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── ☄︎ ──

NOVEMBER 6TH, 1983
HAWKINS, INDIANA

The night was quiet, as it always had been in this small corner of Indiana, and yet this night in particular was so unlike any other. And it all started where every problem in this town began...

HAWKINS NATIONAL LABORATORY
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

The underground labyrinth of halls were especially bare, deserted of both man and sound. The only remaining sign of life was the subtle melody of the generator humming as it struggled to pump light throughout such a vast facility. That was, until... BAM!   A single steel door ripped open, colliding fast and hard with the walls with a fantastic thud. Swallowing all remaining silence along with it was the cry of alarms that flooded the hallway as the lone straggler ran for his life; A man, soaked in sweat and terror finally found himself at the end of the hall. He made it to the elevator. Hope dared to flair in his chest as he furiously slammed his fist onto the button on the wall. As he did so, he continued to look over his shoulder in a panic.   It was coming for him. That... Thing. Whatever it was exactly, he wasn't sure, but one thing was certain: it was hungry for his blood. BOOM!   The sound was distant and muffled, but it rattled his bones like thunder. It sounded so close. BOOM!
   The soft chime of the elevator's arrival might as well have been a choir of angels. Three titanium plates in the wall began to peel themselves apart and the man wasted no more time. He squeezed himself through the opening and returned to hurrying the elevator before it could even finish opening.

It closed nowhere near fast enough.

He's left standing there, waiting for the steel trap of a box to catch up to his latest demand in a temporary chaotic stillness. The doors wouldn't move, his body stuck stock-still, and it didn't matter he was so afraid to make a sound that he held his breath, sound was all around him and flooding his senses. Blood roared in his ears, and the wail of the alarms echoed painfully down the long hall he found himself staring down, threatening to catch up to him. None of it, however, was enough to drown out the dying shrieks of the men that thing just devoured -- those shrieks never stopped, they clung to him no matter how fast he ran.

A fleeting part of him wondered about the kid, but fear swallowed that thought right up.

Another moment passed by him as nothing new happened. Maybe, came a short-lived thought spoken from a frenzied part of his brain, I'm stuck in a damn time loop. The doors don't close, the alarms shriek for help he still can't give and nothing continued to happen. For one foolish second, he almost began to believe he just might be able to make it. But that wasn't enough to cast away the fear looming over his shoulder, watching him, breathing down his neck.

He couldn't seem to take his eyes off of the hallway that stretched out endlessly before him, either. The man attempted to take this gift of a moment to calm his breathing. In such a state, he was sure his heart would kill him if the monster didn't get to him first.

His hopes of escaping grew stronger as one moment stretched into two. Of course, that was when he finally heard it.

Already, it had found him. And it had come to claim his life.

A low growl unlike anything he had ever heard rumbled above him like a monstrous storm cloud, greeting him one final time. Then, a deep and drawn-out trill of delight, so far beyond anything animalistic.

It took every remaining ounce of courage just for the man to slowly crane his head up -- to look his fate in the face. But nothing could have prepared him for such a grisly end. Not even the brief terror he witnessed this thing unleash minutes ago.

There was simply no time for his life to flash before his eyes before it ended. The man's feet had already left the floor as the monster scooped him up. His final, dying shriek had fused with the wailing alarms and then been abruptly silenced when the doors finally closed, sealing him and the monster inside.

The flickering lights that ran up and down the hallways had no one left to dizzy, the alarms no one left to warn. The underground labyrinth had become a tomb for most those inside, and a hunting ground for a most dangerous predator. Few had survived its wrath, and many yet would meet their end tonight. All thanks to a single ripple in the scheduled quiet and bore of such a small, unassuming town. A ripple that would soon enough come to shift the waters of Hawkins forever.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

── ☄︎ ──       Nestled at the end of the cul-de-sac on Maple, teetering on the edge of the neighborhood that sloped into Danford Creek sat the Wheeler house. It stood tall enough on its neatly manicured lawn, dressed in a pleasant picture of brick and freshly repainted panels. Pleasantly boring and in theme with the rest of the street. It was well kept, the small garden well maintained, with two cars always parked in the driveway if not out by the curb.   Perfectly unassuming, and pleasantly ordinary, just as the Wheelers liked it. Ted, a man with opinions on everything and yet so little to say, worked a cushy job and came home every night to an even cushy-er recliner. His wife Karen, was a naturally imaginative woman who was always stretched a bit too thin for her liking. They shared an affinity for the occasional antique, and of course, three kids. Nancy, the oldest, and straight-a student. Holly, their youngest and most spoiled. Finally, their middle boy, Mike – imaginative like his mother.   On this particular night in November, he sat with his four best friends in the basement of his house. He didn't say it much, but Mike took pride in the fact it was the hangout spot for his party of friends. It had a futon, a tiny but good-enough bathroom, and their old living room Television set.   Tonight, it was a bit more unkempt than usual.   Used chip bags and a mostly empty pizza box sat forgotten on the coffee table, scrap paper was littered here and there and the entire room had grown musty from ten hours of the non-stop Dungeons & Dragons campaign. The culprits - The Party, you called yourselves - sat crammed around a cluttered fold-away poker table: host and dungeon master Mike Wheeler, best friends Lucas Sinclair and Will Byers, your adoptive brother Dustin Henderson, and you.   After a day full of strategy debates, epic battles and the one minor argument over who got the last bag of skittles, the silence Mike now commanded over the room was a reprieve, however suspenseful. Outside, the thrumming of sprinklers in his front lawn blended seamlessly with the choir of crickets from the woods in his backyard. In every sense, you had one foot in reality and the other in the world Mike had crafted for you all. His dark brown eyes and lightly freckled nose peered at you from behind his dungeon master's screen as he spoke in a hushed, deliberate tone.   "Something is coming. Something hungry for blood," If any of you leaned any further, you'd have surely fallen off your seats. "A shadow grows on the wall behind you, swallowing you in darkness."   Your leg had been bouncing almost noiselessly under the table for the better part of an hour, but you didn't much care to stop. Gratefully, everyone else was equally caught up in Mike's words -- or frankly, just too used to it -- to tell you stop.   "It is almost here."   To your left, Will flung himself to the farthest reaches of his seat, his wide eyes begged for answers. "What is it?"   Will was a sensitive boy, with a small stature and an enormous heart.   This time, the boy across from you cuts in. Your dear brother, and his pessimistic theories. "What if it's the Demogorgon?" He asks, concern creeping into his voice and taking over his boyish features. "Oh, Jesus, we're so screwed if it's the Demogorgon."   "It's not the Demogorgon," assures Lucas, his voice steady and sure.   He returned his attention to Mike in place of what normally would have been a shared eye roll with you, but you both were far too lost in the campaign. You admired that about your best friend; his innate ability to remain calm and assess the situation. That and the sense of humor the two you shared, particularly when it came to poking fun at Dustin.   "An army of troglodytes charge into the chamber!"   He nearly jumps out of his skin at the sudden smack of Mike's fist meeting the table and your subsequent grip of fear on his arm. Briefly perturbed, he wiggles free from your grip with a huff you know is not personal. Together, your eyes all train on the figurine Mike had slammed onto the surface of the map.   A small sigh sweeps over you and relief ripples across the table. Troglodytes? Annoying, but something you and your friends were far more equipped to handle. Only then do you allow yourself to chuckle at the look of smugness Lucas directed across the table. “Told ya'" he says, and you all giggle.   But Mike isn't smiling. There's a glint behind his eye, you notice. The special kind you only see in a DM moments before the other shoe drops. But there was dread creeping up in his voice. "Wait a minute. Did you hear that? That... that sound,"   It grew quiet again. "Boom," So quiet, even the crickets and sprinklers had fallen away. "Boom!" Only Mike and his whispers that grew to screams. "BOOM!!"   Mike's voice bellowed, and for a second time he startled you all with a slam of his hand flat across the table. All of you jumped, your hands in particular grabbing for the safety of your friends. This only startled them worse. Flashing a sheepish wince, you flattened your palms against the seat beneath your restless legs as punishment.   "That didn't come from the troglodytes. No, that... That came from something else." Mike continued, his brows furrowed thoughtfully under his shaggy black bangs.   The four of you exchanged curious glances. Why, you asked yourself as Mike reached for the dreaded monster figurine, did your brother always have to be right?!   "The Demogorgon!" He cried, the whole table shaking as the final piece entered the game at Mike's hand. The figurine towered over your own, one of its many twisted heads sneering down at you. Your friends around you cried out in protest.   'Okay, yeah,' you thought, letting out a groan. 'now we're screwed.' A swarm of troglodytes and a Demogorgon - with your remaining hit points? Health was in low supply for the entire party -- if you weren't careful you'd all be wiped off the board in moments.   The silence that dominated the basement only moments prior was soon swallowed whole by a sea of overlapping voices and groans.   Dustin sighed in anger, "We're in deep shit." The fact that he rolled poorly for initiative minutes earlier did no favors for his patience.   Across the table, Mike suddenly yells, "Will, your action!"   "I don't know!" Cried the Byers boy, sounding understandably frantic.   "Fireball him!" Lucas shouts.   "I'd have to roll a 13 or higher!"   "Too risky." Dustin cuts in. "Cast a protection spell!"   "Wait, wait, wait, wait, heal us first!" You plead, frantic as your eyes jump between the map and your character sheet. The Demogorgon was practically stepping on you, the others across the board were clustered. With a high enough roll, the Demogorgon could take them all out in a single move. After it made its meal of you, of course. "It's about to kill me but I have the most spell slots left! Heal me, and I can keep us all alive long enough to kill it!"   "We could also stay alive long enough to fight if you cast a protection spell." Dustin rebukes, glaring at Will.   Lucas dismissed you both. "Don't be a pussy," the words send your eyes rolling. "It's still gonna hurt us, and we'll be back to square one! Take offensive action sooner rather than later!"   "Did you not hear him? He'd need to roll a thirteen or better! It's too risky!"   "Agreed! Cast protection!"   You and Dustin weren't even yelling a Will anymore so much as you were with each other. "Not before healing us! Taking half damage is great, but you actually need some to begin with!"   "And we'll all die before these two can make up their minds! Cast fireball!"   Just as Lucas had said, Mike cuts in with another shout. "The Demogorgon is tired of your silly human bickering! It stomps towards you!" Your mouth snaps shut, your wide eyes locked on the warpath you find yourself in direct line of. Sure enough, you were about to be obliterated.   "SHIT!"   -- "BOOM!"   "FIREBALL HIM!"   -- "Another stomp! BOOM!"   "CAST PROTECTION!"   -- "HE ROARS IN ANGER!"   "OKAY, I'M TIRED OF OUR SILLY HUMAN BICKERING, JUST DOSOMETHINGI'MABOUTTODIE!"   Will shot up from his seat, D20 flying from his hands as he cried, "And~ FIREBALL!"   In all the excitement, the die bounced off the table and took flight across the carpet. "Oh shit!"   You all jumped to your feet in a panic, scattering across the floor in the general area of the table, each of you cursing your luck.   "Where'd it go?" Lucas wondered aloud. "Where is it?"   Will just as, if nor more so, devastated at the hiccup, "I don't know!"   "Is it a thirteen?"   Your patience was running thin, "How are we supposed to know if we haven't found the dice yet, Dustin?"   The boy paid you no mind. Frankly, he hardly could in such a state. "Oh, my God! Oh, my God! Oh, my God!" You gritted your teeth at and huffed before continuing the search on your hands and knees.   "Mike," Came a new voice from the top of the stairs. Mrs. Wheeler.   The boy in question pulled himself off the ground beside you at the base of the stairs. "Mom, we're in the middle of a campaign!"   "You mean the end? Fifteen after." Her tone was light, but it was no suggestion.   Mike sighed when she disappeared from the door at the top of the stairs. Purposefully, she had left no room for argument. If he intended on making a plea for his case, he'd have to take the initiative. Exasperated, and prepared to lose the fight, he disappeared up the stairs after her.   The scattered bemoans of your friends continued throughout the basement.   "I swear I saw it roll over there!"   "I don't see it!"   "Is that-? Is that it? I can't tell," you squinted after the red blotch hiding far underneath the desk. Lucas quickly made his way over to where you knelt on the floor to join you, peering into the dark.   His face quickly scrunched up in disgust. He wasted no time in sitting himself up, wiping his hands on his jeans. "Oh man, I think it's an old Jujyfruit or something."   "Eugh!" you sprang up with a grimace. 'Mike really needs to vacuum better,' you thought.   Despite this, you groaned. Knowing it would only bug you if you didn't, you carefully pulled the hardened fruit snack you had found off the floor and quickly disposed of it in the bin for Mike. Some days it was difficult to dismiss your mother's voice in your head in moments such as these. 'We don't want to attract bugs!'   Will gasped. "I got it!" All attention snapped to the young boy, pulling himself and his roll-away die out from under the stairs.   You got up off the floor, dusting your hands off before rushing to his side. When you spied the number he held carefully in his hands, your shoulders slumped. You still gave him a small smile, 'Oh, well'.   "It was a seven?" Lucas asked, and Will nodded. "Did Mike see it?" Will shook his head. "Then it doesn't count,"   His logic made you chuckle. The four of you scampered around the table, tidying up the last of your things before falling in line up the stairs.   "Hey guys," Your brother's voice stopped you.   Backpack already slung over his shoulders, he gestures to the pizza box in his hands. "Does anyone want this?"   A chorus of 'no's broke out and Dustin looked at the last slice in thought. Everyone continued up the stairs.   "I wish we had more time," Will sighs. "We were so close."   "I know," you nodded, falling in step beside him. Readjusting the straps of your bag over your shoulder, you nudged him encouragingly with your arm. "On the bright side, we have more time to strategize before we pick it back up. That's something, right?"   His small smile was your small victory.   In the living room, Mr. Wheeler stood at his Television set. "Damn thing," He wrangled with the antenna, hardly aware of any of you passing through. By now you had learned not to take his attitude or lack of awareness personally.   You did however, take time to poke your head in the kitchen where you heard Mrs. Wheeler milling about.    You sent her a small smile. "Goodnight Mrs. Wheeler, thank you for having us over."   Despite whatever focus of hers you had interrupted bustling about the kitchen, she pulled herself away long enough to acknowledge you with a kind smile on her lips."It was a pleasure to have you, sweetie. You guys have a good night, alright?"   "Thank you, you too!" You chirped, heading out for the garage.   Slipping through the door, you found Lucas and Will gathering their bikes, Mike standing with them. His hands rested in the pocket of his sweatpants and he looked to be growing restless. You didn't question it, given he had come outside in his socks to say goodbye.   "Hey, guys. I'm sorry we had to end it so soon."   "No sweat, Mikey." You shrug, lingering by your bike but reluctant to get on. Curiosity crept steadily onto your features. "Hey, did Dustin say he was going to the bathroom or something? He was behind me a minute ago...?"   "I thought I saw him running upstairs with the pizza. He's probably checking if Nancy want's the last piece."   "Oh okay. I'll just hang back and wait for him, if that's cool." Mike nods, indifferent. "Hey, that was a cool campaign tonight, by the way."   Everyone nodded in agreement as they mounted their bikes, and the corner of Mike's lips twitched up. "Thanks. Again, sorry we couldn't finish in time. I guess we'll have to later. Maybe next weekend?"   You share a look with Lucas and Will, nodding enthusiastically. "For sure,"   "Totally,"   "Like we're leaving it on that cliffhanger,"Mike smiled, somewhat relieved. It was short-lived, however, as all previous thoughts turned to curiosity as he watched you gravitate across the garage. For whatever reason, the sorry old excuse for a flower pot had stolen your attention.   It sat pushed up against the brick wall, just out from under the cover of the garage. The pot itself was perfectly fine, likely even, this was the first plant it ever held. But the flowers that sat inside were fighting a losing battle. You had knelt beside the pot, investigating its long and thin stems of green. But they sagged hopelessly into the dirt it first sprouted from. Its color was dull, the leaves and petals withered away before your eyes. The sight painted a frown on your face.   "Oh, that's my mom's." Said Mike. "That thing is hopeless. 'm pretty sure she gave up on it."   "Well, I might be able to help," you said thoughtfully, beginning to scan the garage.   Your brother's muffled voice barely carried through from inside. Dustin must be saying goodnight, as you had, you realized. You hurried to the little basket by the door, where sat Mrs. Wheeler's gardening supplies and grabbed what you needed.   "Honestly, I wouldn't bother. That's nice of you, but really, it's a lost cause."   "It's worth a try," you countered, returning to the dirt and began separating the entangled stems and carefully removing any dead appendages. As you worked, you wondered aloud. “Hey, did any of you actually start chapter twelve? In Clarke's class, I mean. I can't get through the first page without rereading…”   Mike and Lucas chimed in, engaging with you and the new topic. All the while Will stood quietly smiling down at you, watching amused as you whispered the quietest of encouragements to the plant as you tended to the dirt in between conversation. He recalled the intrigue and excitement you held once, when you learned of a study conducted on plant life and its responses to certain stimuli, such as classical music, or even the occasional encouraging word. You were hell-bent on witnessing it for yourself.   The garage door slammed shut quicker than it opened and you all turned. It was Dustin.   "There's something wrong with your sister." He grumbled to the Wheeler boy, finishing off the last slice of pizza. Will thought he looked a bit dejected.   "What are you talking about?" Mike frowns.   You gave the chrysanthemums a final once over, then finally returned to your bike alongside Will. The kickstand pops back with a CLANK!   "She's got a stick up her butt." Dustin answered.   "Yeah," Lucas joins in, his bike creeping to the lip of the garage, eager to make curfew. "It's because she's been dating that douche bag, Steve Harrington."   "Yeah, she's turning into a real jerk."   "She's always been a real jerk!" Mike countered.   Dustin shook his head. "Nuh-uh. She used to be cool, like the time she dressed up as an elf for our elder tree campaign."   Lucas made his start down the driveway with a silent nod to Mike, and you and Dustin followed.   "Yeah, but that was ages ago," you argued.   Dustin smirked over his shoulder, eyes on Mike with a knowing chime in his voice. "Still~!"   Mike's face flattened in an unimpressed manner, silently reciprocating your friendly wave. You three had left, leaving only himself and Will.   The quiet had returned, louder than ever as he watched the shadows of Maple Street swallow your fading figures. The sprinklers had retreated back into the ground where they'd hibernate till morning, and even the crickets had fallen eerily silent.   Will took this moment to speak. His small voice carefully pulled Mike from his thoughts.   "It was a seven," he admitted, thinking back on the campaign. He had wanted to indulge in Lucas's idea, but he couldn't bring himself to.   "Huh?"   "The roll, it was a seven. The Demogorgon, it got me."   His voice was quiet, but truthful, and Mike's brows twitched up at the confession. He hadn't been expecting it. Though, he considered, if anyone were to admit such a thing, it would be Will.   His best friend left him no time to respond. Will would take hanging out with Mike and their friends any day, but that didn't mean the commute on his bike didn't suck. He was eager to get it over with. "See you later!" He smiled, beginning down the driveway.   Vmmp-Vmmp-Vrmmp!   The lights in the garage flickered overhead -- once, twice -- three times and then calmed. It had happened in an instant, before all returned to normal. Had he not been so distracted with how cold his feet were, Mike would have noted the light on Will's bike had nearly flickered out with the rest of his garage.   Alas, the warmth of inside called to him. Casting a final glance at the overhead lights, Mike flipped the switch on the wall and quietly slipped inside. The door locked behind him with a gentle click and eventually, as if regaining their courage one by one, the sound of crickets gradually returned to Maple Street.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

── ☄︎ ──       It took effort, but Will caught up to his friends in no time. Just as he approached them, Lucas was bidding his goodbyes.   "Good night, ladies!" He chimed, his words teasing but his demeanor fond, with no real malice.   "Kiss your mom 'night for me," Dustin called back.   The three of you fell beside one another, coasting easily down the gentle slope of Dearborn. The night was cold, but not unbearable as it flew past your face and chilled your fingers. You sensed your brother's gaze passing over you to Will, then soon enough, the smirk in his voice.   "Race you back to our place? Winner gets a comic?" The question itself was open but you knew it was directed specifically at your friend.   Before he can answer, you pipe up. "Am I included this time? Like, at all?""'Course not," he said, with the specific nonchalance only a sibling would have.   Will shook his head at Dustin's antics, but did nothing to hide the chuckle it pulled from him.   "Gee. Thanks," you scoffed. "Ya know, don't be surprised if your bike tires mysteriously deflate one day, Dustin. There's all kinds of weirdos around here. Just sayin',"   While Dustin ignored the remark, Will grinned, an idea building in his head.   "Any comic?" He asked Dustin.   "Yeah,"   That was all the answer he needed. Will left his seat, pouring his weight onto the pedals of his bike, instantly stealing the lead.   "Hey!" Your brother cried, trying to catch up. "I didn't say go!"   Before Dustin could protest further, your sudden alarmed cries stole their attention.   "Shit!" Will heard your tire thump against the pavement. You sounded hurt, "Dustin, wait!"   Will's tires began to skid, throwing caution to the wind and looking back to check on you. He caught something Dustin didn't. You winked. The sound of your tire they had heard had been nothing but a simple jerk of your handlebars and a bounce of your wheel. Dustin hadn't seen, and instantly hit his breaks in worry.   Will stifled a laugh and eagerly accepted your distraction with no time wasted. He was off, already two houses ahead when he heard Dustin catch on.   "Hey, what the hell?! YOU DIRTY CHEATS!"   Your boisterous laugh echoed down the street and infected Will. "GO, WILL! GO!"   "I'm gonna kill you! BOTH of you!"   Will had never flown so fast. He dodged potholes and skirted curbed corners, the voices of his Henderson friends falling further and further behind him. When he reached Pinewood, he knew he had secured the win. The slope your house sat high atop came into view, its long driveway snaking down the grassy hill where it touched Pinewood. Your mailbox sailed past him, just in time for you and Dustin to crest the hill behind him to see.   "I'll take your X-Men 134!"   Tires squealed as you and Dustin come to a halt, both of you panting for breath as you watch the victor of your little race making his escape to the opposite end of your street. Exhaustion caught up to you fast, your lungs worked harder than they normally did, yet you looked over at your brother with a simper. His shoulders heaved and arms lay draped over his handlebars. He slowly turned to you, a scowl in his brown eyes as he shook his head at you, panting for breath.   "Traitor,"   A devious cackle grew from deep within your throat and dimpled your cheeks. Dustin took the lead and dismounted his bike, beginning the hike up the steep and winding driveway.   You followed closely behind, grin stretching wider across your face knowingly. "Crazy how that happened. It's almost like you should stop deliberately leaving me out of things, huh?"   "Shut up," he quipped back, still winded and stewing in defeat. It made you laugh again, this time drawing a humored smile from him despite his words.   When you two would eventually get inside, you'd both be greeted by your mother and her soap opera she'd insist was on because she couldn't find the remote. She'd wrap you both in a hug you'd both enjoy, but insist you didn't, and then be promptly ushered off to bed. The nightly shower would be especially welcome tonight after all that time holed up in the stink pocket that was Mike Wheeler's basement all day, and then you'd happily collapse into bed.   Fleetingly, and with a great deal of bravery, you wondered how life could get any better. From the tips of your ears to the ends of your toes you were positively filled with warmth and comfort, the kind you'd feel soaking into your skin as the sun set on a beautiful day you didn't want to end. And though the actual sun had long since set behind Hawkins horizon, an entirely different sun was setting before your eyes.   You didn't know it at the time, none of you did, but the sun was setting on your childhoods tonight. This very moment, in fact. The last of your innocence, the belief that monsters lurked only in your imagination. The last of your days you'd spend going to sleep with certainty nothing sinister was lurking outside your door -- nobody trying to take you away. The last of your days you'd spend thinking you were a normal kid in a boring town. This time tomorrow, you'd be weeping into your pillow, wondering -- no, dreading -- how life could get any worse.   But not now, not quite yet. For now, in this evanescent moment, innocence shone over you like the final rays of the sun, when they shone their deepest shade of gold. Warmth prickled the apple of your cheeks as you soaked in the feeling and lingered on the driveway. Your eyes sought Will's figure as it retreated down Pinewood and you watched with fondness, blissfully ignorant to the fact that as he sank down below the horizon, so too did that setting sun on your childhoods.   Specifically, that of your best friend, Will Byers. While you each had until tomorrow morning -- when you each would receive an unsettling phone call from his mother Joyce -- Will had only minutes.   They were good minutes, spent like any other on his long bike rides home. He considered the events of the night, and whatever tomorrow might possibly bring. Your words rang in his mind, and they came as comfort. The last he'd encounter for a long while.   Vrmmm-Vrmp-Vrmmp Vrmp   Will's bike-light buzzed between his handlebars but the warning came to him too late. His heart leapt painfully in his chest when the dark figure in the road honed in on him. All he could glimpse was a silhouette before he yanked his bike off the road; a dark, foreboding shadow that towered in the night -- like a black hole, eager to swallow him up without a sound.   Fallen autumn leaves broke loudly under his bike and body when he went sailing into the ditch. The ground was cold, but the fear that zipped down his spine was freezing. He scrambled to his knees as noiselessly as he could. Without his permission, his wide brown eyes stole glances through the trees at the predator he instantly understood was hunting him.   A long, snarling trill reached his ears and pierced his heart.   There's no time, his instincts screamed at him. Every second counted, he needed to run!   And run he had. Faster than he ever imagined he could. Dirt and leaves kicked up behind him as he darted through the trees. His lungs and legs were screaming at him by the time forest floor turned to gravel under his old sneakers and the thicket of trees became a wall of fog curtaining his driveway.   Will was small -- smaller than most kids his age. But he was also nimble. Clever too. It made him hard to catch. Will counted on this as he reached his front porch with skipped steps and far strides.  He slipped through the front door, slamming it shut and securing every lock. He wished he could say he did this silently but his old dog Chester was in a frenzy, his hackles raised and his protective instincts kicking in.   "Mom?" He cried. No answer. He ran down the hallway looking for his family, but he knew even now if they were here they would have been at his side already. Desperate and afraid, he called again.   His voice cracked in fear. "Jonathan? Mom?"   That silhouette in the road was burned into the back of his eyelids. He wouldn't ever forget it.   This was no longer a question of 'if' it would catch him but 'when'. He needed to act now. Assess the situation, his instincts told him. How much time did he have?   Will dove behind the couch nearest the window, throwing back the blinds and sending them crashing down over his back. He ignored it, cupping his hands against the glass and his eyes strained across the front lawn.   The fog was thicker than ever, working against him this time. He cursed himself for putting off his chores -- the damn laundry line! Another thick curtain of white obstructing his view of the driveway, the sheets flapping tauntingly in the breeze. His eyes raked the lawn at all angles but he couldn't see it yet. He certainly couldn't have lost it.   The fog curled and the sheets snapped, and Chester howled even harder. That's when he finally laid eyes on it. That thing.   Will suddenly got the feeling he wasn't the one watching so much as he was the one being watched.   The wind picked up and the sheets snapped harder -- up and out -- then slowly drew itself back like a curtain unveiling the first act. Will's stomach twisted, and the creature started back towards him. With skipped steps and far strides.   Will hadn't needed a second warning to withdraw himself from the window. He knew now he had time, just not a lot of it. Now, he needed to act.   First and foremost, he'd call for help. He'd be facing this thing one way or another, the best thing he could hope for was someone getting here before it finished him.   His fingers shook as he spun the dial, Chester at his heels all but frothing at the mouth as he too called for help.   Nine.   Will's eyes dart between the rotary and locked door.   One.   Darkness glided smoothly over the obscured glass in the center of the door. It was here, just on the other side.   One.   The phone rang in his ear achingly slow, dotted with sporadic tics of static.   CLICK!   "Hello?!" He screams into the phone. He watched helplessly as the shadow shifted, like it was tuning into his voice. "HELLO?!"   No one would hear his call tonight. There's nothing but static on the other end. A thick, angry swarm of static, briefly ripped apart by a familiar, bone chilling trill.    He was afraid to look now. But he couldn't help himself. And when he did, it killed hope he didn't know still existed.    Zzzz-ck! The chain on the door slid itself unlocked.   Will dropped the phone and it smacked against the wall as it swung, still spitting out static. Outside, the back door ripped open, colliding fast and hard with the walls in a fantastic thud. Will ran for the shed as fast as he could. Very rarely were either of the Byers boys grateful for their father Lonnie's affinity for firearms or the unwanted lessons forced on them. Tonight, however...   He just needed to follow through. That's what Lonnie would have said.   Gratefully, Will enters the shed to find the Mossberg exactly where Lonnie left it. Carefully extracting it from the wall, Will placed it on the workbench beside him. Trembling hands found the box of bullets and set to work loading the chamber, just as he was taught. The single shed bulb he'd just turned on dangled unsteadily on its chain, casting a light that bounced unreliably around him. Despite this, Will managed to load the rifle and hoist it readily.   Silence. Will suddenly despised the silence.   With every tremendous beat of his heart, he pictured the figure one step closer to him. But still, he heard nothing. For too long, he heard nothing. Just his scattered breaths and the hum of the bulb overhead. It gave him too much room to think. Terrible, morbid thoughts that did his young heart no favors.   One by one, thought by thought, a horrible dread crawled up his spine and into his bones. Like standing on freezing concrete, as it slowly saps the warmth from your body through your feet. The Mossberg grew heavier in his arms as he waited.   In the dim light of the shed, it finally happened. That horrid trill of delight... and there, on the wall before him Will sees it. From behind him, the bulb casts a familiar shape on the wooden walls. A shadow, growing on the wall before him, swallowing him in darkness.   Already it had found him, and it had finally come to claim him.   A low growl -- the kind he'd heard twice before -- rumbled behind him, towering over his small stature like a monstrous storm cloud and froze him in place. Terror gripped his lungs and banished all thought. All there was and ever existed within Will was pure, icy terror.  It took every remaining ounce of courage to turn around - to look his fate in the face. Squinting against the light of the bulb and its angry hum, he saw the figure from the road clearly for the first time. This... thing.   Brighter and brighter the bulb burned overhead, impossibly so -- its hum growing to a shriek that filled the otherwise silence. It was the last thing Will heard before it all happened. The second to last thing he saw.   For whatever reason -- whether some indecipherable cosmic purpose, or just pure dumb luck -- it chose him. Here and now. On this cold, seemingly insignificant November night, Will Byers vanished off the face of the earth, leaving nothing behind but an empty shed and a barking dog.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

── ☄︎ ──      The following morning should have been, on all accounts, a pleasant one. Fresh morning air spilled into your lungs, sun rays broke through what little clouds hung in the sky, yet your stomach was in knots.    Your aching legs called for your attention and you snapped out of auto pilot at last, slowing your bike beside your friends. You realized with a flicker of surprise you were already at school. It wasn't entirely out of the ordinary for you. Your mind had a habit of storming and churning out nonsense when something was bothering you -- trying to make sense of things -- and amidst it all, would leave you mentally clouded and unavailable. Be it a test, potential conflict -- trying to figure out whether or not someone was mad or just tired -- anything that might be a perceived threat. Today, it had been the phone call. It had been with you all morning.
   "_____, hon, are you up?"
   The tired, cranky part of you that desperately wanted back in bed bristled as you finished getting dressed, but you knew your mom was just trying to help.
   "I'm just getting my shoes on, I'll be right out," you had called, finishing the last knot. Getting up, you crossed your room and snagged the homework you had left on your desk, stuffing it quickly in your bag. Eyeing your watch, you determined you had enough time for breakfast and cartoons if you hurried, so you hustled to the tiny mirror on your dresser.

