UPON ARRIVING AT THE WHELER'S, Reese helped the young girl off her bicycle and went around the house. She could see the lights that were still on above. She looked up to see the outline of two figures. She rolled her eyes. As if the rumors at school weren't enough, she could tell it was Steve Harrington and Nancy in her room. She shrugged her shoulders, and looked at the young girl.

"Okay, we're going to slip in quietly, and then I will help you get cleaned up, okay?" she reassured her, gently helping her off her bike, and leading her towards the door, seeing Mike, Dustin and Lucas standing there waiting. "Mike, you know Steve is upstairs."

Mike rolled his eyes in response. "Every day he comes over, it's annoying," he muttered. "Mom and dad have gone to bed, so it'll be us."

Reese nodded, guiding the girl inside as she led her to the couch. She could see the fear inside the young girl, noticing how puzzled she looked at everything. "Okay, boys, go with Mike to find something comfortable for her to wear as I don't have anything of mine, not until tomorrow."

The boys nodded and quietly slipped towards the upstairs part of the house. She knew she could bring some of her things the next morning. After the boys had gone upstairs, she went to the young girl, and grabbed the blanket from the couch. She wrapped it around the young girl, who seemed to be staring everywhere. "Can I ask something?" she questioned gently, crouching to her level, so the girl knew she wouldn't hurt her.

The young girl nodded her head slowly, clutching the soft fabric that was wrapped around her. It felt warm.

Reese smiled softly. "The boys will be a bit, but can I ask what your name is?"

The girl stared at her, before reaching for her sleeve, tugging it upwards to reveal a tattoo with 011 written in black ink.

Reese followed her eyes, seeing the numbers. She furrowed her eyes in confusion. She pondered what it meant. She looked at the young girl, who seemed to stare at her. "Eleven?"

The girl nodded, causing Reese to frown. Eleven was an odd name for any child, nevertheless, so was her own name to be quite honest, and it wasn't everyday that one meets a girl with a name such as a number, and she did ponder why the girl was named, yet she didn't push, afraid to scare the girl. "Eleven,"

"Maybe. . . El for short?" Reese asked her, smiling gently as she reached for her wrist silently, which Eleven complied. Reese held her wrist gently, her thumb trailing over the tattoo. She had a dozen, if not thousands of questions just burning inside of her mind. She swallowed a lump in her throat. "Can I ask you another question?" She didn't idly notice that she never once stopped tracing the tattoo as she looked at the girl, seeing her watch everything around her.

Eleven nodded her head, staying silent.

Reese smiled a little softer. "Are you hurt or injured?" she asked, letting go of her wrist, figuring that El was growing uncomfortable with her touch. She knew that the girl must've endured something. To find her in the woods was an unexpected surprise, though it raised questions in her mind that she might have an inkling of something, but never dared to assume nor say such thoughts. "If you're hurt, I know there's a first aid kit here." She began to move up, but a wrist grasped her own, causing her to look at the young girl, causing Reese to pause, and look at her, her eyes concerned.

Eleven shook her head, implying that she wasn't injured, though the rumbling of her stomach gave away what she had needed, despite that she had eaten at the diner.

Reese smiled. "Hungry?" She questioned, before nodding her head. "I'm sure the boys will bring you some food or snacks, my brother tends to bring food more than anything else," She laughed gently.

As on cue, the three boys came stomping down the stairs, causing El to jump a bit, making Reese turn and glare at them. The boys stopped short at the look.

"I brought her some old clothes of Nancy's from the attic," Mike explained, holding a pair of pajamas.

Reese nodded. "Okay, boys, this is Eleven, El for short. Don't pester her with questions, got it?" She gave them a look that dared her. She could see the girl didn't want to talk much, which was okay with her, but she knew how these boys would end up pestering and asking constant questions. "In fact, why don't you three stay here while I help Eleven get changed?" She stated more of a command rather than a question. She turned to Eleven with a soft smile. "Come here, I'll show you where the bathroom and the things are. I promise the boys will behave," At the last sentence, she guided Eleven, turning her head to raise an eyebrow and nodded to the opposite couch.

