November 6th, 1983

Hawkins, Indiana

Something hungry for blood. A shadow grows on the wall behind you, swallowing you in darkness. It is almost here."

I watched as the four boys sat tightly knit together over the small coffee table where their game board rested in a dimly lit basement, their focus and gaze laying solely on the game at hand.

"What is it?" My little brother Will asked with a smile on his face, excited to discover what beast they would conquer next. "What if it's the Demogorgon?" The boy with a slight lisp asked to the left of my brother. "Oh, Jesus we're so screwed if it's the Demogorgon." The boy, Dustin, continued; quickly growing anxious. "It's not the Demogorgon." Groaned the boy in front of him. Smiling at the group I joined in Dustin's defense, "Well, we'll just see. Huh, Lucas?"

"An army of Troglodytes charge into the chamber!" Mike raised his voice slamming the Troglodyte piece on the game board. "Troglodytes?" Dustin groaned in a bored tone while Lucas was quick to speak up, "Told ya, Nell." He called out with a sarcastic grin that I happily returned, "Yeah, yeah..." I mumbled.

The boys laughed, while Will stayed on the edge of his seat. "Wait a minute..." Mike whispered, looking around the board. "Did you hear that?" He asked now looking over his shoulder as if he had heard something from behind him

"That sound... Boom... Boom... Boom!" Slamming his hands on the table, Mike placed the Demogorgon piece with a loud thump. The boys jumped at the sudden bang causing me to laugh at how seriously they took the game.

"The Demogorgon!" The boys all groaned before quickly turning to Will. "Will, what's your action?" Mike questioned with a quirked brow while Will continued to stare down at the board, fear, and confusion were written clear across his face.

"Fireball him!" Lucas yelled at Will before motioning towards the board. "That's too risky!" Dustin groaned in response. "Cast a protection spell!" I tried to nudge him to continue playing but all Will could do was look between the three of us.

"Don't be a pussy, fireball him!" Lucas called out again, causing me to nudge him, "Dude, language." I mumbled with a shake of my head.

"Cast protection." Dustin repeated while Will placed his focus on the board.

"The Demogorgon is tired of your silly human bickering." Mike cut the boys off, "It stomps its way towards you. Boom!"

"Fireball him!"

"Cast Protection!"

"Do something Will!"

"Boom! Another stomp! Boom!"

Will grabs the dice in a rush while the boys continued to yell around him, "Fireball!" Will yelled finally, throwing the dice hard against the playboard. Though with a bit too much force as the dice bounced off the table landing in different directions in the dark basement. "Oh shit!"

"Where is it?"

"I don't know!"

"Is it a thirteen?"

"I don't know!"

The boys jumped from their seats running towards where they thought the dice landed while I quickly went under the table to see if that's where one had landed. "Mike! Mike!" Mrs. Wheeler shouted from the top of the staircase crossing her arms. "Mom, we're in the middle of a campaign!" Mike groaned still looking for the dice at the bottom of the basement staircase.

"You mean the end? Fifteen after, let's go. It's a school night." Mrs. Wheeler stated, sternly tapping on the glass face of her watch before walking away from the basement door.

Mike quickly ran up the stairs to talk his mom into letting the boys stay for a while longer. While Dustin was quick to put his jacket on with Lucas following close behind him, grabbing his bag from its place on the couch.

"Wait, does a seven count?" Will asked, looking down at the dice in his palm. "It was a seven?" I asked as I walked up to him, holding his jacket and bag in my hands. "Did Mike see it?" Lucas questioned, only for Will to shake his head in response.

"Then it doesn't count." Lucas stated, throwing his bag over his shoulders while Will grabbed his bright red jacket from my hand before glumly shrugging it on. "You'll get him next time." I smiled down at him before lightly ruffling his bowl-cut hair.

Letting out a groan, Will patted down his hair trying to stop me from seeing the small smile that slowly grew on his lips at the action.

The remaining party and I made our way up the stairs and out of the Wheeler's basement and into the open garage where the kid's bikes were parked.

"Are you sure you wanna bike home alone?" I asked Will as he grabbed his bike with Lucas following close behind him. "Nellie, I'll be fine. Plus, Dustin takes the same path." He tried to reassure me quickly, his eyes pleading for me to let him do this by himself. "Not the full way," I started with a soft sigh, unable to shake the unease that grew over me. "I can just tell Nance that I'll be right back." I continued, crossing my arms over my chest tightly.

"No, Nell. Besides I've biked by myself before." He stated with a smile to calm me. From behind us, Mike and Dustin walked into the garage with an old box of pizza before taking a bite out of one of the slices. "Your sisters got a stick up her butt." Dustin's comment came out muffled between the bits of food.

