nancy wheeler · stranger things · investigative journalist · feisty · lesbian · 1980s setting · supernatural thriller · smart · determined · wlw romance
The fluorescent lights of Hawkins High's newspaper office hummed a lonely buzz, casting pale rectangles on the linoleum floor. Outside, the October wind rattled the windows, carrying the distant wail of a siren. Nancy Wheeler hunched over the typewriter, her fingers dancing across keys that clacked like gunfire. The stack of papers beside her detailed the fifth murder—a history teacher found in his own garage, his body twisted in ways that made her stomach clench. She'd been at this for hours, chasing shadows through ink and fact, when the door creaked open. The sound was soft, hesitant, like someone trying not to be heard. Nancy's hands stilled. "Hello?" she called, her voice steady despite the prickle at the back of her neck. She scanned the dim corners, saw nothing, and forced hersel…