***

(tw: physical and mental abuse)

A few years ago, when she was around twelve or thirteen, Sophie used to do paper rounds for her old neighbourhood. She didn't adapt quickly to the bike her father reluctantly purchased for her, having missed out on years of past lessons. There were a few tumbles and Sophie had to walk with it by her side a couple of times, but she had managed it by now.

The bike Dustin gave her was barely adult-sized, causing her to bend her knees and lean over the rusting handles. The wheels squeaked at every turn as she tried to keep up with the young boy, peddling fast down the street.

Grey and white feathered clouds drifted above their heads, faintly lit by the setting sun. In silence, she wondered if Hawkins had many tornadoes. Before they moved here, she read up on it and learnt they were somewhat common in Indiana, but she hadn't seen a single siren in the area.

They parked outside the residence of Mike and the rest of the Wheeler family, dropping their bikes onto the concrete. As Sophie leapt off, she said. "So, your friend, Mike, is Nancy's younger brother?"

She'd been asking a lot of questions on the way, and it was beginning to infuriate Dustin. "Yes!"

"And Jonathan's-"

"- Will's older brother, keep up!"

The pair approached the front door, and Dustin rang the doorbell, waiting outside. "Do you have an older sibling I don't know about?"

"No!" he exclaimed, angrily ringing the doorbell a second time. 

Then a third, shortly followed by a fourth, until he began to press it a relentless number of times -- he was going to break it if he wasn't careful. 

Soon enough, the door flew open, and they were greeted by a tight-lipped, partially grey-haired man with large glasses. "Your line has been busy for two hours, Mr. Wheeler. Do you realise this?"

"Oh, I do realise." Mr. Wheeler responded with a curt nod and half-closed eyes.

"Is Mike home?" the boy questioned.

He lightly shook his head. "No."

His eyes narrowed. "No?"

Sophie dropped her head back, groaning. "Why is everyone you need out today?"

Dustin didn't appreciate the constant commentary from his reluctant ally, but he withheld his disdain a little longer. "Well, where the hell is he?"

The man peeked back inside, raising his voice as he asked. "Karen, where's our son?"

His wife returned a prompt reply. "Will's!"

"Will's." Mr. Wheeler was about to close the door on the odd pair without uttering a single farewell.

The boy sighed, interrupting him. "No one's picking up there." His eyes brightened, his head jerking upwards. "Nancy -- what about Nancy?"

"Nancy knows about this?" This secret was bigger than she originally thought.

He glared at her, hissing through his teeth. "Shut up!"

Mr. Wheeler poked his head behind the front door. "Karen, where's Nancy?"

With an annoyed huff and a rougher vocal tone, his wife shouted. "Ally's!"

"Ally's." He turned back to the astonished Dustin. "Our children don't live here anymore. You didn't know that?"

The man's snark only infuriated Dustin further as Mr. Wheeler, bored senseless, sought to entertain himself. There was a life-threatening emergency, and if everyone else knew, they would not be so calm. "Seriously?"

"Am I done here?" he questioned, his tone lethargic.

"Son of a bitch -- you're really no help at all, you know that?" Dustin tugged at Sophie's sleeve, dragging her away from the Wheelers' house.

"Hey! Language." Mr. Wheeler sluggishly chastised him, but beyond that, he did nothing except close the front door and return inside.

Sophie pulled his arm back, stopping Dustin in his tracks. "What do we do now?"

He bit the inside of his cheek. "I don't know."

She tucked her hands into her jacket pockets and released a small, disbelieving laugh. "Have we finally exhausted all our options?"

"Don't even suggest calling Animal Control again." He warned.

"Well, who else is there?" All Sophie wanted was a peaceful weekend where she could just relax for once, but clearly, an otherworldly force desired for her to take a different path. "You clearly don't trust anyone with this secret -- not even your own mother, so there's really nothing we can do here-"

"But-"

"- Unless there's someone we haven't tried yet, which I extremely doubt!"

