CHAPTER EIGHT
THE ARCHER AND THE MIND FLAYER

Adrenaline was rushing through Mavis' veins as the scene unfolded in front of her eyes. She wanted to help the screaming girl and stop her pain, but she feared there was nothing she could do. And she hated not being able to help. At least it appeared everyone was feeling that way.

"What is that?" Erica asked in horror as El's leg started to bubble.

"There's something in there," Mike explained.

"Jesus Christ," Dustin ran a hand through his face.

Mavis looked over at Jonathan, seeing gears turning in his head. She immediately knew he had a plan — the advantage of having been friends for a whole year — and sure enough, he stood up.

"Keep her talking. Keep her awake, okay?" and then he ran off toward the food court.

The rest of the group stayed behind, waiting patiently to see what plan Jonathan had come up with.

"Hey, hey, hey. Stay awake, stay awake," Mike told El before he looked at Dustin. "Let's get her on this side, get her on this side."

"Easy, easy, easy, easy," Steve said as he helped Dustin and Mike move El into a more comfortable position, now leaning up against Mike.

"It's uh..." Robin spoke. It was clear she was uncomfortably nervous. "You know, it's not actually that bad. There was a... The goalie on my soccer team, Beth Wildfire, this other girl slid into her leg and like the whole bone came out of her knee, six-inches or something, it was insane."

"Robin," Steve spoke.

"Yeah?"

"You're not helping," Mavis said softly, finishing Steve's sentence.

"I'm sorry," she apologized.

Suddenly, footsteps could be heard, and Mavis looked up, seeing Jonathan come back, holding a knife in one hand and a wooden spoon and plastic gloves in the other.

Oh no.

"Okay," he spoke, positioning himself in front of the girl's leg. "All right, El? This is gonna hurt like hell, okay?"

"Okay," the girl answered between sobs.

"Need you to stay real still," he put the gloves on. "Here, you're gonna want to bite down on this, okay?" he handed Mike the wooden spoon, who then brought it to El's mouth as she opened it and bit down on it.

"Jesus Christ," Dustin said as Jonathan hovered the knife over her throbbing leg. "Holy shit. Holy shit."

"Do it," Mike said.

Jonathan nodded. "Okay," he whispered to himself as he pushed the tip of the blade into the wound, blood flowing out of it. He continued to cut, making a three-inch incision down El's leg. Then, he dropped the knife and slid two fingers under the cut, everyone reacting in horror as the injured girl screamed.

"Jonathan!" Mavis screamed at him, wanting him to stop.

"Mavis, stop talking!" he yelled back, still moving his fingers through her flesh, being unable to find whatever thing was in there.

Mavis was crying at that point, hating to see the girl being under so much pain. Steve, who was standing next to her, noticed this, and wrapped an arm over her shoulders, Mavis instantly burying her face on his shoulder. She just... couldn't continue watching.

"It's okay," he whispered softly in her ear, and Mavis was so thankful for him at that moment.

In Steve's arms, she tried to drown out the screams and whimpers that filled the air. That wasn't possible, but to her surprise, she found herself feeling more calm, and she wondered if it had anything to do with the fact that Steve's scent was surrounding her.

"No! Stop it!" she heard El's voice, and it made her look at the scene again, Steve's arm still around her shoulders. Nancy pulled Jonathan away as he stopped what he was doing. "Stop! Stop! I can do it," the girl cried. "I can do it."

She sat up with Mike's help, and everyone looked expectantly at her, wondering what she would do next. And then it happened: she extended her arm towards the wound, wailing and screaming, and the thing that was inside her leg seemed to move to her will as her nose started to bleed. It was clear that she was using all her strength, all her power, to draw that thing out.

Suddenly, the glass that was behind the group broke down, making everyone cover themselves with their hands in surprise, not having expected that to happen. And when Mavis looked back at El, she had been able to take the thing out of her leg. It was some sort of... creature? Mavis wasn't sure, but as Eleven held it in the air with her mind, its shrieks being heard, she just knew it was similar to the Demodogs she had encountered last year. Meaning it was bad, very bad.

El threw it far away from them, but it kept on moving, crawling away, trying to escape. However, it didn't make it far, because a boot stomped on it, finally killing it. Mavis looked at the owner and she was surprised to see the sheriff, Jim Hopper, standing there alongside Joyce Byers and Murray Bauman.

Things were about to get more interesting.

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"The Mind Flayer, it built this monster in Hawkins, to stop El, to kill her and pave a way into our world," Mike explained to the newcomers.

