"HELLO, YOU'VE REACHED THE BUCKLEYS. Please leave a mes - "

        Eurydice hung up the phone for the fifth time that night, sighing as she slammed it onto the hook. Her artificially curled hair was disheveled from dragging her fingers through it repeatedly - a nervous habit of hers, her hands themselves were trembling and had almost dropped the phone a number of times, and her feet ached from standing in the same position for almost half an hour.

        It was 10:30. And though it was a Saturday, it was unlike Amara to ever be late.

        "I'm telling you, she's with Robin right now," Scott assured his wife, not glancing up from the electricity bill he was paying. "They're probably watching a movie or something. It's been a tough week for all of us."

        "Wouldn't she have told me she was going to stay an extra night?" Eurydice wondered, more to herself than Scott. "She tells us everything. This isn't like her."

        "Amara's a teenager, it's alright if she stays with Robin another night," said Scott, setting aside the bill and standing up to embrace Eurydice. She melted into his touch, her muscles relaxing as she wrapped her arms around his waist. But nothing could ever stop her from worrying about her youngest child, especially during a week when one kid had died and others had gone missing.

        "I'm sure you're right," Eurydice whispered into the crook of his neck, her eyes closed. "I just want to confirm she's there so I can stop worrying, y'know?"

        "I get it," Scott responded, pulling away but keeping his hands on his wife's shoulders. "How about we call tomorrow morning? If there's still no answer we can go and get her, but there's no use worrying now if she responds tomorrow."

        Eurydice finally let a smile grace her features, grateful for her husband. Though she was uptight and overthought most things, traits of herself she had passed down to Amara, Scott always knew just how to keep her grounded. She broke away from him after a moment but clung to his hand, squeezing it lightly. "Okay."

        "C'mon, let's go watch something," Scott suggested, leading Eurydice in the direction of the living room. "The bill can wait."

        No sooner had Scott turned on the television did the two of them pick up on the sound of a car entering their driveway, followed by the door opening and closing as Kevin hurried inside before the chilly November air could seep into his bones. Eurydice stood up and greeted him with a hug which he gladly reciprocated, inhaling her familiar scent of fruit and vanilla.

        "How was your day, Kev?" Eurydice queried as the two of them sat down, Scott still attempting to find something for them to watch.

        "It was fun," Kevin responded, a smile lighting up his angular face. "I met up with the gang at Indianapolis and we went to see All the Right Moves. They went to get dinner afterward but I had to go back to Melvald's. Joyce didn't show up again today."

        "It must be hard for her, losing her son," Eurydice's face fell. "I can't imagine losing either you or Amara, I don't know what I'd do."

        It was only then that Kevin realized that his sister wasn't in the room with them, struggling to arrange her limbs in a way that was comfortable for her, complaining about some difficult assignment she had received, suggesting they watch The Empire Strikes Back or Raiders Of The Lost Ark (but because she loved everything science fiction, not because they both starred Harrison Ford). "Is Amara upstairs?" he asked.

        "She went to Robin's for a sleepover last night but she hasn't returned," Scott answered, momentarily muting the TV as an ad for Aqua Net Hairspray preceded Grease, one of Eurydice's all-time favorite movies. "She's probably still there, but your mother was worried because she didn't tell us she would be there another night."

        As the movie began and Eurydice leaned against Scott, her worry for her daughter temporarily forgotten, Kevin's face paled as he deciphered a potential explanation as to why Amara hadn't returned home. He had been wary of her plan from the start, protective of her just as any older sibling should be with their younger ones, and at that moment he reprimanded himself for not stopping Amara before her recklessness might cost her her life.

        "Kevin, is everything alright?" Scott inquired above the harmony of Summer Nights, and Eurydice turned down the volume in response. "You look a little pale."

        "I'm fine," Kevin muttered, trying to convince himself that Amara having been abducted or killed was just one of many possibilities. If she was still alive, he owed it to her to keep his mouth shut about what she was doing until she returned home.

        Eurydice wasn't convinced, her eyes narrowing in suspicion. "Kevin, do you know where Amara is?" she questioned, earning another "Stop worrying," from her husband.

        "No, I don't know where she is," Kevin bit out, because in truth he didn't know where his sister was or if she was even still alive. "Don't you think I would tell you if I did?"

        They let the matter drop and went back to watching the movie. It was just what Eurydice needed, something to relieve the stress of constantly fretting over Amara, and Scott was happy to not have to pay the electricity bill until the following morning. But as the only family member who truly knew why Amara wasn't home even if he didn't know where she was, Kevin didn't enjoy watching Grease as much as his parents did.

        He had to believe that Amara was safe. Like Eurydice, he didn't know what he would do if he lost her.

