[ Location: The Palace Arcade ][ Date: October 28th, 1984 - Sunday ]
"This is impossible!" Dustin screamed, slamming his hands against the Dig Dug machine. "751,300 points?! Who is MADMAX?!"
I leaned against the Dragon's Lair cabinet, sipping a Coke. I was wearing a denim jacket and looking noticeably less like a twig than last year. In fact, the reflection in the screen showed a jawline that could cut glass and messy curls that were scientifically engineered to look effortless.
"Maybe it's a cyborg," I suggested helpfully. "Or a ninja."
"A ninja?" Lucas scoffed, obsessively checking the high score list. "In Hawkins? Unlikely. It's probably some punk from the high school."
"Whoever it is," Dustin grumbled, "they humiliated us. They took our top spot."
I watched them panic over pixels. It was nostalgic. And peaceful.
'Enjoy it, boys. Because in about 48 hours, things go from 'High Score' to 'High Stakes'.'
I casually put a quarter into Dragon's Lair.
I focused on the screen. Dirk the Daring was running.
'Telekinesis.'
[ Ability Active: Telekinesis. ]
I nudged the joystick faster than my hand could move. Dirk dodged a fireball by a pixel.
"Whoa," a kid watching me whispered. "He's fast."
"It's all in the wrist," I lied.
Suddenly, the lights in the arcade flickered.
Buzz. Snap.
It was a surge.
I felt it. A cold prickle on the back of my neck.
I looked over at Will.
He was standing by the entrance, staring out into the parking lot. He wasn't moving. He wasn't blinking.
"Will?" I abandoned my game (Dirk died immediately) and walked over.
Will was trembling. His eyes were wide, reflecting not the arcade lights, but something else. Something red.
"Will!" Mike ran over, shaking him. "Will, are you okay?"
Will gasped, snapping back to reality. He looked around, terrified.
"I..." Will stammered. "I just... got dizzy."
"Another episode?" Mike asked gently.
"No," Will lied. "I'm fine."
I narrowed my eyes.
'He's not fine. He's seeing the Storm. The Mind Flayer is knocking.'
[ System Notice: Dimensional Breach Detected (Class 5). ][ Threat: The Mind Flayer. ][ Status: Encroaching. ]
'Here we go.'
"Let's get some air," I said, putting a hand on Will's shoulder. "It smells like sweaty feet and desperation in here anyway."
[ Location: Hawkins Middle School ][ Date: October 29th, 1984 - Monday Morning ]
"New student," Mr. Clarke announced. "All the way from California."
The door opened. A girl with fiery red hair and a scowl that could curdle milk walked in. She was wearing a skateboard under her arm (figuratively, she left it by the door) and an attitude that screamed "I hate everyone here."
Maxine Mayfield. MADMAX.
I leaned back in my chair.
'Okay. She's cute. In a terrifying, "I will bite your hand off" kind of way.'
The boys stared at her like she was an alien.
"It's her," Dustin whispered to Lucas. "The gamer."
"No way," Lucas whispered back. "Girls don't play video games."
"You guys are painfully 80s sometimes," I muttered, opening my textbook with a wave of my hand (subtle magic practice).
Max sat down. She caught the boys staring and glared at them. They scrambled to look away, terrified.
Then she looked at me.
I didn't look away. I didn't look scared. I just smirked and gave her a small nod.
Max blinked. She seemed confused that this kid wasn't intimidated. A light blush dusted her cheeks barely visible, but there. She quickly looked down at her desk, hiding behind her hair.
'Interesting.'
[ Location: The Cabin in the Woods ][ Time: 4:30 PM ]
I didn't go home after school. I went to the woods.
I apparated the last mile.
CRACK.
I stumbled into the clearing near the secret cabin.
[ System Notice: Apparition Proficiency Increased. ][ Current Mastery: Level 1 (15%) ]
'Still dizzy. Need to work on the landing.'
I walked up to the porch. I knew the secret knock.
Knock-knock. Knock... Knock-knock-knock.
The deadbolt slid back. The door opened a crack.
A familiar brown eye peered out.
"Ghost?"
"It's me, El," I smiled.
She threw the door open and pulled me inside. She looked bored out of her mind. Her hair was curly now, longer. She was wearing overalls.
"Late," she accused, hugging me tight around the waist.
"School," I apologized, hugging her back. "And I brought tribute."
I pulled a bag of Reese's Pieces from my inventory.
She snatched the candy. "Good."
We sat on the couch. The TV was playing a soap opera. El leaned against me, her head on my shoulder.
"Hopper says... soon," El said, staring at the TV. "Soon I can go out."
She looked up at me, her eyes intense. "With you."
"Yeah," I said softly, running a hand through her curls. "With me. We'll go to the Snow Ball. I promised."
"Promise," she nodded, satisfied. "Stupid Hopper. Keeping me in a box."
"He's trying to keep you safe, El," I said gently. "The Bad Men are still looking."
"Stupid," she muttered. "I have powers. You have powers. We fight."
"We will," I promised. "But not yet. There's... something coming. Something big."
She looked at me. "The Shadow?"
My blood ran cold. "You've seen it?"
"In the pitch black," she whispered. "Will sees it too?"
"Yeah," I nodded. "He does. I think"
"El," I said. "I need you to be ready. Practice your focus. Not just lifting things. But... sensing. Finding."
"Why?"
"Because when the Shadow comes," I said, standing up, "we're going to need to hit it with everything we've got."
Ding!
[ Quest Alert: The Pumpkin Patch ][ Objective: Investigate the rotting crops. ][ Reward: 100 Points. ]
I sighed. "Looks like I have to go farming."
"Farming?" El tilted her head.
"It's a metaphor," I said. "I have to go check on some pumpkins. Hopper is going to be there. If he sees me, I'm dead."
"Ninja," El suggested, making a hand seal she must have learned from my stories about Shikamaru.
"Exactly," I grinned. "Ninja."
I walked to the door.
"Vivan?"
"Yeah?"
"Tell Mike..." she hesitated.
I waited.
"Tell Mike... friend," she said firmly.
I smiled. "I will. 'Hello, friend.' Got it."
I slipped out the door.
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