[ Location: Hawkins Middle School - Hallway ][ Date: October 31st, 1984 - Halloween ]
"Why?" I asked, staring at myself in the bathroom mirror. "Why did I agree to this?"
I was wearing a beige flight suit. It was made of a material that was definitely flammable and itchy. On my back was a proton pack made of cardboard, duct tape, and a vacuum cleaner hose.
'I have the Philosopher's Stone in my pocket. I have the power to reshape matter. And yet, here I am, cosplaying a janitor who hunts ghosts Damnit.'
I walked out of the bathroom.
Mike, Lucas, and Dustin were waiting. They were wearing identical suits.
"Who you gonna call?" Dustin grinned, toothless and proud.
"The fashion police," I muttered.
"Come on, Vivan!" Mike adjusted his pack. "We look awesome. We are the Ghostbusters. And you agreed to be Winston."
"I agreed to be part of the group," I corrected. "I didn't agree to look like a potato sack."
'lets Fix this shit.'
I focused. My suit rippled slightly. The baggy fabric tightened in the shoulders, cinched at the waist, and the beige color shifted a shade darker, looking less like "vomit" and more like "desert tactical."
"Whoa," Lucas frowned. "Did you... iron yours?"
"Something like that," I winked.
We walked into the hallway.
Silence.
Hundreds of students turned to look at us. They were wearing jeans. T-shirts. Denim jackets.
Nobody else was wearing a costume.
"Oh," Mike whispered. "Oh no."
"Abort," Lucas hissed. "Abort mission!"
"It's Halloween!" Dustin argued, his voice cracking.
"In high school!" a random kid shouted. "You look like dorks!"
I sighed. 'Social suicide, the true horror of the 80s.'
Suddenly, a skateboard rolled past us.
Maxine Mayfield cruised by, weaving through the crowd. She hopped off her board, holding it under her arm. She looked us up and down.
"Neat," she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Ghostbusters."
"It's a classic," Dustin defended weakly.
Max looked at me. She noticed my suit actually fit. She noticed I wasn't sweating or panicking like the others.
"And who are you supposed to be?" she asked, tilting her head. " The one who actually reads the GQ magazine?"
"I'm the Ghostbuster who solves the plot holes," I smirked. "Nice board, Madmax."
Her eyes widened. "How did you—"
"I read the high score list," I lied. "751,300. Impressive."
She flushed, trying to hide a smile behind a scowl. "Stalker."
"Fan," I corrected.
She rolled her eyes and walked away, but I saw her look back once.
[ System Notice: Relationship with Max Mayfield unlocked. Status: Intrigued/Wary. ]
[ Location: Merrill's Pumpkin Patch ][ Time: 4:00 PM ]
School was over. The boys were prepping for Trick-or-Treating.
I had a different mission.
'Quest: Investigate the rotting crops.'
I stood at the edge of Eugene Merrill's farm. The smell hit me first. It wasn't just rotting vegetables. It was sulfur. Ammonia. Decay.
The pumpkins were black. collapsed in on themselves like deflated balloons. Flies buzzed in thick clouds.
"Disgusting," I whispered, pulling my shirt over my nose.
I ignored him.
I stepped into the field.
' This is the Upside Down bleeding.'
I knelt down near a particularly nasty pumpkin. I didn't touch it.
'Telekinesis.'
[ Ability Active: Telekinesis. ]
I lifted a glob of the black slime. It dripped, thick and viscous.
Underneath the pumpkin, the ground was soft. Too soft.
'Remote Viewing. Look under the soil.'
[ Ability Active: Remote Viewing. ]
My vision shifted. I pushed my consciousness down, through the dirt.
Roots. But not pumpkin roots.
Massive, moving vines. Tunnels. A network of biological pipes pumping toxic gas through the earth.
The Tunnels.
The Mind Flayer was terraforming Hawkins from below.
Suddenly, a blue police cruiser rolled up the gravel driveway.
Hopper.
I snapped back to my body.
'Crap. Can't let him see me. He'll ask too many questions.'
"Apparition," I whispered.
CRACK.
I vanished just as Hopper stepped out of his truck.
[ Location: Loch Nora - Trick or Treating ][ Time: 7:30 PM ]
"Trick or Treat!"
We were walking through the rich neighborhood. The pillowcases were getting heavy.
Will was filming everything with his video camera. He looked... fragile.
"You okay, Will?" I asked, walking beside him.
"Yeah," he smiled nervously. "Just... lots of people."
Suddenly, three teenagers in masks jumped out from behind a hedge.
"BOO!"
Will flinched. He dropped his camera.
And then he froze.
He wasn't looking at the teenagers. He was looking at the sky.
I knew what he was seeing. The sky turning red. The giant spider-shadow looming over the school.
"Will!" Mike yelled.
Will was trembling, his eyes rolled back.
'He's in the True Sight. The Mind Flayer is gonna dementor's kiss him.'
I grabbed Will's shoulder.
'Legilimency? No, I haven't learned it yet. Occlumency? Can I project a shield?'
I placed my hand on the back of his neck.
'Mental Barrier. Push!'
Put on the pressure around him. It was abstract, dangerous, and probably stupid.
But Will gasped. His eyes snapped forward.
"Vivan?" he whispered, clutching my arm. "It... it went away."
"I got you," I said softly. "I'm right here."
"What happened?" Mike asked, running over.
"Just a scare," I said. "Those guys were jerks."
Will looked at me. He knew I did something. But he didn't say anything.
[ Location: Dustin's House - Late Night ]
I walked Dustin home. Or rather, I apparated to his roof and watched him walk in because I was bored and grinding my Remote Viewing.
Dustin walked to his trash can outside. He heard a noise.
Rattle.
"Hello?" Dustin whispered, shining his flashlight.
He opened the lid.
Inside, among the candy wrappers, was a small, slimy, slug-like creature. It looked like a pollywog, but with a mouth that opened like a flower.
Dart.
Dustin's eyes lit up. "Whoa. What are you?"
He reached in and picked it up.
[ System Alert: New Entity Detected. Designation: Demodog Larva. ][ Threat Level: Growing. ]
I watched from the roof.
'I should kill it,' I thought. 'I could crush it right now with a thought. Save Mews the cat. Save us a lot of trouble.'
I raised my hand.
'Telekinesis: Crush.'
But I stopped.
'If I kill Dart, Dustin doesn't learn. If Dustin doesn't learn, he doesn't bond with Steve. The Party dynamic fails.'
And honestly... I wanted to see how fast I could level up fighting a pack of Demodogs later.
"Enjoy your pet, Henderson," I whispered. "Just don't let it eat your face."
I turned and apparated away.
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