11. new beginnings

The next day after the fight the group had in Starcourt Mall, the news finally broke out, as there are thirty people presumed dead during the 'fire' as some people make conspiracy theories about it, as Mayor Larry Kline had been arrested and eventually incarcerated for being a corrupt Mayor.

After the incident at the Starcourt, Karen had been scared for Clemency's safety as she worked there, had no idea that her daughter already got fired before the Mall went up in flames, well, but still was in the Mall during the incident, anyway, fighting for her, her family and her friend's lives.

As Clemency went downstairs to get breakfast that morning, their phone suddenly rang, startling her. "I'll get it!" She told her mom as she answered. "This is the Wheelers... who is this?"

"Clemency?" A familiar voice sighed in relief on the other line, making Clemency's eyes widened, as she looked around her, and luckily her mom's upstairs. "Eddie?" She whispered, making Eddie chuckles. "Still hiding me, princess?" He teased, making Clemency rolled her eyes, and sighed, but then her head tilted, as she knitted her eyebrows.

"How did you even get our house's number?" She asked in confusion, recalling if she ever gave him, because only Clemency had Eddie's telephone number, but she knew she never gave hers to Eddie.

"Well, I asked Amanda when I saw her at the funfair fair, when I didn't see you with your parents and your little sister." He explained as Clemency nodded on the other line. "And I thought, maybe you and your two other siblings went to the mall together, but then I heard about the fire and got scared... especially, when I immediately went home and called this number, but nobody answered." Eddie continued, and nervously chuckled to himself. "...But you're okay, right?"

"Yeah... I'm fine." Clemency sighed out, making Eddie furrowed his eyebrows, but did not ask any further questions, as the two said their goodbyes on the phone. Clemency sighed as she put the phone back, and went back to her room.

Clemency appreciates Eddie's genuine concern, that is why she did not want to tell him how scared she still is, how exhausting the event was, and what really happened that night. She did not want him getting involved in their shit, though it seems like it is all over now, and it is finally all peace and quiet. Clemency knew she could not risk telling him what she and her friends actually had witnessed.

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Going back to school just more than a month after the battle they faced in the Starcourt Mall was tough as it is, but seeing the tributes on the deaths during the 'fire,' that can be seen on their school grounds, made it more saddening.

Clemency walked towards her locker, and left her books, as she went to get food at the cafeteria. As she walked her way there, she felt a presence, walking next to her. "Hey." The person quietly greeted, as Clemency looked through her peripheral vision, as smiled to herself. "Hi Munson." She softly greeted back, as a few eyes looked over to them, though not many, as too many students walked in the hall, heading to their lockers, and on their way to the cafeteria, as well.

Clemency greeting Eddie back while they are in the school premises is a bit of a surprise for Eddie, as he quietly chuckled, "You don't seem to tell me off today, princess." As the girl shrugged in response, and suddenly walked faster than him, leaving him there, confused.

Eddie was always playfully getting upset that Clemency pretended like they were not friends while at school, though he did not really mind at all, and he appreciates that, at least, she is not being mean to him and his friends, while at it.

As Eddie finally went to the cafeteria, there he saw Clemency sitting with the other popular girls, and with her sister, as she looked over at him, and softly smiled, as he smiled back.

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During Clemency's fourth period that day is when she first met Chrissy Cunningham, well, technically that is. She first met her in her first time witnessing a pep rally in Hawkins High School in year '84, that time she just transferred, but that was really it, and she just kept forgetting her name.

As Clemency sits at the back row, which was unusual, as she sees a few vacant seats there, though on the usual basis she would be sitting in front, but she felt too exhausted, and if she ever falls asleep, she will not get easily caught.

She is startled as the dirty blonde-haired girl with blue eyes greeted her as she was slowly drifting off, and gave the girl a soft smile, while the girl went and sat beside her in the back row.

"You're Clemency Wheeler, right?" The girl softly asked, as Clemency still had a softened smile on her face, and nodded. "You're pretty famous..." Chrissy says, making Clemency giggle. "Well, you're famous too..." She told the girl making her purse her lips.

"Oh, also, what's your name? I do know your face, because you have a very distinct feature... like, in a good way, but I just always forget your name... I'm sorry..." Clemency awkwardly says, making the girl chuckle to herself. "My name's Chrissy, and it's okay!" the girl reassured, as Clemency pursed her lips in embarrassment.

From then on, the two would always talk during their classes they have together and greet each other as they pass each other in the school hallway.

Clemency thought that Chrissy is really kind and sweet, compared to many popular girls she knew. Many of them, she had to tolerate to stay with the popular ones, as many would call it, being with her own kind, In which, she thought the terminology sounded so wrong.

Suddenly, in one of Clemency and Chrissy's classes together, the cheerleader started constantly zoning out, deep in thought, but when Clemency would ask her what was wrong, she would just smile at her, and would just shake her head and say, "I'm just tired." Which also made sense, because their classes together are only every fourth period, and even Clemency herself felt really tired, and just wanted to get some sleep, in which she could not even get sometimes, because she had to study and catch up with many of her subjects.

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Chrissy has this boyfriend named Jason Carver, and Clemency did not like him that much. They did not have a class together, but the first time she met him was the same time as Chrissy, but what made her realize she hated him, was the first time she ever witnessed Jason called Eddie names, and it was that time she was not even friends with Eddie yet, but even before that, the tension between Eddie and Jason had always been very noticeable.

