She forced fresh air into her lungs, willing her legs to go faster. She could feel the ache in her thighs start to creep in, and she knew it was only a matter of time before it would reach the rest of her. She turned the corner, slowing slightly before returning to her previous pace. Someone was screaming at her, but she couldn't quite tell who. Her hair whipped the back of her neck in the wind, and she could hear heavy breathing getting closer to her.

Shit.

She tried to stretch her legs a little more, hoping to lengthen her stride. Her legs were burning now, but she continued to push herself, knowing that she couldn't slow down now. She rounded another corner, letting a huff of air out.

In through the nose, out through the mouth.

Footsteps were accompanying the breathing now, and she knew she only had limited time until the distance between them disappeared. She could feel her hands start to get stiff as the chilliness of the air found its way to her fingers as sweat rolled down the back of her neck, the irony not lost on her. She reached for the last bit of strength she had left and picked her pace up ever so slightly. It was enough, and she could see the end. She pumped her legs and leaned forward just a tad as she crossed the white line, and she let her legs slow down as she bent over, gasping.

A man in athletic gear nodded in approval as he clicked a stop watch.

"Not bad, Henderson. Not bad at all. You sure you don't want to join my team?"

Madeleine Henderson straightened, a slight smirk on her face as she wiped the sweat from her forehead with the edge of her Hawkins Athletics t-shirt.

"Sorry, Coach, but I hardly have time for myself, let alone track."

Coach Smith smiled back. "Well, there's still a month or two until our season actually starts, so let me know if you change your mind."

She nodded, making her way back towards the gym. "Will do!"

Madeleine peeled her sweaty clothes off, claiming an open shower stall before any of the other girls could. She let the water run over her for a moment, getting used to the temperature before pouring shampoo into her hand. She heard the door open and chatter fill the locker room and she rinsed out her hair, grabbing her towel as she stepped into the bathroom. She nodded politely at Nancy Wheeler as she passed the girl on the way towards her locker.

She only knew Nancy through association, talking to her when they had crossed paths because of their brothers, but she felt rude if she didn't give an acknowledgement to the girl. She dried her hair with a towel as she sat on a bench, droplets from her wavy brown locks flying as she shook it out. Madeleine was blessed with P.E. being her last period, and she walked past the boys' basketball practice as she made her way out to the parking lot. The squeaking of shoes floated past her as she kept her head down, and she heard the coach calling a play as the boys lined up.

"Look out!" She looked up at the warning, her breath catching in her throat as a basketball hurtled past her, skimming the tip of her nose as it slammed into the wall. She touched her nose, then turned to glare at the boy who stood with his hands up, an apologetic smile on his face.

"I'm so sorry, are you okay?" he babbled, taking a step towards her. She crossed her arms as she continued to stare daggers at Steve Harrington. She didn't know him really, only what she heard, but this was hardly a stellar first impression to counteract the rumors.

"I'd be better if you knew how to catch a pass," she snapped before adjusting the bag on her shoulder and continuing out of the gym. He looked taken aback and watched her leave with his hands on his hips, his teammates snickering behind him. He turned to the boy next to him, dipping his head towards the retreating girl.

"Who the hell is that?"

The other boy laughed and clapped Steve on the back. "I don't know, dude, but you sure pissed her off."

Madeleine sighed as she leaned against the counter, strands of hair fluttering before settling in front of her eyes. Mrs. Byers had caught her on the way in, and Maddie couldn't very well say no to her when she asked to cover her shift. She knew the Byers well between working with Joyce and Dustin being friends with Will, and the younger boy's disappearance had the family on edge. She had seen Jonathon at school, putting up posters for Will. He looked exhausted, and the same purple bags that drooped underneath his eyes hung from Mrs. Byers'. Picking up a second shift was the least she could do for them.

The bell above the door rung loudly as someone entered the store. Maddie narrowed her eyes as she watched the curly head of her brother make a beeline to the chip aisle and then across the store to the candy aisle. She crossed her arms as he dropped an armful of junk food on the checkout counter, giving her a toothless grin.

"Let me guess, party meeting?"

"Actually, dear sister of mine, party outing." She raised an eyebrow.

"And where, pray tell, do you think your outing will be going?"

Dustin shifted his weight from foot to foot nervously. "Ummm…. TolookforcluesaboutWill'sdisappearanceandpossiblyfindhim. But you can't tell anyone! Especially Mom! Maddie, I'm serious about this shit," he finished, leaning towards her slightly as if to emphasize the seriousness of what he was saying.

Maddie sighed. "Where does she think you're going?"

Dustin gave a guilty smile as he rummaged through his pockets for change. "Sleepover at Mike's."