As she led Eleven to the bathroom, she smiled. "Okay, when we change, we have privacy, so you can change here. I will close the door ajar, so you can see my back as I will face the boys, and you can touch my shoulder when you're done, okay?" Reese explained gently, as she nodded to the clothes as she handed them to the girl. "If you need help, just let me know."

Eleven nodded as she took the clothes from Reese, assured by the teen's small smile, as she stepped into the bathroom. She watched as Reese shut the door, leaving about an inch and a half open, as Reese had said, and she glanced around for a moment, before she began to dress.

Reese stood outside of the bathroom, her arms crossed at the boys as she watched them quietly bicker against one another. "Hey, bozos, she is not a thing to be spoken of. Keep your opinions to yourself. Yes, Lucas, that includes your mouth that I know is going to be rude."

Lucas looked at her, swallowing his words of what he was going to say, knowing the girl would gladly possibly put a bar of soap into his mouth, shuddering as he could remember Dustin got one from this past summer.

Reese smirked, guessing what the shudder was from. Though the "bar" of soap was actually sour candy, knowing that it would shut Dustin up. He knew better to tell his friends it had actually been candy instead of soap.

A touch on her shoulder caused Reese to turn around, finding Eleven dressed. The pajamas looked a bit bigger on the girl, but she knew that she had her own clothes that would seem to fit her better. She smiled gently. "You okay, El?" she questioned, leading Eleven to the makeshift fort, no doubt Mike had been building it before this night.

Eleven nodded, a tiny smile on her lips. She slowly began to warm up to Reese, liking her already.

"Good." Reese smiled wider before turning to the boys. "It's late, so, Lucas, head on home, and same with you, Dustin, I'll follow behind." She turned back to face Eleven, situating her under the fort. "I have to head home, but Mike will be upstairs if you need him. Can you do something for me?" Eleven nodded her head. "I need you to stay here, okay? This is very important. I need you to stay hidden. Our parents cannot know about you, and I'd hate to have them take you away," she explained gently, watching her. "I need you to be safe, and I will come back in the morning, okay?"

Eleven listened to her words, and nodded her head. She could see the genuine concern and worry in Reese's eyes when she spoke. "Okay."

Reese smiled wider, sighing in relief. Truth be told, she had been worried, though she knew that Mike would keep her safe. She just had this feeling returning slowly, yet she felt the need to make sure Eleven would be safe, after all she had promised her. And she never broke a promise, or at least tried not to.

Reese finally stood up, twisting her neck slightly to hear a pop, she winced. "I'm getting old for crouch positions," she muttered before hearing a small giggle, making her smile as she focused her attention towards Mike and made her way to him, the smile she had now fading. "If you say something or do something to hurt her, I will come after you, understand?" she spoke, her voice low, eyes narrowing at him.

Mike gulped, knowing how serious she was being, and especially with today, he knew she was not in a mood to joke. "Yeah, I understand. I'll take care of her. I promise."

Reese watched him, nodded once before ruffling Mike's hair and looking back at El. "Goodnight, both of you."

──── ✩★✩★ ────

The next morning, Reese had risen, woken her brother up, made breakfast ( also made sure to make a tupperware of food enough for El ), and explained to her mom that she and Dustin were in a rush.

"We are?" Dustin asked from sitting at the kitchen table, his mouth filled with food.

Reese scrunched her nose, smacking the back of his head. "Close your mouth, and yes, remember I have that math test to make up for, and you, sir, have a friend to greet," She gave a pointed look.

Dustin's mouth closed with a snap as he swallowed his breakfast. He knew that look. It was a look she meant to keep his mouth shut.

"Enjoy your day at school, kids!" Claudia exclaimed from her seat on the lofa. She was currently knitting a sweater for Will when he returned home.

