─── ❪ 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐎𝐍𝐄: 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐕𝐀𝐍𝐈𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐎𝐅 𝐖𝐈𝐋𝐋 𝐁𝐘𝐄𝐑𝐒❫ 𖦹

After a few minutes of listening to the soft rain hitting the filthy window of the old train, Killian opened his eyes with irritation, the sky painted by abyss with shapes of bright stars spreading out on it, stinging his sight. Looking at his sleeping sister, who was holding the wrinkly red book their mother left behind, Killian shook his head slightly at the thought of the woman who had given birth to them, then slid his hand into his pocket, pulling out a white envelope, staring at it with annoyance, wanting to do nothing with it but roll it up into a ball and throw it in the nearest trash bin. But knowing he had to give it to his aunt, Karen, he carefully put it back inside of his pocket.

He returned his sight to the glass and examined the blazing lights of the unknown town front of him, assuming it was Hawkins. But that wasn't the first time he'd been there; when he was seven years old, Killian's mother swiftly packed them into their red Lada Riva, drove all the way to Hawkins, dropped off the siblings, and then drove away as quickly as she arrived.

That was Killian's last contact with the woman. They never built a mother-son relationship that others would be envious of in the short eight years they spent together. Blurry images of the cancer stick dangling from her mouth, her skinny hand gripping liquor bottles, and the fading sound of her laughter making his brain giddy and hurt were among the few memories his brain chose to remember.

And when these memories surfaced in his mind, he wanted to break his skull open and pour everything he could think of that had anything to do with that woman out of his head, to stop the feeling of his brain being strangled until the agony drove him insane.

The sudden sound of the heavy book dropping to the dirt startled the sleeping girl, causing her dark eyes to widen. She murmured, a yawn in between her words. "How long until we arrive?" The teenager took the railway ticket from his pocket, which he had been playing with for the entire train ride, and tried to read the indistinct lettering on the wrinkly paper.
"I have no idea. I guess soon." Rose brushed a strand of hair from her sweaty temple and rolled her eyes at the boy's response before scooping up the book and stowing it in her bag after double-checking that nothing had happened to it.
"Maybe if you didn't fuck the ticket up, we'd know when we're getting out of this shithole."  She said, turning her head towards the other seats, her nose scrunched up in disgust. "Jesus Christ, this place stinks."

"Maybe because you're here." Killian said, chuckling when he saw the annoyed look on his sister's face. "Come on, I'm just trying to lighten the mood." This remark earned another eye roll from the girl.
"You're so lame." Rose said, kicking the boy on the shin. "I just... miss the others. Kristopher didn't even gave us a chance to say goodbye." She said that as she anxiously clutched the bottom of the black sweater that encircled her body, fighting back tears that were about to fall from her eyes as she remembered her friends back home.
"Maybe... he told them about you moving away? And it's not like we're staying here forever. You'll probably see them in a few weeks." The boy said with a soft smile, trying to calm his sister, oblivious to the agony he felt in his heart, which was plagued by loneliness.  There's no one waiting for him back home.
"You know that's bullshit, Killian. It's not the first time he's passed us down to someone without saying a word to anyone, so he can go on one of his trips to look for mom, only to end up in a ditch, drowned in liquor and drugs, with no memory of what happened." Roseanne scratched the wounded skin beneath her nail, anxious from the flashbacks when they were younger, having to answer phone calls from the police and hospitals about where they found their dad. When it happened the first time, Killian was thrilled, hoping that the man he idolized, his heroic father, about whom he had heard so many incredible stories while growing up, had contacted him because he had located their mother. But the little boy's heart broke when he received a call from a hospital in some unknown state, informing him that they had found their father beaten up on the street and that he would need someone to pick him up after a detox. But, naively, even after so many phone calls, Killian wasn't ready to give up on the perfect image of his father he had created in his imagination. He still believed that one day, his father would bring his mother back, and they could be a complete, happy family again. But being slapped by reality on a regular basis began to exhaust the boy, and the tight grip he had on the idealized vision of a perfect family that never existed began to fray, and he could feel himself drifting into an abyss from which no one could save him.

