Stranger Things: The Lost Family (Part 1)

Castle Byers

It was 8:00 PM in Hawkins. Will understood Winter was living rough in the woods, and allowed her to take a shower, even to rest on his couch. She hadn't slept on anything so comftorable in the longest time. It took almost 2 minutes before she fell asleep. She had been resting for a while.

Will came back after spending some time in Castle Byers, to still see her on his couch. He smiled. He looked at her. She seemed so innocent to be going through something rough. Will felt bad, but Joyce would be home soon. He walked over to her on the couch, and gently shook her. Winter opened her eyes slowly, and looked at Will, smiling. "Everything okay?" She asked. "Actually, my Mom will be here soon." Will said. Winter suddenly became more awake, and got up. "Oh, hey. Don't get into a rush. It will take a while." Will said.

Winter yawned. "Do you need anything, like coffee?" He asked. Winter shook her head. "Do you actually have any apples?" She asked. Will was confused, but pointed to the fruit bowl on the counter. She took an apple. "Apples actually give you more of an energy boost than coffee, you know." She said. Will smiled. "Really?" He asked. Winter nodded, taking a bite of the apple. "Yeah. It's from the sugars in it. I call it The Apple Cheat." She said, grinning. Apples. Will needed to try that, for he wasn't always a morning person.

Will packed a few things up into his backpack, and took Winter outside. He was going to take her to Castle Byers for a place to rest, though he kind of felt embarassed showing her. As they walked through the woods, he saw her snapping her fingers. He was confused. "What are you doing?" He asked. Winter grinned. "You'll see." She said. As they kept walking, she kept snapping. Then, she smiled. Suddenly, a Red Fox came out of no where, coming to her. "Hi boy! It's me!" Winter said, leaning down, petting the fox, as if it were a domisticated dog. Will was confused. "Winter, is this a pet fox?" He asked. "Yup." Winter said, smiling. Will was confused. She looked at him. "Am I being weird?" She asked. Will broke into a smile. "Weird? This is so cool!" He said. Winter smiled.

As Will, Winter, and the Fox kept walking through the forest, Will had another question. "So, how did you train it?" Will asked. "Well, when I escaped from people trying to use me as a weapon, I've been living in the woods. Then I met Sam." Will thought this was the name of the fox. "It took a few months, but he became loyal to me." Winter explained. "But, how did you train it?" Will asked. "That I am still confused about." Winter said. "I guess he just... Trusts me."

They finally made it to Castle Byers. Winter looked up at it in amazement. "Will... It's lovely." She said. Will blushed. "No, seriously. I love it." She said. Winter lifted up the blankets acting as a doorway, and went in. There were blankets on the ground, and a few books. Will poked his head in. He took off his backpack, and brought out matches, and a few candles. "Be very, very careful with these." Will said to Winter. Winter nodded. Will was about to leave, when Winter called. "Hey, Will..." Will stuck his head into the castle again. "Yeah?" He asked. Winter looked nervous. "Can you... Do you want to talk for a little bit?" She asked. Will nodded, and came into the Castle.

Will sat next to Winter. "You know, when I built this, it was after my Dad left the house." He said. Winter looked confused. "Your parents are divorced?" She asked. Will nodded. "Yeah. He wasn't good with me." Will said. "He called me a... Called me a... A fag." Will said, looking a little bit sick. Winter looked at him. She put her hand on his. He almost took has hand away, but kept it there. "Will, you are honestly the kindest person I met. And believe me, I met a lot of people, inside and outside of the lab." She said. "You gave me food and rest. There's no reason to call you such an awful thing." She said. Will smiled. "Thanks." He said.

Winter kept looking at him. "Earlier today, I was taking a walk in the woods with Sam, when we were met by is hunter." She said. "He was drunk. I knew it, because he had a beer bottle in his hand. He smiled, and he took out this knife. I tried to run, but he kicked me to the ground. I tried to use my powers, but the next thing I knew, he cut my side." Wills jaw dropped. "I found a way to kick him away, along with Sams help biting his wrist. I knew I had to get out of there, and used my powers, going to the first place I thought of. The Middle School." She said. "I saw there were lessons going on, and tried to get out. I tried to go to a certain spot in the woods, but the pain affected it. I instead appeared behind a bush by the school. And, that's when you found me." Winter explained.

Will never heard a story like this. He held her hand, and she squeezed it. "I must keep wondering, what would happen if I didn't get out of there." She said, almost crying. "Today may seem dark." Will said. "But I promise. Tomorrows light will be better. And it all starts with a good nights rest." He said. Winter nodded, and layed down. Will knew he shouldn't disturb her, so he got up. "Well, goodnight Winter." He said. He was about to leave, when he heard Winter say quietly and softly, "Goodnight Will." Will looked behind him, Winters eyes closed, but she was smiling. Will smiled back. He left the Castle.

Will felt he started to care for Winter, something he never thought he would feel. She had gone through so much, he didn't want anyone like that hunter to hurt her. But as he got back to his house, he saw Joyce walking up to it. He ran. "Hey Mom!" He yelled. Joyce saw Will, and smiled. "Hi Will!" She said. Will ran to her. "Where were you?" Joyce asked. "Just... Up at Castle Byers." He said. Joyce nodded, and went inside.

Joyce passd the couch, when she noticed something. She saw there were blankets hanging off the couch, as if someone was resting. Will must have taken a nap. But she noticed something different. She looked at the cushions, and saw a long strand of brown hair. This wasn't Wills, his was to short. Was Will or Jonathan hiding something from her?