Dustin's lips parted, about to speak his mind when their equal attention was drawn to the rumbling of a car engine. A recognisable maroon BMW pulled up in front of the Wheeler's house, and what emerged from the driver's seat surprised the pair.

Overflowing with remorse, Steve Harrington jumped out of his car with a bouquet of red roses wrapped in fine paper. He didn't notice the pair on the driveway, instinctively adjusting his well-gelled hair and mumbling to himself.

Sophie knew who he was here for. She glanced at Dustin, noticing the strange gleam in his eyes. Did Steve know what was going on as well?

"Steve?" she called out.

He paused, his head snapping to the right. His gaze fixed on the blonde, and his brows furrowed. "Sophie?" A million questions ran through his head, though he only asked one. "What are you doing here?"

Dustin took the lead, marching towards the older boy with newfound confidence. "Are those for Mr and Mrs. Wheeler?"

Steve glanced down at the flowers, his upper lip curling as he briefly shook his head. "No."

"Good." In one swift movement, Dustin snatched the roses out of his hand and headed towards his car.

"Hey, what the hell? Hey!" he fumbled his words.

"Nancy isn't home." He told him.

His forehead wrinkled, squinting up at Dustin. "Where is she?"

"Doesn't matter." He retorted. "We have bigger problems than your love life."

Sophie balled her left hand into a fist and extended her thumb towards Dustin, asking Steve. "You know this kid?"

"Yeah, only briefly," Steve mentioned. His fingers grazed his chin as he glanced back at Sophie. "Why are you hanging out with him anyway?"

"I'm not." She declared, even though it was a slight fib. Sophie crossed her arms, blowing a loose bit of hair out of her face. "Well, not willingly. He's forcing me to help him."

"Sophie, we don't have time for this." Dustin opened the passenger side door, looking at Steve. "Do you still have that bat?"

His shoulders slumped, appearing clueless as he half-heartedly flapped his arms. "Bat? What bat?"

He waved the flowers, the paper crunching between his fingers. "The one with the nails?"

Her breath hitched and she raised her eyebrows. "The one with the what?"

The boys ignored her, Steve questioning. "Why?"

Dustin soon assured him. "I'll explain it on the way."

As he was about to climb into the front seat, Sophie leapt into his action, reaching her hand out. "Hold on," the boy froze as she pointed behind him, "back seat!"

He glimpsed back at the car door and then at Sophie. "What, why?"

If there was one thing she was going to prove today, Sophie would not let anyone push her around. Her face was almost mauled due to this kid's foolishness, so she was done tolerating the young boy.

"Because you're the child here." The young woman insisted, marching towards him with a raised voice. "Get in the back!"

They really didn't have time for this arguing, and they were both tired of the constant back and forth. So, instead of biting back, he decided to give in. "Fine!"

Sophie grasped the rim of the passenger side door as Steve questioned. "The hell's going on?"

"We'll explain it on the way, I guess?" she hesitated, repeating Dustin's earlier comment. "Actually, he can do the explaining part because I still have no idea what I've gotten myself into." 

And she didn't really expect to drag Steve into this mess with her. This whole thing was far-fetched, but if Steve had done this sort of thing before, she hoped that he would believe it.

He didn't move, his feet rooted to the spot, staring back at her with a slack expression. "Now?"

"Now!" Dustin yelled from inside the car, slamming his door.

"Just do what he says -- the kid's a maniac." Her grip tightened, gritting her teeth with tensed muscles and a bulging gaze. Steve stammered, but no words left his mouth as he jogged back around the car. They climbed inside, and as Sophie closed her door, she glimpsed Dustin in the rearview mirror. "Wait, what about the bikes?"

"Oh," he peered out the window before returning a quick shrug, "the Wheelers have a growing collection, don't worry."

To be honest, the bikes were the least of her concerns; there properly weren't many bike thieves in town. And besides, they still had to deal with the thing in Dustin's basement.