Rose took a long breath and slightly shook her head after a few minutes of stillness, both Killian and Rose immersed in their thoughts about their father.
"What do you think mom is doing right now?" The girl wondered, while leaning back in her uncomfortable seat, which had faded from its original blue to a horrible grayish tone, a bitter taste on the tip of her tongue as a blurry image of the woman appeared in her mind.
"She's probably sipping her pina colada and smoking a cigarette on some weird named island we can't pronounce." With a shrug of his shoulder, the curly-haired boy signaled his hope that the girl would drop the subject.
"It's so weird, you know, that we remember her so differently." Not wanting to stare into her brother's eyes, Rose sighed and turned her hand to trace the palm lines with her fingernails, the black paint chipped on it.
"We remember her differently, because she treated us differently. She was always so delicate and careful around you, and she shielded you from the outside world. And all I have are memories of smoke-filled bars and that filthy chivas regal she drank every day."  The child winced and tugged at his curly hair, attempting to soothe the agony.
"You know I didn't say this to hurt your feelings, I just-" Rose began, her brows pinched in concern, but her words became caught in her throat when the announcer finally announced their destination. Roseanne got up from her seat and slung her backpack over her shoulder, while looking at her brother's back, who was frantically attempting to get off the train as soon as possible, his messenger bag carelessly slung over his shoulder.

After successfully exiting the train, the cold air hitting their skin, which had become accustomed to the warm suffocating air, made their spines quiver, and they both began to look at the cityscape, which appeared dreary and despondent from the crisp autumn night. He spotted a woman in a black coat embracing herself, gazing around, standing next to a Mercury Colony Park when he turned his head around.. Karen noticed the soulless faces of the adolescents approaching her.
"Roseanne! Killian!" The woman squealed loudly, putting her hand in front of her mouth in surprise, and looking at them both from head to toe. "It's amazing how much you've grown since we last saw each other." She chuckled.
"It's been a while." Killian muttered as he looked at the woman. He didn't recall her like this, because in the limited memories he had of his aunt in Hawkins, she didn't look anything like this, and the lack of images of his relatives did not help the situation.
"Where are your stuff?" She inquired. Killian's brows were slightly lifted.
"This is everything we have," Roseanne said.
"Alright, that's fine. Let's put them into the trunk and head back to the house! Mike and Nancy are happy to finally meet you again!" She smiled as she nodded into the direction of the back of the car, the hopped into the driver's seat.