Reese tilted her head. "Will do, mom!"

Dustin complied and followed her out the door.

With breakfast in a tupperware plate, she had entered the Wheeler's basement to see El eating what looked like a biscuit and nothing else. She did see Mike sitting on the couch, talking animatedly to her about something she did not know.

"Good morning," she greeted the two.

Mike and Eleven both looked up to see Reese enter, balancing a tray. Mike knew what that was, it was more food. "Morning," he replied.

"I brought some food for El and some clothes for her to wear," Reese explained as she set the tupperware down, opening her satchel and pulling an old pair of jeans, a shirt, and a jean jacket she thought would look cute on El. She smiled at the young girl. "I think these clothes might fit you better than the ones you're wearing," She handed them over to her. "You can try them on in the bathroom?"

Eleven swallowed her food, nodding before gently taking the clothes and walking to the bathroom.

Reese watched her disappear behind the door before turning to Mike. "What happened after I left?" Knowing Mike, he would've pestered El, despite her words not to.

"N-nothing. I left her and went to sleep. I came down here after finishing up," Mike explained, his eyes wide. "Also, mom said she had errands to run, so no one won't be home,"

Reese nodded her head in approval that Mike didn't ask any questions. She saw Eleven come back out, seeing her clothes did fit better. She smiled softly. "I think those suit you much better."

Eleven smiled slightly and walked towards them.

"Okay, Mike, and I have school, so I want you to take this, okay?" Reese handed El her walkie-talkie. "This is on channel 6, you press this button and you can ask Mike, or for my brother, Dustin, okay?"

Eleven gently takes the walkie-talkie, curious as she nods her head.

"And there's plenty of more food for you if you're hungry while we're gone," Reese continued on, showing her the tupperware on the table. "I made it this morning, so it might be cold by lunch."

"And I will come home for lunch," Mike told her, nodding his head.

Reese looked up at the clock and silently cursed, used to cursing inside her head around young kids. "Okay, I will be late, so if you need us, use that, okay? Come on, Mike, you need to get,"

Mike nodded, grabbing his bag. Reese grabs her own. "Stay hidden if anyone comes by, okay?

Eleven watched all unfold, nodding her head as she fiddled with the walkie-talkie.

Reese nodded, biting her lip before following Mike towards the basement door.

Upon arriving at school, Reese stood outside for a moment, gathering her thoughts. While she welcomed Eleven into her mind, it had kept her from thinking of Will. The mere thought of him brought Reese back to that night, which yet still unsettled her for some strange reason. She closed her eyes, stood taller, shrugged off her thoughts and entered the school.

As the door slammed behind her, she noticed Jonathan hanging flyers for a missing kid. She closed her eyes for a singular moment. She knew that by now the word had spread, as it had been over 24 hours. She opened her eyes and slowly approached Jonathan.

"Hey," she greeted, words catching in her throat. She didn't quite know what to say really.

Jonathan turned to her, his eyes sad, and almost looked puffy from crying. "H-hey, uh, I was just hanging this up." He held a stack of papers he'd had printed off.

Reese smiled weakly. "I noticed, um, is there. . ." Reese paused, taking a deep breath. "Is there any news?"

Jonathan shook his head. 'No, not yet. Mom's still freaking out, though."

"Oh, God, look," Carol Perkins spoke up, glancing at the bulletin board, where Jonathan and Reese were at, her expression filled with disgust.

Reese could hear Carol's voice, making her sigh, recognizing as one of Steve Harrington's weirdo friends as she likes to mentally call them. She paid no mind to her.

"Oh, God, that's depressing," Steve added, hands on his hips as he, too, stared at the loners, recognizing the girl as Reese, causing him to tilt his head curiously. "Wonder what she's doing with the loner too."

"Should we say something?" Nancy asked, frowning at the pair.

Carol let out a scoff. "I don't think he speaks, and the girl seems weird. I heard she ran off yesterday crying."

