"Anna, you're going to be late!" Claudia called from the kitchen, her voice muffled through the David Bowie tape playing in Anna's stereo, and Anna quickly moved to shut off the device, grabbing her backpack from the floor and shrugging it onto one shoulder.

"Sorry, sorry, I'm coming," she assured her mother, swiftly moving into the kitchen where Dustin was finishing up his bowl of cereal before getting up to place his empty bowl and spoon in the sink.

"Anna, you should've been there last night, it was insane." Dustin said excitedly while she placed a piece of bread in the toaster. "At the end of the campaign, we were attacked by a horde of troglodytes, and the Demogorgon!"

"Wow," Anna mused, nodding as her little brother recounted the session of Dungeons and Dragons he'd played with his friends the night before. "The Demogorgon, that's intense. What happened?"

"Will cast Fireball, but we lost the dice, and then Mrs. Wheeler came down to tell us it was time to go, so that's where we had to stop, but we'll finish next weekend." Dustin explained. "If it hits, we win, but if not, we're in deep sh-" he stopped suddenly, eyes quickly moving over to see if Claudia was paying attention in the living room before looking back at Anna. "We're in deep shit." he whispered.

Anna chuckled softly as her toast finished, spreading a layer of butter on top before wrapping it in a napkin and heading to the entryway of the house to put on her jacket and shoes. "Are you sure you don't want a ride today?" she asked Dustin as he pulled on his backpack, following her to the door. "It's starting to get cold out."

"Yeah, I'm sure," Dustin assured her as they bid Claudia goodbye, and he followed his sister out into the chilly November Indiana morning air to where Dustin's bike was propped up against the garage, and Anna's car waited in the driveway. "If the snow holds out, so do we."

"Alright," she said hesitantly with a grin as she opened the car door, tossing her backpack into the passenger seat. "See you later."

Dustin waved goodbye to Anna as she climbed into the driver's seat of the vehicle, turning the key in the ignition and backing out of the driveway. As she drove down Cornwallis Street, she could see through her rearview mirror as Mike Wheeler and Lucas Sinclair rode over the hill on their bikes, right on cue to pick up Dustin on their way to school. It was a short drive to Hawkins High School, and Anna let the stereo play on low as she hummed along to the music, one hand on the steering wheel while she used the other to eat her breakfast.

Once Anna had found her usual parking spot, she hurried into school as the first bell rang, signaling that she only had five minutes left before she was late to class. She tossed her bag into her locker, pulling out her Trapper Keeper, along with her textbook and any supplies she needed for Mr. Kaminsky's first period chemistry class.

Anna headed for the ladies' restroom on her way, though she stopped short just outside the entrance when the door opened, revealing Nancy Wheeler on the other side. The girl's eyes widened as she took in Anna standing before her, her cheeks flushing a shade of pink as she quickly averted her eyes down to the ground.

"Oh!" Nancy gasped slightly before chuckling nervously. "Sorry, Anna, you scared me."

Nancy's gaze quickly darted to something in the bathroom behind her before she looked back down, moving past Anna and down the hallway to get to class. Anna's eyebrows furrowed slightly in confusion as she watched Nancy leave before turning to head back into the bathroom and taking in the figure standing before her.

Steve Harrington leaned against the wall of the bathroom, picking up his backpack with a satisfied smirk on his face, though it quickly faded as he locked eyes with Anna, his confident expression replaced by one of slight embarrassment as the two looked back at one another, Steve reaching up to nervously run a hand through his hair. Anna studied the boy as she pieced together Nancy's flustered expression from earlier, mixed with the shock at seeing Anna on her way into the bathroom before she hurried off.

"Anna," Steve greeted with a curt nod, tightening the hold he had on the strap of his backpack.

"You know the, uh, mens' room is across the hall, right Harrington?" Anna teased, tilting her head to the side as he shook his head.

"Right," he said, ducking past her to exit the bathroom, leaving Anna shaking her head behind him as she suppressed a laugh.