They finally got out of the car after an awkward five-minute drive to the Wheeler's house, loaded with Karen's queries and short responses from both Killian and Rose. While they were getting their belongings out of the trunk and walked after Karen with tired steps, they were greeted by the humid air in the house, which warmed up their icy bones. Growing up in a poor home and not being used to such things, the well-managed and adorned house, full of family photos, astonished the siblings. Unsure what to do, the siblings stood in the door, watching as Karen knocked on a white door and slowly opened it, revealing the faint sound of children talking in the basement.
"Mike!" The woman remarked this as she removed her black coat, slung it over her arm, and straightened the baby pink sweater she was wearing underneath it. "Your cousins are here! I told you to end the game before I get home."
"Mom, we're in the middle of the campaign!"
"You mean the end?" Karen said, pointing at the time on her wrist watch. "Fifteen after." She told the boy, then left the door open, staring at the two teens who were still standing there. "Please come in!" She stated that with a smile on her face. After taking off their shoes, they entered the house and noticed Karen's husband, Ted, attempting to repair the television. Killian guessed that the youngster with black hair emerging out of the basement was Mike, who rushed past them without even glancing in their direction, running after his mother.
"Wait, mom! Just 20 more minutes!" The boy cried out desperately.
"It's a school night, Michael." With a solemn tone in her voice, the woman stated. "Go greet your cousins, I just arrived home from the train station with them! You can finish the campaign the next weekend." Killian was nervously leaning on the couch, grasping the envelope in his hand that he had been keeping in his pocket until now, waiting for Karen to finish her chat with the child who had been only a toddler the last time Killian saw him. On the other hand, Rose was walking around, taking random objects and pictures in her hand, to observe every little detail on them.
"Dude, I swear to God, I have no memories of this house." Rose returned her attention to her brother with a laugh.
"Just the house?" Killian murmured, a sly grin forming on his face. "I literally forgot their faces." He laughed as he finished his sentence. With a sneer on her face, the black-haired girl slowly raised her brows.
"You have the worst memory in the world." With a teasing shake of her head, she said. A curly haired small boy with a dissatisfied look stepped down the stair from the top floor, clutching a pizza box, at the sight of the two teens, his expression lighting up and flashing a toothless smile.
"Hey! I'm Dustin." He waved at them, letting go of one of his hands from the box, almost dropping it. "Hehe, anyway, you're Killian and Rose, right? Mrs. Wheeler was talking about you, and I overheard her." The two of them smiled as they listened to the boy and nodded when they heard their names. "Oh, sorry!" Dustin face palmed himself when he looked at the pizza box. "Nancy is being a jerk, and doesn't want the last slice... uh, you guys want it?" He asked as he softly pushed the box in their path.
"Thank you, but no." Killian chewed the insides of his cheeks as he shook his head.
"Oh, okay. I have to leave, but I'm always hanging out with Mike, so I'm sure we'll run into each other again." The young boy stated as he gently raised his cap on his head. "Goodbye Mrs. Wheeler!" Before returning to the basement, Dusting called in the direction of the kitchen.
"Now that he's mentioned Nancy—" Rosé began, her face shocked. "I had completely forgotten about her."
"Who's Nancy?" The girl rolled her eyes when Killian asked in a humorous tone. Karen stood in front of them a few seconds later, her arms on her hips.
"I just put Holly to sleep! I think Nancy is sleeping too, but you guys will meet each other tomorrow morning." Karen turned towards the stairwell, her grin never leaving her face. "Let me show you the room where you'll be staying." They followed the woman, their bags in hand, and after a turn, they came to a white door at the end of the hallway. When they pushed down the doorknob, they were welcomed by a room painted a bright shade of brown, a one-person bed piled with pillows on both side of the room, crippled posters of numerous bands on the wall, and an ancient television on the other side of the room, on an old drawer. Rose entered the room and slid her bag onto the bed on the room's far side. Karen gazed at Killian, sighing, as she tugged at her pink sweater.
"I'm sorry that you have to share a room, we-" she began, but Killian interrupted her with a smile on his face.
"It's fine, aunt Karen. We shared a room back at home too, and we're more than grateful that we can stay in your home. We'll never be able to thank you enough." The boy said, putting the bag on the other bed and slowly approaching the hand tugging on the soft, pink material. He then rubbed his thumb over the soft skin, the warm sensation on his finger feeling foreign. He drew his hand away from the warm feelings that had suddenly turned into a searing agony in his heart and fingertip, then stared down at the crumpled paper from all the gripping. He hesitantly passed it over to the woman, sucking on his lower lip. "Kristopher told me to give it to you. I'm not sure what's inside of it, maybe a letter or money... or both."She took the envelope from the somewhat taller boy and stroked her hand over the paper.
"Thank you; I'll take a look at it later." Karen responded, glaring at the boy, her eyes brightening slightly as she remembered something she needed to say. "Oh, that's right! In terms of high school, I took care of your paperwork. The principal said you could start going tomorrow, but if you aren't ready yet, you can take a few days off..." Rose cut Killian off before he could respond.
"Thank you, Karen, we'll think about it."  Rose smiled at Karen, who nodded and walked out of the room after a few steps back.
"Alright. I'll be in the kitchen if you need anything. Good night." Rose collapsed down into the bed once the woman shut the door, her tired body sprawled across the duvet.
"I don't think I've ever been this sleepy before." Turning around and clutching a comfortable pillow, Rosé said. "I could literally sleep for a week." She continued to speak, a yawn leaving her mouth. "Instead of going to school tomorrow, we should definitely sleep."
"You're so annoying." Killian groaned and rolled his eyes. "You can stay here and be a lazy slob while I go get my education." The teenage boy knelt next to the bed and began unpacking his few belongings.
"Since when have you been so enthusiastic about going to school?" Rose murmured this as she sat up slightly and grabbed a pillow to toss at her brother.
"Since now." After dodging the pillow being hurled at him, Killian continued to unpack his belongings. "I'm just happy that I don't have to go to that shithole anymore. That fucking school was full of assholes."
"You're like a grandpa." Rosé snorted, choking back the laughter that was forming in her throat. "And the school wasn't all that bad—you're just a misfit."
"Or maybe you're just like them." Killian shrugged and pushed his messenger bag beneath the bed. With a raised, Roseanne asked.
"Are you calling me an asshole?" Roseanne asked, a playful smirk appearing on her face.
"Yes, I am."
"You're just jealous ."  She turned on her back and glanced at the white ceiling with a defeated sigh. "Maybe you'll find friends here."
"I don't really plan on making friends here. I don't need them." He hurriedly changed into a loose brown shirt and slid beneath the sheets, closing his eyes and refusing to continue the conversation with his sister. "Goodnight."
"Grandpa, you're going to die alone." Rose climbed out of bed, turned off the lights, wrapped a blanket around her body, and attempted to fall asleep, the tiredness from the train ride still fresh in her mind.

