There is a saying 'blood is thicker than water'. You don't get to decide, or choose, who your family is. Melissa Byers, is that her actual last name to go by now was one of her first thoughts after discovering she isn't Lonnie's daughter, is a woman who knew the quote was a heap of nonsense. Fate had brought her to an abrupt halt, in the life she had lived.

Dr. Martin Brenner walked on a thinning line of having the privilege to connect with his granddaughter. Milly had her focused glare on Dr. Brenner's back, electrical wiring in lights whirring from feedback as she stalked the hallways behind her grandfather.

Martin's sigh of resignation, giving up on trying to keep Melissa from viewing him as the bad guy, echo when he opens the narrow passage door to an old green tiled room.

" Jim. J..Jim."

Melissas voice carries in the enclosed space.

Hopper's eyes snap to hers, Martin watches Milly, as she leapt in his touch hugging him like her life was depending on the simple action. Jim checks for noticeable signs of harm to her, feeling an increasing anger towards her wrists bruised.

" I will be fine. Bruises heal, I'm okay."

Milly, hiding her wrists, assured hopper and his jaw ticks.

" That shouldn't have happen in the first place." He says, voice grave. " They hurt you, Mills. That's not fine. Not at all."

Dr. Brenner clears his throat.

" I'll have her looked at. But all I ask in return is for information. Where is the girl?" Milly's glare hardens. 'No way in hell is he touching El.' Jim, reading Melissa and her expression, caresses a thumb on a spot on her waist.

" You gotta give us your word. Nobody's ever gonna find out about this. Those other three kids, the three boys, you're gonna leave them alone." He affirmatively states.

" And I will promise to not kick your ass. For those bruises your people put on Melissa."

Jim clarified, rolling up Milly's coat sleeve. Violent purple and blue scarring is shown.

" Then I'll tell you where your little science experiment is."

Melissa gave hopper's shoulder a squeeze, eyes questioning his motives. He moved an arm up to rest it on her hip, his eyes saying to 'Trust me.'

Escorted out of the liminal area, he and Milly were held up in, Jim held Melissa by her hand.

Keeping close watch with each of her movements, as they start walking the same hallway used to break and enter in before being detained, her eyes linger on hoppers hand. His fingers refusing to let go. Leading to an evaluation chamber, vibrant yellow Hazard protective suits await Melissa and Jim.

" What are these for?"

Hopper inquires, scanning the gear.

" Protection. The atmosphere is toxic."

A scientist answers, two guards are posted in the room. Milly, not wasting more time on talking, snatches off one of the hazmat suit. 'Back into hell we go.' Elevator doors opening automatically, Melisa takes initiative of taking the first step and her flashlight reaches a vine growth. Hideous, introspective, vines. Which work as a hive mind, scaling up walls, infecting minds and those that came in contact with it.

Melissa subsequently became apprehensive, a nuisance of discomfort riddling her face. As she hears volatile, ephemeral, whispers in her sub-conscious.

Milly brought her fingers touching a space on her neck.

" Something wrong? Mills." Hopper, taking the moment and time to pause, asks concern in his eyes clear as day. Adjusting her see-through visor, Melissa sighs reluctantly. Uncertain if to share her fears. " It's just.. I have this feeling of forbearance I can't shake off. Like.. If we don't get Will out of here, there is going to be d..dire consequences." Milly, truthfully, explains.

She had promised herself there would be no lies in her relationship and would be honest. Truth be told, Milly hadn't been on an actual date. The entire time in college, in NYU, was focused on graduating. Receiving her bachelor and open her business. Hopper was her first kiss, ridiculous as it sounded. His lips felt soft. Familiar. " Hey." Jim got closer, spores and grey matter fluttering in the beam lights.

" We are gonna get your brother out of there. No matter what, Mills."

Milly, still uncertain about how to feel, nods.

If only she knew what lies ahead, for her and hopper. The horrors.

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" You alright, Mills? You are awfully quiet. I'm use to hearing you make wise cracks, so I'm a bit surprised you're not." It was inappropriate to say, exactly what he did. Her jokes made tense scenarios more or less better. Or made a comment about her outfit is not suitable for an adventure like this. Exploring an alternate sub-verse world, where everything is the same but more dilapidated, battered and crumbling.

Mel scans the blue, darken world. Breathing in through her mouth and out of her nose.

" Hey. Every.. Everything will be alright."

His voice is carried in the atmosphere. An echo of the other side. " In and out. In and out. Just breathe in and out. That's right. You okay?"

He asks Milly, wishing he could drop the gun in his hand to hug her as he could see her holding back and fighting off tears.

" Dr. Brenner... he.. he is my grandfather. Hop. He told me T.. That Lonnie isn't my actual father. Mom had lied to me 'bout who he was. I've been basically living a life of lies."

Hoppers mouth hangs then he starts to shut it, at the new information given.

Melissa minded her step, avoiding accidentally hitting the tentacular sentential vines. If she knew the initiatives of how the upside down acted, were, these vines are connected. An hive mind. One false step and move and there'll be trouble.