Reese clenched her jaw, staring pointedly at the missing poster.

"How much you wanna bet he killed him?" Tommy Hagan said, a smirk forming on his face. "Or better yet, maybe Reese Henderson did it."

"Dude, shut up." Steve hit him on the chest, though it didn't alter Tommy's amusement.

Reese had enough. She turned around and glared at them, making them stop laughing. "Hey, bozos, don't you three got places to be? Like maybe, oh, I don't know, class?" she snapped with her eyes narrowing. "You don't fucking know anything, so shut your traps or I'll do it for you."

When no one else said another word or took a step, Reese nodded once, before turning to Jonathan, who gave her a relieved smile. "Thanks."

Reese shrugged. "They weren't wrong. I did cry at home, eating cereal." She paused, hearing footsteps, turning to see Nancy. She bit her lip, turning her head.

Jonathan, oblivious to Nancy's approach. "So, uh, how are you?"

Nancy made her way towards them, carefully approaching them. "Hey," she said, causing them to turn around.

Reese gave a weak smile, before turning to Jonathan. "I'm, uh, gonna get to class, I'll talk to you later?" She walked around Nancy, nodding her head, before she quickly walked away, her heart dropping to her stomach as she breathed shakily.

Jonathan opened his mouth after her, but then she had disappeared to the rushing crowd.

When the bell rang, Reese stood at her locker that was at the end of the hall, and with her locker opened, she stared at a photo of the four boys, Lucas and Dustin on one side, Mike and Will on the other side of her in the middle. She closed her eyes, slamming her locker shut as the announcement came on.

"Attention, faculty and students. At 8PM tonight, there will be an assembly on the football field in support of Will Byers and his family."

Later that night after school, she went home, and did her homework. It had been a dull day, but really, she just wanted to stay home. She didn't even want to think of attending the assembly, who knew, everyone would've probably figured out that she had been the last person to see him alive, and with all the stares? No way she was putting a face on, nor showing up.

Naturally, at this time of night, as the clock struck 6pm, she sighed, and stared at the ceiling, cursing Dustin for heading to the Wheelers. She really didn't want to go anywhere, but here she was, once again rolling out of her comfortable bed, gently patting it lovingly. "I'll return to you later," she muttered to her cozy bed. It looked so inviting, even she did homework in it, though she almost would've fallen asleep.

She exited her house, shivering as the chill cool air began to sweep through Hawkins. She looked up to the skies, before going to the garage, and grabbing her bicycle. She would be turning 16 soon enough, she knew she'd be practicing her permit in a few months, or she hoped to practice. She wasn't in any rush at the moment, as she liked her bike too much.

Upon arriving at the Wheeler's, she parked her bike, and she went to knock on the door. After going inside, she greeted Karen. She went to Holly, and ruffled her hair, giving her a hug. "Hollybear, whatcha up to, my girl?"

Holly smiled widely, holding a picture.

Reese winked. "Keep going, girl, you're getting better everyday!" She smiled, kissing her cheek before looking at Karen. "The boys downstairs?"

Karen hummed. "As always, Reese, as always," She chuckled, preparing dinner.

Reese saluted before walking to the basement and quickly shut the door when she heard loud voices instantly die down. She hummed, narrowing her eyes at the boys when she noticed them hiding something. She looked over at El, who was playing with her walkie-talkie and eating food, then at the three not so innocent faces, crossing her arms. "Okay, you brainless idiots–-"

"Hey! We are not brainless idiots!" Dustin protested at his sister, his eyes wide.

Reese's lips thinned, tapping her foot. "What did you do this time?" she continued, as if Dustin had not interrupted her. He knew when she got annoyed not to do it. However, he often forgot, which she was used to.

Dustin, Mike, and Lucas glanced at each other, then at Eleven, who wasn't paying attention to them. Lucas and Mike turned to Dustin, who didn't notice their stares.