⌗ CHAPTER ONE ' – THE DISAPPEARING OF WILL BYERS ᵎᵎ

Killian slumped back in his comfortable chair at the Wheeler's home kitchen's round table, glancing between the freckled child nibbling on some strange combination of food and Nancy, who was looking at Mike with a disgusted expression, Killian trying to take his mind off the memory of last night's fuzzy dream about his mother. He had no recollection of the dream, but the vivid vision of his mother's face made his body tremble. Rose, who was half-asleep in the chair next to him, flinched slightly as the phone suddenly rang. Not paying any attention to Karen speaking on the phone, Killian instantly got up from his seat, just after she hung the call up.
"Uh, I'm leaving. I want to look around the school before class starts." The boy said with an awkward smile on his face.
"Are you sure?" Karen asked slightly concerned. "I mean, do you even know where the school is?"
"Yeah, I saw it yesterday on the way back from the train station." Killian collected his bag, which contained nothing but a pen and a notebook, and then turned to face his sister, who was also sloppily rising from the wooden chair.
"Are you sure you don't want me to take you there?"
"It's all right. Aunt Karen, thank you for the breakfast." Before Karen could remark about the untouched meal, he walked slowly out of the house, trailed by his sister, who was bouncing her black sunglasses on her nose. He laughed as he walked down the street, turning back to gaze at his sister.
"They'll think you're a fucking junkie with those sunglasses on."
"It doesn't matter since they'll assume I'm a junkie even if I don't wear the sunglasses." Rose grunted bitterly as the black bag slipped down her arms, forcing her to messily shrug her shoulder. "Back at home, I don't think we ever had a meal together. Looking at them was kind of sweet."
"Sweet? Nancy and Mike were on the verge of killing each other." Killian muttered while pulling at his black sweater.
"Maybe if mom ever had the patience to cook, we would've-" Killian interrupted the girl's speech by swiftly stopping in front of her, Rose bumping her head into his rough back.
"Please, Rosie, I'm not in the mood right now to talk about Dolores." After a loud exhale, he forced the woman's face from his mind and continued his walk, struggling to remember the way to the school. Rose abandoned the subject to avoid irking the boy and followed his sibling, whose pace escalated.

⌗ CHAPTER ONE ' – THE DISAPPEARING OF WILL BYERS ᵎᵎ

Rose was leaning close to his brother, who was attempting to open the shabby locker he had gotten, after receiving their class schedule from the school's secretary.
"You're so lame." Rosé sighed and tilted her head back, irritated. Stretching her arm towards the locker, she punched the latch with mild force, and it popped open.
"Thanks..." Killian rolled his eyes as he stashed the books he didn't need in the locker and slung his backpack over his shoulder. "I'm having English, what class do you have?" Killian wondered, his brows furrowed in curiosity. Rose spoke up after a few moments of thinking.
"Uh... I have no idea. I didn't even look at the schedule." He walked to the class that wasn't too far away, shaking his head with a giggle. He stepped inside the classroom, glancing at the chattering teens and couples making out, heated by hormones, his eyes stopped on a free seat in front of the last row, beside the windows. He rushed to the seat, brushing past Nancy and the ginger girl she was talking with. He didn't want to draw any attention to himself. He sat down in the wooden chair, not paying attention to the sniffling of the sleeping girl behind him with platinum blonde hair.