***

Night had fallen by the time they had retrieved Steve's weird nail bat from his house. They found it under some old tarp in his garage, and he mentioned that he wanted it to remain hidden, especially from his parents. Though they weren't the type to pry, he remained cautious, and apparently, it wasn't even his, to begin with.

As they drove through the dark, Queen's Hammer to Fall blasted on the radio. Sophie's elbow sat by the window, and she leaned her head against her knuckles, deep in thought. "I know you said you play baseball, but can I ask why you have that bat?"

His mouth opened and closed a few times, struggling to describe the situation. "Souvenir?"

With a slight tilt of the head, she stared at Steve, the corner of her lip twitching. "What kind of baseball game did you play then?"

"Err -- it was less of a game," his tongue brushed the blunt tips of his front teeth, "more of a "fight to survive" kinda thing."

Dustin jerked forward, glaring at him. "Steve, shut up!"

He frowned, puzzled by his sudden outburst. "What? Didn't you tell her what happened last year?"

"No, and I'm not going to!" The boy squeaked. "And you shouldn't tell her either!"

"What is with all the secrets around here?" Sophie lifted her head, unfurling her hand. She eyed both of them, her mind racing. "I thought this would be the kind of town where everyone knew everything about everybody."

Steve scoffed in an ironic manner. "Yeah, turns out we don't know anything either because-"

"Hey -- zip it!" Dustin interrupted, reprimanding the older boy. "Not another word, okay?"

Silence returned to the vehicle, and Sophie slumped into her seat, dreading her eventual journey home. She would've missed dinner by now, though that should be considered lucky. Every Saturday, her dad would make this disgusting sludge that he claimed was tuna casserole. The truth in the matter was that he couldn't cook for shit, and he only did it to "give Susan a break".

It didn't take long for Steve to pipe up again, recounting a previous question. "Wait a sec. How big?"

Dustin sighed, raising his hands. Two fingers stuck out, directly parallel and only a few inches apart. "First it was like that." He released his other fingers, expanding the size of the creature. "Now he's like this."

He shook his head. "I swear to God, man -- it's just some little lizard, okay?"

Of course, Steve thought they were exaggerating the emergency. It's like when someone claims to see this giant spider in the room when in truth, it's barely the size of a regular palm, and it's more likely afraid of you than anything.

But this situation was different. "It's not a lizard."

Sophie backed up his claim. "It tried to eat my face!"

He drew in a short breath. "Are you sure?"

"Yes!" Why would she lie about something like this? She could still see its petal-like head and the many rows of teeth that weren't too far away from her bare flesh.

Steve remained the sceptic, querying. "How do you know?"

Dustin's jaw dropped. "How do we know if it's not a lizard?"

"Yeah," he raised his voice, exclaiming, "how do you know it's not just a lizard?!"

"Because his face opened up and it ate my cat." He stated, silencing Steve's doubt once and for all.

His lips parted, calmly exhaling as he assessed Dustin's words. Sophie turned her head towards him with her right two fingers pressed against her temple. "I had to cover up a murder scene because he was threatening me."

Now, that was surprising. Large creases formed on his forehead, briefly glancing between the two. "Him?"

Her cheeks tightened as she swallowed, her gaze drifting from Steve to the dashboard. "Yeah."

His mouth continued to widen as his eyes started to narrow. "How?"

It was awkward to admit now since it was such a stupid threat. "He was gonna tell people I killed it."

He scoffed again. "Like they'd believe him."

Dustin gawked. "Hey!"

"Well, I couldn't just do nothing and walk away. He wouldn't even let me call Animal Control." She told him.

Sophie thought Steve would be inclined to agree since they were basically sending him to do their dirty work. But, to her shock, he just nodded. "To be honest, I can see why," started Steve, "with all the NDAs and such."

She straightened up. "NDAs?"

"Ugh," Dustin held his head in his hands, annoyed by the truths slipping off the older boy's tongue, "Steve!"

