Serendipity *Steve Harrington*

Chapter 1: Hawkins

The car rumbled beneath us as my mom drove my sister and I to our new home here in Hawkins, Indiana. Everything here contrasts greatly with that of our old home in California. Instead of vast skyscrapers and roaring oceans, everything was shrouded in green from the towering trees in the forest and the houses consisted of farmhouses, shacks, or little neighborhood houses. We drove past multiple children riding their bikes and teenagers walking down the street, smoking. Things were definitely different than what I was used to, but change isn't always bad, right?

"Josie, help Max carry her things into her room!"

 My mom shouted at me, breaking me from my trance and making me realize that we have arrived at the house, a small, homey looking place. The cool October wind cut through my thin jacket as I began making my way to the trunk, sparing a little glance at the other vehicle in the driveway that belonged to my new stepdad and stepbrother.

"Max, help me pack your things in. Here, take this little box and I'll grab one of the bigger ones."

I directed my younger sister while handing her one of the boxes. Watching her stride her way into the house, I picked up one of the loftier boxes and struggled to carry it in. Suddenly, a strong force knocks into me, causing me to stumble and almost drop Max's things.

"Watch where you're going sis."

Billy spits, basically snarling that last word at me. He stood there, with his eyes glaring into mine and his bulky form blocking the path to the front door.

"Bastard."

The word fell from my lips in a soft whisper as I averted my eyes from his cold ones and attempted to regain my grip on the box. His hand was instantly death-gripping my bicep, causing a small gasp of pain to leave my mouth as my eyes quickly made contact with his once more. There was fire inside of them, the kind of fire I've seen many times before. Only this time, the fire was derived from anger instead of passion.

"You might want to start showing me some respect. After all Jo, we're family now."

The tone of his voice turned my blood cold, the venom in his words obvious. I tore my arm out of his grip and pushed passed his intimidating frame, only looking back to address him once.

"It's Josephine."

I rushed into the house, trying to get away from Billy as quickly as possible. Despite the house's small appearance, the inside was pretty spacious. There were four bedrooms and one bathroom. Obviously the master bedroom belongs to my mom and her new husband, and the remaining bedrooms were to be sorted between us three children. I scanned each room I passed, looking for a flash of my sister's flaming red hair. Finally spotting her in the most secluded bedroom, I entered her new room.

"What took you so long?"

"I'm sorry, we all can't be as quick as you are can we MadMax?"

I teased her, causing her to shoot me a playful glare. Max and I have always had a close relationship, seeking comfort in one another as our parent's marriage collapsed. She may be younger than me, but she is mature way past her age, easily making her one of my closest friends. I sat the box down next to where she put hers earlier. I ruffled her hair as I passed, earning a swat at my hands. I let out a small chuckle at her actions.

"Okay, no more messing around, let's go get the rest of your stuff so you can start unpacking your room."

I held out my hand for her to take and together we made our way back outside. I let out a sigh of relief when noticing that Billy was no longer outside. Another confrontation was not something that I needed right now. Max and I shuttled in one box after another until all that was left in the car were my belongings. A smile graced my lips as I glanced around her rather spacious room. It wasn't as big as the one in California, but it wasn't bad. Max, herself, was looking around the room, her face a mixture of emotions. Though there was no doubt in my mind that she missed home, hopefully Max can be as happy here as she was in California.