Reese saw the looks and widened her eyes at her brother. "Well, Dusty, spit it out!"

Dustin cringed at the nickname, now really knowing she wants answers. "Well. . . "

"El can do things with her mind!" Mike spilled out, gesturing to her.

"Yeah, she slammed the bedroom door when I tried to leave," Lucas said.

"And now Lucas is upset because he doesn't believe her," Dustin finished.

"And we tried to explain to her what a friend is," Mike added.

"I think she's joking when she said that," Lucas interjected.

Reese rose an eyebrow, humming as she thought over their words, then giving them a look. "Were you three nice to her? Did you try to explain it?" she questioned them.

Lucas turned away, Dustin sighed, and Mike stared at her. "I'm trying, though Lucas had probably ruined the term promise and friend when he spat into his hand."

Reese's face turned disgusted as she focused on Lucas. "Seriously? You spat in your hand?" she asked in total disbelief. "You really are a brainless idiot," she muttered, rubbing her forehead. "Okay, who did you shake your spat hand with?"

"Dustin," Lucas replied.

Reese scrunched her nose. "Okay, you step away from El, and you." She pointed at Dustin. "Wash your hands. Spitting is gross and stupid,"

Dustin rolled his eyes as he walked to the bathroom sink.

"I saw that!"

Dustin paused, turning to see his sister staring at El in concern before washing his hands.

Reese noticed that El seemed distracted by something. "El?" She looked to the direction El was staring, which was the table with the D&D game on it. She frowned as she left the boys to themselves, and slowly walked to El. "El? Are you okay?" she asked softly.

She idly noted the boys following her as El sat down at the table and picked up a Knight piece. Reese stared at the piece, noting the strangeness to the glimpse she had seen, though shrugged it off as she looked at her in confusion.

"Will," El spoke softly, staring at the miniature Knight intently, as if trying to explain something to them.

Mike slowly sat down next to her.

"Superpowers," Dustin muttered, causing Reese to shush him quietly, staring at El in concern.

"Do you know where he is?" Mike asked.

Reese held her breath, awaiting the answer, yet fearing at the same time of what the answer could be.

El responded by swiping the pieces off the board, and flipping it upside down, grabbing the Knight piece, slamming in the center.

"Hiding," El responded to Mike, staring at the piece.

"In hiding?" Mike repeated.

Reese stared at the board and the piece, her mind swirling with possibilities. She might not know the game entirely, but one thing did stand out.

El placed the Demogorgon piece with the Knight.

Reese closed her eyes, not realizing a tear fell down her cheek until she raised her arm and rubbed her face. She opened her irises, staring at the game, not hearing the boys asking El questions, her mind swirling with the one thing she was sure was the answer.

"The Upside Down," Dustin responded.

Reese turned to her brother, eyes furrowing. "The what?"

Dustin sighed. "The game, it's like. . ." He trailed off, trying to figure out how to explain it. "It's a bad place, Reese. Like, really bad," Dustin spoke quietly, staring at the game on the table behind them.

Reese watched her brother in concern with how quiet he got, which was unusual, though she didn't ask any more about it, seeing the fear in his eyes that told her to just leave the subject alone for now.

But it didn't stop her from wondering what exactly this bad place was.

Still reeling from the response from her brother, Reese stayed silent for a moment. She couldn't get his words out of her head. She bit her lip in anxiousness, tapping her forefinger against her leg, the rhythm following "Landslide" by Fleetwood Mac, which was something she often did when she was upset, nervous, anxious, or her emotions ran high. If not the tapping, her bed was the alternate option. She gnawed on her lip, lost in her thoughts.

"Reese?" Dustin asked her, his eyes crinkling in concern, placing a hand on her shoulder, noticing the nervous ticks she often had. The tapping told him she was consumed in her thoughts, no doubt his words left her reeling. He glanced at his friends, wishing he did keep his mouth shut for once.

