At first, Shannon Bishop was just the babysitter. It was convenient, living in the same neighborhood as the Hendersons, but it wasn't too much of a stretch to move to the Wheelers' house or even out where the Byers family lived to watch all the boys...
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Coming back to the Harrington house felt like a twisted joke. The last time Shannon had come here, she'd been with two of her closest friends. She'd been here to party, to drink and have fun despite how much Steve's chosen company often annoyed her. She'd gone home that night with only concerns about disappointing her dad on her mind, worried he would judge her for smelling like alcohol and wearing boy's clothes.
Now here she was, returning to the same house under entirely different circumstances. Barb was missing, and Nancy had no idea this was where she would be. Coming here was an act of avoidance, not for entertainment, and she didn't make good company for anyone after the night she'd had. She was here because she wasn't ready to go home, didn't have a strong poker face or solid excuse to explain why she was returning earlier than she'd promised, and if all she did was drink a little booze and borrow more clothes, that was minor compared to the supernatural things happening here in Hawkins.
Steve let her inside the house before muttering about how he'd be back in a minute, then took off. At first she just stood in the grand foyer area, but then she wandered around the ground floor until she reached the room where everything had happened— the room with the sliding door that led out to the backyard, to the pool. She stood at the glass, staring out into the inky darkness, and recalled how a flicker of movement had made her go out to investigate, thinking it was Barb. Now she knew better— the quick movement had been the monster grabbing her unsuspecting friend, sweeping her away just like how it had swept away the injured deer, and had she known that, maybe she would have never gone outside to look.
"Hey." Shannon jumped, turning at the sound of Steve's voice behind her. He tipped his head in apology and held out his arms, which were laden with blankets. "Sorry. Just went to get more blankets for you."
"Thanks." She took them from him, squeezed them tightly against her body, and allowed a small smile. "I've been freezing all night."
He glanced at her floral pajamas and smirked. "Probably should have grabbed a jacket at Nancy's before you decided to ditch her, huh?"
At the brunette's name, Shannon paled. "Can I use your phone?"
If he was concerned, he didn't show it. "Yeah, sure. Over here."
She knew where his phone was— she'd made a call from it last time while he'd been asleep— but she waited for him to show it to her before she dialed the Wheelers, hopeful that anyone but Karen would answer the phone. She knew Shannon was staying the night, so it would be hard to explain why she was calling from another house this late.
Please not Karen, please not Karen, please not Karen—
"Hello?"
Shannon exhaled in relief at Nancy's hushed voice. "Hey, Nance."
"Shannon? Where are you?" The call crackled, signaling that Nancy was moving around on her end. "Jonathan just went outside to go look for you!"
Shannon's chest tightened, and she turned away from Steve, who lingered at the opposite end of the room, clearly trying not to listen but not entirely far enough away to avoid hearing things. "Go bring him back inside. I'll wait on the line, okay?"
