"long you live and high you fly."

★・・・・・・★

Amber got up and saw she was in the Upside Down.

"Jesus."

She dusted herself off and saw a big shadow monster thing. She walked towards it and realized it was suffocating Will.

"Will! Will!" Amber yelled.

He was frozen. He was being suffocated and couldn't talk or move. Amber ran over there and pushed him out of the way as he disappeared from the Upside Down. It was only Amber and the shadow monster. She didn't have anything to defend herself with, so she started running.

She ran into the school, into classrooms, and out of the classrooms.

But then it got her. It tripped her. It seemed like it went in her hands, making her kick and flail and run back out on the field. The shadow started coming towards her and she didn't know what to do. She was cornered.

Demogorgon dogs started running at her full speed and one knocked her down and crawled on top of her. It started opening its mouth but all of a sudden she felt arms pick her up slightly and hug her.

"Amber! Wake up!" She heard Max's voice. She closed her eyes then she was out of the Upside Down.

"No! No!" Amber screamed. She backed into Max's arms as they wrapped around her.

Amber continued screaming and Max didn't know what to do so she did nothing. Max was scared. Not for herself, but for Amber.

Lucas came over and took Amber into his own hands. He didn't know what happened, but he had a hint. Lucas stroked her hair and it calmed her down. Max was jealous. But it wasn't the time to be. Something bad happened to Amber. But she didn't know what.

Lucas helped Amber off of the ground and helped her walk over to Mrs. Byers.

"You can stay with us until Kristen gets off work and comes pick you up, okay?" Mrs. Byers said.

"O... okay," Amber said, still shaking.

Amber, Will and Mrs. Byers went to the car and drove off. Mrs. Byers got to the Byers' house, talked to Will, then got Amber cleaned up.

"What happened, sweetie?" she asked as gently as possible.

"Will. He... he was getting suffocated. By... by a shadow monster thing. It was all over him. It... it got him. Then... I pushed him and he disappeared. It came after me. It chased me. It tripped me. Tugged on my leg. I got away but I feel it in me. I can't really describe it but... it's weird," Amber explained with tears brimming in her eyes.

Mrs. Byers finished cleaning her up and hugged her. It felt nice to her. She hasn't gotten a sincere hug in a long time. Kristen came and got her and they drove home in silence.

"Uh, mom, she uh... she's getting back to her normal ways. To being a bitch. Being a drunk. They came home but, they're back to their normal ways," Kristen finally spoke up.

"Okay," Amber said.

-

The next morning Amber went to school like nothing happened. It was pretty early, so her friends wouldn't be around.

"Stop being a baby and do it already!" Mike exclaimed.

"This is so disgusting. Is this really necessary?" Max asked.

Amber and Lucas were in the dumpster, getting out trash to look for Dart.

"What the hell's going on?" Dustin asked.

"What do you think? We're looking for Dart."

Trash came flying out of the dumpster from Amber and Lucas.

"Jesus!" Dustin said.

"Oh!" Max exclaimed.

Lucas jumped out of the dumpster and helped Amber out as she jumped down, too. They were annoyed that Dustin finally came to school after they pulled the short straw.

"Well, well, well," Lucas said.

"Look who finally decided to show up, after we drew the short straw. Real convenient," Amber said in annoyance.

"You guys stink," Max said as she walked over to Dustin.

"Hi, Max," Dustin said. Was he flirting with her? Did he like her as well? Thoughts came flooding her mind but she came back to reality as Max said, "Hi?"

"Where's Will?" Dustin asked.

"He'll be here," Mike replied.

"Are you just gonna stand there? Or you gonna help?" Lucas said to Dustin.

They all started picking at the trash to try and find Dart.

"Hey, uh, Amber. You okay?" Dustin asked.

"Yeah, fine," Amber responded quickly.

It was a lie. Everyone knew it was. She wasn't okay. Amber was scared of what was going to happen to her.

Last night, she was reading when all of a sudden, mist came from her hands. Black mist. Like the shadow monster she saw in the Upside Down. She dropped her book and stood up. Then it disappeared.