" And.. the worst part is. I'm not angry at mom. How could I be upset at her for this? She had a valid reason for keeping me away from Grand- Dr. Brenner. He's an absolute piece of garbage. A monster."

Milly shook all of the negative thoughts out of her mind tears, which now stain her inflamed blemished skin, stinging harsh on her flesh.

"But what I don't understand h..hop is why. Why did this have to happen to .. to me. It's not fair. I keep asking myself, what would have life been like, if i..i knew who my real dad is? Would he love me?".

Hopper heart slowly broke listening to her faint cries. The world was too harsh on Melissa and she didn't deserve how it treated her. " I..I need to stay strong. For Will. He needs me and I can't.. I can't stay like this. Not right now. He needs me. He... needs... this is all my fault. I could have prevented Will from being taken if I had just went with Him." Jim, though baffled at her words, brings Milly in as she hysterically cries in his arm. " It's my fault. It's.. my fault."

I need to get her out of here. But we gotta find will, first.

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" Will. Will. Are you there? It's Milly. I'm here! I finally found where you are. Will. If you can hear me. Please, Willy-Wonka, call out so I know you can hear me." Melissa searches high, and low, using her flashlight. Remains of castle Byers sprawled on the floor of the upside down and her breathing echo's. Audibly sounding in a way it mimics the real world above. " Please will. Answer me." Hello Melissa. Milly, gasping from fright, stricken from fear flicks her eyes at every corner of the blue hued woods. You've made an error in judgement, coming back.

'You're not real, Henry. Get out of my head.'

Henry chuckles; Dark and maliciously. You cannot escape, from me, Melissa. I know why you are here. You've come for your brother. For will. It's quite unfortunate though, for you of all people. Henry came out of the shadows, a glint in his eyes gleaming sinisterly.

Milly look to Jim, hoping he'd see Henry.

" Your lover cannot see me. It's just you, and I. Don't worry."

Henry, mocking, rolls his eyes.

" What do you want. Haven't you caused enough strife for me?" Melissa snarks, to her friend turned foe. Hurt flickers in his eyes but they grew cold once more. " I am here.." he pauses, for a moment, reconsidering exactly how he should continue talking. " to make an exception. A transactional compromise of the sorts. I give back your brother. In exchange..." Melissa dreaded hearing Henry finish the end of his speech. " You stay here."

He had transported, using his ability to appear out of thin air, to stand in front of her.

" I won't take no for an answer."

Distortion of voices came out of his mouth revealing his true figuration. A horrendous, ghastly disfigured decomposing body made of active flesh tissue vines. All Alive. One vine slithers forward, up Melissa's leg entrapping her in place. " Let. Me. Go. Henry. I am not.. I am not yours. I'm not staying here."

Flashing in warning, her eyes start to flicker white and brown.

" Hmmm. I see you have come in to your gift. How intriguing. To have such power, and not be aware of its importance. It's a pity, really, you have taken this long. To realise that you were always meant for greatness."

Melissa, frustrated, glares daggers towards Henry. " Powers? What powers? Don't be ridiculous, Henry. I don't have an.."

As if on instinct, her hand shields her face from an oncoming vine aiming to attack. White flares of kinetic energy flows out of her palms, midnight grey particles mirroring the upside down materialising in a physical form. Milly is stunned.

" That's not.. possible. I can't have powers."

Henry, commanding through his link to the vines to back off, circled back to study Melissa. Stalking her like a predator to his prey wanting to pounce.

" You, and I. We are more alike than you want to believe. Melissa. We share a connection. Think back.. all those years, those days. The unexplainable light flickers, you think your mind made up. Those Kids, that you suddenly saw drop from the school yard play-ground, after they ruthlessly tease and humiliating you, neck breaking from their fall. That was You."

Children screaming in terror, horrified, lights combusting out of nowhere and lab coats flash in Melissa's thoughts. Her Father, Abraham, is arguing with a blurry distorted figure she couldn't see.

" It's always been in you. I just amplified, and triggered, the already existing genome in your blood."

Henry whispers in her ear. Hair standing at his cold breath.

" Tic-Toc goes the clock. Melissa. Make your choice. You stay, I leave Will alone. You don't.." An eerie silence follows. Henry furrows his eye brows, keeping a smirk from forming as he sees Melissa turning to face him.

" I choose.."

it goes away, quick, as Milly raises her hands and shrieks out a scream thrusting her arms out. A burst of energy came roaring out, frizzling. She made Henry fling back in the woods. Her eyes were a pure white.

" My Brother."

Suddenly, as if being brought out of a trance, she gasps for breathes. Hopper had ran for Melissa, minutes earlier, frantically trying to get her to come out of her hypnosis.

" Jesus. Mills. You scared me half to death. Your eyes.. they went cloudy. It freaked me out good." He admits, leading her to sit down on the ground. " What happened. I tried calling for you, baby. I thought for a second there.."

Melissa, out of nowhere, embraces Jim. His immediate action is to hug her back and nuzzles her neck. He admits he had almost cried, thinking he would never get her back.

He couldn't lose Melissa.

