𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐝𝐲 ⟿ s. harrington

𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐡𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐧𝐞

HOLDING ON TO FOREVER

☀︎

IN HAWKINS, DUSTIN HENDERSON AND LUCAS SINCLAIR WORKED THROUGH A DIFFICULT CONVERSATION TO ROPE IN AN ESSENTIAL MEMBER OF THE GROUP— ERICA SINCLAIR. Officers flooded the Wheeler's house in search of answers about the missing teens and the so-called night swim at Lover's Lake. Just below in the horrors of the Upside Down, the other five found themselves in an empty home, nothing but vines covering the walls and flooring of the place and somehow, it was the safest they had felt being where they stood.

Observing the dark and creepy aspect the Wheeler house now held, Robin felt an uneasy disgust as she maneuvered around the vines. "Might be time to get a maid, Wheeler."

Unamused, Nancy was cautious of her surroundings. What was supposed to be her home was overtaken by the nightmares that Vecna and all his monsters created in the Upside Down. Nevermore had she felt so uncomfortable in a place that was supposed to be a safety for her to escape to. Heading towards the stairs, she ushered the others to follow along. "Come on, I don't want to be here longer than we have to."

The group didn't object as they followed along after her. Sticking to the back of the group, Steve shinned his light toward the stairs until a whisper floated past. For a moment, he felt he was losing it, letting the horrors of this night truly grab hold of him. Yet then again, a faint and indistinguishable whisper of Dustin Henderson was heard once more. While the others headed straight to Nancy's room, Steve fell behind, hoping to catch Dustin's voice once more and signal for help.

In Nancy's room, the other four wasted no time retrieving what they came for. Heading toward her closet, Nancy snatched a shoebox straight off the shelf and placed it on her desk for Eddie and Robin to crowd around. Just as Steve, Alex grew distracted, looking over Nancy's room curiously. Examining the pictures pinned to her wall, she was left to wonder why Nancy would keep such old photos of the two up— pictures that she felt didn't encapsulate their friendship the way she believed they held on to.

The three of Eddie, Robin, and Nancy stuck together and dealt with the new mystery of finding the missing guns Nancy had lost in her room. Now replaced with pointy heels, their means of protection were taken away in a blink of an eye. Ignoring the confused questions Robin and Eddie threw her way, Nancy looked at the flashcards that sat on her desk. November 1983 she found herself making her way down the halls of Hawkins High with Barbara Holland and Alex Henderson on either side of her while she studied herself to perfection for a chemistry test. It was the same day Steve Harrington asked her to a party at his house.

Watching as Nancy frantically flipped through her cards, Robin spoke up. "I get that grades are important to you, but perhaps studying can wait till we get out of here?"

Setting the card down with a huff, Nancy shook her head in utter disbelief. "These are from sophomore chemistry." Looking at the walls in front of her, she felt off by how unfamiliar they grew to be. "And this... this wallpaper, this is old wallpaper." Turning over to Alex, she raced up to her side and took the picture from her hand with a laugh. Holding on tight to it, she couldn't believe it had survived after she distinctly remembered tearing it half. Showing Robin and Eddie the picture, she couldn't help but chuckle. It was an awkward photo of the two, each of them stiff and uncomfortably smiling at the camera. It was a time when they weren't sure if they were friends or if they had spent time with one another for Barb's sake. "And this picture, I hate this picture. I tore it up years ago!"