ONCE AT SCHOOL, CARLA CONCLUDED THAT THE BREAKUP HADN'T GONE PUBLIC.

As she walked into Hawkins high, no whispers about Steve or Nancy were being passed around.  She didn't see Tommy and Carol laughing in the halls, or any teens giving her sister or the Harrington boy looks.  

So that's why she didn't run up to Steve first thing.  With Carol and Tommy's inside eyes everywhere, who know's what drama she could create just by standing next to him.  So, instead, she decided she'd pull him away at lunch, when everyone would be too busy to listen.

She then decided to walk around with Jonathan the remainder of the morning, who definitely had more than enough questions on the mind.   He was confused on what had happened to Carla the night before, and wondered which boy it was with, "What happened with you and Hargrove?"

"Well, you were right.  Total jackass," Carla sighed, pulling her binder closer to herself. 

"Did he-"

"I don't feel like talking about it." the Wheeler replied, causing Jonathan to give a small nod, "But, I did throw my cup of punch on him, if that answers part of your first question. I don't plan on continuing whatever we were either."

"Good," Jonathan replied, glancing at his friend, "I just don't trust him..."

"Well, I sure don't now, at least." she replied, causing Jonathan to nod yet again at her words.  Crossing Billy off on his mental list, he quickly had another follow up question, trying to figure out his own thoughts.

"So, what happened between you and Steve?"

Carla couldn't hide the smile that had appeared on her lips, but she didn't want to tell Jonathan anything yet, even if he probably deserved to know.  She wanted to make sure that last night had truly happened, and Steve had truly meant what he said, "I won't say anything. Not until I'm sure."

"Fine," Jonathan gave a dramatic huff, causing Carla to give a small laugh at his sarcastic attitude. The two then fell silent, but at least the Byers boy had answered a few of his questions, even if Carla didn't clearly say anything.   He walked her over to her first period class, and the two waved before heading their separate ways.

Carla wasn't quite ready to start the day, not with all her thoughts floating on the top of her mind, but  first period was one step closer to her lunch where she'd be able to speak with Steve, so she supposed she'd manage.

But, when the bell that signaled lunch rang, instead of having she find Steve herself, she spotted him standing right outside her classroom.  It seemed as if he had the same thoughts on mind, which Carla was rather happy about.

His hair was damp, but Carla suddenly remembered he had physical education the period before, and never questioned. Instead, she asked about her sister,  the one girl standing in her way, "So....what happened with Nancy?"

"Well, I spoke to her a little during gym," Steve replied, beginning to walk with the Wheeler, "She was pissed at me for not picking her up this morning." He seemed rather calm about the situation, definitely not as worked up as the night before, "And she doesn't seem to remember anything about the other night, but I told her that it was better we stay just friends then keep holding on."

"Where does that leave us?" Carla asked, looking over at the boy she'd grown to love all over again.  She wasn't sure what to call him anymore, or what to think.  Last night, she'd decided she'd let him back into her life, but was he ready for it?  Or would the whole thing just feel like deja vu?

"Well, I was hoping that maybe....we could try again? At the whole, relationship thing?" Steve responded, looking over at the brunette with an almost flustered look on his face. He seemed rather embarrassed to be asking such a question, but he knew he had to get it out, "We've both changed since then, and I-I love you. It's not about Nancy anymore-"

Carla gave a slight smile, looking at him with soft eyes, "Did you, Steve Harrington, just say the L word to me?"

"Okay, okay, stop acting like we're five-" Steve responded, looking even more flustered than before.  Even in their previous relationship, he'd never been one to reveal such emotions, he liked to have an outer shell to protect himself from the world's thoughts, "But, uh, yeah.  I guess I did...."

"Well, that's great," Carla sighed, nudging her shoulder against the Harrington boy's, he gave a small smile and looked her way, "Because I think-"  Her eye's then caught the ones of her best friend, Jonathan Byers and the smaller girl standing next to him.

Jonathan gave a small wave, causing Nancy to peek her bright eyes from the ground and to where her friends gaze had ended up. Her eyes quickly darted from Steve to her sister, before her lips turned down in a frown and she looked back towards her shoes.

Carla gave a small frown herself, but waved back to Jonathan.  Without Nancy noticing, he raised his eyebrows to the two, and Carla gave an eye roll in return.  He hoped Jonathan hadn't mentioned anything to Nance about what she'd hinted at about Steve, she'd rather have Nancy find out herself.