He attempted to concentrate on the tall greyish haired teacher a few minutes after the class started, but the monotone voice made him feel drowsy, but just as he was about to fall asleep, a cold touch on the back of his neck made his eyes go wild.
"The fuck..." he murmured, abruptly turning around and being shocked by the skinny pale face staring at him with wide blue eyes. "Can I help you?" He leaned back to avoid being too close to the girl's face and whispered.
"Are you new?" She questioned, resting her elbow on the empty desk, which was adorned with a pink pencil case decorated with large stickers and shiny pins.
"Yeah." Killian whispered under his breath, his gaze lingering on the brown and crimson leaves whirling in the breeze outside the windows.
"Sorry, I think I slept through your introduction." The girl said, twirling a blonde curl around her finger. "I'm Natasha. I'm actually kinda new too, been going here only since this September." She continued with a sigh. "My parents moved here in the middle of nowhere after becoming tired of the hectic, crowded life in New York. They didn't even ask me about it."
"I had to move here against my will too, but I like it. It's peaceful." With a shrug of his shoulders, Killian replied.
"It's peaceful because it's boring. The only controversy here was the kidnapping of Ms. Driscoll's cat. Under her breath, she chuckled. "And I always feel like I'm in a cheesy stereotyped musical movie when I'm at this school. The cool kids, the nerds, the jocks... they're all in a clique "Rolling her eyes, she said.
"And which one do you belong to?" With a grin on his face, Killian inquired.
"I have my own clique. I'm the only person in it." With a cynical tone, she said, eliciting a suppressed snort from the boy. "Then it must be a privilege for a newcomer like me to sit in front of you and talk with you." He said in a charming tone. "My name is Killian, by the way."
"Killian, it's nice to meet you."

⌗ CHAPTER ONE ' – THE DISAPPEARING OF WILL BYERS ᵎᵎ

Killian was slowly pacing back and forth next to Hawking High School's big white door, looking at the sky that was lit on fire as the sun began to set, the rays leaving a fiery trail behind, while waiting for Roseanne to finish whatever she was doing. Nancy Wheeler appeared in his stereoscopic vision as she walked toward a red car, glancing around to make sure no one was around, but she quickly got in the vehicle with an embarrassed red tinge on her cheeks, when she saw Killian standing next to the door. He sighed, then moved toward the entrance, uninterested about where his cousin was headed. Hawkins High School was a world away from the previous school he had attended. It was a run-down school that no one seemed to care about enough to renovate. There weren't many people there, but the most of the teens there were poor or came from a difficult home history, as Rose and Killian both did.
"Boo!" A familiar high-pitched voice sounded from behind him, interrupting his less-than-pleasant thoughts of his previous school.
Killian turned back to face the girl and said, "Hey Natasha. I thought you already went home." Killian said, his brows furrowed.
"Nah, I smoked a joint in the locker room and then fell asleep. I only woke up after falling off the bench." She shrugged her shoulders and leaned against the rough brick wall. "What are we waiting for?"
"My younger sister. I'm starting to think she got stuck in the bathroom or something." After he said it, a slightly tall girl appeared, hiding her face with the green cardigan's hood she was wearing, the black sunglasses placed on her forehead, and the small school bag hanging from her shoulder, with a delighted grin on her face.
"Sup'." She said, wagging her brows.
"Jesus fucking Christ Roseanne, where the fuck were you? I've been waiting for at least an hour, even the cleaning lady has left." Killian complained, smacking his sister's shoulder.
"Yeah, sorry. I was in detention." Rosie said, Killian looking back at her with a puzzled expression. "I smashed a brunette bitch in the face with my tray after she called me a junkie cunt for refusing to get up from my seat in the dining hall. To be honest, it was worth it, but the supervising teacher didn't think so..."
"It was Carol Perkins, right?" Natasha said, walking next to Rose and Killian, who had already begun walking down the street, the orange light colouring their complexion and a soft breeze blowing through their hair. "She's such a twat." Natasha rolled her eyes and gripped the baby pink backpack's strap. "She tried to fight me once because she thought I want her ugly-ass boyfriend, but she chickened out when I showed up."

