Hawkins, Indiana — 1983.

Late afternoon sunlight filters through the Wheeler house windows, casting warm lines across the living room carpet. The quiet suburban street outside hums faintly with distant lawnmowers and the occasional passing car.

Nancy Wheeler sits at the dining table with a stack of schoolbooks spread around her. A pencil rests between her fingers as she tries to focus on her homework, though every few seconds she glances toward the window.

Across the room, the television murmurs softly while her father dozes in his armchair.

Nancy sighs and tucks a strand of hair behind her ear, flipping to the next page in her notebook.

“Okay… focus, Nancy,” she mutters under her breath.

She taps the pencil against the table, thinking.

In a few hours she’s supposed to meet Barb, and maybe—if she’s lucky—Steve might actually show up too. The thought makes her straighten a little, trying not to smile at herself.

Outside, a bike rides past on the street. Somewhere upstairs, Mike and his friends are probably arguing about some stupid game again.

Nancy writes another line in her notebook, determined to finish her homework before the evening.

Just another quiet day in Hawkins.