ringing with honesty. "I was here last year, with Hopper. We, uh, we came to save the kids. I knocked out a Lab agent, and another one pointed a gun at me. I shot him with an arrow, but… I guess after the Upside Down I thought the Demogorgon was more traumatizing. Being here… I realized I could have been killed, again. That's, like, the tenth time I could have died."

Steve holds in his urge to get angry. Not at her, but for her. He doesn't want to keep thinking about how many times he could have lost her, honest to God lost her. "I'm sorry." He finally settles on. "I'm sorry you have to come back here."

"It's okay."

"No, it's not. None of this is okay. I'm sorry you have to keep being brave."

She pulls away and looks up at him, her green eyes full of understanding. He always had to explain himself to Nancy, but with Roni? Damn, she gets him. "If being brave means protecting Dustin and you, I'm okay with that."

"You're amazing, you know that?" Steve asks her, his heart fluttering.

She looks up at him and smiles, all warm and breathtaking. She… it's like her dad never pulled what he did. It's like she never became ice or pretended to be fire. This is who she is, the real Veronica. He's lucky enough to have seen it a few times over the years, catching her slipping up around Jonathan and then Nancy and Barb.

Seeing it up close, though? Man, he's about to turn into one of those dudes from Shakespeare or whatever. He has this sudden urge to just wax poetic about her, and never has he been more embarrassed than right now.

"Oh. Thank you." Her eyes flick away from his and he knows she's looking for her little brother. She lets out a breath when she sees him, and then Steve goes breathless once more. Roni's smiling up at him, again, and she playfully kicks at his shin with her left foot. "Come on. We can't leave Dustin on his own for too long, he may get distracted by a strange bug." She laughs at the thought and jogs towards her brother, leaving Steve to watch her with pure joy radiating through him. His eyes flick up to the sun, and he frowns when he sees it's reached the point just before sunset. Damn these shorter days.

He jogs back over to his bucket and gloves and picks them up, rejoining the Henderson siblings. While Roni looks around, Dustin helps Steve make piles of the remaining meat. As they flip over the last of the red chunks, a familiar voice yells out, "I said medium-well!"

Steve looks up, eyes narrowing on the black kid and the redhead next to him. Lucas Sinclair and some random girl.

As the two approach, Steve notices Roni walking towards them. He looks down at Dustin. "Who's that?" He asks the younger male, but Dustin remains quiet and Steve can recognize the look on his face as heartbreak.

Oh, this is the girl.

"Max, what are you doing here?" Steve hears Roni exclaim, and he watches as she reaches the newcomers, first hugging Lucas and then talking to the girl. The redhead glances at Steve and Dustin from around the other girl. Her focus lands on Steve before returning to the girl her exact height - something he would have teased Roni for at the right moment - and nods along.

Steve smiles as Max trails after Roni, and the closer the girls get the easier he can make out the awe on the younger girl's face, especially when directed towards the bow. There's also disbelief there, but judging from the fact Sinclair probably spilled everything Steve just assumes her doubt stems from, well, everywhere. He remembers his own denial from last year, so he ain't judging the newbie.

"Steve, this is Max. Max, this is Steve." Roni introduces the two, and the girl gives him a sarcastic little wave, her big blue eyes sparkling with the same kind of mischief in Roni's.

"And how do you two know each other?"

"I'm dating her stepbrother."

"She's dating my stepbrother." They answer together, then exchange matching amused grins.

"Huh. Okay. So, uh… We should start getting the bus ready. Yeah." He clears his throat, forcing himself to stop looking at Roni. Looking at Max is no better, because she seems to be reading his situation a little too clearly. She'll probably blab to Hargrove, and then Steve is royally screwed.

As the two girls start moving pieces of scrap around - Roni having set her bag and bow down inside the bus, Steve looks around in confusion, not hearing the two teenage boys who were supposed to be helping them.

