Chapter 19

015

• 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐓𝐮𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐥𝐬 •

─────✧･ﾟ: *✧･

☄. *. ⋆ The engine continued to rev as Steve spoke. “All right, you guys stay here,” he ordered. Stella went to question him or argue, but he left before she could get a word out. Everyone hurried to look back through the window, watching the exchange. Billy exited his car, a cigarette in his mouth as he said something before they both approached each other.

They spoke for a moment before Billy pointed in their direction. It was only in the direction, though. Maybe he didn’t see them. Maybe it was a coincidence.

It wasn’t.

Steve turned to look at them, and everyone but Stella ducked, the girl eyeing the situation like a hawk. Billy had already seen them, anyway.

“Shit! Did he see us!?” Dustin panicked, but Stella didn’t reply or even really register that he spoke. Steve turned back to face Billy, but got pushed off of his feet the moment he did, making Stella quietly gasp. She felt Dustin tug at her arm a bit, trying to get her to duck, but she ignored him. While Steve was on the ground, Billy kicked him in the gut, and Stella flinched, growing more angry and more worried by every move Billy made.

She watched as Billy made his way towards the door, and she sat up from the couch to move in front of her friends. The door slammed open and they were met with Billy’s cold gaze. “Well, well, well,” he eventually said. He slammed the door shut behind him, starting towards the group. Stella put her arms up, silently telling her friends to stay behind her. Billy continued towards them as he spoke. “Lucas Sinclair and Estelle Harrington. What a surprise.”

At those words, Stella placed an arm on Lucas’s shoulder, ignoring the chills going down her own spine, unaware of the apparent problem Billy had with her and Lucas.

Billy looked to Max. “I thought I told you to stay away from them, Max,” he said, making Stella’s eyebrows furrow a bit in confusion. The Harrington could hear the fear and nervousness in Max’s voice as the redhead spoke from behind her. “Billy, go away.”

Billy was getting way too close to Stella at this point. She could feel his warm, cigarette-smelling breath on her face as he spoke. “You disobeyed me. And you know what happens when you disobey me.”

“Billy…”

“I break things,” Billy answered for her before grabbing the collar of Lucas’s shirt, storming past Stella, and ramming the younger boy into a shelf, different items falling from it behind him.

The moment he put a hand on Lucas, everyone starting screaming at him. Different voices jumbling together behind Billy and Lucas, all telling him to stop. Stella remained silent, her eyes darting to her bow and arrow on the couch. She could grab it.

“Since Maxine won’t listen to me, maybe you will.”

She stared at the weapon in contemplative silence, her hand coming up to her knife, grabbing it, then releasing it and letting her arm fall. That’s too much. Both options. She wanted him to let go. She didn’t want to kill him.

“You stay away from her. Stay away from her! You hear me?” Billy ordered. Everyone stayed silent for a moment, Stella deciding to do something to make him let go. She stepped forward, putting force into her front leg as she swung it forward, hitting in between Billy’s legs. It made the boy drop Stella’s friend as he groaned, keeling over as Lucas made his way back to his friends.

Billy recovered from the attack, standing straight as he looked at Stella with pure fury. “You are so dead, Harrington! You’re dead.”

The brunette stared right back, her brave, stoic, determined face hiding her fear as she held her head high, keeping her feet right where they were. Backing up would show her fear, and there was no way she was giving him that satisfaction right now.

That’s when a hand grabbed Billy’s shoulder, turning him around. Stella instantly recognized her brother’s voice. “No. You are,” he said before bringing his fist to Billy’s cheek, making Stella’s lips part in surprise. Shouts of encouragement for Steve rose from the kids, with the exception of Max and Stella.

Billy stood back up as he gave a crazed laugh, sending a wave of fear washing over Stella.

“Looks like you got some fire in you after all, huh!?” Billy beamed. “I’ve been waiting to meet this King Steve everybody’s been telling me so much about,” he approached the taller boy. As Max took Stella’s arm, pulling her back towards the party, – not letting go afterwards – Steve spoke to Billy. “Get out,” he demanded before poking Billy’s chest, pushing him back a step. Stella’s eyes never left the two boys as Max pulled her back.

