Stare.

Chapter Seven: The Bathtub

After being driven in the back of the cop car, I was sitting at someone's desk in the police station with my hands cuffed on the desk and an ice pack on one of my hands. I had bruises on my cheekbones and eye, and had dried blood under my nose and different little spots around my face. My head was pounding and my body was tired. Jonathan and Nancy sat with me. 

I heard the front door of the police station open and saw Mom and Hopper come through it. The police officer had called both of them. My lucky day.

 Mom's eyebrows already furrowed as she approached the three of us. "Hey. Y/n? Jesus, what-- what happened?" 

"Ma'am..." Officer Callahan spoke. 

"I'm fine," I said to her, avoiding eye contact. 

"Why is she wearing handcuffs?" Mom questioned the officer. 

"Well, your daughter assaulted a police officer. That's why." Officer Callahan said, looking down at me.

"Take them off." Mom demanded him. 

"I am afraid I cannot do that." 

"Take them off!" 

"You heard her. Take them off." Hopper said, backing her up. 

"Chief, I get everybody's emotional here, but there's something you need to see." Hopper and the 2 other police officers walked out of the station then shortly after came back inside with a box filled with ammunition and bear traps. 

"I have nothing to do with that," I said quickly as Hopper placed it down in front of me. 

"Why don't you ask your brother? We found it in his car." Hopper said flatly. 

"What?"

"What?" Mom and I both said at the same time. 

"Why are you going through my car?" Jonathan said, staring up at Hopper. 

"Is that really the question you should be asking right now? I wanna see you in my office." Hopper said, leaning down on the desk. 

"You won't believe me." 

"Why don't you give me a try?" Hopper looked down at him. 

"Can you guys take these handcuffs off me now?" I said. Hopper looked over at me. One of the other cops sighed and then took them off me. I instinctively rubbed my wrists from the relief of the restraints.  

We followed Hopper into his office, and Jonathan and Nancy showed us a picture of this weird monster that Jonathan photographed the night of Steve's party. Was this the thing that kidnapped Will? Is that how he was in the...wall? So the conversation Will's friends had with Mr Clarke about different dimensions and how to travel to them, that had something to do with all this?

"You say blood draws this thing?" Hopper asked, looking up from the photo over to the two. 

"We don't know." 

"It's just a theory." 

Mom looked away from Jonathan before asking both of us to talk outside of Hopper's office. 

"I'm sorry, Mom," Jonathan said softly as he leaned against the wall.

"What, you're sorry? You're...you're sorry?" She stammered, sounding like she was about to cry.

I was already crying. 

"That is not good enough, Jonathan." She continued.

"I know." He replied.