It was when Jenna woke up the next morning to a terrible headache from last night that she took the time to recall the events in the woods.

She remembered the bonfire and having fun with Craig, and it seemed like that fun was short-lived when she suddenly heard something and ran off. Then, she found herself in the other dimension, along with Nancy Wheeler. When she got back to the woods, there was Jonathan Byers, Carter Page, and Dana Sellers as well. The fight with Craig was next, something that she regretted happening, then she came home.

It didn't seem real that it all happened, but it did, and it changed a lot of things about what was going on in this town. Jenna also had even more questions than before. This was all just a big mess from the beginning.

Jenna got out of bed and went downstairs to find her mom already sitting at the kitchen table with her coffee. She was nervous as she approached her, knowing that she was about to get a lecture. "Morning, Mom," she said, sitting down across from her.

"Good morning, Jenna," she replied, taking a sip from her mug. "Did you have fun last night?"

Jenna groaned as she felt her headache take over. "Oh, it was one to remember." She paused, raising her eyebrows. "What did you and Chief Hopper do all day yesterday after you left work with him?"

She furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. "How do you know that?"

"I called you so I could tell you about the party, but your boss said you left with Chief Hopper that afternoon." Jenna stood up, going towards the stove for the plate sitting there. "So, what was that all about?"

Dorothy huffed a sigh. "He came into the store to ask a few questions."

"Questions about what?" she asked, sitting back down at the table with my breakfast.

Her mom leaned back in her chair. "Just some things about Joyce Byers' behavior when I went to see her the other day, and then he invited me to go with him to her house."

Jenna gave her a confused look. "In the middle of your shift?"

There was a pause as she set down her mug. "Well, we were both concerned about her, so we decided to see how she was doing."

Her puzzled expression remained. "What else?"

As she locked eyes with Jenna's, she exhaled. "I think he's also suspecting Hawkins Lab has something to do with Will's disappearance."

"What do you mean?"

She shook her head. "I think it's best if you don't know anything else."

Before Jenna could ask her any more questions, the phone began to ring. She jumped up to grab it, quickly picking it up off the hook. "Hello?"

"Jenna? It's Nancy Wheeler."

"Nancy?" she replied, confused as to why she was calling her. "Um, hey. What's up?"

"Jonathan and I may have figured out something with what we saw last night. Do you have any plans today?"

She swallowed hard before she gave her an answer. "No, I don't."

"Good. We'll come pick you up this afternoon."

"Okay, see you then." With that, Jenna hung up the phone, then headed back to the table. Looking at her mom, she started to eat her breakfast, already feeling the headache spring on her once again. She knew she would have to get rid of it before she went out today and joined Jonathan and Nancy on whatever they had planned.

"Who was that?" her mom spoke up.

"Nancy Wheeler," Jenna answered. "Just a friend from school. She called to see about hanging out today."

"Oh, that's nice," she said, nodding her head. "So it'll just be you and her?"

"No, I think Jonathan Byers is joining us," she responded. "They're going to pick me up."

Dorothy drank from her mug once again, then shot her daughter a small smile. "Well, I hope you have fun."

Jenna smiled back and went to finish her breakfast in silence. Once she was done, she cleaned my side of the table and rushed back upstairs to get ready. She took her time, thinking about what Jonathan and Nancy had in mind in regard to the monster her and Nancy saw last night. Whatever they had planned, she was hoping that it was something good, something that would put an end to this monster and maybe get some answers about Will and Barbara's disappearance. Still, there was Hawkins Lab that she needed to worry about, which she still had Carter to help her out with that mess. It made her wonder how the monster, Will and Barbara, and Hawkins Lab were all connected in this one, big scheme going on.

The morning had gone by faster than Jenna expected, with Jonathan pulling in the driveway before she could get her jacket on. She dashed down the stairs and quickly took some medicine for the hangover, straightening her shirt and pants before she made her way towards the front door.

"Jenna," her mom spoke up from the couch, causing Jenna to turn around. "Be careful, okay?"

She nodded her head, giving her mom an assuring smile. "I will. Love you."

"Love you, too." Dorothy gave her a smile back.

With that, Jenna slowly turned around and went out the front door, making her way to Jonathan's car. As she looked through the window of the back seat, she spotted Dana and Carter already inside, with her slipping into the last spot. She glanced at Dana first, but held a gaze at Carter a bit longer when she noticed something was off about him.

"Is everything okay?" she spoke up.

Dana shook her head to signal that now was not the time to ask any questions. Jenna could already feel the tension rising as the car started to move.

