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"byers's body was found in the water of this quarry by state police earlier this evening. it was discovered by state trooper david o'bannon, just after dark. the state police are mounting an investigation to determine byers' cause of death, but an initial inquiry..."
caroline choked a sob as she turned off the tv. she looked over at the kitchen counter and found her brother cooking them dinner. after the initial shock and explaining, steve told caroline to go to the living room while he fixed them some food.
"care, come to the table," steve said as he placed plates on their dining table. even without their parents, steve and caroline sat at their chairs, facing each other.
wiping her tears, caroline slightly made her way to her chair and sat down, looking at their food. steve cooked the easiest thing in their cupboard, pasta. "thanks, steve."
steve gave her a smile as he took his own seat and served himself some food. "i'm sorry, by the way... for saying jonathan could have killed will. i was just pissed."
"what happened between you guys, anyways?" caroline said, her mouth filled with noodles. on a normal occasion, steve would have reprimanded his sister. but now, he knew she could do with a distraction.
"you remember when nance, carol and tommy h were here? byers took a bunch of pictures of us. he even has one of you drinking beer. but the worst picture? he had one of nancy in her bra," steve explained and caroline's eyes widened.
"what?"
"mhm," steve nodded his head.
"no way jonathan would do that. not with everything on his plate, lately."
steve paused and lifted his head, "what would you know about jonathan byers?"
"i—" caroline shrugged. "we've talked. whenever he picked up will from the library, or something."
"uh-huh," steve said as he continued to eat.
caroline looked down at her noodles, playing with them rather than eating. silence loomed over the harrington siblings and the younger girl had nothing to distract herself with. and if she had nothing to distract her, she would think about how mike wheeler was right now.
she wondered if he was still angry at eleven, who dustin brought home. she wondered why the hell eleven would lie to them. and she wondered if will byers was truly gone.
"hey, byers," caroline said as she placed her bag on the chair beside her.
will, who was reading a comic book, looked up and smiled as caroline sat opposite to him. "hi, caroline."
her smile widened. caroline then took out her textbook when she suddenly remembered something, "by the way... sorry if i was rude to you at math, earlier."
"no, it was my fault," will said. "i...i knew better than to say hi to you while i was with the guys."
"how's mike holding up?" steve suddenly asked and caroline furrowed her eyebrows. "nancy's sister? will's best friend? isn't he in your grade?"
"oh, right, him," caroline said, nodding her head as though being nancy's sister was the only way she knew mike wheeler. "he...he doesn't think will is dead."
steve scoffed. "so who's body is at the quarry?"
"steve."
"what? i'm just saying the truth," steve said, rolling his eyes. "the earlier you accept he's dead, the faster you can move on."
caroline stared at her brother, shock written all over her face. "fuck you." she then stood up from her chair and walked towards the door, steve following after her.
"care, where are you going?"
"somewhere that isn't here, 'cause i didn't know dad was home," caroline said as she removed the lock on her bike. her words were worse with a slap. steve opened his mouth to say something—to tell her that he was just bothered by how she 'defended' jonathan byers—but nothing came out. "you know, i hope that one day, you won't befriend someone and love them, not romantically, just love them. and have them die. because i swear, steve, you wont get any sympathy from me."
steve blinked and caroline was already biking away from him.
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karen wheeler didn't hesitate to let caroline harrington inside her house. the older woman knew mike needed someone right now, that he needed a friend.
caroline carefully knocked on the basement door and then opened it, to find mike on his couch, looking at a bunch of papers. she furrowed her eyebrows as she came in and sat beside him. they weren't just papers, they were drawings.
"did will make those?" caroline asked.
mike didn't answer for a while, just looking through them in silence, before he nodded his head. "yeah... he did."
he turned to caroline, who gave him a sweet smile, and then hugged her. not like the hugs he gave his mom when he was in a hurry or the ones he gave nancy when he needed something. caroline had her arms around him and his head on her chest. it was the kind of hug that could make his worries go away.
after a few minutes, mike pulled away and looked over at the fort; where eleven was (caroline didn't even notice her). "can you please stop that?"
the radio turns off instantly and mike turns back to caroline, about to hug her again, when the radio turns on again.
mike rolls his eyes and turns to eleven, "are you deaf?"
"mike..." caroline said.
he took a deep breath before saying, less-angry, "i thought we were friends, you know? but friends tell each other the truth. and they definitely don't lie to each other. you made us think will was okay, that he was still out there, but he wasn't. he wasn't! maybe you thought you were helping, but you weren't. you hurt me. do you understand? what you did sucks. lucas was right about you. all along."
caroline frowns at his words and the look on eleven's face. she couldn't say anything as mike's head rested on her shoulders again. but she didn't have to say anything, as the radio turns on. instead of the usual crackling, however, a little boy singing came on. and not just any boy. will byers.