Billy stared at Steve for a moment, his face seeming shocked and contemplative. Having made his decision, he swung his fist. Steve ducked before it could hit him, throwing a counterpunch instead. At the action, all the cheers and shouting rose again, Stella remaining silent as she watched anxiously.

Steve seemed to be winning, Billy’s teeth now stained with blood as he cackled, leaning on the counter. Stella’s eyes widened when she saw Billy reaching for a plate, and she gave a quick and sharp inhale before warning her brother. “Steve!”

But the older Harrington didn’t react in time, and Billy smashed the plate over his head, the knot in Stella’s gut tightening. Most of the shouts stopped again as Steve stumbled back. Billy threw a punch, Dustin ducking to dodge it and accidentally letting it hit Steve behind him.

Stella tried to shout, but the sound caught in her throat.

Billy made his way over to Steve, grabbing him by the collar. “No one tells me what to do,” he said before slamming his head into Steve’s, knocking the boy over.

Stella watched in horror as Billy made his way over to Steve, straddling him before he began to swing his fist into Steve’s face repeatedly. The girl began to whip her head in every direction, trying to do something. She glanced down at her knife before grabbing the handle and pulling it from the sheath. Holding the knife from the top of the handle, Stella made her way over and slammed the butt of the knife into the side of Billy’s head. Hard. Harder than she intended.

It knocked Billy off of her brother, and he dazedly turned to face her. The girl put on a tough face, her jaw taut as she looked the boy in the eye. Stumbling slightly, Billy staggered to his feet, a dangerous look in his eye as he slowly stepped closer to her.

The boy balled his fists by his side. “That was a really bad idea.”

In that moment, Stella was reminded of her father. How he would stand in front of her the same way, balling his hands into fists as she looked at her like she was inferior.

Billy charged forward, shoving Stella to the ground with one hard push to her shoulders, and as Stella’s wound burned at the contact, she turned to her knees to stand.

As her back was to him, the boy took a vice grasp of her sides, Stella feeling the tear of the thread sewing the scrape up, a cry leaving her throat. “Shit!”

He pulled her to stand, swinging his hand to her face, but the girl ducked. During her time on the ground, Stella saw the boy’s shoes, and– doing the first thing she could think of –slid her legs under his feet, causing him to topple over.

He crawled up, tearing the girl back to the ground and forcing his body weight onto her as his hands secured around her neck. “You Harringtons are too bold”

She gripped at his hands, her throat started to burn as she gasped for the air that she was being robbed of, her face growing hot.

She couldn’t get him off. Powers or not, she was on the verge of losing consciousness, unable to force him away.

But suddenly, Billy froze, the sedative used on Will now in the side of his neck. It was there in the blink of an eye, and as Billy saw who was responsible for it, so did Stella.

There Max stood, a look of nervousness in her eye that was trying to be stoic.

The boy’s grip on Stella loosened, the girl panting as she pried his hands off completely. Billy began to stand, and the younger Harrington dragged herself away as she heaved.

“The hell is this?” Billy asked after taking the needle from his neck, his words slightly slurring. “You little shit, what did you do?”

“What did you do?” He breathed out one more time before falling backward and collapsing onto the hard wood floor. He began to cackle, whether it was because he was insane or drugged, Stella didn’t know.

Max caught sight of Steve’s nailed bat, picking it up. It reminded Stella of what had actually just happened, and she looked to her beaten brother, her eyes widening as he lay unconscious on the floor.

“From here on out, you leave me and my friends alone. Do you understand?” Max ordered her step-brother, bringing Stella’s attention back to her. The redhead had the bat held up, ready to swing at Billy. Max’s fear was gone, power overtaking her. Billy being drugged probably brought some sense of comfort, knowing he wasn’t a threat in this state.

“Screw you,” was all Billy said, and Max swung the bat. Stella flinched as the weapon landed in between Billy’s legs, just barely missing his crotch. Billy looked up at the bat, and some trace of fear was on his face as he saw how close it was. The wood floor audibly tore as Max ripped the bat from the ground. “Say you understand! Say it,” Max demanded. “Say it!” She screamed.

“I understand,” Billy muttered, almost inaudibly.

“What?”

“I understand,” Billy repeated himself, clearer this time.

