noah essentially just confirmed that all of these photos are developed film. knowing that the kids were probably all gathered together looking through these season 2 memories is… wow. I was found soft.
What if Dustin called his name until his voice strained into high pitched screams, but Mike never turned around? He seemed calm and relaxed as he edged closer to the cliff. Dustin’s mind drifted back to the times Mike was silent, having internal battles that everyone ignored. He saw Mike glaring at the water as if it was his savior. His shoulders lifted, and without a second thought, he leaped. Dustin shrugged the bullies off of him weakly, and ran to the edge of the Quarry, almost falling off of it himself. Mike was gone.
What if Nancy had to turn every single picture of Mike around? Seeing his smiling face was too much pain in his older sister’s heart. She remembered the times at dinner, when he would never touch his food. The Wheelers never had dinner together anymore. The princess with the heart of gold crumbled into nothing but air and skin, without her younger sibling to bring back her happiness.
What if Will received notes in his locker? Once he returned from the Upside Down, he awaited the hours to see his best friend. Instead, he saw overwhelming amounts of pain in the eyes of everyone crowding his hospital room. When they told him the news, it was as if everyone’s pain transferred into his own heart, and crippled it until it was dust lingering inside of his chest. A week after he returned to Hawkins Middle School, he received notes in his locker, labeling him as a killer. After all, Mike would of never gone near the Quarry if Will never got lost in the woods…
What if Dustin had nightmares? The image of Mike falling into water that hit him like bricks crippling his bones haunted his usual sweet dreams. He saw him whenever he closed his eyes, even the lightest blink. On the worse nights, he called Lucas through the SuperComm to calm himself down. It never worked too well, because two broken boys can’t fix each other.
What if Lucas had a panic attack? The party stayed together, because it was all the three boys had left. When Max arrived, it took Lucas weeks to develop the mental capability to tell her what happen to their dearest paladin. He had a mental breakdown, and Max was clueless on how to fix it. She did what she thought was right; she held his hand. For a moment, Lucas eyes cleared from the brokeness that shined over them for an entire year, but Max knew that it would take more than one hand to hold him together.
What if Eleven destroyed every source of electricity in Hawkins? She arrived to the Quarry, but she was too late. Dustin was collapsed on his knees, but Eleven knew what happened. Her emotions seemed to blend together, because she did not cry. She screamed; yelled until her blood trickled out of both nostrils, and Hawkins was left in the dark.
These are only some of the characters, and some of the things they would go through if Eleven was even a second late…
