"Told you, trauma."

DART

The radio club of Hawkins Middle School gathered around the table expectantly. The door was closed, and the lights were off, except for a small desk lamp focused on a fake ghost trap Dustin had replicated from Ghostbusters for his Halloween costume. A few hours earlier, the same curly-haired boy had arrived late to class and asked everyone to meet him at this exact time to show them something. They had expected anything but what they now saw inside that makeshift box.

"His name is D'Artagnan," Dustin declared, holding up a slimy creature that looked like a mix between a lizard and a slug, though it didn't quite match the characteristics of any known species. He cradled it delicately in his hands, clearly trying to avoid hurting it. "Cute, right?"

Lilith wrinkled her nose. Her definition of "cute" clearly didn't align with Dustin's, but her curiosity sparkled in her eyes regardless.

"D'Artagnan?" Mike asked, unconvinced.

"Dart for short," Dustin clarified, his fascination with the creature evident as he stared at it with hypnotized eyes. Lilith raised an eyebrow, leaning in for a closer look.

"Think 'Dart' fits better," she commented honestly, resting her arms on the table. "It's easier."

Mike shot her a pointed glare, still unclear why Max and Lilith were even here. Lilith responded with a cynical smile, growing tired of his attitude.

"And he was in your trash?" Max asked, shifting the focus back to Dart and debating whether the creature was gross or interesting.

"Foraging for food," Dustin nodded eagerly, glancing between Dart and Max before offering, "You wanna hold him?"

Max recoiled, shaking her head abruptly. "No, I don't—"

Before she could finish, Dustin placed the little creature in her hands, ignoring her protests. The redhead yelped, clearly horrified. "Oh, God, he's so slimy!" She quickly passed Dart to Lucas, who grimaced, holding it as briefly as possible.

"Ugh, he's like a living booger," Lucas complained, passing Dart to Lilith. She immediately felt her stomach turn.

"Uh, no thanks," she muttered, handing Dart to Will, who, despite his hesitation, took it and grimaced before quickly passing it to Mike.

Unlike the others, Mike handled Dart gently, inspecting him with focused curiosity. "What is he?" he asked.

"My question exactly!" Dustin exclaimed, pulling out a stack of books about reptiles and amphibians. "At first, I thought he was some type of pollywog." He slapped a book onto the table, flipping to a marked page.

"A pollywog?" Max questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"It's another word for tadpole," Dustin explained, irritated at being interrupted. Catching the puzzled expressions on both girls' faces, he elaborated. "A tadpole is the larval stage of a toad."

"I know what a tadpole is," Max shot back, offended by his condescension.

Lilith, on the other hand, mumbled to herself, repeating the explanation as she processed it. "The larval stage of... Ah! Renacuajo!" she exclaimed, her face lighting up.

Everyone stared at her, baffled. "Rena-what?" Lucas asked.

"Renacuajo," she repeated, then added, "It's Spanish."

Max raised her eyebrows, suddenly remembering that Lilith was half-Hispanic. "It means tadpole, I guess," Max said, glancing at her friend for confirmation. Lilith nodded.

"Okay, so we all know what a tadpole is," Dustin interrupted, redirecting their attention to Dart. "Tadpoles are mostly aquatic, right?" At the group's silence, he continued, "Well, Dart isn't. He doesn't need water."

"Yeah, but aren't there non-aquatic pollywogs?" Lucas asked thoughtfully.

"Terrestrial pollywogs?" Dustin's eyes gleamed. "Yep. Two, to be exact." He flipped open a book, pointing to a page. "The Indirana semipalmata from India." He opened another book to a different marked page. "And the Adenomera andreae from South America." Setting both books down, he grinned. "So how did one end up in my trash?"

"Maybe some scientist brought it here, and it escaped?" Max offered, leaning over the table.

"Uh," Lilith interjected, the image of Hawkins Lab flashing in her mind. She quickly dismissed it, reminding herself that the lab specialized in other areas. "Not likely. The only lab nearby studies people's minds," she said vaguely.

"Like... psychologically?" Max asked, confused.

Lilith smirked, flashes of her sister being studied in secret experiments running through her mind. "I guess, sort of," she said, shrugging evasively. The less anyone knew about that lab, the better.

