𝘼𝙪𝙜𝙪𝙨𝙩 [𝙎𝙩𝙚𝙫𝙚 𝙃𝙖𝙧𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙩𝙤𝙣]

[Junkyard]

Cherry stood in the kitchen, the rhythmic clink of dishes she was drying accompanying the distant hum of a rock song. With Sandra and Neil at work, Billy worked out in the living room, their absence noticeable. She could hear her brother count on, "Twenty-one... Twenty-Two," when the chime of the doorbell interrupted the tranquility. Cherry, hands full of dishwater and soap, grabbed a towel and started drying them, her attention divided between the dishes and the commotion at the door.

"Max, are you getting that or what?" Billy called to his younger sister. Max groaned from her room, "Okay!" The doorbell continued its insistent ringing, Billy putting his weights down. "I swear to God, Max!" He warned. Hearing the growing anger in his voice, Cherry quickly moved to answer it, "Coming!" However, Max emerged from her room with an exasperated exhale, glaring at Billy as she walked past. She quickly opened the door and shut it behind her. Cherry resumed her task of drying dishes, her mind still distracted by the interruption at the door.

Billy, growing impatient, slowly made his way towards the entrance. There had to be a reason why Max was taking so long. Just as he reached the door, Cherry heard the sound of it opening. Billy's voice followed, "Who the hell were you talking to?" Max entered the house, shutting the door behind her, "Mormons," Max replied. "Mormons?" Billy questioned unconvinced. "Talkative ones," Max added, pursing her lips as she exited to her and Cherry's room. Following the girl, Cherry shot Billy a look, "You don't always have to be so hard on her."

Concern etched on her face, Cherry entered the room. "You okay?" she asked, but Max just tried to usher her out, clearly wanting to keep whatever had happened behind the door private. Not understanding Max's urgency, Cherry plopped down on their bed, furrowing her brows in confusion. "What's going on? Why are you acting so weird?" she questioned, but before Max could respond, a voice from outside interrupted them. "Come on, Max, hurry!" the voice said urgently. Cherry gasped as she sat up to look out the window.

She smirked and let out a laugh at the sight of a boy standing there. She smirked at Max, teasingly asking, "Who is this?" The redhead quickly shut the door, making sure Billy didn't overhear. Lucas's eyes widened from his spot on his bike. He waved awkwardly. "Uh, it's just... uh, my friend," Max stammered, trying to come up with a quick excuse. "Oh, your friend," Cherry giggled, still smirking. Max nodded, "Yep. We, uh, have some... uh, plans. Yeah, plans we need to get to." Max hurriedly grabbed her things, signaling to Lucas that they needed to leave.

"Let's go," Max said, trying to sound as casual as possible as she hopped out the window. "Don't tell, Billy," Max whispered, her eyes begging as Cherry placed her hand over her heart as if she were making a solemn promise. As Lucas motioned for the redhead to hop on, Cherry shook her head. "I guess, I'll just stay here," she said, watching as Max and Lucas pedaled off into the distance. Cherry hesitated for a moment, her curiosity getting the best of her. After Max and Lucas were out of sight, she quietly slipped out of the house.

With a grin, Cherry followed them at a safe distance, determined to uncover the mystery behind Max's urgency. After all, she was her big sister. At the junkyard, Steve squinted as he tried to look further. "Who's that?" He asked. Dustin groaned, the sight of Max making him throw his arms up in the air, "Seriously?! You told her?" Lucas rolled his eyes in response. "So what?" he retorted, unfazed by Dustin's reaction. "So what?!?" Dustin exclaimed, his voice rising in exasperation. He shrugged at Dustin's exaggeration, "You wanted to tell her too."

"But I didn't, alright?" Dustin continued, "We agreed not to tell her and to look for Dart." Lucas scoffed, dismissing Dustin's concerns. "Who you conveniently found," he remarked sarcastically. Crossing his arms defiantly, Dustin stood taller. "Are you suggesting that I'm lying?" Lucas stepped closer, his expression serious. "I'm saying you have a creepy little bond with him," he stated bluntly. "Yeah, well, that was before he turned into a Demogorgon, okay?" Dustin shot back, his frustration reaching a boiling point. As the argument continued, a new figure entered their line of sight.

Still pissed, Dustin's attention turned to the unfamiliar girl, "Who the fuck is that?" He muttered annoyed. Cherry came into view, her presence causing a brief pause in the exchange between Dustin and Lucas. With a curious gaze, she approached the group, unaware of the tension that hung in the air. She waved awkwardly, "Hi," Steve furrowed his brows, "Cherry?" Max sighed. "Of course, you followed us," she muttered to Lucas, annoyance evident in her voice. Steve glanced at Cherry, then back at Max. "Wait, you two know each other?" he remarked, his tone neutral but surprised.

"Obviously, she's my stepsister," Max went on, giving Steve a look, "How do you know her?" As the awkward tension thickened, Steve nodded slowly, recalling their brief encounter. "Yeah, uh... we met at a Halloween party," he confirmed. Max grimaced at the thought. Cherry shifted uncomfortably, "I-I'm sorry, is this like a meeting or something? 'Cause I can leave if you want?" she wondered, her gaze shifting between Max and Steve. Dustin couldn't hide his discomfort, his desire for her to leave clear. "Yes, please!" he interjected, his voice tense. Steve, however, glared at the boy and glanced at the setting sun.

"It's too late for her to go home now," he reasoned, his eyes narrowing slightly. Dustin grumbled, "Might as well just tell the whole town," Cherry took a few steps forward, "Tell the whole town what?" Steve shot Dustin a warning look, then turned back to Cherry with a sigh. "Just know, this is complicated shit," he said, his tone softening slightly. "Serious shit," Cherry nodded, repeating his words, "Okay, serious shit." Steve's gaze softened as he regarded Cherry, "I'm going to level with you here," he began, his voice low and serious.

"There's some seriously messed-up shit that's been going on in Hawkins. I mean, we're dealing with monsters from this other dimension, the Upside Down. It's like a nightmare version of our world, and this thing, the Demogorgon, it's like the king of monsters down there." Cherry's eyes widened as she tried to process the information. "Another dimension..? A monster?!" she repeated, her voice trembling slightly. "But how... how? That's impossible," Steve sighed, running a hand through his dark hair.

"It's a long story about some fucked experiments gone wrong at Hawkins Lab. They opened up a gate to this place, and now this thing is out there, and we need to..." He paused, letting the gravity of the situation sink in. "Kill it," Cherry's heart pounded in her chest as she tried to wrap her head around the danger they were facing. "So, what do we do?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. Steve hesitated for a moment, his brow furrowed in thought as he admitted, "I'm still figuring that one out,"