wild one - steve harrington

far away

Roxy woke up after a long night of tossing, turning and finally falling into a light sleep. She heard faint static coming from Max's room and rolled her eyes, groaning in annoyance. Roxy hit her fist three times on the wall behind the bed to tell the girls to turn it off and hid her face under her pillow. After a short second, the household phone rang - at this hour, it wouldn't be any of her father's friends. It'd no doubt be Steve, Billy, or someone else she knew. She also figured it wouldn't fly if she didn't answer it quickly (both Roxy and the person on the other line would get a stern talking to) so she flew out of bed and ripped the phone off the wall and answered not-so-nicely.

"What is it." She spoke, not as a question. She heard shaky breaths from the phone and was about to tell them to 'back the hell off' and hang up. Max joined the call from her room.

"I'm sleeping. Go away." She said, angry. As tired as she was, Roxy stayed on the line, having a hunch about who it was that made Max this mad. 

"This is Mike. Do not hang up." Mike said, sternly. He seemed like he meant business. Roxy stayed on the line, retiring the idea that she'd get back to sleep. "Something happened, something bad. Our very lives can be at stake."

"Just say it, kid." Roxy said, her curiosity growing hand in hand with her concern for her brother. 

"Just come over to my house. We'll explain everything." Mike demanded, sounding urgent.

"What?" Max protested, but Mike simply told her to hurry and hung up the phone. Max leaned her head out her bedroom door to look at Roxy who shrugged at her. Max ducked into her room to update El and get dressed. Roxy looked at the phone, standing there rigid wondering if she should call Billy somehow, or try to reach Steve. She didn't know what she would say to either of them. They were too far away. After getting changed and eating a very simple breakfast, Roxy told her father and stepmother that she needed the car to go to work. They allowed her to take it, probably for the last time. She and the girls all reluctantly got into the car, Roxy thinking about dropping the girls off and going to see Steve. Maybe she'd see what the issue is first. It's not like they had anything better to do that day.

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They knocked on the door, and Roxy held her laughter in when she saw Mrs Wheeler open the door. For some reason, it completely slipped her mind that she'd be here. Roxy covered up her surprise with a cough. "Oh, are you two here to see the boys?" Karen asked sweetly, smiling at Max and El. She looked taken aback when she saw Roxy who was just taller than her. 

"I'm just dropping them off. Roxy Hargrove." Roxy held her hand out, and Karen shook it lightly, her smile dropping slightly when hearing Roxy's last name. Mike poked his head around, and the girls walked to the basement. Roxy winked at Karen before following them. Walking into the basement, it was hard to tell whether the boys were relieved or more stressed when the girls showed up. Roxy walked past Mike, Lucas, El and Max to sit down in an empty armchair, squeezing Will's shoulder in a friendly manner as she passed him. Ignoring the awkward eye contact between the rest of the kids, Roxy got comfortable, closed her eyes, and waited for someone to start explaining. The kids sat down, and as the boys started talking, Roxy once again underestimated what she was getting herself into.

She covered her eyes with her hand, not getting upset but not knowing what to do. Roxy was worried about her brother and her boyfriend, two of the most important people in her life. She had never needed anyone before, and now she felt she had people she had to protect. If this bullshit was really about to kick off again, who would she have by her side? Roxy knew in her heart that she could handle it without Steve or Billy, but since she moved to Hawkins, they had latched onto her and she to them. Taking a deep breath, she reminded herself that her head was running further into the situation than anyone was.

"I didn't think it was anything at first. I mean, I think I just didn't want to believe it. The first time I felt it was at Day of the Dead." Will explained, referring to the sense that he had about a supernatural force similar to what they fought last year, or the same one. 

"Power went out at the mall that night, too." Mike added, and Roxy thought she might know which night they meant.

"I was at the diner with Billy. It went out everywhere." She added, getting a response of nods.

"And then I felt it again at the field, near the Nelson farm the next day. Then again yesterday outside Castle Byers." He explained.

"Outside where now?" Roxy perked up, genuinely confused about where they were talking about. Her question was overlooked and Will seemed as if he had to bite his tongue and not give her the answer. 

"What does it feel like?" Max asked.

"It's almost like... You know when you drop on a roller coaster?" A mutter of agreements was heard until El said no. Of course she hadn't, and Roxy vowed to herself that she'd take El to a fairground one day. "It's like... Everything inside your body is just sinking all at once, but this is worse. Your body, it goes cold, and you can't breathe. I've felt it before. Whenever he was close." Will finished, and the air in the room chilled. 

"Whenever who was close?" Max questioned, and Roxy knew the answer.

"The mind thingy." Roxy said, more confidently than she should have. She raised her eyebrows at Will, expecting him to confirm her answer. They all looked at her as if she was joking, but she didn't budge.

"Yeah. The Mind Flayer."