As they rode into town, it was nothing but silence. The last thing everyone needed was to be quiet, especially with what happened last night in the woods. Like it or not, they were all going to talk about it sooner or later if they wanted to get down to what monster was lurking around in Hawkins.

Jonathan stopped at the local store that sold hunting and camping gear, to which the five of them hopped out of the car and went to head inside. Carter, however, was the only one to stay behind as he pulled out his pack of cigarettes, so Jenna remained with him.

"Hey," was the first thing she said to get his attention once the others were inside. "You okay?"

It was then he lifted his head to reveal the black eye on his face. "What does it look like to you?"

Her eyes widened. "What happ--"

"It's nothing I haven't dealt with before," he quickly cut her off. "Don't worry about it, okay?"

"What the hell does that mean?" she asked. "Are you saying that this has happened more than once?"

"Like I said, don't worry about it," he repeated, lighting a cigarette.

"Who did this to you?" she continued to press on.

"Jesus Christ, stop asking about it, Howard."

"But this is serious! You've got to tell someone."

"No."

"Why not?"

"I'm not talking about this with you anymore."

Frustrated, Jenna huffed a sigh. "I know you and I aren't the best of friends, but if there's any way I can help--"

"No, you can't help," he snapped. "So just shut the fuck up and leave it be."

Reluctantly, she closed her mouth and let it go like he wanted, despite the fact that she wasn't going to forget about it.

A few minutes later, Jonathan, Nancy, and Dana came back outside with a handful of supplies and gear for whatever trap we were going to set for this thing.

"I can't believe you told that guy we were buying all of this for monster hunting," Dana said.

"Well, it's the truth," Nancy replied, letting out a small laugh. "I don't think he believed me, anyway."

"Would anybody?" Jonathan pointed out.

As the three began to pack up everything in the trunk, Nancy let out a small laugh. "You know, last week, I was shopping for a new top I thought Steve might like. It took me and Barb all weekend. It seemed like life or death, you know? And...and now--"

"You're shopping for bear traps with the most unlikely group of people," Jonathan finished for her.

Nancy nodded her head. "Yeah, pretty much."

"Well, what's the weirdest part? The bear trap or all of us?"

"Oh, it's definitely all of you," Nancy replied in a joking manner.

As they were about to get back in the car, the sound of a car horn honked at them. When everyone turned around, Reed Joyner, a student from Hawkins High that Jenna had seen often at parties, was in the passenger seat.

"Hey, Nance, can't wait to see your movie!" he called out to her as he and his friend drove by us.

"What the hell was that?" Jonathan asked.

"I don't know," Nancy replied, looking just as puzzled as the others.

"Knowing Reed, he's probably just messing around," Jenna said.

"Wait..." Nancy muttered as she spun around and headed down the sidewalk.

"Where are you going?" Jonathan questioned as he began to sprint after her. "Nancy, wait!"

Carter and Dana were next to go after them, and Jenna took her time to follow suit when an uneasy feeling started to settle in her stomach. She looked around and saw nothing out of the ordinary, but the hunch that something was off didn't leave her body. Doing her best not to worry about it, she picked up the pace and caught up with the others, where Nancy led them to the front of the movie theater. All of them were shocked to see the words that were on display:

ALL THE RIGHT MOVES STARRING NANCY THE SLUT WHEELER

"Jesus..." Jonathan whispered.

"What the fuck?" Carter added.

Then, they heard the obnoxious laugh of Tommy H nearby.

"Oh, shit," Jenna stated.

Nancy took off again and went towards the alley next to the theater. The four of them kept a distance, finding not only Tommy H with a spray can, but also Steve, Janet, Carol, and Craig watching him write graffiti on the wall. Criag was the only one she didn't expect to find here at all.

"Aw, hey there, princess!" Carol said in a snarky tone, a smirk on her face.

"Uh-oh, she looks upset," Tommy H added.

Nancy took a moment to glare at Steve before slapping him across the face, much to everyone's shock. "What is wrong with you?!"

"What's wrong with me? What's wrong with you? I was worried about you!" Steve let out a scoff, shaking his head in disbelief. "I can't believe that I was worried about you."

"What are you talking about?" she asked.

"I wouldn't lie if I were you," Carol interjected. "You don't want to be known as the lying slut now, do you?"

"Speak of the devil!" Tommy H stated once he spotted Jonathan, then his eyes went over to Jenna. "Oh, look, Craig, your girl is here, too!"

Craig locked eyes with Jenna's as the four of them headed towards the others. Janet, with her arms crossed, stayed back to give them some space.

"Still hanging out with the freaks, I see," he said. "Are they much better company than me?"