Max was scared. She never seen someone like that. That... that scared. That terrified. She wanted to come over to her house, but she didn't know where she lived.

Mike was scared for her. They were childhood best friends, but Amber got popular. He still cared for her and she still cared for him. He cared for her.

Lucas and Dustin had the same thoughts. The Upside Down.

-

Mike was calling the Byers home, but no one picked up. He ran back over to the party and Lucas asked, "Anything?"

"We need to talk. AV room. Right now," Mike announced.

Everyone was getting their things, Max included, but Mike said, "Party members only."

"Come on, Mike," Amber argued.

"No, this is non-negotiable," he argued back.

"Sorry, Max."
"Sorry."

Max stayed behind. She was hurt.

-

They went into the AV room and started talking.

"Will didn't want me to tell anyone, but, on Halloween night, he saw a sort of shadow in the sky."

"A shadow?" Lucas asked. "What- what kind of shadow?"

"I don't know. But it scared him."

"A shadow monster. A monster would be the best word to describe it," Amber said.

"You saw it too?"

"Yesterday. I was in the Upside Down and it was with Will, suffocating him."

"If Will really has True Sight... I mean if he can really see into the Upside Down, maybe he saw that shadow again yesterday. Before it attacked him."

"So that's why he was frozen like that?" Dustin asked.

"Maybe," Mike answered.

"Can it hurt him? I mean, if this shadow thing isn't from our world..."

"I'm not sure. Dustin?"

"Well, if you're in another plane, you can't interact with the material plane, so theoretically, no, the shadow can't hurt him," Dustin explained.

"Yeah, if that's even what's happening," Amber said. "This isn't D&D. This is real life, guys."

"So what do we do?" Lucas asked.

"We acquire more knowledge," Mike spoke. "I'll go to Will's after school. See what's going on. You guys stay here and find Dart."

"Dart? What's he gotta do with this?" Dustin asked.

"Will heard him in the Upside Down," Mike spoke. "I don't know how yet, but he's gotta be connected to all this. He's gotta be."

"And if we find Dart, maybe we can solve this thing," Amber said. "Maybe we can help Will."

The bell rung and they went to their classes. Amber told Max that after school, she, Amber, Lucas, and Dustin were going to look for Dart. She just kind of shook her head.

-

Amber walked over to Max's locker.

"Hey, Max. Have you seen Lucas and Dustin? We're supposed to meet after class," Amber said.

Max grabbed her skateboard and ignored her. She closed her locker and started leaving. It made Amber confused.

"Max! Hey, Max! Hey, where are you going? Come on! We've gotta go look for Dart."

"Yeah, good luck with that," Max said as she started walking faster.

Amber was confused and jogged to catch up with Max.

"What is wrong with you?"

"What's wrong with me? What's wrong with you?"

"I don't understand!"

"No! I don't understand! You guys act like you want me to be your friend, but then you just treat me like garbage."

"That's not true!"

"Yes, it is! You guys just go hide in the AV Club keeping secrets like we're in second grade or something. You know, I thought you guys wanted me in your party."

"We do. But it's..."

"But what?"

Amber sighed and said, "There... there are just things. Things we can't tell you, all right? For your own safety."

"My own safety?"

"Yes!"

"Because I'm a girl and your part of the boys?"

"What? No!"

"Did you keep secrets from El?"

"That-"

"Did you?"

"That was different? Trust me okay? That was just different."

"Okay. You know what? Forget it, okay? I don't wanna be in your stupid party anyway. I'm out. Have a nice life."

"Max!"

"You still stink, by the way!"

Amber sniffed herself then whispered, "Aw, shit!" After all the perfume she sprayed on herself, she still smelled like shit.

Amber looked back at Max getting in the car and saw Billy staring at her.

"Ugh, creepy," she murmured.

Amber was hurt. She didn't think Max would raise her voice at her. She didn't think Max felt that way. Amber and everyone else wanted her in the party except for Mike. There wasn't a way to change Mike's mind about letting Max in the party and it made Amber think.

What's the best way to get someone not mad at you?