Her body grew rigid, shuffling in her seat. "What NDAs?"

"It's nothing, okay? I was joking!" They saw right through his lie, including himself. He rubbed the left side of his face, moving up to his temple and then down his cheek. "Jesus Christ..."

This was just getting more and more senseless as time went on. As Steve parked outside Dustin's house, Sophie commented. "You guys are so weird."

They exited the car, wandering around to the back of Steve's trunk. He opened it up and threw the keys at Dustin, who caught it just in time. From the shadows, Steve reached inside, retrieving the nail bat by its handle. Sophie took a step back, not wanting to be in the range of that deadly weapon. Steve glared at Dustin for a brief moment, praying this wasn't some cruel prank or weird joke before shutting the trunk once more.

The three made their way over to the chained basement doors, and the light from Steve's flashlight reflected against the metal. They halted in front of the hatch with Sophie standing on Steve's right while Dustin remained on his left.

He leaned forward slightly, hesitating. "I don't hear shit."

Dustin surmised his monstrous pet would have given up by now, roaming the basement with murderous intent. "He's in there."

Steve gave the door a light tap, leaving a short echo but beyond that -- nothing.

She cocked her head upwards, her lips curving into a smirk. "Are you scared?"

"No, I'm testing the waters." Truth be told, he was scared shitless. The year before had shaken him to his core, and it was all because he wanted to apologise to Jonathan and Nancy -- it must be a recurring theme.

He licked his lips and tapped the door again, using more force to gain a reaction from inside. Still, there was no response. Steve paused before pivoting on his heel and shining the flashlight in Dustin's face. "All right, listen, kid." The younger boy winced. "I swear, if this is some sort of Halloween prank, you're dead."

"It's not."

"All right?"

"It's not a prank." He stated, his eyes half-closed. "Get it out of my face."

Then, he turned to Sophie, the torch blinding her as well. "And if this is another "releasing your emotions" type shit-"

"It's not-" she glowered.

"- You're dead." He already had a shitty week -- he didn't need it to get worse.

Her eyes began to adjust as she pursed her lips. "You know if you lay one finger on me, you're dead, right?"

He curved his wrist, twisting the flashlight around in his hand before lowering it. "I'll be careful when hiding the body then."

The girl scowled. "Har-har."

Steve glanced back at Dustin. "You got a key for this thing?"

He patted his burgundy hoodie, digging into his pockets. Dustin leaned on his hip, his mouth tightly clenched into a flat line. Finally, he pulled out the key, now covered in lint. Steve took it from his hands, swapping the flashlight for it. The fluff was brushed away from the metal as Steve bent his knees and slipped the key into the padlock. He pulled it apart, unravelling the chains that bound the handles. 

Gently, he swung one door open, then the other, peering down the stairs into the near-pitch black room. Dustin shone the flashlight, searching the basement for the creature. 

"Let me see that." Steve snatched the flashlight back and crouched down, taking a better look at the surroundings.

There was no sign of Dart, which only caused Steve's doubt to grow. The younger boy continued to assure him the creature existed. "He must be further down there."

"Maybe it got tired and went to sleep?" Sophie suggested. After all those escape attempts, it was a large possibility.

"I'll stay up here in case he tries to..." Steve glared at Dustin, his lips pressed. The boy swallowed, awkwardly finishing his sentence. "...escape."

Sophie agreed with his sentiment; it was safer up here. "Yeah, me too." He twisted his form back towards her. She shuddered, the very thought of that creature sending chills down her spine. "What? It tried to chew my face off last time. I'm not taking any risks!"

Someone had to be the "hero" and, with some reluctance, Steve took the role handed to him.  He hid his fear well, retaining false confidence as he stepped beyond the threshold, scanning the darkness with the flashlight. Maybe the thing was waiting for him down below, ready to strike -- or it could be like that other creature, hiding in the walls.

