March 21st, 1986

Lenora Hills, California

Byers Residence

"How are we feeling? Ready to begin-"

"Rise and shine, sleepyhead."

It's always the same. Exactly the same; from the anxiety that coursed through my veins and made my blood run cold, to each detail and word uttered, all resulting in the same ending that would be interrupted by my mother's voice. Though the dream would come to a halt, the anxiety lingered.

A grunt of acknowledgment is usually all I'm able to muster as I run a tired hand over my face, wiping away the thin layer of sweat I had accumulated over the night before pinching the bridge of my nose. "Come on, honey... Just one more day." Mom entered my room fully, placing a hand on my legs that rested beneath the quilt before giving them a gentle shake. "I'm moving..." I mumbled out, running my fingers through my tangled hair. "Slowly but surely."

Releasing a soft sigh, Mom's eyes worriedly scanned my face. "Everything okay?" She questioned, watching as I moved to sit up. "Yeah... Yeah, just tired." I reassured, shooting her a tight-lipped smile. "Maybe you should stay home for the break? That way you can rest up. I mean, summer's just a few months away."

Resting my back on the headboard, I shook my head quickly as I pulled my knees to my chest. "No, I think this will be good for me to see how everything is back at home," I stated, brushing off the idea of skipping out on Spring Break. "You know?" I questioned.

"Nellie... Home is where your family is." She whispered, resting a gentle hand on my knee. "Well, half of my family's in Hawkins." I muttered awkwardly, avoiding her nervous gaze. "I need to get ready... And you need to get on the phone and sell some encyclopedias." I groaned, waving her out of my room with a sideways smile.

"I'm on it, boss." She nodded, standing from my bed abruptly and saluting before hurrying out of the room.

Sighing softly and moving at a sluggish pace, I swung my legs over the side of the bed before stretching to relieve the tension that lingered in my muscles. This routine had been going on for a while now and I had grown sick of it long ago. The only person to know the extent of my exhaustion was Mom and maybe Jonathan if he stopped smoking but other than that, I thought I hid it pretty well and I'd like to keep it that way.

California and I don't mix. It quite literally feels like my body is rejecting the new town. The people aren't the best, not exactly friendly and it's such a dramatic transition from Hawkins. But the weather's nice, the cold doesn't last as long and nothing strange or abnormal has happened yet. So the move was promising, even if it wasn't the preferred option.

New kids were a rare thing to come across in Hawkins, I never thought I'd see the day that I was a new kid in a new town. It was nerve-wracking at first to find people staring for no reason. Never quick to make friends with the new kids but always eager to bully them away. The only one that wasn't used to the treatment was El, but she tried to work through it.

Hurriedly dressing in a plain black tee tucked in a plaid skirt, I grabbed a pair of slides and my backpack before hurrying out of my room and down the hall.

Jonathan's door was still closed but a certain smell told me that he was awake, most likely crouching next to the window in a poor attempt to hide what he was smoking. At the end of the hall, El's door was left ajar. Always insistent on leaving the door open three inches.

"How's it going?" I asked, softly tapping my knuckles against her door as I peeked my head inside the room. "Can you tell it's him?" She questioned, holding a small figurine out to me as I walked into the room.

For class, she and Will were asked to choose a role model or leader that they looked up to. A hero. El had chosen her dad, Hopper. She wanted to make a diorama of their old cabin.

Usually, it wouldn't be difficult for me to tell her not to do something, that it would probably be best to choose someone else. But when it came to this, that would mean asking her to lie. El didn't have many people to look up to, much less admire and view as a hero. And to be perfectly honest, her presentation would probably be the most genuine, not full of bullshit facts and corny details.

That didn't change the fact that kids are mean and that they would jump at any sign of weakness.

"Looks like a snack-sized version of him." I joked as I sat on the edge of her bed, pulling my shoes on. "Do you wanna run through it one more time?" I questioned, jaw tense as she rested the figurine in front of the cabin beside a fake squirrel. "I'm ready." She stated firmly.

Nodding slowly, I looked between her and the project. "Can you tell me what that's called again?" I questioned with a quirked brow. "De-a-ram-ah." She enunciated incorrectly. "Dai-ur-aa-muh." I corrected slowly. Mumbling the pronunciation under her breath she threw me an awkward smile as I stood from the bed. "Argyle should be here soon, okay?" Nodding my head in the direction of her closet, wordlessly telling her to get ready before I walked out of the room and towards Wills.

Will would always leave his door open as a sign that he was awake, so as I came to a stop in front of his room it wasn't a surprise to see him standing behind the easel stand he kept in his room, putting what I assumed to be the finishing touches on the painting he had been working on for Mike. "How's it coming along?" I questioned, watching as he kept his eyes trained on the painting before slowly taking a step back to look it over.

"I think it's done..." He mumbled, eyes darting around the canvas before reaching to dip the brush into a puddle of white paint. "Hey, hey..." I quickly crossed the room, grabbing his wrist to stop him. "I'm sure it's great, okay?" I mumbled, watching as his tense shoulders slowly slackened before putting the brush down. "I know he's gonna love it." I whispered with a reassuring grin.

