CARLA WHEELER STARED UP THE BYERS HOUSE WITH A FROWN. 

It had been three months since everything went down—since Billy Hargrove was killed, since Starcourt Mall was demolished due to the damage done, since the Mind Flayer was taken down, since Carla was flayed and revived, since Hopper died, since the government covered the truth about what happened, deeming it as a 'terrible mall fire' to the rest of Hawkins. 

Since Joyce Byers made the ultimate decision to put her rundown house up for sale and move.

Hearing the news that they were moving had been hard—despite Joyce's reminder that it had been a 'long time coming', the Byers residence held so much baggage, from Christmas' and hangouts to where Steve was beat senseless and Carla was marked by the Demogorgan—but what was even harder to hear was the fact that they were moving to California with Eleven. 

After Hopper's death—being the next parental figure in El's life—Joyce had been quick to adopt the girl as her own, which meant that she, too, would be moving across the country, leaving all of her friends, her family, for a city of people who would never understand her the way they had; never accept her the way the Party did.  

Carla had tried to convince Joyce that she didn't have to move—California was miles and miles away, which meant plane tickets and phone calls would be expensive. Eleven and Will would lose their friends, Jonathan would lose his girlfriend and his best friend. 

Despite being the right choice—Joyce, Jonathan, Will, and El deserved nothing than a fresh start after all the hell and loss the past three years had given them— it wouldn't be fair. To the Party, the children or to the Wheeler herself. 

Yet, here Carla stood in front of the house, staring at the stacks of boxes sitting on the front porch, waiting to be hauled into the moving truck.

Her arms were wrapped around her figure—it was now October, Summer drawing to a close with a chill breeze—as she simply stared at the house; taking it in for a final time as the Byers house.

 She knows she should be helping out, and she had been, but it's all starting to become too real for her. Putting Will's old toys into donation boxes and Jonathan's different CD's into his bedrooms labeled bin had started to hit her—this was the last time she'd step into these rooms, into the house itself. 

While the Byers family had been packing for the past month, today had been the final clean out. Max, Lucas, Dustin, Mike, Nancy and Carla had all shown up that morning and had been helping sorting through bins and hauling bigger and bulkier items out the door and into the truck.

 Not only did it make the process much easier and less stressful on Joyce, but it allowed everyone to get a final moment together, even if it was spent packing away years of memories. 

Reminding Carla of this was Jonathan and Nancy appearing out the door, mattress in their grasp. The Wheeler moves out of the way, allowing her sister and her best friend to maneuver the item into the truck without stumbling.

"You guys need any more help?" Carla offers as her friends pull away from the truck. She feels bad for simply sulking in front of the house when their were boxes to load and toys to go through—even if she had done her part earlier that day.

"Max, Lucas, and Dustin are sorting through stuff in the living room." Jonathan states, nodding towards the house. "You can see if they need some help."

Carla gives a small nod and heads back into the house where she was met with the sound of Lucas Sinclair and Max Mayfield singing, rather than packing.

"Turn around. Look at what you see." As Carla enters the house, her brows furrow at the sound of the two teens singing. Lucas and Max were knelt down in front of a box, currently packaging away some sort of console. Their eyes were locked on Dustin—who was across from them with a blank and rather annoyed expression—smirks on their lips as they proceeded, "In her face, the mirror of your dreams. Rhymes that keep their secrets will unfold behind the clouds." 

Max looks at the Henderson boy with a playful smirk, "Wait, did we get that verse right? It's 'unfold behind the clouds?' "

Carla shakes her head at the teasing—since that night, the Wheeler had been updated on everything that happened. Using Cerebro, Dustin had called Suzie, (she was real, much to Steve's disbelief), and the two had sang a duet of, 'Never Ending Story'.  In the moment, while unnecessary, it had been sweet in a sense. But now, all the Party did was tease the Henderson with it's lyrics.