"And it almost did," Nancy continued. "That was just one tiny piece of it."

"How big is this thing?" the sheriff asked.

"It's big," Jonathan said. "Thirty feet, at least."

"Thirty feet?" Mavis asked, shocked. "Damn."

"Tell me about it," Jonathan spoke, the two of them sharing a smile.

"Yeah," Lucas looked at Hopper. "It sorta destroyed your cabin. Sorry."

"Okay, so, just to be clear, this..." Steve interrupted the conversation, confusion written all over his face. "This big fleshy spider thing that hurt El, it's some kind of gigantic... weapon?"

"Yes."

"But instead of, like, screws and metal, the Mind Flayer made its weapon... with melted people."

"Yes, exactly," Nancy exclaimed.

"Yeah, okay. I- Yeah, I'm just making sure."

Mavis put her hand on his shoulder. "Thanks for the recap, pretty boy," she whispered playfully, making Steve blush slightly.

"Are we sure this thing is still out there, still alive?" Joyce asked. Mavis had met her during her freshman year of high school. When she befriended Jonathan, she used to spend most of her time over at the Byers house. She reminded her of her mom in a way, so when she lost Jonathan... she also lost her.

And Will. The little kid who taught her how to play DnD. She glanced over at him. He wasn't a little kid anymore, and she couldn't fathom all the things he had gone through at such a young age. She hoped he was alright.

"El beat the shit out of it, but yeah, it's still alive," Max answered Joyce's question.

"But if we close the gate again..."

"We cut the brain off from the body..." Mavis finished Will's sentence, earning a small smile from the boy.

"And kill it," now it was time for Lucas to finish Mavis' sentence. "Theoretically."

Just then, Murray yelled from the other side of the food court as he speed walked towards the group, papers in his hands. Mavis knew who Murray was, mostly from the rumors that circulated about him in Hawkins. And apparently, her father knew him. Or so he told her.

He placed the papers on a table, Hopper standing next to him and Joyce having sat down. It appeared to be a hand-drawn map of the underground Russian facility. "Okay, this is what Alexei called the hub," he pointed at the map. "Now, the hub takes us to the vault room."

"Okay, where's the gate?" Hopper asked.

"Right here," he signaled to it. "I don't know the scale on this, but I think it's fairly close to the vault room. Maybe fifty feet, or so."

"More like five hundred," Mavis said, crossing her arms in front of her chest. The two men looked at her. "What?"

"She's right," Erica supported Mavis, the men now turning to look at her. "What, you're just gonna waltz in there like it's Commie Disneyland or something?"

"I'm sorry, who are you?" Murray asked the girl.

"Erica Sinclair," she said as if it was an obvious thing. "Who are you?"

"Murray..." he stammered. "Bauman."

"Listen, Mister Bunman, I'm not trying to tell you how to do things, but I've been down in that shithole for 24 hours. And with all due respect," she looked at the others, "you do what this man tells you, you're all gonna die." Tell them, Erica.

"I'm sorry, why is this four-year-old speaking to me?"

"Um, I'm ten, you bald bastard!"

"Erica" Lucas scolded his younger sister.

"Just the facts!"

"She's right," Dustin interrupted the conversation, Erica smiling at him as a way to thank him. "You're all gonna die, but you don't have to. Excuse me," he walked over to the table, taking control of it and the map before looking at Murray. "Sorry, may I?"

"Please," he said, annoyed.

Dustin and Erica sat down on the free seats, Mavis standing behind them. "Okay, see this room here?" he took a pencil out of his vest pocket, drawing on the map as he spoke. "This is a storage facility. There's a hatch in here that feeds into their underground ventilation system. That will lead you to the base of the weapon. It's a bit of a maze down there, but between me, Erica and Mavis, we can show you the way."

"You can show us the way?" Hopper asked skeptically.

"Don't worry, you can do all the fighting and the dangerous hero shit, and we'll just be your... navigators." The three of them nodded in unison.

Hopper nodded as well. "No. Nope," he said, now shaking his head and walking away.

"I didn't expect the sheriff to be this stupid," Mavis muttered under her breath as she watched him disarm a dead soldier.

"Well, that settles it. He's gonna die. They're all gonna die."

"Yep, most likely," Dustin agreed.

"You guys survived," Lucas stated.

"Barely," Mavis said, touching her now bruised nose as she remembered what they had experienced down there.

Dustin nodded. "We could've really used you guys down there."

