Margaret walked into a pretty dull room, filled with Steve, Lucas and Dustin, she had not yet caught sight of Max. Lucas was sat down as well as Dustin while Steve paced back and forth, reading an article, something Lucas has seemed to be reading too.

Victor Creel Claims: Ancient demon killed family. The murder that shocked a small community.

"Well that's incredibly nerve wracking" Margaret muttered as she leaned down to see what Lucas had been reading.

Lucas gave her the oh I know look, perhaps Dustin was correct about this demon Vecna, the idea that some nonhuman creature lurked beneath them killing people one by one in the most gruesome way did not sit very well with her, as you'd imagine.

Lucas passed the article to Margaret so she could have a better look.

"Uh okay, be honest uh-" Steve began to speak, pausing to find the right words, "do you guys understand any of this?"

"No" Lucas answered first.

Margaret's eyes widened at the words in front of them.

"Nope"

She looked toward Dustin waiting for his answer, "pretty straight forward" she mentally slapped a hand to her head.

Of course the brainiac would find it 'straightforward' but no one else did, possible that Eddie did, but, she would not be asking him for anything any time soon. In fact, she'd hoped he would soon be found totally not guilty of Chrissy's murder so that she could have him out her place.

"Oh straightforward really?" Steve stood in front of Dustin, Margaret to his side perched on the arm of the sofa.

"Well, what's confusing to you?" Dustin of course did not mean to come across sarcastic nor condescending however, he sort of was in a way, looking toward Margaret and Lucas too, "so far everyone Vecna has cursed has died except for this old Victor Creel dude Nancy found" Margaret's brows creased at the thought, "he's the only known survivor, if anyone knows how to beat this curse it's him"

Margaret felt her hopes for Max lift a little, maybe Dustin was right, maybe this random old guy would help.

Although the more she thought the more she realised, there's nothing in it for him.

"Yea that's assuming that he was cursed Henderson, which we don't even know" Steve made a valid point.

Margaret hummed a little at his response, perhaps Steve was more than just hair.

"But that means Vecna would've had to have existed back in the fifties, that's doesn't even make sense" Margaret started, standing up, "what, has he just lay dormant for the last, I don't know, 30 years?" She spoke about him as if he were an animal in the winter.

"As far as we know eleven didn't create the upside down" he put his hands out, "she opened a gate to it, the upside down has probably been around for thousands of years!" It was all starting to make sense more now, "millions, I wouldn't be surprised if it predates the dinosaurs" and not Dustin had lost her.

Margaret only rolled her eyes at his final comment. Turning her back.

"What? Dinosaurs what are-"

Steve was interrupted by Lucas, "okay okay, but if a gate didn't exist in the fifties, how did Vecna get through?"

My point exactly, Margaret thought.

"And how is he getting through now?" Steve added.

"Why now?"

"And why then?" Steve added, "just pops out in the fifties, kills one family and says eh I'm good and then bang he just disappears and is gone?"

Margaret tried to drown them out, tried to think to herself. How could Vecna get through these gates? How could he have killed Chrissy physically without her not Eddie seeing him?

It didn't make any sense.

Unless, unless he could somehow get to her without being physically there, in front of her, unless he didn't leave the upside down at all.

When she turned the three boys had sat down, huffing and puffing.

"What if Vecna does not need to get through the gate to kill people?" This grabbed the three boys attention, "what if he can do it from the upside down?" She revived three looks as if she were crazy, so she sat down by Dustin, "it's the only way it would make sense, I mean how could he be there physically murdering Chrissy without me or Eddie seeing him?" Dustin nodded as she spoke. "Maybe he doesn't leave at all"

Steve's mouth sat agape. He knew Margaret wasn't a bad student of course, but he didn't realise she was as bright as she was.

"And even if he could get through this gate into Hawkins" she paused, unsure if she should say what she wanted to say, "metaphorically speaking, would that not mean that we could get through into the upside down?" This is when she received the hell no faces from the three, "a gate goes both ways right?"

Dustin went to answer, but found himself staring ahead, ahead to what Margaret soon recognised to be Max.

Lucas looked over too, Margaret didn't know much about this group, or Lucas considering he'd recently been hanging with Jason, but, she did know he cared for her. Not in the way you care for a friend or a sister, in a romantic way.

He loved her.

"Anyone know what she's writing?" Dustin threw out the question.

Margaret hadn't even seen her with how hidden and quiet she'd been, she couldn't have had a clue what she was writing.

"Did she sleep?" Dustin asked another question.

"I mean," Lucas paused to look back at his friend, "would you?" He had a fair point, Margaret knew she couldn't sleep if she were in Max's position.

A door opened which snapped them all out of staring at Max's back.

Feet ran down the wooden stairs, Nancy and Robin. Looking flustered and almost hopeful. A smile found its way to Robins face as Nancy spoke, "so, we have a plan".

