"Something is coming. Something hungry for blood" Rosie Henderson told the eager middle school boys who sat around the table beside her. The boys and teenager where sat in the Wheelers basement deep into a game of dungeons and dragons. The older girl was the dungeon master and all the boys were totally engrossed in the campaign she had set up.
"A shadow grows on the wall behind you..swallowing you in darkness...it is almost here" she continued as the four boys leaned forward eager to find out what would happen.
"What is it?" Will asked her curiously.
"What if it's the Demogorgan?" Dustin asked worriedly "Oh Jesus we're so screwed if it's the Demogorgan"
"It's not the Demogorgan" Lucas told his friend confidently before all attention went back to Rosie.
Rosie looked at them all as she got the piece ready to put onto the board. "An army of Troglodytes charge into the chamber!" She exclaimed putting the piece in the middle of the board.
"Troglodytes really Rosie?" Mike asked clearly unimpressed.
"Told ya" Lucas said with a smile to Dustin before the boys began laughing softly.
Rosie looked over her shoulder and the boys noticed this causing their laughter to stop. "Wait...do you hear that sound. Boom....Boom...BOOM!" She slammed her hands down on the table for the last boom making the boys jump.
They all loved how immersive Rosie made the game setting the scene up perfectly to make them feel as if they were really in a dungeon.
"That didn't come from the troglodytes. No that.....that came from something else" she continued as they all leaned in to see what she would throw at them.
"The Demogorgan!" She announced making all the boys groan as she slammed the piece down.
"We're in deep shit" Dustin exclaimed.
"Will your action?" Rosie asked.
"I don't know"
"Fireball him" Lucas suggested.
"But he'd have to roll a 13 or higher" Mike pointed out.
"Too risky cast protection" Dustin added.
"Don't be a pussy. Fireball him" Lucas argued.
"Cast protection" Dustin argued back.
"The Demogorgan is tired of your silly human bickering" Rosie yelled grabbing the boys attention. "It stomps towards you...Boom!"
As Rosie told the boys that the Demogorgan was getting closer to them they still continued to argue about what action Will should take. All five of them were shouting now until Will decided to "Fireball Him!" Will shouted.
This stopped the yelling as they all anxiously watched the dice roll to see if Will would get 13 or higher. The dice rolled off the table and onto the basement floor which caused chaos between the boys. They were all down on their hands and knees frantically looking as Dustin began to pace back and forth.
She heard Mrs Wheeler calling Mike from the kitchen at the top of the basement stairs telling them they had to get going soon. When Mike ran up the stairs to try and reason with his mom Rosie ran up after him.
When she got into the Wheelers kitchen she heard Mike say "But that'll ruin the flow. It took Rosie two weeks to plan the campaign. How were we supposed to know it would take 10 hours?"
"You've been playing for 10 hours?" Mrs Wheeler asked shocked.
"Mike it's okay" Rosie told the young boy whilst putting two hands on his shoulders "We can finish next weekend the flow will be fine"
Mike looked into the brunette girls eyes and simply huffed before walking through to the garage.Mrs wheeler mouthed a 'thank you' to the teenager before she made her way back towards the basement.
Her little brother Dustin was about to rush past her with a near empty pizza box in his hand when she stopped him grabbing his bag to hold him back.
"How many slices of pizza you got?" She questioned him.
"Two why?"
"Gimme one" Rosie asked stretching her hand out for Dustin to give her the box.
"Why?"
"Godammit Dustin just give me the box" she told him giving him an older sister look which he knew meant 'I'm older than you so do what I say'. He huffed as he passed her the box making Rosie grin.
"Oo could you get my bag for me?" She called out hearing him groan which she took is a yes and called out "Thanks Dusty"
Rosie ran up the stairs of the Wheeler house smiling at Mr Wheeler as she passed him on her way up before she walked down the small carpeted hallway ending up in front of her destination.
From the white door was the unmistakable sound of David Bowies 'Starman' playing through out the room. Rosie rolled her shoulders bouncing on her heels trying to hype herself up before she knocked on the door twice.
'Shit no going back now' she thought tapping her fingers against the soft cardboard of the pizza box. Just as she was about to back out cursing herself for being so stupid the door opened to reveal Oliver Wheeler.
He was the eldest of the Wheeler siblings being the same age as Rosie which was about a year older than Nancy. His brown curls were messy all over his head but she couldn't blame him seeing as it was Sunday and he probably hadn't even been out today. Not that she was one to judge spending her whole day playing a make believe board game with a bunch of 12 year old boys one of which being her own brother.
"Hey Rosie, whats up?" he greeted her leaning against his doorframe folding his sleeve covered arms over his chest.