The two teens seemed to be walking towards the parking lot, which Carla had to raise her eyebrows at.  The year before, Carla could sense the tension between her friend and her sister, but now with Steve out of the picture, would the two take their chance?

"I'd love to say I'm surprised she's with Jonathan, but, I'm not." Steve sighed, looking back towards his ex girlfriend.  He knew she'd never truly been the one he was trying to find, but it still burned his heart when he saw her casually walking around with Jonathan.  Like ripping off a band-aid.

"Believe me when I say I know how it feels," Carla replies, thinking back to when she first noticed how close Steve was getting to Nancy after their break-up.  It made her feel as if maybe everything he'd told her was a lie.....but thinking about that caused her to think about her sister.  Was Nance feeling the same way?

"Incoming," Steve sighed, looking over at the blonde boy ahead of them, his eyes in a cold glare.  He could see Billy's smirk from afar, and slipped an arm around the Wheeler's shoulders as if to prove something.

"Well, well, well...." Billy tilted his head, taking a cigarette from his mouth.  The Wheeler girl mentally groaned, and tried to avert her eyes from his blue eyed gaze. 

"What do you want, Hargrove?" Steve spoke up, stopping a few feet away the Hargrove boy.  Ever since the blonde had began high school at Hawkins High, they'd  had a rivalry.  Billy was trying to take his spot as king, and he supposed that wasn't the only thing Billy was planning on taking.

"The pretty thing right next to you," Billy smirked again, trying to meet his gaze with the brunette girl beside Steve.  

"Why don't you go find another girl toy, alright?" Carla spoke in a rather harsh tone.  She was done with Billy Hargrove, and the amount of compliments he gave her wouldn't change that. "Just leave me alone-"

"Aw, no more please's for me?-"

"She said leave it." Steve said loudly, making sure he was heard over Billy's loud voice.  The Harrington had become rather fed up with this new kid, fed up that he thought he owned everything and everyone he came in touch with.  That's not how it worked in Hawkins high, and Steve was going to have to show him.

"I see you haven't gone completely bitch yet," Billy leaned against the wall, creating more distance between him and the two other teens.  

"You know what, Billy." Carla blurted out before she could stop herself, stepping towards the blonde boy in a confident manner.  He raised a brow, confused on what she could possibly want from him.

But, out of everything he could have assumed, he definitely did not see the slap to face as one of them.

The Hargrove boy gave a stunned expression towards the girl.  He'd never saw her as the type to get physical, but then again, he hadn't been there when she slapped Steve the previous year. 

She didn't even give him time to answer before grabbing the Harrington boy's hand and walking off, leaving the stunned boy behind her. 

Steve had a gaped mouth and looked over at the girl,  giving a small chuckle, "Okay....that was badass."

"You think so?" Carla responded, slightly smiling as she turned her gaze towards the brown eyed boy.  She felt great at the moment, who wouldn't after slapping Billy Hargrove? But, she would probably regret the action later.

"Uh, yeah." Steve responded, pausing a moment before speaking again, "I could totally kiss you right now."

"Really?"

"If thats-"

She cut him off, pressing a quick kiss to his lips.  She could tell he wanted it to last longer, and in all honesty, so did she, but, it was too soon for people to see them.  And, she wasn't quite ready if she were honest. 

"Let's give Carol a run for her money." Carla whispered, causing Steve to give a small chuckle.  She then turned her head away from the boy and towards the noisy cafeteria, and she remembered that it was her lunch period.  She turned back towards the boy, "Well, I should be off to get something to eat."

"Wanna sit at my car?" Steve asked, causing Carla to give a small smile.

The boy opened his hand, and she took it, responding with a small, "Yes."

After leaving Steve's car for her next period, the day passed by rather slowly.   So, when the final bell signaled that it was time to leave the high school, she was rather happy, but when she got to the parking lot to find Jonathan's car, it was no where to be seen.

And neither was Nancy.

And according to the school, both of them hadn't been seen since the end of  third period.  Carla couldn't help but wonder whether they both ditched......but Jonathan wouldn't have just ditched so suddenly, and definitely not without telling her, and Nancy didn't ditch at all.

Was something happening that her knew and hadn't told her? Was it something to do with her sister?