The phone rang, it's cry echoing throughout the house. It rang again, unanswered.
   "Dusty," you heard. "Can you get that please?"   " What? "    "I said can you get that please? I'm finishing the bacon-- Mews! Off the counter!! Bad! Bad! Get down! That is not for kitties! -- Dustin!"   Another ring. Your brother's voice came again, muffled from behind the bathroom door. Just as you were about to jump in and help, you heard the pan move on the stove and your mother's huff. The ringing stopped, and she managed her usual chipper greeting. Mindlessly, you turned back to your mirror.   "Oh, Joyce, good morning! This is a pleasant surprise,"   'Oh, come on,' you thought in frustration, peering at the small bump new on your chin, 'just what I need.'   "Oh," your reflection hesitated in the mirror at the sound of your mom's shifting voice. "well, no. I'm sorry, but I was still up when they got home and I can confirm it was just the two of them. Is everything alright?"   Any worry you once had with your appearance vanished, swallowed up whole when your mother suddenly fell quiet. "I see," You crept out your door and into the hallway, where her voice still carried. "Has he ever done that before?"   Wait, why does she sound like that, you wondered. Were they talking about Will? They had to be.   Carefully, you inched further down the hall, allowing the carpet to swallow the noise of your footsteps. You stopped at the end of the hall, just before the stairs to the basement, where you could peer through the front room and into the kitchen. Watching your mother begin to pace the kitchen, phone wedged between her ear and shoulder, did nothing to help the worry building within you. She stopped to lean against the counter opposite the dormant stove, her back to you.   Your stomach fell when her shoulders did. "Oh, Joyce..."   "What? What's going on?" You asked, not caring anymore if she knew you were listening. She looked over her shoulder at you, Joyce's faint and muffled voice barely audible to you from the phone. Your mother, unconvincingly, shook off your question as if it were nothing. Undoubtedly she was trying to assure you by instinct, but her eyes betrayed her.   She turned back to the phone, subconsciously nodding.   "Yeah," whatever she was trying to convey, it didn't sound too convincing. "Have you checked in with Karen, or Sue?" She was eyeing you now, gesturing between the breakfast she had left out for you and the dining room around the corner.   Could Joyce not find Will? Why else would she be calling here, and why else would Joyce need to call the other mothers? Absent-mindedly, you took your breakfast from your mother and went around the corner to the dining room, your ears still perked.   "Well, you might try Sue. You know the kids, they're always jumping from one house to the next, right?"
   A pause.
   "I'm sure you're right. I'm sorry I can't be of more help,"   You felt a pair of eyes on you, and you turned to find your brother lingering at the end of the hall, just as you had been. He looked between you and the kitchen, gesturing silently to your mother, confusion in his eyes.   "Please do," came your mothers voice, soft and empathetic. You locked eyes with Dustin again, unable to hide the worry written all over you. "And, any time, you let me know if there's anything I can do, okay?"   With hesitation, he joined you where you stood at the edge of the table. Neither of you bothering to take a seat yet -- unable, until your questions were answered. The two of you stood in silence, the same worry your mother carried settling inside you two.   "Yeah?" Another pause. "I did...Let's see, I wanna say... about half past eight?"   You were in bed by nine. She was recounting when the two of you got home last night -- when you two last saw Will. Any remaining doubt either of you had that your best friend was somehow unaccounted for was now gone completely.   "Okay, hon. Again, you let me know, alright?...Alright, take care. Good luck,"   The click of the phone as it returned to the mount felt louder than normal -- heavy, even. Like a judges gavel, just after the sentence. The two of you shared worried words through silent glances, your mother coming around the corner with the rest of the breakfast after a beat of heavy silence.   Not much else was spoken between you three the rest of the morning. Your mother Claudia knew you two had heard, she also knew there wasn't much she could say to completely ease your concerns, however much she wanted to. Instead, she softly brushed the hair back from your faces with a reassuring smile that didn't quite reach her eyes, and began to set the table.   "She's just checking in," she told you, sweetness in her voice. "She thinks he went to school early, so he probably did. Now eat up,"   Needless to say, breakfast wasn't sitting well -- whatever little you managed to stomach after all that. Riding helped, if only a little. Pouring all your nervous energy into peddling across town tended to do that. But your mind never stopped racing. Your mom's voice stuck to you like glue. Oh, Joyce...   Like that awful phone call, the bell rang obnoxiously around you all as you dismounted. The four of you walked your bikes the rest of the way, tucking them away in the rack. You hadn't realized until now, your friends happened to be talking about the elephant not in the room.   "That's weird. I don't see him," Mike said, hands locking around his bag straps. The four of you scanned the yard and the swarm of arriving kids, all flooding inside.   "I'm telling you," Lucas began. "His mom's right. He probably just went to class early again."   Lucas's optimism and critical thinking was something you always admired. And deeply appreciated, in times such as these. He had always been exceptionally good at keeping the party level-headed. Especially when it came to grounding you and any runaway worries when they got ahold of you.    He had a point, after all. This wouldn't be the first time Will had left for school early, you reminded yourself.  Barely three weeks into this school year, he had been stressing about the first test of the semester. It was the first test to carry significant weight on grades, and Will simply hadn't been ready. You recalled the stress he brought onto himself for it -- he had somehow convinced himself if he failed, he'd never be able to make it up. Will was terrified he'd fall behind you all, you had never seen him so worked up. So, the day of the test, he woke up two hours ahead, left early for school to study in the library, and forgot to leave a note.   Mrs. Byers had wrung him out for scaring her, and he swore he wouldn't do it again. That's what made this a little strange.   "Yeah, he's always paranoid Gursky's gonna give him another pop quiz." Said Dustin.   "Well, yeah," You chimed in. "Gurksy pulls shit like that all the time. I promise you, that man hates kids."   "Step right up, ladies and gentlemen," came a nasty, smug little voice from around the corner. Shit. Really? Now? There was never a good time for Troy Walsh and his goon, but their timing today was exceptionally awful. You hardly had the patience this morning for your brother and friends, let alone the two snotty bullies. "Step right up and get your tickets for the freak show,"   "Actually, today's no good," you snapped, without thought for consequence. "Can we catch your act tomorrow?"   Stunned chuckles scattered between Lucas, Mike, and Dustin. Hiding a small gulp, you kept your glare on the bullies despite the nervous speed of your heart. Troy, the curly-haired leader, scrunched his freckled face up in anger.   "Careful, orphan. You want to lose some teeth to match your 'brother'?" Said James, Troy's most loyal henchman.    Dustin bristled, and your fuse ran even shorter. "Shut up," Everyone, including you, had stopped trying long ago to explain that their nick-name for you made zero sense.   This time, Troy smiled at your anger. He turned to James, smirking as his eyes swept over the four of you. "So, who do you think would make more money in a freak show, anyway?"   He stepped towards you all.   "Midnight," he punched Lucas in the shoulder and suddenly you were considering murder. "Frogface," He hit Mike next, and your pulse stuttered again in anger. "Orphan," You didn't much notice the slug in your shoulder, or the idiotic nickname meant for you -- frankly you were still on the 'midnight' comment. "Or Toothless?" Like you, Dustin rolled off the fist in his shoulder fairly quick.   They ignored your seething eyes and James sighed, holding his hand to his chin as he feigned consideration. Suddenly you pictured these bozos practicing this crap in the mirror. He stopped at Dustin, singling him out in a voice that was clearly meant to be a mockery of his. "I'd go with Toothless."   "I told you a million times, my teeth are coming in. It's called cleidocranial dysplasia." Said Dustin.   "I th'old you a million th'imes--" he continued.   "Screw you!" Impulsiveness struck again, and you lunged forward to shove them back.   The heels of your palms collided with their shoulders and they stumbled back, and in that moment you were sure you'd pay the price. But infuriatingly enough, they laughed. They were delighted with the responses they had pulled from each of you.   "Do the arm thing," they ordered your brother.   "Do it, freak!"   "He doesn't have to do shit, Walsh!"    Any visible amusement the bullies had been displaying at your reactions had begun to falter. Dustin could see it -- they were feeding flames and now they were about to get burned. He stepped up to your side to stop you, not for their sake but yours; you didn't need a trip to detention. Not on top of the morning the both of you had been having.   "_____, it's fine. Look, here" he sighed. Dustin shed his backpack, and handed it over to you. Lucas took hold of his jacket. The two of you shared a silent exchange of mutual frustration. Everyone watched as his interlocked hands folded outwards, hyperextending his elbows. Every one of you could hear the loud shift of his bones, and you winced. Not for the reasons the others did; you simply despised the thought of Dustin giving into their demands, and on your behalf no less.   Dustin shot them each a pointed look as he took his things back from Lucas and yourself. "There, I did it. Will you leave us alone now?"   The bullies groaned and gagged, but they were pacified. "UGH. It gets me every time!" Hearing their laughter felt no different than hearing nails on a chalkboard. You bristled at the sound, and they laughed harder, making it a point to shove past your shoulders.   A shove for a shove. No good deed goes unpunished, you supposed.   Troy and James sauntered away, bragging no doubt about how easy it was to push you all around. The four of you seethed at the sight, but eventually turned back. Adrenaline had still been running wild in your system, uncomfortably so, as any and every filthy curse-word flew to mind.   "Assholes," Lucas hissed, and you supposed that worked just fine.   "I think it's kinda cool," Mike offers kindly. The four of you fall in beside one another again. "It's like you have superpowers or something. Like Mr. Fantastic."   "Yeah, except I can't fight evil with it." You laid a friendly hand on your brother's shoulder, the four of you headed for the nearest entrance.••• possible trigger for intrusive thoughts and talks of (auditory) sensory overload. skip to next chapter if you'd need or like to •••    Noise seemed sharper after stepping into the halls of Hawkins Middle. Louder. Inadvertently, one of your sneakers had caught the linoleum and the squeak struck a cord in your nerves and you knew; today would be one those days.   Lockers opening and closing, the kid from P.E sneezing across the hall, the creaky old heating unit turning itself on and breathing warmth into the halls, the chatter of students and faculty all around you -- you forced it all to blend into one monotonous buzz for the sake of your sanity; turn it all to white noise. It helped some, and would continue to, so long as you could stop thinking about it. Lest they all become individual noises again, prickling your skin until you snapped.   The lingering tension Troy had just left your group with did nothing to help, nor did the sludge still stewing in your gut.   Your mother's voice popped back into your mind, determined not to leave you alone.   'Oh, Joyce.' Stop it, stop thinking about it. It does no good. It's just Mrs. Byers being a concerned parent -- and your mom undetstanding the worry. That's why she sounded like that. Things happen all the time that end up being no big deal, it's fine. It's fine.   But what if it's not? You huffed, mentally expelling as many of the bads thoughts as you could.   "So, I talked to my mom, and she said there's a bunch of old junk in the attic. Thought I might go digging through it sometime this week. See if I can find any props for the next campaign," Mike and the others had drifted in front of you (or maybe you drifted behind). The usual smile had made its way back on his face, the one he wore most around you four. "I mean, I already have a plan in mind, obviously. I just mean for the following installment. I won't give too much away, but..." His voice began to trail outside your attention span, fading into the background with the rest of the buzz of noise.   He could hardly keep still, that boyish excitement of his infecting the other two. You wished it had the affect on you it normally did, but this time you had managed nothing more than a quirk of your lips. Half of a half-smile.   Would Will even be here to see the next campaign? Of course he would! Shit, you needed to stop thinking like this. It's just a misunderstanding. Nothing ever happens here, or to you, or to your family. Or your friends. It never has. Stuff happened in other towns -- other cities, other states -- not yours.  But there's always a chance it could. And there's always a chance it won't. Stop. Thinking like that.   After all, the likelihood of something being horribly wrong was far smaller than the likelihood of a misunderstanding. And hell, if it was a misunderstanding -- which it was -- Will would just be upset to hear you got yourself worked up over him. He'd feel guilty for causing you worry and then you'd feel guilty. And it would go around in circles until you found it utterly ridiculous and laugh it all off. Cause it was ridiculous.   Lucas is right, you told yourself. He just left for class early. That's it. That's all it could be. You walked a little taller, the straps of your bag clutched in your hands a little too tight. In fact, you had just managed to fake a proper smile as you caught up to the boys, the three of them stopped suddenly in the doorway. You hadnt notice their faded smiles in time for a proper warning.   The four of you stood paused at the doorway, your eyes trained on Will's empty seat. The four of you were the first to have arrived. Neither Will nor his bag was here. Not like last time.   'Not like last time. This isn't like last time.'   The pit in your stomach grew, and the grip on your bag straps grew so tight they'd leave an impression. The party's eyes flickered to one another, and then to you. Your lips were pressed into a hard line somewhat resembling a forced smile, and they knew better than to prod. With a quick deep breath, you stepped inside and headed for your desk like any other morning. But they knew something was off, they felt it too.   Everything's fine. It's all just a misunderstanding, after all.   It had to be. You needed it to be. That lingering feeling in the back of your mind was just that. A silly feeling. Cause you didn't know what you'd do if it was more than that.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

||𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐄𝐑'𝐒 𝐏𝐎𝐕||
 
The booming clap of thunder and the steady drumming of rain hitting the windows can be heard. The poor girl sat before us, shaking, her breath heavy and ragged. She was wearing Mike's jacket, he had given it to her when we found her shivering in the rain. The four of us stood in front of her, gazing at her in awe and bewilderment. Lucas and Mike were to my right, Dustin on my left. Mike finally broke the silence.
 
"Is there a number we can call for your parents?"
 
"Where's your hair? Do you have cancer?"
 
"Dustin," I warn. Although, I'd be lying if I said it hadn't crossed my mind.
 
Before I can stop them, the boys continue to ask her all sorts of questions without even giving her a chance to answer.
 
"Did you run away?"
 
"Are you in some kind of trouble?"
 
"Is that blood?" Lucas slowly extends his arm towards the girl's face; before I can stop him, Mike beats me to it and smacks his arm away.
 
"Stop it! You're freaking her out!"
 
"She's freaking me out!"
 
"I bet she's deaf." Dustin then turns to look at the girl and quickly claps his hands in her face and she flinches back, clearly even more frightened, if that is at all possible.
 
"Not deaf." He says weakly, shrugging his shoulders.
 
I draw the line there. "Dustin, seriously? Do you not hear yourself? How would you feel in her position, huh?"
 
"Y/n's right, okay? Enough, both of you." Mike defended me and looked to Dustin and Lucas as he spoke. "She's just scared and cold." He pointed in the girl's direction as he said this.
 
Hearing him say that made me realize she was still in nothing but a soaking wet t-shirt and Mike's jacket. I turn to Mike. "We should probably get her some fresh clothes. Do you have any down here?" I ask.
 
Mike nods and heads towards a laundry basket across the room. I look back at the girl and I see her close her eyes and flinch, shrinking into herself a little as another clap of thunder boomed from outside. I cautiously took a step around to the side of the coffee table and took a seat on the edge so I was near her eye level but not so close I was invading her space.
 
"Hey, it's okay. It's just thunder. You're gonna be okay. You're safe now."
 
I send her a warm, reassuring smile. She says nothing, but I swear I see gratitude in her eyes.
 
Mike returns with some fresh clothes. "Here, these are clean. Okay?" She cautiously takes the clothes from him and looks at them. After a moment she brings them to her face and softly rubs them on her cheek. My sympathy for her grows stronger, who knows how long it has been since she's had a proper set of clothes. She sets them aside and shrugs Mike's jacket off of her shoulders. She rises to her feet, reaching for the bottom of the t-shirt she was wearing, clearly about to undress in front of us.
 
"No, no, no!" The boys all yell.
 
I jump to my feet in surprise, and quickly yet cautiously reach for her hands to keep them in place. Mike tries to do the same, but he's a bit more shaken up. Meanwhile, Dustin and Lucas began freaking out, their heads turned so as to not see anything. Dustin could not stop saying, "Oh, my God!"
 
"See over there?" Mike points to the bathroom just across the room. "That's the bathroom. Privacy. Get it?" He asks. The girl looks ashamed and confused. She looks to the bathroom and then to me, her eyes pleading. I can tell she's afraid to be alone. I take a quick, deep breath and look at her. "Do you want me in there with you?" I offer gently. She nods and we are all surprised to hear her speak.
 
"Yes."
 
"So you can talk? Okay, umm yea, yea that's okay, I can do that." I grab her clothes off the couch and I lead her to the bathroom and she looks around in curiosity.
 
"Here, is it alright with you if I close this?" I gesture to the door. Panic crossed her features and she speaks for the second time tonight.
 
"No."
 
"Hey, its okay, it's just so that you can change in privacy, ya know so they don't accidentally see you changing. How about we close it most of the way? That way you have privacy, but you know you can still get out. Does that sound good?" She hesitates then nods her head slightly. I push the door in so it's cracked open.
 
"Alright, I'm gonna turn around so you can change. Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere." I said in a reassuring tone, handing her the clothes. She nods her head as she takes the clothes, and I smile, I turn around and stand there patiently. Having nothing to do but stare at the wall, however since I'm near the cracked door, I can hear the boys talking.
 
"This is mental." It was Dustin.
 
"At least she can talk." Mike defended.
 
"She said 'no' and 'yes.' Your three-year-old sister says more." Lucas counters. I bite my lip, trying not to yell at Lucas. If he heard her say 'no' to me from the bathroom, that obviously means that we can hear him. As much as I love those boys, they can be really insensitive.
 
"She tried to get naked." Great, Dustin was never going to let this go, I can tell.

"There's something seriously wrong with her. Like, wrong in the head."

"She, just went like..." and then I could barely make out the muffled sound of something falling.

"I bet she escaped from Pennhurst."

"From where?" Mike sounded just as exasperated as I was feeling.

"The nuthouse in Kerley County."

"You got a lot of family there?"

"Bite me."

"Seriously though, think about it. That would explain her shaved hair and why she's so crazy."

"Why she went like.."

"She's an escapee is the point. She's probably a psycho."

"Like Michael Myers."

"Exactly! We should've never brought her here."

"So you just wanted to leave her out in that storm?"

"Yes! We went out to find Will, not another problem."

"I think we should tell your mom." Dustin offers.

"I second that."

"Who's crazy now?"

"How is that crazy?"

"'Cause, we weren't supposed to be out tonight, remember?"

"So?"

"So if I tell my mom and she tells your mom and your mom..."

"Oh, man."

"Our houses become Alcatraz."

"Exactly. We'll never find Will."

There's a brief silence, and I think about everything I just heard. Mike had a pretty good point. And I don't blame Lucas for being skeptical, I just wish he wouldn't be so harsh sometimes. If I can hear their conversation, that means she can. I can't imagine what she must be going through right now.

"All right, here's the plan. She sleeps here tonight."

"You're letting a girl--"

"Just listen! In the morning, she sneaks around my house, goes to the front door and rings my doorbell. My mom will answer and know exactly what to do. She'll send her back to Pennhurst or wherever she comes from. We'll be totally in the clear. And tomorrow night, we go back out. And this time, we find Will."

I feel a light tap on my shoulder and I turn around to see the girl had changed. She had a sad look on her face and I don't blame her at all.
 
"Feeling better?" I ask. She meets my eyes for a brief moment and nods, looking back down at her feet.
 
I sigh and lower my voice into a whisper, trying to undo all the damage the boys just unknowingly caused. "Hey, I'm sorry they said all those things. You'll be in good hands here with that boy Mike; the guy who gave you the clothes? He's really nice, and it sounds like you'll be staying with him."
 
There's a silence, and for a moment I eye the door before turning back to her.
 
"By the way... you don't have to answer any of those questions if you're not ready. That was unfair of them to do that. If you ever need anything... or someone to talk to, even after we get everything sorted out, well, I'm here." I give her a reassuring smile and open the door, leading her out of the bathroom.
 
Lucas and Dustin (btw I just thought you all would like to know it is currently 1:30 in the morning and I just typed "Ducas and Lustin" that is all) were standing at the bottom of the stairs, ready to head out, and Mike had made a small fort for the girl.
 
Mike was helping the girl get settled in the fort. "Here you go. This is my sleeping bag."
 
"You really think she's psycho?" Dustin whispered.
 
"Wouldn't want her in my house." Before Lucas could head up the stairs I spoke up.
 
"We heard everything."
 
Lucas and Dustin stopped and looked at me, worried.
 
"What?"
 
"All those nasty things you were saying back there, we heard every word. She heard every word... Just go. Dustin, I'll catch up in a few minutes. Goodbye." I threw them an incredulous as I shook my head and walked away. As I made my way over to the fort I took note of the silence behind me followed by reluctant footsteps up the stairs.
 
"Hey, um, I never asked your name." Mike said trying to make conversation. I kneeled down next to Mike.
 
The girl looks at us both, then without saying anything, she pulls up her left sleeve to reveal a tattoo on the inside of her wrist. It read '011'. My eyes widen in shock.
 
"Woah," I can't help but gasp.
 
"Is that real?" Mike asks excitedly as he reaches over to touch the tattoo. She quickly retracts her arm and looks at Mike. There's an awkward silence apart from the booming thunder outside.
 
"Sorry, I've just... never seen a kid with a tattoo before." He apologized sheepishly.
 
"Can I ask what it means?" I say.
 
She looks at me and then points a finger towards herself.
 
"So, that's your name? Eleven?" I confirm.
 
She nods her head and then looks down at her lap.
 
"Eleven. Okay." Mike says, perking up. "Um, well, my name's Mike. Short for Michael, and this is my friend Y/n. She's Dustin's sister." Eleven looks over at me and I smile politely and give her a small wave.
 
"Maybe we can call you 'El.' Short for Eleven." Mike offers. She nods her head in agreement. There's a silence and I can tell Mike likes her already.
 
"Um, well, okay," I say, trying to break the silence. "El, it was so nice meeting you, and if you need anything at all, I'm here. And so is Mikey here, of course," I say, looking over at Mike, giving him a knowing look, a smirk on my face. "Unfortunately, I have to head home so, I'll see you guys later. Bye!" I smile and grab my jacket and head for the stairs.
 
I could hear Mike stuttering a 'goodnight' to El as I make it to the top of the stairs. Clearly, I caught him off guard. I smile to myself, thinking.

'Ohh, he has so got it bad.'


 
I parked my bike in its usual spot and made it through the front door quite enough so my mom won't hear.
 
Most of the lights were turned off, my mom must have gone to bed already just as I suspected. I heard an obnoxious meowing near my feet and look down to see Mews. I kneel down and pet this attention starved cat knowing that's the only way she will ever quiet down. She lets out a deep purr and leans into my hand as I give her head a few scratches. I take off my shoes and set them by the front door and sneak back into my room.
 
I flip on the light switch and stare at my slightly messy room and sigh at the events of today. I close my door so I can change into my pj's and tidy up a bit. Once I'm done I open my door so it's ajar, knowing that Mews likes to come and go throughout the house as she pleases. I sit down on the side of my bed and sigh heavily.
 
My eyes are fixed on the floor, the different shadows that were being cast from my lamp on my bedside table, my thoughts wandering back to the fruitless efforts of tonight. The stress and constant worrying have taken its toll on me. It breaks my heart to know that my best friend is somewhere out there lost and probably hurt. I guess a big part of me was sure that we were going to find Will in those woods out by Mirkwood tonight. I should have known better.
 
I feel something on my leg and I look down to see tear stains on my pajama bottoms. I hadn't even realized I had started crying. I sniffle, wiping my nose and grab the stuffed duck that was sitting on my bed. Will had won it for me. I give it a tight hug, a small smile creeps its way onto my face at the memory.

- 𝗙𝗟𝗔𝗦𝗛𝗕𝗔𝗖𝗞 -

It was the first Saturday of summer vacation and the five of us had gone to the arcade for a much-deserved celebration. We all filed into the arcade, I followed Mike, Dustin, and Lucas as we made our way to Dustin's favorite game Dig Dug, Will and I side by side, buzzing with the excitement of the new summer ahead of us.

There was a brief moment of comfortable silence as we looked around the arcade. We passed by all the familiar games including the infamous claw game. I spare a glance at its contents and notice an adorable bright yellow duck perched in the front of the glass.

I smile and point at the stuffed duck. "Oh! That duck is so cute!" I admired it for a brief moment and catch up with Dustin, assuming Will is still next to me.

( hats off to the folk who understand this reference!! 😎 )
 
About 20 minutes later I had just beaten Mike's high score on Pac Man. All the boys watched over my shoulder and I couldn't help but cheer out. "Ha ha! Say, Mike, how does my dust taste?"

"Oh, whatever. You only beat me by," he leans over my shoulder to look at my score. "Holy crap! 1300 points?! Alright, well done." He sighs.

"Hey Will, you owe me 5 bucks!" I turn to my friend only to not see him there. I look around in confusion.

"Wait, guys, where is Will?"

They all shrug.

"I don't know, the last time I saw him he was with you. When we got here." Lucas shrugged. I look around until I spot the familiar bowl cut by the claw machine. He must have won something since he was leaning down to grab some prize from the machine. I quickly grab my tickets and abandon the machine and meet him by the claw, he made eye contact with me and quickly put his hands behind his back.

"Hey, man. Where have you been? You just missed it. I just annihilated Mike in Pac Man. It was awesome!"

"I, um... Well, I, uh" he scratched the back of his head awkwardly as he stammered.

I breathed out a soft laugh. "Will, it's fine you're not on trial or anything."

"Well I noticed you seemed to really like that duck and it seemed easy enough, and um, and so yeah, I played a couple rounds and uh, well here." His words sort of spilled out of his mouth and he quickly pulled out his hand from behind his back and handed me the cute little stuffed duck from earlier. A huge, beaming smile finds it's way onto my face as I take the duck from him.

"Oh, wow!" I gasped as I took the duck from him. "That's awesome, thank you! I love it! Aww, it's so cute!" I gave the duck a big squeeze and held it under my arm.

"Yeah, uh no problem. So you said you beat Mike's score? That's great! By how much?" He seems more relaxed now that he's changed the subject.

"You'll never believe it, 130 points!" I said smugly.

"No way! Y/n, that's awesome!" He gave me a big smile.

"I know right? Anyways, come on, let's hit up Space Invaders. We've got more records to beat." I motioned towards the machine, but Will doesn't move. His smile only falters. "What's wrong Byers? Come on, we better hurry before someone else gets to it." I give him a smile, silently urging him to come along.

"Yeah, umm about that. I don't have any money left. I um, I kinda spent it all on the claw." He said sheepishly.

"What?" I stare in disbelief. I can't believe he would do that.

"I'm sorry, I just thought tha-" he stammered.

"No, Will, hey! I'm not mad!" I soothe as I reach out and put a hand on his shoulder to calm him.

"And please, don't be sorry. If anything, I'm sorry. You spent all your money just to get this duck. I know you guys are tight on money right now, and well, I-" I stopped, completely appalled at his actions. "Thank you. That means so much to me. You're amazing." I smile and pull him in for a hug.

The hug lingers for a few moments longer than necessary but not enough to make it too awkward. He was hesitant to let go it seemed. I finally broke the hug and gave him another big grin.

"Come on, I am playing Space Invaders with my best guy, whether he likes it or not. I've still got a buttload of coins."

"But, you don't have to do that."

"You didn't have to spend all your money getting the duck but you did anyway." I point out. He smiles at this.

"Besides," I continued. "You know me, I'd feel WAY too guilty if I didn't repay you in some way for the duck. This way, we'll be even. What do you say?" I playfully elbow him.

A big grin breaks out on his face. "Yeah okay, cool. Thanks."

- 𝗘𝗡𝗗 𝗢𝗙 𝗙𝗟𝗔𝗦𝗛𝗕𝗔𝗖𝗞 -

I smile fondly as I give the ever so slightly worn duck a squeeze. It quickly became one of my favorite things. A quiet sob escapes my lips as I hug the duck.
 
"Y/n?" My head shot up to my door to see Dustin poking his head in my room, concern etched on his face.
 
I sniffle and quickly wipe my nose with the back of my hand as I attempt to stop my sobs.
 
"Sorry," I mumble, figuring I'd annoyed him.
 
"Y/n, what's wrong?" Dustin asks gently and he takes a seat next to me, not before closing the door behind him.
 
"I'm sorry, I just," I am unable to hold back another sob, I lean into my brother's shoulder. He wraps an arm around my shoulder as he tries to comfort me.
 
"Seriously, are you okay? What's the matter?"
 
"I miss him!" I wail. I can feel Dustin's body stiffen for a brief moment at the mention of Will. He sighs and runs his hand up and down my shoulder, trying to comfort me.
 
"I know," his voice sounds hoarse, like he's trying not to cry. "I miss him too."
 
"What if, he doesn't come back?" I choke on my sobs.
 