Mike smiled. "Could've used you up here, too."

Lucas crossed his arms in front of his chest, smiling as well. "Yeah, man. We missed you, dude."

"Yeah. Big time," Will joined in.

And then the four of them hugged. "I missed you guys too," Dustin said. "Big time."

Mavis couldn't help but smile at the scene. It was adorable. Erica didn't seem to feel the same though. She was rather grossed out.

"Please don't cry, nerds."

"Erica," Lucas glared at his sister.

"Keep saying my name, see what happens."

"Hey, heads up," Hopper said, walking to the group as he tossed a walkie talkie to Mavis, who caught it. "You can navigate, just from someplace safe."

"It's not that simple," she looked at him.

"The signal won't reach," Erica explained.

"Not with that," Dustin said, looking at the walkie in Mavis' hand. "You need something with a high enough frequency band to relay with the Russians' radio tower. But for that to work, you need to have someone who has both seen their comms room and has access to a super-powered handcrafted radio tower, one preferably already situated at the highest point in Hawkins... Oh, wait. That's me," he smiled proudly. "If you want us to navigate, you got us. But we need a head start." Hopper just looked at him, eyebrows raised. "And a car."

Steve and Robin had been in the back, listening to the whole conversation. And when Dustin mentioned needing a car, he rose to his feet and walked over. "I can drive them."

Hopper wasn't very happy with the idea, but he tossed his keys to the older guy. "Suit yourself," was all he said before walking back to Joyce and Murray.

"Okay everyone," Steve said, referring to Mavis, Robin, Erica and Dustin. "Let's go then."

They all nodded as they proceeded to follow him towards the exit of the mall. But they didn't make it far.

"Mavis?" the girl turned around when she heard her name being called out by a voice she recognized: Jonathan. "Can we talk?"

She nodded, turning around to face the rest of her group. "I'll be back in a minute," she said before she walked over to Jonathan. "Is everything okay?"

"Yes... yes!" he said nervously. "I just wanted to apologize."

She frowned. "For what?"

"For leaving your side back in 1983. I shouldn't have done that."

"Jonathan, you were dealing with your brother's disappearance."

"Yes, but after he came back, I... stopped being your friend," he looked down before looking at her again. "I left you alone. And I'm deeply sorry for that. I guess I just didn't want you to get wrapped up in all this mess."

"It seems like I'm part of this mess now anyways," she chuckled slightly. "But I get that. And I accept your apology. It was... hard for me to lose you so suddenly, but I'm glad you're okay. And I'm glad you're back in my life again."

He smiled as he opened his arms. "Friends?"

"Friends," she smiled as well, hugging him.

A few seconds later, they pulled away. "Well, I'll let you get back to business," he chuckled.

"Be safe, okay?"

"We will. But the same goes for you. Don't do anything stupid."

"I'll try my best," she smiled as she waved him goodbye, Jonathan walking back to Nancy and Mavis walking back to her friends, who had been seeing the whole interaction.

"Is everything okay?" Steve asked her, trying to forget the teasing he had heard from both Robin and Dustin after they caught him staring at Mavis and Jonathan.

"Yes," she smiled. "We can go now."

Steve nodded, wanting to ask what that whole interaction had been about, but he decided against it. He started to walk, leading the way with Mavis, Robin, Erica and Dustin following close behind as they left Starcourt.

"Oh man! Now this... this is what I'm talking about," Steve exclaimed as he opened the front doors of the mall and spotted the yellow Cadillac that was parked in front of it.

"Toddfather?" Robin asked out loud as she shared a look with Mavis, both girls not quite believing what they were seeing.

"Oh, screw Todd! Steve's her daddy now," he said happily as he climbed in the driver's seat.

"Did you just talk about yourself in the third person?" Mavis asked as she opened the door to the passenger's seat.

"Did he just call himself daddy?" Erica asked disgustedly, getting into the car as well.

Once everyone was sat, Steve started the car. "All right, where are we going?"

"Weathertop," Dustin answered from the backseat.

"Weather-what?"

"Just drive!"

"Okay! Jesus."

And just like that, they started the drive towards Dustin's Cerebro, leaving Starcourt Mall behind them.

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"Jesus, how far along is this place, man?" Steve asked Dustin as they drove through the night.

"Relax, we're almost there."

"Suzie must be pretty special, huh?" Mavis asked with a smile, looking at Dustin from the rear view mirror. "I mean, if you built this ham radio and lugged it all the way to the middle of nowhere just to talk to her?"

