When Sanya Patel visits her old town over Thanksgiving break, she immediately falls for Steve Harrington. But only until she practically runs over what is thought to be Billy Hargrove. After a meeting with the kids and a quick rundown of the events that have plagued Hawkins, Sanya begins to put two-and-two together. Billy had been stuck in the Upside Down while his alter ego took his place as a minion of the Mind Flayer last summer. But can the real Billy go back to his normal life in Hawkins? Or will the trauma be too much?
❝ᴡʜʏ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ʏᴏᴜ ʜɪᴅᴇ ᴛʜɪs ғʀᴏᴍ ᴍᴇ, ᴇʟ? ᴍᴀʏʙᴇ ɪғ ʏᴏᴜ ᴛᴏʟᴅ ᴍᴇ, ɪ ᴄᴏᴜʟᴅ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ʜᴇʟᴘᴇᴅ ʏᴏᴜ sᴏᴏɴᴇʀ! ᴡʜᴀᴛ ᴇᴠᴇʀ ʜᴀᴘᴘᴇɴᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ "ғʀɪᴇɴᴅs ᴅᴏɴᴛ ʟɪᴇ"?❞
❝ᴘ-ᴘʟᴇᴀsᴇ ғᴏʀɢɪᴠᴇ ᴍᴇ! ɪ'ᴍ sᴄᴀʀᴇᴅ ᴍɪᴋᴇ. ɪ ᴛʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛ ɪᴛ ᴡᴀs ᴀʟʟ ɪɴ ᴍʏ ʜᴇᴀᴅ. ɪ ᴛʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛ ɪᴛ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ɢᴏ ᴀᴡᴀʏ ʙᴜᴛ ɪ ᴛʜɪɴᴋ ɪ'ᴍ ᴄᴏɴɴᴇᴄᴛᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ɪᴛ ɴᴏᴡ... ᴀɴᴅ ɪ ᴅᴏɴ'ᴛ ᴋɴᴏᴡ ʜᴏᴡ ᴛᴏ ɢᴇᴛ ᴀᴡᴀʏ. ɪ ɴᴇᴇᴅ ʏᴏᴜ. ❞
Months after the gate was closed, El went missing again, taken back to the supposedly shut down lab where an experiment is done on her. But it backfires and she becomes vulnerable to The Mind Flayer as it possesses her.
A few months later, Mike starts to hear his girlfriend's voice in his dreams, begging for him to save her. They manage to save El from a terrifying place; though when she comes back home, she isn't the same and she refuses to tell anyone what actually happened in the lab.
A threat has entered Hawkins once again. This time, it has control of El, and it refuses to leave her and Hawkins without a fight.