"You shouldn't talk like that. We'll find him. You know him, he's good at hiding. If something did get him, you just know he's hiding. That's why the clever bastard never bites it in our campaigns, even when we do."
 
I breathe out a soft chuckle at this. Dustin has a point. It seems no matter what kind of trouble he gets into during our campaigns, he always seems to find a way out. It's become a running joke in our party.
 
My smile falters. "But what if..."
 
"Y/n, you can't keep doing this to yourself. No more 'what ifs' it's not healthy, and-"
 
"Well, I can't help it, Dustin!" I snap, cutting him off. "I just... I just can't. You don't understand. You think I like it when my brain won't stop plaguing me with these god awful scenarios that gnaw at me every second? I can't help it, it's so draining! Why do you think it takes so long to come down from my anxiety attacks?" My eyes are welling up again and my vision has become blurry.
 
Dustin only sighs. "I'm sorry. I had no idea."
 
I sniffle and sigh. "I'm sorry too. It just gets so frustrating not being able to communicate my feelings with people who don't deal with this like I do."
 
"I just... I just hope he's okay." Hot tears slide down my face as I stare at the wall. I heard a sniffle come from Dustin. We stayed like that for quite some time, longing for our friend.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

||𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐄𝐑'𝐒 𝐏𝐎𝐕||
 
Lucas, Dustin and I take our seats once we get to class.
 
"Oh, that can't be good." I sigh, gesturing to Mike's empty seat.
 
"Yeah, he's never this late," Dustin added.
 
"I'm telling you, his stupid plan failed," Lucas stated.
 
"I thought you liked his plan?"
 
"Yeah, but obviously it's stupid, or he'd be here."
 
"If his mom found out a girl spent the night-" Dustin began.
 
"He's in deep shit right about now."
 
Dustin shifted in his seat, and leaned forward, whispering loud enough for us to hear. "Hey, what if she slept naked?"
 
"Ugh!" I dramatically roll my eyes and let my forehead hit the desk. I lightly bang my forehead on my desk repeatedly in indignation.
 
Luckily for me, Lucas shut that down quickly. "Oh, my God, she didn't."
 
"Oh, if Mrs. Wheeler tells our parents..."
 
I never picked my head up from the desk, however, the thought of Mom finding out was enough to elicit an anxious groan from me.
 
"No way. Mike would never rat us out."
 
I hesitantly looked up, making eye contact with Lucas. He gave me a reassuring smile, knowing I worry easily.
 
"I don't know." Dustin said warily.
 
"All that matters is, after school, the freak will be back in the loony bin, and we can focus on what really matters, finding Will." I frown at his specific choice of words for El. I desperately want to say something, but decided against it, not wanting to get in a fight. Fighting won't get us any closer to finding Will.
 
||𝟑𝐑𝐃 𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐎𝐍 𝐏𝐎𝐕||

Mike Wheeler rides his bike down the small slope of grass towards his front yard. When El refused to let Mike's mom know she was there, Mike had no choice but to resort to plan b. He had led his mom to believe that he had ridden to school when in reality he had stopped around the corner until both his parents were gone.

When he got to the driveway, he dismounted his bike and led it into the garage however something caught his eye. He stared in awe as the once withered and frankly the most miserable looking plant he had ever seen in his life, was now a beautiful lush green and stood as tall his knees. 'How had Y/n done it?'

It took a solid moment for Mike to gather his thoughts and focus on the task at hand. He parked his bike and made his way inside.

⊹ ⊹ ⊹

"You want anything to drink?" Mike decided to take advantage of the empty house so that he could show El around. "We have OJ, skim milk... What else? Um, we have..."

Mike trailed off when he saw that El was more fascinated with the things in his living room, mostly his TV set.

"Oh, this is my living room. It's mostly just for watching TV."

El lightly traced her fingers around the frame of the TV as she examined it.

"Nice, right? It's a 22-inch.

That's, like, ten times bigger than Dustin's."

El turned her head and said quietly.

"Y/n."

"Well, yeah of course. Y/n too."

"Y/n. Sister?" She asked, making sure she remembered correctly.

"Yeah!" Mike smiled, then lightly shrugged. "Well, technically adopted. But yeah, she's still his sister."

El's brows furrowed in confusion.

"A-adopted?"

"Yeah, um, it means that she came from different parents. Mrs. Henderson adopted her because her parents were unable to take
care
of her. It's funny actually, Y/n is from Hawkins. Or at least that's where they found her. They didn't use to live in Hawkins; I don't know much about it cause Dustin was so young he doesn't remember any of it, but I think him and his mom were visiting family here and they just... found her, I think? I'm pretty sure that's why they moved here, or something."

El seemed to understand as she thought about it. She then turned to look at the all the pictures on top of the fireplace. She slowly walks to the fireplace and steps up onto the brick platform. She gazes at all the family photos. Particularly, the photo beside the one of Mike; of a smiling girl, a little older than herself, with long pretty hair and a pink sweater.

She smiles longingly and speaks in a soft voice. "Pretty."

"I guess." Mike's face is contorted in confusion and a little in disgust.

"That's my sister Nancy. And that's baby Holly." He said as she moved to the slightly larger photo of a young baby. She then moved along to a photo with Mike, Nancy, and Holly, along with two other people she didn't recognize.

"And those are my parents. What are your parents like?" As usual, El says nothing and she steps down from the fireplace and walks up to a large green chair.

"Do they live close?" Mike continued. He notices El run her hand along the top of the plush green chair. "That's our La-Z-Boy. It's where my dad sleeps. You can try it if you want." He offers. El looked up at him, intrigued. "Yeah." He assured her, with a warm smile on his face. She cautiously sits down as Mike kneels down beside the chair. "It's fun!"

She looked to Mike, wondering what he is up to.

"Just trust me, okay?" She gives a quick nod, and braces herself, not knowing what to expect. She is taken aback by the sudden collapse of the chair, she is now laying down and the chair is rocking back and forth. She lets out a gasp, and then a nervous chuckle.

"See? Fun, right?"

With one hand on the back of the chair, and the other on the front, he brings the chair back into its default position. "Now you try."

With a small smile on her face, and feeling more confident she leans over the side and pulls the handle, letting her entire body go flying backward into a slow rock. Mike and El both look at each other and laugh gleefully.

⊹ ⊹ ⊹

Some random rock song on the radio that Jonathan barely recognized came to an end as Jonathan Byers drove to his dad's house. His eyes darted to the radio unit in his car for a moment as his heart fell when the familiar sound of "Should I Stay or Should I Go" rang throughout the car.

- 𝗙𝗟𝗔𝗦𝗛𝗕𝗔𝗖𝗞 -

"Darlin', you got to let me know"

Jonathan is sat on the edge of the bed next to his younger brother Will. The two of them are in Will's room, bobbing their heads along to 'Should I Stay or Should I Go' by The Clash.

"Should I stay or should I go?"

"You like it?" Jonathan had to raise his voice so he could be heard over the loud song. Will looks to his older brother and grins.
 
"Yeah, it's cool!"
 
"All right, you can keep the mix if you want."
 
"Really?"
 
"Yeah, really. All the best stuff's on there. Joy Division, Bowie, Television, The Smith's... It'll totally change your life."
 
"Yeah, totally," Will says with a smile. However, the smile is quick to leave when the two boys hear their mother yelling on the phone.

"Where the hell are you, Lonnie?"

Will slowly turns his head to the door, listening to his mother yell at his absent father.
 
"I don't want to hear it. I don't want to hear it."
 
Jonathan mimics his brother's actions and looks to the door. Finally, he gets up and walks towards the door.

"This is ridiculous! I'm so sick of your excuses.

"One day is fine and next is black"

Before Jonathan sits down, he lowers the volume on the stereo.
 
"He's not coming, is he?"
 
"Do you even like baseball?" Jonathan asks softly.
 
"No, but... I don't know." He shrugs sadly. "It's fun to go with him sometimes."
 
"Come on. Has he ever done anything with you that you actually like? You know, like the arcade or something?"
 
Will shrugs his shoulders weakly. "I don't know."
 
"No, all right? He hasn't. He's trying to force you to like normal things. And you shouldn't like things because people tell you you're supposed to. Okay?"
 
Will only looks down at his feet sadly.
 
"Especially not him."
 
Will silently nods his head in understanding.
 
Jonathan decided to change the subject.
 
"But you like The Clash? For real?"
 
Will nods his head eagerly with a smile. "For real. Definitely."
 
"So... is Y/n a fan of The Clash?" Jonathan asks, genuinely curious.
 
A faint blush dusts Will's cheeks as he looks down at his hands. "Um, yeah, I think so."
 
"Maybe you should show this to her. I bet she'll like it."
 
"Maybe. You think?"
 
"Yeah, from what I know, she has great taste. She's pretty cool."
 
A loving smile spreads across Will's face. "Yeah, she is pretty cool."
 
"Will, you guys are best friends. You two are just too close to ruin the friendship. Why don't you ask her to the arcade or something? Just the two of you, and you could let her know how you feel?"
 
"But what if that ruins the friendship? What if she doesn't feel the same way, and decides to stop hanging out with me. I just- I just can't. I'm not ready."
 
"That's okay. All I'm saying is, she is way too nice to be the kind of person who would do that. You are way too important to her. And hey, if you ever do feel ready, or you guys do go out in the future..." Jonathan trails off, sensing the awkwardness creep up. He chuckles and looks back to his brother.
 
"All I'm trying to say is, I'm here for you. Always."
 
Will smiles gratefully and Jonathan leans forward to the volume back up.

"Should I stay or should I go? So you gotta let me know, should I stay or should I go?"

- 𝗘𝗡𝗗 𝗢𝗙 𝗙𝗟𝗔𝗦𝗛𝗕𝗔𝗖𝗞 -

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

||𝟑𝐑𝐃 𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐎𝐍 𝐏𝐎𝐕||

"Ready are you? What knows you of ready?" Mike spoke in a voice that was supposed be Yoda's.

Mike had been showing her his room; he was now showing her all of his toys. El is giving him strange looks at his unusual voice. He continues in his normal voice.

"His name is Yoda. He can use the Force to move things with his mind, like this." Mike then quickly shoves all of the toys off the table.

"Whoosh!"

Eleven looks around and all sorts of items she had never seen before on Mike's dresser. Mike, had now moved on to his favorite dinosaur toy.

"This is my dinosaur, Rory. Look, he has a speaker in his mouth so he can roar." He turns to show her, only to realize she was now by his dresser and was looking closely at everything in curiosity. He put down Rory and joined her.

Eleven took note of all the things before her; what appeared to be a shiny gold woman with wings and many other figurines like it that stood on wooden platforms.

"Oh, these are all my science fair trophies. We got first every year. Except for last year when we got third. Mr. Clarke said it was totally political."

El smiled at one of the trophies that read "HAWKINS MIDDLE SCHOOL TEAM PROBLEM SOLVING CHAMPIONS", next to it a picture with five kids all holding a large trophy. El recognized everyone. She smiled when she saw the only girl, [Y/N]. She was standing in the middle, one hand holding the trophy, the other one was behind a smiling boy, two of her fingers sticking up making it look like the boy had bunny ears.

El's smile fell when it dawned on her that she recognized the boy. She gasped silently, her mouth agape. Mike took note of this and watched her carefully as she slowly brought her finger to the picture. Mike watched as finger landed on his missing friend.

He looked back at her in shock. "You know Will?" She didn't say anything, her mouth still open and a very concerned look on her face.

"Did you see him? Last night? On the road?"

Before she could say anything, the loud noise of halting vehicle broke the silence. Mike quickly ran to window in a panic, his mom was pulling up the driveway.

He ran back over to El.

"We gotta go."

He grabs her hand yanks open his bedroom door, dragging her down the steps. He halts at the landing of stairs, staring in horror as his mom is at the front door, closing it behind her. Her youngest, Holly was in her arms, and so was her groceries. Before she could see anything, Mike ran back upstairs with El, as quickly and quietly as possible.

Karen Wheeler stopped in her tracks when she thought she heard someone upstairs.

"Ted? Is that you?" She calls out.

"Just me mom!" Mike yelled out frantically as he ran through the hallway.

"Mike? What are you doing home?"

"One second!" He brought El back into his room and lead her to his closet, not before closing his bedroom door.

"In here. I'll be right back, okay?" Mike instructed, slightly out of breath.

El stood rooted in place, fear in her eyes.

But Mike was frantic. "Please, you have to get in, or my mom, she'll find you. Do you understand?" El only looked at the closet, then back at Mike.

"I won't tell her about you. I promise."

"Promise?" She asked, clearly confused.

"It means something that you can't break. Ever." He explained quickly.

"Michael?" Mike's mom could be heard from downstairs.

They both looked to the door, then back at each other. "Please?" Mike pleaded.

El looks between Mike and the closet, unsure before walking inside, and turning to Mike. He quickly closed the door and she began to back up further into the closet, panic setting in.

[FLASHBACK]

"Pop!"

Eleven struggles to break free from the men's hold as they carry her by her arms down, back into the room.

Sobs racked her body as she uses all her strength to turn and look back at Papa.

"Papa!" He steps out into the hallway and remains standing, doing nothing to help her, yet she still calls for him.

"Papa! No!" She screams her throat raw and her legs never stop kicking.

"Papa!"

They round the corner and at the end of the short hallway lays the dreaded room. The cold unwelcoming florescent light floods from the open door. Her resistance becomes stronger and more violent.

"No! No! No!"

Her screams become incoherent when the two men chuck her to the ground, she scrambles to feet in an attempt to stop the copper door from closing. Alas, she is too late for the steel door had slammed shut before her.

"Papa!" She yelled, slamming her palms against the cold copper.

"Papa!" She tries banging her fists, but to no avail.

"Papa! Papa! Papa!" Her screams turn to sobs.

"Papa."

She backs away from the door, and retreats to the corner of the very small room where she tucked herself into the corner of the wall and slides down until she is curled up in a ball on the ice cold tile floor.

"Papa." She whimpers quietly.

[END OF FLASHBACK]

Eleven backs up until her back hit the wall and she slides down till she is sitting on Mike's floor. She hugs her knees to her chest and sobs.

⊹ ⊹ ⊹

"I just... I don't feel good." Mike was sat, hands folded together on his couch with his mother. He was giving her a false excuse of why he was at home during a school day.

"I woke up and my head, it really hurt bad, and my throat was all scratchy, and I wanted to tell you, but the last Tim's I told you I was sick you made me go to school anyway, and-"

"Michael."

"Yeah?"

"I'm not mad at you."

Mike was surprised to hear this from his mother.

"No?"

"No, of course not." She adjusted herself so that she was closer to her son, grabbed his hand in her's and sighed.

"All this that's been going on with Will, I can't imagine what it's been like for you."

Mike looks down to his lap, taking it in. No one had asked how he was doing with his best friend missing. It was hard. The whole party was worried. He never considered that and it was... refreshing to hear that his mother understood. He looked back at his mother as she continued.

"I just... I want you to feel like you can talk to me. I never want you to feel like you have to hide anything from me. I'm here for you. Okay?"

He nods his head. They both look up when they hear a soft thud from upstairs.

"Is there someone else here?" She asks.

Michael considers what his mom just told him. "No."

"Huh. Weird. Hey by the way, did you do something to my plant out front? It looks amazing!"

"Oh, that? Um, well, no that was Y/n."

"Really? Wow! That's incredible, she needs to tell me her secret. I could really use her help! Say, speaking of Y/n," she nudged her son, a teasing smirk on her face. "Anything going on between you two? Do you like her? Does she like you?" She asked, getting more excited with each question.

Mike's face scrunched up. "Ugh! Mom! She's just a friend! She's, like... my sister! How many times do I have to say that?" He whines.

"You're right, you're right! I'm sorry, my bad." She throws her hands up in surrender. "It's just... you two would be so cute toge-"

Mike stands up from the couch quickly. "Mom!" He interrupts, then sighs. "Thank you for understanding and letting me stay home, it means a lot, really. But I should probably go upstairs now and lay down, okay? Okay. Bye."

He runs upstairs before she can respond, leaving her sitting on the couch, in confusion.

"...Okay," she says to no one in particular.

||𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐄𝐑'𝐒 𝐏𝐎𝐕||
 
Lucas, Dustin and I were biked to Mike's house to meet him there. Once we got there, he quickly rushed us up to his room. El was sitting on Mike's bed, a blanket on her legs. I remain standing next to The boys, but I give El a smile and a wave. She timidly smiles and waves back.
 
"Are you out of your mind?" Lucas argued.
 
"Just listen to me." Mike began.
 
"You are out of your mind!"
 
"She knows about Will."
 
My head snaps up at the mention of him and my breath hitches. "What?" I quickly look to El and then back at Mike, my eyes wide.
 
"What do you mean she knows about Will?" Dustin asks for me.
 
Mike took a few steps towards his dresser and picked up the picture of all five of us at the science fair.
 
"She pointed at him, at his picture. She knew he was missing. I could tell."
 
"You could tell?"
 
"Just think about it. Do you really think it was a coincidence that we found her on Mirkwood, the same place that Will disappeared?"
 
"That is weird." Dustin agreed.
 
I turned and slowly walked over to El, cautiously taking a seat next to her, but still giving her enough space. "Is that true?" I ask in a gentle whisper. She looked me in the eye and gulped, and ever so slightly nodded her head 'yes'.
 
I chuckle in disbelief and look at the boys hopefully.
 
"And she said bad people are after her. I think that maybe these bad people are the same ones who took Will."
 
"Guys, think about it. I think he's right. I think she might know what happened to him." I speak up, hope in my voice.
 
"Then why doesn't she tell us?"
 
"Well, maybe she's scared of you two!" I accuse.
 
"Why should she be scared? I'm tired of this." He walks straight over to her and starts raising his voice.
 
"Do you know where he is?"
 
"Lucas..." I warn, my hands subconsciously ball into a fist in anger.
 
Suddenly he grabs her by the shoulders, shaking her and begins yelling in her face. "Do you know where Will is?"
 
"LUCAS!" I bark, standing up immediately, and rip his arms of her, she's cowering in fear. "Dammit man, get your hands off of her! And you wonder why she's scared!" I scoffed, crossing my arms.
 
"She should be scared! If you know where he is, tell us!" She doesn't say anything and she bites her lip trying not to cry. "Lucas! Listen to me. I know you're scared and worried about Will, okay? We all are," my eyes are tearing up as well, a lump forming in my throat as I continue. "but we have to be patient okay? She's scared, she's lost, she probably doesn't know who to trust, we just need to be kind to her alright?" I plead.
 
"Ya know what, no. There's no time. This is nuts. We have to take her to your mom." He says turning back to Mike.
 
"No! Eleven said telling any adult would put us in danger." Mike argues.
 
For the first time in a while, Dustin spoke up, his voice soft.
 
"What kind of danger?"
 
"Her name is Eleven?" Lucas asks.
 
"El for short." Mike corrected casually.
 
"Mike, what kind of danger?" Lucas pressed, his voice grew significantly louder.
 
"Danger danger," Mike yelled back.
 
I look around, breathing heavily as I take everything in. Mike puts his hand up to my brother's forehead in the shape of a gun. Then the same to Lucas. Lucas swats away Mike's hand almost immediately.
 
Lucas begins to panic. "No, no, no! We're going back to plan A. We're telling your mom."
 
I try to grab his arm as stomps towards the door, but he shoves my hand away. He rips open the door, only for the door to be slammed shut all on it's own, making everything around the room to shake. We all stare at the door in confusion. He tries it again, only for the door to slam shut once more. Then, we all see the lock on the door turn by itself. 'Okay, well... I know I didn't imagine that.'
 
Simultaneously, we all turn to El to find her standing, blood dripping from her nose giving Lucas quite possibly the sharpest glare I have ever seen.
 
"No." She states firmly. It's enough to send a chill down my spine.
 
It's silent for a few moments and I breathe out a shocked chuckle. "That... was the coolest thing I have ever seen."

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

||𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐄𝐑'𝐒 𝐏𝐎𝐕||
 
The three of us were invited to stay for dinner. Since there weren't enough chairs, they were kind enough to pull out an extra chair for me, so Dustin and I shared the end of the table, opposite Mrs. Wheeler. Nancy and I seemed to be the only kids who were eating.
 
"Thank you so much for letting us stay Mrs. Wheeler! The food is amazing!" I said, followed by another bite of mashed potatoes.
 
"You're very welcome, Y/n. And thank you." She said, with a kind smile.
 
She looked around and noticed the boys were just playing with there meatloaf.
 
"Something wrong with the meatloaf?" She asked.
 
"Oh, no, I had two bologna sandwiches for lunch," Dustin said a goofy smile on his face. There's a noticeable pause before he speaks again. "I don't know why." I breathe out a light chuckle and take another bite of mashed potatoes.
 
Lucas chuckles nervously. "Me, too."
 
"It's delicious, Mommy." Nancy bats her eyelashes and a quizzical look flashed across my face. I know that tactic. Hell, every kid knows that tactic, she wants something and she is trying to butter up her mom. But to see a Nancy of all people do that is almost laughable.
 
"Thank you, sweetie."
 
I look to Mike to gauge his reaction to his teenage sister's odd behavior towards their mom. I fight back a laugh when his actions closely resemble that of an adult in a movie who takes a drink of beer with a thousand-yard stare, trying to forget something said at that moment in time; only this time it's a glass of milk.
 
"So, there's this... special assembly thing tonight... for Will at the school field."
 
I furrow my brow in confusion and shock. 'Nancy is nice and all, but since when does she care about Will?' Then it dawned on me. I remember Mike complaining to us earlier about that "douchebag Steve Harrington" and how he and Nancy have been dating, and how he's been sneaking in and out of Nancy's room.
 
"Barb's driving."
 
My jaw clenches.
 
"Why am I just now hearing about this?"
 
'Because she wants to use my best friend's disappearance as an excuse to leave the house and suck face with her stupid boyfriend.'
 
"I thought you knew." She played innocent. Mike and I look to each other knowingly and then at Nancy. Well, glaring was a better term for what I was doing.
 
"I told you, I don't want you out after dark until Will is found."
 
"I know, I know, but it'd be super weird if I'm not there."
 
CLANG
 
I half drop, have threw my silverware on the table in a mix of shock and frustration. When everyone turns and looks at me silently, I quickly play it off with a chuckle.
 
"Heh, sorry about that. Lost my grip. I'm just thirsty." I say with an innocent smile as I hold up my water, gesturing to it before taking a large gulp.
 
Everyone but the boys seemed to buy it.
 
Nancy continued and I had to bite my lip so as to not say anything.
 
"As I was saying, everyone is going." She emphasized the word 'everyone'.
 
Mrs. Wheeler sighs and looks to us, then back at Nancy.
 
"Just... be back by 10:00."
 
Nancy nods, happy with herself.
 
"Why don't you take Mike and his friends, too?" She suggested. We all panicked and spoke at the same time.
 
"No!"
 
"Mmm-mmm."
 
"I have a headache" I finished weakly. It was awkward though because I got the timing wrong and I was the last one speaking.
 
"Don't you think you should be there? For Will?"
 
The four of us all spot Eleven walking down the stairs behind Mrs. Wheeler.
 
Mike nearly chokes on his milk while I accidentally inhale my water and I begin to choke for real. Mrs. Wheeler turns to see what provoked us so much but the mix of Dustin randomly slamming his fists against the table a few times and me going into a coughing fit was enough to grab her attention.
 
She looked between the two of us in shock. During my horrendous coughing fit, I was relieved to see El had gotten out of sight.
 
"Sorry. Spasm." Dustin says sheepishly.
 
However, it was still incredibly awkward seeing as it was quiet as and everyone just stared at me while I coughed obnoxiously. The coughs got less violent to a point where I could speak.
 
"Ahh..." cough. "I'm okay... really, I" cough. I hold up a finger and cough for a solid thirty seconds. I look up, a painful and sheepish look on my face as I awkwardly try and diffuse the tension. "Don't you hate that. Like, what can you do, wash it down with water? Eh?" I look around laughing weakly, but not for long because my awkward chuckles turn into more coughing and I groan. "Haha, ahawww God." I put hands on my knees and take a breather.
 
⊹ ⊹ ⊹
 
"El?" Mike called down the stairs. Mike and I had were able to sneak some food downstairs for her. Thankfully we found her down here, she was in the fort that Mike had made for her, she was fiddling with Mike's Supercomm.
 
"Hi, El!" I say with a smile as I walk over and kneel down next to her. Mike does the same and sets down the tray of food. Dustin and Lucas remain standing.
 
"We brought you some dinner!"
 
"Yep. No adults. Just us and some meatloaf." Mike replies.
 
She looks to me, then warily to Dustin and Lucas.
 
"Don't worry. They won't tell anyone about you. They promise." I assure her in a gentle voice. I turn for them and give them a look. "Right guys?"
 
Dustin gives her a goofy smile. "We never would've upset you if we knew you had superpowers." I roll my eyes and Mike turns around and swats Dustin in the shin and I look back to El.
 
"What my brother meant to say was, they were just scared... earlier. That's all."
 
Lucas speaks up. "We just wanted to find our friend." I turn around and smile warmly at Lucas, mouthing a 'thank you'. He's a great person, he is just is skeptical is all. And I know how hard it is for him to admit when he is wrong. He nods his head at me. I look back at El to see her face riddled with confusion.
 
"'Friend'?" She asks.
 
"Yeah, friend. Will?"
 
"What is 'friend'?" She asks.
 
Lucas starts to say something but cuts himself off, thinking better of it.
 
"Um, a friend-" He begins.
 
"Is someone that you'd do anything for." Mike finished for him.
 
"You lend them your cool stuff, like comic books and trading cards," Dustin said, wistfully.
 
"And they never break a promise," Mike adds.
 
"Especially when there's spit."
 
"Spit?" She asked, looking concerned.
 
"A spot swear means..." Lucas spits into his palm and shakes Dustin's hand. "you never break your word. It's a bond."
 
I cringed, while Dustin looked at his hand in disgust. I turn back to El and smile.
 
"That's super important, because friends... they tell each other things. Things that parents don't know. A friend is someone you can trust completely."
 
She seems to be soaking up the information, then she looks at me and smiles.
 
⊹ ⊹ ⊹
 
We had all convinced El to come out of her fort. The three boys were huddled together whispering and I joined El at the D&D table. In fact, she sat where Mike sat during the campaign and I subconsciously sat where Will did on that night.
 
Although I was a little surprised to see how focused she became. She gently spread her hands along the table, her fingers touching the board.
 
The three boys walk over. "What's the weirdo doing?" Lucas questions. I give him a glare, to warn him. He clears his throat and corrects himself. "Sorry. Eleven."I smile, silently thanking him.
 
"El?" Mike asks. She had her eyes closed for a short while and suddenly she opens them. She grabs Will's signature miniature, the cleric. I hold my breath in anticipation.
 
"Will." She says.
 
"Superpowers." Dustin whispered. Lucas rolled his eyes and Mike sat down between me and El, and started asking the questions that were on all our minds.
 
"Did you see him? On Mirkwood? Do you know where he is?" She set aside the cleric as I spoke up, my voice barely above a whisper.
 
"El?" She looks up at me. "Is there... is there anything... anything at all that you could tell us? Anything that you know about our friend?" I ask, my voice breaking. She gives me a sympathetic smile and clears the board by swiping her arm across the table. We all watch intently as she reaches forward and flips the board upside down.
 
We all stare at the board and then look to El as she grabs the cleric and slams it down in the center of the board. My stomach seems to drop, in perfect sync with the miniature.
 
"I don't understand." Mike croaks.
 
The room is silent for a few moments as we stare at El, waiting for her response. "Hiding." Her voice came out in a whisper.
 
"W-Will is hiding?" I stammer.
 
She nods her head 'yes'.
 
My hands subconsciously find their way through my hair as I try and swallow all of this information.
 
"From the bad men?" Mike clarifies.
 
Her brows furrow ever so slightly as she shakes her 'no'. I take a deep breath.
 
"Then from who?"
 
She looks to her side and grabs another miniature, and places it next to the cleric. I let out a breath of air I didn't even know I was holding when I recognized the dreaded Demogorgon piece. We all look around to each other, a look of horror on our faces. Dustin puts his hands behind his head and I put my head in my hands as I try not to panic.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

||𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐄𝐑'𝐒 𝐏𝐎𝐕||
 
El sat on Mike's couch, fiddling with the supercomm while the boys and I had gathered around the D&D table.
 
"We just tell our parents we have AV Club after school. That'll give us at least a few hours for Operation Mirkwood." Mike states.
 
I nod my head in agreement. I never liked lying to my mom, but this was our best bet. If it will give us time to find Will, I'm all in. However, based on Lucas's nervous shifting, he isn't as sure.
 
"You seriously think that the wei- uh, El knows where Will is?" Lucas darts his eyes at me as he catches himself. I silently thank him.
 
"Just trust me on this, okay?" Mike pleads.
 
"He's right. Will would do the same for anyone of us." My words come out softer than anticipated and I look to Lucas, Mike then Dustin. I can tell they agree with me.
 
"Okay."
 
"Did you get the supplies?" Mike asks the three of us.
 
I straighten up, ready to present what I brought to the table. Lucas perks up and reaches down into his backpack and begins listing off the things he brought.
 
"Yeah. Binoculars... from 'Nam. Army knife... also from 'Nam. Hammer, camouflage bandana, and the wrist rocket." He pulls out the yellow wrist rocket excitedly, and I chuckle to myself, impressed.
 
"You're gonna take out the Demogorgon with a slingshot?" Dustin asked, unimpressed.
 
I scoff and look at my brother, knowing well enough it was better than what he brought.
 
"Well, what were you planning on doing, throwing a Nutty Bar at it?" I ask with a hint of humor in my tone. Lucas however, takes offense to Dustin's words.
 
"First of all, it's a wrist rocket. And second of all, the Demogorgon's not real." I look down at my shoes. "It's made up. But if there is something out there, I'm gonna shoot it in the eye..." he pulls back the empty sling and lets it loose, nearly hitting Dustin in the face. "-and blind it."
 
I have to say, I've got to agree with Lucas's logic here, then again, we never thought that anyone could move things with their mind and look what El did. I am pulled from my thoughts when I hear Mike sigh.
 
