March 25th, 1986

Wheeler Household

The rest of that evening was a blur. After the adrenaline that had coursed through our veins for the past few hours, our bodies inevitably crashed. We needed to rest but after everything, we all fought to stay awake. We had just saved Max but whose to say that Vecna wouldn't try again while we slept? Nancy had proposed we take turns, sleeping in shifts to watch over Max just in case.

I told Steve to sleep for the first few shifts, he was drained and it was noticeable how much today had taken a toll on him. He fought it for a few minutes, mumbling about how he wasn't tired and could stay up a bit longer but eventually, he complied and fell asleep on the couch in front of Dustin, Lucas, and me while Max, Nancy, and Robin rested on the other side of the basement.

Moving to tug off the jacket I wore, in a feeble attempt at getting comfortable, I winced under my breath as the material of the jacket dragged across the skin of my wrist. Furrowing my brow, I quickly readjusted the jacket onto my shoulders before carefully sliding the sleeve up to check my wrist.

"" Dustin called out to me, pulling my attention away from the blemish on my wrist and onto him and Lucas as they watched me with a close and confused gaze. "Yeah... Yeah, sorry. Just tired." I mumbled, awkwardly pushing down my sleeve before rubbing a fist into my eyes. "Is that Steve's?" Lucas questioned, gesturing to his own jacket for reference, pulling a small chuckle from me.

"Uh- I mean, it was? It's kind of been mine for the past year." I chuckled, furrowing my brow at the random question. "Sorry, I- I just didn't know you guys were back together." Dustin's eyes widened at the statement while I laughed awkwardly at the assumption. "What do you mean? We- We never broke up." Dustin stole my attention as he quickly shook his head at Lucas, trying to stop him from elaborating anymore.

"What is it exactly that he doesn't want me knowing, Dustin?" I questioned, narrowing my eyes on the curly-haired boy who looked anxiously between Steve's sleeping form and me. "What? That's- that's crazy-" Dustin laughed off the question but my glare only hardened. "Spill it, Dustin."

Dustin puffed his cheeks, waving off the issue with a cheesy grin. "It's nothing... Really, it's not a big deal... It's just, you know- girls have been asking him out... The usual." He explained with a simple shrug. "That's it?" I hummed, nodding my head slightly in agreement. "That isn't a big deal." I scoffed, not understanding why he'd want Dustin to hide that from me.

"Yeah, but he hasn't exactly been saying no to them either." Lucas started, glaring at Dustin for withholding a vital piece of information. "I- I'm sorry?" I whispered, hoping that I had just misunderstood what he said but the two only stayed silent. "When was this?" I questioned softly but the two shared a contemplated gaze. "Can I... Can I safely assume it was multiple times?" I scoffed out finally, earning a hesitant nod from the two.

Nodding to myself, I took in a deep breath as I looked down at my lap. I guess that made sense... Why he was rarely ever home, constantly missing my calls and never calling back, why he had stopped writing after a while. I thought everything was okay...

"Why- Why didn't you guys say anything?" The question came out strangled as I fought to control my breathing and stop myself from hyperventilating. "To him... To me- Shit..."

"In his defense, nothing happened," Dustin informed me with a frown, earning a quick glare from me. "They just hung out... They didn't do anything. I mean, all the dates were in public so-" "Oh, yep. That makes me feel a lot better, Dustin." I quickly held a hand out to stop him from talking, it would only make things worse.

Taking in a deep breath, I rubbed my hands over my legs before looking at Lucas. "How did you know?" I questioned. "You thought we broke up. Did he tell you that or did you assume?"

Lucas took a moment, looking from Steve, to Dustin, and then finally to me. "I assumed... I mean, he had a new date every game." He explained awkwardly. "Every game? As in every basketball game?" I scoffed, before placing my head in my hands. "That's great, yeah... Why not just broadcast to the whole town that you're cheating on your girlfriend." I mumbled, now glaring at Steve, debating on pushing him off of the couch.

"And he has the audacity to get jealous over Eddie." I scoffed, rolling my eyes at the memory of Steve getting a tad bit too protective over just the mention of us being friends. "Why? There's no reason-" The look in my eyes caused Dustin to quickly cut himself off before releasing a dramatic gasp. "Am I missing something?" Lucas questioned, looking between the two of us as we continued our extremely awkward staring contest.