During the walk to the Wheeler residence, the two girls talked about their previous school experiences and other nonsense that Killian didn't pay attention to. When they stopped in front of the huge resident, Natasha tilted her head in confusion.
"Why are we stopping by the Wheeler's house? Are you guys like, friends with Nancy or something?"
"We're her cousins." Rosé said, raising her shoulders.
"Oh wow..." Natasha whistled. "You guys look nothing alike."
"No shit Sherlock." Rosé chuckled, raising her eyebrows.
"Well, I have to go." Natasha said, biting the inside of her cheeks, turning around after waving.

After quietly closing the door behind themselves, taking their shoes off, Killian and Roseanne moved towards the stairway, but Karen suddenly walked out of the kitchen.
"Welcome home!" She said with a smile, but a sense of concern lingering on her face. "The food is ready." She nodded towards the kitchen, signaling the teenagers to follow her.
"...We should be out there right now. We should be looking for him." Killian heard the distressed voice of the young boy sitting on the opposite side of Ted.
"Looking for who?" Rosé asked, sitting down next to Nancy, who was quietly playing with her food.
"Will, that poor boy disappeared." Karen said with sadness in her voice.
"Mom-" Michael started, but was quickly shut off with the serious voice of his mother.
"We've been over this, Mike. The chief says-"
"I don't care what the chief says!" Mike said gesturing with his hands.
"Michael-"
"Who's Will?" Rose asked, nibbling on the mashed potatoes.
"He's Jonathan's younger brother." Nancy muttered under her breath.
"Who's Jonathan?" Killian asked, looking at the stressed mother and son.
"You played with him a few times when you were in Hawkins." Karen told him, taking a bite of the food, and Killian tried to remember back to the boy he supposedly used to play with.
"Mom!" The freckled boy called out to Karen.
"Michael-"
"We have to do something! Will can be in danger." The boy exclaimed.
"More reason to stay put." Karen said, wiping some food of Holly's face.
"Mom-"
"End of discussion." Karen's snapped with a serious tone, looking around at everyone sitting at the table.
"So... me and Barbara are gonna study at her house tonight." Nancy said quietly, her eyebrows raised, slowly looking up at her mother. "That's cool right?"
"No, not cool." Karen shook her head.
"What? Why not?"
"Why do you think? Am I speaking Chinese in this house? Until we know Will is okay, no one leaves." She said looking at the two of her children, then she took a peek at the teenager eating next to Nancy, silently observing the conversation.
"This is such a bullshit." Nancy said, anger in her voice.
"Language." Ted said, looking up from his chicken.
"So we're under house arrest?" Nancy continued. "Just because Mike's friend got lost on the way home from..."
"Wait, so this is Will's fault?" Mike asked, cutting his sister off.
"Nancy, take that back."
"No!" Nancy yelled.
"You're just pissed off 'cause you wanna hang out with Steve!" Mike snapped at his sister.
"You know Steve?" Rose asked, looking up from the food she was eating, ignoring the wide eyed look Nancy gave her.
"Who's Steve?" Killian asked, clueless.
"Yeah, who's Steve?" Karen wondered, glancing between Rose and her kids, expecting an answer from them.
"Why do you know Steve?" Killian asked his sister.
"Steve?" Ted asked.
"Steve's her new boyfriend." Mike said, his sister looking at him with angry eyes.
"You are such a douchebag, Mike!"
"Language!" Ted warned his daughter. Nancy got up from her seat and walked out of the kitchen, grunting angrily. Killian coughed and took a sip of his orange juice before getting up from his seat with a smile, the situation making him uncomfortable.
"Karen, thank you so much for the meal; I'm going upstairs to finish my homework." He muttered this as he dashed up the stairs after grabbing his bag from the table's leg. Shutting the door behind himself, he turned on the light, grabbed a band shirt, and changed into it, his eyes not acclimated to the brightness in the room. He slouched on his bed, opened his math notebook, and tried to solve the problem he didn't understand. After a few moments, the door opened, revealing his sister, who had a soulless expression on her face.
"I can't believe that you left me there... I felt like stabbing myself in the head after listening to Ted eat chicken for five minutes straight." She moaned and threw herself into the bed. "Oh wow, you're doing your homework."
"Oh shut up, it's not like this is the first time I ever done my homework." Killian murmured, as he closed his notebook and tossed it at his sister.
"Wow, this was a murder attempt." Rosé gave Killian a fake-serious stare. After a few seconds of comfortable silence, Killian spoke up.
"You know, let me know if idiots like Carol, or whatever her name is, bother you again."
"Aww, you're such a sweetheart, are you going to beat her up for me?" With a snarky tone, Rose said.
"No, I just want to know." He said, dropping his head sleepily on his pillow.
"That's good, because I don't think Nancy and Steve would like that." She remarked as she sat up in bed and moved to the wardrobe to fetch some clothing and a towel.
"Why do you know Nancy's boyfriend?" With a confused turn of his head, Killian inquired.
"Carol and her boyfriend are his besties." Rosé said with a mocking high-pitched voice. "He tried to join Carol on pursuing me out of my seat, but he backed off when I slapped her in the face. Oh, and his hair also made a strong impression on me. It looks like a weird scarecrow." She said, wiggling her eyebrows.
"Jesus." Killian said rolling his eyes. "I can't believe Nancy is dating a bully."
"I'm not sure if he's a bully." Rose shrugged her shoulders, wondering. "But I think he won't bother me, he probably doesn't want to get his face slammed by a food tray, it would mess his perfect hair up." The comment made Killian laugh.
"Now I'm really curious how this Steve Harrington looks like."
"Trust me, simply by looking at him, you'll know who he is." Leaning against the door frame, the girl said. "I'm going to take a shower."
"Turn off the lights, I want to sleep." The light went off with a click, and he tried to repress the thoughts racing through his consciousness, including Jonathan Byers and his unfortunate brother who had vanished, Nancy and his boyfriend Steve Harrington, by drawing the duvet over his face and falling asleep.

