Chapter Text
It was spring in New York, and everything was in bloom.
Trees full and green, flower beds bursting with color, grass growing a mile a minute, and the weeds overtaking Will Byer’s garden.
It was funny, really. What had started out as a small, respectable plot with just one or two vegetable plants had turned into what some would say, an absolute nightmare. Ten tomato plants, four zucchini, a few vines of some other unidentified squash, some bell peppers, some hot peppers, and one singular watermelon.
Oh, and the weeds.
‘Sara Jane Wheeler get out of there!’ Will feverishly shook a gardening glove in the air as he sped walked towards the garden. ‘Stop eating the tomatoes!’
She giggled, her blonde curls a mop over her big blue eyes. ‘Only if you can catch me!’ Soon, her feet were flying. She was racing around the yard holding a basket of cherry tomatoes, some flying out of the basket and onto the ground.
Will threw his hands up in the air after several pathetic minutes of trying to catch her. ‘White flag! I surrender!’ He leaned on his knees with his hands as he tried to catch his breath.
Sara walked over and held her basket out with a smirk on her face. ‘Tomato?’
‘Give me that.’ Will snapped the basket, plunking a small one in his mouth with a grin. ‘You’re lucky you’re fast and I’m old.’
‘Papa you’re not old.’
‘Eh, compared to you, I’m old.’ He handed her the basket back and ran a hand through her hair. ‘How was school today? Learn anything fun?’
She looked down at her bare feet covered in grass stains. ‘Nope.’
‘Oh really? Nothing at all? No science, or math or-‘
‘No. Nothing.’
One thing was for certain: School was tough for Sara.
Mike and Will had sent her to a private school just a few miles from where their home was. It was reputable, the students seemed relatively normal, and the instructors were very well qualified. After their poor experiences in Hawkins’ public school system, both of them wanted more for her.
However, Sara was unique compared to most other kids. She was quiet, rather introverted, and liked it that way. Most days she was either writing or drawing in the confines of Will’s art studio, nestled in a bean bag chair she had nearly worn a hole in.
She collected shells, feathers, crystals, and other various bits she found on nature walks. She was an avid reader, thanks to Mike, and enjoyed the occasional bird-watching session with a pair of binoculars Hopper had gifted her.
She was a happy child, but not one to seek friends. She had her parents, her sister, and her aunts and uncles, and that seemed to be enough. Neither Mike nor Will ever pushed her- they loved that she found passions that set her apart from other kids her age. She was beautifully unique- a quality that was very much celebrated in their circle.
But it had its challenges, especially when it came to forcing her into environments that didn’t exactly embrace ‘unique’.
As her and Will made their way back inside, she grabbed her binoculars and sat anxiously against the glass. She managed to trip on a few of Will’s canvases on the way inside.
‘Whoa whoa slowwww down spider monkey. You see something?’
She looked up towards the sky, binoculars pressed to her eyes. ‘Yes. Up towards that tree.’ She pointed to a hawk that was surveying its meal, it circling the property.
‘Let me see.’ Will crouched down beside her as she handed him the binoculars.
‘Look up to your left.’
Will moved his head around a bit aimlessly until he set his eyes on the large bird circling its prey. ‘Oh wow! Look!’
She giggled. ‘Think he’ll drop a feather?’
‘I don’t know. We’ll have to take a walk later and check.’
Suddenly a creaking sound startled them both, Mike appearing in the doorway. He smiled warmly as he set his briefcase down against the floor. ‘Hey cricket.’ He softened as Sara stood up and walked towards him.
Her nickname ‘cricket’ had stuck as somewhat of an oxymoron. Crickets were loud, obnoxious, annoying.
Sara was quiet and extremely mild mannered. What started out as a way to needle her became her permanent name in the house- that was, except for when she was raiding Will’s tomato patch.
‘Hi daddy.’ She hugged Mike’s waist, leaning into his pressed blue shirt.
He ran a hand through her curls. ‘How was your day? Anything exciting to tell me about?’
Will looked up at Mike and began shaking his head. The subject of school wasn’t one either of them typically wanted to broach, but they figured eventually it had to soften.
She looked up at Mike and smiled rather shyly. ‘Good. Nothing exciting.’
'Hmmmm.' Mike crouched down onto the ground so he was closer to her level, and smiled. 'How was art class?'
Suddenly her eyes were a bit brighter. 'Good. I drew a picture of Aunt El.'
Mike laughed with satisfaction. 'Ok! That's something! Did you bring it home?'
'Yeah, it's in my backpack.'
'Well go get it! I'd love to see.'
She grinned and took off towards the stairs.
As she left, he looked at Will, a deep sigh exiting his lungs. They were trying in any way they could to make the experience somewhat positive, but she just wasn't cut out for the classroom. Will often joked that she was a Disney princess in a past life- being perfectly content alone with nature and birds and bugs.
