Chapter Text
VIRGINIA NEWBY'S LIFE FLIPPED COMPLETELY upside down the day that her little sister's friend, Dustin Henderson, came pounding on their front door. Ginny and her younger sister Loretta, or Lori as the younger girl preferred to go buy, had been enjoying Chinese take-out and watching Three's Company reruns on the television when the younger boy interrupted their evening. The older girl groaned in annoyance and rolled her bright blue eyes as she pushed herself off of the couch.
"What do you want, kid?" Ginny asked after opening the door to reveal the curly-haired boy.
"Where's Lori? We have a Code Red situation and I need her to come with me now!" Dustin exclaimed with great urgency.
"Dustin? What are you doing here so late?" Lori asked as she came up to stand behind her older sister.
"Lucas and Mike want us to meet. They want to look for Will," Dustin said and quickly the younger girl grabbed her raincoat.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa! And just where do you think you're going, young lady?" Ginny asked when Lori moved to hurry out of the house. The older girl had grabbed her sister's hood and pulled her back before she could step off of the porch.
"To look for Will duh," the younger girl replied while rolling her blue eyes, which were identical to those of her older sisters.
"Hold on a minute, what's happened to Mini Byers?" Ginny questioned and worry seeped into her tone.
"He's gone missing. Nobody's seen him since the other night. Hopper's got a whole search party out in the woods lookin' for him." Dustin explained and the younger girl nodded.
"Missing? Why is this the first I've heard about this?" Ginny asked sternly.
The older girl was angry that no one had informed her of the situation and more importantly she was scared for the younger boy and his friends. Lori and Ginny's mom died due to complications after Lori's birth and growing up without their mother Ginny had to mature much faster than others. She felt a sort of responsibility for her little sister and her friends.
"Look Gin, I would love to have this conversation right now but it's supposed to rain tonight and it's cold and Will is out there all alone. We have to go find him!" Lori implored, fed up with the conversation. Ginny's eyes raked over the two fidgeting twelve-year-olds and she could see the determination and fear on their faces.
"Fine, you can go," Ginny said and the two kids quickly turned to leave before Ginny called out again, "But, I'm coming with."
"What? Why? This doesn't concern you." Lori argued and her older sister just rolled her eyes as she grabbed her coat from the hooks by the front door.
"Well for starters, one twelve-year-old has already gone missing. I'm not going to let four more go wandering around the woods alone. And second, I'm the babysitter you runts aren't leaving my sight." Ginny began as she locked the front door behind her. She waited for either of the kids to protest but neither of them did. "Good, now where are we meeting Lucas and Mike?"
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The trio had met up with Mike and Lucas where Kerley Road turned into Mirkwood Road. Now, the five of them continued to cycle closer to the mysterious lab surrounded by dark woods. In this part of town, there weren't many street lights, making the night even more daunting. Pretty soon, they had made it to the red and white barrier that the police had set up at the entrance to the woods, where they had found Will Byers' abandoned bicycle.
"Ah, man. This is it," Lucas Sinclair shakily said as the group came to a stop.
"Hey, guys. Do you feel that?" Dustin asked when a loud clap of thunder shook the trees around them. He lifted his face to the dark sky feeling the beginnings of raindrops against his skin. "I think maybe we should go back."
"No, no, we're not going back. Just stay close," Mike Wheeler immediately shut down the idea of going home. "Come on, just stay on channel six. Don't do anything stupid."
"Henderson! Let's go!" Ginny called over her shoulder as she followed the two other boys into the woods with her little sister at her side. "I'm not going to be responsible for losing one of you troublemakers in the woods."
"Alright, alright, I'm coming," Dustin groaned as he jogged to catch up with the others.
"Who invited the babysitter?" Mike asked in a judgemental tone as he glanced back over his shoulder at the older girl.
"Hey watch it, pipsqueak. At least I'm here to make sure the rest of you little shits don't go missing. I don't see Nancy anywhere. I'd be willing to bet my lunch money that she's back in your cozy house on Maple Street making out with Steve Harrington," Ginny snapped while shining her flashlight in his face.
"Mike, you did say you saw Steve climbing onto your garage when you left," Lucas whispered to Mike whose face went red as the older girl smirked.