The others remained at the top, watching his descent with unease. There had to be a reason why it hadn't attacked yet, and it only made Sophie grow more uncertain about this idea. As he reached the bottom, switching the basement light on, Sophie pouted, musing to herself.

She swivelled her shoulder towards Dustin, her arms folded. "So, if we found one of your friends instead, would you send them down?"

He leaned away from her, offended. "No, of course not!"

"So, do you just not like Steve then?" There had to be some reason they were putting his life in jeopardy.

Dustin shrugged, staring at the hatch again. "I wouldn't say that. I just don't know him as well."

"Okay," she scratched the bridge of her nose, "so why do you trust him over Mr. Wheeler with this?"

His focus remained on the basement, barely tearing his eyes away from the illuminated room. "I'll explain later."

Sophie's tongue flicked the roof of her mouth. "You mean never, right?"

"Shh!" he hissed through his teeth. Dustin shuffled forward, listening out for any movement down below -- it had been too quiet. "Steve?"

Okay, this was a terrible idea. She should have gone down with him, instead of sending him to his death like a coward. But if he was hurt, wouldn't they hear his screams or at least the growls and spluttering roars of the creature?

Sophie edged closer to the opening. "Steve, are you okay?" She shared a nervous glance with Dustin, unnerved by the tense silence. Her chest tightened, the tendons in her neck sticking out. If something bad happened to him, she would never forgive herself. "Steve-!"

A bright light shone into their faces from the bottom of the stairs, startling the pair. They jerked backwards, Sophie raising a hand to block out the glare. Steve, unharmed and alive, beckoned them. "Get down here."

He really got them worked up over nothing?

Sophie lowered her hand, exhaling through her flared nostrils. "Seriously?"

"Come on!" he yelled at the pair.

In her mind, she reasoned that her theory was correct; the creature had tired itself out and was sound asleep. Either that or it had died, and truthfully, she preferred if it did. 

But as they descended the basement stairs, a rotten stench wafted under their noses. An odd fluttering made itself welcome in the pit of her stomach. Sophie grimaced as she followed Dustin to the bottom. 

Once Steve was within reach, he raised his bat above his waist, and hanging on the end of it was its peeled-off skin, lined with a wet, crystalline shimmer. Sophie clasped a hand over her mouth, her throat throbbing as she held back a gag.

Dustin knew what it meant -- it had grown again. "Oh, shit."

This thing was gruesome whatever it was, snarling like a rabid dog and shedding its skin like a snake. "Oh, my god. That's..."

"... Disgusting?" Steve finished for her.

She nodded, almost choking on an uncomfortable gulp. "Yeah."

Slime dripped off the layer of skin, leaving little puddles on the concrete floor. "Yeah, I thought so too."

Sophie lowered her hand, her eyes searching the room for the enlarged beast -- yet, it was nowhere to be seen. "Wait, where's Dart?"

His jaw turned, shifting his bat more to the right. To their collective surprise, it pointed to a newly dug tunnel in the wall. Dustin's eyes widened, his mouth falling open. "Oh, shit!" They wandered towards the hole, realising in horror that he had found a way to escape, "No way..." and that meant his little pet was out in the world now. "No way."

Now, they were in deep shit.

"How big is he now?" asked Sophie.

Dustin swallowed, his face twisting into a pained expression. "Big enough to chew off more than just your face."

Oh, she thought, great.

***

Sophie remained cautious on the drive home, hoping it wasn't planning a surprise attack. The creature didn't have a nose, but according to Dustin, it could smell blood from miles away. Steve assured her they would catch this thing as she stepped out of his car.

They had agreed to meet the next day, early in the morning by the long stretch of woods that surrounded Hawkins. Dustin said he knew a place where they could lead Dart and, for some reason, they trusted his word.

Like the day before, the pair said their goodbyes at the edge of Cherry Lane. He said he'd pick her up in the same place, but she was unsure whether that would be possible or not. She hid her dread from him as she exited the car, wringing her fingers together.