Mike pulled Will into a hug. 'How you doing?'
'Good. Just trying to get my garden cleaned up. Lots of weeds. How was YOUR day?'
Mike looked up at the ceiling. 'Boring. Three customers total.'
Mike had now had possession of Holland's bookstore for nine years. Nearing his tenth anniversary of ownership, he was toying with the decision to bring on a partner. He had since published three more novels, all of which had done exceptionally well. His life was a constant whirlwind of being needed in some capacity, and sometimes he felt he couldn't come up for air. He remembers his old friend George groaning about the long hours and the lack of family time.
Especially with both of their girls being an age where they needed him tremendously, he wasn't willing to sacrifice much more.
He peeled off his jacket and tossed it onto a wooden chair beside Will's easel. 'Where's Elise?'
'She's.... in her room.' He muttered. 'She's been having a weird day. Super quiet, doesn't want to eat much. Maybe she's coming down with something I don't know.'
Mike threw up his hands. 'You know what I would love? I would love to one day have children that speak.'
Will laughed audibly. 'You sure about that?'
Suddenly Sara was back in the doorway. She held out a rather wrinkled piece of paper.
'Whoa!' Mike yelped. 'Baby this looks amazing! You drew this?'
'Yeah.' She blushed as Mike made a fuss.
Will leaned over Mike's shoulder to take in the sketch. It made his eyes go wide. Every line, every small detail was there, encapsulating El in all the right ways. 'You should definitely mail this to Aunt El. She would LOVE it.'
Sara smiled and retrieved her paper. 'Really?'
Will nodded. ‘Really. I'll pick you up an envelope tomorrow and we can send it to her. Sound good?'
Sara shook her head shyly. She walked over to Will's cork board propped up on a windowsill and pinned it. He smiled as she stepped back to see it surrounded by a plethora of other sketches she had done. Feathers, some seashells, other intriguing pieces of nature. Will had once used it for rough sketches for his paintings, but found that it was more special to him allowing Sara to use it for her own artwork. That way there was always a piece of her with him while he worked. And, it gave her an excuse to spend time with him.
She flopped onto the bean bag and scowled. 'Are you going to fix the light in Elise's room?'
Mike spun around. 'What? I just changed that bulb like a week ago.'
'It's flickering again.' Sara groaned.
He and Will exchanged a glance.
'Alright I guess. I'll take a trip to the hardware store and grab another bulb...'
'Do you think it's the wiring?' Will asked.
'No, it couldn't possibly be. I had all the wiring checked last year after we had that issue with the heat.'
Will shook his head indifferently. 'Beats me. I'll go check on her.'
***
Will stood silently outside of Elise’s door for a few moments before knocking. The door was slightly cracked, the soft sound of a vinyl bleeding out into the hallway.
He was still awfully impressed that a seven and a half year old was a David Bowie connoisseur.
He knocked softly on the wood, holding his breath. ‘Elise? You ok baby?’
A soft ‘yeah’ traveled through the crack.
Will slowly entered, his eyes softening as he saw her laying comfortably on her twin bed, her waves falling off the edge in an untamed mess.
‘You need anything? You maybe want a snack?’
No.’ She hummed pleasantly.
‘You sure? You haven’t eaten anything all day.’ Will sat beside her on the bed and ran his hand over her head. ‘Or maybe even some ice cream? Whatever you want.’
‘No thank you.’
Will sighed. ‘You’re giving me nothing girl. You sure you feel ok? Your stomach hurt you?’ He put a wrist to her forehead.
She rolled over slightly, adjusting her gaze as she turned the page of her picture book. ‘No, I’m fine.’
‘Ok.’ Will looked around her room, unsure of how to proceed. Elise was NOT their quiet child.
She was the typical youngest- wild, charismatic, expressive, and social. Unlike her sister, she LOVED school. She wasn’t interested in books or art, but expressing herself in other ways.
She loved playing dress-up, trying on various outfits and jewelry she had found at the local thrift store. Joyce had given her an entire trunk of old prom gowns- she lived for an opportunity to wear a feather boa.
Whenever Will gave her a paint brush, her visions were loud. Every color slapped together to create a mess of movement, one’s eyes unable to settle.
He took notice to a small wad of tissues on her nightside table.
‘You sure you aren’t sick? I see some tissues here that I’m not sure were here earlier…’
Elise sighed. ‘Allergies.’
‘Oh. Right. ‘Allergies’. Will laughed. ‘Ok well I’m here if you change your mind and want something to eat. Also make sure you say hi to daddy, he just got home.’
She nodded and turned another page of her book.
As Will left her room, he turned towards the bathroom down the hall to dispose of her tissue collection. One of the many not-so glamorous aspects of parenting.