"Whatever, Gin, you only knew that because Steve told you his plan over the phone earlier," Lori said while rolling her own eyes.
"Can we all just shut up and look for Will? I'm tired and I'm cold and I just want to go home!" Dustin exclaimed as he shivered from the cold.
Sometime during their argument, the rain picked up and soaked all of their clothes despite their raincoats. The harsh winds chilled caused their skin to go numb with cold but still, the group pressed on. Besides the storm, the only sound that could be heard was their voices mixing with the wind as they called out Will's name.
For a moment Ginny stopped and attempted to wipe some of the water droplets off of her watch face. It was no use her sleeves were soaked and as soon as she wiped some of the water away the rain immediately replaced it. Squinting her eyes she couldn't quite make out what time it was but she knew it had to be after 10 p.m. since she had left her house with Dustin and Lori a little after 9:30.
"Will! Will Byers! Hey, I've got your X-Men 134, if you want it back!" Lori called into the wind to no avail.
"Wait, you stole his X-Men 134? He's been looking for that thing for ages." Mike chuckled and the younger girl only shrugged but a smirk played on her lips.
"Guys, I really think we should turn back," Dustin complained once again.
"Seriously, Dustin? You wanna be a baby, then go home already!" Lucas snapped to the curly-haired boy.
"I'm just being realistic, Lucas!" Dustin argued.
"No, you're just being a big sissy!" Lucas retorted.
"Boys! Boys! For the love of God shut up! We're all tired and cold and worried about Will but this arguing isn't going to do any of us any good," Ginny intervened trying to put an end to the younger kids' bickering.
"Did you ever think Will went missing because he ran into something bad? And we're going to the exact same spot where he was last seen. And we have no weapons or anything?" Dustin argued again.
"Dustin, shut up." Mike groaned.
"Yeah, and we're not completely defenseless. My sister brought a baseball bat," Lori interjected before she pointed to the wooden Lousiville Slugger slung over the older girl's shoulder.
"Oh yeah, 'cause one shitty wooden bat is going to be so effective against whatever the fuck took Will!" Dustin laughed sarcastically. "I'm just saying, does any of this seem smart to you guys? I mean come on, Virginia, you're the goddamn babysitter. This is child endangerment!"
"No, child endangerment would be turning Dustin away when he knocked on our door and telling Lori she couldn't meet you guys to look for Will knowing that she would sneak out anyway. At least this way I can attempt to keep you guys safe." Ginny argued.
"Guys, guys! Shut up! Shhh..." Mike suddenly shushed them all. They were all silent for a moment listening to the storm and the sounds that came with the woods. That is until the sounds of snapping twigs could be heard. "Did you guys hear that?"
"I don't hear anything..." Lori began before more rustling and snapping sounds came from behind them.
Quickly the young girl shut her mouth and stepped a little bit closer to her older sister. The boys had shinned their flashlights in the direction of the noise and Ginny gripped her bat tightly. The rain made it hard for the older girl to get a good grip on her bat but when more noises could be heard from behind them she gripped her bat even tighter. This time when the group spun around they were no longer alone in these dark woods. Instead, a kid about the same age as Ginny's sister and the others stood before them.
The kid was almost bald since their hair had been buzzed close to their skull. The only thing they were wearing was a long oversized tee shirt that had been soaked by the icy rain. Ginny couldn't help but notice the way the kid was trembling with cold and how they had been wandering around the woods barefoot.
"Holy shit, that's not Will," Mike mumbled.
"Stop shining your lights in their face, Jesus, have some manners." Ginny scolded, pushing the flashlights out of the poor kid's face. Quickly she handed her bat to her little sister before crouching in front of the kid. "Hey there, you must be freezing. Here, take my coat."
The kid looked unsure as Ginny shrugged off her raincoat leaving her in her cotton crewneck that was quickly becoming soaked with rain. Ginny tried to make her voice as gentle as possible and slowly the kid took the raincoat.
"What is some kid doing out in the woods?" Lucas asked.
"It doesn't matter right now. Let's just get them somewhere warm and dry first," Ginny suggested.
"We can use my basement. No one ever goes down there," Mike offered quickly.
