When they arrived back at the Wheeler house El laid down on the sofa leaning against Rosie as the others stood around the basement.
"What was Will saying? Like home, like home" he repeated to himself trying to remember anything he could. "but dark?"
"And empty"
"Empty and cold. Wait did he say cold?" Dustin questioned.
"I don't know the stupid radio kept going in and out" Lucas pointed out annoyed.
"Let's focus on what we do know" Oliver said trying to steer the boys away from being so negative.
"It's like riddles in the dark" Dustin sighed looking to the ceiling completely ignoring what Oliver had said.
"Like home?" Mike repeated again "Like his house?"
"Maybe like Hawkins" Rosie suggested.
"Upside down" El mumbled from her spot next to Rosie.
"What did she say?" Lucas asked the others confused.
"Upside down" Mike repeated something once again making Oliver groan. "Upside down"
"Please stop repeating everything you sound crazy"
"When El showed us where Will was she flipped the board over remember?" Mike demonstrated as he sat at the small D&D table. "Upside down. Dark. Empty"
"Now you sound even more crazy" Oliver sighed as he sat across from his brother who gave him a short glare.
"Do you understand what he's talking about?" Lucas asked the other boys who simply shook their heads.
"Guys,cmon think about" Mike told his friends causing Rosie to gently get up from El and go over to them so she could get a better look at what they were discussing. "When El took us to find Will, she took us to his house, right?" Mike reminded them.
"Yeah and he wasn't there" Lucas reminded his friend.
"But what if he was there? What if we just couldn't see him? What if he was on the other side?"
"That's a lot of 'what if's' Mike" Rosie pointed out as the others thought about what Mike had suggeted.
"Hear me out Rosie what if this is Hawkins and.." Mike then flipped the D&D board around so the plain black side was facing up again. "this is where Will is? The Upside Down"
"Spooky" Oliver commented making Rosie shake her head and smile at him from where she stood behind Dustin.
"Like the Vale of Shadows" Dustin put together making the boys and Rosie all look at each other with the slightly disturbing realisation while Oliver was slightly confused.
"I'm sorry I haven't played this game in a while, remind me of the Vale of Shadows" he asked.
Dustin then flipped open his D&D manual and flicked through till he found the page where the book explained what it was.
As he read it out Rosie gulped slightly at the thought of Will possibly being somewhere so dangerous. "So it's an alternate dimension" Rosie spoke lowly.
"Well that's not good" Oliver sighed putting his hands through his hair.
"But how do we get there?"
"You cast Shadow Walk" Dustin answered.
"Yeah no but in real life how would we get there?" Rosie reminded her brother that even though everything they were talking about was being named after the game they didn't have any powers.
"We can't shadow walk, but maybe she can" they then all turned to El who was now lying with her head on the arm rest.
"Do you know how we get there? To the Upside Down?" Mike asked her but all she did was slowly shake her head.
"Oh my god!" Lucas sighed frustratingly.
They all there ,unsure of what to do with the new theory they had, until Rosie walked towards her and Dustin's bags. "We better get going, school will be over soon and it'll look weird if we're all here"
Lucas and Dustin agreed moving to get their own bags as she stood waiting for them at the basement door that led to the garage.
Oliver walked over to her before she could open the door as his voice stopped her "I'll see you tomorrow?"
"Yeah it's Will's funeral" she said which made her brother groan.
"Ugh do we have to go to that. He's not even dead it's a waste of time" he spoke clearly annoyed with the situation.
"Yes but no one else knows he's alive. And it will look bad if Will's three best friends aren't there" she pointed out as Dustin threw his hands up in defeat.
"Cool I'll see you there" he told her before his eyes widened at his words "I didn't mean 'cool' as in a child's funeral will be fun I meant it like you-you know it'll be good seeing you an-"
He stopped talking when Rosie wrapped her arms around his shoulders hugging him close. "I'll see you tomorrow Ollie"
She then pulled away and walked out the door with Lucas and Dustin quickly following after each saying goodbyes to the others.
Oliver was still stood at the door when Mike came over and looked at his big brother. "You sooo like Rosie"
"Shut up" Oliver said as he started moving to the basement stairs.When Mike started making kissing noises to mock Oliver the older boy shoved his younger brother then ran up the stairs.
~~~~~~
The next morning Rosie had just finished putting on her black dress for the funeral when Dustin rushed in her room. Her dress was a black pinafore style which she had put over a white shirt. She had black tights on to cover her legs and her mother was making her wear black heels to look formal.
"Rosie! Rosie!" He frantically yelled as he entered the room.
"Dustin! Dustin!" she shouted back at him as she finished fixing her hair in the mirror and turned to him. "Whats wrong?"
"I can't get this stupid tie on that mom wants me to wear" he sighed frustrated as he threw the piece of clothing to the ground in anger.
"Okay calm down" Rosie told him as she picked it back up "I can help you just stand still'"
The curly haired boy stood in front of his sister as she placed the tie under his shirt collar and began tying it.
She finally finished tying it and put it under the cardigan he had on over his shirt. "There you go buddy"
"Thanks Rosie. You look weird in a dress" he told her as he walked out the room.
"Your face looks weird!" She shouted at the boys back before grabbing her black jacket off her bed and heading through to the front door. "Dustin cmon it's time to go"
"Alright,alright!" he shouted through before walking through looking the most uncomfortable Rosie had ever seen him.
"Oh cmon it's not that bad" she tried convincing him as they walked out the door, Rosie locking it behind her before they walked over to her car. Their mother would be meeting them at the service as she'd had to run some errands.