Max dropped the bat, then made her way over to Stella, helping her off of the ground and immediately wrapping her arms around her, making the brunette stumble back a little. Stella reciprocated the hug, closing her eyes as she basked in the girl’s embrace, ignoring the screams from her shoulder and waist.

“You’re an idiot, Ess, ” Max said frustratedly as she pulled away, her hands remaining on Stella’s shoulders. Stella looked past Max to Steve. She let her hands drop from Max’s shoulders and rushed over to her brother, hissing a wince as she limped, crouching to check on him, her heart racing as she panicked.

“Steve?” She said, shaking her brother. When he was unresponsive, she hurried to feel the side of his neck, and she sighed in relief when she felt the rhythmic beating of his pulse.

“He’s okay,” she said, turning to face her friends. At those words, Max walked over to her own unconscious brother, grabbing his car keys from his pockets and holding them up. “Let’s get out of here.”

–

☄. *. ⋆ “Careful with him,” Stella repeated for what was probably the third time since they had hauled her brother in the car.

“We know,” Mike shot back, obviously sour that Stella got to sit shotgun. When he tried to express this sourness, Stella replied with, “I’m sorry, do you have deep flesh wounds?” And he couldn’t argue with it.

“Nancy?” Stella heard Steve mumble from the back seat. She glanced back at him, a smile reaching her face. “Welcome back.”

Steve didn’t reply, confused as he looked around the car.

Dustin spoke to him, shushing and attempting to console the boy.

“Okay, Cali, straight for half a mile, then turn left in Mount Sinai,” Stella instructed, and Max nodded.

“What’s going on?” Steve asked, and Max looked back at him. The sight of a thirteen year old driving the car set Steve into a panic. “Oh my God!”

“Steve, relax, she’s driven before,” Dustin tried to comfort him, but Mike butt in at the statement. “Yeah, in a parking lot!”

“Really, Mike?” Stella narrowed her eyes at the boy, growing annoyed with him.

“That counts!” Lucas replied to the raven-haired boy.

“Oh my God!” Steve repeated.

“They were gonna leave you behind, Stella and I promised you’d be cool, okay?” Dustin told him. Stella was quick to speak up. “No no no, you said he’d be cool. I knew he’d freak but said we bring him anyway.”

“No, my God.”

Max started to speed up the car, making Stella grab onto the door handle for dear life, but an exhilarated grin reached her face as she glanced to the redhead beside her.

Steve’s frantic words from the backseat continued.

“Everybody shut up!” Max shouted. “I’m trying to focus!”

“Left! Turn left!” Stella shouted, and Max had no hesitation before she turned the steering wheel to the left.

Lucas and Steve screamed from the backseat, Stella saying nothing as she stared at the road in front of her, the smile still on her face as her heart rate picked up.

The car screeched to a sudden stop, throwing Stella forward in her seat before slamming her back against it.

“Incredible,” Mike breathed out from his seat in the back.

“Told you. Zoomer.”

“Oh my God,” Stella muttered in response, quiet enough that nobody heard her.

The kids all flooded out of the car, heading to the trunk to grab their supplies while Steve tumbled out of the vehicle with a groan.

Stella passed Max goggles and a bandana, the redhead taking them with a nod in appreciation.

“Oh, no, guys,” Steve croaked, but the kids continued as if they hadn’t heard anything. “Guys! Hey, where do you think you’re going?” Steve continued when one of the party members walked by. “What are you, deaf? Hello!? We are not going down there right now. I made myself clear!”

The kids continued to ignore him as they worked to secure the rope to the car, but Steve kept yelling. “Hey! There is no chance we are going down that hole, alright!? This ends right now!”

“Steve!” Dustin shouted, stopping the boy’s attempts to order them around. “You’re upset, I get it. But the bottom line is, a party member requires assistance, and it is our duty to provide that assistance,” he reasoned. “Now, I know you promised Nance that you would keep us safe,” Dustin held up a bag. “So keep us safe.”

“Yeah, not like I’m his sister or anything,” Stella muttered sarcastically.

Steve glanced at his sister, then sighed in defeat before grabbing the bag from the boy.

One by one, the six dropped into the tunnels, looking around at the slimy walls and vine-filled floors as they arrived.

As Stella and the others entered, she started to feel her chest tighten again, and the burning feel started to return. Will woke up.