Now that Steve had dispersed, she had no ride home. Great, she'd have to walk it.

But, Carla knew she wouldn't have to do it alone if she headed towards the middle school building next door.  At least one of the boys would stay and bike near her, and maybe she could ask Will if he had any whereabouts on his older brother.

She was sure Mike had AV club today, but once Mr Clarke had waved to her in the hall on her way in, she had grown a little more unsure.   And that unsure part of the Wheeler only grew when she saw a familiar red-head sitting frustrated outside the AV club room.

"Max, wasn't it?" Carla asked, causing the red head to look over in her direction.  She gave a small nod, leaning her head against the wall behind her.  She had a bobby pin in hand, and her knuckles looked a tad bit pink, "What are you doing out here?"

"They-" Max pointed at the door beside her, an annoyed look upon her features, "-won't let me in!"

"They, as in Mike Wheeler, Lucas Sinclair, Dustin Henderson and Will Byers?" Carla asked, looking at the red headed girl.  Max nodded, and sighed causing Carla to walk closer to the door and put her fist up to it, "Let me try."

She banged her fist upon the door, causing the four boys inside to turn and look at it, "Boys, let me and Max, in!"

"Not a good time, Carla!" Dustin yelled over the banging, a loud rattling being heard afterwards.  The boy cringed and continued talking, trying to hide the sound of his new found pet, "Just give us a minute!"

Carla gave an annoyed look and eyed the pin that Maxine held in her hand, holding her own out for it, "Can I have that?"  The girl didn't argue and handed the bobby pin over, turning to face the older girl, a small smile on her face.  The Mayfield always knew that Carla had been too good for Billy.   She truly didn't have to help her in, but here she was.

But that smile dropped when a small, slimy creature came rushing past her and the brunette.

"Dustin, what the hell was that!" Carla screeched, watching as all four boys tumbled out from the AV room, two of which toppling over, one of which on top of the red head herself.  Profanities ran from their mouths, signaling that this couldn't be anything close to good.

"Where'd he go? Where'd he go?" Lucas called out, having gotten up off the ground. 

"Hello? What the hell was that!" Carla yelled once again, trying to figure out what sort of creature had just ran past her feet.  Dustin quickly got up from the girl, allowing Carla to lend out a hand to help her up, though her eyes were darting from each boy to the next.

"Dart!" Mike responded, as if that helped his sister figure out anything about the situation, "You let him escape!"

"Don't you blame-"

"We don't have time for this!" Dustin roared towards the Wheeler siblings, causing Mike to give one last annoyed look towards his older sister and rush off in the direction of the slimy creature.  The Henderson's eyes then widened and he yelled out to the boy, "Don't hurt him.  Don't you hurt him!"

"Dustin Henderson!" the Wheelers voice caused the boy to jerk his head in her direction, a scared look on his face.  The other two boys also turned to look, but they definitely didn't show as much fear as the curly haired boy, "Wanna explain?"

"Uh....." Dustin bit his lip, his head looking from the way Mike had ran back to the two questioning girls in the room, "Walk and talk?"

Carla looked at Max, who shrugged and walked up to the curly haired boy, gesturing for him to start walking.  With Will, Lucas and Max spreading off in other directions,  Dustin began walking, his eyes searching for the pet that had escaped.  Despite his words, he stayed silent, causing Carla to edge him on.

"So, what was it?" 

"It's.....it's from the Upside Down," Dustin admitted, keeping his eyes away from the older girls, "And we need to find it right now, or something bad could happen."

"Dustin, please tell me your joking." Carla didn't know what to say.  She didn't know whether to believe him, even.  

"I promise you, Carla.  I'm not lying, or playing games."  Dustin confirmed.  

The Wheeler felt her heart beating in her throat.  If this creature was truly something from the Upside Down, the place of her nightmares, does that mean the Demogorgan had a way of return too?  Was there one roaming around Hawkins as they searched for the smaller creature.

These boys didn't know how much trouble they'd buried them in, but Carla knew that somehow, she'd end up being the one to dig them out.  That somehow she'd get thrown into this, thrown back into her death.

After a few moments of silence, Dustin left her to process, heading into a room to check for Dart.  She could hear him talking to the other boy's through, but nothing really clicked together as she thought about the words Dustin had spoken.