Will had been working on the painting for a while, he wouldn't let any of us see what it was and Jonathan and I had to practically force him to tell us who it was for. I knew the move would be hard for him, he was shy and liked his small group of friends, but when it came to Mike it always felt like Will was hiding something.

Tomorrow was a big day for all of us. Mike would be coming to California for the break while I would be leaving for Hawkins and somehow it felt like Will's birthday had gotten lost in translation. He had been my final push in going to Hawkins, he just made me promise to call him. That didn't stop me from worrying that he'd be left out.

The sound of a horn honking outside pulled me out of my thoughts, rolling my eyes at the driver that waited outside. "Shit, we gotta go." I groaned, nodding for Will to follow me out into the hall before slamming a fist against Jonathan's door, "Let's go, ganja!" I yelled pushing the door open, grabbing the air freshener he kept by the door before spraying it into the room. "Shit, coming!" He coughed out as he slammed his window shut.

Rolling my eyes, I tugged my bag over my shoulder as El hurried past me with her project held out in front of her. "Will, don't forget Turing!" I called down the hall as I followed close behind her. "Got him!"

Piling out of the house with a quick goodbye thrown over our shoulder to Mom, the four of us hurried down the driveway and to the Surfer Boy Pizza van that rested on the side of the road. Pulling the door open for the two, I watched as Jonathan took the front seat next to Argyle as he turned to grin at the two Freshmen.

"All right. Hold on to your butts, brochachos." He called out as I closed the door behind me, barely giving me the chance to take a seat before he shot down the road.

~~~

"I just don't get why you're refusing to come along, Jon..." I groaned, leaning against the locker that rested beside him while he shoved his books messily into his bag. "We both know Nance is dying to see you and no offense, you literally look like you're dying to see her." Gesturing to his messy appearance as I spoke.

Rolling his eyes, he slammed the locker shut before moving past me. "Thanks for that." He scoffed out as I followed him down the hall. "You know it's not that easy. I mean, I can't just show up just to break her heart..." He mumbled, rubbing a fist into his eye.

Jonathan hadn't been completely honest with Nancy. The two had been planning on going to Emerson together but the thing was that Jonathan didn't get in. Nancy was early admission, meaning that she had known for a while that she was accepted... it also meant that Jonathan could prolong his lie and act as if he hadn't heard anything yet.

"Jon. Nancy's a big girl. If she can handle long-distance for this long, I'm sure college will be a cakewalk." I tried to offer reassurance, only for him to shrug off my response. "Jon, you could always transfer later on. Just, come with me and talk to her. Give your mind a break, you deserve that much..." I mumbled as he came to a stop in front of his classroom, debating on whether he should go in or not.

Quickly pulling me to the other side of the door, Jonathan quickly shook his head. "I-- I just can't stop thinking about... You know what about." He mumbled to me, eyes darting down the hall and on the students that passed us. "We aren't talking about that." I whispered, shaking my head in the hopes of ending the conversation and the inevitable spiral he would fall into.

"No, Nell... How can you want to go back there?" He questioned with a furrowed brow. "There's a reason we can't... remember what happened." He stressed.

Placing a hand on his shoulder, I shushed him before motioning for him to take in a deep breath. "We were kids, Jon... We can't remember because we couldn't comprehend it, okay? Nothing happened." I reassured with a frown, watching as he slowly calmed down. "Just... think about it, okay?" I mumbled before walking down the hall and to my own class.

~~~

The day passed by pretty quickly, teachers seemed to be more lenient on the last day before break so nothing was really expected of us. I had probably slept through half of my classes and hadn't woken up quite just yet as I pushed open the doors of the east wing, blurry eyes scanning over the courtyard for any sign of my siblings.

I spotted El first as she walked out of the west wing and in the direction of the parking lot, but what quickly grabbed my attention was the blonde girl who had a glare trained on her. As El went to pass the girl, paying no mind to her, the blonde held her leg out and tripped El.

She fell to the ground with a smack, dropping her diorama of Hop's cabin as the girl and her friends laughed, a crowd quickly forming to watch what was happening. "I am so sorry." Angela giggled sarcastically as she leaned down to look at El as she stayed frozen in her place. "I hope Mr. Fibbly's okay." She chuckled.

"Can't you shitheads take a hint? Fuck off." I scoffed, brushing past the freshman before kneeling to help El up. "Don't pay them any mind..." I mumbled to her as the group continued to laugh, one boy going as far as to jump onto her project.

"Nice scar, freak." The boy from beside him called out, nudging his foot into the back of my calf. "Want one to match?" I scoffed standing from my place and turning my back to El to glare at the boy. I missed the sudden rush of anger that washed over El... I hadn't realized what she was doing until she stood in front of me.

Her fist clenched at her side as she watched the four friends walk away laughing. "El- Jane... Jane!" I yelled trying to stop her as she hurried after the group. "Angela!" She yelled, earning their attention. Turning to glare at the girl, El came to a stop before throwing a hand in front of her and screaming.