“Holy shit,” Steve muttered, and Stella nodded. “Yeah. Holy shit.”

“Yeah, I’m pretty sure it’s this way!” Mike called, shining his flashlight on the map he held.

“You’re pretty sure, or you’re certain?” Dustin called back, and Stella knew Mike rolled his eyes by his responding tine. “I’m one hundred percent sure. Just follow me and you’ll know!” Mike told him before running off, Stella hurrying to follow as she tried her best to hide the pain rising in her body.

“Woah, woah, woah. Hey, hey, hey,” Steve stopped the boy. “I don’t think so.”

“What?”

“Any of you little shits die down here, I’m getting the blame. Got it, dipshit? Plus, Stella’s already hurt. We need to watch out for her.”

Stella rolled her eyes. She hated feeling like some kind of dead weight. “We don’t have to ‘watch out for me’.”

Steve looked back at her incredulously before making his way over. Stella furrowed her eyebrows as Steve grabbed the shoulder of the jacket she had grabbed and pulled it down, the bloody shoulder of her shirt showing that she was in critical condition even through the red fabric of the shirt. Stella scoffed and pulled her jacket back up. “I’m fine,” she said, then started walking before anyone could speak again.

Steve made his way to the front again. “From now on, I’m leading the way,” he announced. “Let’s go. Come on! Hey, a little hustle!”

“Shut up, Steve!”

–

☄. *. ⋆ After walking for a bit longer, the group started to see strange creatures looking things on the walls, Stella groaning in disgust. “Ugh.”

“Oh, God.”

“What is this place?”

“Guys, come on,” Steve rushed them. “Keep moving!”

As the ventured forward, they suddenly heard the panicked sounds of Dustin Henderson. “Help! Shit! Help!”

Stella whipped around when she heard it, immediately breaking out into a run to reach her frantic friend.

“What happened!?”

“It got in my mouth! Some got in my mouth! Shit!” The boy squealed more, coughing and choking, then started to calm down. “I’m okay.”

Everyone started to scoff in disbelief, annoyed that the boy had overreacted so heavily, walking off after commenting their own opinions.

They walked a bit more, eventually reaching an area where every tunnel seemed to connect. The hub.

“Let’s drench it.”

Stella tripped as she poured her canister of gasoline out, wincing and squeezing her eyes shut, clutching her chest as she crumbled to one knee. The burning throughout her whole body, the vertigo, and the nausea were all tormenting her, and were becoming unbearable.

“You okay?”

Stella opened her eyes, turning her head to see Max Mayfield looking at her with a concerned expression.

“Yeah. I’m just…” Stella racked her brain for an excuse. “I… cramps.”

Max winced as she nodded, then continued to empty her container.

After they had all emptied their jugs of gasoline, they stood back, preparing themselves for what they were about to do.

“Alright, you guys ready?” Steve asked, crouching down with a lighter in his hand.

Everyone expressed their confirmation, and Steve flicked the lighter at Dustin’s words.

“Light her up,” he said, and Stella got increasingly nervous, her palms sweating. Partly because of the heat she was already feeling, but mostly because of her nerves. She knew this would hurt.

“I am in such deep shit,” Steve muttered before tossing the lighter into the puddles of gasoline.

Boiling water seemed to replace Stella’s blood.

The searing pain coursed through Stella’s veins, and the pain was immeasurable. Safe to say, it was far worse than she expected. Clutching her chest, she fell to the ground with a grunt, starting to hyperventilate as she gasped for air.

Her panting turned into small whines, which quickly turned into screams. Guttural screams of pure agony. The others had skidded to a stop the instant they heard her start to scream, whipping around as they realized she wasn’t following.

“Ess!”
“Stella!”
“Shit! Essie!?”

Stella gripped a vine below her after tearing off her bandana and goggles, squeezing the vine as hard as she could as if it would ease her pain at all as she screamed in pure pain.

Her friends and brother hovered above her, calling her name repeatedly in a panic.

But she couldn’t answer.

Max reached out, grabbing Stella’s hand try to pull her up, but she was hot to the touch, and it burned Max’s hands. “Shit!”

The redhead flinched away as Stella’s temperature seared her hands, wincing as she looked from her burned palms to the girl in front of her. Max then looked to the others around her. “She’s burning up.”

