"OKAY, THAT TOTALLY FREAKED ME OUT," MAX SPOKE UP, WATCHING AS THE BYERS LEFT THE SCENE. "DID THAT NOT FREAK YOU GUYS OUT?"

Carla stood behind the preteens, hand on her brother's shoulder.  She had a frown on her face as she watched Joyce's concerned face, the woman's hand around her son's shoulders, making sure he wasn't going into another episode.  It destroyed her to see both Byers in this condition.

"Two episodes in two days," Lucas states, leaning against one of the poles.

"It's getting worse," Mike declared in a monotone voice, his hands stuffed in his pockets. The older girl wished he would have told her about this, even though she wouldn't have been able to help either way.  Carla would have felt better knowing.

"You think it's True Sight?"

Carla supposed they were talking about his visions, and had created some out of this world theory that she didn't want to hear about. 

Max on the other hand, didn't have a clue what the boy meant, and asked, "What's 'True Sight'?"

Dustin nodded towards the red head, thinking he was slick about telling Lucas not to tell her anything about this.  But, Max had seen and frowned in a response, knowing that she'd get the same 'you can't know' treatment as always.

"It's nothing." Lucas told her, acting secretive.

After giving a small eye roll, Max waved and skated off, and soon enough, Lucas and Dustin dispersed on their bikes, more silent than ever before.   Mike and Carla then trailed towards the bike rack, and the older girl walked beside her brother as he walked his bike to stay in pace with her.

They walked a little in silence before Carla brought up a question in mind, "Were you ever gonna tell me about his episodes?"

"I thought Jonathan would have told you, with you two being so close and all." Mike responded, "When were you gonna tell me you knew about the visions?"

"Well, I wasn't going to say anything until he was ready," Carla shrugged, looking from her brother to her shoes.  The walk home seemed to drag on today, or maybe that was just the worry that had filled the air, "But, yeah, I've known since that day at the arcade.  He'd promised to tell Joyce, and I suppose I'd forgotten all about it."

"Yeah, because your so busy with Billy Hargrove these days." Mike snickered, not knowing what had happened to her at the party the day before.

"I guess I'm not so busy anymore, then." Carla replied, "Because I'm not going to be anything with him anymore.  The party didn't go as planned."

"Oh," Mike spoke, looking at Carla as he continued to walk his bike, "He seemed kind of douchey, so I guess I'm happy?"

"Look at you caring about your older sister," Carla smiled, causing Mike to turn away almost embarrassed he'd spoken.  The two never talked one on one like this anymore, especially after what had happened with Eleven the year before.  She could tell Mike hadn't gotten over her, and giving him space had only led to them growing apart.

But to Carla, it felt good to speak with her little brother again.

"So Steve's still an option?" Mike raised a brow, causing his sister to give a confused look at his words.  How would he have known about the breakup or about the night before with Steve?

"Uh....how did you know?"

"I listen a lot more than you think, Carla."  He shrugged, looking up as they approached the Wheeler household.  His sister gave a small chuckle, before turning it into a sly smile and asking a question Mike hadn't thought about before his words.

"Are you admitting you like Steve?"

"What?" Mike exclaimed, brushing off his words, or trying too, at least.  He knew Carla could see right through him, though, and he was right.   Carla could tell that despite Mike's actions, he may be hiding a small liking for the Harrington boy. "I-I don't like him, I'm just saying he's better than Billy.  That's all."

"Sure..." Carla trailed off, opening the garage of her house and walking in, leaving the younger boy to chain up his bike himself.

With neither of her parents being home, and Mike heading down to his humble abode down in the basement, the rest of the night, Carla was left to herself.  She put on her radio and just laid on her bed, thinking of the day she'd had.

She wasn't sure when, but at some point, she'd fallen asleep.  But, not into a night of dreams.  Instead, she'd fallen asleep into a night of nightmares, just like the year before.

Her eyes opened and she let out a gasp.  Not again.  Carla thought the nightmares had ended, they had ended when Will had been found.  The Byers boy was here, why were they returning?

Carla carefully stepped around the vines, making sure she didn't step on one and set off  anything.  Her eyes searched for Will, the usual target of her nightmares, but she didn't see him.  Or hear him for that matter.   Was he in an episode here? Could he not hear her?

"Will?" Carla called out, trying to search for the small boy.  She made her way through the house, calling his name over and over again.  That was until she hit the living room, and heard a child screaming, faintly.....but still screaming.

"GO AWAY! GO AWAY!"