"Y/n?" He looked to me hopefully.
 
"Well, with all things considered, I figured at one point or another we would end up needing this." I pulled the makeshift first aid kit from my backpack. A handful of ace bandage wraps, gauze, ointment. Some band-aids, and even a small pair of tweezers.
 
I smile proudly and look to Mike who nods his head in approval. "Good idea. We don't know for sure what we are up against."
 
"Dustin, what did you get?"
 
Dustin perks up and empties the contents of his bag out onto the table.
 
"Well, alrighty." I look to my friends to try and gouge their reactions. "So, we've got..."
 
Dustin begins naming off all the snacks he brought as Mike and Lucas stare at him with a confused glance.
 
"-Nutty Bars, Bazooka, Pez, Smarties, Pringles, Nilla Wafers, apple, banana and trail mix." He finishes off with a proud smile, and I can't help but feel bad for him. I mean, I see where he's coming from. It's smart to have snacks in case, but I also feel like it might be a last resort type of thing.
 
"Seriously?"
 
"We need energy for our travels. For stamina. And besides, why do we even need weapons anyway? We have her."
 
"She shut one door!"
 
"With her mind! Are you kidding me? That's insane! Imagine all the other cool stuff she could do. Like..." His face lights up and he runs over to the plastic Millennium Falcon and picks it up. Oh boy, this'll be interesting.
 
"I bet... that she could make this fly! Hey. Hey. Okay, concentrate. Okay?"
 
I stand there, crossing my arms an amused look on my face.
 
She stares blankly at him as he lets the toy fall to the ground with an obnoxious clatter.
 
"Okay, one more time." She looks back at him, the faint look of mock confusion crosses her face and I bring my hand up to my mouth to try and hide the growing smirk.
 
"Okay."
 
I notice from the corner of my eye as Lucas drops his head in what looks to be a mix of disappointment and embarrassment.
 
"Use your powers, okay?" He drops it again and I can see the amusement in her eyes, which only makes me giggle.
 
"She's not a dog!" Mike yells.
 
He stomped over and ripped the toy out of his hands, while I made eye contact with El and we shared a smile.
 
"Kids! It's time for school!" Mrs. Wheeler's voice carries through to the basement.
 
We all hastily pack up our things and Lucas and Dustin run up the stairs. Meanwhile, Mike and I stayed behind to say goodbye to El.
 
"We are gonna need you to stay here, okay?" I ask kindly. She nods her head.
 
"But you can't make any noise and you can't leave." Michael pleads. She seems uneasy about this but nods in agreement.
 
"Michael! Y/n!"
 
I'm about to say something when Mike turns around suddenly and shouts. "COMING!" I jump back slightly, a laugh escaping.
 
"You know those power lines?" he returns to El, in a completely calm voice, as if nothing happened.
 
She looks between us confused. "Powerline?"
 
"Yeah. The ones behind my house?"
 
"Yes."
 
"Meet us there, after school." I pipe up, catching on to what Mike was thinking.
 
"After school?"
 
"Yeah, 3:15." She sends us an apologetic look, she was clearly confused.
 
"Mike, what about your watch." I nudge him, gesturing to his wristwatch. I would give her mine, but I don't have one.
 
He catches on quickly and begins taking off his watch.
 
"Ah." Once it's off his wrist, he gestures for her wrist.
 
El smiles slightly and lets him put the watch on her wrist. She looks to Mike a smile, still on her face as he adjusts the watch. I smile to myself.

'They are too cute.'

"When the numbers read three-one-five, meet us there," I said, grabbing her attention.
 
She looks down at the watch and recites my instructions.
 
"Three-one-five."
 
I smile at her and give her a small nod. "Yeah. Three-one-five."
 
She smiles kindly at me, then at Mike once more. It might just be me, but I could have sworn I saw him blushing. Suddenly, he jumps up and runs up the stairs. I stand up, and dig into my extra bag I brought from home and bring it over to her.
 
"So, I didn't want you to be bored so I brought some things you might like." I open the bag quickly, knowing I'm keeping everybody waiting. I pull a couple of puzzles and some paper and pens.
 
"I don't know if you know what puzzles are but I brought you some of my favorites." I place some of my favorite puzzles on the table next to her and she eyes them curiously.
 
"It's a picture that is in a bunch of different pieces, and you try to fit them all back together. It's a great way to pass the time. And, I didn't know what else you might like so I just grabbed some paper and some of my best pens. You can draw all you want. I wish we could stay with you, but we have to go to school so nobody will suspect anything. We'll be back. Promise." I smile at her and she returns it.
 
I swing my backpack over my shoulder and wave goodbye before darting up the stairs.
 
Halfway up the stairs, I stop in my tracks and run back to the bottom for a moment.
 
"Oh. And if you get hungry, you are more than welcome to have Dustin's snacks." I wink and run to catch up.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

||𝟑𝐑𝐃 𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐎𝐍 𝐏𝐎𝐕||

El sits on the floor of Mike's basement, back to the couch. Candy wrappers and crumbs scattered around a finished puzzle of a beautiful green forest. The strange plastic ship, floating in the air in front of her. It suddenly drops the ground as her attention is brought to the Supercomm on the couch. She picks up the device and clicks it on, bored with the static that comes from the other end, she soon abandons the device and stands up.

She walks up the steps, eager to explore the house more. When she reaches the top of the steps, she cautiously peeks around the corner. When she decides no one is home and the coast is clear, she continues to explore the house.

With the house to herself, she had more time to linger, and appreciate and explore. It was fascinating to her, and yet it made her sad. Could she have had a life like this? She didn't know what to think when she admired every object, every picture on the wall. There was one in particular that caught her eye.

It was a small photograph, but you could tell it was important. It was another picture of Mike and his friends. Only, they were younger. They were playing and splashing around in the water, a lake it looked like, surrounded by beautiful green trees. Each of them had an arm wrapped around each other forming a line, and their pants were rolled up to their knees.

The young boy on the very left had messy black hair, who El immediately recognized as Mike, was smiling brightly at her from the picture. A young Lucas to his right, who wore a rather proud grin. Dustin was looking at the two, more specifically Lucas, he had been laughing when the photo was taken.

Will, she believed his name was, had one scrawny arm draped loosely around Dustin, however, he had his full attention on a very cheery looking [Y/N] who stood proudly showing off a very small frog to the camera. She had daisies in her hair, and gleaming smile showed off a missing tooth, she was holding the frog so delicately.

But it wasn't Y/n, or even Mike that caught her eye. It was the way Will was looking at her. His eyes held a certain fondness and appreciation, his smile warm and genuine. El tilted her head ever so slightly, thinking. Something deep inside her was gnawing at her, a feeling that was foreign to her. Shaking her head, she moved on to the rest of the living room.

She went back to the funny chair Mike had shown her and took a seat. She reached over and pulled on the lever, sending her back and forth as it kicked her feet out. She looked around curiously as the chair rocked her back and forth.

El noticed the weird device on the table beside her and picked it up. It was a strange curved thing attached by a curly wire. It had many buttons, every one of them had a number on them. It let out a strange noise, barely audible from the top. She brought it up to her ear to listen to the endless monotone hum. Not knowing what else to do she mimicked the tone, just for fun before putting it back.

She stood up from the chair and sat herself down on her knees in front of the TV. Curious, she ran her fingers down the side until she felt the button and pressed it. A brief crackle of static rang out and as soon as it came on it was replaced with the voice of an older man, the screen lit up in front of her.

"...was occupying a large part of Lebanon. Today, Syria has become a home for-"

Click.

El pressed another button.

The moving picture on the screen changed, bright flashes of color dance across the screen. A fake man with yellow hair held a sword as he exclaimed.

"I have the power!"

Click.

"...gift that will last forever. From the Harmony Treasures' collection-"

Click.

A beautiful melody came from the TV set and El's eyes widened in surprise.

Click.

"On the beach and in the sun"

El froze. She recognized the rolling tin can that appeared on the TV. Her breathing began to quicken as she fought the memories back.

[FLASHBACK]

The all too familiar humming and beeping of the machines echoed off of the cold isolating walls. Eleven sat at the same table, with the same camera facing the same window with the same adults who watch her and study her. All she wants is to go this over with. Wanting to get the damn wires off of her head.

Yet, she sat still, compliant, unmoving. Never taking her eyes off of Papa as she watched him hand the clipboard to one of the men and give her a nod of his head. She turned her head and attention to the small Coke can. Her eyes bore into the empty can and she concentrated.

Her head shook ever so slightly as she focused, straining. It was difficult, but she was able to do it. The can caved into itself with a loud 'crack' and it wasn't until the monitors stopped did she realize how loud they had been. She looked back to Papa, looking for his approval.

He stood unmoving, a glimmer of satisfaction in his eyes. She felt her nose run damp, a warm liquid oozed from her nose. She blinked, confused and slowly brought her hand up to her nose, realized she was bleeding. She looked to Papa, expectantly. He only smiled a cold empty grin.

[END OF FLASHBACK]

"Coke is it! Coke is it!"

El quickly pushed the first button, shutting the TV off. Breathing heavily, she stood up and made her way to the basement.

||𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐄𝐑'𝐒 𝐏𝐎𝐕||
 
My back was beginning to hurt from hunching over for so long, but nevertheless, I continued looking. Lucas needs "ammo" for his wrist rocket, so the four of us are currently scouring the schoolyard for rocks.
 
"How about this one?" Mike asks, walking up to Dustin.Dustin examines the rock Mike handed to him.
 
"Too big for the sling." He shrugs, tossing the rock to the grass. "So, do you think Eleven was born with her powers, like the X-Men, or do you think she acquired them, like... like Green Lantern?"
 
"She's not a superhero. She's a weirdo." Lucas says as he searches for that.
 
"You don't know that," I mumble, Lucas, however, doesn't hear me.
 
"Why does that matter? The X-Men are weirdos." Mike adds.Lucas turns to Mike, agitated. "If you love her so much, why don't you marry her?"
 
I roll my eyes, and straighten up, stretching out my back.
 
"What are you talking about?" Mike sighs.
 
"Mike, seriously?"
 
"What?"
 
"You look at her all, like... 'Hi, El! El! El! El! I love you so much!'" Lucas teases, grabbing Mike in for a hug before getting down on one knee. "'Would you marry me?' I'm telling you, man, you're just as bad as Will!" He stood back up when he said the las-

'Wait...What?'

"What?" I asked, completely thrown off.
 
The boys freeze, Lucas especially. Lucas excluded, the boys all look at me, awkward smiles on their faces. Dustin chuckles and gives a still frozen Lucas a few pats on the arm.
 
"Good job, man. Real smooth."
 
"Guys, what is going on?" I asked exasperated, crossing my arms.
 
"Shit," Lucas whispers, closing his eyes.
 
"Lucas..."
 
Mike wears a triumphant grin on his face and looks expectantly at Lucas.
 
"Yeah, Lucas. Tell her."
 
Lucas sighs, and stiffly turns around, his change of attitude dramatic.
 
"You, and Will?" He suggests.
 
"What about us? What does that have to do with- Oh come on... You can't be serious. He does not like me."
 
"Literally everyone in school, everyone, knows he is totally in love with you." He scoffs.
 
I scoff in return. "Love? Don't you think you're being a little, dramatic?"
 
"Am I wrong?" He turns to the boys, who hesitantly shrug.
 
He turns back to me, a look screaming 'There you have it.'
 
"That doesn't prove anything! We're best friends! So what if we're close?"
 
He laughs. "Yeah, just as close as Nancy and Steve! And you're no better. You just haven't realized it yet."
 
"W-What? W-what ar- No!" My words are caught in my throat and I felt my cheeks begin to burn.

'No, I don't!'

It takes moments for me to recover. "Okay, let's say you're right. Let's say he does like me. How can you know for sure, huh? It's not like he told you!"
 
"Uhh, yeah! Might as well have. He didn't deny it!"
 
My heart stops, and I feel butterflies erupt in my stomach.

'Will? And me?'

"Look what we have here!"

'Oh, God. Not now.'

I roll my eyes and before I can stop myself I speak. "What do you want, Troll?"
 
My eyes widen at my sudden boldness but I remain confident. I stare down the two boys who have been bullying us for as long as we've attended this school.
 
"You better watch your mouth, bit-"
 
"Back off!" Dustin yells, cutting him off.
 
Troy looks over to Dustin, looking prepared to throw more insults at my brother but something changes his mind and he cools off. A smug smile tugging at his lips.
 
"Or what?" Troy spits.
 
Dustin falls silent, and Troy continues.
 
"Yeah, that's what I thought. What are you losers doing back here anyway?"
 
"Probably looking for their missing friend." Troy's goon laughs.Anger begins to take over and my blood starts to boil.
 
"That's not funny. It's serious. He's in danger." Dustin immediately cuts in.
 
"I hate to break it to you, Toothless, but he's not in danger. He's dead. That's what my dad says."

'Where's that damn rock?'

"He said he was probably killed by some other queer."All I see is red.
 
"Come on. Just ignore them." Mike soothes, not only to me but to Dustin and Lucas as well.
 
He's right. I need to get out of here. I storm off, ready to shove him in the shoulder as I pass but suddenly I feel something catch my foot and I fall to the ground. A sudden wave of searing pain explodes on my chin when I hit the ground.
 
Dazed and confused, I push myself up enough to see a large, rather bloody rock just inches from my face.
 
I groan, rolling over on my back, I hear laughing and frantic footsteps.
 
"[Y/n]!" Dustin and Mike run over to me, Lucas storms up to Troy.Dustin and Mike each grab an arm and help me sit up. I hesitantly bring a hand up to my chin and I hiss in pain. I look at my fingers and they are absolutely covered in blood.

'Holy crap.'

I groan and look to Lucas worried. He stands firm and tall, right up in Troy's face."Leave us. The fuck. Alone." He says through clenched teeth.
 
I'm taken aback. Surprised by Lucas's actions.
 
Troy and his friend laugh and walk away. Repeating Lucas in a mocking voice.
 
"You okay Y/n?" He reaches out his hand.
 
I gladly take it. However, I get a little lightheaded as I stand. "Shit, that's a lot of blood."
 
I look down and I see splots of blood already sprinkling my shirt.

'Great. This will be easy to explain to mom.'

"You still have that first aid kit?"
 
I close my eyes, sighing.
 
"Crap. No. I left it at Mike's." I sigh.
 
"We better get you to the nurse's office then."
 
"No, I-I'm fine." I sigh, wincing at the pain.
 
"Are you sure? You're bleeding, like a lot." Mike says.
 
"Yeah, I'm good. My body has always been able to heal quicker than most."
 
"She's right. I've seen it."
 
I offer a small smile. "Well, I at least better go get a tissue or something. I'll be right back." I say.
 
The boys nod, and I head off to the girl's bathroom. My mind wandering back to what Lucas was telling me earlier...

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

||𝟑𝐑𝐃 𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐎𝐍 𝐏𝐎𝐕||

Hopper pulls up to the library, thankful to get a spot up front. He steps out of the vehicle and makes his way inside, Powell behind him.

Hopper takes off his hat as he enters the building, making sure to send a big smile to the librarian.

"Hey, Marissa. How you doin'?"

The disapproving look on Marissa's face never left as she spoke.

"You have a lot of nerve showing up here."

"What?"

"You could have at least called, said, 'Marissa! Hey, it's not gonna work out.

"Sorry, I wasted your time. I'm a dick.'"

Powell was unsure of what to do; he looked from Marissa to Hopper, waiting.

Hopper only stares ahead for a moment, unsure of what to say. Finally, with a subtle smirk, he mutters,

"Yep."

She looks to him, shaking her head expectantly. He seemed at a loss for words again as he shook his head.

"I'm sorry. Uh... Maybe we could go out again next week?" He offers, hoping for the best. She slowly turns her head to Powell and gives him a 'is he for real?' look. In turn, Powell slowly looks over to Hopper awkwardly. Hopper, already knowing he chose his words poorly, visibly cringed, and was eager to change the subject.

"Newspapers? You guys got newspapers around here?"

Marissa had shown them over to the filing cabinet and started pulling out drawers, naming the selections.

"We have the New York Times, the Post, all the big ones. Organized by year and topic. You can find the corresponding microfiche in the reading room." She briefly gestures behind her.

"Okay, we're looking for anything on the Hawkins National Laboratory."

"Well, shouldn't you be looking for that missing kid?"

"Yeah." He states as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "We are."

She nods her head, suspicious.

"Uh, so, why don't you start with the Times, and we'll check out the Post."

Marissa scoffs and looks behind her to Powell, unsure if he is serious. She turns back to Hopper and lets out a soft 'hmph!' Before strutting away. Powell steps forward and lowers his voice in a questioning tone.

"The librarian?"

Hopper shrugs wildly before diving into the drawers of files.

The two men had gathered a handful of files and set to work in the other room. Each at their own microfiche, reading every column.

Hopper scanned another column that caught his attention.

'ALLEGED EXPERIMENTS, ABUSE' by T. Bridges."Terry Ives' legal case against embattled research scientist Dr. Martin Brenner suffered another setback today when the district attorney's office formally refused to press criminal charges against Brenner, his fellow researchers, assistants, or the project's sponsors, citing lack of evidence. Local law enforcement executed a search..."

Next column.

'MKULTRA EXPOSED' by T. Bridges"The trust of the American people has been shaken to its core as a special inquiry into a covert CIA operation, code-named MK ULTRA, has exposed the extensive details about that which has been haunting the nation for the past decade. Six subjects have come forward..."

This particular column was accompanied by a negative of seven people. Five of which were slightly disheveled, in hospital gowns. A man in a turtleneck and blazer stood obediently in the back. A man in a fancy suit and tie, holding a clipboard stood front and center. A man with whom Hopper guessed to be Brenner.

Next slide.

'DR. MARTIN BRENNER NAMED IN LAWSUIT' by A. Ward - Staff Writer"Senior researcher Doctor Martin Brenner and seven other staff researchers have been named in a new lawsuit filed today on behalf of former federal research study participant, Terry Ives. Dr. Brenner's attorney in conjunction with the Department of Energy has asked the circuit court to seal the details of the lawsuit until the attorney general's office can determine that no federal..."

Hopper found himself more engrossed and confused as he read.

"...her newborn daughter for scientific research. Following an investigation, the district attorney has already declined to press criminal kidnapping charges against the research facility and staff, citing lack of evidence. Dr. Brenner's attorney called Ms. Ives' allegations baseless and tragic, citing Dr. Brenner's excellent reputation, his twenty recent peer-reviewed scientific papers..."

The next slide was a short column with another accompanying photo. Although the picture was small and blurry, it wasn't hard to see the grief-stricken features on the young woman.

TERRY IVES SUING - 'They took my daughter' by Benjamin Buck"After the district attorney's office declined to press criminal charges citing lack of evidence, local resident Terry Ives is not giving up her search for justice for herself and her daughter, and this morning filed a lawsuit against research scientist Dr. Martin Brenner and his staff.Ms. Ives suit seeks unspecified damages against Dr. Brenner and his facility, alleging physical abuse, sleep deprivation, malnourishment, and multiple allegations of kidnapping both attempted and successful..."

Hopper sighed, trying his best to swallow all of this new information.

'What the hell has been happening in this damn town?'

⊹ ⊹ ⊹

Three. One. Five. The numbers on the strange new bracelet read three one five.

Thankfully, El was able to find her way back outside by the large telephone pole where Mike told her to meet her. However, she was still nervous. She just hoped no one spotted her.

El couldn't find it in her ability to stay still. She couldn't stop pacing and she was subconsciously shaking out her hands out of nerves.

'What if someone saw her?'

She eagerly checked the bracelet, muttering aloud to herself.

"Three-one-five. Three-one-five. Three-one-five..." her voice turned soft as her confidence wavered. The only thing that was able to take her attention away from the bracelet was the familiar sound of meowing next to her.

Shocked, she looked over to see a scrawny orange cat staring at her from the other side of the fence. It began to meow again and panic and guilt crashed over her as once again another terrible memory resurfaced.

[FLASHBACK]

The white cat in the cage before her let out a terrible hiss at Eleven. Her head began to shake as she strained her ability. The combination of the cat growling and hissing and the frantic beeping of the machines enough to push her even further.

She didn't want to. She never wanted to hurt this poor creature. But she knew that if she didn't, she would have to face the consequences. She would have to go back there. The cat gave out another deep growl and Eleven tried to the best of her ability not to cry. Not to break.

The cat began snarling, and it quickly turned to whimpers of pain. Eleven was freely crying now as she looked between the frightened cat and Papa. She gave one final look at the cat before yanking the wires off her head in defeat.

No. She couldn't.

She wouldn't.

She looked at Papa defeated. She shook her head in defiance, though her sobbing gave away her true feelings. He only stared at her in disapproval.

"No! No!" She struggled and kicked. She fought back with all her might while Papa stood at the end of the hallway. Doing nothing.

"Papa! Papa! Papa! Papa! Papa!" She screamed her throat raw as the men dragged her away, yet as always Papa only watched it happen.

"No!" Her shrieks grew more violent as she neared the room.

She couldn't go back in there.

She couldn't.

The men tossed her inside and began closing the door.

She wouldn't.

Eleven stood to her feet and before they could close the steel door, she threw the door open along with one of the men straight into the tile wall. He fell to the floor, leaving a large hole in the tile

The second man spared a second to look before turning to her to try and restrain her.

Before he could even step foot in the room, he was dead on the floor, his neck snapped. All with the flick of her head.

Overwhelmed with exhaustion, she collapsed against the wall, her nose and ears bleeding.

Papa appeared. He took one look at the cracked wall, to the collapsed man, and then at Eleven. Yet she couldn't move. She was completely drained, all she could do was stare at him. He slowly stepped towards her, staring at her.

She looked up at him in fear of what would happen next. What happened next was not something she could have anticipated. He slowly reached his hands out, cupping her face. Sobs wracked her body, he stared at her in awe.

"Incredible."

He reached down, and swung an arm under her legs and carried her like an infant. He carried her out of the room and down the hallway, staring at her sobbing form.

[END OF FLASHBACK]

"El!"

El turned her head to see Mike, [Y/N], Lucas and Dustin. They were walking their bikes across the muddy grass in her direction.

Mike looked to her concerned as he, as well as the others, turned their bikes around.

"You okay?"

Relieved to see her friends, she nodded her head.

Mike gave the seat of his bike a few pats.

"Hop on. We only have a few hours."

Hesitantly, she walked forward. But she complied nonetheless and got on Mike's bike, and the five of them peddled off.

||𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐄𝐑'𝐒 𝐏𝐎𝐕||
 
The five us were walking our bikes through the woods. Dustin and Lucas were in the back, while Mike and El were just a few steps in front of me. El was looking around as she walked and suddenly I felt her eyes on me. I suddenly became very self-conscious of my cut.
 
I got it to stop bleeding eventually, but I don't know how I will ever explain this to mom. She worries so easily. And, I don't think I have ever had a cut this big but I'll survive. My thoughts are cut short when I become very aware of the fact that El had fallen back next to me and was now looking at me with concern.
 
"Why did they hurt you?" Her voice came out very soft but was laced with concern.
 
"Huh?" I asked surprised.
 
El extended her arm out and pointed to my chin. I looked down, upset with how things went today.
 
"Oh, that. I uh, well... I was tripped. This mouth breather, Troy."
 
Her face scrunched up in confusion.
 
"'Mouth breather?'"
 
"Yeah. You know, a dumb person."
 
I suddenly grew quiet, and El noticed.
 
"[Y/N], are you okay?"
 
I paused. "Yeah. Yeah, it'll be ok." I said.
 
I knew what she meant but I didn't think it was noteworthy to bring up how I was feeling.
 
"[Y/N]." I turn to look at her and she is giving me a knowing look. "Friends tell the truth."
 
I began to fight tears that were stinging my eyes.
 
"I just... I just miss him. Will, I mean. And the things Troy was saying..." I began feeling myself get worked up again at the mere thought of it. "They were awful. Truly awful, and I just... I'm just tired. And worried. And I just want to find my friend."
 
A single hot tear slid down my cheek. There was suddenly a somber silence over the group that was quickly broken by El's soothing tone.
 
"[Y/N]. I understand." I looked at her, a grateful smile on my features.
 
She nodded her head and my voice came out in a weak whisper.
 
"Thank you, El."
 
She gave me a warm smile. It very much resembled the one I gave her the first night we met. It was at this moment I knew. I had just found myself a very unique and powerful friendship; one that stood out from my friendship with the boys.
 
El and I have a lot more in common than I thought.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

||𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐄𝐑'𝐒 𝐏𝐎𝐕||

El had returned to Mike's side. The two shared looks and enjoyed each other's company. It made me happy to see Mike this way. Yet, it left a somber ache in my chest and my eyes fixated on my feet as I walked my bike as my mind began to wonder.
 
My mind wandered to earlier today, for what felt like the hundredth time today. Only, this time, I recalled what happened before Troy showed up. A heat dusted my cheeks at the mere thought of it.

'Will couldn't possibly... Could he?'

I mean, it would make sense with how he acts around me specifically. I always thought that he acted that way because we were so close.

[FLASHBACK]

"Good afternoon, Mrs. Byers!"
 
"Y/n, sweetie! Hi! I'll go get Will. Come in, come in." A bright smile adorned her features as she beamed at me.
 
I stepped inside the all too familiar house, warmth and comfort radiated off the walls.
 
"Will!" Mrs. Byers' sing-song voice carried down the hallway as I waited in the front room, bag in hand. Will and I were gonna carpool over to Mike's. We are having an all-night campaign and so we are all just going to spend the night.
 
Mrs. Byers was always nice to me. She was always so happy to see me and the feeling was mutual. She has always had the ability to make me feel at home, welcomed, accepted.
 
"Oh, hey Y/n!" I looked up and saw Jonathan walking in the room, camera in hand.
 
"Hi, Jonathan! How have you been?" I asked, perking up.
 
Jonathan smiled as he put his camera into his bag, along with a few other items.
 
"I've been good. You?"
 
"Can't complain!" I chirped.
 
Mrs. Byers came speed walking down the hall and joined Jonathan in the kitchen.
 
"He'll be right out, sweetie."
 
I smiled, thanking her. She lowered her voice with a smirk on her face as she leaned in close to Jonathan, muttering just loud enough for me to hear.
 
"It's so cute, he got all nervous and is fixing his hair."
 
I smiled to myself, and Jonathan did the same. I didn't give it much thought, I could have heard wrong after all.
 
"Hi Y/n! Sorry about that. You ready?" He was beaming, much like his mother earlier and it only made me happier.
 
"Yeah, I'm so excited. I can't wait to see what Mike has planned."
 
"Yeah, his campaigns are the best."
 
Jonathan grabbed his keys and headed for the front door. Me and will were close behind him.
 
"Bye, Mrs. Byers!" I waved to her before I left through the front door.
 
She eagerly waved back at me. "Bye guys, have fun. Remember, call me or Jonathan if you guys need anything at all okay?"
 
"You got it, thank you again!"
 
"Bye, Mom. Love you!"
 
"Love you, sweetie!"
 
Will gave a quick wave to his mom before shutting the door after him. The two of us, bags in hand, walked to Jonathan's car.
 
"Thank you for taking us, Jonathan."
 
"Of course, any time." I smiled gratefully and got in the car.
 
Will and I had just got settled in as Jonathan started the car. He looked at me and Will through the review mirror.
 
"Everyone buckled in?"
 
"Yep"
 
"Uh-huh."
 
"Hey, Will. Why don't you show Y/n the mix I gave you?"
 
"What? Oh yeah!" He lit up and began digging through his bag eagerly.
 
He pulled out a mixtape and handed it to me eagerly.
 
"It's got a bunch of awesome music on there, like Joy Division, the Smith's, uh, Queen. And the Clash. I know you like the Clash so if you want to borrow it, you are more than welcome."
 
I beamed as I took the mixtape from him.
 
"Oh, wow! Thank you, Will. And Jonathan." I giggle. "Thank you so much, I can't wait to listen to it!"
 
I looked at the tape, a huge smile on my face still. I glanced up into the review mirror for a split second to see Jonathan looking at Will. A fond smirk on his face and I turned to Will to see what he was doing.
 
All he was doing was watching me, obviously glad I liked the tape."Thank you!" I leaned in and gave him a hug.
 
I pulled back and caught Jonathan's eye. He smiled happily at me and put the car in gear.
 
"All right. Mike's house it is."
 
And the car roared to life.

[END OF FLASHBACK]

I shook away the thought. Now really isn't the time. When we find Will. That's when I'll get my feelings sorted out. Right now, I need to focus on finding him. He needs me. He needs all of us.
 
⊹ ⊹ ⊹
 
We were still walking, my feet grew sore and darkness had already set in.El was at the front, taking confident strides, the boys and I following eagerly behind. That's when it hit me.
 
I know this road. This is Will's house.

'What are we doing here?'

She stopped and turned around, facing all of us.
 
"Here."
 
"Yeah, this is where Will lives."
 
"Hiding." She said.
 
I blinked a few times, unsure.
 
"But... I-I don't understand." My heart fell.
 
"No, no, this is where he lives. He's missing from here. Understand?"
 
Lucas and Dustin had finally caught up, the two of them dropped their bikes in frustration. Something in Lucas snapped, and he spoke up, clearly frustrated.
 
"What are we doing here?"
 
"She said he's hiding here."
 
"Um... no!"
 
Anxiety began to take over my body as the boys began to argue. I wanted to defend El but, truthfully I was having a hard time with it myself.
 
"I swear, if we walked all the way out here for nothing-" Dustin began, but he was quickly cut off by Lucas shouting.
 
"That's exactly what we did. I told you she didn't know what the hell she was talking about!"
 
Mike, who was looking less and less patient, turned to El.
 
"Why did you bring us here?"
 
El seemed to lose the ability to speak properly. She stuttered, clearly nervous.
 
"Mike, don't waste your time with her."
 
As the boys continued fighting, I brought my hand up to my chin. Nervously scratching my wound, just so my hand could be occupied. A nervous habit of mine.
 
"What do you want to do then?"

'Wait a minute.'

"Call the cops, like we should have done yesterday."

