𝙿𝚊𝚛𝚝 𝙵𝚘𝚞𝚛
╔═══════════════╗
𝚙𝚎𝚛𝚏𝚎𝚌𝚝
╚═══════════════╝
(If anyone sees this, please go hype up my tiktok: hufflestarkkk, I'm very shadowbanned)
Genie leaned her head against the window of the vehicle using the cold to keep her awake. If she fell asleep now she'd be of no use. They would all collectively decide to let her sleep and boom, everyone dead.
Okay maybe that was over-exaggerating a bit but Genie was too tired to mentally correct herself.
Steve didn't come to for a while. That was fine with the kids. They all knew he'd lose his shit when he saw Max at the wheel and the rest of them crammed into the back, with the exception of Lucas who sat in the front.
Around her, her friends bickered noisily. They all argued while Lucas tried reading the map aloud.
"Can you all shut up, I'm trying to focus!" Max snapped.
"Oh, that's Mount Sinai! Make a left!" Lucas's eyes darted up from the map.
"What?"
"Turn left!"
Max jerked the wheel to the left and the car swerved sideways, everyone crashing into each other in the backseat and Steve's eyes flying open.
"Oh, hello!" He noted the kids and the car and Max driving the car, Genie was sure his brain just exploded.
"Woah!"
"Incredible!"
"Holy shit!"
"I told you, Zoomer," Max smirked at Mike who rolled his eyes.
Max slammed on the breaks and they all lurched forward. The two boys wearing seatbelts clung to whatever they could while Steve threw an arm out over Genie and held onto Dustin's shoulder.
"That was sickening and amazing at the same time," Genie gasped, tumbling out of the car with everyone else.
The group started in the direction of where this massive hole leading to the Upside Down was.
"Hey, where do you think you're going?" Steve called but the young teenagers all ignored him, "What are you, deaf? Hello? We are not going down there, do I make myself clear? This ends now!"
Dustin stopped and spun around, "Steve, you're upset, I get it. Bottom line is a party member requires assistance and it is our duty to provide that assistance. Now, I know you promised Nance that you'd keep us safe so," He tossed him the spiked bat, "Keep us safe."
Genie continued walking with a smug grin on her face as she listened to Steve cursing under his breath. They approached the hole and terror filled each and every one of them. The portal was a gaping hole in the middle of a farmers field and it was swarming with deadly vines.
"We're so gonna die in there," Genie mumbled.
"That's exactly why I wanted to stay at the house, moron," Steve shot back. Genie rolled her eyes but her heart wasn't in it. She was busy praying that she'd survive.
They each clambered into the hole and pulled whatever it was they had to protect themselves over their mouths. Genie had an old bandana she and Will played cowboys with when they were younger. If only she was still in those times, when there was no Upside Down or Mind Flayer to worry about.
"I'm pretty sure it's this way," Mike led, turning the crayon map in his hands.
"You're pretty sure or you're certain?" Dustin asked.
"I'm one hundred percent sure, just follow me," Mike started stomping off.
"He's probably only like eighty percent sure," Genie whispered to Max who chuckled and followed after Mike.
Genie stumbled through the vines until her vision went black.
"Ack! Steve, Steve, I need a piggyback," She flailed her arms around blindly until she found her brother who hoisted her onto his back.
"What is it?"
"I can't see."
"What are you doing?" El's voice rang through her head.
"Eleven, don't waste your energy on me, we're fine."
"No, you're being stupid. We're not stupid," Her voice fizzled out and Genie regained her sight.
"What did El say?" Mike asked frantically.
"She's just telling us that we're being idiots," Genie shrugged as Steve lowered her back to the ground.
"Guys, let's go, we're running out of time," Lucas said from the front of the group.
"Woah, woah, woah, hold on," Steve stumbles to the front and stopped them, "Any of you little shits die down here and I'm getting the blame so from now on, I'm in charge. Let's go," he glanced back at the kids who were all frozen in place, "A little hustle, please!"
They followed after Steve and after a few overdramatic meltdowns, they managed to reach what had to be the heart of the tunnels.
"Let's drench it," Mike said, clutching a can of gasoline. Everyone grabbed a can and poured the gas over whatever they could, trailing out into the tunnel where Steve prepared a match.
"Ready?" Steve called out. The others responded with a chorus of 'yeah's and 'ready's so Steve struck the match against the box and tossed the match into a puddle of gasoline.
The fire blazed oranges and blues in front of their eyes, illuminating their faces.
