0 0 2 ━ [ 𝘚𝘵𝘦𝘷𝘦 𝘏𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘵𝘰𝘯 ]

𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐋𝐎𝐆𝐔𝐄

"Sarah! Sarah?" a voice echoed across the golden plaza. It floated on the soft breeze that raced across the space, mingling with the colorful flowers that grew around a stone fountain in the center. The tinkling of the water splashing down the multi-tier fountain accentuated the sound of something hard being hit over and over.

"There you are," Diane said with a smile when she came across Sarah standing beside a punching bag that was tied to the branch of a tree. The bright red gloves on her hands flashed back and forth as they made contact with the bag.

"You were looking for me?" Sarah asked between heavy breaths. She pulled one of the gloves off to wipe off the sweat accumulating on her forehead. She had also wiped off her old name as well. She went primarily by Sarah now, One was a thing of the past.

"Of all the things for you to bring back with you from your travels, you choose something so...aggressive," Diane chuckled.

"It helps me to think," Sarah answered quietly. She stepped away from the bag and followed her mother towards the fountain where they both took a seat on the edge. The cool drops that bounced off the water and freckled her skin felt refreshing and Sarah found her eyes wandering around the area.

Sarah had been in the Diagonal long enough to learn that its name was actually Helia, but 'the Diagonal' just seemed to fit better. Its existence seemed to cut between the fringe of the other worlds, sapping in small aspects from each realm. Some of the plants, trees, and animals that roamed there reminded her of those she had seen on Earth, but the architecture, fashion, and vehicles more closely resembled a utopian sci-fi movie. Even some aspects of the Upside Down seemed to exist there; remnants of a long-dead world.

The Diagonal was like a paradise, but during her time there Sarah never truly felt like she fit in. Half of her found familiarity in the powered people she walked alongside, but the other half longed for something different. Her mother had enlisted her help to travel to other worlds to clean up the residual mess of the Upside Down, such as killing escaped demogorgons and demodogs, but it only ever provided a brief distraction. Her mind always wandered back to Hawkins.

Sarah had tried multiple times to open a portal back to Steve, Hopper, Eleven, and the party, but according to her mother, they didn't work because it still wasn't the right time. Sarah ignored Diane's sage advice in the beginning, but after too many failed attempts, she had to resign to trust her mother's word. Hence the punching bag.

"What is it?" Sarah asked Diane, who had also settled into the silence while her eyes roamed the plaza. Sarah noticed that the lines in Diane's face had begun to carve themselves deeper into her features, but she still maintained an otherworldly beauty. "Is it another mission?"

Birdsong filled the illuminated air, which cast a warm coat down upon the two as Sarah waited for Diane to answer.

"It's time," Diane said with a smile as she turned her gentle gaze towards Sarah.

Sarah felt her heartbeat quicken in her chest and her fists subconsciously clench together. She unclenched them when she felt her fingernails bite her palms and flattened them out on top of her legs. "You're sure?"

Diane's smile grew larger and she placed a hand on Sarah's shoulder. "I'm sure."

Sarah felt her knees shake as she lifted herself to her feet. With each step she took she felt like she was going to fall over, but she maintained her balance. After she was a couple feet away from the fountain, she glanced back over her shoulder at her mother for reassurance and Diane nodded her head in encouragement.

Sarah's eyes scoured the area for something to focus on until she found a yellow daisy that looked like one of the flowers in the bouquet that Steve had given her when he asked her out. She studied each petal as she pictured Hawkins and the faces of her friends and family. Sarah shut her eyes when a circle of crackling light began to cut itself through the air, for fear of being disappointed again. She couldn't handle staring into another unfamiliar abyss.

But when the portal was complete and she had garnered enough bravery to open her eyes, she immediately choked back tears. Through the portal laid the place that she had been dreaming of every night since she came to the Diagonal:

Hawkins.

Sarah could only hear her heartbeats as she lifted one foot and placed it on the other side of the portal. Her second foot was a little slower to follow. From what she could tell, everything looked the same, but she wasn't sure what changes she would find.

After all, it had been ten years.

★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★