"I don't trust nobody
And nobody trust me
I'll be the actress
Starring in your bad dreams."
- Look What You Made Me Do, Taylor Swift
-*-
October 1984
DUSTIN WAVED as he pedaled faster to catch up to his friends who was looking at his direction, holding their own bikes.
Mike, Lucas, and Will watched him as he tried to catch his breath after biking in a more faster pace unlike his usual pace before.
"So how's your dinner?" Mike asked sarcastically. Dustin's face lightened up as the topic he was supposed to talk about was asked by Mike.
"Oh, you are not gonna believe this." He started as he walked and chained his bike at his usual parking space. His friends following him, curious about what Dustin would say.
Dustin started talking and explaining what happened in the dinner at his house. He started from what he thought his mom's visitor is and who he ate dinner with. He describe his visitor that left his friends' jaw on the floor.
"No one is that perfect!" Lucas exclaimed.
"Yeah," Mike quickly agreed. "I mean who would believe you? She's beautiful, kind, has a sense of humor, talented, and what else did he say?" He continued and asked Will beside him who stayed quiet all this time.
"Brave and smart." Will answered.
"Brave and smart! Seriously Dustin, you can't fool us. Just tell the truth and said sorry for cutting the campaign short that we planned for 2 and a half weeks. Stop fooling us with this perfect chick." Mike strictly said before walking away. He was the party leader and leaders are supposed to be strict. They planned this long ago just for Dustin to cut it short. Saying Mike is angry was an understatement.
"C'mon dude, I'm telling the truth. Besides, it was mom who randomly invited her and forced me to get home." Dustin explained, following Mike.
"It was a good dinner." Dustin mumbled quietly but enough for Lucas and Will to hear. Will patted his back in comfort.
"Don't worry, I believe you. It's nice to know you enjoyed the dinner." Will said and started walking to his first class. Dustin and Lucas following him.
"Is she really real?" Lucas whispered to Dustin.
"Yeah." Dustin replied.
"Nice."
-*-
"So you're telling us that Naomi Scott is the one responsible of the portal losing it's progress?" One of the doctors asked.
Samuel called for a meeting as soon as possible. He told everyone what he saw and heard except for her past. It wasn't his story to tell.
"Yes." Samuel paced back and forth, anxious. He didn't want Naomi to be his enemy or 002 in that matter.
"And he wants 011?" Someone asked again.
"But 011 died." A different doctor replied.
"No." Dr. Owens said, all the attention went back to him. "She said something about Eleven being alive."
"That's impossible! She's not even here last year. How can she---"
"No." Dr. Owens cut the doctor's words off with a statement. The doctors looked at the director looking confused and interested.
"You weren't there. She was powerful. She- she..." Dr. Owens was speechless, the doctors getting intrigued by second.
"She showed me a memory. Remember when Brenner said that 007 died in cancer? That was wrong. Brenner made 002 kill her own brother because he gave 007 a power," he paused and looked around. "002's power."
Gasps filled the room.
"007 can't control it and he made 002 kill 007." Owens started pacing back and forth again, "She also made this kind of dimension." Dr. Owens continued.
"Did she say why she's doing this?" A doctor asked.
"She says something about going to a different universe."
Worried expression filled the doctors' faces.
-*-
Naomi walked out of her house and locked it. She went directly to her black car.
She's planning to buy a new paper towels and maybe some food. Especially last night, when she spent the rest of the night stress eating and crying. She was sure that her eyes were red, hence, the sunglasses that she's currently wearing.
She was about to open the doors of her car when she heard a voice calling her name.
"Naomi!"
She saw Claudia Henderson running towards her, clutching a bag. It looks like she was going somewhere.
"Mrs. Henderson." Naomi smiled. After spending some time with her and her son yesterday, she realized she doesn't really dislike them.
"Please, dear. Claudia." The mother said in exasperation.
"I'm sorry. Claudia." She corrected.
"I was actually going to ask you a favor, if that's okay with you." Claudia said. Fiddling with her fingers anxiously as she watched her watch repeatedly.
"Sure. What is it?" Naomi agreed.
"Can you fetch Dustin for me? He's in school right now and he needs to be in his appointment in the hospital. You know, with his temporary teeth." Claudia said sheepishly.
"Sure. That's fine. Should I head to the hospital after I fetched Dustin?" She asked.