"Will?" Carla called out again, opening her front door.  Her eyes instantly spotted the boy from afar, a large, dark creature standing over him.   The boy started running, and Carla couldn't help but follow.  She needed to know what was wrong.

"Will!"

"Carla, over here!" Will was aware of her presence now, and pulled her into a small corner to hide from whatever had been out for him.  He seemed very scared, but there was something different about the boy.  Something off.

"Will? What is that thing?"

"I-I don't know....but he's-he's using me.  He's trying to get inside of me-"

"Will what do you mean?" Carla was confused.  What did he mean by 'he's trying to get inside of me'? Or by 'he's using me'?

"That thing.  He's trying to use me as his clone.  And I think he did it, I think he's gotten in my head, and I know he's going to use me to do some really bad things.  Tell them it's not me, please, Carla!"

"Will, calm down, okay? I-I'll tell your Mom, alright? I'll tell her-"

"He see's us." Will spoke, his voice monotone. "He see's us through me.  You need to run before he gets in you too."

"Will, I'm not gonna leave you-"

"Go!" Will roared, almost shoving her away.  The Wheeler didn't really want to know what would happen if she didn't so she ran.  She ran and she wasn't sure how long she'd been running either.  But, no matter how far she got, she could still hear a low growling, just as she did last year.

And then she heard the crunch of a stick.  Was someone or something behind her?  She was almost too afraid to look, but she needed to know, so that's what she did.  But, Carla didn't see a monster, she just saw the Byers boy.

"Will? Is it gone?"

"I'm sorry." Will muttered, his voice sounding rather apologetic.  He stepped a few feet closer, watching as the brunette gave a confused look.  Then, without a warning, he ran at her, and his hands were at her neck, knocking her over with more force then he should be able to manage.

His hands stayed around her neck, choking her.  For a small boy, he had such a grasp, hard enough to pin an sixteen year old down. She tried to gasp out his name, but she couldn't get anything out, or breath anything in for that matter.

She knew Will could hear her helpless gasps for air, but he wouldn't budge.  He just watched with dark eyes, as her own eyes rolled towards the back of her head.  Carla could feel herself falling out of it, but as she did, she swore she heard Will mutter, "He's making me do it.  He wants you, Carla. And he won't stop until he does."

Carla's eyes opened, and she sat up quickly, hands at her neck. She let out a breath and squeezed her eyes shut, trying to clear her mind of the nightmare she'd just had.   It had been a year since they finally went away and here it was, starting all over again.

This had to mean something was coming, something that would change Carla's life all over again, just as it had last year.

The brunette opened her eyes back up, noticing the light coming in from her blinds.  Carla assumed it was a reasonable hour, and was correct when she walked down the stairs, but instead of a good morning from her mother, she was met with a message from her friend.

"Oh, Jonathan called.  He told me he wouldn't be able to pick you up this morning." Karen Wheeler spoke from the kitchen where she was scrabbling some eggs up for the morning's breakfast. 

"Oh, okay." Carla responded, taking a seat in her usual chair. She tried to hide the confusion in her tone, but her mind let it run free.  Did this have anything to do with his disappearance yesterday? She'd call him later to see if that was true....and what was going on. 

A little later, everyone in the family had woken up and seated themselves for the morning's breakfast.  Nancy was making herself some toast as everyone else dug into their eggs.  The other Wheeler daughter had been rather silent again, which made Carla even more curious.

She'd ask later, and make sure she got the truth about this whole thing.  Carla didn't like to be left out of things, especially if it evolved her sister, or her best friend.

"Hey, Mom, I was thinking about staying the night at Stacey's tonight?" Nancy got up from her seat, walking to the toaster to grab the toast she'd made. Carla raised an eyebrow at this.  Nancy and Stacey hadn't hung out since eighth grade, and this whole 'sleepover' seemed out of the blue. "We were gonna have a girl's night.  Romantic comedies, paint our nails, gossip..."

"Sure! That sounds like fun." Karen responded with a small smile, looking at the brunette girl. Nancy then returned to the table with a smile, offering Holly some of her toast. But, when the blue eyed girl looked back up, she had the eyes of her sister staring right back at her.

Carla wanted to know what Nancy was getting into, and whether or not it somehow involved the creature Dustin had found.

To add on to her theory, the blue eyed girl quickly finished her breakfast and rushed upstairs to grab an already packed bag.  She gave a small 'bye' before heading out the door, hoping to escape her sister.  Unlucky for her, Carla caught her before she could leave.