"Hey!" Mike, Will, and I all said at the same time. "Not you, Nell. Nancy." He rolled his eyes at us before throwing the pizza out and grabbing his bike.

"It's cause she's been dating that douchebag, Steve Harrington." Lucas replied now on his bike. "Lucas, don't say that." I rolled my eyes at the younger boys' language. "You do though?" He shot back confused.

"She's turning into a real jerk." Dustin continued, "She's always been a jerk." Mike groaned as the boys started to bike away. "Not always, I mean she used to dress up as an elf for our campaigns." I quickly defended my friend. "Yeah, but that was four years ago," Mike added with a roll of his eyes.

The boys biked down the driveway as I hugged Will, "Call me when you get home. Or make Jonathan do it this time at least." I said with a small smile before pulling away, while Will awkwardly leaned away, "Like always." He muttered with an awkward smile.

Turning and walking away from the boys, I reopened the door leading back into the home as I heard Will mumble to Mike, "The Demogorgon, it got me." Letting out a quiet sigh, I made my way into the house and up to Nancy's room.

"We're nothing serious Barb, seriously!" I heard Nancy squeal into her baby blue phone. "Do you say that about every boy you make out with?" I asked, giggling at the blushing, blue-eyed girl.

"Shut up! Hey Barb, I'll talk to you tomorrow. Night." Nancy quickly hung up the phone and turned to me with a smile. "So, you wasted the whole day with your little brother and the party? I thought they killed you or something." She said with a roll of her wide eyes before getting off her pastel-colored bed.

"You're just jealous that they find me fun." I joked back, pulling my pajamas out of my ratty bookbag. "Was the campaign fun at least?" She asked, it almost sounded like she cared.

"Like always. But Will did get a little freaked by the end... I just hope he's okay." I mumbled the last part more to myself as I pulled off my shirt, quickly replacing it with one of my brother's old band tees.

"Don't take this the wrong way. But, you care too much, Eleanor." I nodded in response. "Yeah, I know. He's just been really sensitive these past couple of months, y'know?" I spoke softly as I grabbed a blanket and pillow before throwing them onto the floor.

"I know. I'm sorry, but guess what?" She smiled down at me, taking a seat on the edge of her bed while I sat in front of her, pulling my legs up to my chest. "Huh?" I asked twisting the thin, silver ring on my pointer finger to calm my nerves.

"Steve drove me home today!" She giggled, throwing a teddy bear towards me with excitement. "Ohhh you guys might as well be married." I laughed tossing the bear back at her. "Don't jinx it." She muttered happily, staring down at the bear in her hands.

"At least tell me he was a gentleman," I questioned her, arching one of my brows up at her. "But, you can spare me the rest of the details." Nancy's cheeks reddened at my remark before falling back onto her bed with a light giggle. "Obviously."

The rest of the night went on about as usual as every other sleepover I had at the Wheelers, though I couldn't shake away the weight that seemed to hang over my shoulders. Something just felt off. I kept telling myself that maybe I was just tired, the floor that I was currently trying to sleep on wasn't exactly comfortable. Or that maybe it was because we have that test in civic literacy tomorrow and I'm way unprepared.

But deep down I knew it was neither of those, it was the fact that Will biked home. Alone. It wasn't late, I should have just gone with him.

Shaking off the thought, I turned onto my side. Will knew his way home like the back of his hand, and besides, he's biked by himself multiple times. Nancy's right, I worry too much.

But he never called, and neither did Jonathan or Mom. Sure, our family may be slightly dysfunctional, especially since dad left, but we never left each other in the dark. Maybe Mrs. Wheeler answered his call and didn't think to tell me.

Everything was fine. We lived in Hawkins, a small town where nothing ever happens, much less anything to lose sleep over. Growing up in Hawkins is definitely less than interesting. Luckily, I have Nancy as my best friend, and that seemed to make the town a little less boring.

Nancy Wheeler is from a higher class, lives in a good neighborhood, and has a picture-perfect family. And until I met her in the first grade, I thought families like hers didn't exist.

Then there was me, Eleanor Byers. Coming from a family teetering on the poverty line, definitely far from being picture-perfect. It shocked me that she wanted to be my friend, still shocks me.

