ANGELA [STRANGER THINGS]

four.

" AM I THE ONLY ONE I KNOW? WAGING MY WARS BEHIND MY FACE AND ABOVE MY THROAT "

—

It wasn't right – none of this was.

Angela knew it from the beginning that he was the cause of all of this. Part of her didn't want to believe it, but it was true. She understood that the moment they pulled Will's body out of the lake.

Angela was smart enough to know that it wasn't Will, and if she could just show that to somebody, the whole search would be so much easier.

It was early morning when the light in her bedroom blinked. She hadn't gotten a single second of sleep, having been too busy worrying about that monster.

She had to pay attention to Will now. Even though she was wide awake, the sign of Will trying to connect with her wakened her up enough.

"I know you're scared, Will," Angela said, staring at the light on her nightstand. "I'm scared too, but we're going to be brave, okay? We have to be strong for each other, so just hang in there. I'm going to bring you back home, I promise."

Angela has never promised someone anything, and the promises that she's witnessed were never kept. She intends on finding Will, even if it's the last thing she'll do.

She looked down at the bandage that covered her forearm, the thought of Jonathan surfing in her mind. She felt bad about leaving him in the dark about where Will was, but Jonathan would never understand.

Getting dressed for the day, Angela quickly leaves the house. Her car keys were in the pocket of her jacket. Jonathan must have put them there before he left.

As she drove down the road, she spotted a group of boys walking their bikes. Angela recognized one of them to be her brother.

She pulled over, turning off the car and running towards David.

"David!" Angela called out. All the boys turned around, and then she noticed a girl with them. But when she heard the sniffles and saw the wet cheeks, her focus went right back on her brother.

She took him into her arms, trying to push his broken pieces back together. Angela wanted to fix him, but she couldn't tell him anything until she knows it's safe.

"I heard about what happened," she said, her mouth right next to his ear.

"We watched them pull his body out of the water," David told her, trembling slightly in her arms. "He's dead."

Angela pulled away from him, wiping the tears from his cheeks. "I'll give you some space. You can stay with Michael for a few days."

With that, she let David walk solemnly away. She had to fix this before it got worse.

She got back into her car, zooming passed the kids and speeding down the road towards Jonathan's house. Whether he would believe her or not didn't matter anymore; this was Will's life at stake.

She parked in the driveway, getting out of her car quickly. Angela knocked on the front door, more assertive than before.

Jonathan pulled the door open, quite shocked to find Angela on the other side. "Angela?"

"Is your mom home?"

"Uh, not-"

"Good. Get in the car."

Jonathan never heard Angela so determined, and to some extent, it kind of terrified him. He followed her nonetheless, thinking that it had to be something important if she was acting this way.

As soon as they were on the road, Jonathan began asking questions. "Angela, what's going on?"

"Listen, I know where your brother is," Angela sighed, her grip tightening on the steering wheel. "I need your help breaking in."

"Wait, what?" Jonathan stared at Angela, confused. "But, he's dead."

"I know it's hard to believe, and that's part of the reason why I didn't tell you in the first place," Angela said.

"You knew where he was and didn't tell me?!" Jonathan asked incredulously, eyes widening.

"It's not what you think, trust me," Angela replied in a monotone.

"Where is he then, besides the morgue?" Jonathan grumbled, glaring at Angela and thinking this was some stupid prank.

"It's an alternative universe of sorts," she explained as calmly as she could. "It's the darkest and scariest place you could ever see."

"You're crazy."

"Jon, would I lie to you?"

"I don't know," he mumbled. "I don't even know you."

"That's just more of a reason to trust me," she said. "Why would a stranger be so determined on saving a kid she barely knows?"

"Because she's crazy."

"Jonathan, I'm not lying."

"Stop the car."

Angela was hesitant, pulling over on the road, only miles away from Hawkins Laboratory. She looked over at Jonathan. He had his eyes closed, but even if he did good at hiding it, Angela could see the tears welling up.

"Jon-"

"Will is dead, Angela," he sniffles, choking back a sob. His eyes were beginning to go red. "My little brother is gone, and I don't even know who killed him or how he died. I don't know if his last thoughts were about his family, how he felt abandoned because we couldn't save him in time. And, oh my God, he was so young and innocent. And here you are, dragging me out of my own house and my mourning to try and tell me that Will's still alive and you've known where he is this whole time. How dare you?"

Angela just sat there, taking in all of his harsh words. She knew he wouldn't believe her.

"Why would you do that to me – to my family?" Jonathan asked, looking up at her with confusion.

"I was Will once," she replied, her voice timid. "I was trapped in that alternative universe all alone, with no family that would come and look for me because they were taken away from me long ago. I-I just, I don't know. I couldn't just sit by and let Will face that same fate as I once did when I know that he has a family and friends waiting for him when he comes back. I couldn't sit by and do nothing."

"I'm sorry, but Will is dead."

Angela watched as Jonathan fled from her car and walk back in the direction of his house.

—

Hope you guys are liking this story so far. :)

Thanks for reading, hope you had a wonderful day.

All my love,
mikayla x.