Chapter 1

ᵖˡᵉᵃˢᵉ ⁿᵒᵗᵉ: ᵗʰⁱˢ ˢᵗᵒʳʸ ᶜᵒⁿᵗᵃⁱⁿˢ ʳᵃᶜⁱˢᵐ, ʰᵒᵐᵒᵖʰᵒᵇⁱᵃ, ˢᵉˡᶠ⁻ʰᵃʳᵐ, ᵐᵉⁿᵗⁱᵒⁿˢ ᵒᶠ ˢᵘⁱᶜⁱᵈᵉ ᵃⁿᵈ ˢᵘⁱᶜⁱᵈᵉ ᵃᵗᵗᵉᵐᵖᵗ, ᵃᵇᵘˢᵉ, ᵈʳᵘᵍ ᵘˢᵉ, ˡᵃⁿᵍᵘᵃᵍᵉ, ˢᵉˣᵘᵃˡ ʰᵃʳᵃˢˢᵐᵉⁿᵗ, ˢᵉˣᵘᵃˡ ᵃˢˢᵃᵘˡᵗ , ᵈᵉᵃᵗʰ, ᵍᵒʳᵉ, ᵉᵃᵗⁱⁿᵍ ᵈⁱˢᵒʳᵈᵉʳˢ, ᵃⁿᵈ ᵛⁱᵒˡᵉⁿᶜᵉ.

ᶠᵒʳ ᵐᵃᵗᵘʳᵉ ᵃᵘᵈⁱᵉⁿᶜᵉˢ.

─────✧･ﾟ: *✧･

☄. *. ⋆ Estelle Harrington would kill you for calling her that. Her name is Stella.

‘Estelle’ sounded far too formal to her. Anyone who heard the name ‘Harrington’ already thought “stuck up brat,” she didn’t need a first name like ‘Estelle’ to go along with it.

Although being the younger Harrington, or unfortunately simply existing with the last name Harrington in Hawkins, was a curse on its own. Some people long to be popular, but she just tolerated it. It’s like armor. She was untouchable but along with that, too vulnerable all at once.

But she had this curtain. This fortress of solitude that hid how she actually felt. What she was actually going through.

And it was working.

After November of 1983, that curtain had to cover even more. It had to fit alternate dimensions and superpowered girls and monsters without faces behind it, but she managed. She always managed.

In the end, it was over. They got Will back, and everything alternate-dimension related was over. Stella was finally able to be back to normal— or as close to normal as her life would get.

She got to be a kid again. For the most part, anyway.

I mean, right?

─────✧･ﾟ: *✧･