"Yeah." Dustin flatly stated, "But you're butchering it, so could you please stop?"

"So then join in, Dusty-Bun." Lucas blew at air kiss towards his friend.

Max urged, "Yeah, come on, Dusty-Bun, why don't you join us?"

Continuing to pack, Dustin stared at his friends blankly, "You guys are so funny, you should be on Carson."

"Can't we just hear your rendition?"

"No."

"Please?" the Mayfield pleaded, "Just one verse?"

"No. No way." the Henderson boy repeated, growing more annoyed with the constant teasing he'd received since the song. "It's reserved for Suzie's ears and Suzie's ears alone." Noticing that Carla had watched the scene, he turns to the older girl. "Carla, could you please tell them to stop?"

Carla slightly laughs and gives the couple a pointed look, "We have a house to pack up, get back to work."

Lucas turns to look at his girlfriend, "She never said we couldn't pack and sing." It's not even a second before the two teens return to singing, "Turn around. Look at what you see—"

 Dustin raises his middle finger, circling it around in their general direction before sending it towards Carla, "Thanks a lot, Carla." 

Carla smiles innocently at the Henderson boy as the singing continues. She knew it was slightly mean of her not to stop Lucas or Max from teasing Dustin, but they were having fun—and right now, after experiencing what happened at Starcourt, that's all she wanted to see the teens doing.

After losing Billy, Max hadn't been as upbeat or snappy—Neil and Susan's relationship was crumbling, and everything had gone to shit. So, any moment that Carla saw her smiling genuinely, or having fun, the Wheeler girl wouldn't stop it; even at the cost of Dustin's peace. Max deserved to feel happy after what happened; they all did. 

Besides, it was everyone's last day together. Might as well soak up the final minutes of happiness before it was time to say goodbye.

The ringing of the phone took Carla from her small train of thought, and she quickly brushed past Will—who was coming down the hall carrying  a stack of books and games—to reach the phone.

"Byers residence." Carla grabs the phone and holds it to her ear, slightly frowning as she realized it would be the last time she referred to the house as the Byers residence—soon it would just be another house, where a normal family lived, unbeknownst to the horrors that it held. "Carla Wheeler speaking."

"Hi, baby."

"Steve." Carla smiles as she hears her boyfriend on the other end, leaning against the wall. She barely pauses before she recalls why he wasn't currently helping pack everything up, "How did the interview go? Or was Keith being a dick about everything?"

Due to the damage, Starcourt had been demolished, which—while great for the small businesses that he been protesting about losing customers and money due to the mall—had caused thousands of teens to loose their income and place of employment, including Steve and Robin.

The two former co-workers, along with Carla, spent a few months searching for places that not only fit Steve and Robin's personalities—and uniform requirements, as Steve voiced—but had openings for two employees—the two had been insistent on working together again, which made Carla more than happy. 

In the end, they'd ended up with Family Video; easy requirements, not too much smarts needed, casual uniforms and an employee discount on all movies.  

However, Keith—formerly working at the arcade—was the manager, and Carla knew he wouldn't let Steve Harrington of all people get the job so easily.

"Bagged it. We both start Monday." Steve admitted, causing Carla to smile—she was glad that her boyfriend was employed again, as well as Robin. "Apparently Robin worked some of her charm into him, but I think he just liked my movie taste."  

"I'm sure he did." The Wheeler slightly laughs, though she's sure the former is true, rather than the latter. Warmly, she states, "I'm proud of you. Congrats."

"Thanks." Steve replies, and Carla can hear him smiling through the phone. "How has packing up the house gone? Need any extra help? Robin's checking out the movie selection here but other than that, I was gonna head over there to wait for you to finish, anyway." 

"It's....it's going." Carla sighs, looking forward to the kids finishing their respective packing. Lucas, Max, and Dustin closing boxes and pushing them towards the door to take out, Will hauling the donation box outside. "I think we're almost done here, which is, like, crazy. I mean, this place has been my second home for over a decade and it's all packed up in a day. All the memories, the nightmares.....all of it is boxed away."