"Oh yes please. I have to head in one of my business appointments. I forgot it when I scheduled Dustin's teeth appointment." Claudia immediately agreed to the suggestion.
With that, they said goodbyes and went to seperate directions. Naomi off to the store and Claudia with her appointment. She seems to be really late. It looks like she really need another mind to help her with her schedules.
She went to the store, went to buy some paper towels and unnecessary things that caught her attention before actually heading towards the school.
-*-
Dustin walked out of the class with his friends as soon as the bell rang. He walked alongside his friends in the hallways talking about DND and AV club relations.
They went to the lockers, place the combinations and proceed to throw the books inside.
"Today's school is done!" Lucas loudly exclaimed.
"Yeah. We still have that test with Mr. Clarke tomorrow though." Mike complains.
"It's not that hard to understand. It will be as easy as breathing." Dustin tried to cheer his friends.
"Yeah." Will supported his friends feedback and locked his locker. He then turned to Dustin, "Hey, didn't you have some appointment today in the hospital for your teeth?" He questioned. Dustin's face morphed in epiphany.
"Shit. I forgot! Mom's gonna kill me if I'm late." He exclaimed and immediately closed (slammed) his locker shut.
He started running outside, scolding himself. He begged his mother all year for this teeth appointment. He was entering eighth grade and that was the time that looks became important. He only realized that last year when his bullies won't stop laughing about his teeth. It was a condition!
After a lot of begging, crying, and whining, her mother finally said yes. This was his chance and he's blowing it!
His friends followed him out but quickly stopped when they saw Dustin freezing in place.
"What is it Dus-- OWW!" Mike was cut off by Lucas who slapped his arms hard. "What is wrong with you?!" He shouted, annoyed. He looked at his friends to see them frozen in place. He followed his friends' line of sight and stopped moving.
Across the street, Mike saw what his friends were drooling at, more like, who his friends were drooling.
They saw a girl, leaning on her car. Her black hair shone among the crowd. Even from far away, it was noticeable at how it was cared. She was wearing some knee-long jacket with her hands stuffed in its pocket and was wearing some sunglasses.
She was being surrounded by the students of Hawkins High, either ogling at her or her car. Maybe both.
Upon seeing Dustin, she removed the sunglasses she was wearing and waved hi, coolly.
She was ethereal.
"That's her." Dustin said, in awe.
"Well, I guess this is it. Bye guys!" He said smugly. He waved them goodbye and went straight to the girl's car.
They saw the teen ruffled his hair playfully and looked back at Dustin's friends. She asked something and pointed at them which Dustin replied with a nod and entered her car. She looked at them again and waved. The boys waved back shyly.
She entered her car started the engine. The boys watching the car past. Looking at each other they exclaimed,
"Woah..."
-*-
Naomi plopped the paper towels in the kitchen counter. She was humming a song in her head while placing the paper towels in there places.
She just came back from the hospital after she dropped Dustin off.
Her hands freezed, she stopped, completely still when she sensed something. Her eyes turned red for a second before turning to its natural color. She turned around and caught the thing that was thrown at her.
A red force encircling her palm and stopped it with a raise of her hand. It was a bomb.
At the same time, countless red lights found themselves in her chest. There, she finally saw countless people wearing black outfits - completely camouflaging in the darkness - pointing the guns at her.
Instantly, she was filled with fury. The force encircling the bomb disappeared making the bomb plopped to the ground with a thud. She snapped her fingers and instantly, the fire lighting it disappeared. She dragged the bomb outside and caught sight of Samuel Owens immediately.
After seeing the doctor, she stopped meters away from him and threw the bomb at his feet.
"I'm gonna say this, Naomi. Leave Hawkins." He instructed. Naomi chuckled at his newfound confidence.
"No, I quite enjoy living here. Spoiler alert, I might stay for a while." She smiled before it slowly turned into a frown.
"This will be your only warning." She said and waved her hand, a red hue started forming around her hands. Suddenly, the guns that was pointed to her quickly turned to Dr. Owens who raised his arms in defence and started shouting to "stay down!"
"Stay out of my home." Naomi spat. Her eyes filled with fury and she started walking away after she sent the message to Dr. Owens telepathically.
"Find Eleven and give her to me."
-*-
EDITED