"Yes it is. We're going to a funeral for our friend who's not even dead so we've essentially had to put on these dumb outfits for no reason at all" Dustin ranted on as they got in the car and Rosie pulled out the Henderson's drive.
They arrived at the Hawkins graveyard about 10 minutes later as Rosie parked the car Dustin sighed, clearly still annoyed he had to be there. "All you have to do-"
"Is act sad" Dustin finished having heard it from his sister already the night before and throughout the whole morning. "I know, I know"
The Henderson siblings then exited the car and began walking over with where they could see all the other guests were stood together.
They made their way towards where Mike and Lucas was stood with Rosie standing in behind the three of them with Oliver by her side.
The boy had on a suit and tie with a pair of formal shoes. Rosie could tell there had been some sort of fight to try and tame his wild curls which had obviously been lost.
The group stood together as the pastor spoke about Will and the love everyone felt for him. Rosie heard a small laugh and looked down to see her brother turning to his friends saying "Wait till we till Will Jennifer Hayes was crying at his funeral"
Before any of them could say any more Rosie nudged them with her elbow as she whispered "Be quiet" making Dustin stand up straighter as if he had forgotten they were at a funeral.
It was a little while later the service was over and everyone who had been given roses were to throw them onto Will's coffin. Rosie held the yellow Rose in her hands and made a silent promise she'd do anything to find Will before she throw it in.
She saw Joyce and Jonathan stood with a man she didn't recognise as she walked over. Jonathan saw her and told his mother who looked over to the girl with a smile. She hugged her warmly like a mother would hug their daughter before they pulled apart.
"Thank you for coming Rosie" Joyce thanked her as the man from earlier stood behind her, a hand on her shoulder. "Me and Will's father both appreciate it"
Rosie had heard stories about how much of a asshole Jonathan's father was so gave the man a fake,tight smile when he looked over at her.
"Of course, anything for Will" the young girl replied. Joyce smiled at that before the two parents moved round to talk with other guests at the service.
Rosie then met with Dustin before the pair joined the many other people walking back to the parking lot to drive to where the wake was going to be held. The drive only took them 10 minutes to reach the church nearby which held the room it was going to be held in.
When they entered they immediately went their separate ways with Dustin immediately going to find Mike and Lucas. Whilst he did Rosie had spotted Oliver standing with his mother and father so decided to walk over to them.
"Hello Mr and Mrs Wheeler,Ollie"
"Oh hello,Rosie dear" Mrs Wheeler greeted the girl as she moved her husband and son to the side so she could give her a hug. "Don't you look good today,Oliver doesn't she look nice"
"She looks nice,really nice yeah" Oliver quickly spoke as Rosie blushed bright red causing her to look down at the wooden floor to try and hide it. "You wanna come get some food?" he asked her pointing to the buffet table a couple feet behind them.
"Yeah sure" she nodded before the two teens walked away together.
Karen and Ted watched what they deemed as a strange sight as their son led the girl away making her smile as he did while they talked. "They look cute together don't you think?" the women asked her husband.
"Whatever you say dear" Ted Wheeler sighed before he walked away from his wife who stayed where she was smiling at the young pair.
Rosie helped Oliver pile a paper plate filled with different small party foods that had been spread out for the guests before they grabbed a can of coke and escaped out the back door together.
Rosie shrugged her jacket off laying it on the grass so she could sit down without ruining her dress. Oliver took his suit jacket off and joined her putting the plate of food between them.
As they sat at the back of the small church Rosie kept feeling like Oliver was constantly looking at her. She looked up at the right moment one time and managed to catch him in the act before he quickly looked away.
"Ollie what's wrong? Is there something in my hair?" She questioned going to fix her curls.
"No,No! It's just uh-" he looked around them before he spoke again "Would it be wrong for me to tell you how beautiful you are seeing as we're at a funeral. Cause Will's not really dead you know?"
Rosie couldn't help the small giggle that escaped her lips when Oliver confessed what he was thinking about. "I'm sure your okay. Plus I won't tell anyone"
"Alright well Rose"
"Yes Ollie"
"I just wanted to say you look really beautiful in your dress even if it is a funeral dress" he paused for a moment before adding "You are beautiful"
Rosie's blushed bright red but this time she didn't hide it from him as she turned to face him, "Ollie?" she said causing him to hum in response "You look really good in your suit even if it's a funeral suit"
"Thank you" he was the one to duck his head this time before it was brought back up as she leaned forward and ran a hand through his curls.
He moved his head forwards to she could reach his hair better as she messed it up a bit, running her hands through it. "I'm not gonna lie I'm obsessed with your hair. It's so fluffy"
The teen boy laughed at her as she finished leaving her hands at the base of his neck. The pair were sat looking at each other completely caught up in each other when a shriek though the air pulled them away.
"ROSIE, OLIVER!" Dustin's voice came shattering their peace together as he ran out the same door they had came out followed by Lucas and Mike. "WE'VE BEEN LOOKING FOR YOU TWO EVERYWHERE! WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?"
"Here" Rosie simply answered her brother causing Oliver to chuckle under his breath at her response.
"Well cmon we're going back to ours" Mike told them as his brother stood up grabbing his jacket before helping Rosie up as well. "We talked to Mr Clarke about inter dimensional travel and we have a LOT to fill you in on"
And with that the group headed back to the car park, Lucas going in the car with Rosie and Dustin as the Wheelers travelled back to their home together.