"Nance, tell me where you're actually going." Carla almost begged, looking her sister in the eyes. Her eyes then flickered to the familiar car ahead, and she added, "And don't tell me Stacey's, because I literally see Jonathan's car parked right there."

Nancy looked behind her, noticing how Jonathan had parked right in front of the house.  The boy gave an awkward wave return, noticing the two Wheeler's stares his direction.  The smaller Wheeler gave huff.  She'd specifically told Jonathan to park somewhat away's, just in case of this, 

"I'll tell you when I get back." Nancy responded, noticing the narrowed eyed look her sister was giving her.   She knew the two had gotten over the keeping secrets part of their sisterly relationship last year, but the Wheeler just wanted to get everything over and done with before telling the girl.

"You can't tell me now? I promise I won't spam call you where your at with questions-"

"I just want to get it over with." Nancy answered, causing Carla to get even more antsy for answers. She'd never been the type to beg for answers, but with the whole Dart and Will situation, Carla was not in the mood to be left out if it could help them stop something.

And knowing Nancy, she probably got involved without knowing, just as she had the year prior.

"Does it have anything to do with last year?" Carla asked, hoping her sister would at least tell her that.  It's truly all she really wanted from the brunette to feel better, even if the answer could ruin her day completely.

"Why?-"

"I had another one of those stupid nightmares." the Wheeler admitted, crossing her arms as she looked at the other girl. "And, I have a feeling that the reappearance is trying to....I don't know, tell me that something is going to happen?"

Nancy took her sister's words in, thinking them over.  She supposed Carla was right.   If the nightmares were back....if this wasn't just an odd occurrence, then she agreed.  This couldn't mean anything good.   

"I guess telling you won't hurt me anymore then actually doing it will." Nancy closed her eyes, before looking at her sister seriously. "I think I'm going to tell Mrs Holland what happened."

Carla frowned, "Nance, I don't think we can do that-"

"I don't care.  I just, I can't watch them search for her anymore.  I can't watch them waste their money, or move somewhere just to find someone who's not going to come home.  It's my fault, and I need to make it right...even if I have to lie."  Nancy rambled on, her voice breaking towards the end.   The other Wheeler could sense her pain, and felt terrible. 

"It's not your fault, Nance." Carla spoke after a moment, "Barb was just in the wrong place in the wrong time.  You know who's fault it really is?  The labs."

"Either way.." Nancy muttered, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, "I need to make it right.  They need to know she's dead."  The word felt sour as it came out of Nancy's mouth.  The two had never fully declared the words out loud, and it felt wrong to do so...even if that's what Barb truly was.

"You're right, they do." Carla sighed, allowing her sister to finally leave, "Say hi to Jonathan, won't you?"

"Yeah, sure."

The Wheeler then walked off towards the Byers boy's car, holding her arms close to her body.  Carla gave another frown.  She hated seeing her sister so upset, and so blaming of herself.   She continued to stand, waiting until the two teens in the car had pulled away before heading back in herself.

"Do you need a ride today, hon?" Karen asked as her daughter returned back into the Wheeler household.  She was right.  Carla didn't have a ride now that both Jonathan and Nancy were gone...and she hated driving by herself, even if it was her last decision.

Except it wasn't.  She still had one person to ask.

"No, I'll call Steve." Carla replied, heading back upstairs to her bedroom.  She quickly dialed in the familiar number, and put the phone up to her ear, awaiting the voice of the Harrington boy.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Steve.  Can you pick me up for school?"

"Oh! Uh, yeah, yeah, give me a few." Steve responded, almost surprised at her words.  He then hung up, probably rushing to get himself ready.  Carla let out a small laugh and hung the phone back up, heading over to her dresser to get ready herself.

One simple outfit later, she walked back downstairs by the door, bag in hand.  She didn't know when Steve would show up, but she hoped it wouldn't take too long.  The brunette leaned against her door, awaiting his arrival.

"Can Steve take you?" Karen Wheeler asked the girl from the kitchen sink, looking up from the dishes in hand.  Carla gave a small nod, and looked out her window, watching as a red BMW rolled down the street.

"He's here," she muttered, hearing the engine through the door.  She gave a small wave to her mother, opening the door,  "Love you."

"Have a good day, hon!"

She clicked the door shut, and hopped down her stairs, easily sliding into the BMW as if it were her own car.  Might as well get used to the vehicle now if her and the Harrington were serious now.