⌗ CHAPTER ONE ' – THE DISAPPEARING OF WILL BYERS ᵎᵎ

The inside of the car stuffy from the cigarette smoke made the small boy lean out of the car window, desperate for fresh air. The woman, who had lovely long black hair, rubbed the cigarette on a tray full of ash before hurling it out the window.
"Roll up the window, sweetie, your sister's going to catch a cold." She patted the young boy's fluffy hair with her slender fingers, which were reeking from the putrid stench of the cancer stick. The child attempted to ignore the woman's lovely voice's distressed tone, which made the child's stomach ache with anxiety.
"Is everything okay, Mom? Where are we going?" His soft voice was difficult to hear above the loud music on the radio.
"Don't worry, okay?" The woman turned around, her mouth twitching as her fuzzy face became more and more clear. "You have to listen to mommy! Whatever happens, you can't-"

The images of the dream infesting his body and thoughts, made his vision fuzzy, he awoke with cold sweat all over his body. The knot in his gut was spinning his world as he gripped the side of the bed and sat up. Blood was beating in his ears, and his heart was thudding rapidly inside his ribcage as he walked down the steps. He squatted in front of the stairwell, his limbs feeling numb and his breathing quickening. He has to get out; he needs fresh air to fill his lungs; else, he feels like he'll suffocate. He put on his shoes with unsteady hands, grabbed his sweatshirt, and pushed the doorknob down with a solid hold, walking outside, the icy air gently touching his heated skin, the cold piercing his body, and helping to calm him down a little. Turning his head to a sudden sound from the garage, he saw the freckled raven-haired boy stiffly standing next to the bike that had tumbled down on the ground.
"Killian! Oh my god, I-I wasn't trying to leave or anything- " The boy begun panicking. "I just thought I heard something and wanted to check it out, please don't tell mom, I'll-" before he could continue his sentence, he noticed the teenage boy's fiery eyes and fast moving chest. "Are you alright man?" Michael whispered, taking slow and deliberate steps towards the brunette boy.
"I'm alright, I just needed some fresh air." Killian reassured the boy, letting out a heavy sigh.
"All right." Michael coughed awkwardly, hoping his cousin wouldn't see the bike he'd dropped.
"Where were you going, Mike?" Killian questioned, his brows furrowed together as he examined the black bike. "Did you want to go look for Will?" With a tender voice, he asked.
"What? No!" Mike replied, looking away from Killian. "I-, okay, yes, I did want to go look for him." With a sigh, the boy admitted.
"You know what Karen said, Mike-"
"Killian, I understand! Okay?!" Mike screamed, his voice trembling with rage. "But how can she expect me to sit here and do nothing while my friend is in danger? Will would do the same for me."
"It wouldn't be smart of me to let you go alone in the woods late at night. I have to tell Karen." Killian muttered, closing his eyes for a few moments to ponder. "Unless... I go with you."
"You- you want to help me?" Michael wondered, wrinkling his forehead in confusion.
"Yes. And I also don't want anything to happen to you." The adolescent said.
"Okay, sure. But you really can't tell mom." Mike hissed. "Hop onto the back of my bike. I think it'll be a bit small for you." After Mike got on his back, he impatiently looked at Killian, who, after a few seconds of second-guessing his decision, decided to ride the small bike, where his leg would be dangling down if he didn't place it up on the back of the pedal.