The house was within sight, the Camaro's paintwork shimmering in the dim moonlight. Sophie heard Steve's car drive away behind her, vanishing into the night. She wandered under a flickering streetlight, nearing her house.

As she approached, her eyes were drawn to the living room window, its curtains wide open. Inside, sitting on the ledge, was her brother, who, when spotting her on the road, leered at her. Sophie froze mid-way, caught in his glare like a deer in headlights.

Slowly, his head turned away, addressing their father in the background. He stood up from his armchair, peering outside. Sophie couldn't quite make out the expression on his face, increasing the gnawing dread that picked and pecked at her insides. Neil rolled his neck downwards, his gaze fixed on Susan. His lips parted, uttering something brief that made her stand up as well -- only she left the room instead.

Her breath caught her in her lungs, weighing her down as she took the first step towards the front door. She pulled on her jacket pockets, drawing it close as her chest caved in. Sophie grasped the door handle, finding it unlocked as she twisted the knob.

Yellow light poured through the gap, illuminating her shadowed face. She slipped inside the house, closing the door behind her. She sucked in a deep breath, slowly lifting her head to meet her father's piercing gaze.

Neil opened his mouth to speak, but before he could a word in edgeways, Sophie intercepted him, her arms going limp by her sides. "Where the hell have I been, right?" That was the usual shit they'd start with nowadays. It wasn't like her to be out and about without Billy, so she was still getting used to the questions being directed towards her. "I was at my friend's house."

"No, you weren't," Billy stated, still sitting on the windowsill. His left arm sat on the peak of his knee, staring his sister down.

Sophie's head snapped towards him, lowering her brows. "Yes, I was. I told you on the phone."

He leaned forward. "You mean you lied on the phone."

What was he doing?

Heat coursed through her body, a tingling flush appearing on the back of her neck. Her thumb rubbed the edge of her forefinger as she shed a nervous smile. "You can't prove that."

"Actually, he can." Their father declared. She turned back to Neil, confused. "Your brother took the liberty of visiting your friend's house."

"Robin Buckley." Warmth prickled into her cheeks as her brother stood up, angling his head to the left. "That's who you said on the phone, right?"

Her jaw dropped, a strangled-sounding gasp exiting her throat. "How did you-?"

"Hawkins has a reliable phonebook," he mentioned, barely hiding his malicious tone, "and small towns are quite easy to navigate." Not in her case it seemed, but that didn't matter. "It was a last resort really since she's not that popular in school, so hardly anyone knew who she was." Billy crossed his arms, eyeing her. "And you know she didn't seem too stricken with grief because she doesn't even have a cat."

She should have never thrown Robin's name into this mess, but Sophie never considered her brother would go that far. "You're checking up on me now?"

"Billy's doing the right thing. He's looking out for you." Neil reasoned, agreeing with his son for once.

"It's stalking!" It was a betrayal of trust, through and through. Billy's habit of scaring people off had passed from Max to her; she hoped he didn't threaten or hurt Robin -- not even Sophie knew where she lived. God, what was she gonna say to her on Monday?

"At least I'm not the one lying around here." There was a change in his demeanour, his muscles loosening. "You should have seen the look on Max's face when I pulled up." The corner of his mouth twitched -- as if he wanted to smile. "She was really hoping you'd be there instead."

Her chin trembled. "I-I didn't mean to ditch her, I swear-" 

Before she could finish her sentence, Neil stormed forward and grasped her shirt, forcing her backwards. Her spine slammed into the wall, and her shoulder blades stung from the impact. "Tell us the truth." His hand pressed into the top of her chest. "Where have you been?"

Sophie's gaze wandered from her father to her twin brother,  releasing a light cough. "Billy, please."

He returned a blank stare, unfazed by her pleads. His arms dropped as he turned away from her, leaving the room. Her eyes followed him down the hallway before he disappeared into his bedroom and shut the door, leaving Sophie to her fate.

