Barbed Wire ♚ Steve Harrington

Chapter Eight ♚ Memories

AN: Blake's outfit is the same as the previous chapter. The photograph up top is used for later in the chapter.

♚

"Hey, it's Jim Hopper. I'm probably doing something incredible right now," Blake heard before she slammed the phone down on the receiver.

"Shit!" She yelled through gritted teeth. Joyce only gave her a small smile, saying, "Why don't you check on the boys? I'll try again."

Blake nodded, walking backwards before spinning around and going to Will's room, where the said boy was sitting on the bed as Mike was looking at all the drawings on the wall.

"It's like I feel what the shadow monster's feeling. See what he's seeing."

"Like in the Upside down?" Mike asks, sitting down on the bed as Blake sat on the floor, facing both the boys. Will tilted his head, trying to think of a way to tell them, "It's like part of it's there. But, some if him is here too-"

"-In this house?" Blake spoke up. Will nodded, shaking as he said,"In this house... in me? It's like he's reaching into Hawkins, more and more. And the more he spreads, the more connected to him I feel."

"And the more you see these now memories," Mike concluded,

"At first I felt it in the back of my head," Will brought his hand to the spot, "I didn't really know it was there. It was like when you had a dream and you can't remember it unless you think about it super hard. It was like that."

"Now, it's like I remember. I remember all the time." Will finished. Blake didn't know what to say to the boy so Mike spoke, "Maybe that's good?"

"Good?" Will questioned. Mike nodded, "Think about it. You're like a spy now. A super spy, spying on the shadow monster."

Both Blake and Will shrugged their shoulders as he continued, "If you know what he's seeing and feeling, maybe that's how we stop him. Maybe all of this is happening for a reason."

"You really think so?" His friend questioned him and he nodded, "Yeah, I really do."

Will looked over to the drawing he had made several nights ago, tensing up causing Blake and Mike to look over as well. "What if he figures out we are spying on him? What if he spies back?-"

"-We won't let him," Blake interrupted, grabbing his hand on his lap from below him. The boy gave a look, nodding at her and Mike did the same.

♚

Hours later, Blake found herself in her best friends room and in a pair of his boxers along with a big sweater. She was tossing and turning in the cold bed, not being able to sleep because a certain curly-haired little girl wasn't next to her. She huffed, sitting up and getting out of the bed, her socks rubbing on the carpet creating static electricity.

She went over to Jonathan's desk, flopping down in his office chair and flipping on his desk lamp. As her eyes adjusted she was able to look at all the familiar pictures the boy had taken of her over the years. She held them all in her hands, sifting through them all before falling on to a certain one that made her throat tighten and she couldn't understand why.

It was a perfect photo, the lighting was great, so was the angle, but it left a sickening feeling in Blake's stomach. In the photograph she was sitting on Johnny's bed, sitting crisscrossed like she always does, one hand in her lap as the other writing something on a piece of paper. She was so concentrated, almost in peace.

Peace.

This was something she hadn't had in such a long time. Her life hadn't been peaceful since she was a little girl. Her younger sister had died, her mother left her shortly after that not being about to deal with Sarah's death, her father for more than half her childhood was drunk, and then everything that happened last year with Will.

Blake shook out her thoughts at hearing Jonathan's door open and spun around to meet Joyce, who was now standing in the doorway. The older woman gave her a smile, "I saw the light on, figured you might want some coffee."

Blake gave the woman a look of thanks, taking the cup and drinking a large gulp as Joyce sat on the edge of the bed. After a minute, Joyce said, "What's wrong?"

"What? Nothing's wrong," The teenager denied, tracing the edge of the cup with her pinkie. Joyce rolled her eyes, "Don't bullshit me, Blake. I've known you too long for that. Tell me what's wrong."

Blake laughed at Joyce's words, "You always know when something is wrong... it's just, I miss when things were easier."

Mrs. Byers nodded as the girl gulped down half of the coffee. "I do too."

The pair talked about random topics for a little while before Blake decided she needed some sleep. Joyce gave her a hug, taking her mug and kissed her on her forehead. As she went to leave, Blake grabbed her hand, stopping her in her tracks and she turned around.

"I hope you know, Mrs. Byers..." Blake hesitated, biting her lip and looking down at her lap.

"What is it, Blake?"

The girl looked up, letting out a breath, "I just want you to know that I think of you as my Mom."

Joyce smiled at her warmly, kissing her head again, "And I think of you as my daughter."

♚

Blake woke up in the morning with her back in pain.

About mid-way through the night, Mike had come into Jonathan's room asking Blake to come sleep with him in Will's room, being too cold. The girl agreed, knowing how freezing the house was and slept in the sleeping bag with the boy.

She shifted out of the wrapping without waking up Mike and started stretching to crack her back as Will shot up out of bed, gasping for air. Blake furrowed her brow, "Will, what's wrong?"

At this point, the boy on the floor was fully awake, standing up as Will hopped out of bed and went to the living room where Joyce was sitting down.

"Mom, Mom!" Will shook her out of her trace like state as his friends walked into the room. Joyce looked back at him, "Yeah?"

"I saw him."

Everyone looked confused as Mrs. Byers asked, "Saw who, Baby?"

"Hopper," He said making Blake's eyes widen as her brows went to her hairline. "I think he's in trouble... I think he's going to die."

"He's not. We're going to find him," Blake said seriously, walking out of the room and going to her best friends.

She leaned on the door behind her after she shut it, thinking before going over to Jonathan's dresser and grabbing some clothes she had left behind from previous nights of sleeping over. She went into the bathroom, undressing and getting into the shower.

Blake let the warm water cascade over her head as she pulled herself together, determined not to let out the emotion she wanted to.