MARIELLA SAT AT THE DINING TABLE, the only sound audible was the occasional clanking in the play from the cutlery and tapping of Mariella's foot.

"How was school today, Darling?" Her mother, Emma asks while taking a sip from her cup. She was attempting to get her daughters idle mind off the missing boy. Golly, Emma would never understand her. They were so different, after all.

Mariella shrugs, carefully shoveling a spoonful of mashed potatoes into her mouth.

"It was okay," She responds, giving her mother the answer that she knew she wanted. Emma nods.

"How are you feeling, Marlie?" Charlie speaks up, sensing the distraught in his daughter's words. Charlie and Mariella had always had a strong relationship. He didn't expect Mariella to be perfect, unlike how her mother expected her to be. Which Mariella was thankful for, she couldn't keep up with her mothers thought of being perfect and living up to 'the DeGray reputation'.

"I could be better. Do you think Will's okay?" She answers, finishing with a question. Pushing around her peas and carrots which sat on her plate before looking at her father with sad eyes. She's been worried all day. Unable to hold a proper conversation without bringing up her best friend.

"Yes, I'm sure he's okay, Marlie," He answers back with a reassuring smile while her mother shakes her head at the nickname. She always found it too childish, not sophisticated enough. After all, she thought, Mariella was a DeGray for god sakes! Her and Charlie's only daughter, the heir to the DeGray fortune! She couldn't be galavanting around town going as such a common and childish nickname like Marlie!

"You're babying the girl, Charlie!" Was a phrase often said by the woman who wasn't fond of the way her husband chose to raise and treat their only daughter.

"I sure hope so," Mariella frowns while taking a sip of water before asking to be excused which was granted by Emma nodding and Charlie ushering her off, "go on then," with a smile.

♧

Sat on her bed, she hugs a grey teddy bear while twisting at the knobs on her walkie-talkie before she speaks into the private channel her and Mike have.

"Hello? Michael, do you copy? Over." She pauses before ending her line into the mic.

"Yeah. I'm here, Mars. What's up? Over." He answers after a few seconds, the line crackling as he speaks.

"Do you think Will's okay? I mean... I'm really worried, yeah? I don't know. Over," She replies, twirling a piece of her hair as her grip on the walker-talkie tightens. Her mind kept going back to Will.

"I'm sure he's okay, Mars. He'll be okay. We should go look for him though. Over," Mike says into his walkie-talkie, he sat in his basement. Sat at the table where the party had sat just the night before.

"Are you serious? You know what Hopper said — we're not supposed to go looking. Plus, my parents will kill me! Over." Mariella sighs, falling back into her bed. It was tempting, it really was.

"Right before you called, I talked to Lucas, Mars. We're meeting in ten. You never have a problem sneaking out to my house for late night campaigns, it's the same thing. I'll see you soon, over and out!" Mike responds, slamming the wire to his walkie-talkie down and beginning to get his things together.

"Wait - Michael!" Mariella calls out to the deadline before sitting back up and shaking her head.

Hurriedly, she gets up from her spot on her bed. Looking down at her outfit, she deems it appropriate for the adventures the night has in store. She puts on her brown fleece lined jacket, throws it over her grey sweater before grabbing her walkie-talkie and flashlight and tossing it into her backpack. Her room was on the second floor of the house, but you see, luckily for her, her window looked out right onto an awning of the roof and if you were to walk a few steps to the edge, you could get onto a tree.

Pushing up the cold window up, she then bends her head down and swings her leg over the window and onto the awning. Standing on the roof, she makes sure to keep her window open a tinge.

Hopping from the awning to the tree, she begins to scale down it. Tonight was going to be something else.

♧

Slowing down, they begin looking into the front of a forest which was now blocked off.

"Ah, man. This is it," Lucas says, staring into the dark forest.

"Hey guys, you feel that? I think, maybe we should go back..." Dustin suggests as they pull to a stop, looking up to the sky, with his hand out. It was beginning to rain, lightly. The party knew, he was only saying this because he didn't want to go out in the first place.

"No. We're not going back, just stay close," Mike says, looking at Dustin with his hood up.

"It's just a little rain, it won't hurt you. Pull up your hood," Mars adds while pulling her good and rubbing the raindrops out of her face.

"Come on," Mike beckons the party, already walking into the forest.

"Just stay on channel six. Don't do anything stupid." He quickly adds, jumping over the roadblock followed by Mars then Lucas. A crunch of leaves could be heard behind them, Dustin.

"Hey, guys! Wait up! Wait up!" He calls out before tripping over the roadblock and running after them.

♧

The party walked through the forest, bodies close together. The rain slapped at their bare faces while they shouted out into the darkness for their missing friend, pointing their flashlights at any sudden sounds.

"Will! Will!" Mike yells out as a rumble of thunder fills the area. 

"Byers!" Lucas draws out.

"I've got your X-Men 134!" Dustin exclaims, referring back to the bet Will and he had made on the way home from Mike's.

"William Byers!" Mars yells out while going onto her tippy toes and jumping as if it'll help her find her best friend.

"Guys, I really think we should turn back!" Dustin says as they walk side by side.

"Seriously, Dustin? You wanna be a baby, then go home already!" Lucas groans, getting annoyed with Dustin's complaints.

"I'm just being realistic, Lucas!" Dustin yells over the rain back to Lucas.  

"No! You're being a big sissy!" Lucas yells back.

"Do you even think Will went missing because he ran into something bad? And we're going to the exact same spot where he was last seen? And we have no weapons or anything!" Dustin argues, using his hands for emphasis.

"Dustin, shut up!" Mike snaps, pushing at him.

"I'm just saying, does that seem smart to you?" Dustin responds. 

"Stop arguing for Christ's sake and don't think like that!" Mars yells at the boys while pointing her flashlight at Dustin's face with a pointed look in her eyes. 

Mike then stops mid-trail, putting his arms out in front of the party as a block.

"What?" Mars asks, grabbing onto Mike's arm. Nervousness washing over her.

"Did you guys hear that?" Mike asks the party while scanning the area. A rustle of leaves and indistinct screeching fill the area. They all raise their flashlights in a panic, searching for what the sound belonged to. They turn once, shining their flashlights into the wood. They then jolt at the sound of more rustling, turning to the other side. 

They then meet eyes with someone. Someone they've never seen before. A girl, with a buzzed head and frightened eyes.