"Is everyone holding up?"

"I think so." Carla nods—she hadn't seen any tears so far, but they still had to say goodbye to each other, and she's sure that would be full of tears and crying. "Max and Lucas were teasing Dustin a few minutes ago, so take that as you will."

"They sound pretty okay to me." Steve chuckles, before stating, "Well, I'll be over in a little bit and then we can chill at my place or something? "

"Sounds good." Carla hums—after saying goodbye to some of the most important people in her life, Carla thought that relaxing with her boyfriend sounded rather nice. "Love you."

"I love you, too." Steve states. 

Carla hangs up and sighs, before beginning to trail through the house—everyone seemed content in packing, and the Wheeler wanted a few more minutes to be within the house before it was time to say goodbye.

Listening to the sound of markers against boxes and items being set on other boxes; mindless chatter as the teens taped boxes shut and hauled them outside, Carla's eyes trailed around the house, feet dragging her from room to wall.

Each bit of the house held memory—from the chips of paint off the wall to the stains in the carpet. Even to Carla, who hadn't lived there. It felt odd to walk past the bare walls, to look into rooms to see nothing. It felt wrong.

Jonathan's room was empty, never to have 'Should I Stay or Should I go' echoing through its walls again. Carla would never have sleepovers with the boy in the room, or dance to whatever new mixtape he made. All the memories they'd made sitting on his bed, or the Halloweens spent watching horror movies together gone.

Will's room had nothing but a few boxes left in it, not a single drawing taped on the wall or a crayon on the floor. Carla would never sit on his bed and watch him draw, or help him sort through his Halloween candy again. Never tuck him in during late night babysits where Joyce worked the night shift, or make him hot chocolate in the winter. 

Carla simply frowns as she realizes that her life with the Byers' family was simply over. They would be living 2,000 miles away where the only contact would be visits whenever Carla could afford, minute long phone calls, and letters that would take days to send. 

Nothing that would compare to the long night phone calls, drives to school, sleepovers and weekends spent at the house. 

While she wasn't really losing the Byers family, it would sure as hell feel like it. 

"Hey, Carla!"

Carla loses her train of thought at the sound of her name, and she looks to see Lucas coming towards her. "Yeah?" 

"Could you help us take out the remainder of these boxes?" 

"Of course."

The Wheeler girl follows the Sinclair, helping him, Max, and Dustin take out the remainder of boxes in the living room. Each teen grabbed a box and hauled it outside, where Jonathan—from the inside of the moving truck—took it and stacked it atop another box. The rotation continued until everyone had empty hands and the house was left bare; ready for a new family, a new life. 

Finishing packing brought no sense of relief to Carla—if she's being honest, she wishes there were thousands more boxes to haul, more items to pack away. Because now that the house was empty, there was only one thing left to do.

Say goodbye. 

Carla isn't sure who started crying first, but the moment Jonathan closed and locked up the back of the moving truck, everyone slowly started to let their emotions out. Tears began to stream and lips began to tremble, tearful chuckles falling out as everyone embraced and muttered reassurances that they'd see each other soon and write as much as possible. 

To give the Party time to say goodbye to El and Will, as well as to give Jonathan time with Nancy, the first person Carla decided to find was Joyce. The woman was leaning against the moving truck, solemnly watching the kids say their final goodbyes—Joyce felt horrible for prying her boys and El away from their friends, from their lives, but she knew it was for the better. 

They all deserved, needed,  to get out of Hawkins. Joyce was just the only adult who knew enough to make that decision. 

"Hey." Carla approaches, a solemn smile on her face as she watches the woman watch the kids. Everyone had been so focused on how Will, El, and Jonathan would react to moving that they hadn't really thought about how hard it had been for Joyce to go through with the decision—this was her house, where she'd watched her boys grow up. Hawkins was her home. 

