0 0 1 ━ [ 𝘚𝘵𝘦𝘷𝘦 𝘏𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘵𝘰𝘯 ]

𝐀𝐔𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐑'𝐒 𝐍𝐎𝐓𝐄

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Hello and thank you for choosing to read my story (or even just take a peek)! When I first started this story I had no idea how big it would become and I am incredibly appreciative of all your guys' support! Before you begin reading, I recommend reading through the following important information.

★ ━━ WARNING: Some strong language. There are also mentions of blood, death, violence, abuse, neglect, manipulation, alcohol, implied addiction, implied mental illness, and implied suicidal intent. Please read at your own discretion.

☆ ━━ All fictional characters and places belong to the creators of Stranger Things in exception to Seven/James, the Diagonal, and some minor characters. My character, Mr. Munson, is a coincidence although I may eventually relate him to Eddie in future stories.

★ ━━ This story takes place between season 2 and season 3. This story was written and completed before season 4 was released so many major plot points that are revealed in season 4 are not the same in this story, as this story is an AU (alternate universe) that follows what was known from canon in season 1 and season 2 (with some small changes to dates and events) before season 4 was released, and diverges from canon before season 3.

☆ ━━ This story does not follow any of the official books, comics, or other Stranger Things-related media. I'd like to get into them one day, but so far I have not, so my knowledge on them is minimal.

★ ━━ This story used to be in a book club so there are comments critiquing the story throughout the book and these are okay because I know about them and asked for them. Random, unasked-for critiques are not wanted though. I appreciate attempts to help, but they are not needed at this time since the story is finished.

☆ ━━ This story is now also available in Spanish! The Latin Spanish version was translated by the amazing lilasrosass004 and the Spain Spanish version was translated by the lovely GirlPotterheadXx! Both translations can be found on their profiles or in my translations reading list!

★ ━━ Before we begin I also want to address some inaccuracies between this story and canon that have since come to my attention. 1. Sarah's name; Technically, "Sara" is the correct spelling but this was something I missed when watching the show. I instead went with the spelling listed in the subtitles, which included the "h". 2. Sarah's age; I've since learned things that hint towards Sarah being born around the same time as the party, but when I first began writing this story, Sarah's birthdate wasn't clear to me so I decided to make it October 17, 1963 to better fit the narrative. 3. Steve's age; When I first began writing this story, my research led me to believe that Steve was 19 in season 3 so I came to the conclusion that Steve had been held back a year in school and wrote the story under that assumption. I made Steve's birthdate in this story January 5, 1966, meaning that he is 19 in this story (making him about 2 years and 2 months younger than Sarah). I have since realized that canonically he was likely born late 1966/early 1967 but since this story is an AU, this, along with the other inaccuracies mentioned, will remain as is. Thank you for your understanding!

★ Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy! ☆

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[ graphics by kamalaskhan ]