A New Girl // Stranger Things (after season 2)

Chapter 4

I ran into History class early to avoid  bumping into Dustin in the hallway. I sat down at my seat and open my folder to read the articles I got from the library. I barely even had time to do homework over the weekends and my mother kept me on high vigilance while I was doing my exercises at home.

I was reading the first article for about 5 minutes and I hear the chair beside me creak. I turned and saw Dustin and quickly flipped the file closed. He greeted me and I replied with an awkward "Hi". I slipped my history book over the folder and tried to act normal.

"You know, if you want to know about Hawkins Lab, you can ask me," he said.

"And how can I trust that you are reliable?", I asked.

He sighed, "I've lived here longer than you have and I know what goes on around here. I had relations with someone from the Lab."

"You had relations with someone from the Lab?", I asked angrily, though my anger came over me like an instinct.

"Kind of, we weren't really friends but I know what went on in there," he said scratching his head.

"Oh," I said.

I looked at the clock in the class and saw that class was going to start any minute soon.

"Can I meet you at the library at lunch?", I asked.

"Sure," he says.

The teacher walks in and Dustin and I immediately look to the front.

A few boring lessons later, class ends and I made my way toward the library. I sat at one of the front tables so Dustin would see me when he comes in. I started reading ahead until he came.

He taps me on the shoulder and whispers, "Lets go to the back."

I picked up my stuff and we retreated to the back. There were no tables so we sat on the floor.

He saw the article of what I was holding.

"Why do you want to know so much about Hawkins Lab?"

"Something happened there," I told him monotonously, to not reveal anything.

The articles seem to be similar to the ones that reached New York. An experiment had cause some effects outside the Lab, which killed a teen walking nearby.

"They are actually lies," Dustin said, taking the articles away from me.

"You could have told me that before I got copies from the library," I said, frustrated.

"The stories were all cover ups, and what they did was even more insane. The government knows the people would not believe them if the real story was revealed," Dustin explained.

"What do you mean?", I asked.

"Actually, this is kind of top secret information so you can't tell anyone about this."

"Then why are you telling me about this?"

"Because I trust you,"

"Well, you are really quick to trust people, but I promise I won't tell anyone,"

He inhaled deeply before he started.

"The Hawkins Lab opened up a gate to an alternate universe a few years ago," he started.

He carried on to say that because the Gate was open, the monsters from the universe managed to rip holes into this world and killed many humans in Hawkins. They were shut down after the government actually found out about this and they used a fake story to cover it up because no one would believe that they actually ripped a hole into another dimension.

"Wait, all of this is true?", I asked.

He nodded.

"How do you know all this?"

"I told you, I was friends with someone who worked there," he said.

"Okay," I said.

I stood up to leave and Dustin did the same.

"Remember, don't tell anyone what I said to you," Dustin whispered, before following me out of the library.

He walked the other way once we were out and I looked at my watch. 15 mins until the next period. Wow did we spend so much time talking. I went to the vending machine to get a light snack and slowly made my way to the next class.

I don't know why math had to be the last period of the day but it was. Lucas was in my class and he was there on his own when I walked in. Usually Maxine would be there with him but she was sick. I took this opportunity to talk to him.

"Why does Dustin keep talking to me?", I ask.

"He does that, he tried to talk to every girl in the school but they all find him a little nerdy and annoying," He said.

"Well, aren't I lucky?", I say sarcastically.

"You all are pretty good friends huh?", I ask.

"Yup pretty much," he says.

I suddenly get sucked into his brain and I see another image. This time it was Dustin and Mike,with a bald girl sitting behind him, on their bikes. They rode toward Lucas. They panted, then suddenly vans with "Hawkins Lab" logos appeared behind them and they started speeding the other way. A van swerved in front of them and the bald girl concentrated on the van and suddenly it flew over them. She turned behind them and the van landed right in front of the incoming vans. The others turned around and saw what happened and that was when I spaced out of his mind. He had turned the other way so I calmly got up and sat at the back.

I am trying to slowly piece the puzzle together. Max's flashback, Dustin's flashback, now Lucas's flashback. Oh and Micheal's flashback. They all seem to be connected. It was the same group Lucas, Michael and Dustin, and another girl or someone, and they seemed to be connected to Hawkins Lab, the vans from Lucas's flashback and the scientists from Dustin's, and maybe the 011 tattoo from Michael's. Dustin told me about alternative dimensions. Maybe that was what that was in Max's flashback. But how did they get involved with Hawkins Lab. Were they the last kids who escaped? But they can't, they were short sleeve shirts during PE and don't have like plasters on them. Maybe they managed to get their tattoos removed, but can they be removed? And who is that bald girl with them? Is she 011? Why is she so familiar?

I wish I knew the answers to all this soon.