'That's not possible.'

"We are not calling the cops!"

'My wound. It's... It's gone. Completely gone.'

My face contorted out of confusion and bewilderment. But before I could register what was happening, Dustin began shouting to get out attention. I looked at him, waiting.
 
"Hey, guys?"
 
"What other choice do we have?"
 
"Guys!"
 
We all turned and watched as Dustin stepped forward. His eyes on the nearby road. We all fell silent.
 
And that's when I heard it.

'No. No, no, no.'

The daunting sound of sirens grew louder with every second. A few police cars zoomed by.

'That could be anything. Right?'

An ambulance was in close pursuit.
 
My stomach plunged.
 
"Will..." the words left my mouth without me realizing. I ran for my bike and the boys followed.
 
We sped off into the night, my bike tires sprayed mud all over me, soaking my socks as we zipped through puddles and over hills, but I didn't care.

'I have to get to him.'

He has to be okay.
 
He has to be.
 
⊹ ⊹ ⊹
 
The chase felt like it lasted for hours. Normally I would be exhausted by now, but I was too worried about Will. I was much farther ahead of everybody but not enough that we couldn't communicate.
 
Time seemed to stretch on forever as we rode through the fog. It was harder to recognize the area at night, but I was fairly certain we were near to the quarry.

'Oh, no. Please, no.'

⊹ ⊹ ⊹
 
"Oh, God no," I whined.
 
We made it down to the quarry and there were at least three police cars, a fire truck and an ambulance. A bunch of firemen and paramedics were standing just knee deep in the water.
 
We came to a grinding halt behind the firetruck and I abandoned my bike as soon as my feet touched the ground.
 
I ran to the end of the firetruck, peeking out from the side. I knew that if I made myself known they would shoo me away.
 
I watched in horror as they pulled a lifeless body from the water, and placed it on a water rescue stretcher.
 
Tears were brimming in my eyes, making it harder to tell who it was. I don't want to believe it, I really truly don't, but somewhere deep down I knew.
 
"It's not Will. It can't be." Mike said, disbelieving.
 
My heart was in my throat as I fought back the tears which were now stinging my eyes.
 
But then I saw it. The small, lifeless body. He was wearing the same red vest he wore on that night. I was speechless. Tears streaked down my cheeks as I lost my breath. It made me shrink into Lucas, I buried my face in his shoulder and he wrapped an arm around me.
 
"It's Will. It's really Will." Lucas whispered I felt tears fall on my head, telling me that Lucas had started crying as well.
 
The noise I made was incoherent. I let out a wail and tore myself away from Lucas's embrace.
 
"Will? Will!" I called. Lucas and Dustin pulled me back. I fought and screamed my throat raw. I suddenly didn't care if anyone heard me. I wanted to get to him. To see if it was really true. But I was too weak. Defeat set in and I went limp, collapsing onto the ground and I hugged my knees. I buried my face in my knees and hid from the cruel world that took such a loving soul from us. I rocked back and forth trying desperately to convince myself that this was a nightmare.
 
"Mike..." El choked out. She reached a hand out to Mike's shoulder in comfort and slapped her away.
 
"'Mike'? 'Mike,' what? You were supposed to help us find him alive! You said he was alive!"
 
I couldn't stop my tears. I feel confused, angry, frightened. I feel heartbreak.
 
"You said he was alive! Why did you lie to us? What's wrong with you? What is wrong with you?"
 
"Mike..."
 
"What?"
 
She stared at Mike, at a loss for words. She turned to me, but all I could do was look up at her. I hugged my knees and cried more. Panic consumed her as she looked at me and then back at Mike.
 
"Will..." I whimpered.
 
"Mike, come on. Don't do this man. Mike." Lucas' voice broke.
 
I didn't care he was leaving. It didn't even completely register. I just sat there, mourning my friend.
 
"Mike, where are you going? Mike!"
 
I sat there, numb as I watched them pull Will out of the water. I watched as Will's lifeless, pale body was carried off by strangers.

'Why? Why him?'

Another sob shook my body, watching completely helpless as my best friend was carried away in a body bag.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

WARNINGS: this is dangerously unedited. Also language. That's it.... I think?*3rd Person POV*Mike flips through the drawings Will had given him what seems like ages ago. He found himself unable to tear himself away from one of Will's favorites. It was the party. But they were their dungeons and dragons selves. Will the Wise stood proudly amongst his fellow party members. Together they stood triumphantly.Mike was pulled from his thoughts at the sound of the feedback from the supercomm whining."Can you please stop that?" He asked exasperatedly at El, who sat in her fort fiddling with the supercomm.El looks to him, before returning to the com, the crackling of the feedback ringing throughout the room."Are you deaf?" Mike snapped.El was determined to keep tinkering away."I thought we were friends, you know? But friends tell each other the truth. And they definitely don't lie to each other. You made me think Will was okay, that he was still out there, but he wasn't. He wasn't! Maybe you thought you were helping, but you weren't. You hurt me. Do you understand? What you did sucks. Lucas was right about you. All along."El's eyes bore into Mike's as he yelled at her. However, she sat there, unfazed before turning back to the com. With the final crackle of the com, the distinctive voice of Will Byers rang over the comm and across the room. He was singing."So come on and let me know, Should I stay or should I go?"Mike slowly looked up from the picture and towards El. She was looking to him expectantly, blood dripping from her nose."Should I stay or should I go now? Should I stay or should I go now?"Mike jumped off the couch and ran to El, who slowly handed him the supercomm. Mike stared at it in disbelief as he listened to the unmistakable voice of his best friend."If I go there will be trouble. If I stay it will be double."Mike gladly took the comm. His finger pressed firmly on the speaker button he practically yelled into the speaker. "Will, is that you? It's Mike! Do you copy? Over."El stares at the boy, wishing she could help him more. Alas, she knew Will would be unable to hear him. The room was met with the dreaded static of the other line as Mike waited for a response that would never come.He tried again."Will, are you there? Will!"Mike saw the look on El's face, knowing she had done her best. He dropped his hand to his side."Was that... Was it..."El gave Mike a bittersweet smile."Will."+ + +There was a soft knock at the door."Michael? Hi, honey. How are you feeling?"Karen poked her head into her son's room.Mike stuttered as he lay under the blankets."I, uh... I don't think I can go to school today.""Oh, that's fine, sweetie. I need to drop off Nance, then I'm gonna check in on Barb's parents. Why don't you grab a book or something and come with me? We can stop by the video store on the way back, pick out whatever you want. Even R-rated."Karen offered, a small smile on her face."I think I just want to stay home today. I mean, if that's okay?" He asked, tentatively."Well, are you sure you're gonna be all right here by yourself?""I think so.""Okay." She sighed, patting her son on the arm comfortingly."If you need anything, call Dad at work."Mike softly nodded his head."Okay.""Okay."Karen leaned forward and kissed her son on the forehead. Before stepping out."Bye." Mike softly called after his mom.She turned to him as she closed the door, a smile on her face."Bye, sweetie."As soon as his mother closed the door, Mike jumped up from under the covers, fully clothed. He reached for the supercomm on his bedside table and extended the antenna."Lucas, do you copy? Lucas, come on, I know you're there! This is urgent. I'm serious."Mike stood up from his bed, continuing into the com. "I'm not gonna stop until you answer. Lucas. Lucas! Lucas, Lucas, Lucas, Lucas, Lucas... Lucas, Lucas, Lucas, Lucas, Lucas, Lucas, Lucas--""Go away, Mike." Lucas had sat up in bed, frustrated as he extended the antenna."I'm not in the mood, all right? Over and out."Before Lucas could close the supercomm antenna, Mike's voice had stopped him."No, not "out." I'm not messing around, okay? This is about Will. Over."Lucas paused, not letting himself get his hopes up."What about Will? You mean about his funeral? Over.""No, not his funeral. Screw his funeral!" Mike spits."What?""Just get over here stat. And bring Dustin and [Y/N]. Over and out."*Reader's POV*I blink away the tears as I stare at the same wall my eyes haven't left since I woke up. Lucas saw me and Dustin off and made sure we got home. My whole body has been numb since last night. The image of Will laying lifeless on the gurney hasn't left my mind.I never would have believed it but, I wanted more than anything to be at school rather than staying home today. Mom thinks it was the stress and trauma that made me sick today, but whatever it really is, she insisted I stay home.I locked myself in my room as soon as I got home, Dustin had filled Mom in on what happened. She had woken me up this morning, apologizing and asking if there was anything she could do to help. But she couldn't do anything. Nobody could. Will, my best friend is gone.Apparently, I was burning up because Mom began freaking out when she felt my forehead. I didn't feel any different apart from grief and heartbreak."Alright, sweetie I called the school and they know you're staying home. I wish I could stay with you but I can't miss another work day. I'll be back at the regular time, and you know what number to call if you need anything, okay?"I felt her hand rub my shoulder as I never broke eye contact with the wall. Tears falling freely down my face and into my hair. My left arm had become numb from laying on my left side."Mm." I couldn't even bring myself to speak."Bye, sweetie."I heard her footsteps recede followed by the closing of my bedroom door.I closed my eyes, trying to sleep. But every time my eyes closed I saw it all over again. Will being pulled from the water. I tried to push through it. But my mind began creating scenarios of how he fell in. Countless images of him stumbling over the cliff. Or even the horrific thought of his already lifeless body being tossed into the water by a faceless figure that I only assumed to be his murderer.Countless, horrendous scenarios playing like a slideshow in my head and the second wave of pain washed over me as it felt as if someone reached into my chest and squeezed my heart into dust, while another hand punched my gut.I rolled over on my back, I felt the anguish surging through my veins and all the way to my fingertips as a wave of anger erupted from deep within. I heard items fall to the floor somewhere around my room and I figured that in my fit I had slammed my fists too hard against my bed, shaking the room somehow.I quickly dismissed the odd thought and the second wave of hot tears streamed down my cheeks.My palms began to sweat as I felt my body temperature rise out of what I could only assume was anger. That must be where my fever had come from but I still didn't understand how that all happened.I was angry my best friend was taken away from me. I loved him, and he was the closest friend I have ever had. And now he is gone. I still refused to believe it yet my mind was cruel enough to replay the worst moment of my life everytime I close my eyes.Sniffling, I wiped my eyes and sat up. I couldn't stand being alone with anything else to think about and I looked around my room for anything to take my mind off everything that's been happening.My eyes scanned the room and then they fell on the all too familiar mix tape Will had lent to me just months ago. A bittersweet smile had made its way onto my face and I got out of bed. I put the tape in the boombox and pressed play."Should I stay or should I go?"I sat listening to Will's favorite song and I felt a different wave of emotion each over me for once.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

A//N: Sorry guys, this one is a little on the short side. :/ *Reader's POV*"We keep losing the signal, but you heard it, right?"The five of us were gathered in Mike's basement once more. Lucas and Dustin had nearly broken down my door earlier this morning in a frantic scramble. They had both began talking really fast but I caught bits and pieces, something about Mike hearing Will. That was enough to get me out of my room, regardless of my health, or whatever the hell is wrong with me.It took me less than five minutes to get dressed and before I knew it, I was on my bike and in the lead to Mike's. When we got there he quickly ushered us down to the basement and that is how we all ended up sitting by El, listening to her fiddle with the super-comm. The voice I heard was hard to believe but unmistakably Will's.I knew that a big part of me was hoping so desperately that he was alive I was willing to believe anything. I know it's not healthy, but I couldn't resist giving into the belief that my best friend is alive."Yeah, I heard a baby." Lucas all but sighed."What?" Mike asked, seemingly astonished."Mike, you obviously tapped into a baby monitor. It's probably the Blackburns' next door." Lucas sighed, wanting to believe that Will was alive.I could tell he wanted it to be true. But I guess that's where we are different, Lucas is better at sticking to reality and reason. Something I often envied."Uh, did that sound like a baby to you? That was Will!" Mike asked matter-of-factly.Lucas rolled his eyes, clearly getting frustrated."Mike...""Lucas, you don't understand. He spoke last night. Words! He was singing that weird song he loves. Even El heard him!"My head snapped up. I had been silent throughout this whole endeavor, keeping a safe distance from the circle, still not completely sure if I was sick enough to contaminate anyone. But I spoke up."Should I Stay or Should I Go? By the Clash?" My voice was slightly urgent."Yes! At least I think it's by th– you know what? It doesn't matter! The point is," he looked around the room to all the boys, and his eyes landed on me, a knowing look in them. "I think there is a good chance Will is alive."I gave a small smile at Mike, communicating my gratitude silently."Well if El heard him–" Lucas began, annoyed."Are you sure you're on the right channel?" Dustin cut in."I don't think it's about that. I think, somehow, she's channeling him.""Like... like Professor X.""Yeah."Lucas looked to me, then the boys. "Are you actually believing this crap?""I don't know, I mean..." Dustin sighed. "Do you remember when Will fell off his bike and broke his finger? He sounded a lot like that."Lucas gave us an incredulous look. "Did you guys not see what I saw? They pulled Will's body out of the water. He's dead!" Lucas screamed, his eyes landed on me long enough for him to see the pain in my eyes.A lump in my throat grew large, and my palms became warm again. My eyes stung as I blinked away the tears, never breaking eye contact with Lucas. I stood up abruptly and excused myself in a hoarse whisper."[Y/N]..." Lucas sighed after me, only to be met with the bathroom door swinging shut.My palms gripped the counter as I tried catching my breath. The salty tears escaped my eyes and I looked into the mirror to see what a mess I was. I really didn't want to have another anxiety attack. Not now. It's the last thing I need.I wiped my eyes and blew my nose in some toilet paper. I grabbed an extra washcloth and set it aside. I turned on the faucet and waited for the temperature to cool down. I could hear the muffled voices of the boys, and then some scattered shuffling. When I was finally satisfied with the cool temperature of the water I ran the washcloth under the sink, soaking it in cold water.I rung out the damp cloth over the sink before bringing it to my cheeks. The cool soft cloth felt refreshing on my heated cheeks, and I put pressure over my eyes to bring down the swelling of my eyes. It seemed to do the trick. I took an extra moment to steady my breathing, and I brought my hand up to rub my neck, sighing. However, I recoiled my hand when my neck was met with a harsh sting of heat. I looked at my hands, confused.'Was my hand still hot from testing the temperature of the sink? But, that...'Too many questions arose from that simple theory, so I quickly dismissed it. Knowing that the longer I stay, the more worried the boys will become. And all I want is to know what the hell is going on. I open the door and rejoin my friends.However, I don't see El or Mike.Just Dustin and Lucas digging out some old boxes. Dustin noticed the look of confusion on my face and fills me in."We think if we get El to a stronger radio, like the Heathkit at school, she will be able to get a stronger connection to Will. We just need to find her a disguise. Mike is upstairs helping her out on makeup."I nod, joining the boys and begin digging through another box, rifling through the many abandoned clothes and costumes."[Y/N], I'm sorry, I just–" Lucas speaks up softly."It's fine," I mumble, not bothering to look up from the box.I know he is sorry, but I also know that if I dwell on it any longer I will only grow more upset. I hear him sigh, and return to the box. An old pink dress I can only assume once belonged to Nancy had caught my eye. I pulled it out of the box and showed it to the guys.Lucas gave a firm nod, and Dustin proudly showed off a blonde wig he had found. I lead the way upstairs and handed El the dress and wig which I had taken from Dustin. I gave her a small smile, indicating that I was okay and not mad at her.She seemed more comfortable with the idea of changing alone but insisted I help with the wig, she seemed very confused as to what it was. The boys were busy talking, but I was the only one who noticed her peaking her head from behind the door.I slipped inside and closed the door behind me. She looked nervous but I didn't blame her. I smiled."You look great. You'll do fine, I promise. Mike and I have got your back, and so does Dustin and Lucas, as much as they might deny it."These words of comfort seem to earn a grateful smile from her. I return the gesture and grab the wig off of the bed."Alright, this may be different from what you're used to but it grows on you. Longer hair, I mean." I chuckle to myself at my unintended pun, knowing she probably wouldn't get it.I adjust the wig on her and I spoke and straighten out some loose hairs before."And you are done. Are you ready?"El looked to me, a thoughtful expression on her face before nodding. I open the door and step out to see the boys all turn in unison.They look to me before I silently step aside to reveal El in her disguise. She held herself in a different way I could tell, it wasn't bad but she didn't seem to know either. It was new. And Mike. Well, Mike couldn't take his eyes off of her.Then again, what else is new? I smiled as I watched the scene unfold."Wow. She looks–" Dustin perked up."Pretty." Mike finished, his jaw practically on the floor.El smiled at him shyly, a small blush dusted her cheeks. Mike seemed to realize what he had said and tried to play it off."Good. You look pretty good."I rolled my eyes at his behavior and watched as El walked over to the mirror, Mike following. She seemed entranced at what she saw in the reflection. I can only imagine what it must be like for her.She looked longingly into the mirror before wistfully whispering."Pretty." There was a pause, and her face seemed to fall a bit. "Good."I pressed my lips into a firm line. I just hope this works.

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WARNINGS: Cursing. Reader fucking SNAPS*Reader's POV*The five of us rode our bikes down the road to school. El was on the back of Mike's bike as usual. She seemed eager to soak in everything around her like she would never see it again. Wind brushed the wig aside and she clung tight to Mike.Mike was beginning to slow down, the group of us all growing tired from the ride. Soon enough, however, we were walking through the back doors to the schools. Mike was in the lead as he turns to speak to us as we walked."Okay, remember, if anyone sees us, look sad."I fought the urge to roll my eyes.'He is still missing, isn't he?'My thoughts were interrupted by the crackling of the speaker."Attention students, there will be an assembly to honor Will Byers in the gymnasium now. Do not go to fourth period."I looked to the ceiling at the mention of my best friend and by the time I looked ahead, we had made it outside the AV room. Mike was attempting to open the door but it must be locked."It's locked." Mike sighed."What?" Lucas asked."Hey, El, is there any way for you to open it?" I ask kindly.Before she could respond, we all jumped at the voice of Mr. Clarke and froze."Boys? Ladies." He nodded towards me and El."Hey." Lucas breathed, obviously startled."Assembly's about to start.""We know. We're just, you know..." Mike works a solemn look on his face as he spoke and the others seemed to join in, including me although it wasn't that difficult."Upset." Lucas nodded, dropping his nervous smile."Yeah, definitely upset," Dustin muttered.I opened my mouth to speak, but thought better to say nothing at all and even looked down to the ground. Channeling all my emotions from just hours before."We need some alone time.""To cry." Dustin hesitated."Yeah, listen... I get it. I do. I know how hard this is, but let's just be there for Will, huh? And then," Mr. Clarke reached into his pocket and pulled out a key.He tossed the key to Mike who caught it upon instinct."the Heathkit is all yours for the rest of the day. What do you say?"We all looked to each other, wearing subtle triumphant smirks. Mr. Clarke seemed to finally notice that he had no idea who El was."I don't believe we've met. What's your name?"El seemed shocked and began to say 'Eleven' when Mike panicked and cut in."Eleanor! She's my, uh–""Cousin!" Lucas jumped in."Second cousin," Dustin added.I started to laugh but caught myself just in time to play it off as a cough. I pretended to clear my throat as I looked to Mr. Clarke who was looking a bit confused."She's here for Will's funeral." Mike sighed.Mr. Clarke seemed content with this answer as he shrugged and turned to her."Ah, well, welcome to Hawkins Middle, Eleanor. I wish you were here under better circumstances."She looked to us and Mike, then turned to Mr. Clarke nodding her head. "Thank you."A small smile fought its way into my face. She was going great."Uh, where are you from exactly?"El shook her head, sighing exasperatedly. "Bad place–""Sweden!" Dustin cuts in."I have a lot of Swedish family.""She hates it there.""Cold!""Subzero."Meanwhile, I had fought back another laugh at the whole exchange and I had to play it off as a cough once more."Are you alright, Ms. Henderson?"My head snapped up, but luckily I was fairly quick on my feet this time."Hmm? Oh, yeah. I woke up with a fever, haven't been feeling well all morning. But I insisted on coming. For Will." Mr. Clarke seemed satisfied with my answer and dismissed our odd behavior."Shall we?""Yep!" We all follow Mr. Clarke to the gymnasium in silence. As we get closer, I can hear the principal speaking from inside."At times like these, it is important that we come together as a community. We come–"Dustin swung open the gymnasium doors far too hard because the loud bang echoed throughout the gym that had drawn the attention of the crowd. I nudge Dustin. I feel him shifting on his feet beside me as panic sets in."Abort." He whispers, turning to leave.Thankfully, Lucas stops him and shoved him forward."We come together to heal... we come together to grieve..."As the principle continues his speech, the five of us wander into the bleachers to find a seat.+++"Will Byers' death is an unimaginable tragedy. Will was an exceptional student and a wonderful friend to all of us. It's impossible to express the hole his loss will leave in our community. I'd like to introduce you to Sandy Sloane. She's a local grief counselor from the church over in Jonesboro."While the principal carried on, the five of us all looked to each other, all sharing the same thought.'We need to get to that radio. And soon.'"I just want those of you who are having trouble dealing with this tragic loss...""Look at these fakers." I heard Mike whisper."They probably didn't even know his name till today." Lucas scoffed.My head whipped to the side when I heard hushed chuckling. I wasn't surprised to see Troy and his friend as the source of the laughter. I glared daggers into them and my hands gripped the edge of my seat, my knuckles turning white.The boys and El seemed to follow my gaze because soon enough, we were all leaning over glaring at them."Who is interested in this? This is so stupid." He laughed.I grit my teeth as my vision filled with red."Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah...""[Y/N]..." Lucas warned, reaching out for my arm. I wasn't paying attention, but for some reason, I felt his hand leave my arm almost as soon as he grabbed it."Oh, he was such a great student. Oh, he's going to leave a hole in the community." Troy mocked, beginning to fake sob.I began to shake with rage, wanting nothing more than to stand up and scream 'fu-'"[Y/N]!""What?!" I hissed at Lucas, my teeth clenched.I saw fear in his eyes as he glanced between my eye line and my hands. I looked down at my own hands to see my grip on the bench turned my hands... a deep red? I yanked my hands off the bench and rubbed my hands together, keeping to myself.I was shocked to see the faintest imprint of the most vaguely shaped hand on the bench. It was hardly noticeable and I had to do a double take.'What the hell?'El was leaning over and she met my gaze. She briefly looked at my hands, seeming to dismiss whatever thoughts she had. Then looked to Troy."Mouth breather." She whispered.I let out a forced chuckle and nodded."Yeah. Yeah, mouth breather." I whispered, looking back and Troy.Eventually, the bell rang, dismissing the assembly. Even though Lucas and Dustin seemed to have let it go, Mike and I were not finished."Hey! Hey! Hey Troy." Mike called.I could tell he could hear us because he barely slowed down but was clearly laughing. I stomped towards him and called him out, loud and clear."Hey, jackass!"He stopped in his tracks and turned around. He seemed like he wanted to be mad, but almost like he was happy he got a rise out of us."You think that shit was funny?" My voice never wavered and the boys and El seemed just as shocked as I was feeling at my newfound courage."What'd you say, orphan?" He asked, dumbfounded.He only called me that when he was really pissed at me."You heard me, dumbass! And how many times do I have to tell you, I'm not an orphan if I was adopted, moron! Now, what the hell is in that tiny brain of yours that would compel you to laugh and mock the mourning of someone's passing? I mean, shit, you must really be sick in the head. I feel sorry for you." I spit out my last few words, my voice dripping with malice.By now I was in his face, finally letting out all the pent-up aggression I've harbored for years. And it felt good."Get the hell outta my face, bitch!" He yells shoving me back.I get ready to strike but Dustin grabs my arm before my fist can collide with Troy's face. I struggle to get free but my brother was determined to hold me back, with the help of Lucas of course."Control your 'sister', Toothless. Or she just might lose a few teeth of her own." He glares at me and I still attempt to break free.Mike seems to have found his voice as all of this happened because he was the next to speak."H-Hey, she's right! Laughing like that? That's a pretty messed up thing to do."Troy, glares at us as his minion speaks."Didn't you listen to the counselor, freaks? Grief shows itself in funny ways.""You little shit-" I attempt once more to get a right hook in but Lucas stops me.Troy laughs at me struggling."Besides, what's there to be sad about, anyway? Will's in fairyland now, right? Flying around with all the other little fairies. All happy and gay!"Lucas seemed to loosen his grip on me, silently letting me go as Troy began dancing around, mocking Will.I swung my fist and I felt it collide with his nose. He stumbled back and grasped his nose in surprise, he pulled his hand away to find a few drops of blood on his hands. The crowd that had gathered while all of this unfolded, gasped in surprise. I even earned some scattered cheers among the students.I seemed to realize the consequences of my actions, but I was prepared to face them. It was worth it. I watched as he stormed towards me, blinded by fury."You're dead, bitch!" He stomped towards me and I closed my eyes, bracing myself for the inevitable retaliation but it never came.All I felt was a sudden pair of hands on my right arm, harshly pushing me out of the way. I looked in time to see it was Mike who pushed me out of the way. I stood in confusion at what happened next.Troy had just begun to raise his arm as he was only inches from Mike when he froze. He completely froze in place. He seemed just as confused, if not more than anyone. That confusion quickly bubbled into fear as his eyes scanned the room as much as he could without moving his head.It finally dawned on me and I spared a quick glance at El, who was laser-focused on Troy, head tilted down and the smallest hint of blood dripping from her nose. I smirked and looked back to Troy, a smug smile on my face.I couldn't hold back the laughter as I saw his pants begin to dampen with urine. A stream of it began pooling at his leg. Other students caught on quickly and one boy, in particular, began laughing."Dude, Troy peed himself."The circle of kids erupted into laughter as Troy stood frozen in a puddle of his own pee. I turned to El, who wore a devilish smirk on her face as she glanced between Mike and me. She quickly wiped her nose and started walking away. The boys and I enjoyed this brief moment of bliss."Hey! What is going on here?" The principle shouted."Come on!" I whisper, gesturing for the boys who all had the same idea. Before people could start asking questions we grouped together and made our way to the AV room.

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WARNINGS: Shit-ton of POV Switches. Not my fault, they changed the POV in the show so frequently and so quickly in this episode, and it's kinda unavoidable... *Reader's POV*"Come on." Mike ushered us all into the AV room and had just locked the door behind us.We followed him over the to Heathkit and Mike pulled out the chair for El, which she gladly took."Now what?" Dustin asked."She'll find him. Right, El?" Mike assures us as he adjusts the dials.But I see something in her Mike failed to notice. Fear. She took a few deep breaths and closed her eyes. I figured this was how she finds people but something about her seemed... off. Troubling."She's doing it. She's finding him!" Mike exclaimed.I shift uncomfortably, feeling bad about putting her under all this strain. Something seems off, she seems uncomfortable. Almost, like she is reliving something.(Literally my lazy ass way of saying I'm too damn lazy to switch the POV again just for a flashback since I am going to have to switch POV's a lot pretty soon. It's nothing terribly important tho. It's just a demonstration of how she can track people. She was told to repeat what the man in another room was saying but just put him on speaker basically. Yall ain't missin much.)"That is crazy." Dustin said."Calm down. She just closed her eyes."I flinched when suddenly the only light bulb I was standing under, went out with a pop. The boys gasped."Holy..." Dustin began.The radio frequency goes crazy and the boys and I lean in, not wanting to miss anything. An odd noise that sounded oddly like someone hitting something."What is that?" Dustin asked, to no one in particular."I'm not sure, but am I crazy or does that sound like... someone hitting something?" I say mindlessly.*3rd Person POV*Joyce doesn't stop pacing as the music reaches its chorus. Her head whips around to the wall near the porch window when she hears a distinct clanging.She stops the music and the noise she thought she heard is confirmed and she cautiously steps towards the noise. The swears she can hear the faint noise of a child whimpering."Mom?" Will.It was Will's voice, it echoed and you had to strain to hear it but it was unmistakably the frightened voice of her child. She gasped loudly and clung to the wall."Will?"*Reader's POV*"Mom?" It was him. His voice rang through the air from the Heathkit and an audible gasp escaped my lips.'It really was Will. He... he's alive.'"No way!" Lucas breathed.My vision becomes blurry from tears and I stumble back for a short moment, grasping the first thing I could reach which happened to be my brother's arms."Mom..."*3rd Person POV*"Will!" Joyce desperately searched for a hole of any kind in the wall and ran across the room throwing open the door and sprinting onto the porch.Much to her disappointment, she scanned the empty porch in a panic before running back inside."Will?""Mom!" He screamed, his voice distinctive and frightened."Will! I'm here! I'm here!" She kept banging on the wall, not knowing how else to comfort her son.She began tearing down the wallpaper."Oh, God..."*Reader's POV*"Will!" I squeaked, my voice breaking."Will, it's us! Are you there?" Lucas cried desperately."Can you hear us? We're here!" Dustin nearly burst my eardrum but I didn't care.If it meant he would here us I didn't care.But the radio crackled and he called to his mom. My stomach fell."He can't hear us." I whimpered, stepping back."Hello? Mom?""Why can't he hear us?" Lucas exclaimed."I don't know!" Mike yelled, just as frustrated as we were.*3rd Person POV*"Baby..." Joyce cried as she tore away the wallpaper to see a pulsing, red bulbous barrier of some kind but what she saw behind it made nearly made her faint.It was Will."Mom?" He cried, hands up against the barrier."Oh, God! Will!""Mom!" His cries were distorted echoes."Oh, thank God." She wept, not knowing what to do. "Baby... Will"Joyce heard the same horrific growl she heard right before the monster came through the wall. She could see Will look around in fright, panic consuming him."Mom, it's coming!""Tell me where you are! How do I get to you?"*Reader's POV*"It's like home, but it's so dark... It's so dark and empty." Fear gripped my chest as I heard Will so frightened for his life.I squeezed my brother's hand as tears fell from my eyes. The four of us exchanging worried glances as we listened."And it's cold! Mom? Mom!"*3rd Person POV*"Listen to me! I swear I'm gonna get to you, okay? But right now, I need you to hide."The barrier began to disappear as the original foundation of the wall took its place once more."Mom, please!""No, no, listen! Listen, I... will find you, but you have to run now! Run! Run!"Seconds before the wall closed for good, she saw the distorted image of her son running away as she sheared another screech nearby.*Reader's POV*The Heathkit crackled and suddenly it caught fire. Everyone but El jumped back in shock."He's alive. Will is alive!" mumbled, it finally dawned on me that I know for a fact that my best friend is alive.The boys stumbled back and Dustin got the fire extinguisher and put out the fire, but the fire alarm had already started ringing.My first thought was El. She must be exhausted."El? Are you okay?"*3rd Person POV*Joyce found the previously abandoned hatchet and immediately set to work on the wall. She swung the hatchet with all her might, yelling as she slowly but surely chipped away at the wall.*Reader's POV*"El? Can you hear us?" Mike asked worriedly.All the color had been drained from her face. She looked ill. Guilt washed over me once more."Can you move?" She didn't even have the energy to respond.Mike and I shared a look and both grabbed one of her arms and helped her up."Can someone grab her legs?" I pleaded.The Lucas ended up grabbing her legs and Dustin found a swivel chair to put her in.I was just thankful the fire alarm was a big enough distraction to get El out.*3rd Person POV*Joyce dropped the hatchet in defeat when she was met with the cold autumn air and the sight of her front lawn throughout the new hole in the wall.Confused and defeated she collapsed into sobs.*Reader's POV*"This way!" Mike and Dustin each held a side of the chair as they rushed El down the hallway.I ran alongside her and I grabbed her hand, giving it a tight squeeze."Hang in there, El. We are gonna get you home." I assured.(A//N: I would like to apologize for the excessive amount of POV changes but I swear to you, they did it that many times. I contemplated leaving them out for that scene and just keep the italics different but my extremely selective OCD kicked in and wouldn't let me so I kept the switches.)