Lucas squinted at her, clearly skeptical, like if he knew something. "How do you know that?" he asked, narrowing his eyes.

Before Lilith could respond, Mike, who had been closely observing Dart, interrupted. "Do you see that?" he asked, pointing to a spot inside the creature. "Looks like something's moving in there."

Everyone leaned in, tense. Someone turned on a flashlight, illuminating Dart. The moment the light hit him, Dart screeched and jumped off the table. Gasps filled the room, but Dustin caught him mid-air.

"It's okay, it's okay!" Dustin reassured them, gently cradling Dart. The others stared at him as if he'd lost his mind—except for Will, who was frozen in fear, his eyes glued to the creature.

"And here's another thing," Dustin continued, oblivious to Will's reaction. "Reptiles are cold-blooded. Ectothermic, right?" He glanced around, waiting for a response. "They love heat, the sun." He paused dramatically. "But Dart hates it. It hurts him."

"So if he's not a pollywog or a reptile..." Lucas crossed his arms.

"Then I've discovered a new species!" Dustin declared triumphantly, stroking Dart like a proud pet owner.

Will's tension radiated from his body as shock overtook him from Dustin's affirmation, his breathing growing rapid and uneven. Lilith noticed him out of the corner of her eye and felt a pang of concern. Ever since last night, she had been acutely aware of the weight he carried—the lingering trauma of his disappearance and the profound impact it had left on him. She felt compelled to look out for him, sensing a faint resemblance between his struggles and those of her sister. Just as she was about to reach out to him, the bell rang, cutting the moment short.

"Hello?" Max and Lilith stomped against the closed door before her eyes. Frustration ran through their blood bursting out confused. They both were showing the new discovery to their science teacher with Lucas and Dustin and before they could even say a thing Mike rushed to take the evidence and dragged them all into the radio club room, shutting the door close in front of their noses. "Hello?" the ginger repeated, not wanting to give up.

Lilith, tired of all the secrecy and mysterious air following them everywhere they go, sat down, leaning her head against the door. "Guys, come on." While Max continued stomping the wood, the brunette wondered if it was really worth it trying to get in when they were only pushing them away. It had been eleven minutes and they still kept talking as if it were a conference dictaminating their lives. Gazing at her watch, Lilith sighed exasperated and stomped once more. "Can we come in yet?"

"No!" The answer shut them instantly by the determination and volume Mike projected it like a little kid refused to give you their little teddy bear.

Kicking the door, getting even more frustrated the brunette tripped off and rolled into herself.

"I said no!" The Wheeler boy repeated from the inside.

"How rude." she mumbled while she got up like nothing happened, shaking her pants.

"I know, Mike's unbearable." Max sat by her side, patting a little paper ball with her foot. Irritation was taking over her, moving to Hawkins wasn't in her plans, but she thought maybe things were starting to work out, that at least she found somewhere to escape from her step-brother and her house. Seems Mike had other plans. He was starting to push her over the edge.

"Unbearable? That's short for him." little Torres bursted, she got sick of the kid the same first words they both exchanged. Seriously, what was wrong with him? He held all this seriousness, individual energy closed to anything out of the old that almost scared her. Mostly when he projected it all on them as girls. Or at least, that was her perception. "You know what? I think he just hates girls."

Max smirked at her occurrence. "Didn't he have a sister?" she questioned curiosity, grabbing her bagg looking for something.

"Actually two," Lilith answered, lightened up by the subject in question. "maybe he just got sick of femininity, being mostly surrounded by women." she theorized obliviously of the clip in her friend's hand. "Or maybe he has a trauma with a girl in the group." she grew even more offering different theories to explain his shit of behaviour while Max tried somehow to force the door with the clip. "Maybe..."

"Why don't you ask him yourself?" Lilith's brows wrinkled, confused, to finally face the ginger.

"What are you doing?" Max shut her with a hand gesture trying to focus into her work. "Oh..." realisation lighted her mind drawing a playful grin in both of the girls when the lock clicked shutting the door open and leaving something run out, better said Dart, with two brand new paws.

The four kids rushed out trying to catch him, falling on top of the both girls as they tripped over. "Where did he go?" Mike burke furious, looking for the creature in every possible direction he could have gone.

