always, clara • w. byers

prologue

one year ago

It was the definition of a dreary, empty day in Hawkins.

The small town never really had much more to offer than late night runs to the grocery store and a quite pathetic arcade, but it had much since evolved from when she was a child.

Clara Wheeler perched her bike against the nearest tree, blowing a breath through her pursed lips.

The simple suburban two story home is what she called, well, home. It was the same everyday. She'd walk in to be greeted by her mother whom would be either on the phone or cooking, her dad who was most definitely half asleep in the recliner, and her twin brother Mike who was either a. not home or b. in the basement with his idiot friends.

"Clara!"

The dark haired pre-teen turned around in a hurry, dropping the handle of her yellow bicycle.

She knew that voice, and she smiled.

"Hi, Will!"

The boy with brown, thick hair that covered a majority of his forehead offered a tiny grin, one of which she returned with equal enthusiasm.

"How was your day?" he asked, quite the gentleman is you asked Clara herself.

Instead, she shrugged. Her day had been quite uneventful, as always. "The norm, boring as ever."

Will looked to the ground, nodding while a pink blush encapsulated his cheeks which were puffed out from the slight chilly breeze.

"Well," Clara hummed, pulling the sleeves of her long turtleneck sweater over her fingers, "I'll see you around the house, Will."

Her brothers friend only nodded, waving awkwardly before bounding off towards the back entrance.

Nothing had changed since that day that had flooded her mind. The beginning of what Clara Wheeler would call a friendship.

A year had passed since the not first, but most important conversation Will Byers and herself had ever had.

Ever since that particularly ordinary day, the two were perhaps close. Mike had only begun to notice his closest friend and sisters companionship weeks before a certain event that would change the boring lives of Hawkins young and curious to something the world had never seen.

Any passing second where neither of the two were busy elsewhere, they would talk animatedly about their days. Typically, Clara would ramble about her friends, or lack thereof, and Will would listen to the way she expressed herself through the sentences.

On Clara's part, it wasn't a crush. Will would deny it, as well. Even when Mike had pulled him aside whilst the group played D&D and questioned him about his intentions with his, by only three minutes, baby sister.

You see, Mike Wheeler pretended he could care less of his twin. In all reality, they were closer than either would admit.

This was their life, as of now. The most exciting it got was when Clara would skip a class or steal a few bills from her moms clutch to sneak to the arcade.

Yet, all that would change in the form of a disapearence and an odd girl with powers that could save or destroy them.

...

an

you heard it first, ladies and gents.

im staring a new story, which you're currently reading.

if you happened to be stalking my page after either A. reading my finnick odair fic, nightmare or B. finding a quite embarrassing comment of mine, welcome or welcome back!

for those of you who found my book another way, welcome to you as well!

i hope you're excited for claras journey, i sure as hell am.

-ave xx