"Looks like you've run out of luck, you little brat." Neil expressed. Shallow puffs of air escaped from her, rendered speechless by her brother's actions. "Now tell me the truth."

Billy always defended her -- he promised. Maybe he was just tired of fighting back; lord knows she was. What was the point in trying anyway? She knew what her father wanted to hear, so why should she deny him of the right lie -- the only one he'd believe?

Sophie bowed her head in defeat, murmuring. "I was with a boy..."

His grip loosened a little, the hairs under his nose fluttering as he breathed in. Neil wiped the spit off his chin, angling his head away. For a moment, Sophie wondered if she was in the clear, but she quickly brushed that thought aside.

And as she predicted, Neil came in for the attack, striking his palm across her cheek. Sophie released a choked sob, struggling to contain her tears. He lifted a finger, pointing at an acute angle. "I raised you better than that."

"I'm sorry, Dad." Her voice broke.

"You're grounded," he grasped a hold of her chin, twisting her head towards him, "for a whole month." A tear rolled down her rosy cheek. "And if I get wind of you acting out again," his breath stank of alcohol, "I'll make sure you never leave this house."

He released her, and Sophie's back slipped against the wall, falling slightly. She sniffed, wiping her cheeks as Neil returned to his armchair, his body slumping into the leather. Sophie rubbed her shoulder, her chest falling up and down as she choked on oxygen.

"You can forget about dinner. I want you to go straight to bed." Neil glanced back at her, looking his daughter up and down. As he turned his head away, he mentioned. "You're putting on weight anyway."

Her father always did have a way with words -- he knew what stung. 

The sleeve of her jacket dabbed at her face, drying off her tears. She swallowed a breath, fleeing down the hallway, her heart in her throat. All she wanted to do was disappear, and Sophie didn't care if people came looking; she'd make sure they'd never find her.

But then she reached an open door, and her gaze landed on her stepsister, squatting on her bedroom floor. Sophie brushed her thumb against her lip, clearing her throat. She stepped into the doorframe of Max's bedroom. "Hey."

Max didn't acknowledge her presence, too focused on the bottle of superglue in her hands. Sophie's eyes fell to the skateboard on her crossed legs, soon realising it was no longer in one piece. The thick wood had been snapped in half, leaving both sides with a jagged edge, and Max was trying to glue it back together.

Sophie's lips parted, frowning. "What happened to your board?"

She slammed the bottle on the ground, biting the inside of her cheek. Her head tilted upwards, glaring at her stepsister. "What do you think happened?"

No human hands could have pulled this off -- but a car that weighed tons could easily cause some damage to something that small.

She could imagine the satisfaction on her brother's face, knowing he'd finally destroyed Max's spirit. That skateboard was the last source of happiness she had in this place. Not only that, he did it to prove a point -- not just to Max, but to Sophie. He could destroy anything or anyone that got in his way.

Billy wasn't protecting Sophie anymore -- he was keeping her in chains.

"Max, I'm so sorry -- I got caught up in something." Sophie didn't want to lose their new bond, not now. The tranquillity she sought with Billy came through with Max, and she didn't want that taken away from her.

"Save it." The number of lies told to Max on a daily basis had finally worn her down. And even when the truth seemed within reach, doubt always managed to seep in.

"Please, just -- I'll make it up to you!" the girl pleaded with her.

She threw her broken skateboard off her lap and jumped up, yelling. "I don't want anything from you. You're just like them!" 

No. No, she didn't want that. Sophie wasn't like her family -- she couldn't be. Her efforts to be a good sister couldn't go unnoticed, and not by Max.

But in her eyes, Sophie was her wicked stepsister; one of the villains in her story, only causing trouble for the poor girl. She grasped her bedroom door, her lip quivering. "You can forget about my offer."

"Max, wait-" It was too late, Max slamming the door in her face. "Max, I'm sorry!" Sophie was left in the shadowed hallway, completely alone. She sobbed, her hand fixed on the doorframe. "Max!"

