ocean eyes ✧ Billy Hargrove

[ 022 ]

Daphne was confused. Ever since she'd driven Billy and Max home, she couldn't shake the feeling that something was off. Billy had shown a side of himself that was so different from the cocky, flirtatious guy everyone knew.

His harshness with Max, his obsession with protecting her from Lucas—Daphne didn't understand it. Why was he so intense, so afraid? And why was she seeing a side of him that no one else seemed to see? The whole thing left her uneasy, but she pushed the thoughts to the back of her mind as she spent time at Tina's.

When she finally returned home, nothing could have prepared her for what she walked into.

The moment she opened the door, she was greeted by a chaotic scene. Drawings—hundreds of them—covered the walls, the floor, even the furniture. They were crude and frantic, depicting twisted black vines snaking through Hawkins, and it took her breath away. Her mother, Joyce, was pacing the living room, clutching the phone, her eyes wild with panic.

"Mom?" Daphne's voice was shaky as she stepped further into the room, her eyes scanning the surreal sight. "What's going on? What are these drawings?"

Joyce whirled around, startled by her daughter's sudden presence. "Daphne! It's Will—he's been drawing these... these vines. He's seeing what the entity is seeing, feeling what it's feeling. Hopper was here earlier, but he left, and now I can't reach him! I've been trying to call him all day!"

Daphne's heart raced as she took in her mother's frantic explanation. The weight of it all began to sink in—this was far worse than anything she had imagined. She knew Will had been having episodes, but this... this was something else entirely.

Without another word, Daphne hurried to Will's room. She needed to see her brother, to make sense of what was happening. When she entered, she found Mike sitting beside Will, who was drenched in sweat, staring blankly ahead.

"Hey, guys," Daphne said softly, trying to keep her voice steady.

Mike looked up, his face tight with concern. "Daphne, hi."

Daphne knelt beside Will, her heart breaking at the sight of her little brother looking so fragile. "Willy, what's going on? Mom tried to explain it to me, but... it doesn't make sense."

Will's voice was weak and trembling, but he forced himself to speak. "It's like... like I feel what the shadow monster's feeling. See what he's seeing."

"Like in the Upside Down?" Daphne asked, her voice barely a whisper.

"Some of him is there, but some of him is here too," Will replied, his voice cracking with fear.

Daphne felt a cold chill run down her spine. "Here? Like, in the house?"

Will nodded slowly, his eyes welling with tears. "In this house and... in me."

Daphne's breath caught in her throat. She didn't want to believe it, but the terror in Will's eyes made it impossible to deny. "What?"

Will swallowed hard, his gaze distant. "It's like he's reaching into Hawkins more and more. And the more he spreads, the more connected to him I feel."

Mike leaned in, trying to find a silver lining. "And the more you see these memories now."

Will nodded. "At first, I just felt it in the back of my head. I didn't even really know it was there. It was like when you have a dream and you can't remember it unless you think really hard. It was like that. But now it's like... now I remember all the time."

Mike tried to be optimistic, his voice gentle. "Maybe that's... good."

Will and Daphne both looked at him, confused by his words.

Mike continued, a determined look on his face. "Just think about it, guys. Will's like a spy now, a superspy. You're spying on the shadow monster. If you know what he's seeing and feeling..."

Daphne cut in, her voice steadier now. "We can stop him."

Mike nodded, hope flickering in his eyes. "Maybe all of this is happening for a reason."

Will looked down at his drawing of the shadow monster, his hands trembling. "What if he figures out we're spying on him? What if he spies back?"

Daphne's heart ached seeing her brother like this. She knelt in front of him, gently taking his hands in hers. "He won't."

Will looked at her, his voice small. "How do you know?"

Mike chimed in, his tone resolute. "We won't let him."

That night, Daphne woke up with a start, her heart racing. The house was silent, but she could hear her brother's terrified screams echoing in her mind.

She got out of bed and made her way to the kitchen, her steps slow and heavy with dread.

When she entered the living room, she found her mother sitting on the floor amidst the sea of drawings, staring blankly at them, the phone lying next to her.

"Mom?" Daphne whispered, her voice trembling. "Are you okay?"

Joyce didn't look up, her eyes fixed on the tangled vines sketched on the paper. "Yeah, just... just trying to figure it out."

Before Daphne could respond, she heard Will's voice from the hallway, shaky and filled with fear. "Mom?"

Joyce snapped out of her trance, turning towards him. "Yeah? What's wrong, baby?"

Will stood in the doorway, his face pale and stricken. "I saw him."

Joyce's heart leaped into her throat. "Who?"

"Hopper," Will whispered, his voice barely audible. "I think he's in trouble. I... I think he's going to die."

The room fell into a heavy silence as Joyce and Daphne exchanged a horrified glance. Mike, who had been standing quietly by the door, was at a loss for words.

Daphne felt panic rising in her chest. She couldn't stay here—not with all these thoughts swirling around in her head. She needed to get out, to clear her mind.

"I—I've got to go," she stammered, backing towards the door.

Joyce looked at her, worry etched into her features. "Where are you going? You need to stay here, help us."

Daphne shook her head, her thoughts a chaotic mess. "I need to clear my head."

Without another word, she turned and bolted out the door, her mind racing. She barely registered getting into her car, her hands trembling as she gripped the steering wheel.

The engine roared to life, and she sped off into the night, not knowing or caring where she was headed. She just needed to escape, if only for a little while.

The darkness outside seemed to mirror the turmoil inside her, the shadows of Hawkins closing in as she drove aimlessly through the empty streets, trying to outrun the fear and confusion threatening to consume her.