Anna slid into her seat in chemistry just as the bell rang; to her surprise, where the seat in front of her was usually occupied by Jonathan Byers, instead it remained empty that morning. Mr. Kaminsky wasted no time in launching into his lecture, reviewing the material they'd need to know for his upcoming test. It was no secret that Kaminsky's tests were some of the most difficult that Hawkins High School had to offer, so Anna opened her notebook to where she kept her notes for that chapter, beginning to review everything she'd already highlighted in her so-far futile attempts to commit everything to memory.

"Where were you?" Becca whispered, leaning over in her seat so Anna could hear her. "Almost thought you ditched today and didn't tell me."

Anna looked around them, choosing her words carefully for any prying ears, and not wanting Steve and Nancy to be the front page news for gossip that morning. "Long line for the bathroom," Anna said simply, and Becca nodded in understanding before turning back to her notes.

Anna busied herself in her notes that morning, quizzing herself over the various terms for the upcoming test, even in her other classes and even going so far as to have Landon ask her questions to test her during their warm up laps in PE. When she finally sat down next to Becca and Landon at lunch, she felt as though her brain was going to explode from the various terms.

"Okay, so big news." Becca said, sliding onto the bench next to Anna as Landon sat across from them.

"You guys are finally getting a dog?" Anna guessed.

"I wish, but no." Becca sighed, her smile briefly fading with the act. "My aunt and uncle are going out of town for his business trip tomorrow night, so Steve and I decided to have a party. It'll be small, nothing too crazy, but what do you think?"

"I'm working the late shift tomorrow, so I'll have to pass, but that sounds tempting." Landon said, taking a bite of his cheeseburger.

"Lame," Becca said, looking over at Anna. "Anna?"

"Yeah, I'm in," Anna said, nodding. "I'll just tell my mom we're studying and that I'm staying at your place after. Who's all coming?"

"The usual, I guess." Becca said, thinking for a moment. "Us, Tommy H and Carol," Becca paused for a moment as she rolled her eyes at Steve's best friends. "And Steve said he's inviting Nancy."

"That reminds me," Anna spoke up, turning to look at Becca. "Since when has your cousin been making out with Nancy Wheeler in the girls' bathroom?"

Becca grimaced. "He was in the girls' bathroom again? Gross." she shuddered.

"And not nearly as subtle about it as he thinks he is," Anna added with a smirk as there was a tap on her shoulder, and she looked up to see Mrs. Bates, the lunch monitor, standing over their table.

"Miss Henderson," she said, "You're needed in the office."

Anna's eyebrows furrowed together in confusion. "O-okay," she stammered nervously, shooting a glance back at Landon and Becca, who seemed just as lost as she was.

Anna gathered her things, leaving her tray at the table with her friends and leaving the cafeteria, trying to avoid any eyes on her as she left. Not usually one to cause trouble within the walls of Hawkins High School, the sight of Anna Henderson walking to the principal's office was a sight to behold, turning a few heads as she kept her own head down, trying her hardest not to further attract any unwanted attention.

She pushed open the door to the office, catching the eye of the secretary, who waved her over with a friendly smile. Anna stepped towards the woman tentatively, trying to gauge from the woman's mood whether or not she was being punished for something.

"Miss Henderson," the woman spoke up, her bright and cheery smile still intact, which took a weight off Anna's shoulders as she sighed slightly in relief, "Your mother called. She'd like you to pick up your brother and drive him home after school."

"Okay," she said cautiously, a look of confusion settling over her face. "Is there a reason? Usually Dustin just rides his bike, that's how he got to school this morning."

"She didn't say," the woman said apologetically. "Just that she wanted you to pick him up."

"Okay," Anna said. "Sure. Thanks,"

Anna pondered over her mother's request during her classes that afternoon, though she tried her best to focus on the notes being written on the chalkboard, mindlessly twirling her pencil around her fingertips. Claudia had never had a problem with Dustin riding his bike to school with his friends, it was their usual method of transportation when the weather wasn't too cold, but if that had been the case, their mother would have insisted that Anna drive Dustin to school that morning in the first place. If Dustin had gotten hurt on the way to school, Claudia would have said something on the call about it, or would have picked Dustin up herself, but Anna didn't have the faintest idea behind her mother's request.