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{EDITED ON 12/24/18} *3rd Person POV*His heart racing, Hopper could hear the blood pumping in his ears as he ran through the twisted corridors of the Lab. Beads of sweat dripped down his face as he swiftly maneuvered the facility in search of the missing boy."Will?" His desperate calls echoed off of the cold tile walls."Will?"In the midst of his frantic haste, he had gotten turned around. The chilling corridors all seemed the same and new wave of panic flooded him. Taking a deep breath, the chief tried his best to recompose himself. He came across a crossroads, it resembled a four-way intersection that one may find on an ominous back road in the country. He stared ahead and sighed.Each corridor was identical to the next. Cold and unwelcoming."You gotta be shittin' me." He growled under his breath.Grabbing his bearings, the man kept straight and hoped for the best.The hallway stretched for what felt like miles, when finally, after a few turns, it came to a dead end. He looked around and noticed this was quite different than the others.The Chief's instincts that had earned him the title in the first place suggested to him that the small corner of the facility had been long forgotten. This particular area had been neglected the upkeep that was evident in the rest of the laboratory. Ahead of him lay two doors; an old broom closet, labeled as such, and a rather ominous looking door, with an accompanying window with a glimpse inside an untidy room.This particular room piqued his interest. The door was closed, though the door handle seemed to be broken, the room ajar. Hopper cautiously stepped toward the door, reaching his arm out and slowly pushed it open.Hopper stepped inside the cluttered room. His heart racing, not knowing what to expect. It was clear that the room was designed to have a greater purpose, but had been hastily abandoned and eventually forgotten. It seemed that just about every item in the room, much like the rest of the facility, was made of steel. From the counters to the filing cabinets with half-opened drawers. His eyebrows furrowed in curiosity as he stepped into the room, and around the steel table to the cabinet on the opposite end of the room.Knowing he had little time he shone his flashlight into the drawer and he quickly rifled through the filing cabinet waiting for something that might catch his eye. Hopper sighed in disappointment when he found nothing useful. Hopper began to shut the filing cabinet in defeat when he caught a small glimpse of a peculiar label shoved all the way to the back, almost like it was meant to be forgotten.Tilting his head in curiosity, Hop pulled the drawer out as far as it would go and even then, the man had to reach for the file. He pulled it from the drawer and examined the front.The label on the edge of the manilla folder had been scratched out and written over many times that it was now indistinguishable. The front cover was all blank, except for a few words that had been scribbled in black ink."SUBJECT 009; THE MISSING EXPERIMENT"The familiar words sparked something in Hopper. With no time to waste he shoved the file into his jacket and closed the cabinet, making a run for the door.Fortunately, Hopper was able to retrace his steps back to the where he had gotten lost, this time making a right turn down the hallway. He continued his calls for Will when suddenly, he found himself in a room, not that different from the strange room he found himself in earlier. Only this room, contained a bed.And a security camera, which happened to be the first thing Hopper noticed when he entered.He stepped closer to the bed, the light of the flashlight landing on a small stuffed animal, that was placed neatly at the top of the bed near the pillow. Frowning, Hopper moved his flashlight to the wall above the bed, a small piece of printer paper had been taped to the wall.It was a drawing.A child's drawing. There were two people depicted in the drawing, in the form of stick figures. What appeared to be a tall man standing next to a child. The child wore a frown, and they faced a table that appeared to have a cat on it. Hopper almost didn't notice the words above each stick figure.Above the child, was the number eleven. And above the man, written in messy handwriting was the word 'Papa'.*Reader's POV*The five of us were scattered around Mike's basement. El was curled up on the couch, most likely physically exhausted from contacting Will. Mike was sitting at the opposite end of the couch by El's feet, concentration etched in his features. Lucas occupied the lounge chair deep in thought while Dustin resides at the bottom of the stairs."What was Will saying?" Mike wondered.He began reciting Will's words from earlier in an attempt to recall the only clue we might have that he might be alive."Like home... Like home... but dark?" He stood up from the couch, hands still in his jacket pockets as he began pacing the room."And empty." Lucas pressed his intertwined fingers against his forehead, his eyes closed deep in thought.My leg bounced up and down at an alarming rate, a nervous habit I picked up at a young age as I spoke up, my eyes still focused on one random corner of the room."And cold."Dustin sighed."Empty and cold. Wait, did he say cold?" He looked around the room, seeming to second guess himself."I don't know, I think? The stupid radio kept going in and out." Lucas sighed."He did. He said cold." I muttered, unable to shake the haunting voice of my friend's terrified cries for help."Like home." Mike repeated once more. "Like his house?""Or maybe like Hawkins." Lucas offered eagerly."Upside Down." El muttered."What'd she say?" Lucas asked."Upside Down." Mike said, a hint of astonishment in his voice as something seemed to have clicked."What?" Lucas repeated.Mike walked over to the table I sat at and looked at the overturned game board. It was then, I recalled what El had been telling us the other night, with Will's game piece.My mouth fell into a silent 'o' shape as everything began falling into place. I turned myself back around in the chair and looked at the board."Upside down." I breathed.Mike had taken a seat across from me, both hands on the game board while the other boys got up and joined us at the table.Mike began flipping the board over multiple times as he explained."When El showed us where Will was, she flipped the board over, remember? Upside down. Dark. Empty. Cold." He finished, locking eyes with me as he said the last word."Do you understand what he's talking about." Lucas asked me and Dustin.We replied simultaneously."Yes." I nod."No."We both looked at each other with confusion and a hint of annoyance for a split second before dismissing the thought."Come on guys, think about it. When El took us to find Will, she took us to his house, right?" I offered, gesturing all around me as I spoke.Lucas shrugged."Yeah. And he wasn't there.""But what if he was there?" I offered, eyebrows raised as I looked between my brother and Lucas. "What if we just couldn't see him? What if he was on the other side?"The boys, aside from Mike, of course, seemed to consider this. Mike jumped back in as he flipped the board right side up once more."What if this is Hawkins and..." he flipped it back. "This is where Will is? The Upside Down."Dustin seemed to perk up."Like the Vale of Shadows."+ + +Dustin had slammed Mike's collection of Dungeons and Dragons guides and spell books on the table and began flipping through the various guidebooks. After a few moments he stopped on the page he had been looking for and began to read aloud."The Vale of Shadows is a dimension that is a dark reflection or echo of our world. It is a place of decay and death. A plane out of phase. A place of monsters."As he read the next sentence, Mike, Lucas and I all shared the same, unsettled look, and a chill ran down my spine."It is right next to you, and you don't even see it." Dustin finished, and looked up, sharing our looks of concern.Mike spoke up."An alternate dimension."It seemed I was not the only one who was having difficulty handling the information."But... how... how do we get there?" Lucas asked worriedly."We cast Shadow Walk." Dustin said."In real life, dummy." Lucas deadpanned."We can't shadow walk, but... maybe she can." Dustin offered.We all look to a drowsy looking El."Do you know how we get there? To the Upside Down?" Mike asked her gently.She shook her head softly and we all felt the heavy ache of disappointment. Some of us were better at hiding it."Oh, my God!" Lucas sighed dramatically.I tuned out the bickering that began between the boys when I gestured for the handbook and Dustin compiled, sliding it over to me.Maybe, just maybe, there must be something in one of these books that could help us or even give us an idea. I began flipping through the spell book and found myself lingering on the Druid spell pages, getting lost in thought.My eyes scanned the pages, my hope and curiosity had bubbled down to desperation and boredom as I read the all too familiar Druid page.I recognized the many spells I had used in previous campaigns; produce flame had gotten me out of a pinch with a mimic once, I smiled at the memory. And of course, Plant Growth - one of my personal favorites - Will would always tease me about my love for plants carried on into my character.I soon found myself unable to tear my attention away from one of the lower class spells I always used, Cure Wounds. Something in the back of my mind kept gnawing at me. I bore my eyes into the page as I reread the words over and over again."You or a creature you touch regains a number of Hit Points equal to 1d8 + your Spellcasting ability modifier. This spell has no effect on Undead or constructs."It dawned on me. That night we saw "Will". It was just moments before we heard the sirens, I realized my cut had mysteriously vanished. I had immediately gotten distracted when we heard the sirens and then everything happened one after the other that I had forgotten."How could I possibly have forgotten something like that?'I thought about El. A week ago I never believed it possible to move things with your mind, but yet El could. It made me wonder.I shook my head, clearly, I was grasping at straws.'Remember what mom said?' I asked myself. 'My body has always been faster than most medicines.'I broke myself out of my thoughts to see Dustin and Lucas packing up. Suddenly realizing how tired I was, I happily joined in and grabbed my jacket from the chair and we said our goodbyes.

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"Fear not, for I am with you. Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you."'I can't believe I'm at Will's funeral.'"Yes, I will help you. I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." The pastor continued.I spared a glance at the people around me.I looked to Jonathan, his head bowed, and poor Joyce who was sitting nearby.I can't imagine what they must be going through.Joyce was like a second mother to me, and she has always treated as if I was one of her own. I'll always be grateful for that. I lay a hand on her shoulder.She looks up to me confused like I had pulled her deep out of her thought, upon seeing it was me she smiles thankfully. She put her hand over mine and gave it a few gentle pats and then a small stroke with her thumb to say thank you.I smiled solemnly at her let go, listening to the rest of the service."It's times like these that our faith is challenged. How, if he is truly benevolent... could God take us from someone so young, so innocent?"I looked down at my feet."It would be easy to turn away from God... but we must remember that nothing, not even tragedy, can separate us from His love."I felt a nudge on my shoulder and turned to look at Dustin. He wore a sly smirk as he looked to his right, past me and Mike.Frowning in confusion, I turned my head to see what he was smirking about."Just wait till we tell Will that Jennifer Hayes was crying at his funeral." Dustin said cheekily.I scoffed, rolling my eyes."Since when has she cared about Will? She couldn't even get his name right, remember she called him Bill all week?" I huffed, crossing my arms in distaste.The boys smirked at me."What?" I asked."Somebody jealous?" Lucas smirked."No-! Not ev- Shut up!" I scowl.The boys giggle earning more than a few concerned and offended glances making me smile to myself. Mrs. Wheeler leaned down and shushed the boys making me smirk more.'Serves them right.'Soon enough, the casket had been lowered into the grown and roses had been thrown on top, I made my way to the very side of the grave, looking down."I know you're not dead. But I swear to God, if you don't come back I'm gonna kill you." I muttered to the casket in the ground.As people began to filter out, we watched as Mike's mom said her condolences to Will's parents."I'm so, so sorry.""Oh, thank you so much for coming." Will's dad said.I never liked him.Joyce was just standing by herself quietly, her arms crossed looking down at the grave."Yeah, if there's anything we can do..." Mr. Wheeler offered, shaking the man's hand."I appreciate it. Thank you so much."I said goodbye to Lucas who had to follow his parents out, even though we would be seeing him later at the wake. I did the same with Mike, and soon enough Mom was waiting for us so we could get to the car."Mom, will you give me a minute?""Of course, sweetie." She smiled at me with sympathy.I turned around wove through the crowd that had separated me from Joyce. I tapped her on the shoulder, seeming to jostle her from her thoughts a second time.Upon seeing it was me, she smiled."Hi, Ms. Byers.""Oh, hi [Y/N]. Thank you, for coming, sweetie." She smiled.I captured her in a bear hug and she gladly reciprocated."Of course. I'm so, so sorry for your loss." I said, letting her go."Oh, thank you, sweetheart. T-Tell me, how have you been holding up?" She asked gently.My eyes welled up."I'm not gonna lie, it's- it's been really hard. I just, I just miss him so much. Your son was such a good person. Always a gentleman." I knew what I was saying.Even if he is alive for sure, everything I said was true. He always has been a gentleman to me.She seemed extremely thankful for hearing that and I was glad I could make her genuinely smile on this sad day."Really? Oh sweetie, thank you. That means, just so much to me."I look back to my mom and brother waiting for me by the car, and I return my gaze back to Ms. Byers."Um, I better go. My mom is waiting for me. I guess I'll be seeing you at the wake. Goodbye, Ms. Byers.""Thank you again [Y/N]. I'll see you later sweetie." Her face slightly fell and she smiled at me.I begin walking backward sending a small wave her way before turning around a breaking out into a small jog to catch up to my mom.+ + +Being at the funeral of your best friend is daunting and quite surreal.Being at the funeral of your best friend who is quite possibly alive in another dimension and you and only four other people know this is a completely different ballpark.We had all met up at the wake and regrouped.The plan was to ask Mr. Clarke if there was anything he could tell us about the theories regarding alternate dimensions. I'm just praying that we don't arouse suspicion given the setting."Mr. Clarke?" The tall man turned his attention away from the buffet to look at us.Mr. Clarke smiled sympathetically. "Oh, hey, there."The somber look came easily to my face as I looked to Mr. Clarke, Mike, and Lucas on either side of me while Dustin was digging into the buffet."How are you kids holding up?"Lucas speaks up for us, slightly distracted by Dustin's blatant chewing. "We're... in... mourning.""Man, these aren't real Nilla Wafers." Dustin complained, shaking his head.My eyes widen softly, and I look to Mr. Clarke trying to cover for him."You'll have to excuse my brother, Mr. Clarke, he's-" I stop midsentence to see him happily chewing more snacks, and look back to Mr. Clarke. "well, he mourns in his own... special way.""We were wondering if you had time to talk?" Mike asked, wanting to move things along as quickly as possible.""We have some questions." Lucas added.I shook my head in agreement. "A lot of questions, actually."Mr. Clarke complied and the four of us found ourselves at the nearest table, asking our teacher about other dimensions at our "dead" friends' wake. Not something I ever could have imagined doing."So, you know how in Cosmos, Carl Segan talks about other dimensions? Like, beyond our world?""Yeah, sure. Theoretically." Mr. Clarke replies, noticeably confused at the subject of our questions."Right, theoretically.""So, theoretically, how do we travel there?" Lucas asked."You guys have been thinking about Hugh Everett's Many-World's Interpretation, haven't you?" A ghost of a smile on our teacher's face."Yeah." I chuckled, nodding my head in response.The boys looked at me, wondering why I had said that.I gave them a look that said, 'I don't know, just go with it.'"Well, basically, there are parallel universes. Just like our world, but just infinite variations of it. Which means there's a world out there where none of this tragic stuff ever happened." I found myself nodding along, not for the sake of being believable, but actually lost in the idea."Yea, that's not what we're talking about." Lucas sighed, leaning back."Oh.""We were thinking of more of an evil dimension, like the Vale of Shadows. You know the Vale of Shadows." Dustin said eagerly.Not thinking that our science teacher would know anything about Dungeons and Dragons, I was completely taken aback by his next words."An echo of the Material Plane, where necrotic and shadow magic–""Yeah, exactly." Mike said cutting him off.I shift uncomfortably in my seat."If that did exist, a place like the Vale of Shadows, how would we travel there?""Theoretically, of course." I add."Well..."Mr. Clarke grabbed an empty paper plate and pulled out a pen from his jacket pocket. He then drew a straight line across the paper plate as he spoke, creating a visual for us."Picture... an acrobat..." He drew a small stick figure on top of the lines. "standing on a tightrope. Now, the tightrope is our dimension. And our dimension has rules."He began drawing arrows on either side of the acrobat."You can move forwards, or backwards. But, what if..." He drew a very small creature under one of the arrows. "right next to our acrobat, there is a flea? Now, the flea can also travel back and forth, just like the acrobat. Right?""Right." We all agreed."Here's where things get really interesting. The flea can also travel this way... along the side of the rope." He drew arrows indicating the flea's direction around and under the rope, causing me to furrow my brows. "He can even go underneath the rope."The boys and I all shared the same look before returning our gaze to Mr. Clarke. "Upside Down.""Exactly."Mike spoke up. "But we're not the flea, we're the acrobat.""In this metaphor, yes, we're the acrobat.""So we can't go upside down?" Lucas asked warily."No.""Well, is there any way for the acrobat to get to the Upside Down?"Our teacher furrowed his brows. "Well... you'd have to create a massive amount of energy. More than humans are currently capable of creating, mind you, to open up some kind of tear in time and space, and then..."He folded the paper plate in have, creasing it shut before shoving his pen directly through both sides of the paper plate. "you create a doorway.""Like a gate?" My brother asked eagerly."Sure. Like a gate. But again, this is all–""Theoretical." I smile, nodding my head."But... but what if this gate already existed?" Mike asked, timidly."Well, if it did, I... I think we'd know. It would disrupt gravity, the magnetic field, our environment. Heck, it might even swallow us up whole."Mike seems to gauge our reactions, and I'm the only one who met his eye with an equally uncertain gaze."Science is neat." Mr. Clarke continued. "But I'm afraid it's not very forgiving."We all lean back, digesting the information.

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Warnings(?): Kinda short... :/ Also spelling errors most likely (in this whole episode probs tbh)+ + +The abrupt rip of the paper startled El as she sat there, listening to Mike demonstrate what we learned earlier.We had all caught a ride to Mike's house and made into the basement to fill El in."It would take a lot of energy to build a gate like this. But that's got to be what happened. Otherwise, how'd Will get there, right?"Maybe it was just me, but it seemed like El was hiding something. She seemed to pause before shaking her head casually. "Right.""What we want to know is, do you know where the gate is." Lucas asked.Meanwhile, I turn to look over my shoulder to see my brother walking around the basement, compass in hand and looking very bewildered. I frowned in confusion.I spared a moment to look to El to see her hesitantly shake her head 'no' in response to Lucas's question.The anger in my friend was quick to show itself. "Then how do you know about the Upside Down?"She avoided everyone's eye and looked down to her lap, fidgeting with her fingers. El looked up once more to stare at Dustin confused, drawing everyone's attention, including my own, to my brother who was still wandering around the basement led by his compass."Dustin, what are you doing? Dustin?" Mike asked.He didn't answer, he only spun around in more circles."Dustin!" I shout, grabbing his attention."I need to see your compasses." He stuttered."What?""Your compasses. All of your compasses, right now!" He yelled.I looked to boys in equal confusion before complying.In moments, there was a small cluster of compasses scattered across the flipped DnD board."What's exciting about this?" Mike asked a little irritated."Well, they're all facing north, right?""Yeah?" I asked, urging my brother to continue."Well, that's not true north.""What do you mean?" Mike wondered."I mean exactly what I just said. That's not true north."My brother looked to the two boys in shock, then me, noticing I had a hint of a smile on my face as I stare at the board."Are you two, seriously this dense? [Y/N]." He sighed, urging me to explain it to the two boys.I straighten up, having been leaning on the table previously, and looked between my two friends. "Well, the sun rises in the east, and it sets in the west. Right?" I say gesturing with my arms.The boys shrug, following."Right, which means that is true north." I finish, gesturing over my shoulder I was standing across from my brother who had the compasses all facing him."So what you're saying is the compasses are broken." Mike said, causing me to sigh.I'm just about to gently remind the boys how compasses work, but before I can Dustin cuts me off, clearly offended by Mike's lack of knowledge."Do you even understand how a compass works?" My brother asked, grabbing a compass off of the table."Do you see a battery pack on this?" He asked, waving it around."No.""No, you don't. Because it doesn't need one. The needle's naturally drawn to the Earth's magnetic North Pole." He said, placing the compass back on the table."So what's wrong with them?" Lucas asked, shrugging."Well, that's what I couldn't figure out, but then I remembered. You can change the direction of a compass with a magnet. If there's the presence of a more powerful magnetic field, the needle deflects to that power. And then I remembered what Mr. Clarke said. The gate would have so much power–""It could disrupt the electromagnetic field." Mike finished, looking to Dustin and then back to me and Lucas."Exactly.""Meaning, if we follow the compasses' north..." Lucas trailed off."They should lead us to the gate. Right to Will." I beam at my brother, very proud of him.+++We found ourselves walking through the woods once more, our compasses leading the way.Dustin and Lucas were ahead of me by a few feet, while Mike and El were walking side by side a few feet behind me.I found myself walking, with nobody to keep me company but my own worries.'I hope Will is okay. I just hope he is safe. I just need him to be alive.'I haven't allowed to let myself think about it much since that night. The times I did, I was able to convince myself that it was just the overwhelming stream of emotions that flooded me when I saw his 'corpse'. But yet, in the smaller corners of my mind, in my chest I knew.There was something there.It took me far too long to realize.I was ripped from my thoughts when I heard Lucas speak."How much further?"I saw Dustin's shoulders rise and fall as he shrugged."I don't know. These things only tell direction, not distance. You really need to learn more about compasses.""I'm just saying. How do we know when we get to the gate?""Uh, I think a portal to another dimension is gonna be pretty obvious."There is a pause and I see Lucas cast a glance over his shoulder and he looks at El for a moment before turning around again."Do you think she's acting weird?" He asked, in a small hush."[Y/N]? Yeah, I guess. She has really been taking this whole Will thing pretty hard." My brother responds in a hushed whisper he believes I can't hear.I frown a little, but then I hear Lucas speak up."No! No, not [Y/N!] The weirdo?"Dustin spares a glance in El's direction and then looks to Lucas incredulously. "You're asking if the weirdo is acting weird?"Lucas scoffed. "I mean, weirder than normal?""I don't know. Who cares?" Dustin says while Lucas casts another glance in El's direction.A few moments pass and I hear the timid voice of El."Mike.""Yeah?""Turn back.""What? Why?" He asked sounding shocked."I'm tired."Mike sighed. "Look, I'm sure we're almost there. Just hold on a little longer, okay?"The rest of our journey was traveled in silence.

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With Dustin in the lead, we found ourselves stopped atop a hill, at what I assume is a scrapyard. Old vehicles like abandoned cars and buses scattered around the area.Dustin came to a stop and looked around."Oh, no." He muttered."'Oh, no'? What's, 'Oh, no'?" Lucas asked in a panicked tone.Dustin turned around to look at us."We're headed back home.""What?" Even Mike seemed to be frustrated."Dustin, are you sure?" I ask, irritation and exhaustion creeping up on me.'I haven't exactly been feeling right these past few days.'"Yeah, I'm sure. Setting sun, right there." He pointed past us in the direction of the sky. "We looped right back around."I sighed, shifting on my feet as I run a hand down my face."And you're just realizing this now?" Lucas snapped."Why is this all on me?""Because you're the compass genius!""What do yours say?"We all checked our compasses, mine was wobbly but nevertheless, pointing at North.Lucas, Mike and I all spoke at once."North."We all sighed, and Dustin began slowly pacing looking off into the distance deep in thought."Makes no damn sense.""Maybe the gate moved." Mike offered."No, I don't think it's the gate." Dustin began looking all around us. "I think it's something else screwing with the compasses."Maybe it's something here."As Mike spoke, I didn't fail to notice the look that crossed Lucas's face as he slowly turned to face El."No, it has to be like a super magnet." Dustin replied.Lucas rose his hand and began pointing at El accusingly. "It's not a magnet. She's been acting weirder than normal. If she can slam doors with her mind, she can definitely screw up a compass."El stood rooted in place, a look of guilt and fear in her eyes."Why would she do that?" Mike snapped."Because she's trying to sabotage our mission. Because she's a traitor!"As much as I hated to admit it to myself, it was the only logical explanation we had.I shook my head, ridding myself of the conclusions my brain wanted to jump to."Lucas, come on. Think about what you're saying. Why would-" I rested a calming hand on Lucas's shoulder to try and calm him down, only for him to rip his arm from my touch."Enough, [Y/N]! I'm so sick of you defending her! You of all people should be more worried for Will.""I am!" I screamed, tears beginning to sting my eyes.I took a deep breath, trying to compose myself. "Just... Please. Hear her out."Lucas never met my eye and only stomped towards the poor girl intimidatingly."Lucas, what are you doing?" Mike asked, following behind Lucas worriedly."You did it, didn't you. You don't want us to reach the gate. You don't want us to find Will." Lucas was in her face by now, and it as if the poor girl was on the verge of tears.Dustin and I were toe in toe with the others and I walked up to Lucas, ready in case he decided to something rash.Mike seemed to have the same idea."Lucas, come on, seriously, just leave her alone!""Admit it." Lucas spit."No." El muttered."Admit it!" We all jumped when Lucas began screaming.He grabbed her right arm and examined her sleeve. There was a streak of shiny dark crimson on her sleeve.Lucas swatted away her arm in disgust and frustration at the sight."Fresh blood. I knew it."Dustin and I watched speechless as the boys began fighting."Lucas, come on!""I saw her wiping her nose on the tracks! She was using her powers!""Bull! That's old blood. Right, El?"We all shipped our heads to El, waiting for her response.At this point, she was fighting back tears, and breath hitched."Right, El?" Mike asked again, less confident.She began sobbing as she choked out her words."It's... not... it's not safe."My stomach plunged as Dustin and I shared a look of worry and shock.+ + +"What did I tell you? She's been playing us from the beginning!"Lucas and Mike seemed to be having it out now and they wouldn't stop despite the many protests from either Dustin or I. My body seemed to have shut down, staring helplessly as my two best friends fight. At a complete loss for words from shock and knowing my words will make no difference."That's not true. She helped us find Will!""Find Will? Find Will? Where is he, then? Huh? I don't see him.""Yeah, you know what I mean.""No, I actually don't. Just think about it, Mike. She could have just told us where the Upside Down was right away, but she didn't. She just made us run around like headless chickens."With every word my body was feeling more and more on edge, my anxiety set in as I felt uncomfortable in my own skin at my friend's tearing each other apart. I started shifting back and forth, my hands rubbing the back of my neck, a nervous habit of mine.Either Dustin noticed this, or he was sick of the fighting as well, or both for that matter, he stomped towards the boys and intervened."All right, calm down!""No! She used us, all of us! She helped just enough so she could get what she wants. Food and a bed. She's like a stray dog.""Screw you, Lucas!""No! Screw you, Mike. You're blind... blind because you like that a girl's not grossed out by you. But wake up, man! Wake the hell up! She knows where Will is, and now she's just letting him die in the Upside Down.""Shut up!""For all we know, it's her fault.""Shut up.""We're looking for some stupid monster... but did you ever stop to think that maybe she's the monster?"'I don't want to believe it. I don't want to believe that El is the monster. I don't want my best friend to be missing, I don't want my friends to fight all the time. But at the same time, I can't afford to dismiss the possibility that maybe Lucas had a point. Not about her being a monster, no, that I refuse to believe, but her having something to do with everything that's been going on... Well, that is a whole different story.'What came next was a blur.Mike couldn't take it anymore and lunged at Lucas, the boys toppled to the ground and began wrestling in the dirt. Dustin, El and I screaming at the top of our lungs for them to stop.I looked to Dustin and El and back at the fighting boys, I ran to them attempting to pry Lucas off of Mike in a panic, knowing there was a big chance I'd get hit. But I didn't care and I couldn't stand by and do nothing."Enough! Please, stop! Just-"I closed my eyes as I saw the blur of Lucas's hand strike me accidentally as he swung his arm, ready to punch Mike. I felt the back of his fist collide with my nose and I fell back with a painful yelp.I heard a shrill shriek and opened my eyes in time to see Lucas fly backward in the air about five feet and slide into an abandoned car door, lying unconscious.I looked to Lucas in horror and ran to him, not caring about my gushing nose.I dive in front of Lucas, trying to shake him awake.The boys were right behind me."Lucas! Lucas, wake up! Lucas."Nothing. I checked his head for injuries, my hand never leaving him as I look over my shoulder at El, horrified."What did you do?"+ + +El stood rooted to the ground, sobs wracking her body as blood dripped down her nose. I could tell the guilty look in her eyes were genuine but I didn't have time to feel bad for her right now.Lucas was my main priority right now. I turned my attention back to my friend.Dustin was and Mike were just as panicked as I was."Come on, wake up. Come on!" Dustin yelled."Come on, man. Lucas?" Mike muttered worriedly."Lucas? Lucas, come on!" I sniffled, weakly shaking him.To my tremendous relief, Lucas slowly came to with a groan and his eyes fluttered open.The three of us chuckled and laughed in relief. The weight in my lungs and heart were lifted at the sight and out of relief I leaned forward and kissed his forehead in thanks for not dying on me. (No, there is nothing romantic between the two. The reader thinks of Lucas as a brother and she is just an affectionate bean. Sorry if you are not. She is just relieved that she didn't lose another one of her best friends.)"Lucas." Mike let out in a shaky breath.Lucas slowly sat up and blinked a few times, processing what just happened."Lucas, you okay?" Mike asked.There was no response from our friend.Dustin spoke up shakily as he held up three fingers."Lucas... Lucas, how many fingers am I holding up? Lucas, how many fingers?"Mike began reaching forward towards Lucas's head, already one step ahead of me."Let me see your head." He offered gently, he was cut short went Lucas angrily shoved Mike's hand away."Get off of me!" He grunted, struggling to stand up."Lucas, come on, you could be hurt. Let us help." I try, my voice soft reaching for his shoulder.He pushed my arm away in anger as he stood up, storming past me."I said, get off of me!" I detected a hint of fear in his voice this time and less anger, making me more sympathetic than angry at him.Mike began to chase after him but Dustin and I seem to have the same thought as we both caught each of his arms"Let him go."I watched sorrowfully as my friend left without us."Man, let him go."We all shared a somber silence when suddenly Mike spoke up."Where is El?"I looked to where she had been standing previously only to find no one else in sight.Mike's breathing increased and he began shouting for her."El! El!""Eleven!" Dustin had joined in.I stood frozen, my voice failing me. I looked around me as hopelessness sunk in and solidified into guilt. The icy wind whipped my hair as the desperate voices of my friends was lost to the wind.She was gone.