The silence that followed after was... unbearable, to say the least. And then the silence turned into laughter as I quickly stood by her side, pushing her hand down as she stared at it with wide eyes. "Holy shit!" Angela scoffed as she looked around the crowd as if to make sure everyone had seen that. "What the hell was that?" Her other friend questioned as the laughter grew louder.

"Come on... Let's go." I whispered, trying to pull her out of her spot but she stayed frozen, glassy eyes trailing over the kids that surrounded and laughed at her. "Hey! Hey!" A teacher's voice cut threw the noise as she pushed her way through the crowd. "Hey, what's going on? Jane?" The teacher laid a hand on El's shoulder but she only stayed silent, eyes trained on the ground in the hopes of stopping her tears.

"Did someone do this?" She questioned, looking down at the ruined project. El took a moment before meeting the teacher's gaze. "I tripped." She lied. "Jane." I scoffed, grabbing the teacher's attention.

"It was an accident..." El mumbled, shifting her gaze onto Angela, the movement didn't go missed by the grown-up.

Clenching her jaw, the woman moved away from El with her sights set on Angela. "All right, Angela. You come with me." The crowd gaped in amazement. "What? Why?" She feigned confusion before offering the teacher a fake smile.

Luckily that fake grin didn't work for the first time as the woman latched a hand onto Angela's arm before pulling her back towards the school building. "I didn't do anything. Tell her, Jane. Tell her!" Angela yelled before grunting in annoyance and following the woman inside, the crowd finally dissipating since there was nothing left to witness.

~~~

"All I'm saying is we should scar the little shit." I scoffed from my place in front of the stove, shooting a glance over my shoulder at Will, El, and Jonathan as they sat at the dining table. "Scar?" El questioned, eyes bouncing between the two boys for clarification. "Traumatize her." Will explained while Jonathan glared at us for even considering the idea.

"That way she knows not to mess with you again." I stated, turning around to stir the pasta again. "Jesus, Nell! Chill out, she's a kid." Jonathan groaned while the other two stayed silent. "No, she's a little shit who needs her nose broken. Big difference." I shot him a sarcastic grin before searching for the colander, pulling the pot off of the stove, and moving towards the sink.

The group continued the conversation as I stood in front of the sink. Moving to pour the water out of the pot when a sudden pain shot through my wrist causing me to quickly turn my head and examine the skin.

Something was wrong...

This had been happening a lot, more than I cared to admit... It was like zoning out, only while it looked like I was staring blankly into the distance, in reality, it was as if my consciousness was taken back.

Quite literal, in fact.

The memories wouldn't feel new, per se, there was something oddly familiar about them and yet I had no recollection of them. And sadly, I couldn't pull myself out of it easily.

I was back home, in Hawkins. But my room wasn't my room the way I had gotten used to it. It was my childhood bedroom, a version of it that I could barely remember. I was in bed this time, knees brought up to my chest, my right arm sandwiched between my legs and stomach. My sobs were so loud I couldn't hear the door being pushed open.

It was the door clicking shut that caused me to flinch in my place, eyes shooting up to connect with Jonathan's who squinted his eyes without his glasses. "Why are you awake..." I sniffled, I didn't will the words to fall from my lips but that's the thing with these memories... All I could do was sit and watch.

"Because you are..." Jonathan stated softly, crossing the room so that he could stand next to me while I used my left hand to wipe my eyes. "Are you okay?" He questioned, holding a small hand out so that he could inspect the injury.

Shaking my head, I carefully placed my bruised wrist in his hand. Deep red and purple contrast against his pale skin. "He's meaner than usual..." I mumbled as Jonathan tightly held onto my hand. "Mama said not to talk to him after a few sodas... But he can't keep yelling at her." I tried to explain myself even though there was no excuse for what had happened.

"Why was he upset?" Jonathan questioned, this wasn't the first time our parents fought. Usually, Jonathan and I would hide in our rooms and wait it out. But I've always had an issue staying quiet. "She won't tell him if the baby's a boy or a girl... Says it shouldn't matter... He didn't like that." I whispered, eyes darting between Jonathan and the door as if Dad would storm in even though he had left a while ago.

"I should have listened... Stayed away." I mumbled, feeling Jonathan's grip tighten on my hand. "You didn't do anything wrong, Nellie. He shouldn't hurt you..." He whispered, pulling my attention away from the door as I continued to sniffle. "I'll protect you, I promise."

Will yelled in my ear, snapping me out of whatever trance I had fallen under to realize what I had just done. "Shit... Shit!" I groaned, looking down at the sink as the pasta now rested in and clogged it. "What happened?" He questioned with wide eyes, stopping me from grabbing the steaming pasta with my bare hand.

"I- I--" I awkwardly looked between the three as they stared at me with a worried gaze. "I think I'm just tired..." I mumbled finally before quickly moving to the fridge. "How about I order you guys some pizza, huh? I wasn't even that hungry, so I'll order and then rest up... Early flight tomorrow..." I rambled, grabbing the phone off the wall and dialing the Surfer Boy Pizza number, struggling to ignore the gaze that burned into my back.