He walks away from the girls, until he comes across two voices behind a beat up old red car. Grabbing a rusty old collapsible chair, he sneaks up behind them like a ninja and bangs it against the trunk of the busted car. "Hey! Dickheads! How come the only people helping me out is this random girl and Roni? We lose light in 40 minutes. Let's go. Let's go I said!" He tosses the chair aside and walks away, smirking when he hears the two kids griping behind him.

"Alright, asshole! God!" Dustin yelps.

"Okay! Stupid." Sinclair agrees.

So why is he smirking instead of telling them off?

Well, they're loud, and their voices carry. Which means Roni heard them, so there's a 50/50 chance she'll take care of it.

And she does, because she's amazing.

"Hey, you two. Yeah, you. My hands are fucked and I need them more than you two dipshits need yours." She holds up her bandaged limbs, and guilt floods through Steve until she winks at him with a devilish grin. He snorts and winks back.

"Leia, you're on his side?" Dustin whimpers, looking all offended.

Sinclair nods, a hurt look flashing over his face. "Unbelievable, you think you know a girl."

Roni flashes them a warm smile, and while it certainly almost knocks Steve on his ass, he's got this feeling the boys are used to it. They grin back and she rolls her eyes. "Please, you guys know I love you. But Steve's got a delicate ego on a good day, so let's bring the insults down a notch."

Steve gapes at her, ignoring how the boys and Max instantly break into laughter before getting back to work. He pouts childishly at Roni, hoping she'll take the bait.

Her eyes soften and she smiles at him again. "C'mon, Steven. We've got work to do, and it'll go a lot slower if you just stand there pouting. We need some muscles in this operation, and Max and I are tired of all the heavy lifting." She pats his chest affectionately and rejoins the kids, leaving Steve alone for just a second with the ghost of her touch.

Veronica's POV…

Steve sits with his back against the bus, flicking his zippo while in deep thought. My brother paces while I stand at the base of the ladder, having helped Lucas up so he can be on look out. Max is sitting behind me, impatient.

The sun set fully an hour ago, and the five of us spent that time barricaded inside the bus. I spent the first half hour sharpening my arrowheads some more, adjusting the gears on my bow and making sure the string was ready for possible heavy use. I did go a little crazy with it on Thursday.

My hands ache a bit, but they're way less irritated than the day before. That probably won't last. Oh well.

It's been a weird day. My mind's still half on Will, Joyce, Mike, and Hopper. The only logical places for them to be are the hospital or the lab, but that discovery will have to be made after we capture and kill Dart.

Jesus, Dusty's going to have to mow every lawn in Hawkins to afford a new cat for mom. And it's no secret that Mews and I hated each other, but there was some mutual affection there, too. Besides, Mews helped mom after the divorce. She didn't deserve to get eaten by an interdimensional monster. She deserved to die years down the line, fat from my mom spoiling her, happy and calm and ready.

"So you two really fought one of these things before?" Max breaks the silence, and I turn a little to look down at her, nodding. She purses her lips and her eyes flicker to my bow and quiver. "And you're, like, the Green Arrow?"

"Robin Hood. I'm the original." She snorts in disbelief, and I smile. "I know, I know. I've been doing archery since I was eight, though. Our dad would take me hunting." My eyes flick over to Dustin as he paces nervously, but he doesn't seem to register that I'm talking.

"And you're good?"

"Max," We both look down at Steve, and he smiles at the younger girl, "Roni's the best."

I bite my lip and hold down my urge to blush before turning back to Max. She glances up at me, tilting her head and just reading me like the first time we met.

"Alright. So you fought one. And you're, like, totally, 100% sure it wasn't a bear?"

"Shit, don't be an idiot. Okay? It wasn't a bear." Dustin glares at her, and I jump a little at his animosity. Max looks affronted, her eyebrows raised in a way so dangerously similar to mine. "Why are you even here if you don't believe us? Just go home." He turns away from her and resumes pacing.

She just scoffs and stands up, climbing up the ladder without brushing me out of the way. "Geesh, someone's cranky. Past your bedtime?" She asks before disappearing onto the roof.

"That's good." I look away from Dustin pacing beside me to focus confusedly on Steve. "Just show her you don't care."

What?