"Hey, sweetie." 

Carla doesn't wait a second more before letting her emotions get the better of her and embracing the woman. Joyce doesn't hesitate to reciprocate, wrapping her arms around the taller girl like a mother reassuring her child that it was going to be okay—and in a sense, that's what the Byers woman was doing.

With tears pricking in the back of her eyes—God, how was she going to do this with the others if this was how she was reacting to Joyce—Carla murmurs to the older woman, "You can still go back on moving. You could stay here." 

She knows the choice was for the better, she just wishes there was an easier way to accept it. 

"I wish it was that easy, sweetheart." Joyce replies in a sad tone, pulling away with a sorrowful smile on her face. She takes her hands and places them on either side of Carla's face. "I know this isn't a forever goodbye, but I just want to tell you that you are a beautiful girl, and I'm so glad I got to watch you grow up. You're kind, you're always helpful and you're caring—you care for these kids like they're your own." She smiles warmly, "Making you Will's babysitter was one of the best choices I've ever made because you've become a sister to both of my boys. You've become my daughter." 

Carla let out a light sob and Joyce pulled her close again. 

Carla Wheeler would be lying if she didn't say Joyce was something of a second mother to her. From the moment Carla walked into her home, the Byers woman had shown nothing but love—her door was always open for the Wheeler girl.

While Karen was obviously her mother, Joyce had always been there, too—especially the past few years, during all the chaos. She couldn't tell her real mom, but she could tell Joyce. 

"Thank you for letting me babysit." Carla manages, voice thick with emotion as she pulled out of Joyce's embrace. "Thank you for letting me be a part of your family—thank you." The Wheeler knows she'll see Joyce in a few months to check in, but she can't help but feel like everything will be different next time she sees them. 

"Of course, sweetheart." Joyce whispers, placing her hands on Carla's shoulders and staring up at the girl with a proud expression—she was glad that she got to have a daughter in Carla Wheeler. "Now go and say goodbye to them—don't worry about me."

Carla nods her head, "Okay."

"Good luck with senior year." Joyce squeezes her shoulder before backing up. 

Carla turns her head over to look at the kids, heart breaking as she watches each of them El or Will. Tears are running down their cheeks and their chests rise and fall unevenly; Carla wants to cry simply by looking at them. If this was tough to her, it was tougher on them. 

She waits her turn—she wasn't about to intervene—and after a few moments, Will is the first to spot Carla waiting. The girl sends him a wobbly smile, taking in his bloodshot eyes and wracking shoulders, and that's all it takes for Will Byers to come running into her arms. 

Will had seen Carla as a sister since....forever. He doesn't remember when he met her, truly, but she'd always been there. Whether it was to babysit him during late shifts, or to color with him during a sleepover with Jonathan, or a simple smile when she headed towards his brothers room. She was always nice; sisterly. 

"It's gonna be okay." Carla holds on to him, cradling the back of his head as he sobs into her shoulder. "I'm gonna write to you every week, okay? And—and in, like, two months I'll be coming down to check in on you guys? And you'll get sick of me because you'll have a ton of new friends that you'll want to call instead of your old babysitter from Hawkins."

Will shakes his head, "I could never get sick of you, Carla." 

 "I hope not." Carla tearfully chuckles, "I didn't go through all of this shit for you not to like me." 

Will stays in the Wheeler's embrace, wanting nothing more than to just stay in Hawkins. He couldn't lie and say he wasn't scared to move so far. It wasn't leaving the town that was sentimental, it was leaving his friends.

Nancy, Dustin, Max, Lucas, Carla, Mike....they were the only people who understood him, really. Who would get why he didn't like being alone, why he got quiet at times—who knew what happened, and who forever would be the only people who would.

He'd never been good at making friends—there was a reason he'd been a part of the Party for so long, even during their bad moments; they were his only friends. So, moving across the country and into a school system with no one he knew would be tough. 