The others looked from Max back down to the Harrington in front of them, their eyes wide.

Stella grabbed another vine below after the last one ripped, and she felt a new heat rise to her hands.

The others backed up as embers of a flame rose from under her hand, only there was no fire there.

The embers continued to rise from beneath her hands, starting to flood out in larger amounts by the second.

After a moment, the embers suddenly sparked into a flame coming from beneath Stella’s hands, and her friends jumped back as they watched in horror.

Stella noticed, but she couldn’t react as she writhed in pain. She hadn’t felt that helpless in her entire life.

Steve took his jacket off, trying to snuff the flames out, but they kept coming.

Knowing they had to leave, Steve grabbed his little sister, feeling how warm she was even through her shirt and jacket, but it wasn’t too bad through the layers. He managed to get her to her feet, and she wrapped an arm around him for stability, doing the same to Max on the other side. The redhead had hurried to her side the instant she stood.

The barely conscious Stella tried her best to start running with them, stumbling and tripping with every step, the weight of just what Steve and Max weren’t carrying being almost too much.

Mike’s screams from behind everyone made everyone turn around, Stella quite weakly.

The boy had tripped, a vine snaked around his ankle being the cause.

“Help! Help!” Mike repeatedly screamed, and everyone came rushing back.

Everyone but Steve and Stella tried to pull him out, but Stella went for the vine around him, collapsing to her knees and grabbing it and trying to yank it off of him, her efforts fruitless.

The girl pulled on it, but she was far too weak for that in the moment. Simply gripping the vine felt like she wasn’t strong enough to do so.

“Get… the hell off!” Stella screamed, rage flooding her emotions, and on the last word, a flame sparked for an instant under her hand, and the vine retreated.

Through her blurry vision, Stella stared at the fleeing vine in shock, then to her hand, but she was pulled off of her feet before she could process anything, a loud, growling chitter sounded from behind them, and they whipped around.

A demodog stood before them.

“Dart.”

Everyone looked to Dustin when he spoke the familiar name, and Stella thought back to when Dart had bit her. She wasn’t very fond of him after that. Her eyes drooped, and she fought to stay awake.

“Dustin, get back!”

“Dustin!”

“Dustin, stop it!”

“Shh!” Dustin hushed everyone’s protests as he neared the creature. “Just trust me. Please.”

“Hey,” Dustin greeted as he crouched down slightly to Dart. “It’s me. It’s your friend, it’s Dustin. It’s Dustin, alright? You remember me?”

Dart seemed curious rather than aggressive or hostile like the creatures of the Upside Down typically were.

“Will you let us pass?” Dustin asked, and Dart snarled, making everyone jump. Somehow, the Henderson boy managed to stay calm. “Okay, okay. I’m sorry. I’m sorry about the storm cellar. That was a pretty douchey thing to do. You hungry?” He asked, reaching for his backpack. “Yeah?”

“He’s insane,” Lucas whispered, everyone besides Dustin and Stella immediately shushing him. Stella threw her head back as she shut her eyes, trying her best not to start wailing in pain again as but a mere whine escaped her lips.

“I’ve got our favorite,” Dustin continued to speak to Dart, holding up a candy bar. “See? Nougat.”

He placed the candy bar down and Dart started to enjoy the snack, Dustin giving him more as a distraction as he waved his friends by.

The four others tried their bests to go unnoticed by Dart, succeeding and waiting a moment for Dustin to follow.

Dustin said a final goodbye to Dart before following the others back to the exit.

The group had finally made it close to the exit when everything started to shake. Stella’s first thought was an earthquake, but she realized she was sadly mistaken when she heard roaring. Familiar roaring. Demodogs.

“What was that!?” Max asked, and Stella replied tiredly. “Demodogs…” she managed, practically a whimper, breathing sharply after her word. She wanted nothing more than to go to sleep.

“They’re coming,” Mike said. “Run! Run!”

The group broke into a sprint, Stella going as fast as she could, which was practically just moving her legs while Steve and Max did the traveling part for her.

“Go! Go!”

The rope came into view.

“There! There!”

They hurried to the rope, Steve trying to help Stella up first, but she shook her head. “Get her up first,” she said, pointing to Max behind her.