AMARA ABSENTMINDEDLY STARED OUT THE WINDOW of Jonathan's Ford LTD as they drove down Cornwallis. The night sky was clear and sprinkled with balls of gas light-years away from earth, their light centuries old or even outlasting the stars from which they came. Amara wondered if stars existed in the Upside Down or if the sky was too hazy for them to be discernible. It was a question she hoped she would never have to answer.

        The gang immediately split up into smaller groups upon arriving at Hawkins Middle. Jonathan and Hopper went to retrieve enough salt for a sensory deprivation tank to work, Nancy insisted that Mike accompany her in looking for hoses in one of the storage rooms, wanting to properly bond with her brother after years of them being at each other's throats, and Joyce and Eleven went to the science lab to find a pair of goggles and duct tape that would help make it dark enough for her to concentrate. This left Amara awkwardly standing in the gym as Lucas and Dustin attempted to set up the kiddie pool.

        "Try that side," Lucas suggested to Dustin as they tried to get the pool to stand to no avail. Dustin did as he was told, and the part that he had been holding immediately fell over.

        "Son of a bitch!" Dustin cursed.

        "Pull it back. Pull it back."

        "I am!"

        "You guys need any help over there?" Amara asked, mindful that Mike and Nancy would be back with the hoses soon.

        "Yes," they both chorused. Amara laughed and joined them, gesturing for them to move until they were standing in the formation of a triangle, all grasping a piece of the pool.

        "One, two, three," Lucas counted, and on three they lifted up their portions and took a few steps back. The edges that they weren't holding onto drooped as if straining to fall down again, but the pool remained upright for the most part.

        "Yes!" Dustin whooped. He nearly pumped his fist in the air but remembered that he was still holding the side of the pool and managed to catch it just as Nancy and Mike entered the gym.

        Despite the circumstances they were in, there was something incredibly thrilling to Amara about being a part of a team. Never before had she been a part of something bigger than herself, save for school projects where her old classmates prayed to not have to be partnered with her. As she hooked the hoses up to the sink and turned on both faucets, she knew that they would be able to carry out the experiment because enough people had pulled back the curtain and discovered that Will and Barb's disappearances were not as simple as drowning or running away, and she had played an important role by returning to investigate the strange figure in the middle of the road rather than letting it go as most people would. Amara was far from normal, but so was everyone else she was involved with, and she wanted to kick herself for not getting to know these remarkable people beforehand.

        "Colder!" Lucas, who was measuring the temperature of the water, called out to Amara, and she turned the left faucet on more.

        "Warmer!" Lucas yelled only a few seconds later, and Amara turned the right faucet on more, but only a little.

        "Right there!" Lucas informed Amara, holding up his hand in a signal for her to not make any further changes. After the pool was full, she turned off both faucets and joined the group in the center of the gym. Hopper and Jonathan started cutting what looked like dozens of bags of de-icing salt and pouring them into the water.

        "Wait, how will we know when it's enough?" Mike queried after Jonathan and Hopper had emptied about half of the bags of salt.

        "We could test it," Dustin proposed, a thoughtful look on his face.

        "I'm not getting in there," Lucas proclaimed, backing away from the pool and accidentally knocking into Nancy. Shotting her an apologetic glance, he reiterated, "Absolutely no way."

        "I mean with eggs, dumbass," Dustin explained, lightly punching Lucas's shoulder. "I don't think anyone wants to get in the water, other than El of course."

        The kitchen wasn't too far away from the gym, and the refrigerator thankfully contained several cartons of eggs. After the first one sank to the bottom of the pool, Hopper and Jonathan added more salt to the water. Several trials later Dustin succeeded in getting an egg to float, earning claps on the back from Mike and Lucas. Mike then produced his walkie-talkie from his backpack and placed it on a nearby table, turning it up to the maximum volume.

        At that moment Joyce and Eleven joined the group congregating around the pool, the former clutching the latter's hand to provide comfort. Eleven removed her socks and handed Mike's watch back to him before positioning the duct tape-covered goggles over her eyes. With guidance from Hopper and Joyce, she stepped into the water and laid down, floating with her limbs askew. The lights flickered similar to how Joyce's lamp had when Eleven had first tried to find Will and Barb in the Upside Down, but this time they shut off completely.

        The experiment was working.

        The gym became quiet with the only noise being the static from Mike's walkie-talkie and the occasional swish of water as the group waited with bated breath for Eleven to indicate that she had found Barb or Will. The silence was almost asphyxiating to Amara, who had to grip the edge of the pool in order to stop herself from fidgeting in anticipation. She momentarily stewed that someone would notice her near inability to sit still, but everyone was too focused on Eleven to pay her any mind and she let herself relax.