Reese snapped out of her thoughts, from when she had remembered the night seeing the look on Dustin's face as she sighed. "I'm okay, I'm fine," she assured him softly, nodding her head as if to do the same for herself. She closed her eyes, inhaling a breath. "Now, what's happening?" She opened her eyes, staring at the boys.

"We want to look for Will," Mike told her.

"And if El knows where he is. . . " Dustin added in.

"I doubt that," Lucas interjected.

Reese gave Lucas a firm look. Her annoyance was now back in full bloom. "Okay, you knock the hell off with your comment. I know you, so drop it." She looked at the three of them. "She is not a thing. She is a person, a living, breathing human, who deserves better treatment than any of you are giving her."

Lucas opened his mouth to cut in.

Reese held her hand up. "Don't bother talking. I know you keep being rude, and that's enough out of you." She took a deep breath, exhaling. She stared at Dustin and Mike, annoyed with Lucas even not looking at him.

Lucas hung his head in shame.

"Back to what Mike said: you want to look for Will, yes?" She questioned Mike, who nodded his head. She glanced over at the clock, as it was very late at night, and they had school to attend the next morning.

"Please?" Dustin pleaded with her, knowing this was important. If Eleven knew where Will was, they would find him. They just had to.

Reese glanced at Eleven, who was playing with her walkie-talkie, her mind swirling. She did want to find Will. These past two days weighed heavily on her shoulders more than she'd realize. She sighed softly, turning to the eager waiting boys. "Okay, okay, we'll go find Will."

The boys cheered, and Reese hummed.

"With conditions," Reese cut in their mid-cheer. The boys quietened down. "We will do a buddy system to keep all of us safe because whatever took Will could still be out there somehow, so Mike and Lucas, you two will be buddies, while Dustin and El will be with me. We all will stay together and your walkies will be on at all times." She shot a serious look at all three of them before continuing. "The second condition is that I am in charge. What I say goes, no exceptions. If I say run, you do it. Understand?"

The boys nodded eagerly, implying that they accepted her rules. They adored her, even though she did tend to be overbearing.

Dustin looked at El, then at his friends. "Why can't El find him for us? She has superpowers."

Reese glared at her brother, smacking his head for that comment. "Like I said, Eleven is not a thing. She is a person with feelings and a heart. She is scared and obviously, something happened, so we are not using her, nor asking her to use her superpower or her ability for any reason, is that clear?" Reese told them in a firm tone. She was a believer in consent, as she didn't like when people would ask someone to do things when they themselves could do it. Asking Eleven to use her powers for something simple as to when they could be ones going out really unsettled her. Eleven was a person, not an object.

The boys had the decency to look ashamed of their thoughts.

Dustin's hand rubbing the back of his head. "That really hurt."

Reese leaned towards Dustin's ear, speaking quietly. "If you ever insinuate that we use El m you are going home and I will tell your friends about that little friend you have in your room."

Dustin's eyes widened, gulping at the subtle threat. He quite loved that stuffed bunny that was currently tucked into his bed no doubt by their mother.

The door to the basement opened, to which everyone froze as they glanced to the staircase in panic, hoping no one would come down.

"Come on, guys, it's getting late!" Mrs. Wheeler called, yelling through the open door as she wiped her hands on the apron she was wearing.

"Coming, mom!" Mike yelled, before turning to Reese. "What time are we going?"

Reese glanced at her watch, then to the awaiting eager boys, then to Eleven, who seemed to be looking at her. She glanced at them, giving them a stern look. "We'll go after school." Her eyes went to Dustin. "You go on ahead. I'll be a minute."

The boys nodded their heads and went up the stairs, knowing Mrs. Wheeler would await them.

Reese sighed softly, tapping her finger against her sleeve, inhaling for a moment before she turned to Eleven. "Okay, I gotta go, but I promise I'll come by tomorrow, okay? Please don't go anywhere," she told her gently, making sure she knew that she didn't wish anything to happen.