"Perfect, let's get going," Ginny nodded before ushering the kids back out of the forest.
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The muscles in Ginny's legs burned with effort as the group made their way back to the Wheeler's house. Sitting on the seat of Ginny's bike was the kid who had their arms wrapped tightly around Ginny's slim waist. The older brunette was thankful for her cheer coach's rigorous training schedule because without it she couldn't have made the trip up to Maple Street.
A smirk played on her lips when she noticed her friend, Steve Harrington's, car parked down the street. Since starting at Hawkin's High Ginny had become sort of a Queen Bee due to her skills on the cheer squad. This had attracted the attention of seniors Steve Harrington, Tommy Hagan, and Carol Perkins. Deep down Ginny couldn't stand Tommy Hagan or his girlfriend, Carol. She found them shallow, obnoxious, and honestly, they were dicks to everyone. But Ginny knew that those two held great power in the social hierarchy of the high school and offending them could ruin the younger girl. On the other hand, Steve was okay. Sure sometimes he would get carried away at parties or would take teasing with Tommy too far but overall Ginny didn't hate him the same way she hated their other two friends.
When Ginny and the middle schoolers finally made it back to the Wheeler's house they quickly snuck the mysterious kid into the basement through the back door. The boys just stared at the kid as the Newby sisters quickly found some old blankets to warm the kid up.
"Is there a number we can call for your parents?" Mike asked.
"Where's your hair? Do you have cancer?" Dustin asked.
"Did you run away?" Lucas asked.
"Are you in some kind of trouble?" Mike asked.
"Is that blood?" Lucas asked while pointing at the kid's shirt.
"Stop it, you're freaking her out!" Mike exclaimed as he hit Lucas's hand away.
"She's freaking me out!" Lucas argued.
"I bet she's deaf," Dustin said before clapping his hands in front of the girl's face causing her to flinch.
"Boys, boys! Stop it! Leave her alone and stop talking about her like she's not sitting right in front of you," Ginny scolded before turning to the girl and gently draping an old blanket over her shoulders. "Hi, hon, my name's Ginny. Can you tell me your name?"
The girl just stared at Ginny who was looking at her patiently with caring eyes. Quietly Lori came up behind her older sister and tapped the older girl's shoulder. When the older brunette turned her younger sister held out a small stack of clean sweats. Ginny grabbed them before gently holding them out to the kid.
"These are clean. I thought you'd maybe want to change out of your wet clothes. You looked cold," Lori said quietly.
The girl took the clothes before gently rubbing the cotton along her face. Suddenly the girl moves to take off her oversized tee shirt in front of everyone. The boys all exclaim in surprise and Ginny shoots forward to still the girl's movements.
"No, no, no, no, sweetie, not here. There's a bathroom right back here where you can change." Ginny said gently as she tugged on the girl's hands as she led her to the bathroom. Once the girl was safely in the bathroom Ginny went to leave so that she could have privacy when the girl quickly stopped her by grabbing her arm. "What's wrong? Would you not like some privacy?"
"Stay, please," The girl said quietly and Ginny nodded as she stepped back into the small bathroom and went to close the door. "No, open."
"How about I crack the door but I stand here and you stand here. That way no one will be peaking," Ginny offered, maneuvering her body to stand in front of the crack in the door. The girl nodded and smiled softly.
"Is she speaking? She can speak!" Mike's loud voice came from the other side of the door.
"Of course, she can speak, dingus. You guys were just scaring her earlier," Ginny said as she stuck her head out through the crack in the door.
"Can we talk to her?" Mike asked excitedly and Ginny could only roll her blue eyes at him.
"Not right now she's changing. Now shoo, give her some privacy for Christ's sake," Ginny said while shooing him away.
The boys could be heard discussing the mysterious girl even though they were standing on the other side of the door. When Ginny turned back around the girl had changed shirts and was struggling to pull on the pair of sweatpants. The older girl could also hear her little sister inserting herself into the conversation about whether or not the girl they found in the woods had escaped from the nut house in Kerley County.
"Thank you," The girl started and Ginny smiled at her, "Ginny."