Mike was riding his bike along the street in front of the house when he came to a halt, noticing a boy leaping up and down to get into his sister's room. Following Mike, Killian turned his head towards the house, his expression unamused as he made eye contact with the boy who pretended to be cool, as if he wasn't trying to sneak into a girl's bedroom like some creep. Mike sighed and resumed pedaling, not looking back.
"Was that Steve Harrington?" Killian questioned, leaning in close enough for the younger boy to hear him.
"Yeah, he's the biggest douchebag." Killian couldn't see Mike's face, but he could imagine the irritated look on his it right now.

Mike met his friends midway after a few minutes of pedaling, and their eyes widened at the sight of the teenager behind him.
"I was caught, so I had to bring him along." Michael stated without halting his bike, his friends trailing behind him, Dustin silently giggling at the sight of the youngster. Killian was relieved when they came to a halt since he was becoming uncomfortable on the small bike.
"Hey guys, you feel that?" Dustin asked looking at the sky and raising his hand. "I think maybe we should go back."
"No!" We're not going back, just stay close." Mike said as he entered the forest.
"Let's go, it won't take too long." Killian gestured towards the forest, attempting to reassure the boy.
"Just stay on channel six. Don't do anything stupid." Mike told Dustin, then looked at Killian. The taller boy following his little cousin, and the other boy named Lucas, he looked back at Dustin's panicked face, the thunder scaring him.
"Hey guys! Wait up!" He yelled, running after his friends.

After several minutes of unsuccessful searching for Will Byers, the rain began to pour, the water drops stinging his skin and soaking his black sweatshirt.
"Will!" Mike screamed at the top of his lungs, a flashlight in his hand, looking around.
"Will Byers!" Killian shrieked, his voice trembling from the frigid weather.
"Byers!"
"I've got your X-man 134!" Dustin let out a yell. "Guys, I really think we should turn back." The curly haired boy suggested.
"Seriously, Dustin? You wanna be a baby, then go home already!" The furious dark-skinned boy replied, scarcely seeing anything from his surroundings due to the heavy rain and the massive trees covering his view.
"I'm just being realistic Lucas!"
"No, you're being a big sissy!" Killian turned around, having an unsettling feeling in his gut, to see if there was anything there. "Did you ever think Will went missing because he ran into something? And we're going to the exact same spot he was last seen? And we have no weapons, or anything?"
"Dustin, shit up." The freckled kid snarled at his friend.
"Mike!" After hearing a slight rustling sound, Killian hissed. "I think I hear something."
"You hear it too?" Turning around to face his cousin, the raven-haired kid asked. "Did you guys hear it?" He asked looking at his friends.  Killian grabbed the light from Dustin's hand when a sharp crack of a branch caught the boys' attention, his eyes widening and his stomach plummeting as he saw a horrified tiny kid in front of him with shaved hair wearing a yellow shirt that was dripping wet.

~

AN: Here's the first chapter! I'm kind of nervous about this:) Let me know what you think about this chapter, and please tell me if you find any mistakes, so I can fix it! Thank you for reading<3

— MEG.