Jenna gave him a sad look. "Craig, about last night--"

"It was shit, thanks to you," he cut her off in a bitter tone. "What the hell happened to you out there?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"So enlighten us, then," Steve intervened. "Craig told us all about how you bailed on him at the party last night."

Jenna rolled her eyes. "How about you butt out and worry about your own love life?" She turned back around to face Craig. "Let's go talk, away from them."

"No, I'd rather not talk about it anymore," he replied harshly, going back to stand with the rest of their friends.

Nancy, still distressed, glared at Steve. "You came by last night, didn't you?"

"Ding! Ding! Ding! Does she get a prize?" Carol spoke up in a snarky tone.

Jenna could feel herself getting mad for Nancy as she clenched her fists.

"Look, I don't know what you think you saw, but it wasn't like that," Nancy told Steve.

"What, you just let him into your room to...study?" Steve retorted.

"Or for another pervy photo session?" Tommy H added, followed by a laugh.

"We were just--"

"You were just what?" Steve cut her off, raising his eyebrows. "Finish the sentence."

The silence around them only made things more tense as Nancy was breathing heavily. The longer it was quiet, the more time it took for the heat in Jenna's hands to rise. She exchanged looks with Janet, as if they were both worried as to what would happen next, whatever that might be.

Finally, when Nancy didn't respond, Steve spoke up again. "Go to hell, Nancy."

"Come on, let's just leave," Jonathan intervened, eyeing the others to follow him.

However, Steve wasn't ready to quit running his mouth. "You know what, Byers? I'm actually kind of impressed. I always took you for queer, but I guess you're just a little screw-up like your father."

"What did you just say, Harrington?" Carter stepped in between the two of them, his face already filled with rage.

Craig came in next, shoving Carter out of the way. "Stay out of it, freak."

"Craig, don't!" Jenna shouted, yanking at his arm.

Craig spun around, giving her a confused look. "Why are you defending him? Since when do you care about anyone that isn't your friend?"

"Look, it's been a hell of a few days, Craig," she told him bluntly. "Just walk away for once."

"And what, let the band of freaks go? Come on, Jenna. You didn't give a shit about any of them before. Why start now?"

"It's complicated," she said truthfully.

Craig scoffed in response. "Of course it is. Everything with you is so damn complicated, isn't it?"

Before Jenna could respond, everyone all turned at the sound of Steve groaning, to which Jonathan had his hand balled in a fist. Of course, the last thing they needed was a fight breaking out. Then again, they all had to know it was leading to that point.

"Stop it, you guys!" Nancy screamed. "Jonathan! Steve!"

"Kick his ass, Steve!" Tommy H yelled.

When Carter went to stop the fight, Craig grabbed him by his hoodie. "Oh, you wanna fight, emo?"

"Craig!" Jenna shouted.

He only ignored her. "Tell me, how come you keep your arms covered all the time, huh? Gotta hide those marks you do to yourself?"

As Carter was trying to back away from Craig, it was nothing but anger that was beginning to boil inside Jenna, her fists clenched so tight that her fingernails were close to digging into her skin. Then, all she could feel in them was heat.

"Dudette, what are you doing?" Janet asked, taking a step towards me. "Are you okay?"

"Janet, stay back," Jenna warned her.

"Why, what is it?" she questioned. "Jenna--"

Then, in just a short moment, the boxes near everyone began to fly in the air, with smoke emerging from the wood. Like clockwork, Jenna could feel the nosebleed starting. Screams came from every direction as everyone scattered, and things only got worse when a police car came driving in the alley.

"Shit, it's the cops!" Carol yelled.

"You guys, let's go!" Dana added. "Jonathan! Nancy!"

"Go, we'll catch up!" Nancy assured them.

With that, Jenna, Dana, and Carter were the first to take off running, exiting out of the alley and back on the sidewalk. The three kept going a little ways, but once they started to get tired, they slowed down and stopped to catch their breaths.

Panting, Dana looked at Jenna. "What the hell happened back there?" she asked.

"What do you mean?" she replied, acting as if she had no idea what Dana was talking about.

Dana rolled her eyes in response. "Look, I could tell something was off with you. It's like...I don't know, like you blew up those boxes yourself with your mind, if that's even possible."

Carter huffed a sigh, which made Jenna glance his way. "You think we should tell her?"

"Tell me what?" Dana inquired.

Suddenly, the anxious feeling Jenna had before came back to her. Looking around, she spotted a couple of vans from Hawkins Electric parked at the parking lot across the street. In each van, there were a couple of guys inside, all of whom were looking right at them. Jenna was wondering if they were looking right at her.

"Shit," she whispered, a worried look plastered on her face.