As she waited in the pickup line at Hawkins Middle School that afternoon, behind dozens of cars attempting to pick up their preteens, Anna finally made it to the front of the line to see Dustin exiting the building. However, he wasn't alone, as Mike and Lucas trailed behind him, the three of them making a beeline for Anna's hatchback.

"Hey," Dustin said, opening the passenger door as Mike and Lucas piled into the backseat.

"Hi," Anna said, waiting for them to buckle their seatbelts before putting the car back in drive and heading for the exit. "Everything okay? Why didn't you guys just bike home?"

"Will's missing." Lucas spoke up from the back, causing Anna's eyes to widen in response.

"What?" she asked, her hands gripping the steering wheel a little tighter. "Missing how? What happened?"

"He never came home last night after D and D." Mike explained. "So Mrs. Byers called the police, and they came and talked to us at school today."

"Then they called our parents, and wanted to make sure that we came straight home, so Mom volunteered you to pick us up." Dustin added.

"Holy shit," Anna muttered, passing by the Henderson house so she could drop off Mike and Lucas, and her mind flashed back to the empty seat in front of her in chemistry during first period, where Jonathan usually sat. "Did they say if they had any leads, anything to go off of?"

"Nothing," Dustin said. "Just asked us how late we played last night, and the route Will usually takes to get home. They think maybe something happened and he got lost in the woods, so that's where they're looking first. That's all they'd tell us, anyways. That, and we're not allowed to get involved."

"Of course you shouldn't get involved." she said, pulling into the end of the cul de sac, where both the Wheelers and the Sinclairs lived. "All three of you," she said, shooting her brother's friends a protective glare through the rearview mirror. "This is the cops' job, boys. I know you want to help, you're all really good friends to Will, but they're our best shot."

"But-" Mike began.

"You're right, Anna," Lucas said, elbowing Mike in the ribs to get the boy to stop talking. "He'll turn up, right guys?"

"Right," Mike and Dustin muttered.

"Thanks for the ride," Mike said as he and Lucas grabbed their things, climbing out of the backseat, and once they were both inside their houses, Anna looked back over at Dustin.

"Are you okay?" she asked her brother, and the young boy nodded, staring down at his feet.

"Yeah," Dustin said quietly. "I'm just scared, is all. I really hope Will's okay."

"I'm sure he is." Anna assured him, ruffling her brother's curls with one hand in an attempt to cheer him up a bit. "Will's a smart kid, he'll be fine."

Anna and Dustin drove in silence back to their house, and as soon as they were inside, Claudia threw her arms around Dustin, hugging him tightly and asking him about the questioning he'd had from the police, and asking him anything he might know about where Will might have gone, even if Dustin was just as clueless as the rest of them about the whereabouts of Will Byers. Anna soundlessly moved into her bedroom, where she picked her phone up from the receiver on her nightstand and dialed the familiar phone number, pressing the device to her ear.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Mrs. Harrington, it's Anna." she said. "Is Becca home yet?"

"She just got home a few minutes ago, she'll be right there." Mrs. Harrington said, before Anna could hear the woman calling her niece's name in the background.

"Hello?" Becca's voice finally came through the line.

"Hey, it's me." Anna said. "I just picked up Dustin and took his friends home, too. According to them, Will's missing. He never came home last night, so the police showed up at the school to question them about it."

"Yeah, my aunt told me." Becca explained. "She found out at work this morning. Apparently the mayor's really worried about it. She said Chief Hopper's organizing a search party tonight in the woods, to see if Will just got lost or something."

"Let's just hope he's okay." Anna said, her voice low so Dustin wouldn't hear her. "I can't imagine what it's like for Dustin and the boys right now."

"Should we join the search?" Becca suggested. "I mean, he's your brother's friend and all, so a few more pairs of eyes wouldn't hurt to help, right?"

"C'mon, Becs, you know my mom." Anna pointed out. "She's not a fan of me out after dark even without somebody going missing. Especially somebody we know."

"Yeah, there's no way my aunt and uncle would let me out either." Becca said, thinking for a moment. "I mean, we could always just not tell them."

"You want to?" Anna asked.

"Of course," Becca said. "It's the right thing to do. I'll call Landon and let him know. I'll pick you up at the corner of Cornwallis and Old Cherry at eight?"

"I'll be there." Anna said. "See you then."