Steve looked past his sister to Max and neither of them had time to argue before he grabbed Max, lifting her up and hoisting her through the exit. When Max made it up, she immediately reached her hand back down. “Ess, come on!”

Stella looked to the boys, wanting them to go before her, but they all gestured for her to go, and she gave in. The girl reached up, grabbing Max’s hand when Steve lifted her, and mustered up enough strength to surface herself with the help of her brother and Max. Max endured the warmth from Stella’s contact, thankfully not as hot as moments earlier, although Stella’s pain didn’t lessen in the slightest.

As weak as she was, Stella pushed herself to help the others up, and once it was just Dustin and Steve, they stopped at the rumbling sound neared them.

What are they doing?

The boys froze, staring off in the direction of the sound, Steve with his bat ready. Stella hurried to sit up and look away when she saw the movement hurdling towards her brother and friend.

The rumbling continued, but her friends’ shouts stopped. She hesitantly looked back down, seeing the demodogs all stampeding through the tunnels, but ignoring her brother and friend. The girl let out a relieved exhale at the sight of the boys being alright, but she realized something after Mike spoke it.

“Eleven.”

They all hurried to get the last two people out of the tunnels, and they all stood, Stella weakly pushing herself to her feet.

They turned around when the car’s headlights sounded a beaming sound and seemed to get brighter and brighter, shielding their eyes.

As the lights faded back down, the pain that had been torturing Stella fizzled away.

The relief washed over her, and she fell.

–

☄. *. ⋆ Estelle Harrington woke up on the couch in the Byers’ living room.

She winced as the stinging in her shoulder and torso returned, a painful reminder of the events at the junkyard.

Steve, who had been watching her intently as he bounced his foot, immediately perked up at the awakening of his sister. “Hey, Essie.”

Then everything came back to her.

The tunnels, the burning feeling, the demodogs, the gate, the vines,

the fire.

She grew afraid.

Afraid of herself.

She had set those vines on fire. It was her. Not with the gasoline, with her hands.

“What… what did I do? How…” Stella, trailed off, her head pounding.

Max had appeared from the corner of the house after hearing Steve’s greeting to Stella. “Holy shit, Ess.”

“Stella!” Dustin yelled as him, Lucas and Mike hurried to join in the living room. Along came Eleven, silently following.

Soon, everyone stood before her. Hopper, Mike, Dustin, Lucas, Steve, Max, and El.

“Hey, kid.”

“Where’s Will?” She mumbled, blinking as she looked around at everyone in front of her.

“He’s still sleeping. Ms. Byers is with him,” Mike told, and Stella nodded.

“Are you okay?” Max asked hesitantly, her face concerned. Stella nodded again, her throat having burned with the few words she said.

“Do you remember what you did?” Mike asked bluntly. Not mean, not pointed, just curious.

“Dude,” Steve lightly hit the boy, scolding him for the carelessness of her words. Stella somewhat appreciated it, though. He wasn’t talking to her like she was fragile.

“What?” Mike asked, Steve only scoffing.

“Yeah,” Stella nodded again, her voice cracking a bit as her eyes threatened to brim with tears. She blinked them back. “How did I…?”

Everyone looked at each other, then ultimately to Dustin, who sighed. “Well, you got the super strength and enhanced reflexes from Dart’s bite, so I think it’s safe to say that this was another contribution,” the boy explained. “But it was awesome!”

Dustin caught the glances at him in the room. “Sor- sorry.”

Stella’s eyes landed past Dustin onto Eleven, a soft smile on her face. “El.”

“I closed the gate,” Eleven told her, the words finalizing everyone’s thoughts.

It’s over.

─────✧･ﾟ: *✧･

flashback to me saying “the next chapter might be a little short”

SNOWBALL TIME (this entire story is still a draft)

i’m flabbergasted that i pretty much finished s2 and this is still a draft what 😭

things i almost did part 8: so all the way back in the “natural zoomer” chapter, mike said that stella’s d&d class was a sorcerer. originally, she was a fighter but i realized i could foreshadow her pyrokinesis since sorcerers have the ability to manipulate fire and stuff. anyone notice that btw?

anyway SNOWBALL TIME YAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAY

i have plans for the snowball chapter

SEE YA SOON