"No problem, sweetheart," Ginny grinned as she slung an arm over the girl's shoulders and gave her a side hug. The girl tensed at first and Ginny moved to pull away but the younger girl quickly turned and gave the older girl a tight hug. Ginny didn't hesitate to hug the girl back, that is until she remembered her sweater was still soaked.
"Careful, you don't want your nice clean clothes to get all wet kid," Ginny chuckled as she gently pulled away from the girl.
"Eleven," The girl said, pointing to herself.
"Eleven? Is that your name?" Ginny asked and the girl nodded her head. "Cool, my name is Ginny like I told you earlier. It's short for Virginia, like the state, but I don't like it so I go by Ginny. Would you like a nickname or do you like to be called Eleven?"
"Nickname?" She asked and Ginny chuckled quietly.
"Yeah, like a name that your friends call you that's more personal. Or if you're like me and don't like your real name you can have a nickname. One we could give you could be El because that's short for Eleven. What do you think?" Ginny attempted to explain.
"El good," Eleven nodded with a wide smile.
"Nice to meet you, El," Ginny smiled before shaking Eleven's hand. "Come on, let's go see what the others have planned."
When the duo exited the small bathroom they were surprised to see that everyone else had left, well besides Mike since this was his house. Ginny couldn't help but roll her eyes when she noticed Lori had left without her. Despite everything she had done tonight to protect her little sister the shithead went off alone in the dark anyway. While Ginny and El were in the bathroom the others had set up a blanket fort presumably for El to sleep in.
"We set this up so she could be comfortable tonight. She can stay here tonight and then tomorrow she can sneak up to the front door and ring the bell and my mom will know who to call to help her." Mike rambled and Eleven looked up at the older girl confused.
"I have to go home and make sure my sister is alright, but you're going to stay here with Mike. Is that okay?" Ginny asked as she crouched in front of Eleven. The younger girl looked unsure but nodded her head anyway. "Okay, I promise to come and check on you soon."
"Promise?" Eleven questioned and Ginny nodded.
"Yeah, a promise is something people say to make sure another person knows that they will definitely do that thing. Like I am promising you that I will be back. And there is one thing stronger than a promise, do you know what that is?" Ginny asked and Eleven only shook her head no. Gently Ginny grabbed Eleven's hand with her own and wrapped their pinkies together.
"The only thing stronger than a promise is a pinky promise. See? And you seal the promise by wrapping your pinkies like this. So, I pinky promise you that I'll be back."
"Pinky promise," Eleven said with a grin. Ginny affectionately squeezed the young girl's shoulder.
With one last goodbye to Mike and another assurance to Eleven, Ginny was finally on her way back home. The rain hadn't stopped but it had slowed down. Despite this, the harsh winds were still blowing and the brunette girl attempted to pull her soaked crewneck closer to her shaking body. Her leg muscles were shaking too much from the cold making it nearly impossible for the older girl to ride her bike home. Instead, she opted for walking.
Ginny was grateful for the headlamp that rested on her handlebars illuminating her path. That is until she passed by an old playground and the light began flickering. Cursing under her breath through chattering teeth Ginny hit the pulsing light attempting to get it to work again. Suddenly the street lamps around her began to flicker. Her bright blue eyes bounced between each of the lights nervously as her short legs came to a halt.
A cracking noise echoed through the small park eliciting a frightened gasp to leave her nearly blue lips. Her eyes continued to dart around the playground in search of the source of the strange noise. The wind pushed the swings back and forth creating an eerie creak to fill the silent air. When another snapping noise sounded from behind her Ginny couldn't tell if she was shaking from the cold or from fear anymore.
At this point, the lamp post and the light on her bicycle were flickering faster and more violently. The snapping sounds were becoming louder and closer to the brunette. A gasp escaped her lips when suddenly a dark figure emerged from the shadows. Looming from behind the curling tube slide came a creature with no face who was taller than any regular human. Its limbs were long and lanky as it reached out for her. Ginny's blood ran cold in her veins when she saw that despite the creature's lack of facial features it still had a mouth with long jagged rows of sharp teeth.
She wanted to scream but the breath caught in her throat. Even though the creature didn't have eyes Ginny swore it was staring at her as if searching for her soul. The creature loomed closer to her with its teeth bared that is until the sharp sound of a car horn cut through the frozen air.