"I mean, nobody's scientifically perfect, but Suzie's about as close to being perfect as any human could possibly be," he smiled lovingly, and it melted Mavis' heart.

"She sound made-up to me," Erica said, looking at Robin who was next to her and behind Mavis, and then at Steve. "She sound made-up to you?"

A beat passed by as Steve looked at Erica through the rear view mirror, Dustin looking at him. "Why are you hesitating, Steve?"

"I'm, I'm- I'm not!" he looked at Mavis, who was glaring at him, also waiting for an answer to Dustin's question. "I'm not! I think she sounds real. You know, totally, absolutely real."

Mavis knew that was complete bullshit based on his tone, but as she went to call him out, Dustin spoke.

"Left. Turn left."

"There's not a road here."

"Turn left now!"

"Jesus! Hang on!" he yelled as he took a hard left, smashing through a fence.

"Whoa, Henderson, where are we going?!"

"Up!"

Steve tried to get the car to the top, but it was struggling to get up the steep hill.

"Oh, Jesus!"

"We're not going to make it!" Mavis screamed, holding onto the seat.

"Yes we are!" he shouted back before turning to face the steering wheel. "Come on, baby. Come on, baby!"

Almost at the top, the car stopped. Mavis looked down at the tires, seeing they were stuck in the soft grass. Steve continued to hit the gas, and the tires were spinning, but the car was not going anywhere.

"I guess the Toddfather has its limitations," Mavis said teasingly.

Steve just glared at her before he turned off the engine, everyone getting out and starting to walk the rest of the way til Weathertop. Once they made it to the top, Mavis couldn't help but stare in awe at Cerebro.

"Impressive."

"Thank you," Dustin smiled at her before he proceeded to set everything up. After a while, he was done, so he began to try and get a hold of the adults. "Bald Eagle, do you copy?" Nothing. "Bald Eagle, I repeat, this is Scoops Troop, do you copy?"

"Yes, I copy," Murray's voice could be heard, and everyone chuckled with relief.

"Call sign?"

"... Bald Eagle."

"Please repeat," Dustin said teasingly.

"Bald Eagle. This is Bald Eagle!" It was clear he was annoyed.

"Copy that," he smiled. "Good to hear your voice, Bald Eagle. What's your twenty?"

"We reached the vent. I'll contact you when I need you. Until then, silence."

"Roger that, Bald Eagle. This is Scoops Troop, going radio silent. Ten-ten, over."

Steve patted Dustin's shoulder, a smile plastered on his face. Mavis smiled; he looked like a proud dad.

"You have fun doing that, huh?" Mavis teased.

"Yes," Dustin smiled at her.

"So, Mavis..." she turned her head to look at Robin. "What was that with Jonathan back then?"

Steve's head perked up. He wasn't going to show it, but he was very glad Robin had asked that question.

"Oh," Mavis chuckled. "We were really close back during our freshman year, but we had a fallout when Will disappeared. And we hadn't really talked since," she explained, shrugging. "He wanted to apologize for not reaching out after Will was back."

"You and Jonathan were friends?" Dustin asked.

"Yes, he was kind of my best friend," and only friend, but they didn't need to know that. "I spent almost every day at his house."

"So you were friends with Will as well?"

"Kind of?" she chuckled. "He taught me how to play DnD."

"You know how to play DnD? You get cooler every second, Mavis," Dustin said, a smile on his face as he glanced at Steve, who was staring intensely at the girl. When would he realize he had feelings for her?

"Scoops Troop, this is... Bald Eagle," Murray spoke suddenly, making everyone look at Cerebro again. "I've reached another junction."

"This is what?" Dustin asked Erica as they looked at the map.

"The fourth junction."

"All right, so if memory serves, this is right after the My Little Pony thesis."

"We went left, so he has to go right," Mavis added.

"Fly right, Bald Eagle. Fly right."

"What's the My Little Pony thesis?" Robin asked, curious.

"Don't get him started," Erica warned her.

"Get him started? Just tell me–"

"Hey, guys?" Steve called out, everyone turning to look at him before they stood up and walked to where he was, seeing what he was seeing: the lights of Starcourt Mall were flickering wildly.

That couldn't be good.

Dustin rushed back to Cerebro. "Griswold Family, this is Scoops Troop! Do you copy? Over!"

Nothing.

"Griswold Family, I repeat, this is Scoops Troop. Do you copy?"

Nothing.

"Griswold Family, do you copy?"