Clemency is a very forgetful person, with both important and unnecessary things, Jason is one of the people that is considered forgettable, face wise and name wise to Clemency, for the reason that she meet too many people everyday and he is not her classmate, but she eventually realized who the guy was when she was hanging out with Eddie in the middle of the woods, when Eddie skipped third period once while Clemency's third and fourth period got canceled, but she did not want to go home yet, while Eddie did not want to take his math exam, in which Clemency obviously forced him to take it, but he somehow got to convince her to hang out with him, but she said, as long as he will take the exam some other day.

Well, while they were just hanging out, listening to some music, she suddenly brought Jason up as they were having a nice conversation, bringing the mood down, as expected. "Who is the guy Chrissy Cunningham is dating? His face looks familiar... I mean, of course, he's on the basketball team, but you know, I was wondering what is very significant about his face..." She said, as Eddie's demeanor changed as he frowned and sighed to himself, making her look at him in confusion, as he gave her a deadpanned look.

"I hope you mean, significant but in a bad way..." He says, as Clemency tried to recall who the guy was, as Eddie continued, "He's Jason Carver, that guy and his friends that constantly calls me a freak, and stuff." Clemency gave him a look of realization, then turned into a grimace, and nodded. "Yeah, definitely significant in a bad way..."

"Ed? It's almost your fourth period..." She realized, looking over to Eddie, as he gave her the side-eye. "Oh, yeah? And get caught by Mr. Anderson from my third period?" He sarcastically says, making Clemency look at him and sigh in disbelief.

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It was a sunny Saturday morning. The day before, Amanda called Clemency, and told her she is transferring to Hawkins High, in which Clemency is looking forward too.

As soon as Amanda reaches Hawkins, she invites Clemency to come over to her house she is now living in by Old Cherry road.

As Clemency reached Amanda's house, she realized it was near Billy's old house, as she sighed and rang the doorbell, as Amanda opened the door, and excitedly hugged her friend, and invited her in.

"I'm really glad I did not have work during the 4th of July... that was so scary." Amanda says, making Clemency sigh, as her friend looked at her with furrowed eyebrows. Knowing she could not tell the truth, she just told what majority of the unknowing people knew. "I was at the mall though I got fired a day before that incident... I was hanging out with my siblings." She says, making Amanda gasp.

"Oh my God, what happened, were you guys alright?" Amanda asks, with eyes filled with genuine concern, as Clemency softly smiled at her, and inhaled sharply. "Actually, one of the victims during the fire is the stepbrother of my brother's friend, he lives in the house a few blocks away from you." She informed Amanda as she slowly nodded.

"I was actually planning on visiting her yesterday, well, before you called." Clemency says. The two have decided to come by the Forest Hills trailer park, Max and her mom's new residence, and bring food with them. As soon as they get there, Max is alone at home, watching television.

Amanda just introduced herself, and stayed quiet the whole time they were there, as Clemency checked up on the younger girl. The times Max had been seldom going over their house lately, made Clemency worry, in which the girl reasoned out for being much busier the past few days. "I'm fine, Clemency, I really am. Don't worry too much, okay?" Max says, as the girl nodded in response.

"I heard that Robin and Steve might get a job at the Family Video soon, will you apply as well?" Max asked, as Clemency shook her head, as Amanda furrowed her eyes at her friend. "I just wanted to enjoy high school, though it's not really enjoyable, before I left for college, you know." Clemency says, as Max nodded in response.

"Are you also going to Emerson like Nancy?" Max wondered, Clemency pursed her lips. "It's a bit too early to think about it, but I mostly would."

In all honesty, though Clemency is doing good in school, she always had been, but thinking of college made her nervous, somehow.

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The day that Eleven and the Byers' are moving out finally came, a 'for sale' sign stood outside the Byers' house, as the rest of the group helped on taking the stuff onto a truck, as Max and Lucas can be heard singing Never Ending Story, as they teased Dustin.

Going back inside the house from the truck, Clemency looked at the kids, and chuckled. She loved seeing that Max seemed cheerful, and having a laugh with her friends. Clemency sighed, as she reached Jonathan's room as he and Nancy were talking, heart-to-heart.

"Hey, It's gonna be okay." Jonathan says, as they both sighed, with their foreheads against each other. "As a wise man once said... we've got shared trauma." He continued, as he held Nancy's palm, gently caressing her scar with his thumb.

"So what's a little more, right?" Nancy added, as they both quietly chuckled, as Jonathan kissed her knuckles. "What's a little more?" He continued, as Nancy nodded, as they kissed, and held each other tightly.

Clemency peaked at the two, with teary eyes, and sighed, as Nancy slowly let go of Jonathan, with furrowed eyebrows, and turned her head to look at Clemency, as Jonathan did the same. "How long have you been standing there?" Nancy asked a sniffling Clemency, making the couple chuckle. "I'll go check if they need me there." She quietly says, but as she was about to leave, Jonathan called her, as she slowly walked back.

Jonathan crossed her arms, looking at Clemency, as she raised an eyebrow at him, questioningly. "Go get a boyfriend already." He sternly says, making a teary eyed Nancy giggle, as Clemency playfully rolled her eyes.

"And look after Nancy, okay?" He says, as she softly smiled and looked at Nancy. "I can handle myself." She softly told her boyfriend, as he looked at her, with loving eyes. "I know, but still." He continued, as he switched to look at Clemency, as she nodded in response. "Of course." She softly reassured him, as all three left the room.

As it was finally time for the Byers and Eleven to go, they all gave each other a hug, cried, and all said their goodbyes and see-you-laters.

The group are left there, staring longingly, as Joyce drove the truck holding her car, as Eleven sat beside her, eyes filled with tears, while Jonathan drove his car with Will, crying beside him. Clemency held both of her saddened siblings, as their tears fell.

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