        "Barbara?" Eleven spoke abruptly, and everyone gasped in response. Nancy was especially tense, desperate to know that her friend was alive even if she wasn't safe. However, Eleven started breathing heavily, causing the electricity to pulse. Amara felt uneasy, aware that Barb was most likely dead if Eleven was reacting the way she was, but she didn't want to jump to conclusions until they had a definite answer.

        "What's going on?" Nancy questioned, also fearing the worst.

        "I don't know," Mike responded.

        "Is Barb okay?" Nancy asked Eleven, increasingly panicked. "Is she okay?"

        For a moment there was no response, but then Eleven said, "Gone." Nancy's hand flew to her mouth and tears sprung to her eyes. Self-loathing began to rise within her, knowing deep down that she was responsible for the death of her friend. Amara knew that no words would help Nancy feel better so she squeezed her hand, not caring when Nancy reciprocated the motion with such force that it became painful.

        "Gone," Eleven was hyperventilating, clearly having seen something terrifying. "Gone. Gone!" Hopper and Joyce clasped her hands in the hope of anchoring her, Joyce whispering soothing words to remind her that she was safe and nothing could harm her. It was enough for Eleven to slow her breathing and remember that she still needed to find Will. Even if he was in a similar state as Barb, she owed it to Joyce and Jonathan after she had been the one to open the gate and create this whole mess.

        "Castle Byers," Eleven said a few seconds later. Jonathan and Joyce glanced at each other but Nancy was too distraught to react, still clinging tightly to Amara's hand.

        "Will?" Eleven said, and Joyce gasped, wishing more than anything that her son was still alive, even if he was on the brink of death.

        "You tell him... tell him I'm coming," Joyce stammered, still holding onto Eleven. "Mom is coming."

        "Your mom... she's coming for you," Eleven whispered, presumably to Will.

        "Hurry," Will's voice echoed weakly from Mike's walkie-talkie.

        "Okay. Listen you tell him to... to stay where he is," Joyce told Eleven, remarkably calm for someone whose son was in imminent danger. "We're coming. We're coming, okay? We're coming, honey."

        "Just... just hold on a little longer," Eleven said to Will. "Will. Will."

        Eleven unexpectedly jolted upright, yanking the goggles from around her head. Joyce immediately embraced her, ameliorating her until her breathing became steady and she stopped crying out of fear. Joyce whispered words of gratitude to her, thanking her for confirming that her son was alive even if he was running out of time, for they now knew his precise location and wouldn't have to scour a dangerous realm without knowing where to look. But as Amara knew from the girl next to her clutching her hand like it was her lifeline, it had been too late for Barb.

AMARA WAS AWARE OF THE WORLD evolving around her as the group planned their next steps. The party wrapping Eleven in a towel and guiding her to sit on the bleachers. Joyce, Jonathan, and Hopper stepping outside the school. The sound of a car driving away. The door opening and closing as Jonathan returned inside and joined Amara and Nancy on the floor in the hallway outside the gym.

        It was their responsibility as the oldest to watch over the kids and ensure that Eleven remained hidden from the government. Joyce and Hopper had left to infiltrate the lab and rescue Will before he met the same fate as every other resident of Hawkins that had been abducted to the Upside Down. But it had reminded Amara that there was still a monster not only imperiling Will's life but Hopper and Joyce's as well, especially since they were bigger prey. Nancy appeared to be thinking along those lines as well.

        "We have to go back to the station," Nancy declared, still wracked with guilt about Barb.

        Jonathan was confused. "What?"

        "Your mom and Hopper are just walking in there like bait," Nancy elaborated, and Jonathan's eyes widened as he remembered that the creature responsible for his brother's disappearance was still in the Upside Down and poised to strike. "That thing is still in there. And we can't just sit here and let it get them, too. We can't."

        Jonathan nodded, knowing that he would be just as vengeful if Will had been the unlucky one - and there was still a chance he would be if Hopper and Joyce didn't reach him in time. "You still wanna try it out?"

        "I wanna finish what we started." Nancy's anguish had vanished, resolve now in its place. "I want to kill it."

        "Me too," Amara added. Even if the Demogorgon hadn't stolen her brother or best friend from her, she wanted it dead just as much as Jonathan and Nancy.

        With one last nod, the trio stood up and departed the school, on their own once more. But unlike the previous night, they now had a plan. They would be luring the Demogorgon to them rather than stumbling around in the darkness looking for it. The party would ensure that Eleven remained hidden in the school, safe from the government. And after a week of deceit and lies and a fake body, Joyce and Hopper were finally on their way to save Will and bring him home.

published to quotev: 6/2/22
published to wattpad: 6/27/24