Still nothing. Mavis started to bite down on her nails, the nerves killing her.

"Do you copy?!"

Suddenly, a shriek could be heard, making everyone share a look. Oh no.

"Griswold Family, this is Scoops Troop. Please confirm your safety!"

Mavis ran her hands through her hair. Still no answer.

"Griswold Family, this is Scoops Troop! Please confirm your safety!" Dustin yelled desperately into the walkie. "Are you en route to Bald Eagle's nest?"

Silence.

"Someone, please just answer. Is anyone there? Just answer! Anyone, please..."

More silence.

"Griswold Family, do you copy? Do you copy?!"

Steve couldn't take it anymore, so he stood up and ran towards the car.

"Where are you going?!" Mavis asked.

"To get them the hell outta there," he looked at her. "You stay here please," he pleaded with his eyes. He needed her to be safe. "And contact the others!" And then he was gone.

"Shit," Robin said before he ran after Steve.

"Wait, Robin!" Mavis yelled at the girl, tossing her a walkie talkie. "Stay in touch."

She nodded. "Got it." And then she was gone as well.

How come Mavis always was the one to stay with the kids?

"Bald Eagle, this is Scoops Troop. What's your twenty?"

"I told you, radio silence!"

"Yeah, but we have a problem."

Hopper's voice could be heard unexpectedly. "What kind of problem?"

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Mavis, Erica and Dustin were sitting in front of Cerebro, waiting to hear from the other groups. And she was dead worried about Steve. She hoped nothing would happen to him as he tried to play the hero, again.

Suddenly, they were able to hear Murray and Hopper arguing about a code that was apparently wrong. Murray admitted that it could be wrong, due to the fact that it was a famous number and he thought that he knew it.

"The code is a number, a famous number. Planck's constant. I-I thought I knew it."

"Planck's constant," Mavis said, trying to remember the number.

"You know it?" Erica asked her.

"Not by heart."

"Me neither," Dustin spoke, looking at Erica. "Do you?"

"I'm not a nerd, nerds."

Hearing Hopper and Murray still arguing in the background, Mavis tried her best to remember Planck's constant. But nothing. Then, she noticed Dustin switching channels on Cerebro.

"What are you doing?" Erica asked him.

He just ignored his question as he continued what he was doing. And soon enough, he was successful.

"Suzie, do you copy?"

So that was it, he was trying to reach his girlfriend. But why? It wasn't exactly the perfect time to call a significant other. Unless... Mavis smiled. She had to know Planck's constant. After all, Dustin had said she was very close to being perfect.

"Suzie, do you copy?"

Erica looked at Mavis in disbelief. Was he actually trying to contact his made-up girlfriend?

"This is Suzie. I copy."

Bingo.

"Suzie!" Dustin exclaimed, the biggest smile on his face.

"Dusty-bun?" Okay, that was adorable.

"Dusty-bun?" Erica repeated, grossed out by the nickname.

"Where have you been?"

"I'm so, so sorry. I-I've been really busy... uh, trying to save the world from the Russians and monsters."

At least he was honest.

A chuckle could be heard from the other side. "Of course you have."

Erica was losing her patience. "Get the goddamn number already."

Mavis glared at Erica, telling her with her eyes to stay quiet. The younger girl just nodded, mouthing a "sorry."

"Who was that?"

"Uh, it was..." he stammered. "Uh, I don't know, actually. I think it was just some interference. So, why don't we, uh, change frequency to 14.158?"

"Copy that, shifting frequency. Standby."

Dustin adjusted the dial to the correct frequency, looking at the two girls. "You two stay quiet."

"Got it."

"Dusty-bun, you copy?"

He smiled. "I copy, Suzie-poo." Cute. "It sounds much better now, thanks," he let a beat go by. "Okay, so, listen, do you know Planck's constant?"

"Do you know the Earth orbits the sun?" she answered sarcastically with an obvious question. Awesome, she knew the number.

Dustin chuckled. "Okay, so I know it starts with two sixes, and then a..." he paused. "W-What is it?"

"Okay, let me just be clear on this. I haven't heard from you for a week, and now you want a mathematical equation that you should know so you can... save the world?"

Mavis had to give it to her, she had a point.

"Suzie-poo, I promise, I will make it up to you as soon as possible."

"You can make it up to me now."

Dustin's smile dropped. "What?"

"I want to hear it."

"Not right now," he said nervously.

"Yes, now, Dusty-bun."

"Suzie-poo, this is urgent."