"Good morning." Steve spoke up, giving a small smile her way.  He had his sunglasses on, despite the rather gloomy looking sky, but the Wheeler didn't question.  Probably something to up his cool factor, thought she found it a little dorky.

"Hi," Carla smiled back, tossing her bag below her and buckling her seat belt up.  She double checked herself, making sure everything was on her.   The Harrington then pulled out and headed for the high school.

"Is this-" Steve gestured towards the two of them in the BMW, "-going to become a regular thing?"

"On occasion, perhaps." Carla smirked, "It'll be worth Carol's face when she see's us hand in hand."

"Hand in hand? You are so cliché." Steve chuckled, turning to look at the girl next to him.  He met with her soft brown eyes, and she let out a small laugh at her own words.  This felt normal.  As if they hadn't broken up to begin with.   The connection between them had never fully went away.

"Yes, hand in hand. Just like every high school couple." Carla repeated, nodding her head. 

"If we keep that up, we're bound to become the new Tommy H and Carol."

"They'll always be the top couple, so I don't think we can." Carla responded, looking over at the Harrington boy.  The BMW turned into the high school, and the chattering of other teens began to hit her ears.

The boy found a parking spot before getting out of the car, making sure he opened the door for the girl next to him.  She gave a small smile as a thank you, and turned to look at him.  "See you in gym."

Carla walked into the school, feeling rather lonely without the Byers boy at her side.  It felt rather odd without him, even if the school went on as if he was never there to begin with.   She hoped him and Nancy were getting whatever they needed to get done over with.

It wasn't long before Carla was heading to her first period—gym.  The Wheeler actually didn't mind the class, but that was probably because the girls rarely did anything. They just stood by the bleachers and did stretches while the boys played some game, or did fitness.

She headed towards the girl's locker room, where most of the teens took refuge until the class began.  Most sat on the benches and chatted, and only a few were left changing.  Carla headed into a stall and quickly changed into the required outfit; a Hawkins high t-shirt and shorts that were definitely shorter than the requirement.

"Girls, let's go!" Mrs Simon, the P.E teacher, called out, sticking her head into the dressing room.  Some girl's sighed and groaned before filing out the door, but Carla silently did so, having no reason to hate the class.

The boy's were scattered among the court, the Hargrove boy holding a basketball in his hands.  Half the teens were shirtless, creating teams. Coach Lincoln, the boy's coach, stood a few feet away, whistle in mouth.  He waited until the girl's had crossed to the bleachers before blowing.

Carla paid little attention to Mrs Simon, who was trying to show the girls some basic stretches to start out with.  Her eye's were on the ball being tossed around the gym, and her ears were being filled with the squeaking of tennis shoes.

Some of the boy's seemed in the game, but others'eyes kept darting to the bleachers, eyeing up all the girls they could.  Carla found it rather gross, and stayed towards the back to be seen even less.

Eventually, Mrs Simon gave up on stretching and allowed her class to freely walk around the edges of the gym, which Carla was happy to do.   The brunette was in no rush, so she took her time, letting other gossip groups pass her.

"Let's go. Pass it up now.  Get it open!" Coach Lincoln yelled, trying to hurry the game up.  They'd been throwing aimlessly for more than enough time now. 

Carla finished her third circle around the gym, leaning against the bleachers again as she watched the game.  The ball had been passed, and both Billy and Steve had charged towards it, the Hargrove catching it with ease.

The boy let out a laugh, "All right! All right, all right," He dribbled the ball, stalling. "King Steve. King Steve, everyone!"   He dribbled towards Steve, who was on the ready to grab the ball from the Hargrove's grasp, "I like it. Playing tough today.  Does winning  a certain Wheeler have anything to do with this boost in confidence?"

Carla gave a small eye roll at the mention of herself, but continued to watch the two boys closely.  Was Billy still trying to get her?  She thought the slap from yesterday would showed him what she thought, but maybe Billy was that desperate.  He'd probably never been rejected before.

Steve's eyes looked over at the brunette, but quickly got back to the Hargrove.  He was rather annoyed with the blonde's mouth, "Jesus! Do you ever stop talking? Come on!"

"What? You afraid the coach is gonna bench you now that I'm here? Or are you afraid you're going to lose her again?"  Billy said smugly, a stupid smirk plastered on his face.  Steve's persona faltered a bit, and the Hargrove laughed again.  "Yeah, I found out. Carol really can't keep her mouth shut."

Carla frowned. That was a low blow.