"Did you two-" "Nope! Just stop there. No." I groaned, placing my head in my hands, groaning at the idea. "Look, Eddie and I used to be close when I first started high school and..." I squinted my eyes as I tried to find the right explanation for our current situation. "Close as in?" Lucas pushed as I stayed silent.

"Close as in we- we kissed a few times but it was nothing." I rambled quickly, still hiding my face in my hands. "And you just, what? Told him not to worry about him?" Dustin questioned with a furrowed brow.

Apparently, my silence was enough of an answer, his eyes quickly widening. "You didn't tell him?" He scoffed. "Cause there's nothing to worry about." I groaned awkwardly. "Nell, withholding that sort of information kinda makes it seem like there is something to worry about."

~~~

I couldn't sleep that night, Steve was still asleep and it was taking all I had not to wake him up and question him about what Dustin and Lucas had told me.

Max and Lucas were awake now, Lucas never taking his eyes off the girl as she lay in her spot on the couch. She had tried to sleep a couple of times before Lucas' shift but Robin and Nance panicked every time she started to close her eyes, so now she just kept drifting in and out of consciousness, shooting a glance at Lucas and me every now in then to assure us she wasn't in a trance.

Watching as Lucas rewound the tape in her walkman, I slowly stood from my place on the floor before stretching my arms out in front of me. "Hey..." I whispered to the two to gain their attention. "Think I'm gonna brew some coffee... Might need fuel soon." I mumbled, earning a nod from Max while Lucas pressed play on the tape.

I'm not used to the Wheeler's home being so quiet, I debated turning on the light in the kitchen to make my task easier but I worried that I'd end up waking someone up. So I settled on using the natural moonlight that shined through the window in front of their sink, trying my best to brew the coffee as quietly as I could.

The sound of footsteps rushing down the stairs caused me to flinch in my place before turning to catch the squinting eyes of Mrs. Wheeler. "Eleanor?" She questioned, still seemingly half-asleep, I froze in my place, silently debating if I could just act like she was still dreaming. "Eleanor, when did you get here?" She hummed, a little more awake now as she slowly walked into the kitchen, coming to a stop beside me.

"I'm sorry, didn't mean to wake you..." I whispered awkwardly, looking down at my hands that gripped tightly onto the countertop. "My bad..." I mumbled, offering her an apologetic smile. "Oh... it's alright." She sighed with a wave of her hand. "I haven't gotten used to Holly sleeping through the night quite yet." She added with a shrug before turning her head to look at the pot of coffee that was almost done brewing.

She laughed lightly to herself before slowly turning to face me while I quirked an eyebrow up at her in question. "Sorry, just having déjà vu..." She informed with a soft smile. "Yeah?" I hummed out before nodding for her to continue, "Tell me about it."

She took a moment to think before shaking her head, her tight curls falling out of place. "It's nothing, really... it's just-- I remember when you used to sleep over you'd wake me up to get you a glass of milk or to call your mom." She reminded me gently but the memory only caused my brow to furrow. "Huh... I barely remember that."

She grinned at the faint memory. "You were half asleep most of the time. Plagued with screaming meemies." She mumbled the term causing me to laugh lightly. "With what, I'm sorry?" I questioned, pushing for her to explain what she meant by that.

"Nightmares. Left you shaking like a leaf, you'd be in hysterics." She explained with a frown. "Really? I- I can't even remember that... Did... Did I ever talk to you about them? Can you remember why I was so scared?" Maybe I had pressed too hard, worried her slightly but I wanted to find out why I couldn't remember these parts of my childhood.

Smiling sadly down at me, she slowly shook her head in contemplation. "They've started back up again, haven't they?" Her question caused my eyes to water. "I've just been a bit... confused. Lost, really... I can't remember things that I'm supposed to. More and more I've been noticing these... blank spaces-- Moments in my life that are just devoid of any memory."

Taking a moment to breathe, Karen places a gentle hand on my shoulder. "I'm just having a little trouble distinguishing what's real and what's not." I admitted with a frown.

"Explains the coffee..." She sighs before releasing a breathy laugh. "Things have a funny way of coming back to us, Eleanor. But they're just dreams. They can't hurt you."