Eleven stared at her with this look in her eyes that Reese cannot explain, however Eleven nodded slowly.

Reese smiled softly, and went to stand, but then a tug on her arm saw that Eleven's face had changed to fear when she looked into her eyes. "El?"

"Bad men," Eleven told her softly, doing a gun motion with two fingers, and her thumb against the palm of her hand, placing it to her head.

Reese frowned. "Bad men?" she whispered softly, squatting down to her level, staring at the young girl in confusion.

Eleven didn't say anything. She placed the gun hand to El, pointing to her, then giving her a look. "Bad men are finding Will, too."

Reese froze. Her mind instantly realized that the bad men must've been the ones chasing her. She looked at El intently, with a fierceness in her eyes that had never been there. "We will find him, okay? And I'll protect you. I won't let anyone touch you. Ask the boys, they can tell you."

Eleven saw the determination in her eyes and knew she was speaking the truth. She nodded her head, before glancing down at their hands. A tiny smile formed on her lips. "Promise?"

Reese smiled at her one word. "I can't promise anything, but I will try my best." She couldn't quite make a promise she didn't know she'd keep, but that wouldn't stop her from trying. They'd have to go through her before grabbing El, that, she'd make sure of.

Eleven slowly retracted her hands gently, nodding her head. She accepted her answer, looking at her, she bit her lip. "Okay."

Reese smiled and nodded her head. "I better get going. If the boys get here before me, tell them that they can wait for me. And if they don't, you can make them wait here until I show up." She winked at her, subtly hinting. While she wouldn't condone using Eleven, she knew the boys would be rowdy, so she'd let this one slide.

Eleven giggled, nodding her head.

Reese stood up, heading for the bathroom and flushing the toilet. When Eleven looked over at her in confusion, Reese placed a finger to her lips, winked and quickly went up the stairs.

"Sorry, I had to use the bathroom," Reese told Mrs. Wheeler after shutting the basement door quietly, and smiled sheepishly at them, waving bye as Karen was walking up the stairs with Holly. "Bye, Hollybear."

"Bye, Reese!" Holly waved goodbye, a toothless smile on her lips.

As Reese left the Wheeler's home, she let the cold air hit her, taking a deep breath while heading for her bike, where she noticed Dustin leaning against the house next to it.

"I told you to go on without me," she said with an annoyed sigh, getting on her bike.

"You know mom would get worried if only one of us came home," he stated.

Reese scoffed. "No, she'd get worried if you didn't come home with me. I doubt she gets too concerned when I'm out." Of course, Claudia Henderson was aware that Reese could take care of herself. But Dustin? No, that was her golden child, and God forbid anything happened to him, especially under Reese's watch. And for that reason, that's why she had sent him home.

Dustin rolled his eyes as he got onto his bike. "Well, you're older," he pointed out the obvious. "But mom really does worry when you don't come home with me,"

Reese sighed, knowing the argument ended there, even if she wanted to keep going. "Whatever," she shook her head. "Let's go home, I'm tired and currently missing my bed."

So the Henderson siblings pedaled out of the driveway and down the dark road, heading back to their house for the night. Both were quiet during their ride, and with both of them holding concerned expressions on their faces, they didn't go unnoticed, as Dustin broke the silence once they reached the driveway.

"Reese?" he spoke up.

"Yeah?"

"Did you. . .seem freaked out when we mentioned the Upside Down?"

The girl's face fell, letting out a sigh as she put her bike in the garage. "I mean, it just doesn't seem possible that Will's there. I know you guys think it's all real, but for all we know, Will's probably in the woods somewhere." Pausing, she crossed her arms the longer she stared at her brother. "Like I said before, he's gonna be fine."

With some reluctance, Dustin nodded his head before putting his bike away and heading inside.

Reese hoped that her words were enough assurance for Dustin to calm down a little, but even she had a hard time believing them herself, and that only caused the anxious feeling inside her to grow.