"I don't." Dustin gripes at him. Steve winks his way. "Why are you winking, Steve? Stop."

Oh. Oh, God. Damn it.

"Did you seriously tell my brother to pretend he doesn't like her?" I whisper angrily to the older teen. He stops flicking his zippo and throws a guilty, apologetic look my way. "Steven."

"What, it's good advice."

"Yeah, sure." I roll my eyes and hold out my arm, stopping Dustin from his pacing. "Girls don't like having their emotions toyed with - well, most don't. The desperate ones don't care, and Max isn't desperate." Dustin narrows his eyes at me. "Girls like when guys tell the truth." My eyes flick over to Steve, who's watching us both, and it's like I'm talking to him. Like I'm venting about him to him, wishing he'd cared enough about me to pretend like I didn't mean anything to him all those years, instead of his annoyance towards me being real. "We like it when we know someone actually cares about us enough to tell the truth. To be upfront about how they feel without it being suffocating. There's a point between lying and being completely honest, and that's where guys - and girls - should operate."

"Did Billy tell you the truth?" Dustin asks me, but I'm still looking at Steve.

"Yeah. But he's also pretty easy to read. I guess I liked that there weren't any games between us. We felt the chemistry when we met, and we acted on it. It's been working out so far." I look over at my brother. "Stop being a dick to Max."

"Yeah, well, being nice didn't work either." He mutters and paces away. I stare after him sadly, before sighing and climbing up the ladder, just to keep an eye out on the other two middle schoolers. Steve just sits in silence, playing with his lighter.

When I hear Max talking, though, I don't go up all the way. Instead I sit on one of the steps, in perfect range to eavesdrop.

"And it was my fault, I guess. Why we left. I was hanging out with my dad behind my mom and Neil's back. Billy had even been the one to drive me over, whenever I wanted - unless something came up. Then one day Billy pissed me off - he actually wasn't doing anything other than being an irritating older brother, like he's supposed to be - and I don't have a filter when I get mad, so I told his dad that I'd caught him with a girl when he was supposed to be picking me up from the skate park. That they'd been fucking on his bed, and I had to walk home in the dark. It was all a lie, I wasn't even at the skate park. I was visiting my dad, again." She exhales shakily. "After what I did, he refused to acknowledge me. It was like I didn't exist. I hoped that if I told his dad the truth, he'd forgive me. I'd have him back. Neil exploded and my mom cried and we moved away from my dad, to get a fresh start. Like he was the problem. And things are just… worse now. Billy didn't forgive me. He hates me. My stepbrother's always been a dick, but now he's just angry… all the time. And…" I hear her sniffling and the nerves in my body tell me to go up there and comfort her, and the thought about caring for another lost girl makes me miss El all the more. "Well, he can't take it out on my mom, so…"

"He takes it out on you." Lucas finishes, voice soft.

I frown, biting my lip and lowering my eyebrows. Well, let's add that to the list of things to take care of. "Yeah. I mean, he's better when he's with Veronica. Nicer. His old self, I guess. He smiles and he cares about her, and I wish he could be with her all the time, especially since it means… it means things go back to what they were like before, when we were in California and happy." I look down at my hands, heart breaking for the stepsiblings… siblings. "I don't know why I'm telling you all this." Max snorts, and I can hear her shifting around. "It's just… I know that I can be a jerk like him sometimes, and I do not want to be like him. Ever. I guess I'm angry, too, and… I'm sorry." She laughs shakily. "Jesus, what's wrong with me?"

"Hey, you're nothing like your brother, okay? You're cool and different. And you're super smart. And you're, like, totally tubular." Max laugh brings down my anxiety, until there's an itching under my skin and I have to clutch onto the ladder, my mind flooded with a now-memory.

Sleek dogs run over winding vines, paws pounding on the grounds of the tunnels. They follow the twists and turns, run hard and fast. They're coming, coming…

"They're coming!" I shout, nearly falling off the ladder as I leave my now-memory. Dustin catches me, though, and I turn, crashing into Steve. He looks at me in concern.