Nodding weakly at her words, I slowly moved to make a cup of black coffee. "You're right... Sorry, for keeping you up, Mrs. Wheeler." I mumbled with a tight-lipped smile. "You don't have to apologize." She grins, patting me on the back before moving back to the stairs.

Her steps on the stairs slowly came to a halt as she thought over something while I turned to face her with a furrowed brow. "Everything okay?" I questioned, earning a curt nod from the woman. "I- I actually do think I remember something." She laughs lightly. "Poor thing... Couldn't get you to fully wake up. You'd always ask why the clock kept chiming." She started with a small smile, "Has that started again?"

Clenching my jaw, I slowly shook my head in response to the question. "What clock?" I whispered, my grip on the coffee cup tightening even though the glass surface burnt my hand.

"Your answer's as good as mine, never heard a thing." She shrugged before whispering good night to me and disappearing down the hall, leaving me alone in the darkness to think over what any of that could mean.

Gulping down a sip of coffee, I hurried back down into the Wheeler's basement, taking quick note of Lucas who had fallen asleep with his head resting against the couch Max laid in, the girl stared up blankly at the ceiling while 'Running Up That Hill' blared in her headphones.

Moving to the desk that rested in the corner of the room, I couldn't hold in my tears as I released a strangled sob before quickly pulling the notebook from the pocket that lingered inside Steve's old jacket.

Bones broken... Eyes pulled into skull... Lifted into the air... psychokinetic ability... Hawkins Lab... Headaches. Nightmares. Trouble sleeping. Nosebleeds. Past Trauma. Grandfather clock. Favorite song.

Clenching my jaw as I skimmed my eyes over the notes, I flipped to the next page before grabbing a random pencil from the desk. Maybe I hadn't been zoning out... Maybe it was all just a trance? A part of Vecna's curse?

But this all started in California. How could I have been cursed from across the country? And even if it was possible, why hasn't he killed me? None of his victims survived longer than a week after being cursed and this has been going on for... months.

It started with the headaches, then it moved on to the nightmares... The same nightmare, that same feeling. The memories that forced their way into my head, everything coming back in waves, fragments; sometimes distorted and altered. It all revolved around the hospital and Dad... Past trauma that I couldn't pull myself to remember.

Clock chime... The hospital... Memories of dad...

I knew there was more, hidden somewhere inside my mind but I couldn't get a grip, it was impossible to-- Focus...

There was one constant in all these dreams. Someone else had always been there with me... What was his name?

"Focus, Nellie... Focus..." I mumbled to myself, pressing my palms into my eyes as I tried to remember the name of the man in white. The doctor had yelled it, I heard it and I repeated it.

Clock chime... The hospital... Memories of Dad... Peter...

What was so special about some orderly that had helped me around the hospital? Why did Vecna want me to remember him?

It's impossible enough to connect the pieces of a puzzle that I can't understand much less when I don't even remember half the pieces. And of course, the notebook doesn't look like it's going to be any help, just another mess of scribbled-down thoughts and words haphazardly connected. I need to get this sorted out...

"Nell... Nell." A hand latching onto my shoulder pulled me out of my thoughts. Blinking my dry eyes rapidly, I quickly turned to face a concerned Max. "Shit... Is everything okay?" I questioned, worried that something had happened when I wasn't paying attention. She shook her head slowly before whispering, "Where did you go?"

Offering her a thin-lipped smile, I quickly shook off her suspicion. "Nowhere. Think I've just fried my brain." I mumbled before nodding down to the slightly chaotic-looking notebook. "What is it?" She questioned as I flipped back to the first page. "I don't know, yet..." I mumbled as I ran a stressed hand through my hair. "It's just some notes. Everything we know, everything we don't have answers to... Anything that might matter in the long run."

She nodded in agreement before shifting her gaze onto the floor where Nancy and Robin slept. "Do you think we could get out of here?" She mumbled lowly. "This basement is driving me crazy."

I nodded in agreement, chuckling under my breath before standing from the desk. "I can definitely get behind that." I mumbled before nodding for her to follow me out of the basement.