"What was that?" Max grinned, disoriented getting up from the floor.

"Dart!" seemed Mike got appropriate the voice of the group on the worst moment since anger was taking over him. "You let him escape!" he glared at both of them, and guilt crept in, heavy and silent. By opening the door they didn't mean to get Dustin's discovery lost.

"Why did you attack him?" tension raised when Dustin pushed against him. However Mike seemed to care less about his complainings and questions, and more about Dart's location, since he just brushed it all off and rushed to look for him. "Don't hurt him!" The cup kid boy repeated while Max and Lilith interlocked looked completely puzzled. What had just happened there?

"Seriously, I think we should at least apologize to Dustin." Lilith voiced herself from the boys dressing room, projecting her voice so Max could listen to her from the other side of the hall. After Dart escaped from the radio club room, indirectly because of them, the group of kids separated to look for Dustin's discovery all over the school. And while the boys decided to go on their own way separately, both girls walked together along the gym to cover more ground.

"Why?" Max leaned out from the girls dressing room door with furrowed brows and walked into the boys one where she found the brunette looking for the creature between some towels. The ginger had already done looking inside the girls dressing room.

"His pet got lost because of us not respecting the boundaries." Lilith faced her, leaving the towels back where they were. "I feel bad about it." she expressed, honestly.

"Boundaries?" Max's brows widen concerned, tightening her grab into her skate. "I wouldn't call it boundaries, I would call it shutting us in the face when you first invited us to the party."

Lilith held his gaze, her eyes narrowing in obvious disapproval. "Well, it's what they did."

"It's what Mike did." her friend corrected turning into the lockers to take a look there.

Lilith pressed her lips impotent and continued her research. She couldn't deny it. "Screw him, I don't even think he wanted us there." the brunette commented impassive, she had given up on him a long time ago. "I'm talking about Dustin, we lost Dart."

"No, we didn't," Max emphasized, searching for her friend's eyes to express her frustration. "We opened the door looking for the answers we deserve." she reminded me. "Mike was the one who hurted that creature and made him leave."

"We still indirectly participated." lilith conceived, arguing back.

"Believe me, once we find out about his discovery everything will be okay." The girl went back to her job, looking behind one of the benches. Furrowed brows filled her with mixed feelings, Lilith was kind of right, maybe they should apologize. Dustin didn't have the fault his friend was a total jerk.

The brunette stared at her for a while longer. The way the ginger expressed her frustration got her. Moving on sucked, leaving your whole life to start again was crazy for a kid, she knew better than anyone. Ever since she moved to Hawkins it felt sort of a nightmare at school, she wasn't the best at socializing if it wasn't strictly necessary, not because she was sociable but because of the people. She didn't even have the strength to do so at first. In the first months she spent there was mostly an adaptation process, it wasn't until recently with Max coming that she really started to find actual friends. So she could sort of understand what she was feeling. "If you say so..." Lilith went back to their job silent. The only sound that could be heard was the wind from the upcoming winter, leaving the autom aside, from one open window. It was calming, a comfortable silence. Their guards let down for a second when suddenly a shadow came from their backs with a broomstick, shouting at them.

The brunette jumped in matching the shout getting her head kicked against the door of one of the lockers. "What the hell?!" she heard Max's voice bursting at the shadow to get near her friend and help her. "You okay?"

"What are you doing?" That sharp annoying voice was well recognised and when Lilith lifted her head sobbing the damage part she knew who she would find: Mike Wheeler.

"Uh, a sorry wouldn't hurt you, I almost felt my soul departing my body." furrowed brows marked her grin.

"What are you in here?" Mike clung to the broomstick as the word spilled from his lips impotent with rage.

"Looking for Dart." Max informed, obviously, shrinking.

"This is the boy's room." The Wheeler boy broke out. Both girls exchanged one puzzled look at him being on the defensive.

"Yeah, so?" It was Lilith's turn now to raise an eyebrow, daring him to continue with that attitude.

"So you should go?" Mike threw the broom to the floor and walked out, at this point neither he knew what was happening to him. He just was so irascible all the time.

"Drama." the brunette sang, lifting her frown causing her ache. "Auch." she ran her hand back to the hurt area and sobbed it. The red haired girl, on her side, followed him determined, tired of his attitude towards them. "Hey." Lilith rushed over to them when she found herself all alone in the dressing room.