"Hey, is she okay?" Max yells down, but my focus is still on Steve as he holds me up, and my voice is so soft I can barely hear myself speaking, body tensing in fear.

"I saw them. They're here. It's not just Dart. Okay? He isn't alone. I-I don't know how many."

"We haven't heard -" Steve is interrupted by one very loud, long growl. We both stumble, reaching the window and peering through gaps in the rough barricade. Dustin joins us, and we all look out into the fog, searching for the monsters.

"You see him?" Dustin asks.

Steve shakes his head. "No."

"Lucas, what's going on?" I yell up, having found my voice.

"Hold on!" He shouts down. I nod despite him being unable to see me, Steve pressing in behind me a bit to keep looking out the window. "I've got eyes! Ten o'clock! T-ten o'clock!" Lucas stutters out, yelling down at us.

My eyes flick to ten o'clock, finding it just before Steve does. "Right there." I point to the spot with Steve, watching in horror as a beast just like the one I'd seen in the Upside Down last year - the flowerhead dog - sniffs at the meat.

"What's he doing?"

"I don't know." Steve whispers back to my brother. "He's not taking the bait. Why is he not taking the bait?"

I feel eyes on me and turn my head to look over my shoulder, meeting Steve's desperate gaze. "You guys left nearly two bucketfuls of meat for him."

"Maybe he's not hungry." Dustin offers.

I bite my lip and stare out the window. "No. He's bored. He's tired of being fed. Maybe he needs the thrill of a hunt? Some real prey to snack on?" I suggest.

I feel someone shifting behind me and turn completely to see Steve walking away. He pulls his nail-bat out of his backpack. "Steve? Steve, what are you doing?" My little brother asks. Steve just slouches a little, looking more serious and resolved than I've ever seen him. He tosses his light at Dustin, who fumbles and catches it.

"Just get ready."

I watch in horror as he turns to leave the bus, and chase after him. "No, Steve, come on. Don't be a hero."

"Why? Because I'm not one?" He asks me, hurt in his eyes.

I shake my head vehemently and grab his elbows. "No. Because heroes die, and I can't lose you."

"Yeah, well, I can't lose you either. We don't have time for this." He scoffs and tries to step away, but I hold on tighter. "Jesus, Roni."

"No, listen. Please don't go out there. Please."

"I have to, Veronica." He bites his lip before giving me a sad smile. "Hey, I'll be fine. I've got my bat. This ain't my first rodeo. You need to be here to watch the kids." Before I can stop him he manages to escape my grip and walk out the bus. The metal creaks as Dustin closes the door behind him.

Screw letting Steve go out there without back up. I grab my bow and readjust my full quiver before climbing up the ladder, dropping the jacket I'd briefly pulled back onto the ground of the bus. Lucas looks up at me, hands wrapped around his binoculars, but my focus settles on a nervous and confused Max. "Go downstairs." I order, but not unkindly. She nods at my tone and brushes past me, warily peeking down at my clenched bow on her way. "You're my eyes until it gets too dangerous, understood? Then you're the first one to go back in."

"But I -"

"Not a discussion." I tell Lucas, slipping into Huntress mode. He gives me a nod of confirmation. "Keeping you three and Steve alive is my first priority. Understood?"

"You got it, Huntress."

"Good. Keep an eye out on the edges of the junkyard. There're more coming."

"How do you know?"

Oh. That's what I forgot to do. "I'll tell you later. I promise." He purses his lips but nods again, looking through his binoculars. I step a little away from him and notch my first arrow, watching as Steve swings his bat below us.

He starts to whistle, egging on the creatures. It isn't just Dart. "Come on, buddy." He continues whistling. The further away he gets, the less we hear him, and the harder it is to see him through the rolling fog. My fingers itch to draw the string, but I can't be too early with it. He keeps on swinging, until the beast emerges once more. I shift my weight and raise my arms, drawing back the string as I aim.

Then I feel it again, this pulsing in my veins and the back of my neck erupting in goosebumps, my Spidey-Senses tingling in warning.

"Steve, watch out!" Lucas yells. "Three o'clock, Veronica, three o'clock." He tells me.