"Hey-uh yeah hi Oliver" She stammered over her words as she felt his deep green eyes on her as she spoke "I was about to go home but there was some pizza left and I though 'Hey Oliver probably likes pizza so i should offer him some' you know seeing as I was in your house all day and never even said hello"
"Well your right i do like pizza" he told her chuckling slightly "What toppings you got?"
"Sausage and pepperoni cause god forbid those boys eat a vegetable" she joked and Oliver stepped forward causing Rosie to almost step back before she remembered he was probably wanting the food she offered him.
"Oh well then don't mind if i do" he shrugged grabbing a slice before he stepped back into his room before he stopped himself turning to Rosie "I hope i'll see you around more often Rosie" he admitted before he closed the door.
"Okay bye then" Rosie said through the door before she squinted her eyes shut going over everything to try and calculate how much she had just embarrassed herself in front of him. As she was her brother approached her taking the pizza box which now only contained one slice dropping his sisters stuff at his feet before he made his way to the second oldest wheeler siblings room.
Rosie pulled her jacket on before she began walking down the stairs of the house,pulling her bag onto her back as she shouted a goodbye to Mr and Mrs Wheeler. Once she went through the basement and went out into the garage she saw Lucas and Will were already on their bikes with Mike stood beside them. Rosie had a perfectly good car she could have used but it was a tradition that she would ride her bikes along with the boys.
Just then as she got on her own bike her brother came out finishing eating a slice of pizza. "There's something wrong with your sister," he told Mike.
"What are you talking about?" The other boy asked, clearly confused.
"She's got a stick up her butt"
"Yeah" Lucas agreed "It's because she's been dating that douchebag Steve Harrington"
"Steve is not a douchebag" Rosie said trying to defend her best friend. She knew that ever since Steve had become 'King' of Hawkins High and started hanging out with the school assholes he acted like that sometimes but she knew deep down he was till her best friend. Very deep down.
"Your just saying that cause you have a major crush on him" her little brother teased.
"Shut up no I do not. He's my best friend ,sorta, and that's it" Rosie defended herself scoffing.
"You know what your right you don't like Steve" Lucas said making Rosie go to thank him before he continued "You have a crush on Mike's brother"
"No I do not" Rosie once again had to defend herself but this time as she did she couldn't help the redness that flushed her cheeks.
"Whatever be in denial then but anyways Mike's sister unlike mine is turning into a real jerk"
"She's always been a real jerk," Mike argued.
"Nu uh she used to be cool like Rosie. Like that time they dressed as elves for our Elder tree campaign."
"4 years ago!"
"Rosie still hangs out with us," Lucas pointed out.
"Just saying" Dustin replied as he, Rosie and Lucas began biking out Mike's garage. Will took a minute to catch up with him as he stayed back to tell Mike something but soon enough he was biking along with them.
They all biked along the same road until Lucas had to turn off down his street. "Goodnight ladies"
"Kiss your mom goodnight for me" Dustin joked back as he, his sister and Will kept biking along. "Race you back to my place?" He asked the other young boy "Winner gets a comic"
"Any comic?" Will asked, his voice full of hope as he knew Dustin had an awesome comic collection.
"Yeah"As soon as the word left Dustin's mouth Will immediately began to speed up causing Dustin to start yelling angrily "Hey! I didn't say go!" He pedalled his hardest to try and catch up with the other boy but it was no use "Get back here!I'm gonna kill you"
"I'll take your X-Men 134" Will shouted back victoriously as he continued to cycle once he reached the end of the path whereas both Dustin and Rosie stopped knowing they had to go a different way home.
Rosie watched the young boy's headlights as he began to cycle the rest of his way home alone. Rosie always offered to take him home in her car seeing as he lived further away but Will always insisted he was fine.
"Son of a bitch" Dustin complained as he leaned on the handle bar of his bike panting out of breath.
"Don't worry I have a spare you can give him" Rosie told her brother as they began to cycle up their street.
"Really?"
"Yeah"
"See this is why you're so much more awesome than stupid Nancy. Even though you're a teenager you still talk to us, read comics, play DnD she just ignores us" Dustin ranted as they dropped their bikes in front of the house.
They both knew their mom would already be asleep so Rosie made sure to lock the door behind her and keep Dustin quiet. They made their way to their rooms which were opposite each other at the very end of the hall.
"Straight to sleep alright I don't want to have to drag your lazy ass out of bed in the morning" Rosie warned the boy who rolled his eyes at her.
"Whatever" Dustin groaned before both Henderson siblings closed their doors. Rosie got herself ready for bed tired after a day filled with making sure the boys didn't kill each other.
Little did she know when she woke up the next morning her life would be changed forever and not in a good way.