She shook her head and began to scan the items, staying quiet. Dustin watched her in anticipation, waiting for a response. She bagged up the food and set it on the counter, leaning on her hands as she made eye contact with her little brother. Finally, she sighed and held up her hand, ticking a list off on her fingers of what the rules were.

"First of all, you never separate from each other. Second, you will call me before you leave and when you get back. Third, if you find anything, and I mean anything, of significance about Will, you call the police. Got it?"

Dustin nodded excitedly, his hair bouncing as she handed him the grocery bag. He hugged her, or at least tried to over the counter, and practically bounced towards the exit.

"Thank you, Maddie! You're the best! And you can keep the change!" He yelled over his shoulder as he stepped through the door.

"Damn straight I can keep the change," she muttered to herself, punching a few numbers into the cash register.

The rest of her shift proved uneventful, with the exception of a dropped pickle jar by a two-year-old. Maddie clocked out and changed back into her street clothes, tossing a wave towards Mr. Harris as she stepped out of the store, heading to her truck. She sighed as she got in, starting the vehicle and turning down Main Street. All she currently wanted was a hot shower and some good food before she had to sit and wait for Dustin to call her.

She put on her blinker, turning the corner before slamming on her brakes. She thumped her hand on the horn, startling the boy in front of her. Maddie narrowed her eyes as she rolled down the window and stuck her head out.

"Hey, asshole! Watch where you're going!"

Steve Harrington looked at her in confusion as he pulled his headphones off.

"Yeah, you! I almost ran your sorry ass over, Harrington. Now move out of the damn road so I can drive," Maddie said with a huff, before flopping back into her seat. He rolled his eyes and put his headphones back on, throwing his hand up in a wave as he finished crossing the street.

Two run-ins with "King Steve" was not good luck, at least to Maddie. Especially when those run-ins happened in the same day, and both involved someone almost dying. Okay, maybe she didn't almost die from the basketball, but that was all relative.

She made it home without any other experiences of almost hitting someone and settled in for a long night of pre-cal and waiting for Dustin to call. Rather than calling, he came home at an ungodly hour, the slamming of the door startling Maddie from her sleep, pre-cal notes fluttering to the floor as she stood. Dustin walked through the living room silently, his head down until Maddie flipped a lamp on. She cleared her throat, wanting to know her brother's explanation for coming home, alone, so late, but any argument died in her throat at a small sniffle that he let out.

"Dusty?"

He turned to her, wet trails down his cheeks, and stumbled towards her. Maddie opened her arms to catch him as he crumpled on the ground, sobs wracking his small body. Maddie just held him to her, rocking slightly as she waited for him to talk, both of them staying quiet to avoid waking their mother. He finally let out a final hiccup and lifted his head to Maddie, wiping at his nose. She wiped some of the moisture from his face with the edges of her sleeves and waited for him to say something.

His lip trembled slightly as he opened his mouth.

"It's Will."

The next few days came and went, with the only news being the body of Will Byers being found in the quarry. Dustin didn't seem to be around the house much, but she could hardly blame him. She figured that he could use the support of his friends right now and would come to her if he needed it, which he did. To ask for help with his tie for the funeral.

"Do you believe in multiple dimensions?"

Her hands stilled for a moment before continuing. "Like what, exactly?"

"Like, could there be a dimension that's the same as ours but different. You know, theoretically. I don't know, you're in Physics and all, so I thought you might know something."

Maddie shrugged slightly as she pulled the tie. "Theoretically, sure. But we don't really talk about it much in Physics. Why don't you ask Mr. Clarke? I bet he would have some better insight than me."

Dustin's eyes lit up at her suggestion, like she had divulged newfound scientific explorations to him. "Of course, Mr. Clarke! Why didn't I think of him?"

Maddie chuckled, ruffling her little brother's hair as she stood. He scowled as he attempted to smooth it down, looking into the mirror as he straightened the unruly curls.

"Hey, how you holdin' up there, kid?"

He shrugged, bending over to tie his shoelaces. "I don't know, fine I guess." Dustin straightened and looked at Maddie's unconvinced face. "I mean, I'm upset. Totally heartbroken. I don't even know what to do with my tiny, prepubescent self."

Maddie shook her head. "Whatever, weirdo. I'm here if you ever want to talk, okay?"

Dustin gave her a small smile. "I know."

She gave him a hug, squeezing him slightly. "Love you, kiddo."

"Love you too, Mads."

A/N: Here we go! I know it's kinda short, but the next chapter will be longer and much better. Sooo this is my new Stranger Things story! I know that Dustin's sister has been done before, but the lack of Steve stories on here makes my heart sad, so instead of updating Short Circuit like the trash person I am, I'm writing this. Updates will prob be different, depending on free time, workload, etc., but I hope you liked the first chapter! I'll try to get the next one up ASAP, but please let me know what you think in the reviews and follow/favorite if you like it!