"Yes, yes, you're saving the world, I heard you the first time, but Ged is also saving Earthsee and he's about to confront the shadow, so this is Suzie, signing off."

Mavis smiled at the mention of Earthsea. A wizard of Earthsea had been one of her favorite books growing up.

"Wait, wait, wait!" he exclaimed frantically. "Okay. Okay. Okay."

He then let out a deep sigh. "Shit." Erica and Mavis just shared a look, wondering what was about to happen. But nothing could prepare them for what came next.

"Turn around. Look at what you see..." he started to sing, looking at the girls shyly before turning away from them. "In her face. The mirror of your dreams..."

Oh my god. He was singing Never Ending Story. Then, Suzie joined in and it seemed to calm Dustin's nerves as he smiled and the two harmonized and continued singing. Mavis had to admit it, it was an adorable thing to witness.

"Planck's constant is 6.62607004," Suzie said after they were done singing.

Dustin chuckled happily. "You just saved the world."

"Gosh, I miss you, Dusty-bun."

"And I miss you more, Suzie-poo."

"I miss you more, multiplied by all the stars in our galaxy."

"No, I miss you–"

"Enough!" Erica said as she turned Cerebro off. Mavis thanked her mentally, it was becoming too much for her liking.

"Why did you do that? I wasn't done!" Dustin yelled at the girl, the two starting to argue.

Suddenly, Mavis heard something in the distance so she stood up and walked towards the edge of Weathertop, her eyes widening when she saw a big creature headed to Starcourt Mall. That couldn't mean anything good. What if her new friends were in danger? What if Steve was?

She couldn't let anything happen to him, to them. She needed to do something. And soon enough, an idea came to mind.

"Hey!" she called out, Dustin and Erica looking at her. "I'm going to the mall. They need help."

"What?"

"No, it's dangerous," Dustin said.

"I know it is, but if I can do anything to help defeat the Mind Flayer..." she smiled slightly. "Then I will do it."

"And what exactly are you planning to do?" Erica asked. She didn't quite like the idea of Mavis putting herself in danger.

Mavis' smile widened. "Let's just say I have an ace up my sleeve."

Dustin sighed. "Okay. But please, please be careful."

"I will. You don't have to worry, Dusty-bun," she said teasingly.

He glared at her. "You know what? Don't be careful. I don't care."

She let out a soft chuckle. "Copy that. You two stay here, okay?"

They just nodded.

"I will see you guys once everything has come to an end. Over and out."

And just like that, Mavis ran down the hill as fast as she could, headed towards her house. Her fear of the darkness didn't matter right now, she just needed to get home as quickly as possible. Dashing through the streets of Hawkins, she noticed they were empty, houses without light. That was when she remembered that it was the Fourth of July, so most people were at the fair. Her father was probably there too, drinking his ass off. At least that would give her some peace when she prepared what she needed to prepare.

She arrived at her front porch only fifteen minutes after leaving Weathertop — crazy what adrenaline could do to you. She knew the front door was going to be locked, and she had left her bag with Dustin and Erica, so she went to the backyard, knowing the back door would be open. It always was. She opened it and entered the building, the kitchen to be more precise. Closing the door behind her, she started to walk towards the stairs, headed for her room.

"Mavis? Is that you?"

She stopped dead in her tracks when she heard her father's voice calling out to her from the living room. What was he doing there? He was supposed to be at the fair...

"Mavis?"

Taking a deep breath, she walked to the living room, finding her father lying on the couch, the TV on and bottles of beer surrounding him.

"Hey dad."

Scott Wilson smiled at the sight of his daughter. "Hey sweetie. Come here," he said as he tried to sit up. "Do you think you can help me get these damn boots off?" he chuckled.

She just nodded before she sat across from him on the couch, taking his legs and starting to take off his boots.

"I just got home. I was at the fair. It was so fun. Were you there too?"

She shook her head. "I was at the mall. Watching a movie."

"Nice," he said, a yawn escaping his mouth.

"You should go to your room if you're tired, dad. The couch isn't comfortable."

"It wouldn't be the first time I crashed on this thing," he stated, making Mavis sigh. "You gonna stay?"

She nodded, giving him a tight-lipped smile.

"Good. Yeah. Don't be late for school," she nodded again, tears starting to form in her eyes.

Trying not to cry, Mavis concentrated on taking his boots off. And shortly after, when she was done, she looked over at him, seeing he was asleep. It was then impossible for her to not cry. Granted, that could have been a lot worse, but it hurt her to the core to see she was losing her dad little by little.