Nancy and Robin had sat with the boys, going over this plan to talk with Victor Creel. Margaret however wasn't in listening distance, she was certain whatever plan they'd concocted would work, she had no doubt about it. So, instead, she made her way over to Max.

As soon as she'd sat beside the girl she flipped the paper she was writing on so Margaret could not see it.

Margaret didn't question it or push for Max to show her. She just wanted to be there for her.

"Hey" Margaret's voice was near a whisper, trying to console Max in a way she knew was silent enough for the rest of the group to pay no mind, so that Max - if she wanted to - would freely talk to her.

"Hi" Max had given that awkward half smile.

Margaret hadn't really planned what she were to say on her short walk over to Max, she just started heading her way before she could really think about anything.

She could ask her how she's getting on but, that would be an incredibly stupid question to ask the cursed girl.

She could see the fear in Max's eyes, it wasn't the type of skin prickling terrified fear, it was the hidden fear, something Margaret knew all too well. In fact she felt it every day she lived with her parents, other than when they left her alone for business trips.

"You can talk to me you know" Margaret started to speak up, she watched as Max looked down to the letters, was she writing about how she feels?, "No Max, you can actually talk to me" she wanted her to know that, sure, she hadn't known Margaret for very long but, she could turn to her if she needed to.

Margaret hadn't known why or how but she felt this overwhelming sense of protection over Max. Perhaps it was because she saw herself in there.

She also hadn't realised that Max too felt as though she'd known Margaret for years and years rather than days. She felt that Margaret actually understood her, she'd helped her when she was alone and being questioned by police. She'd given her clothes, took her to Dustins.

Margaret was the closest thing to a bond she'd felt with any other girl since El.

"I know" Max let out a sorrowful smile. It was genuine in a way, she really did know that Margaret would listen to anything she had to say, but, she also didn't want to talk.

She didn't want to get upset.

Max wasn't very good at portraying her feelings. In fact, she was very bad at it.

Lucas had fell victim to her lack of words, she loved Lucas, so very much and yet she couldn't find the words to tell him. So she pushed him out, when he started hanging with Jason the perfect opportunity arose to back out, to save Lucas from her.

"He really cares for you" Margaret's voice snapped her from her daze, she had turned and been somewhat subtly staring his way. Lucas hadn't noticed but Margaret obviously had. Max began to shrug thinking that he'd hate her for how distant she'd been, "you're allowed to let people in Max".

Max was about to do what Max did best.

Deny.

"How would you know if I let people in or not?" She sounded very defensive first of all Margaret had thought.

But, that wasn't the reason she knew.

"Because I don't" her words sounded quite timid, she had actually surprised Max. Max knew you couldn't exactly judge a book by its cover but, Margaret Sawyer always seemed pretty readable.

Popular friends
Cheerleader
Good grades
Only non popular person she used to surround herself with was Dustin
Best friends with Chrissy
Rich and successful parents

"But you-" Max stopped almost before she'd began, she was about to do what she hated being done to her.

"It's okay, you can say it" Margaret smiled her way, "life seems good for me" she continued on, smile slowly fading, "I know it might not seem like it but, trust me Max, I understand, I don't think I've ever let any of my friends in except Chrissy" emphasis on the word friends considering she didn't see any of the other popular guys as such, "even she didn't know everything"

Max gave Margaret a nod of understanding, she had things she didn't even dare to tell El, or Lucas or even Dustin. Things that just seemed too dark.

Things about Billy.

"I want to tell him everything but-" Max put the pen she was still holding on the desk, "I can't" she let out a sigh, "so I'm writing it instead, or most of it at least" she couldn't write about Billy, not to anyone else except Billy.

Billy's letter was the final one.

The one she was just about finished.

"There's things I haven't told anyone, literally not a soul" Margaret confessed.

"Why?"

"I'm scared to" Margaret's response really resonated with Max, "I don't want to be judged or viewed as a bad or weak person so, I just haven't told anyone" Margaret was really blowing Max away if anything. She hadn't told her exactly what she kept from people but Max knew she hadn't even told anyone what she'd just told her.

Max and Margaret weren't so different, she supposed that's what made them feel so bonded so quickly.

"I'm scared" Max blurted out, "I'm usually not - with this type of thing, this is my third time after all, but this time, I'm scared" she looked down to the letter she'd just folded up, she didn't know why she was saying this but she was, "I'm going to die".

Margaret pulled Max into her chest to hug her tightly, something Max would usually be totally repulsed by, but not this time.

Max accepted the hug in every way possible.

Margaret had one arm behind her back to hug her and one hand gently wrapped around to lay on the top of her head, "I won't let that happen to you" Margaret whispered, Max almost believed her.

In fact she did believe her, only she knew Margaret maybe wouldn't have as much of an option in the matter.

Not against Vecna.

"Even if I have to kill that son of a bitch myself, I won't let him hurt you"