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WARNINGS: Cursing. Angst?||3rd Person POV||Joyce and Hopper sat opposite one another at the kitchen table of the Byers' home. The house was cold and hardly lit, copies of newspaper clippings scattered all around the house. One of the only light sources was a dusty light that hung from the kitchen ceiling above the table and their heads, illuminating the several papers."Look, we gotta go through this again." Joyce insisted."I told you everything that I saw.""Oh, gosh. Tell me again.""Upstairs or downstairs?" Hopper asked."Upstairs.""There was a laboratory. It was where they must do experiments or something, and then there was... well you see, like I said, I got turned around."Hopper was currently sharing all he had encountered on his rogue mission at Hawkins National Laboratory. Joyce, all the while was hanging on his every word."I told you, it was like, I don't know, it wasn't supposed to exist. That whole area, it was abandoned and... forgotten, like it was all some big mistake. Once I found my way back, I saw that... kid's room. That other kid's room, I mean. Like it was actually used, but it didn't even look like a kid's room, neither of them, it looked like a prison."Hopper sighed and rubbed the bottom of his palms into his eyes tiredly, is fingers held the lit cigarette inches away from his face as he did so. "If that even makes sense,""Well," Joyce began, trying to get to the bottom of this never ending mystery. "So why would you think it was a kid's room, then?""Because, I told you, the size of the bed, there was a drawing, there was a stuffed animal--"Joyce interrupted the man quickly. "Y-You didn't say there was a drawing.""Yeah, there was a drawing of a... an adult and a child. It said 'Eleven' on it.""Was it good?" Joyce pressed."It was a kid's drawing, Joyce. It was stick figures."Joyce had a knowing look on her face as she stood up with a sigh, retrieving a piece of crinkled line paper and slammed it down on the table for Hopper to see.She pointed to the detailed drawing as she sat back down."Wasn't Will." She stated confidently, shakily bringing the cigarette back up to her lips.Hopper examined the drawing and everything seemed to click. He returned his gaze to the anxious mother. Hopper quickly put out his cigarette in the ashtray and made a beeline for the coffee table."Earl..." he muttered, as he made his way into the living room. Joyce, who had abandoned her cigarette, was right on his heels."The night that Benny died, Earl said he saw some kid with a shaved head with Benny," Hopper and Joyce took a seat beside one another on the living room couch, Hopper's eyes fixed on the several news clippings splayed along the wooden coffee table. "Now, I pressed him, he said it might be Will, but maybe..."The man began shifting through the papers, and Joyce spoke up."Wait... Maybe, it wasn't?"Hopper pulled the article he had been looking for and pointed to the fuzzy photograph of the woman in the article."Look... this woman, Terry Ives, she claims to have lost her daughter, Jane. She sued Brenner, she sued the government... Now, the claims came to nothing, but what if... I mean, what if this whole time I've been... I've been looking for Will... I've been chasing after some other kid?" ||Reader's POV||Everything is a mess.Will is still missing, the party is falling apart, Mike and Lucas are still angsty messes that won't speak to one another, and now, El left us. She probably thinks I hate her.'But I don't! I was just scared'(Ok but like,,,, who else ships El and reader cause damn I've been giving myself feels lately, dang)'We need to fix this'I sigh and sit up from my bed and make my my way to Dustin's room.+++"I just... I can't believe she didn't come back." Mike sighed.Dustin and I agreed we needed to talk some sense into the boys. So we got our bikes and made our way to Mike's. Dustin was standing opposite Mike while I currently occupied one of the DnD chairs I had pulled up. Mike was worriedly pacing the floor in front of us."She's gotta be close." Dustin offered."She said it wasn't safe. She just messed up the compasses because she wanted to protect us. She didn't betray us.""Mike, calm down."Mike only ignored Dustin and kept talking, more to himself than anybody it seemed."I shouldn't have yelled at her. I never should've done that.""Mike, this isn't your fault." Dustin said."Yeah, it's Lucas'.""It wasn't his fault, either." Dustin replied softly.For the first time in what felt like ages, Mike stopped in his tracks. He looked at my brother dumbfounded and took a few steps in his direction. "It wasn't his fault?""No.""So you're saying he wasn't way out of line?""Totally, but so were you!""What?""And so was Eleven.""That's ridiculous! [Y/N], tell him he's being ridiculous!"Very calmly, I stood up with my arms crossed and stood next to my brother, and sighed, eyes fixed on Mike. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but Dustin is absolutely right."Mike seemed even more furious. "Oh, give me a break!"Dustin snapped at these words and stormed up to Mike. "No, Mike, you give me a break! All three of you were being a bunch of little assholes! [Y/N] and I were the only reasonable ones! But the bottom line is... you pushed first. And you know the rules. You draw first blood...""No! No way! I'm not shaking his hand.""You're shaking his hand." I press stepping forward.He was sure to make eye contact with me over Dustin shoulder as he spoke. "No, I'm not."So I strode toward him and gave him a slight glare."This isn't a discussion. This is the rule of law. Obey or be banished from the party. Do you wanna be banished?" I asked firmly.Mike crossed his arms and pouted before speaking up meekly. "No.""Good!" I chirp, my face beaming as if we hadn't just been fighting which seem to only terrify him more.I all but skipped over to the chair grabbing my coat, Dustin following my actions."Where are we going?" Mike asked with a hint of frustration."Where do you think?" Dustin asked as he put his arms through the sleeves of his coat."We're going to get Lucas." I finished straightening my jacket then looked back to Mike.My face softened and I tilted my head slightly. "And then we're gonna find Eleven."+++The three of us stood on Lucas's porch and I rang the doorbell. We stood waiting until the door swung open and Lucas stood there glaring at all three of us, but mostly Mike."What do you want?" He spit, resting his hands in his pockets.There was brief silence which was then interrupted by a muffled smack of Dustin hitting Mike in the arm.Mike sighed softly and looked to Lucas, clearly hating every second of this."I drew first blood, so..." he extended his hand for Lucas to shake but Lucas didn't move.Somehow I had convinced Lucas to let us all in and now, we all stood in the middle of his living room as he paced silently across the floor considering Mike's offer. He finally stopped and stared at the three of us."Okay, I'll shake."Mike sighed what I barely made out to be a "finally" as he extended his arm out once more. Dustin and I perked up, that was until Lucas continued."On one condition. We forget the weirdo and go straight to the gate." He finished, arms crossed defiant."Then the deal's off." Mike barked."Fine!""Fine!""No, no, not fine! Guys seriously?" Dustin yelled, as I threw my head back frustrated.Dustin forced Mike to face him as he spoke. "Do you even remember what happened on the Bloodstone Pass?"Lucas and Mike shared a confused glance.Dustin seemed shocked and offended that they had no recollection and continued."We couldn't agree on what path to take, so we all split up the party and those trolls took us out one by one. And it all went to shit. And we were all disabled! So we stick together, no matter what!""Yeah, I agree. But this is the party, right here in this room.""El is one of us now.""Um, no, she's not. Not even close! Never will be. She's a liar, a traitor--""She was just trying to keep us safe! She didn't mean to hurt you. It was an accident!""An accident?""All right, accident or not... admit it, it was a little awesome." Dustin said."Awesome?""Yeah, she threw you in the air with her mind!""I could have been killed!""Would everybody just shut up for one second please!" I snap.Everybody looks to me, a worried and shocked expression on their faces.I step forward and begin ranting to the boys."I am sick of your attitude." I point at Lucas. "I am sick of your whining." I point to Mike. "I am sick of all three of you bickering," I gesture to all of them. "I love you guys and I can't thank you enough for taking me in and including me, know that, but GOD I am getting tired of being stuck listening to you boys argue about every little thing!"I myself began pacing, my voice continuously rising. "I'm sick of putting up with all your petty arguing when we should be looking for Will only to come home at the end of the day, having found NOTHING and crying my eyes out because the only person who never gave a shit about who started what is missing and probably dead!"I stopped pacing and looked to the boys who were all silent. I sighed and lowered my voice. "Lucas, you're right. You could have been killed. Which is exactly why we need her. She is more powerful than all of us combined.""[Y/N]'s right. Do you seriously wanna fight the Demogorgon with your wrist rocket?" Mike said, anger still in his voice. "That's like R2-D2 going to fight Darth Vader. We're no use to Will if we're dead."Lucas looked torn for a moment, but then he shook his head and pointed at the three of us. There was disappointment in his voice. "If you three wanna waste your time looking for a traitor, go ahead, 'cause I'm not spending my time on her anymore. No way!"I sighed, putting my face in my hands. Lucas continued."I'm going to the gate. I'm going to find Will."Lucas shoved the boys aside and stormed off, leaving the three of us alone in more ways than one.

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||3rd Person POV||Joyce and Hopper stood shivering in the cold autumn air. They were currently waiting on the front porch of what they hoped to be the home of Terry Ives. The woman they believed could answer all their burning questions on the many mysteries surrounding Hawkins.They heard the faint sound of footsteps and when they looked up, they saw a woman peeking through the curtains of the glass on the door. She released the cloth curtains and she unlocked the door before opening it."Can I help you?" She asked, a weary look on her face."Hi, we're looking for Terry Ives. Does she live here?" Hopper asked.A slight frown crossed her face as she crossed her arms, leaning against the door frame. "Who's asking?""Hawkins Chief of Police." Hopper stated, pulling out his badge and showing it to the woman."And you want to talk to my sister?" She asked wearily."Well, if your sister's Terry Ives, then, yeah we do."The woman looked down at her feet contemplating this before speaking."Okay, well, you can come in but if you want Terry to tell you anything, you're about five years too late." She said turning and walking into the house, leaving the door open for her new guest to follow her.As the duo followed the woman further into the house and what appeared to be the living room, they took note of the TV playing softly from the room."Terry, you have some visitors."As she spoke she stepped aside as Joyce and Hopper timidly stepped into the room to find a woman in a rocking chair. She remained stiff, her arms still on the arms of the chair and she slowly turned her head, her face never changing. Her eyes were distant and she appeared disconnected from the world.Joyce spoke up, taking a few cautious steps forward."Hello. My name's Joyce Byers. Uh, this is Hopper," she gestured to the man behind her. "We drove over from Hawkins."The woman never moved, never blinked, but her gaze remained on Joyce."Um, you see, uh, my son... He's been missing for over a week now," Joyce continued. "and, um, we were wondering if we could talk to you about your daughter, Jane?" Joyce asked carefully."If there's anything that you could tell us about when she was taken..."The woman closed her eyes for a moment before opening them, clearly pained at the mention of her missing daughter. Yet she remained silent and Hopper spoke up."What was your relationship with Dr. Brenner? You guys keep in touch?"Again, they were met with silence and an empty stare. Joyce took this as an opportunity to step forward and offer the picture of her missing son."This is, uh... this is him. This is Will. Uh, you may have seen him on... on the news."Terry only looked at the missing poster for a moment before returning her gaze to the TV, all the while Hopper staring confusedly at the exchange."What's wrong with her?"The other Ives sister stood shaking her head and shrugged her shoulders."I told you, you're wasting your time."||Reader's POV||'This isn't right. Lucas should be with us.'In that moment my brother seems to read my mind."This is weird without Lucas."The three of us were biking across town. We figured we would most likely find El somewhere around Mirkwood so that's where we are headed now.Dustin and Mike were behind me. The two were keeping up a conversation as we all kept a steady but comfortable pace. I wasn't in the most chatty mood at the moment. I was currently trying to concentrate my nerves into the task at hand and keep moving forward, making sure not to lose the boys of course.Thankfully, the two of them seemed to understand I needed my space at the moment."He should've shaken my hand." I hear Mike say."He's just jealous.""What are you talking about?"I hear my brother sigh before speaking."Sometimes, your total obliviousness just blows my mind."There's a small pause before he continues."He's your best friend, right?""Yeah... I mean, I don't know.""It's fine. I get it.""We didn't get here until the fourth grade. He had the advantage of living next door. But none of that matters. What matters is that he is your best friend. And then this girl shows up and starts living in your basement and all you ever want to do I'd pay attention to her.""That's not true.""Yes, it is. And you know it. And he knows it. But no one ever says anything until you both start punching and yelling at each other like goblins with intelligence scores of zero."I can't help but smile and roll my eyes slightly."Now everything's weird." He finished."He's not my best friend."I hear Dustin laugh."Yeah, right.""I mean, he is, but so are you guys. And so is Will.""Can't have more than one best friend." Dustin stated almost sadly."Says who?""Says logic.""Well, I call bull on your logic, because you're my best friend, too. That includes you, [Y/N]."I spare a moment to look over my shoulder and make eye contact with him. I give a warm smile."Thanks, Mikey. I know I speak for Dustin as well when I say that you mean a lot to us." I look to my brother and we seem to silently agree with one another.I make sure to keep an eye on the road as I bike forward, occasionally making eye contact with him as I speak. "And I promise, we are gonna find El, and then we are gonna talk some sense into Lucas. Cause I'll be damned if I lose another one of my boys."The three of us smile at each other and I return my attention to the road. For one brief moment in time we feel almost... at peace. It's only been a week since Will's disappearance, but it's felt like years. It's refreshing, for once, even if it's only for a few short moments, we are just three kids without a care in the world. Of course, deep down, we know that is far from the truth.The looming sense of stress and concern is only confirmed when we find ourselves across the street from Bradley's Big Buy convenience store.I slam on the brakes and my tires squeal against the pavement when I spot the commotion outside the store. Mike and Dustin brake on either side of me."Woah." Mike breathes.By the looks of it, it was robbed. But everybody seemed to be fine. The only evidence of a robbery was the shattered glass of the closed automatic doors and the policemen taking statements form witnesses of course."You don't think..." Dustin begins."Uh... definitely."Unlike me, the boys are eager enough to trek on and they simultaneously start back on the road. I took a minute to catch my breath staring lost in thought.Knowing I better catch up now, I stand up, propping my weight on each of the peddles of my bike and begin peddling, easily catching up to boys.However, I can't seem to shake the feeling that I was being watched at this very moment.

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||3rd Person POV||"She was part of some study in college."Becky, who had now properly introduced herself to the duo, was sitting at the kitchen table with Joyce and Hopper with her sister Terry still in the adjoining room."MK Ultra?" Hopper had remembered the name popping up several times on the many newspaper clippings and articles they had at their disposal."Yeah, that's the one." Becky said bleakly, taking a puff of her cigarette and then quickly exhaled."Was, uh, started in the '50s. By the time Terry got involved, it was supposed to be ramping down, but the drugs just got crazier. Messed her up good."Hopper remained leaning back in his chair, a concentrated frown stuck in his features."This was the CIA that ran this?"Becky smiled and softly chucked, motion to the man slightly. "You and Terry would've gotten along. 'The Man,' with a big capital 'M'. They'd pay... you know, a couple hundred bucks to people like my sister, give 'em drugs, psychedelics. LSD, mostly."As Becky spoke, Hopper and Joyce shared an equally concerned look."And then they'd strip her naked and put her in these isolation tanks."Joyce frowned. "Isolation tanks?""Yeah. These big bathtubs, basically, filled with salt water, so you can float around in there." She made subtle swaying motions with her hand as she spoke. "You lose any sense of, uh... sense and feel nothing, see nothing. They wanted to expand the boundaries of the mind. Real hippie crap."Joyce was still hanging onto every word with a genuine look of concern."I... I mean, it's not like they were forcing her to do any of this stuff. The thing is, though, is that she didn't know she was pregnant at the time.""Jane." Joyce said in immediate understanding.Becky nodded and took another puff of her cigarette.Joyce sighed in amazement, before asking."Do you have any pictures of her?"Becky gave the two an odd look."I don't think you guys understand. Terry miscarried in the third trimester."+++"She keeps all of this up. Been doing it for 12 years." Becky had just led the two into the untouched baby room at the end of the hallway. She took a seat on the arm of the chair in the corner of the room as Joyce and Hopper came in and examined the room in curiosity."Terry, uh, pretends like Jane is real,"Hopper approaches the hanging mobile and gives it a light touch sending it spinning slowly and triggering the mechanics so now it plays a haunting lullaby."like she's gonna come home someday."The mobile continues playing the lullaby as Becky speaks, giving the atmosphere a chilling tone."Says she special. Born with 'abilities'"《•••》Eleven stood to her feet and before they could close the steel door, she threw the door open along with one of the men straight into the tile wall. He fell to the floor, leaving a large hole in the tile《•••》"Abilities?" Joyce contorted her face in confusion and surprise.Becky looked to Joyce as she exhaled the smoke that previously resided in her lungs.《•••》The second man spared a second to look before turning to her to try and restrain her.Before he could even step foot in the room, he was dead on floor, his neck snapped. All with the flick of her head.《•••》"You read any Stephen King?" Becky quipped.《•••》The cat began snarling, and it quickly turned to whimpers of pain. Eleven was freely crying now as she looked between the frightened cat and Papa. She gave one final look at the cat before yanking the wires off her head in defeat.《•••》Hopper shifted uncomfortably and looked to Joyce who looked equally unsettled.Becky chuckles."You guys look scared, actually."She laughed once more before shaking her head slightly. "I mean, it's all make-believe"Joyce clears her throat uncomfortably, trying to regain her composure."What... what kind of abilities?"Becky stares off into space as she recalls the claims made by her sister and begins listing them off casually."Telepathy, telekinesis..."《•••》A shrill shriek erupts from Eleven's throat and Lucas Sinclair is thrown back several feet in the air. His body slides a few feet on the ground until it crashes into a nearby piece scrap metal knocking him unconscious.《•••》"You know, shit you can do with your mind. That's why the big, bad Man stole Jane away."《•••》"Papa!" She screamed her throat raw as the men dragged her away, yet as always Papa did nothing.《•••》"Her baby's a weapon, off fighting the commies. You know, the doctor's all day it's a coping mechanism. You know, to deal with the guilt. Hell, she even believes that she still could have done something. Shortly before she got, you know pretty bad, she started muttering about, uh, something about how there was more she could have done."Becky frowned as she recalled the memory and seeing her sister so frantic.Hopper frowned at this, silently encouraging her to continue.Becky shrugged."According to Terry, there was another woman like her. You know, who was pregnant during all the experiments. I don't know what happened, or if it was even true, but she seemed pretty convinced. Said this woman had her baby and even got her out somehow."Hopper perked up at this, recalling the many mentions of the "missing experiment" and wondered if there was any connection."Are you saying there was another kid?""According to Terry. You couldn't convince her otherwise if you had tried." A sympathetic smile crossed Becky's face as she recalled the memory."She would go on about all the whispers she'd claimed to have heard. Apparently the woman had her baby but got away before they could take 'em, and only the child supposedly survived. This baby by the way, who was supposed to have some sorta" Becky's face scrunched up in distaste as she told the made up stories of her sister, clearly uncomfortable with the idea and she made big gestures with her hands."'untapped potential for the greater good'. Some real messed up pseudoscience shit and when she supposedly 'got away' the big, bad Man did not like it and killed the woman and they were comin' for Jane next. And the rest, well" she shrugged her shoulders."Well, do you think there is any chance she could have been telling the truth?"Becky only gave her a look."About having had Jane, at least. Or even the other woman?" Joyce stammered."Well, as far the possibility of another woman being pregnant during all that isn't exactly impossible given it happened to Terry so I never really ruled that possibility out I guess, but as far as Jane? There is no birth certificate, nothing from the hospital. Doctors and nurses all confirm that she miscarried."Hopper who had very seriously been contemplating all this finely spoke up."Yeah, but that could've been covered up. Right?"Becky smiled and shook her head."Like I said, you and Terry would've gotten along."||Reader's POV||"El!""Eleven!""Eleven!""El!""El!"The boys and I had been wandering around the woods by Mirkwood for almost an half and hour now. My fingers were beginning to hurt from the brisk icy air. I was clutching the handles of my bike as I walked it through the woods."El?" I called desperately.No answer, of course.I stiffen when I hear a twig snap in the distance. Thankfully, I wasn't the only one who heard it."Hey, stop. Do you hear that?" Mike said lowering his voice."What?" Dustin asked quietly.We were all standing still, until Mike began turning around, attempting to protect his voice as far as he could."El!"Nothing."El?""Shit." I began backing away on instinct when I see the all too familiar pair of bullies quickly approaching us.They looked mad. Troy, specifically. He had his hood over his head as he charged up the small hill into view."Hey, there, Frogface. Toothless. And who could forget little miss bitch." Troy hissed, whipping out his pocket knife."Shit! Run, guys, run!"Dustin shouted, throwing his bike to the ground."Run! Come on!"I quickly followed suit and the three of us dashed off into the woods. I was going as fast as my legs could possibly carry me.Never stopping, I spared a glance behind me only to lock eyes with Troy. The look in his eyes terrified me."You're dead Henderson!"I whipped my head forward and I put everything I had into going faster."Run, [Y/N], come on!" Dustin yelled.Soon enough, I felt my legs turn to led and my lungs were bone dry. Mike was now in lead.We made it to the quarry when Dustin began slowing down and let out a gasp of pain."Cramp!" He exclaimed, clutching his side."Just keep going!" Mike called over his shoulder.He continued running but he let out a groan."Keep going!"Troy was right on our heels, just when we thought we might lose him we saw his goon round the corner in front us.This is it. We're trapped.We all shared the same thought and picked up the closest thing to ourselves and held them up as weapons.Dustin grabbed a rather sharp stick and Mike grabbed a large stone.With little to no options left I decided to take a page out of Dustin's book. Only there were no more sticks so I grabbed a nearby tree branch.It was thin and relatively small for a tree branch but it would have to work none the less. Instinctively, I grab it by both hands and snap it half using my leg. Casting aside the weaker piece, left me with a now very sharp make shift spear.I grasped the "spear" with both hands and held it out in front of myself protectively, blowing a few strands of loose hair from my face."Stay back."Troy didn't listen and stepped closer."I SAID STAY BACK!" I roar.I saw him flinch. I smiled very slightly to myself, proud that I had intimated him for once.They began circling us like vultures."Don't come any closer!" Mike yelled.I had an eye on Troy who was just as focused on me. I didn't trust him enough to look away.Yet, upon hearing a grunt and the clatter of the stone, I was worried Mike or Dustin got hurt and out of instinct I looked."Nice throw, numbnuts."Mike had thrown the stone but mis-I felt a sharp pain in the back of my head and I collapsed to the ground."[Y/N]!?"I groaned and I tried sitting up but my vision was blurry and moving seemed like an impossible feat. I groan in pained and I seemed to drift in and out of consciousness, unable to do anything.I thought I heard my name called a few times and i could have sworn that I felt a pair of hands trying to shake me awake. I only groaned and put all my energy into opening my eyes but then I saw it.The rock that hit me. It was slightly larger than my fist and and it was it had a few splatters of blood. The sight weakened me and I groaned and rolled over on my side. My left arm became a pillow for my bleeding head.The next thing I heard was yelling. I could tell it was from Dustin."YOU SON OF BITCH!"He then let out and a fierce scream and then I heard the sound of scuffling.I wanted to do something, but I was still too dizzy."Get off! Get off me! Don't hurt her!"I gathered all the strength I could muster and looked up to my brother. That bastard. He had my brother.He was holding my brother hostage with his knife to my brother."G-Get away from-!" I began to stand up only for my knees to buckle and I tripped over my own two feet and stumbled to the ground once more.This time I could feel the sting of the gravel digging into my palms and all the blood rush to my head.It was too much for me and I couldn't stop my self from slipping into unconsciousness.+++"Dentist's office opens in five!"'What?'My limbs felt like they were made of less once more, even my eyelids were heavy, they felt impossible to open.I made out distorted shouts."Four!"'Whatever is happening I know it's bad.'"Three!"'Come on, wake up!'"Two!"My eyes began go flutter open."Mike!"I made out Mike's figuring standing on a ledge. Why was he looking like he was gonna-Shit.'What the hell? No! No, you idiot, no!'Putting everything I had I sat up, my vision slowly but surely returning as well as my strength."Mike-" I said weakly."One!"But it was too late. In once swift motion he stepped off the ledge and disappeared."Mike!" I cried out.Three boys looked shocked, and ran to the ledge.'No. No! No he- No! What the hell happened?! How did everything go so wrong so quickly?'I choked on a sob, which made my head throb. But I didn't care.Now I really felt nauseous.I placed both my hands over my mouth and silent tears fell down my cheeks."Holy shit." Dustin said.I sniffled and looked to the boys. Why weren't they freaking out more?That's when I heard it. It was Mike.It was distant, but it was Mike.I wanted to say something but I was till in shock. I didn't know where to begin.'Is it Mike? Is he okay? Why did he jump? Why aren't you guys freaking out?'I wanted to say all those thing but nothing came out.My heart leapt when I heard him shriek and for a second I thought he might be falling again but then..."Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!"I couldn't believe what happened next. But sure enough there he was.Floating upside down, up over the cliff and landed safely on the ground behind me.I stared in shock.We all did."Am I still unconscious?" Thought out loud.Naturally, Mike was just as confused as we were, he wore the same expression as I did when he made eye contact with me.But then all my questions were answered when Mike's gaze shifting behind me.There she was in all her glory.El.She had abandoned the wig but remained in the same old dress and jacket Mike had given her. Only now they were covered in dirt, as was her face.Her head was tilted down and she stormed up the group.A huge grin found it's way onto my face and an excited and relieved laugh left my mouth as she approached us.James and Troy began stomping towards her when suddenly, without warning James was knocked back with incredible force.I looked to El knowing it was her doing, then suddenly she flicked her head to the side and I heard a rather disgusting snap followed by Troy crying out in pain.He clutched his right arm and dropped his knife in the process.I felt an arm extent itself to me, it was Dustin, who was helping me stand up. I gladly took his arm and wobbled to my feet."She broke my arm! My arm!""Serves you right asshole." I spit.Quite literally in fact. I spit in his direction making sure he caught the gesture.He was too busy being afraid to retaliate and he looked to El, cowering."Go." She stated threateningly."Let's get of here! Let's go!" Troy screamed.James was quick to follow. "Go!"Dustin left my side and chased after them, taking the opportunity to taunt them which I rather enjoyed seeing."Yeah, that's right! You better run!"Me and Mike look gleefully at one another."She's our friend and she's crazy! You come back here and she'll kill you! You hear me? She'll kill you, you sons of bitches! She'll kill you, you hear me?"I looked to El happily when I noticed she looked rather pale. Suddenly she collapsed.We all surrounded her, worriedly."El, you alright?" I asked."El?"She made eye contact with Mike and began sobbing."Mike... I'm sorry.""Sorry? What are you sorry for?"She choked back another sob.I frowned and hissed in pain slightly. My hand went to the back of my head, silently inspecting the wound as I listening to El."The gate... I opened it. I'm the monster."My hand left my wound, and I felt another wave of dizziness wash over me and I knelt down on the ground. Not wanting to interrupt her but also avoiding the possibility of falling over."No. No, El, you're not the monster. You saved me. Do you understand? You saved me."Mike pulled her up and into a hug. I smiled at the sight and leaned in joining hug.Normally I would let them have their moment but given that Mike was almost just killed and things could have been a lot worse, I didn't care and went in for it. Dustin apparently had the same idea and I felt his arms wrap around me and Mike and El.And we stayed like that for as long as we could.In that moment we were just four friends who were lucky enough to have found each other.And thank God we did.+++Eventually of course we got up and decided to grab out bikes and to the gate.Hopefully find Lucas and convince him to help.I feel awful for letting him go alone.Once again, Dustin helped me to my feet to which I thanked him for.I gave a reassuring smile to my brother. But his face contorted in shock and worry as he looked at me. "[Y/N], are you sure you're okay?""Yeah, why?"I frowned, tracing my fingers around my cheeks in confusion.Dustin seemed to think different about it and shook his head dismissing the thought.I shrugged."I'll be fine. I'll have to be, finding Will and getting Lucas back is more important. Which is why we need to get moving. Come on, we better hurry if we want to get a head start. We still have to get our bikes back." I said, leading the way back from where we were chased.I didn't want to show them how uncomfortable I was. I didn't want to show weakness so I trek on.Despite the tingling sensation I felt throughout my entire body, and the sense of dizziness that had made it's return once more.'I'm not and an idiot. I know that weird, unexplainable things have been happening to me but I honestly have no idea how to process all this so for now, all I can afford to worry about is Will.'That's all that matters now.+++We eventually found out bikes and were currently returning from the woods through one of the park fences.We were all walking our bikes across the patch of grass, save for El of course, when I the familiar sense of being watched returned for the second time today.Only this time, it put me on edge and left me paranoid.At the risk of worrying the group, I kept this to myself.Oh, what a mistake that was.