Genie's eyes widened and her head began to pound. Then she heard the screaming. She couldn't tell whether it was in her head or not at this point. All she knew was that she was being dragged along through the vines.
Her chest burned and her heart pounded. It was a dull pain pulsing through her body.
"Help!" Mike's panicked cries pulled her from her thoughts, "Help! Help! Help!"
Everyone started shouting at the same time as Steve swung the spiked bat at the vines and pulled Mike to his feet.
"We gotta go! We gotta go!" Steve urged, pushing the kids before him. They didn't get to go much further because something jumped in their path.
"Dart," Dustin breathed.
"Dustin get back!"
"Shh, trust me. Please," He put a hand out to quiet the group who fell into nervous silence.
Genie couldn't bear to listen to Dustin reason with the monster. The screaming in her head was too loud. She watched him drop several Three Musketeers Bars in front of Dart and mumble a sad goodbye before gesturing for the group to pass.
A low rumble of snarls echoed through the tunnels.
"They're coming!" Mike's warning was fuzzy, as if her head was underwater. She felt her body swaying and her forehead was coated in a cold sweat. Small black dots spotted her vision making it hard to see.
Somebody picked her up and threw her over their shoulder then kept running, boosting her into the air not long after. She was pulled hastily from the hole in the ground and dropped on the rough ground where Max, Mike and Lucas leaned over her.
"Did we win?" She asked drowsily.
"Yeah," Max glanced at the boys and brushed her damp hair from her face, "I think we did."
"Good." And with that, Genie blacked out.
ONE MONTH LATER
"Here, just stand on my feet."
Genie laughed and perched her socked feet on her brother's. They swayed in slow circles, Genie trying to memorize the motions.
"Am I getting it?" She asked, not taking her eyes off of her feet.
"Ehh, sure," Steve chuckled, patting her shoulder, "We gotta get going soon anyway, I told Henderson we'd pick him up."
"Five more minutes?" Genie begged.
"Five more minutes."
Genie slid off her brother's feet and danced on her own, her baby blue dress swishing around her legs.
"I think I've got the hang of this," She said about three minutes later.
"Good because I should take a picture before you go."
"Come on, Steve. We don't need a picture of me."
"You rarely dress up this nice, I think this moment should be captured," He teased, grabbing the camera off the kitchen counter, "Say cheese!"
Genie rolled her eyes but plastered a smile on her face.
"There, that wasn't so hard was it?" He set the camera down and walked over to pull his jacket on. Genie slid her black shoes on and pulled a light jacket over her shoulders.
"Let's go, Dustin is waiting."
They hopped in the vehicle, Genie sitting in the back. Steve drove to Dustin's house and went up to knock on the door. Genie watched from the car.
The two entered the vehicle mid-conversation.
"Woah, nice hair, Henderson," Genie complimented, referring to his slicked back curls.
"Thanks, back at you," He gestured to her own unnaturally curly hair.
"Why thank you."
Steve drove to the school giving Dustin 'girl tips' the whole way.
Finally they arrived in front of the school and Genie unbuckled her seatbelt.
"Thanks, Stevie. See you!" She leaned forward and hugged him then reached for the door handle.
"Have fun, wait Henderson stay here for a sec-"
Genie strode confidently towards the entrance. She took her jacket off and hung it neatly over her arm.
She spotted the gang on the other side of the gym and skipped towards them.
"Hey, losers," She grinned.
"Genie, you look nice," Will complimented. Genie felt her face heat up and she looked at the ground.
"So do you, Byers."
The song suddenly switched to a slower song and people all over the gym clung together to dance.
"Oh look at that, you two lovebirds can go dance," Max teased, pushing the two on to the dance floor. Both blushed but Will took Genie's hand and pulled her forward.
"May I have this dance?"
"You may, fair warning though I just learned how right before I came here."
Will chuckled and placed his other hand on her waist. Genie wrapped her arms around his neck and they swayed to the music.
The two unconsciously drifted closer together until their ears were practically side by side.
"So about that one night, y'know before the whole Mind Flayer thing..."
Genie knew exactly what night he was referring to.
She pulled away slightly and smiled at the blush on his face. With an exhale of confidence, she leaned in and kissed him gently.
She leaned back with a big dopey grin on her face.
"Don't worry about it."
Will smiled and hugged her, twirling in slow circles around the dance floor.
It was perfect.
⋇⋆✦⋆⋇ ⋇⋆✦⋆⋇
AH I CAN'T BELIEVE WE FINISHED S2! One more season to go until 4 comes out!
I'm most excited for S3!
see you in season three <3