Then, without a warning,  Billy rammed himself into Steve, knocking the boy down and throwing the ball into the hoop. The Harrington grimaced, attempting to sit up off of the ground. Carla's eyes narrowed as she watched the boy with a mullet approach, his hand outstretched as if he were sweet enough to help.

The blonde leaned down, his face intense as he whispered something to the brunette before dropping his hand and allowing the Harrington to fall back on to the ground.  Carla sighed, grabbing her water bottle and walking onto the court to where the boy was lying.

He slowly managed to get on his feet, his face still laced with pain.  He sauntered over to his girlfriend, taking the water bottle from her.  He chugged some of it, before splashing the rest over his head, letting it drip down his sweaty face.

"What did Billy want?" Carla asked, crossing her arms against her chest.  Her eyes glanced over at the Hargrove boy, watching as he spoke to other members of his team, getting compliments as he did.

"He just told me to plant my feet." Steve responded, handing the empty bottle back to the Wheeler girl.  She tucked it underneath her arm to refill it later.   Carla narrowed her eyes, and Steve spoke again, "That's it-"

"Harrington!" Coach Lincoln called, causing both teens to whip their heads over at the man.  He had a narrowed eyed glance, and gestured for Steve to head back to the locker room and shower.  Steve gave a small look before running off, leaving Carla to head to the girls room aswell.

Some girl's hand already finished up, and their were a s few stranglers who were still changing, and a couple still in the showers, but they seemed to finish up rather quickly, almost in a rush.  Carla stripped herself of the gym clothing, starting up the showers and beginning to wash herself of the gym feeling.

"Don't sweat it, Harrington." Billy's voice echoed through the thin wall that separated the two locker rooms.  His smug voice was faint, but she could hear out each word, and began to listen in to the conversation as she washed, "Today's just not your day, man."

"Yeah. Not your week." Tommy added, with a small laugh afterwards, "You and the princess break up for one day, and she's already running off with the freaks brother!"  The Wheeler gave another frown. She'd never told Steve why the two were no show's, and now she felt slightly bad. 

Tommy chuckled, "Oh, shit. You don't know.  Jonathan and the princess skipped yesterday. Still haven't shown.  But that must just be a coincidence, right?" the Hagan boy laughed again before falling silent, and Carla assumed he'd left the room.

"Don't take it too hard, man." Billy started back up after a moment of silence, "A pretty boy like you's got nothing to worry about.   You've already got Carla wrapped around your finger and, hey, plenty of bitches in the sea."   The water stopped, and the boy's voice became clearer, "Am I right?"

Carla stopped her own water, and got dressed, realizing the conversation had ended. She knew she wasn't just another 'bitch in the sea' to Steve, she knew it had always been her, but Billy's words still got into her. It had only been two day's since the breakup, and the two were already a serious thing.  He'd been so willing to love her then and there, that Carla couldn't help but think that maybe she was just a rebound from her sister.

It was wrong, Carla knew that.  It was her, and always would be.  Steve had told her that. 

The Wheeler changed back into her clothes and grabbed her bag, leaving the girl's locker room.  Tommy and Billy had already left the gym, which she was thankful for as she patiently waited for the Harrington to emerge.

After a few minutes, he came out; hair damp, a few strands misplaced. She gave a small smile, walking to him and brushing them lightly aside with her hand.   Her eye's met with his, and Carla was about to press her lips to his when a loud voice interrupted her.

"Harrington, Wheeler." Mrs Simon glared at them, and the two quickly exited the gym.   Carla was flustered, and she stalked off, leaning against a locker.

"She totally ruined our moment." Steve muttered, running a hand through his damp hair before walking over to his girlfriend, "Where were we?" He connected his lips to the brunette's, one hand cupping her face, the other on her waist.

She allowed herself with him for a little more before slowly pulling away, "As much as I'd love to stay here-" She looked up at the boy, "We're going to be late if we don't go now."

"School sucks," Steve muttered, making Carla let out a small laugh, "I'll see you later."

Carla smiled softly before walking off, heading to her next class with Steve Harrington on the mind.

mara's misc!

here's chapter eight! it's a long one, and it's a lot of filler, but it makes up for the wait.

i'm finally starting to get out of my starla writing slump, which means chapter nine sooner than later? we'll see....

so, we're on episode 4 now, which has literally no place for carla.  with no jonathan or nancy, and with steve not really in the action, she has like no where to go.  idk where the next chapter will go or whether it'll be e4 or e5, you'll just have to read to find out lmao

starla>>>>>

anyway, hope you enjoyed!  see you back with chapter nine <33