She was heading right back into battle, whether she wanted to or not.

Dustin then came running out, walkie talkie in hand, "Will found him, let's go!" 

Carla didn't hesitate before chasing after Dustin as he turned corners and ran through halls to get to a bathroom by Mr Salerno's room, the place Dart had been spotted by.   Once getting to the stall, the group seemed to have dispersed, leaving just Carla and Dustin.

The girl walked towards the bathroom, but was quickly stopped by Dustin's hand, "Let me go in....he trusts me."

"Whatever you say." Carla sighed, crossing her arms and leaning back against the wall.  In all honesty, she didn't want to go in and find the creature.  She'd rather go without seeing it.  The thing would only bring back nightmares.

Only a few minutes later did Lucas, Max, and Mike show up, all with confused looks on their face's.  Carla pointed towards the bathroom and the three preteens all rushed in, eyes darting for the creature.  The older girl followed suite, peeking her head through the doorway.

"Where's Dart?" Mike questioned, looking at the curly haired boy for an answer.

Dustin leaned against the bathroom stall, casually, causing Carla to raise a brow at him, "I don't know. Not here."

"What?"

"What do you mean'not here', Dustin?" Carla asked, looking at Dustin with a 'I know your lying' look in her eyes.  She knew how much Dustin hated lying to her, and was trying her best to get him to crack, but surprisingly, Dustin stayed strong.

"I looked in every stall, he wasn't here." Dustin shrugged, watching as Mike double checked each of the bathroom stalls to be sure his friend was lying to his face about Dart.

"He said by, Salerno's, right?" Max added, talking about the Byers boy who'd confirmed where the creature hid.

 "Yeah, maybe Will has him." Dustin responded.

Mike then gave a confused look, coming out of the stall. "Where is Will?"

The younger Wheeler had a good point, Will hadn't been seen since the group split up in the first place, which sent Carla into a small panic mode.   Next thing she knew, she was following Dustin and Max  around the middle school, calling for the Byers boy.

"Carla? Dustin?" Joyce Byers called,stopping the three in their tracks. She walked up, a worried look on her face, "What's going on? Where's Will?"  The worried state of Mrs Byers reminded Carla of the year beforehand when Will truly had gone missing, which put her even more on edge.

Carla opened her mouth to respond, but got cut off as Lucas burst through the door, answering for her. "The field!"

Joyce was out the door before anyone could comprehend what the boy had spoken, and Carla was right on her trail, even more worried for what could have happened to the little boy.   The four were met with Will in a frozen like state, eyes rolled to the back of his head.

"I think he's having another episode!" Mike called out, a hand on the Byers boy.

Carla had only knew about the visions, but never had Jonathan brought up episodes.

"Will! Will! Will!" Joyce called, putting both hands against her younger son.  She shook him continuously, trying to wake him from the state he was in. "Sweetie, wake up! It's Mom!"

All the boy's looked at each other, while Max stared at Carla with questions on the mind. The red head had no clue what was happening, and she could tell everyone else did. All she wanted to do was ask what the hell was going on, but she knew now was the wrong time.

Carla's eyes were wide with fear as she watched the boy continue in his episode.  She felt almost useless at the fact that she couldn't help at all, that all she do was stand with a hand over her mouth.  If Will was truly stuck in this episode, he was going to need all the help he could get to escape.

"Will, wake up!" Joyce's hands moved all over her son's face back to his shoulders, trying to wake him up, "Can you hear me?"

The older Wheeler moved closer to the boy, biting her lip a moment before speaking, a hand placed on his back, "Will, wake up, please!"

"Please, wake up!" Joyce added, repeating the same words over and over again, "It's Mom! It's me!"

Will's eyes then flew open, and Carla let out a sigh of almost relief.  As Joyce engulfed her son in a hug, the Wheeler couldn't help but let bad thoughts run through her mind.  This was only going to get worse, wasn't it?

mara's misc

sorry for the long wait once again! i have had so little inspo for vanished, it's not funny :/  but, not that we're starting to get into the action, i have a bit more.  screw the duffers for making half this season dialogue.  (hopefully this longer chapter made up for it!)

is it just me or is writing max really fun? idk, i really like writing her lines, especially when it comes to my creating them. she's just really fun to me.

anyway, hope you enjoyed <3 hopefully i'll be back sooner than later with chapter 8