Will had been bullied before—Zombie Boy—but he didn't want to endure it again; especially not without his friends to remind him that he wasn't weird or crazy. 

"What if they don't like me, Carla?" The Byers boy looks up at the older girl, wanting nothing more than reassurance, even if she couldn't say anything for sure. "You guys—you're the only people who get it...."

Carla shakes her head, "They're gonna like you, Will. You're gonna make new friends. I'm sure it's scary but it's gonna work out, okay?"

Will nods, "Okay."

"Okay." Carla breathes, pulling away from the boy. She didn't want to keep him from missing the final moments he still had with his friends. "Go and finish saying your goodbyes, I don't think I can watch you cry any longer."

The Byers boy tearfully chuckles before admitting, "I love you, Carla."

"I love you too." Carla repeats before ushering him back to the Party, who were still embracing and crying together, October sun beating against their skin. "Go on."

The Byers boy sends her a final weak smile before running off back towards the Party, Carla wrapping her arms around her figure—two down, two to go. She decides to give Eleven longer with the Party and instead scans around for Jonathan, readying herself for her say goodbye.

She spots him leaning against his car, Nancy walking away from him with a frown etched upon her lips. Carla takes this as she chance and walks over to him, unsure on how to really say goodbye—there was so much to yet she couldn't figure out how to say it.

Carla Wheeler didn't have a lot of friends. There were acquaintances, sure, and she'd always had her sister but no one had ever been her friend the way Jonathan Byers had stepped up to be—even when she had her small moment of popularity with Steve. The school liked her because they liked Steve Harrington. Not because they really cared for her.

But Jonathan had always liked her—they both shared a love for photos and had a natural quiet aura. Despite being opposite gendered, they'd always managed to get along and they'd never crossed the line of friendship into romance; platonic fit them better. 

Of course Jonathan was the one who was moving across the country to start a new life, but Carla was losing her best friend, too. She still had the kids, Nancy, Steve.....but she wouldn't have Jonathan Byers to help her with homework, to call late at night, to go on late night drives—to survive senior year with.

"Hey." Carla approaches the vehicle, taking a spot next to the Byers boy.

Jonathan replies with a curt, "Hey."

"I, uh, don't really know how to say goodbye." Carla admits, trying to figure out what to say. "But to sum it up.....I really regret that we didn't get to hang out all summer and I'm really gonna fucking miss you?"

Carla does regret how their summer went. Going past monsters and Billy Hargrove.....the Wheeler girl barely spent time with her best friend, between carpooling and the library and spending time with Steve—God, she'd been so focused on a summer with her boyfriend she forgot to spend some of her hours with the Byers boy, too. 

"Yeah," Jonathan nods, voice thin, "I think that sums it up pretty well." 

"How the fuck am I supposed to do senior year without you?" Carla can't hold back her sigh. They'd started school a few weeks back, and she'd tried to savor the studying and classes she still had left with Jonathan because she isn't sure how she's going to do anything without him there to walk beside in the hall, or borrow a pencil from. 

Jonathan leans his head back, "I'm trying to figure out the same thing."

Carla doesn't know what else to say, so she moves forward to wrap her arms around the boy. As she leans her head against his chest, Jonathan lets out a sad sigh, leaning his head against her as she embraces her back.

"Promise me not to make a new best friend?" Carla tearfully chuckles—she doesn't really mean it. If anything, she actually wants Jonathan to make another friend; someone who means as much to him as she did. 

Jonathan laughs, "I don't think anyone will take your place, Carla."

"Carla?"

Carla to her side to see Eleven standing patiently in front of the two friends. She has her arms wrapped around her figure, eyes puffy and cheeks wet from crying, her trembling lip threatening her to break down again. 

Once she knows that she has the Wheeler's attention, Eleven asks, "Can I have a hug?" 