~~~

Mr. and Mrs. Wheeler followed close behind Max and me, brewing a new pot of coffee and getting started on breakfast while Mr. Wheeler distracted himself with the day's paper, mumbling under his breath how far gone this town was.

Holly followed close behind, running down the stairs with her Lite-Brite and box for arts and crafts, bouncing between making glowing shapes with the pegs and coloring on a piece of paper. Quickly growing bored of staring at the wall, Max asked if she could color with the youngest Wheeler after a few minutes.

I hardly noticed what was going on around me, busying myself with the notebook in front of me and the pencil that had once been sharp now incredibly dull. I felt like Mom, scatterbrained and unable to focus on one thing at a time. Each thought branched into another and each idea morphed into something else. We didn't have much to go off of that was concrete and I debated whether I was cursed or just suffering from major synchronicity.

"Morning, guys." Mrs. Wheeler called out as the basement door flew open, Nancy and Dustin rushed into the kitchen, worry edged deeply into their features as they looked around the house. "Everything okay?" She questioned as their eyes landed on Max as she shot the pair a small smile.

"Yeah..." Nancy breathed out as she traced her eyes from Max and onto me as I stood from the table, stuffing the notebook into my jacket. "Yeah, everything's okay."

"I think it's so sweet that you guys are sticking together like this." Mrs. Wheeler praised, adding a few more pancakes onto the rest of the pile. "Could try sticking together at a different house for a change." Mr. Wheeler mumbled. Mrs. Wheeler rolled her eyes at the man before turning to Dustin while I pulled Nancy to the side.

"Is it okay if I step out for a minute? I- I just want to check how everything is going in California..." I mumbled to her with a pleading grin. I figured, if Vecna could reach me all the way in Cali, what's stopping him from reaching El or Will or Jonathan. "Yeah, of course... Have you even gotten the chance to talk to them?" She questioned, she didn't even know when I got into town.

Releasing a sigh, I shook my head in response. "No, and something tells me that we won't have downtime for much longer." I muttered sarcastically, Nancy quickly nodding in agreement before nodding for me to use the phone.

Departing from Nancy, I hurried to Mrs. Wheeler as she stood in front of the stove. "Mrs. Wheeler, is it all right if I used your phone?" I questioned with a polite grin, the woman went to respond but was quickly cut off by her husband who muttered under his breath. "Rob us blind while you're at it."

Nodding along with his words, I slowly turned to face the man that still had his eyes trained on the morning paper. "I'm sorry, are you Mrs. Wheeler?" I questioned with a fake grin, earning a pointed glare from the man before turning back to his wife. "It's all yours, Eleanor." She nodded for me to use the phone.

Moving into the hall, I quickly pulled the phone off of the hook and dialed our house phone, only to be immediately greeted by the dial tone. "I'm sorry the number you are currently trying to reach is unavailable." Rolling my eyes, I leaned my forehead against the wall in frustration. The last time I'd heard that message our phone had been fried.

Combing through all the numbers I knew, I quickly landed on calling Argyle to check up on them. The thing was I didn't have his number so I was gonna have to go through his work to get it. Dialing the number that I shouldn't already have memorized, I waited for the line to finish ringing before a worker picked up the phone. "Surf's up! Surfer Boy Pizza, this is Marcus speaking."

Thanking God under my breath, I quickly greeted the guy. "Hey, I'm actually not placing an order. I was wondering if Argyle was there, by chance. Or maybe you can help me reach him?" I questioned, anxiously twisting the cord of the phone as Marc released a huff. "You one of Byers sisters?" He questioned, causing me to roll my eyes. "Does that really matter?" I squinted. "Yeah."

Groaning under my breath, I shook my head before answering. "Yeah, Jonathan's twin." I muttered awkwardly. "Thought so. Listen, if you see that jackass tell him he's in deep shit. We need that van back." He spoke quietly into the phone as if his boss was standing beside him. "Wait, he took the van?" My eyes widened at the detail. "More like stole at this point. He went out on an order to your place and never showed back up."

Furrowing my brow, I scoffed lightly. "When was this exactly?"