Meanwhile, Steve is busy yelling up at him, focus still on the first beast. "A little busy here!"

"Three o'clock, three o-"

"I have it!" I shout instead, aiming where the pulsing grows strongest and watching as my first arrow hits its mark, the second best crashing to the ground with a screech of pain. I feel more coming and focus on Steve, who stares up at me in shock before backing away from the other creature. "Move your ass, Harrington! We've got company!" I shout.

Suddenly the first creature makes a mad dash for him, my arrow just grazing its side. Still, it keeps going. Another one flies out of nowhere and Steve rolls over the hood of a car.

"Go down." I order Lucas, hearing him rush back to relative safety as I notch another arrow and release it.

Bullseye. The third party-crasher goes down as Steve lunges, arches his back, and bats the first monster clear across the junkyard. Damn.

I vaguely hear my brother yelling for Steve, but choose to focus on protecting the retreating older teen instead. I've been training for this potential moment all year, and while I'm very afraid, protecting the others is way more important. So I act instinctively, relying on muscle memory. One arrow, two arrows, seven arrows.

There's a total of six creatures in the end. Four have collapsed, not rising, bodies littered with enough arrows to take out ten men. These little bastards have thick skin.

Now, I focus on the last two. The first has one long yellow stripe down its back, the other just dark. They're fast, and way more interested in getting in the bus than on it, so I grab the rope and lace it around the top of the ladder, tying it around my waist so there's something keeping me tethered to the roof. I peer over and shoot, getting lucky when the second creature is knocked in the path of my arrow. I release another one seconds after, right in its neck. It pierces with a gross, violent sound, the monster collapsing with a whimper.

But the first one - the creature with the yellow stripe - is still going. He's fast, and I can see him getting ready to pounce up on the roof. Dustin's voice crackles loudly on my walkie, shouting for anyone - hell, for God - and it's all just too loud. Especially when the last one standing is screaming in the night, repeatedly banging its body against the bus and jostling it dangerously. I quickly pull out my knife and cut through the rope, releasing me just as the monster jumps. I manage to hit it out of the way with my bow before rushing down the ladder, out of breath.

"Are you okay? Roni?!" Steve yells, rushing over to me. I feel hands on my back and focus on Max as she pulls me away from the ladder.

Just then, something heavy lands on the roof. Before I can draw an arrow in defense, Max is holding onto me and screaming, the dog-like beast opening up his flowerhead to screech down at us. "Out of the way, out of the way!" Steve shouts, knocking me out of Max's grasp and into my brother's as he thrusts his nail-bat up. "You want some? Come get this!" He screams up.

The monster screeches again before suddenly stopping, gazing out towards the horizon. A second later it's jumping and running away, but the back of my neck is still tingling. I feel danger, still, but it's… it's distant. Like if you were watching a forest fire from a safe place.

I rush out the bus, hand still clenched around my bow. Steve follows me, walking a little ahead with his free arm stretched out to keep me back. Safe. I look around, eyes on the unmoving monsters. I can't feel them anymore, can't feel any immediate danger. Still, I walk away from Steve and pull out my knife, slashing each and everyone one of the beasts' throats and barely grimacing as they bleed out their thick goo.

"What. Happened?" Lucas finally asks.

"I don't know." Max mutters, and I look over at the kids from my position, metal on the edge of my knife glistening with monster blood. They stare back at me, eyes wide with awe.

"Maybe Leia and Steve scared 'em off?" Dustin suggests.

"No." We all look over at Steve, who shakes his head, hair even bigger than before thanks to all that action. "No way." He turns to look at us. "They're going somewhere."

Oh my God. Will.

Clarification of Max's story if anyone is confused: Billy and Max were close. He used to take her to visit her dad (Billy having known what it was like to not see a birth parent you loved, as his mother had been gone for years). One day, Billy pissed her off, and because she's young and doesn't have a filter or consider the consequences, she told his dad she found him having sex on Neil's bed when he was supposed to pick her up from the skate park, and she ended up walking home in the dark. Eventually she told the truth, and they moved away from her birth father.