She was so stupid. She was so fucking stupid. She -- what good was she in this world?

Coming to this crummy town was the worst idea imaginable; it was so unbelievably foolish. She was naive to think that things could change for the better -- that her father's poison wouldn't seep into the walls and soak their house in bitter hatred. Life was so much worse in Hawkins, especially now Billy and Max hated her.

Sophie retreated into her room, locking her bedroom door with the bolt. Tears pooled on the hoods of her eyelids, overflowing like her guilt. She collapsed onto her bed, weeping into her body. A damp patch started to form on her pillow, but she didn't care -- not anymore.

It was a mistake coming back home, especially when she knew what was waiting for her. She couldn't stay where she didn't belong, but she couldn't pack up and leave either.

 It was easy for her mother -- she knew what she was doing. Marjorie had funds stored under her name, a bag already packed under her bed, and a friend who could provide her shelter long enough for her to get a job.

Marjorie promised her daughter that she would come back for them in the end. But the last time the Hargrove twins saw her was when she ended her marriage for good, signing it all away on the dotted line. She relinquished her last name, and she never came back for her children.

That sinking loneliness was finally taking its toll, dragging her deeper into this endless pit of nothing.

She needed to get out. Just for the night, she needed to be free. And the boys were expecting her the next day, ready to catch this thing. If she stood them up, what would they think of her? Unless...

... Sophie knew where to go.

***

Steve didn't know what time it was when the doorbell startled him awake. At first, he thought he dreamt it -- until a minute later when it went off again. He sat up, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes as he slipped out of bed. His grogginess failed to remind him he was only in a grey shirt and underpants as he wandered onto the landing.

He travelled down the stairs, his hand sliding down the varnished bannister. His parents still weren't home from their travels, leaving him to answer the door. For a moment, he wondered if Demogorgons could ring the doorbell, but he brushed the foolish notion aside as he reached into the basket by his door, retrieving the key and slipping it into the lock.

The doorknob twisted fast under his firm grip, choosing to unlock only one door out of two. He pulled it back and standing on the front porch, her face partially lit by the lamp on the wall, was Sophie.

She stared back at him with bloodshot eyes, her cheeks red and splotchy. "Hi."

"Hey." His arm fell to his side. He squinted in the blinding light. "I-I thought we were meeting in the morning?"

"Yeah, I know." She looked down at her hands, tapping her thumbs together. "I just can't be at home right now." 

Sophie had waited until they were all asleep, staying up until an ungodly hour to avoid being caught. She snuck out through her window with a semi-heavy backpack pulling on her shoulders, and though her knees ached when she hit the ground, no one heard her painful groans. At least her house didn't have more than one floor, then they'd have a problem.

"I didn't know where else to go, and I wasn't planning on staying at Dustin's." She couldn't go to Robin's either, believing it to be the first place her family would look. Then again, Sophie didn't even know the address, so what was the point?

Her gaze drifted towards his red underpants momentarily -- before she blinked, pretending she never looked. 

"This is the only route I remember, so..." she glanced off to the side, tapping her foot, "... do you mind?" Sophie turned back, pursing her lips. "It's just for one night, I swear."

"No, it's fine." He backed up, nudging the door open more. "Can't have you catching hyperthermia out here."

The corners of her lips fluttered upwards, relieved. "Thanks."

***

Yeah, Steve and Sophie basically assumed the roles of Dustin's parents. Also, I looked it up and Indiana has roughly twenty-two tornadoes per year. So why the hell hasn't there been a tornado plotline in the show? Come on, that would be so cool. Like, an Upside Down tornado.

It's the start of monster-hunting season, but Sophie will soon learn there's more at stake than just one mutant creature on the run.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter and if you did, please leave a vote or comment because I love talking to you all. Thank you so much for 3K reads. I'm honestly blown away. I love you all xx

- Alice.