She stood up, placing his feet back on the couch softly before walking upstairs. She could clean up the mess later. Once in her room, she opened her closet, taking out her bow and arrows from the upper shelf and grabbing a small backpack on her way out. Then, she headed back downstairs, to the kitchen. She looked through the shelves, trying to find her father's strongest alcohol. She found a few bottles that were labeled as 40% alcohol and over, so she stashed those in her backpack. Now looking through the drawers, she took a few dishcloths and a lighter, putting those inside the bag as well.

Mavis looked at her dad one more time before she rushed out of the back door again, grabbing her bike and getting on it, starting to ride it as fast as she could towards the mall.

It was time to teach the Mind Flayer some archery lessons.

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In Starcourt Mall, the kids were throwing fireworks at the Mind Flayer. However, they had ran out of ammunition.

"Mavis!" Steve yelled into the walkie talkie. "We're almost out of time!"

"She's... she's not here," Dustin answered, his voice quiet.

His eyes widened. "What do you mean she's not there?!"

"Uh..."

"Dustin!"

"She–"

In that moment, a flaming arrow made its way to the back of the Mind Flayer, the creature shrieking at the contact. The kids looked in the direction the arrow had come from, their eyes widening when they saw Mavis standing there, lighting another arrow and shooting it.

Steve was mesmerized at the scene unfolding in front of him. Mavis looked like a freaking superhero as she shot arrows at the Mind Flayer, the creature trying to hit her but failing as she dodged its tentacles. He was amazed by her. She was just the coolest girl he'd ever known. And it was in that moment that he knew. He had been wrong about Robin. She wasn't the girl he was talking about back when it was the two of them in the bathroom: it was Mavis.

He liked Mavis Wilson. He had liked her ever since she interrupted his conversation with Dustin in Scoops Ahoy. And he hated the fact it had taken him this long to realize it.

Mavis was too focused on the creature she was fighting to notice that all eyes were on her. Or that Billy Hargrove was walking towards her. Appearing behind her, he wrapped his right arm around her neck, throwing her to the floor.

"Mavis!" Steve yelled. No... Nothing could happen to her.

She struggled to get out of Billy's grasp as he tightened his grip on her neck. She was starting to get dizzy, her vision worsening as she saw black spots. However, before things could take a bad turn, Billy let her go, grabbing her bow and arrows and breaking them before throwing them on the floor next to her. She didn't have enough strength at that moment to fight him. And apparently, she didn't need to, because he walked back to Eleven after giving her one last look.

Mavis thought she was safe, but then her eyes widened when she saw the Mind Flayer turn towards her, a tentacle coming out of its mouth and reaching for her. This was it. She was going to die.

But Steve wasn't going to let that happen. From the upper floor of the mall, he threw a book he had found in the bookstore behind him towards the tentacle of the Mind Flayer, hitting it where he wanted to.

"Mavis, run!" he yelled with all his strength. The girl smiled at him softly as she slowly stood up and ran away, hiding behind the counter of Imperial Panda.

Funny how she ended up at her workplace.

Looking back at the Mind Flayer, she saw that it was now in front of Eleven and Billy, a tentacle coming out of its mouth like it had done a few moments ago. However, before it could reach El, Billy blocked it with both hands. The Mind Flayer didn't like that: a different tentacle grabbed Billy's left side, and another grabbed his right side. Then another, and another, and another, until the majority of his body was covered.

Mavis' eyes widened at the sight. Billy was now to his knees, screaming defiantly at the creature in front of him. But his screams ceased when a tentacle coming out of the Mind Flayer's mouth went through Billy's chest, his body falling to the ground as the tentacles released him.

She thought everything was lost now, but suddenly, the Mind Flayer squealed as it started to stumble, rocking back and forth and breaking columns. And then, it fell flat. Lifeless.

Mavis got out of her hiding place, watching the mall start to catch fire as she took everything in. She saw Max crying because of her stepbrother's death, Eleven holding her in her arms and Mike next to them. So much destruction...

"Mav!"

She turned around, a smile appearing on her face when she saw Steve and Robin running towards her. The boy was the first one to get to her side, wrapping his arms around her in a tight hug.

"Oh my god, I'm so glad you're okay," he whispered into her ear.

"The feeling is mutual, Stevie." She was so relieved at the fact he was okay. And she felt so safe in his arms; she didn't quite want to pull away. But she had to.