As he went to discard them in the trash bin, he took notice to the edge of one of the tissues covered in red.
Blood.
He stopped.
‘Mike?!’
Mike was already halfway up the stairs on his way to change when he heard Will. ‘Yeah?!’
‘Come here, bathroom.’
Mike walked in and leaned against the doorframe. ‘What’s up? Everything ok?’
Will held the tissue out. ‘Look at this.’
Mike’s eyes narrowed. ‘Uh… what am I looking at?’
‘Blood.’
Mike looked confused. ‘Blood? Are you ok, are you bleeding?’
Will shook his head. ‘No. No, Elise is. I found these tissues on her night table and she said it was ‘allergies’ so I just figured she had a bit of a drippy nose but-‘
Mike sighed. ‘Will kids get nose bleeds. I wouldn’t worry too much.’
‘Yeah but- but she’s just acting so weird. I’m worried.’
Mike took a few steps forward and smiled softly. ‘Well don’t. She’s fine, I’m sure of it. Probably just needs a few days to rest. Keep her home tomorrow- maybe a day of cartoons will do the trick.’
He kissed Will’s cheek and then turned towards the hallway.
***
Later that evening Elise remained absent for dinner. Will had set a place for her at the table, but she remained set on refusing food.
He had even tried to coax her down by offering to let her eat on a TV tray in front of the television. This was usually quite a treat for either girl, but she still turned up her nose. ‘I’m not hungry.’
He had simply given up.
As the three of them sat at the kitchen table eating, a soft pat of feet against the hardwood could be made out.
Mike turned his head as he spied her slowly slinking down the stairs. ‘Hey you. You finally starve to death?’
She shook her head and smiled rather bashfully. ‘No. I just came to sit with you.’
He smiled and gestured for her to come over.
She climbed onto his lap and nestled comfortably into his chest.
Mike gestured down towards his plate. ‘You don’t even want a little taste? Papa made macaroni and cheese, I know it’s your favorite.’
She turned up her nose. ‘No daddy I said I’m not hungry.’
‘Ok, ok.’ He held up his hands in defeat. ‘Suit yourself.’
She sat quietly and contently in Mike’s lap as the rest of the table finished their meal. They discussed more details involving Sara’s art class, the only one she seemingly tolerated, as well as their plans to drive into the city on Wednesday and spend some time with Max, Lucas and Jackson.
As Will stood up to collect plates, Elise winced and cried out softly. She held a hand to her head.
‘Hey, you ok?’ Mike looked down at her concerned. ‘What’s wrong?’
She winced again. ‘My head. It really hurts.’
Will and Mike exchanged a glance.
‘Ok, no worries.’ Mike whispered. ‘I’ll get you some medicine. You want some water?’
She shook her head. ‘No it just really hurts.’
Will was now crouched beside her as she gripped Mike’s arm. He held a hand up to her head and stroked her hair. ‘My poor girl. Just hang tight we’ll fix you right up.’
As she winced again, Sara stood up and groaned. ‘Daddy can you please fix the lights?’
Mike turned and snapped. There were obviously more important things happening than electrical work. ‘Sara, I told you I’d fix her light later, ok? I can’t exactly do anything about it right now.’
She then pointed at the sconce hanging above the dining table where they sat. ‘Not that one. This one.’
Mike looked up to see the lights flickering, a slow dimming happening.
‘What the hell?’ He shifted Elise down onto her feet- he stood up and hopped onto a chair to give himself some height, tapping one of the bulbs that was screwed into the fixture. ‘Why the hell does this keep happening?’
Will rolled his eyes. ‘Just call the electrician this week, maybe there is something going on with the wiring.’
‘Will it’s not the wiring. The house was just checked. It’s gotta be something else.’
‘Ok well then what else would it be, exactly?’ Will huffed.
Elise cried out again, head in her hands. She closed her eyes and dropped to the floor.
Mike’s eyes widened as he and Will rushed to her side.
Suddenly, the lights went out completely. The entire fixture immediately shut down, a strange buzzing noise radiating from its attachment place on the ceiling.
Will stilled. ‘Ok this is crazy. Mike, I’m going to call the doctor, see if we can get her checked out. Her head shouldn’t be hurting this bad. You go call the electrician.’
Mike stood up. ‘I’m gonna go fool with the breaker box and see if I can-‘
‘Mike. Call. Now.’
‘Alright alright, fine.’ Mike threw his hands up. Sara was now feeling around in the dark trying to locate another light switch. As she stumbled up a switch by the living room doorway, the room illuminated, everyone’s vision readjusting.
Will looked down at Elise to make sure she was alright and his eyes widened. His stomach sank to his knees.
‘What?’ She said softly.
‘Nothing, just um….’ He grabbed a tissue from the counter and handed it to her. ‘Your nose is bleeding.’