" I know where to find will. I know where he is. You just need to trust me, Hopper."

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There is a veil between life and death. The Valley to the shadow of death becomes more prominent, visible, to those that accept it's their time to go.

Melissa could feel inevitability rising in her soul. Much as she fought, for what she thinks to be right, destiny it had came back to take her. Endless searching, miles of walking, lead Milly and Jim to a daunting end in Hawkins public library. " Will."

Milly, hand on flashlight training the light beam on rows of book shelves, softly whispers. She could sense he was closer. He's Far but in reach. close to being in her arms again. Hopper, not venturing out of reach to Melissa, kept himself from walking farther.

Guilt would eat him Alive if something happened. Trails of blood patching the tiles to the floor surface had Milly holding her breath.

'Please don't let that be wills blood. Don't let it be his blood. Please.'

Jim scans through all the goo covered library books, using his guns headlight, when he spots a skull entangled in an area of growths. 'Good god.' Melissa, though wanting to be brave, held Jim by his arm.

" Oh, my goodness. Jim." She whispered.

" Look at all of this... Is that. Will? Jim! It's will! Will! Hopper. Help..help me take these things off him. Oh, will. I'm here for you."

Melissa, desperation in her tone, cries out for her brother. Focusing on extracting the tentacle inserted in wills mouth, Melissa felt her eyes begin glowing as she uses excessive force to pull it out.

Hopper grunts forcing out a tendril extending in wills trachea, lungs. he starts shooting and raining bullets on the alive monstrosity, when it started convoluting.

Milly's, in a fit of rage at will's condition, body begins to tremor. Moving hopper, to a safe place, she exerts a stream of white and grey energy out of her palm. Instantaneously Disintegrating the creature to nothing but molecules. Hopper had stepped back, out of amazement and awe. ' That's incredible. She has powers.'

He thinks, in bewilderment. Her chest persistently, rapidly, raises in a repeat up and down motion.

" That's for will." Melissa's voice, somber,  cracks. Milly tends to her brother, as she ran back to the space she had placed him down in.

" Will. Hey. Will. I know.. I know this must be all so scary but I need you to come back. I need you to come home. Mom, Jonathan. Me. We miss you. I'm home, buddy. I'm home."

Milly, sniffling and sobbing, wiping off substance on her little brother. " Come on, breathe." Melissa uses her hands starting chest compressions.

" Mills. Mills, baby. Baby. Listen. I need you to listen, to what I have to say. Lift his chin, right, you're gonna breathe in his mouth. Twice."

Instructs hopper, taking control of doing CPR on will. " One second.. then pause. Twenty two. Twenty three. Then one second. Go it... twenty nine. thirty! Now! go."

Milly breathes air in wills mouth, pinching his nostrils, tears rolling off her cheeks on will. She repeats the action. " Please. Willy-wonka. I know you're in there. Come home to Minnie Mouse. Please! Please." Milly whimpers.

" C'mon, kid. Come on!"

Jim, not being able to take hearing Milly crying, pleads. 'You need to wake up, right now. Kid. Breathe. BREATHE.' Jim, thrashing his fist on wills chest, eyes widen in relief at Wills sudden revival and gasping.

" Here. Here it's okay. It's okay. I'm here. Oh, will. Breathe, will. Breathe."

Melissa uses her suits oxygen, on her hazmat suit, on wills face as he starts to cry. " Mel. Me..l.." he croaks; voice raspy.

Jim had his hands attached to Milly's triceps, tired.

Will is back. Will is back.

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EKG monitors beeping sounds in Melissa ear, leg restless from her anxiety and anticipation for will to wake up. A saline solution IV, to keep him hydrated, is inserted in his right hand. Groaning came from Wills mouth. Joyce, Jonathan and Melissa eyes lightening at the sound. " Hey. Hey." Will, staring at the faces of his mother, brother and sister, opened his mouth. " Where.. where am I?"

Jonathan, a relieved smile on his lips, held his brother by his hand.

" You are home. You're home, now."

" Milly. Jonathan. Mil.. Milly. I can't.. I can't believe you came back home."

Will coughs, and Melissa tried to not cry again for the fourth time.

How she missed seeing wills sweet face, his kind nature. " I am, bud. I am. I'm never.. I am never leaving you, again. I'm home. I'm staying for you. For mom. Jonathan. I'm staying right here. I ain't going anywhere. You don't have to worry 'bout that."

That is the truth. She refuses to leave her brother and family. Her Jim. nothing will change, or force her, too. Even if she had to fight her past for her peace. It was time. It was time, now, to face her past and it didn't scare her. She had no fear. If a fight was coming for Melissa Byers, she would fight.

Even if it kills her.

JASMINE SPEAKS;

Season one is completed. Finally I did it! I did a whole season of a show. One down, three more season left to finish. I cannot thank you, enough, for your love and encouragement you as reads, My friends, give me.

I can't believe it.

What did you think of the whole 'Milly has superpowers'? Being connected to Henry? And the flashback? What do you think it interprets? About Melissa's childhood and memories? Let me know in the comments.

®️ Written By Jasmine. 2024