"What is it?" Dana spoke up. "Jenna--"

"We need to get out of here now," she told the two of them.

"Why?" Carter asked.

"Because I think we're being followed, that's why," she replied, motioning them to follow her.

So the three took off running again, trying to go faster than before. By the time they thought they had lost the vans, there were two more waiting for them down the street.

"What the hell is going on? Why are there people coming after us?" Dana questioned frantically.

"They're not after you two," Jenna said. "They're after me."

"Fuck, you think it's--"

"Yeah, Carter, I do."

"Who are you two--"

"Let's go, " Jenna cut Danaoff.

She was leading them across the street and towards the back of the buildings that would take them to the woods, where she hoped the trees would hide them from the men. In the process, they almost got run over by one van as the trio barely made it on the sidewalk. Once they dashed into the woods, the teenagers still kept going, not wanting any of the men to follow them.

"Is someone going to explain to me what the hell is going on here?" Dana shouted.

"Not until we know it's safe!" Jenna yelled back. "Well, somewhat safe."

Carter scoffed at her. "That's very reassuring, Howard, thanks."

Rolling her eyes, Jenna continued treading the woods, with Carter and Dana behind her. After walking for what felt like forever, they made it to the road with no vans in sight, and they were all relieved by that. However, it was short-lived when a van was coming towards them.

"Damn," Jenna said, then looked at Carter. "You think I could--"

"Whoa, Howard, that's too risky. You have no control over your powers."

"I have to try," she protested.

"Powers?!" Dana's eyes went wide.

Ignoring her, Jenna stood in the middle of the street, focusing on the van in front of her. She raised her hands, trying to let the heat rise in her like before. As the van got closer, all she could feel was resentment towards Hawkins Lab, towards the people that only saw her as a test subject.

All of a sudden, smoke emerged from the hood of the van, which caused them to slow down.

Her mouth wide open, Jenna glanced at Carter and Dana. "Holy shit, I did it."

"Yeah, great, you almost blew up a van, now let's get the hell out of here!" Carter rushed to grab Jenna, and they made a run for it again.

The three used shortcuts through the backyards of a few houses, and once they were sure that they were safe from any more men from Hawkins Lab, they came to a stop on the side of the road, and Jenna took that time to wipe the blood off her face.

"Well, that was fun," Carter stated sarcastically.

"Can someone now tell me what's going on?" Dana asked, almost sounding annoyed and a little freaked out by what she just witnessed.

Exhaling, Jenna sat down on the grass, to which they did the same. "Listen, it's all going to sound crazy, but it's the truth, whether you believe me or not."

So she started with the files she read about herself during her time at Hawkins Lab, covering the experiments and the fire, then moving onto what had been going on since Will's disappearance. She would shift her head to see Carter and Dana's expressions, and while Carter already knew everything, Dana was obviously in shock.

"Damn," was all she could say after Jenna finished. "That's...that's a lot to process."

"Yeah, tell me about it," she replied, followed by a small chuckle. "So, what do you make of all this?"

Dana scoffed. "I mean, I've been overhearing my dad's conversations about Will's disappearance, and there seem to be a lot more to it than just that, which is why I teamed up with Carter, Jonathan, and Nancy to find that monster in the woods last night."

"What monster?" Jenna asked.

"The one we think took Will and Barbara," Carter spoke up. "Like Dana said, there's a lot more going on in Hawkins, something that's a lot bigger and more dangerous than we thought."

As they sat there in silence for a moment, Jenna was getting the feeling that Carter and Dana were both right about everything, which only made them want to dig deeper into what was going on, even if it was totally dangerous to get involved.

This is bad, really bad, Jenna thought.

"So, what do we do now?" Dana broke the silence.

"Well, with Jonathan and Nancy in jail, which means we have no car..." Carter pointed out.

"Not to mention the fact that some men are after you, Jenna," Dana added. "Where the hell are we supposed to go?"

They were out of options, seeing as no one's houses were safe if Hawkins Lab was now trying to look for Jenna, along with anyone else associated with her. For all they knew, Hawkins Lab was watching them all this time without them actually realizing it.

"Maybe we should just stay here until someone finds us," Jenna suggested.

Carter scoffed. "That's a shitty idea."

She threw her hands in the air out of frustration. "Well, you got any better ideas?"

In an instant, a familiar car came speeding towards the three, the one Jenna recognized as--

"Mom?" she said out loud.

Slamming on brakes, Dorothy quickly rolled down the window, looking exhausted. "Get in the car. Now."

~~~~~~~

A/N: About time I finished this chapter. I did not realize how long it was gonna be lmao.

Comment, vote, we're getting near the end of Part One!

-A