But somehow, we clicked.

~~~

Mornings in the Wheeler household never cease to amaze me. The entire family gathered around the table all at once to eat in the dining room together, at an appropriate time, and with freshly made food. I don't know how they do it.

At home, we never have more than just eggs and toast made by my twin brother Jonathan, who still doesn't seem to prepare either of the two dishes correctly.

Nancy and Mike sat next to each other, throwing rude comments back and forth while I awkwardly chewed on the Eggo placed in front of me, glancing between the two siblings. Reaching across the table, Mike grabbed the syrup bottle before pouring it over his eggs, pulling a laugh from me but primarily because of the grimace that grew over Nancy's features.

"That's disgusting." Nancy stated, grossed out by his behavior. Mike glanced at me with a small smirk before tipping the bottle over her plate. "Mike!" Nancy yelled while I held back a laugh, covering my mouth with the back of my hand.

In the background, the phone rang in its place on the wall. Its ringing seemed quiet against the sibling's bickering. "You guys, shush." Mrs. Wheeler stood from her place at the table before grabbing the phone.

"Oh, Joyce. Hi." Mrs. Wheeler spoke into the phone, looking over her shoulder at me. I furrowed my brow, staring past Mrs. Wheeler and at the phone in her hand. "Will? Oh no, he didn't stay the night, but Eleanor's still here. I think Will left at around eight last night, why?"

"Is everything okay?" I asked getting up from my seat at the table, feeling the same anxiety from last night grow over me once again.

"Did he make it home?" Mrs. Wheeler asked before nodding and then hanging up the phone. "Everything's fine, honey. Will just left early for school." She said with a kind smile before sitting back at the table.

I nodded before slowly sitting back down as well, though my anxiety continued to eat away at me. Nancy delicately placed her hand on my arm, offering me a kind smile before turning back to her breakfast.

~~~

Walking down the entrance hall of Hawkins High, Barb met up with Nance and me as we made our way towards her locker. "So, did he call?" She asked quietly, nudging Nancy with her shoulder.

"I told you it's not like that." Nancy stated with a small grin, causing me to roll my eyes. "Yeah Barb, it's nothing. She just talked my ear off all night for no reason. Right, Nance?" I asked raising an eyebrow. "Okay. I mean, yes he likes me but not like that." Nancy gave in finally with a bashful smile.

"We just.. made out a couple of times." She mumbled, stopping in front of her locker. I leaned against the one beside her and played with the ring on my finger, staring down the opposite hallway in a poor attempt at ignoring the statement.

"We just made out a couple of times. Nancy, seriously you're gonna be so cool now," Barb mocked Nancy's comment, causing me to laugh and tilt my head back. "No, I'm not." She muttered, twisting the dial of the lock as a light blush began to spread across her cheeks.

"You better still hang out with us, that's all I'm saying." Barb said, honesty practically dripping from her tone but a joking smile was placed on her lips. "Yeah, cause we'll hunt you down if you don't." I joked as she popped open her locker, only for a white piece of paper with blue ink bleeding through it to fall to the ground.

I stared down at the paper as Barb continued to tease the blushing girl about Steve, "Hey, uh I'm gonna go see if I can find Jonathan before class. See you in Calculus..." I muttered, quickly walking away from the two girls.

Feeling their gaze on my back, I quickly made my way down the opposite hall to escape it. Only to be greeted by Steve Harrington, who leaned lazily against the wall in front of the girls' room with Carol and Tommy H. standing beside him.

Locking eyes with Harrington, I tried to hold in my scoff as his eyes raked over my form before returning my gaze. Rolling my eyes, I broke the glance off first and made my way past the group, who felt the need to cough, "Freak." and "Lesbo." under their breath and in my direction.

Very original, if I may say. "Ditto." I stated before shooting a sarcastic grin in their direction.

Before high school had started and popularity became a thing, Harrington and I used to be friends. Nothing crazy just a step above acquaintances.

But it was enough to know that he had deep insecurities about himself, mostly put there by his father. Or that he liked to play baseball but played basketball because it's what everyone told him he should do. And that his favorite color was yellow, and that for some reason embarrassed him more than the other things he hid from people.

It wasn't a shock to find out that he continued the trend of being what everyone wanted him to be, it was kind of a let down though. When he wasn't acting like a douche, he was actually kind of sweet.

But none of that mattered because Steve Harrington had gotten himself a can of Aquanet and a group of friends that treated him like a king, giving him the ability to ignore his insecurities and become exactly what he always wanted to be.

Accepted.

~~~

There was some truth in my lie, I did go looking for Jonathan. Only I had little luck in finding him before the bell for homeroom rang, so I opted out of my search and barely made it on time for class.

Ignoring the glances from the rest of my class, I made my way to the back of the classroom and to the seat next to the window, though I was quickly stopped in my tracks by my teacher's voice.

"Ms. Byers." Mr. Duke said from the front. "I didn't hear the first bell, sorry." I defended myself quickly, turning to face my teacher. "Actually, you're needed in the principal's office. I'd take your things." Nodding, I slowly walked back towards the door of the classroom.

The voices of my classmates caused me to roll my eyes as I made my way out of the room and into the hall.

"What did she do?"

"What hasn't she done."

"Freak finally got caught."