"so come on and let me know. should i stay or should i go? should i stay or should i go now? should i stay or should i go now? if i go there will be trouble. if i stay it will be double."
mike and caroline don't even hesitate to run towards the fort. eleven hands them the radio, "will, is that you? it's mike! i'm with caroline. do you copy? over," mike said. "will, are you there?"
but instead of an answer, all they got was more static noices. caroline nudges mike to look at eleven as her eyes kept moving. the redhead carefully holds eleven's hand, "was that... was it..."
"will," eleven said.
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caroline, who didn't want to look at her brother, decided to sleep at the wheeler house, again. luckily, karen had dropped off nancy and went to visit the holland family with holly, while mr. wheeler was at work.
she and mike were in the basement, waiting for dustin and lucas to arrive. while they waited, she realized her parents would be coming back tonight, so she had to be home for dinner.
soon, both boys arrived and eleven was able to show them what she showed caroline and mike. but the voice wasn't as clear as it was last night. "we keep losing the signal, but you heard it, right?" caroline asked. they were all sitting on the floor, watching eleven.
"yeah," lucas said. "i heard a baby."
"what?" mike replied.
"mike, you obviously tapped into a baby monitor. it's probably the blackburns' next door."
the wheeler boy rolled his eyes. "uh, did that sound like a baby to you? that was will!"
"mike..." lucas said.
"lucas, you don't understand. he spoke last night. words! he was singing that weird song he loves. even el heard him!"
"oh, well, if the weirdo heard him, then i guess—"
"hey, i heard it too," caroline said, waving her hands in the air. "he was singing that clash song... i fought the law?"
"are you sure you're on the right channel?" dustin asked.
mike glances at eleven, who was staring intently at the radio. "i don't think it's about that. i think, somehow, she's channeling him."
caroline nods her head. "she's pulling a charles xavier."
dustin's eyes widened as he looked from caroline to eleven. lucas stared at his friend, "are you actually believing this crap?"
the henderson boy hesitates. "i don't know, i mean... do you remember when will fell off his bike and broke his finger? he sounded a lot like that."
lucas looks at his friends dumbfoundedly. "did you guys not see what i saw? they pulled will's body out of the water. he's dead!"
"well, maybe it's his ghost. maybe he's haunting us," dustin said, with his head hung low.
"it's not his ghost," mike said.
"how do you know that?" lucas fired back.
"i just do!"
"then what was in that water?"
"i don't know!" mike exclaimed. "all i know is will is alive. will is alive! he's out there somewhere. all we have to do is find him."
caroline stands up, causing everyone to look at her, "this isn't going to work. el needs a stronger radio."
"mr. clarke's heathkit ham shack," dustin said and mike nodded his head.
"the heathkit's at school," lucas said. "there is no way we're gonna get the weirdo in there without anyone noticing. i mean... look at her."
"leave it to me," caroline said as she extended her arm out for eleven to take; which she did.
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while mike, dustin and lucas were looking for clothes that eleven could borrow, she and caroline were upstairs in nancy wheeler's room. caroline wasn't a master in makeup, but she knew the basics because of her mom.
when caroline brought the brush up to eleven's cheek, she moved back, "it's alright. it won't hurt."
eleven slowly brought her face closer and caroline added the blush. "do you have... sister?"
"i don't," caroline said. "i have a brother, though, steve. he's a mouth-breather."
"mouth-breather?"
"a knucklehead."
"knucklehead?"
"steve is just... someone that annoys me, you know?" caroline said before sighing. "but he's still my brother. and i love him. it's just hard to since he's so annoying."
eleven nods her head, trying to understand the girl's words. brother is someone you love, even when they're annoying, she noted in her head.
caroline continued to add makeup on eleven's face. when she heard a knock, she told eleven to stay still and she went to grab the dress mike was handing over.
as she made her way towards the other girl, caroline couldn't help but wonder if this was the right decision. all her life, her dad told her to use her brain. to think logically. but was this thinking logically? was letting a strange girl into her life just because she was looking for her friend?
a part of her wondered if maybe steve was right. that she should just accept that will was gone and stop living in denial.
but she couldn't do it. caroline couldn't give up on will, not when eleven gave them evidence he was alive. as mike said, will was alive; they just needed to find him.
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ˏˋ°•*⁀➷D SPEAKS!
hey! im so sorry for not updating yesterday. i had like half of this chapter ready but i was too sleepy to continue writing, i'll try double updating today to make up for it!
okay i wanna talk about steve and care's argument bCOS i just wanna say steve is as an asshole but he was just jelly she was defending jonathan, in a way. and... "you know, i hope that one day, you won't befriend someone and love them, not romantically, just love them. and have them die. because i swear, steve, you wont get any sympathy from me." wonder what that could mean?
also i imagined mike and caroline hugging while eleven was trying to find will using the radio and i was ueueueueue