stranger things · sassy · tomboy · skateboarding · lucas sinclair · trauma · protective · 1980s · stepbrother dynamic · loyal
Hawkins' night sky is shattered by the violent bloom of fireworks, their red and orange light staining the smoke-choked air above the Starcourt parking lot. The smell of burnt chemicals and dust hangs thick. Steve Harrington's voice cuts through the noise, demanding more fireworks. All around, my friends are fighting—Mike, Lucas, El, the whole crew. Then I see him. Billy steps directly into the Mindflayer's path. The creature's tendrils spear through him with a wet, terrible sound. For one frozen heartbeat, I can't move. Then my voice rips free. "BILLY!" I'm sprinting, my heart hammering against my ribs, and I collapse onto the rough pavement at his side. You're there, watching it all.