"Why do you hate us so much?" Max piped.

"I don't hate you." Mike denied, not even facing back. "How can I hate you? I don't know you."

"But you don't want us in your party." she tried to put it in different words.

"Correct." Mike nodded, unscrupulous, with no shame.

"Why not?" The red head stopped him by preventing the passage. Mike sighed tired, turned around and found on the other side the brunette crossing her arms, waiting for an answer.

"'Cause you're annoying." he resoluted staring into her eyes, burning in fire, to then face the ginger. "Also, we don't need other party members," he assured. "I'm our paladin, Will's our cleric, Dustin's our bard, Lucas is our ranger and El is our mage."

Both girls exchanged a confused look. "El? Who's El?"

"Someone." he tried to brush it off, now nervous. "No one."

"Someone or no one?" Max's brows wrinkled. Mike Wheeler was a really contradictory person for what she knew but at this point everything sounded stupid.

Nevertheless, Lilith seemed to find the answer to all of their questions. "A girl."

"She was part of our party long ago." Mike explained, not wanting to dig a lot into the subject. "And she moved away, okay?"

"Told you, trauma." Lilith smirked, giving Max a little squeeze with her elbow. Her theory was right.

"So she was a mage." Max ignored her, curiosity creeped into her eyes. "Well, what could she do? Like magic tricks or something?" she pressed. "Well, I could be a zoomer."

"I don't think that's a thing." confusion spread through the brunette eyes. WHat was she planning?

"It could be." Max winked at her to get into her skate and ride in circles around both Mike and Lilith. "See? Zoomer."

"MindBlowing." Mike rolled his eyes.

"Come on, you know you're impressed." the ginger squinted teasingly.

"I definitely am." the brunette mentioned, amazed with her ability. She wished she could do something as good as her or her sister, but she just seemed to be clumsy at everything.

"And you could be..." Max started thinking, but the brunette cut her knowing exactly what she wanted to be.

"A barbarian!" a huge cynic smile was drawn into her face.

"You know about D and D?" Mike faced her genuinely surprised.

"I used to play back at California." the brunette shrugged.

"Didn't know." his brows furrowed, starting to realize what a jerk he had been by neglecting to get to know them.

"Well, you never asked." she smiled, obvious, like if she didn't care about his unbearable temperament lately.

"See? Now he's impressed." Max assured me.

"Not really." Mike tried to keep it cool, but he was getting loose.

"He's playing hard again." Lilith grinned, teasingly.

"I'm not playing hard." and back again his brows wrinkled. "And could you please stop, I'm getting dizzy."

"I'll stop when we'll join the party." Max established, stubborn.

"Please just stop." he asked but a giggle escaped his lips.

"It's a simple question, are we in?" she repeated playfully. Lilith chuckled at the situation starting to feel a little dizzy too. Her eyes trailed off to somewhere afar, feeling watched. That's when it happened, tieme stopped for a moment, a kid with fuzzy curls and a melancholic grinned looked at her in the eye when she moved her head. The next thing she knew was that suddenly something pulled Max to her skate making her fall resoundingly.

"Gosh, Max!" she rushed out to her, followed by Mike seemingly worried. What the hell had just happened? "Jesus! Are you alright?" they both helped her to get up.

"Yeah, yeah." Max squinted dizzy. "I think so."

"What happened?" It was surprisingly Mike who rushed to question.

"I don't know." her nose wrinkled as she hugged her arms. "It was like a magnet or something pulling on my board." she shook her head, that sounded stupid. "I know that sounds crazy."

It didn't sound crazy at all, not for Lilith at least. She gazed back at the door where she could have swore she saw a girl with fuzzy curly hair staring at them from afar, finding only Mike. The grin on his face looking for anything, or better said anyone, that could have caused that around, almost lightened in hope, got her thinking that maybe she wasn't the only one who knew the most hidden secrets of that town. Maybe Mike knew more than he pretended to. Maybe there was a reason why he and the crew were always tiptoeing what they all said around her and Max. Maybe there was someone and she didn't imaginated it. Maybe that someone was the one who caused Max to fall. Maybe there were still more kids like her sister.