And the Earth, It Will Shake

Chapter Two - Episode One (CONT'D): The Vanishing Of Will Byers

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The sound of the trailers continuously ringing landline broke you of your sleep.

You'd asked your dad to replace it for years now, the usability of the phone going down over the seasons. You couldn't hold a call for more than five minutes at a time before it suddenly cuts off, leaving you with nothing but an empty dial tone to deal with. The audio on the thing wasn't even worth the conversation most hours, the volume decreasing constantly, to the point where people on the other end had to scream in order to get you to hear. Add on the shrill toll that never seemed to end, and you would completely ignore the damn thing, opting to just guess at what the telemarketer was hoping to sell you.

Still, you forced yourself out of your covers, taking the finished casserole container to the kitchen as you rushed to answer the call. Now that you had a job, one where mothers went crazy when the line went unanswered, you'd had no choice but to unlearn your ignoring habits, finding new ways to use the failing device instead.

Pulling the phone from its stand, you wrap the cord over the bulky mechanism twice, pulling it taut in your left hand, while using your right to bring the device towards your ear, "L/N residence."

"Y/N? I-it's me, Joyce."

Joyce Byers had one of the nicest voices you've ever heard- soft, yet deep, in a regal sort of way. Where Karen was light and stern, Joyce was intense and soft, both mothers extending wisdom in their own ways. You always wondered what listening to them read a bedtime story would be like, if they'd be able to whisk you away into a world of false realities like the kids often could.

At the moment, however, Joyce's voice resembled none of that, sounding more like a meek, shot animal, trembling in ways you've never heard it do before.

"Oh. Good morning, Ms. Byers. Is there anything I can do for you?"

"Yes, there is, uh... You were with the kids yesterday, right? At Karen's house?"

You nod, quickly answering when you realize she wouldn't be able to see you. "Yeah, I was. Spent all afternoon watching their campaign. Why, is something wrong?"

"No, there isn't... Well- I just..." A harsh, stuttering breath could be heard, then, "Did you take Will home last night? H-he isn't... I just want to know if he got here in one piece."

Blowing a small raspberry in thought, you roll your shoulders, going over your words carefully. "Uh, so... I ended up dropping off Lucas and Dustin before him, but while waiting for them to put their bikes away, Will kept riding off. I passed by your house to make sure he got there okay, and the lights were on, so I assumed he got inside-"

"The lights- They were on?"

"Yeah...? Dustin told me Jonathan would be there, so when I saw the lights were on, I... I just... I'm sorry, did something happen? Is Will okay?"

"Yes, I-I'm sorry, I'm sure he's fine. I went to wake him up, but he wasn't in his room... You know what, h-he's probably at school already- he likes to be early on test days."

"... right. Ms. Byers, are you sure everything's alright-?"

"Thank you, hun, don't you worry about a thing."

And with that, the frantic mother kills the line, the only sounds filling your living room being the empty dial-tone. Unfurling the cord, you look into the phones speaker, confusion drawing your brows upwards at the erratic line of questioning. 

Clicking the device back into the receiver, you made quick work of your morning routine. You showered and changed into a pair of clean clothes- all while rapidly brushing your teeth, packing your school items, and cleaning the Wheeler's empty casserole bowl in the process- before leaving the trailer, school bag in tow as you hurriedly started your car.