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chapter four

DIANA STARED AT THE FRENCH TOAST BEFORE HER. Oddly enough she couldn't stop thinking about pumpkins, Steve Harrington, and Will Byers.

"Did you hear me?" Lucas whispered, pulling her out of her trance.

She shook her head honestly. "What is it?"

"Mike thinks you can help Will," Lucas said, his voice low. "He wants you to come by the Byers' house today."

"I'd rather not—"

"What are you two whispering about?" Their mother asked, sitting down at the table.

"Nothing," they said simultaneously. Diana saw Erica roll her eyes at the two, muttering something about always being left out. The younger girl continued trying to drown her french toast in syrup, seemingly agitated.

"Dad?" Lucas asked a second later. "When mom is mad at you, how do you make her not mad?"

Diana zoned out, trying to decide if she should go, despite not being invited by the people who actually lived in the Byers home.

She hadn't realized Lucas was leaving until he was already out of the door. Diana stood. "I'm going to the library," she said, not waiting for permission. She grabbed a coat and her keys before catching up with her brother. "Where are you going?"

He stopped his bike. "I have to meet a friend," he said without looking at her.

"So you expect me to go to the Byers' alone?" She asked incredulously. He couldn't be serious, she didn't even know them well. Diana also didn't think she could look at Will after seeing all she had. No one else understood the horrors he saw, not truly, but she'd seen them too.

"You wanted to help, this is how you do it," he let out, getting on his bike and riding off.

She sighed, muttering profanities to herself as she got in her car. "I'm just gonna go," she told herself, trying to muster up some courage, and then she drove straight there. She sat in her car for about ten minutes before getting out.

Diana felt out of place as she trekked through the leaves in the yard. She knocked on their door softly, and Mrs. Byers opened it immediately.

"I'm sorry," the woman said, forcing a smile. "Now is not a good time—Diana right?"

"Yes," the girl paused, searching for the right words. How did you tell someone you could help their son find out why he was still connected to a place that wasn't supposed to exist. "I have something to—"

"Let her in, she knows," a familiar voice came from inside the house. Mrs. Byers didn't budge. "She's different, she can help."

Diana wanted to face-palm, at Mike's words. "I shouldn't have come," she said instead, turning back to her car thoroughly embarrassed.

"Wait," the woman called, her brown eyes slightly wild. Diana faced her once more. "Can you help figure out what's wrong?"

The girl nodded. "I want to try."

Mrs. Byers opened her front door wider, gesturing for the girl to come in and she did. Diana had to suppress a gasp as she took in the state of the home. The walls were decorated with scribbled papers of what looked like vines or tentacles. Her eyes met Mike's who was already taking her hand and leading her to Will. Mrs. Byers was close behind.

The boy sat alone in his room, staring at nothing. His eyes were haunted, but hollow. "Will," Mike called, catching the boy's attention. "She's here."

They stared at each other for a moment. It was the first time she'd seen him in a long time. He looked scared—no terrified. The terror seemed to seep off of him in waves. "You drew these." Diana said it as more of a statement than a question. Mike let go of her as she took a step forward. Will nodded, standing up. "Can you take me to the center."

They went to the living room, and she immediately sat down in the center of the room, folding her legs beneath herself. She gestured for Will to do the same, and he did, sitting in front of her.

She thought for a moment, before remembering something she'd only done one other time. "Do you have a light I can use— a lamp, or a large flashlight?" She asked Mrs. Byers. The woman nodded, grabbing the nearby lamp and putting it between the two teens.

Diana took a deep breath, as she removed the lamp shade and flicked on the light. She reached out for Will's hands and he took hers. His hands were cold in hers. "If I'm still for more than seven minutes, shake me awake."

Everyone in the room nodded, and she saw Mike glance at his watch. She nodded too, feeling slightly better about what she was about to do. She then stared straight into the bright lightbulb. At first her eyes burned but the longer she stared the bulb the more she could no longer see it. Then everything was black. Her mind was wandering, but she made sure to remember where she sat, holding Will's hands.

She didn't see anything at first, but then she caught a glimpse of the shadow. It was even more terrifying than she'd imagined it, regardless she threw up the shields she was taught to. Possession was not something she wanted to experience. "What do you want with him?" She yelled into the darkness.

There was a whispered answer, and then a series of tunnels flashed before her eyes. She watched as the shadow tried to consume Will, and she began to run, but she ran right into someone. There was a moment of silence, and then suddenly there was too much noise. It was deafening. "Run," they whispered through the chaos. She did but not before catching a glimpse of Chief Hopper standing motionless. He wasn't the one to whisper to her, and it didn't make sense for him to be there.

She felt like she was being blocked—it didn't want her to see him—before her mind snapped back, aligning itself with time once again. She gasped for breath at the same time Will did.

Diana blinked a few times, feeling clouded.

"It—It needs him." She spoke shortly as she tried to recall what little she'd learned while under. "They're connected, but I'm not sure how deep it runs." If it got hurt, would Will be affected? Or could it see her right now, through Will's eyes? She hoped to God that wasn't the case.

"What can we do?" Mrs. Byers asked, her voice unreadable.

Diana opened her mouth then shut it, looking to Will who was sweating. "Did you see that?"

He nodded. "I saw him. Hopper." His eyes darted to his mother. "I think he's in trouble... I think he's going to die."

Diana's heart picked up speed. "I saw him too, but I don't think it wanted me to." It knows too much, and it wants too much, she thought.

There was a pause. "I know where he is," Will said, standing. She watched him go for a moment.

Diana had to make sure this boy was set free.

She had to.

*•.*

author's note
so this chapter's been done for a while, sorry for the wait. i just wasn't sure how much i liked it. anyway, diana knows a little bit more about her gift than she's been letting on lol. thanks for reading. don't forget to vote and comment.

-syd