"Oh, El." Carla sends an apologetic look to Jonathan as she pulls away, the boy giving a nod to show that it was okay—he got his goodbye, it was Eleven's turn. The Wheeler is quick to come over to the Hopper, who does as she asks, wrapping her arms around her sister-figure. 

El didn't want to leave Hawkins. She simply didn't. She couldn't bear the thought of having to leave her friends—the only teenagers who'd ever understand her—or Carla; the girl who'd become her sister, her person in a matter of months. 

These people had shown her a life other than needles and hospital gowns; had shown her how to be a real person instead of a number. They'd taught her everything she knew. And now she just had to leave? She'd seen how desperately Mike called her back in '83 after she disappeared....and now she was doing it again.

"I don't want to go, Carla." Eleven begins to cry again, and to Carla, it's the worst sound she's ever heard. "I'm gonna miss you and—and Mike, and Max, and—" Her words get caught in her throat as she holds on to the Wheeler girl.

"I know, I know. I don't want you to go either, okay? If I could, I'd let you live in my basement again." the Wheeler sighs—she doesn't know how to tell Eleven that it was okay to move because Carla didn't want it to happen herself. "But it's a good thing, okay? You—you deserve to get out of here, El."

"But so do you, Carla." El whimpers—if El deserved out because of all her trauma, there was no excuse for Carla Wheeler to stay. 

Sometimes, Carla wished she could escape the bullshit town that was Hawkins. But, other times, she felt like she was tied to it. Eleven deserved to get out to start her new life, but all Carla deserved was this town. 

"It's okay. I have everything I need here." Carla offers a weak smile, "But you are gonna have a good time in California, okay? You're gonna make new friends, and everyone is gonna love you." She keeps her smile as she reminds, "And you have my number, yeah? You can call me first thing when you get there and tell me all about the new house."

"And I can write to you?" Eleven recalls the girl talking about letters, "All the time?"

"Every day if you want." Carla nods, pulling away but still holding the girl close, "And in a few months I'm gonna come in to check on you guys, and you can show me everything. It will be like....like nothing changed."

Eleven holds out her pinky, "We'll still be sisters?"

"Of course, El." Carla locks her pinky around the younger girls, lightly squeezing to make a promise on her words. "We'll always be sisters. You and me against the world, yeah?" She adds, "Even if we're miles apart."

Eleven squeezes back, "Against the world."

"Okay, I have to be the bearer of bad news but uh....." Joyce's voice trails off, and all the teens look at her. They know what's about to happen—everything was packed, the cars were ready, goodbyes were about done. It was time to go. "....I think it's time to go."

Eleven nods towards her mother figure before hugging Carla a final time, holding on tighter than before. 

Carla had been a surprise to Eleven, but a good one. Over the fall and summer they shared together, the Wheeler had taught her how to be a teenage girl—taught her how to braid her hair, how to paint her nails, how to do pinky promises. She'd also taught her the basics of being a person; how to read and write, grammar, manners. She taught her how to be El rather than 011. 

El wouldn't be El if it weren't for Carla Wheeler. 

"I love you." El whispers. 

Carla takes in a breath, "I love you too."

"Call you when I get there?"

"Mhm." the Wheeler girl hums, trying to keep the tears that were prickling in her eyes there.

Eleven slowly backs away and the three Byers' say a final goodbye to those necessary before retreating to their respective vehicles—the two Byers boys heading to the car while their adoptive sister climbed into the U-Haul to ride passenger with Joyce.

The Byers woman sends a final smile to each teen before doing the exact same thing. The Party stayed in a sad silence as Joyce started up the U-Haul, beginning to drive away from the house, from Hawkins, from the found family she'd managed to create through this whole mess.

Carla didn't even realize she was crying until they disappeared out of view.

Slowly but surely, the teens started to disperse from the house for a final time—there was no reason to stay, anymore. One at a time they all got on their bikes and began their pedal home, promising to call Carla or come find her if they needed her. 