"That was super badass of you back then," Robin smiled after the two had stopped hugging, walking towards Mavis to hug her as well. "The way you just swooped in and saved the day... Amazing."

She chuckled. "I didn't save the day."

"But still," Steve smiled softly at her. "That was pretty awesome."

"Yeah, how come we didn't know you were a pro with the bow?"

"I guess it never came up," she shrugged with a chuckle.

"Well, you have to tell us everything," Robin said as she wrapped an arm over her shoulders.

"I will," she smiled as she looked forward, noticing military and firemen enter the mall. "But first, let's get the hell out of here."

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Three months. It had been three months since the battle of Starcourt Mall. And life was slowly starting to feel normal again.

Having lost her job at the mall due to it burning down, Mavis had to look for a new job. So, she tried to get one at Slatewood Records, the only record store in Hawkins and one of her favorite places. She had tried to get a job there earlier that year, but they weren't looking to hire, so she had to settle for Imperial Panda.

Now, however, she had been able to get a job there. And it made her incredibly happy. It was a Friday, and she had just finished her first shift, so she was leaving her workplace when she saw Steve's car pull up, a smile instantly appearing on her face.

"You put your mom down as a reference?" Robin asked him as the two got out of the car, not noticing her.

"Yeah. Why not?" She's like, super well-respected."

"You're such a dingus."

"I have to agree," she approached them, smiling.

"Mavis!" Robin chuckled, pulling the girl in for a hug.

"Hey, Mav," Steve smiled at her, suddenly getting nervous. His crush on her had only grown during these last months, especially as the three of them, Mavis, Robin, and him, spent a lot of time together. However, he had become good at hiding it by now.

"What are you doing here?" Robin asked.

She smiled. "You're looking at the newest employee of Slatewood Records."

"No way! You got the job?"

"Yes," she chuckled.

"Congrats, Mav."

"Thanks, Stevie," she smiled at him. God, he looked good today.

"Oh my god, you know what that means?" Robin asked excitedly. "If Steve and I get the job here at Family Video, we could be work neighbors again!"

Both Steve and Mavis smiled at the thought. Working next to each other... that would certainly make them happy.

"Well, then I guess you guys will have to rock your interview then," she said teasingly.

"Oh, we will," Robin smiled. Steve wasn't so sure, but now that he knew Mavis was working right next to Family Video, he was going to do everything in his power to get that job.

"Are you free today?" he asked Mavis. "Maybe we could hang out after our interview."

She frowned. "No. I'm going over to the Byers. They're leaving today and I promised Jonathan I'll be there."

"Oh, right," he tried to hide his disappointment. "You told us about it."

"Well, have fun Mavis! And tell them goodbye from us," Robin smiled. "Now, come on, dingus," she said, opening the door to Family Video and walking inside the store.

"I'll... see you later then."

"Definitely," she nodded with a smile. "Bye Stevie," she waved at him before turning around.

"Bye Mav," he watched her get into her bike before he followed Robin inside.

Mavis rode her bike to the Byers house, getting there just in time to say goodbye to Jonathan. It was a bittersweet goodbye; they had just rekindled their friendship a few months ago, and now he was leaving. However, she knew it was for the best. After having lost Hopper, nothing was the same for Eleven, who was now part of the Byers family. Or for Joyce. So Mavis couldn't really blame her for wanting to leave.

She hugged Joyce, Will and Eleven goodbye as well, and she couldn't help but tear up when she saw them leave, standing between Dustin and Lucas, Mike, Nancy and Max being there too. They chatted for a bit before everyone headed home.

As Mavis rode her bike down the streets of Hawkins, she couldn't shake the horrible feeling that suddenly surrounded her.

The horrible feeling that it wasn't over.

Not yet.

『••✎••』

well, that was a rollercoaster of emotions, so let's unpack some of the things that happened this chapter:

- erica, dustin & mavis are an iconic trio & you can't change my mind

- jonathan & mavis rekindling their friendship? it's a yes from me

- the interaction between mavis & scott💔 my poor girl

- mavis being a badass with the bow? HELL YES

- STEVE FINALLY REALIZING HE HAS FEELINGS FOR MAVIS

& i think that's it, but if you have other favorite moments, please let me know! i'd love to read them🥰 but yes, this is the finale of act one... crazy, right? season four is up next, & let me tell you, if you thought this season was a rollercoaster, just wait for the next one👀

anyways, don't be a ghost reader & i'll see you in act two! 💙

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PUZZLE © storyofanotherpaola, 2022.