The Overcomer, Stranger Things

A visitor from the Upside Down

As Gwen rode back to the Byers' residence in the backseat of Johnathan's car the girl had a blank expression on her face, severely contrasting her earlier mood at the beginning of the night. The Byers girl seemed to be in somewhat of a daze, not really noticing or even caring what was going on around her. All she could think about was that girl that ran past her in the Upside Down. Who was she? How did she get there? How long had she been there? And most importantly, why did she save her?

Due to her overwhelming thoughts drowning out all the noise around her, Gwen didn't even hear Johnathan ask her how trick-or-treating went. Johnathan and Will exchanged a glance before the latter reached over and shook her shoulder. Gwen slowly blinked her eyes open before her bright blue orbs settled on her brother.

"Hm?" Gwen hummed drowsily, clearly half-asleep.

"Johnathan was asking how your Halloween was," Will clarified as he kept his eyes trained on his little sister. Johnathan momentarily let his gaze flick over to the rearview mirror, so he could catch a glimpse of the girl. He was slightly taken aback by how drained she seemed--like all the life was sucked out of her.

"Oh yeah... it was... it was fine," Gwen responded as she tried to get the images of the Demagororgan prowling toward her out of her head. Before either of the boys could question her further, they had pulled up in front of the Byers' household where their mom was waiting impatiently. When she spotted the car, she immediately darted over to Gwen's door. Meanwhile, Gwen was bewildered when, out of nowhere, arms started pulling her out of the car. The Byers girl's worries were ceased when she gets enveloped by a familiar smell of pinewood and cigarettes.

"Hi, Mom," Gwen grins as she hugs the older woman back, making her brothers chuckle.

"Hi, Baby," Joyce cooed before giving the girl one more loving squeeze and reluctantly pulling away. "So how was Halloween?"

"I-it was-it was fine. Good. Great. It was great," Gwen stuttered out unconvincingly, making her mother give her a questioning look. The 8-year-old looked down at her sparkly princess shoes in response. Joyce simply sighed before touching a hand on top of her head and leading her inside the house. As she stepped inside, the uneasy mother looked back at her boys and subtly motioned her head toward the hallway. Picking up on the hint, the Byers boys exchanged a glance before going to their rooms. Gwen tried to follow them only for her mother to block her.

"Ah ah you aren't going anywhere, Missy," Joyce wagged her finger at the girl playfully before grasping both her shoulders and steering her toward the couch.

"As much as I appreciate you hindering my sleeping routine, why exactly are you keeping me from my nice, warm bed?" Gwen asked as she cuddled up to her mom on the couch.

"Is that sarcasm I detect?" Joyce teased as she tickled the girl's sides, making Gwen laugh and squirm away from her.

"Is that child abuse I perceive?" the 8-year-old fired back, making her mother gasp.

"Tickling isn't child abuse!"

"The internet says otherwise. One article I read said that excessive tickling is actually a common tactic bullies use to torture their victims. So you might want to rethink--"

"Okay, okay! I get it. Thank you, Gwen," Joyce huffed, knowing she had lost this particular battle.

"So what did you want to talk to me about?" Gwen asked as she scooted back over to her mom, the brunette woman immediately wrapping her arms around the girl.

"You seemed a little off when you came home. Did something happen?" Joyce questioned worriedly, causing her daughter to avoid eye contact.

"Uh, n-no. O-of course not. Why would you think that?" Gwen wondered as she played with the gold beaded bracelet on her wrist.