"Are you going to Steve's?" Mike spoke up once Max, Dustin, and Lucas had left the home. Nancy was waiting for the boy a few feet ahead of him, on her bike. 

"Yeah, I think I'm just gonna stay there tonight." Carla replies, trying to read his features as she quickly retracted with, "Unless you need me."

Mike thinks for a moment before shaking his head, "I'll be....okay."

"Call Steve's if you need me home, kay?" Carla states before ending with the familiar, "I love you." 

After what happened at Starcourt, Carla had been keen on telling people she loved them more often. If something happened again....she wanted them all to know that she really did love them—as if it wasn't clear by the care and protection she held over the group.

"Love you too." Mike muttered—he used to find it annoying telling his sister that he loved her, but he too had been affected by almost losing her at Starcourt; it made him realize how much he needed his big sister. "See you tomorrow."

"Mhm." Carla waves at her two siblings as they pedal away back towards the Wheeler household, more than likely retreating to their rooms to try and figure out what they were going to do without their respective partners.

Being alone at the house now, the Wheeler slowly walked back over to the porch, taking a seat as she awaited Steve's arrival. As she does so, her eyes catch hold of where she got her scars back in '83. Where she'd been truly connected into this whole mess by the skin torn by the Demogorgan.

That night had been the start of a lot of things. 

And today was the end of a lot of things.

Carla looks away from the wall, an unexpected smile working it's way on to her face. No, today was the start of a new beginning. 

All of it was over. Eleven, Will, Jonathan, and Joyce were heading towards a new and improved—a safe—life now in Lenora, California. And Carla? Sitting here on the porch of a now up-for-sale house, she was heading towards a normal life. 

They might be separated, but....maybe it was for the better, in a way. Everyone could finally move on. 

The sound of a car engine takes her from her thoughts, and Carla looks up to see Steve's familiar BMW pulling up into the driveway. A split second later, the vehicle came to a halt and her boyfriend stepped out, staring ahead at her. 

Carla doesn't hesitate before standing up, approaching the boy, "Hi." 

"Hey." Steve replies, eyes scanning over the girl's face to make sure she was okay. "You ready to go?"

The Wheeler girl takes one last look at the porch wall—it was time to move on. She'd been tied to the Upside Down for the past three years and now she could finally put it in the past and live her life.

"Yeah," Carla nods firmly, turning back to the Harrington, "I'm ready."

Steve offers her a reassuring smile and walks over to her car door, opening it for her. The boy himself then gets into the car, beginning to drive away from the Byers residence for the last time. 

As they drive, Carla stares outside the window, staying rather quiet. Noticing this, Steve is quick to place a gentle hand on the girl's knee, wanting to make sure she was okay. "Baby, you okay?"

"I'll be okay." Carla replies, looking at her boyfriend reassuringly. "I think we all will be, after a while." 

She pictures the group—it'd be different without El, Jonathan, and Will, but they'd all adjust. It would become the new normal. Soon enough, this summer would fade away and everyone would be fine. 

"I mean, everything's over, right?" Steve nods in agreement.

Carla looks back out the window, lips upturning ever so slightly as she hummed, "Everything's over." 

Carla knows she said the same phrase last year, but....something about this time felt more promising. They were truly done with the Upside Down, after three years of yearning for it to be over. 

It was time for them all to just live. And Carla Wheeler was all okay with that. 

Little did she know every ending had to have a beginning.

mara's misc

and that's a wrapped on gone.....

holy shit does it feel crazy to be saying this....it's been a little over a year but i finally did it!!

i don't have much to say for this, given i'm going to save all my thank you's and shout out's for the major authors note but in general i just want to give a HUGE thank you to every single reader <3 i love you guys big time.

i hope you enjoyed this book <3 see you back with s4!  (ya'll ain't ready and neither am i...)