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Warnings: Dangerously unedited. Cursing. An It (2017) reference and a series of unfortunate events reference :p✌🏻Reader's POVMy leg bounced intensely on the ball of my foot as I sat at the DnD table, hunched forward. My fingers were intertwined together to keep from fidgeting and my stomach felt uneasy.A lot just happened and I haven't quite processed it yet. I remember running into Troy in the woods and being chased all the to the quarry. I remember a sharp blow to the head and everything is fuzzy from there. I remember barely being able to stay conscious before blacking out and the next thing I remember is seeing Mike jump, only to be saved by El of course."Here, let me help."Dustin's voice tears me from my thoughts. I look up and see him walking over to me with a wewashcloth. I perk up in realization and pull my hair aside and out of the way.I hiss in pain when I feel the cold washcloth touch my open wound at the back of my head.I feel his hesitation. "Oh, sorry.""It's okay. Thanks for helping." I say quietly, taking hold of the washcloth and applying pressure. Dustin let's go and sits across from me at the table."No problem. Are you sure you are feeling okay? How's your vision? Any light-headedness?" I can hear the worry in his voice escalate with every question he asks.Sighing, I let my hand that holds the washcloth rest on table, I give my brother a small smile."Dustin, I'm okay."Dustin sighed, and the room filled with silence. The only sounds were coming from the sink in the bathroom. Mike was helping El clean up.Dustin soon broke the silence."I, I was really scared for you. I mean, how the hell are you even functioning this well? That rock should have done some serious damage."I give him a slight frown, even though I know what he is getting at."You know what I mean,"It's silent again, but we both begin to chuckle softly. Enjoying this fleeting moment of peace, not knowing the next time we will be able to laugh like this.I frown at the thought. I take a deep breath, contemplating whether or not to voice my paranoid thoughts that have been festering in the very farthest corners of my mind."Dustin, I think," I shift in my seat a little. "I thi-"Defeaning static erupts from the comms as it bursts to life, causing Dustin and I to jump.A panicked voice begin shouting incoherent words.Lucas.My head whips around to the device and then Dustin and I look to each other in understanding.Dustin runs to the bathroom door, alerting Mike and El while I grab the comn and begin fiddling with it, desperately trying to fix the static.Dustin came running back over with Mike and El in tow."Do you remember how he said he was looking for the gate?""Yeah." Mike said confused."Well, what of he found it?" You said in a questioning tone fiddling with the device."What's he saying?" Mike asked."We don't know! He's way out of range."I hurriedly put the device up to my ear and I hear more muffled words and manage to make out a very muffled "son of a bitch!"I shakily bring the comm up to my face and begin speaking into it."Lucas? Lucas it's [Y/N]. If you can hear us, slow down. We can't understand you. Over." I release the button and meet my friends gaze as we all wait for a response.Suddenly his voice bursts through the comm loud and clear."Yes, I copy! Do you? They know about Eleven! Get out of there! They know about Eleven! The bad men are coming! All of them! Do you head me? The bad men are coming."My heart stops at his words and I look to El in fear while Dustin rambles on."'Mad hen.' Does that mean anything to you?""Bad men." I croak in fear."What?""Bad men!"I waste no time in springing into action.I grab Mike by the arm and begin to drag him towards the stairs."El, we're gonna need you to stay here for just a moment. We'll be right back. Dustin, stay with her." I give her a fearful yet pleading look.She shares the same look of fear in her eyes, a kind I have never seen before. Though she seems to trust me.Dustin speaks up. "Uhh, sure okay."To be completely honest, I thought it'd be a better idea that if anything were to go wrong she could protect him, rather than the other way around.Heart pounding we make our way to the nearest window at the front of the house. We are running so fast we are barely able to stop ourselves from slowing down before we reach the window."Umm" I trail nervously as we both spot the same sketchy man in a very sketchy van parked just across the street."What's that guy doing?""You don't think..." I trail off once more, my stomach plummeted and I looked to Mike worriedly.He returned the same terrified look and he dashed off to the kitchen.I hear Mike's footsteps pound against the kitchen floor and I can't help but overhear snippets of the conversation."Mom!""Well, is he home?"Although not much time passes before it begins to fade out. My attention focuses on the van outside.Alarms are going off in my system, everything is screaming danger and my suspicions are only confirmed when I turn my head to see a fleet of identical vans parade down the street.My heart begins pounding against my ribs to the point it hurts.The fleet of vans slow to a stop in front of Mike's house and one man in the passenger's seat of one of the vans give me a curious glance.I want to run and hide. I want to whip the curtains closed and run away and never come back, the look he gave me... it struck a fear in me I have never felt before. Everything inside me was screaming for me to run.But I was frozen.It was like a nightmare. I want to run, but my legs won't carry me. I'm paralyzed. I'm frozen with fear and they seem to become intrigued with me.Too intrigued.My brain finally reconnects with my body and I quickly jerk the curtains closed and run for the kitchen.I realized I've only wasted seconds but it felt like minutes staring out the window.I stumble into the kitchen, almost out of breath, too scared to even remember going the short distance to the kitchen."Mike!"Without even looking at me, he holds out a finger to me."One second."I have no time to roll my eyes, scoff or even be offended."Mike!" I roar, grabbing his and his mother's attention.He immediately whips around."We need to leave... right now!" I enunciate every word, making sure I'm getting through to him.I waste no more time and run for the basement.I hear the distant scolding of Mrs. Wheeler."Michael!"I practically fly down the stairs and jump to the ground with a stomp that rattles a nearby lamp when I reach the third to last step."They're here." I say frantically, grabbing my things."We need to leave."I grab my jacket and threw it on."What?" Dustin asked frightened."I said, they're here. We need to get El out of here now. Mike will be down in a second, there's no time to explain. Just be ready to leave."I say hurriedly, scrambling around the basement and snatch up the my compass and shoving it into my jacket pocket.Soon enough, Mike was downstairs with us and we all made our way out the back door. We all grab a hold of our bikes and begin running them across the grass.We all freeze when we see the men striding towards us.We all climb onto our bikes and I see the fear in El's eyes and I turn back to see one man in particular that she had been staring at.He had stark white hair and his slightly wrinkled face and surrounding him was an aura of menace.It was him.The same man stuck fear into my very soul only minutes ago through the window.His cold eyes bore into El, but then he turned his attention to me.Something about him and the way he looked at me... it made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. My blood ran cold.Finally coming to my senses, I peddle away with my friends in a frantic splurge of energy. The adrenaline was finally kicking in.I eventually heard the faint sounds of a cluster of car doors slam followed by tires squealing and I knew they were already close on our tail."Oh, my God. Oh, my God. Oh, my God. Oh, my God. Oh, my God." Dustin moaned fearfully as we raced down the street.Thankfully he had brought his headset and connected it to our shared comm so that we could still communicate with Lucas.I hear a muffled voice coming from the headset before my brother responds."Yeah, Lucas, they're on us."More static.My heart is pounding harder which I never thought was possible."Cornwallis!" He shouts into the mic.My lungs are beginning to burn."Copy! Elm and Cherry!" My brother orders.Mike and I respond at the same time."Okay.""On it."We head down the road when I hear the frightening sounds of several vans approaching.The ringing in my ears is now deafening. Panic has completely taken over now."Shit.""This way, come on!" Mike orders.My limbs have grown tired and I start to fall behind. This only makes my heart pound faster.They begin to head toward one of the houses and I begin to follow them. Only then, I hear the sounds of an approaching vehicle. I whip my head back and see one of the vans approaching me. It knows I've fallen behind. It sees that I am as good as alone.Separated from the group.Vulnerable.And that's exactly what I am.There was no time. It was a snap decision that did not allow me time to alert my friends. My brother.Needing to throw them off my trail, I jerked the handlebars of my bike to the left at the very last second. I knew it had worked and had gotten that van off my tail because it had no time to turn. I casted a glance behind me and smirked knowing I had succeeded, but I also saw my friends disappear behind the house as they took the shortcut.Hopefully, if I can time everything right, they won't even know I was gone. The last thing I want them to do is worry about me and compromise themselves in the process.I returned my gaze to the road, but it was too late. A van had swerved out of nowhere and cornered me. Trying my best to avoid it, I swerved my bike to the side and I lost my balance and tumbled to the ground, and I rolled across the pavement.By the time I stopped rolling, I layed there, the wind knocked out of me. Tears escaped my eyes. I had survived, but my bike had not.I heard the opening of car doors and I came to my senses. I saw men approaching me and I scrambled backwards. Tears began to fall."Ple-please. Stay away from me." I blubbered.Another van began approaching and slowing to a stop behind the other. Another man stepped out.It was him again.He knew they had me cornered.The men who had cornered me began circling in on me and I panicked.I don't know what happened next.All the sadness I had felt these past few days for Will. The heartbreak. All the anger I felt towards Troy. All the pain inflicted on me, all the fear. Every emotion washed over me as I relived the most intense moments in the past week flashed before me and I felt everything at once. And it exploded. Like a violent force of nature, I erupted."I SAID STAY BACK!"I threw my hand up to protect myself and suddenly I felt a powerful warm wave of energy surge off of me and the air around me blurred, the windows of the van shattered and the men circling me were thrown back and slammed against the vehicle.They fell towards the concrete and laid there, unmoving surround by shards of glass.Shaking, and at a loss for words I looked to my hands realizing I had been the cause of this sudden occurrence. My hands were bright red. I felt the blood pump intensely through my veins and I looked to the man with white hair and to my own surprise I smirked slightly at him.I jumped to my feet and begin backing away, not before giving the damage I had done a quick once over. I then broke out into a sprint and cut through the trees.A smile broke out onto my face. A new wave of power and adrenaline was pumping though my veins and I was beginning to feel invincible.A now undeniable, beaming smile found it's way onto my face when I saw my friends gather up just around the corner.I leapt and bound and I waved my hands up in the air calling to them.Even from a distance I could tell they had just figured out I wasn't there and were beginning to panic."Over here!""[Y/N]!""Oh, thank God!""Where were you? I thought you were behind us!""Where's your bike?""No time to explain! Lucas, I need a ride.""No problem, hop on."I quickly took a seat on the back of Lucas's bike, knowing he had a similar model to Mike's."They are not that far behind. We need to go. Now!" I explained frantically.Sure enough, a few seconds later the roaring of engines came from down the street."Go, go, go, go, go!" Mike cried.I held on tight to the Lucas as he began picking up speed. I shared a worried look with El and then we both looked behind us to see the vans gaining speed behind us."Go, go, go, go, go! Faster, faster!" Mike shouted desperately."Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit!"Lucas casted a glance behind us and much to my dismay, I saw one more van just up ahead and it was heading straight for us."Look out!" I couldn't help but shout.I held on tighter to Lucas and I looked ahead frozen in shock. It was just a few feet away.And then everything happened in slow motion. I watched in amazement when the van tipped forward and it was thrown into the sky. It hurdled over us and I watched in amazement as it flew right over our heads."What the fuck?!" I shouted in awe.My gaze never left the van and my heard turned to see it crash on it's roof blocking all the remaining vans and allowing us to escape.I began laughing in relief and I looked behind me as we made our escape. I met eyes with the man with the white hair and I couldn't resist.Keeping one arm secured around Lucas's torso, I turned around as much as I could and have the man the finger. A proud smile on my face.3rd Person POVBrenner got out of the car and made his way toward the wreckage. Not bothering to check for survivors he stares at the fleeting children.He wanted to be mad that they had escaped. That his beloved Eleven escaped once more.But he was too impressed.And he was thrilled to have witnessed the incredible feat only minutes ago.The tremendous effort shown by the young Henderson girl. He had had his suspicions for some time now. She was all too familiar to him. But seeing her amazing abilities.Ablilties that had been inside her all her life, hidden, laying dormant inside her. It was brought out in a complete state of emergency. Acting as her body's natural defense that she didn't even know she had.All that untapped potential mixed with the unpredictable attitude could do great things.No, today was not a loss. Today was a victory. He had finally found her after all this time.His missing experiment.Number 009.<------->I know.Super predictable right?It's not as surprising as I wanted it to be. I know that everything leading up to this plot point has been rather obvious. But I didn't want the reveal to be way out of left field and well, it was kinda hard to hint it without giving it away and in order to understand your backstory I had to include stuff like Hopper discovering the files and the room or else there would be plot holes and stuff.Plus, ya know, like I've said this is my very first story, so I'm not exactly a professional 😂Regardless, a huge thank you to everyone who has taken the time to comment, vote and even people who have added Cosmic to one of their reading lists (ahh!!). It all means so much to me.And going out of your way to support content creators is such a big deal because when you do little things like that it broadens our chances of expanding our audience and sharing our work so thank you.

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Warnings: Cursing, mentions of blood I THINK??? Slightly out of character El. I have not edited this AT ALL. You have been warned. Also, I have no idea when I'll get to the editing so if you see a mistake, feel free to let me know! 😁Reader's POVIt felt like hours, but we finally made it to the safety of the junkyard. Mike and El had just stopped and dismount the bike just up ahead. Lucas and I were side by side with Dustin and soon enough we were all on the grass catching our breath.I never realized just how drained I felt until I got off the bike. Rather than risk any other injuries I collapsed to my knees to catch my breath."Holy... Holy shit!" Dustin rambled excitedly. "Did... did you what she did to that van?"Annoyed, Mike looked to Dustin and spoke in labored breaths. "No, Dustin, we missed it."Despite my aching lungs, a laugh escaped me."I mean that was...""Awesome." Lucas cut in, panting.He looked to El who was also sat on the grass, completely spent. Exhausted from recent events my energy was draining fast, but I was awake enough to make the connection that she must be exhausted from using her powers.Lucas continued, but kept his eyes only on El, communicating it was her he was addressing."It was awesome."He hobbled over to her and knelt down to her eye level.My head begins to bob, much like one might do when they start to fall asleep sitting up. Regardless, I strained myself to stay awake, wanting to hear what Lucas had to say."Everything I said about you being a traitor and stuff... I was wrong." He gestured to himself and his eyes showed nothing but remorse.I smiled warmly, thrilled to see him making amends. My eyelids were getting heavy and my head kept falling. It was getting harder and harder to stay awake.There was a brief silence and El looked surprised."I'm sorry." He said.He then brought a hand up to her and placed it on her back as a sign of comfort and genuine honesty.Tearfully, El spoke. "Friends... friends don't lie. I'm sorry, too.""Me, too," Mike spoke up.We all looked to Mike to see him extending his hand out to Lucas.It is then when I notice that the world around me begins to spin, and the last thing I see before everything goes black is Lucas and Mike shaking hands.3rd Person POVThe children turned their heads at the sound of a dull thud. The young Henderson girl had collapsed and lay unconscious in the grass."[Y/N]!""Shit, what happened?" Dustin exclaimed, rushing to his sister's side.The rest soon followed and they all surrounded the young girl."I-I don't know! She must have fainted." Said Lucas, in a confused tone.Upon closer examination, the kids could see that their friend had lost a lot of color in her face. Only El seemed to notice the very thin, very subtle veins that were spread across her eyelids and the corner of her lips as if roots were sprouting from within her."What's wrong with her?" Mike asked worriedly."Shit, it might be her head. Do you think?" Dustin asked, looking to Mike."Oh man, probably."Wait, what?" Lucas asked taken aback.Dustin and Mike were quick to gently lift her head and Dustin had taken off his jacket to fold up and put under the girls head. The two become angered by the memory.The boys filled their friend in on the terrifying events that only happened earlier and how El found them and saved the day and Lucas felt himself growing more angered with every word. And all the more guilty for splitting up.Reader's POVI heard the scattered voices of my friends as I came to. I let out a soft moan."You guys better not be fighting," I mumble weakly, only half joking."[Y/N]! Jesus, what happened? Are you okay?" Dustin asked.My eyes fluttered open and I look around seeing that I am surrounded by very concerned but relieved looking friends."Ugh, I don't know. But I'm, alright now. I think I overdid myself back there."Lucas and Mike each grabbed my hands and helped me sit up slowly.I mumble thanks as a tug my legs under myself and begin running the back of my head.They told me I had only been out for a minute or two, and as I listen, my fingers graze the back of my head and I frown in confusion."Are you sure your okay?" Lucas asked.I nod my head yes, a slight frown still on my face as I continue to rub my fingers across the back of my head."No, yeah, I'm fine. Listen, don't worry about me. We don't have time to."I hesitate to tell them what had happened when I had gotten separated. The bad men were probably still out there looking for us. The thought frightened me deeply. Even more so than it had before. If they were this determined to get El, then why wouldn't they want me?Mike sighs and speaks with a hint of hesitation. "As bad as it sounds, I think she's right. The bad men are probably still looking for us. If they didn't know before that El is with us, they do now. Lucas, did you by chance find anything when we split up?" He asked tepidly.We all look to him expectantly, and he looks at each of us before nodding his head in confirmation."Yeah. I found it. I think I might have found the gate."+ + +The five of us not sat in a circle surrounding a makeshift map that Lucas had made out a bunch of sticks and a plank of wood."This is Randolph Road, right here." With one stick in hand, he drew a straight line next to the plank of wood that was apart of the map."The fence starts here," he brought the stick to the top of the plank. "and goes all the way around." The stick he held circles the makeshift shape on the map.He grabs the empty soda can that he found nearby and places it inside the odd shape."And this is the lab right here. The gate's gotta be in there somewhere. It's gotta be.""Well, who owns Hawkins Lab?" Dustin asked confused."The sign says 'Department of Energy.'""Department of Energy? What do you think that means?" Dustin asks aloud to the group."It means government. Military."A pit begins forming in my stomach. I shift uncomfortably as I continue listening in silence."Then why does it say 'Energy'?""Just trust me, all right? It's military. My dad told me before." Mike says growing impatient."Mike's right. There's soldiers out front."The all-too-familiar flutter in my stomach picks up again and I know that I'm beginning to have anxiety."Do they make, like, lightbulbs or something.""Enough with the energy thing, Dustin. They just said, it means military." I say impatiently."No, they make weapons to fight the Russians, and the commies and stuff." Mike finishes."Weapons," Lucas concludes.That word triggers something in me. My eyes instinctively flicker to El and I gulp when I sense the same uncertainty in her as I feel.Was she made to be a weapon?Was... Was I?I'm still finding it incredibly hard to believe what had happened only earlier today. I had no idea I was capable of such things.I'm pulled from my thoughts when I hear Dustin speak up."Oh, Jesus, this is bad.""Really bad. The place is like a fortress.""Well, what do we do?"I frown once more when I hear a strange noise."I don't know, but we can't go home. We're fugitives now."Suddenly the noise grows louder and I turn to look over my shoulder when I see the source of the noise."Oh, shit. Oh, shit. Guys!" I speak up.They all turn to look up where I am and we all see the helicopter slowly approaching us from the distance."We gotta hide!" I say frantically jumping up to my feet.Consequently, the world begins to spin again and I clutch my head in my spout of dizziness."Shit." I hiss, internally scolding myself for giving myself a head rush."The bus, we-we got to hide in there. Quick, everyone, get the bikes underneath!" I point to the rusty red bus that was only a few feet from us.We all scrambled for the bikes and began hastily shoving them under the bus."It's stuck.""Let's go, let's go, let's go!"Dustin's bike was caught on something that wouldn't let it go under and I drove to my knees and gave one final push and bike slid under."Come on!" I grabbed my brother's hand and dragged him with me as I followed Lucas and the others onto the bus."Get down!" Lucas called to us as we dove down onto the floor of the bus, each of us taking shelter behind some sort of obstruction behind the seats.I was panting heavily, fearful for the life of my friends and my own. All we could do was sit and listen to the sounds of the helicopter circle up ahead."Mental." Dustin breathes, causing me to look at him frustrated at his timing.+ + +We all sit there in silence, nothing but the sound of the helicopter whirring overhead can be heard. My back was against one of the seats, I had my arms around my knees as I sat next to El. I nearly jump in fear when I hear the sound of the comm come to life from Mike's backpack."Mike, are you there? Mike?"It sounded like Nancy.What could she be doing with a comm?Wait where did she get one?"Is that yours, Mike?" I ask, gesturing to his backpack that lay a few feet away."Mike, it's me, Nancy."He scrambles over to the backpack and hastily unzips it."Mike, are you there?" She sounded worried. "Answer."We each scrambled over to surround Mike and we watched to see what Nancy wanted. Mike finally retrieves the device and holds it up for all of us to hear it clearly."Mike, we need you to answer.""Is that your sister?" Lucas asks disbelievingly."This is an emergency, Mike. Do you copy? Mike, do you copy?""Okay, this is really weird," Dustin says."No kidding," I mumble.Lucas goes to grand the device but Mike is quick to get it back."Don't answer.""She said it was an emergency.""What if it's a trick?" Mike fires back.I look to El and then Dustin.I hadn't even thought of that."It's your sister!" Lucas exclaimed."What if the bad people kidnapped her? What if they're forcing her to say this?""I need you to answer." Nancy's voice crackled over the comms."It's like Lando Calrissian. Don't answer."I begin rubbing the bridge of my nose trying to keep my nerves in check."We need to know that you're out there, Mike."Suddenly, the device crackles and a new, deeper voice begins speaking."Listen, kid, this is the chief. If you're there, pick up. We know you're in trouble and we know about the girl."We all share a shocked, and concerned look."Why is she with the chief? You don't think he's in on it, do you?" I ask worriedly."I... I don't know." We all looked back to the super comm unsure."And how the hell does he know about..." we all slowly look to El who begins to shrink into herself.This only makes me grow more nervous. That man already saw what I can do. If he wants her as some sort of weapon or something, I don't know why he wouldn't want me.The thought sends a shiver down my spine that thankfully goes unnoticed.The chief continues, pulling me from my thoughts."We can protect you, we can help you, but you gotta pick up. Are you there? Do you copy? Over."We all look at each other, silently deciding and encouraging Mike to answer."Yeah, I copy. It's Mike. I'm here. We're here."+ + +It's been almost 30 minutes now. We gave the chief our location and every minute that has passed by feels like an eternity. Mike and Lucas each occupied a seat, half of them were gone and the ones that did remain were either pushed up against the side of the wall or falling apart. Or both. El and I shared a seat. Reluctantly, I laid my head on her shoulder, still tired from today's events. I was worried she might be weirded out, and she seemed taken aback but nevertheless, she welcomed it.I think both of us have lacked a proper female friend and now we are that for each other and we are able to be comfortable around one another. It's nice.Hesitation in her movements, as if not sure if that's what is expected, she slowly brings her head to rest on mine and we sit there comfortably and watch Dustin pace the bus back and forth.I shared Dustin's nervousness, but for a completely different reason of course. My nerves were showing themselves through my leg as it bounced up and down rapidly.I had been debating with myself on how or even if I should tell them what happened. What if, by telling them, I was putting them in danger? Or have I already put them in danger by being with them?Clearly, Dustin's actions were getting to Mike."Will you stop pacing?" He asked frustrated.He stopped and turned to face us all."It's been way too long. Do you know what? Maybe you're right. Maybe this is all a trap and the bad men are coming to get us right now!" He gestured wildly and he had picked up pacing once more."It's not a trap." Lucas snaps. "Why would the chief set us up? Nancy, maybe, but the chief?"The comment about Nancy had not gone unnoticed and I saw out of the corner of my eye, Mike throws his hands up in disbelief, making a face at Lucas.I chuckle slightly at this."Lando Calrissian." Dustin offers at the mention of the chief."Would you shut up about Lando?" Lucas shouts, frustrated."I don't feel good about this. I don't feel good about this!""When do you feel good about anything?""I don't feel good about this either, guys." I croak.All attention is on me now, and my heart is pounding. I don't why I'm afraid to admit it, I've only known about it for barely half an hour. I guess it makes everything real.I take a deep breath and I sit up, causing El to move her hair and look at me. So do the others."Something happened back there guys. Something... something I can't explain."My hands are in my lap and I watch my fingers fidget with my thumbs.I take another deep breath to speak and before the words can leave my lips we all immediately whip our heads around when we hear the sounds of an approaching vehicle.Suddenly, we all get the same thought and run towards the front of the bus to see if it's the chief. Sadly, we don't recognize any of the vehicles, multiple had pulled up and were now surround the bus."Shit!" Dustin exclaimed.Terrified, I grab El's hand and bring her to the back of the bus with me. She, well, now, both of us I guess, have the biggest targets on our backs and we all need to hide."Go, go, go, go," Mike orders frantically.Each if scramble to the back of the bus and take shelter behind the seats."Lando," Dustin states firmly."Dustin!" I say angrily grabbing his attention. "Read. The. Room." I growl through clenched teeth."You think they saw us?" Lucas asked frightfully."All of you, shut up," Mike states in a firm whisper.I hear footsteps growing closer and closer to the bus, worried that if our bikes didn't give us away, the sound of my heart beating violently in my chest will.Unable to tear my eyes away from the door at the sound and sight of it being pushed open, I huddle closer to El and she does the same.I catch a quick glimpse of a stranger's face before it is suddenly knocked into the door and I hear a body collapse.Gasping, my hold on El only grows stronger.We all jump when we hear a distant voice begin to shout."Hey!"The next thing we hear I can only guess to be punching followed by many strange thumps."What the--" another voice calls.Another thump.The loud sound of something hitting metal accompanied the subtle sway of the bus. I fight not to jump with every sound.The door creaks again and we all stare ahead terrified. Suddenly, we all simultaneously rise to our feet when we see none other than Hawkins Chief of police, Jim Hopper standing before us, out of breath."All right, let's go."I jump to my feet, not wanting to sit in this bus as a waiting duck a second longer, I grab my jacket and stride up to the front of the bus.Before I am able to stop myself I hug the large man who had saved me and my friends from what could have been an unimaginable fate."Thank you," I mumble.Taken aback, he stands there for a short moment, processing what is happening and then I feel a hesitant pat on the back."Sure thing, kid. Now come on, we gotta go," I release him and practically leap out of the bus and then I hear him raise his voice."I said, we gotta go!" I looked back to see him addressing my friends and then I see them all file out of the bus immediately.Where we were going next, I had no idea.

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||Reader's POV||The sun had set behind the trees by the time the chief's car pulled up in front of the Byers home. Strangely, it feels like years since we were last here when it had only been three days ago. As we all exited the vehicle, three figures emerged from the house; Nancy, Jonathan, and Ms. Byers."Mike. Oh, my God. Mike!" Nancy exclaimed, running towards Mike.He stepped forward and she engulfed him in a hug.Grabbing him by the shoulders, she pulled away. "I was so worried about you." She scolded."Yeah, uh... me, too." He said awkwardly.Nancy's eyes trailed over to El and an odd look crossed her face and she tilted her head slightly."Is that my dress?"El looked to me not knowing what to do and then back at the older girl. For some reason, and what I can only assume to be my state of mind and being under so much stress i begin to chuckle, finding the whole situation kinda funny.+++"Okay, so, in this example, we're the acrobat."We had all made it inside and currently, we were all gathered around the living room. The boys, El and I were sitting on the floor surrounding the coffee table while the others were seated on the furniture. Mike had drawn up Mr. Clark's diagram of the flea and the acrobat and was catching everybody else up with what we've learned so far. They all stayed quiet for the most part -occasionally jumping in to ask clarifying questions which we were more than happy to answer - and listened intently. I, however, remained quiet. I was still trying to process what had happened during my encounter with the men. I was also transfixed in the living room around me. Wondering how the once welcoming and cozy second home had changed so drastically."Will and Barbara, and that monster, they're this flea. And this is the Upside Down, where Will is hiding. Mr. Clarke said that the only way to get there is through a rip of time and space,""A gate," Dustin interjected."That we tracked to Hawkins Lab""With our compasses,""And El's help of course," I added, smiling at El who shyly returned it.The others exchanged confused glances.Dustin took this as his cue to talk."Okay, so the gate has a really strong electromagnetic field, and that can change the directions of a compass needle.Hopper spoke up for the first time in a while."Is this gate underground?"Surprising us all, El answered almost immediately. "Yes."The two made eye contact. "Near a large water tank?" He asked.She nodded and her gaze dropped to the floor. "Yes."Beginning to feel more on edge, I spoke up, my voice faltering. "H-How do you know all that?"The man said nothing and only kept his gaze. Mike looked to the drawing. "He's seen it."I frowned at his odd behavior and I didn't try to hide my confusion and anxiety from him, I then dropped my gaze to my hands, growing tenser at the thought that these horrible people could be out to get me.Ms. Byers spoke up, addressing El. "Is there any way that you could... that you could reach Will? That you could talk to him in this--""The Upside Down." El finished.Joyce's voice fell into a whisper. "Down. Yeah."El nodded her head yes."And my friend Barbara?" Nancy spoke up hesitantly. "Can you find her, too?"I could see the confidence build in El and it was then that I knew she was willing do everything she could to help us.+++We were all gathered around the dining room table, watching with bated breath as El attempted to find Will and Barb. She had breifly explained that she could sometimes find people telepathically somehow. She required white noise, hence Will's walkie was on the table, switched to a blank station so static filled the silence and she had her eyes closed.Nancy had offered a once torn up photo of Barb sitting on the edge of a pool as a reference for El. What felt like minutes passed and suddenly the lamp overhead flickered and El opened her eyes. Her voice was hoarse."I'm sorry.""What? What's wrong? What's happened?" Mrs. Byers stuttered.El was blinking back tears and her voice broke. "I can't find them."+++El had excused herself to the bathroom, probably to catch her breath. I just hope she wasn't blaming herself. The rest of us are still at the kitchen table, processing everything. My attention was pulled to the boys when they began elaborating more on her powers."Whenever she uses her powers, she gets weak." Mike said.My head perked up at this."The more energy she uses, the more tired she gets," Dustin added.I've had a lot of time to think about what had happened and what I had done earlier today and in that time I could never help but assume that however, whenever El got her powers, I got mine. Whatever it may be, we must be connected somehow. I recalled that in the short time I've known her and seen her use her powers, I've seen the toll it takes on her.If it makes her weak, that must have been why I passed out earlier... my body had never grown accustomed to the exertion."Like, she flipped a van earlier.""It was awesome.""But she's drained.""Like a bad battery."I sat there, my eyes glued to the floor as I listened to the boys unknowingly talk about the similarities between me and El.I felt a pair of eyes on me and I hesitantly lifted my head and briefly made eye contact with the chief who seemed the slightest bit suspicious of me. I quickly looked away and tried to focus back on the group."Well..." Ms. Byers stuttered. "How do we make her better?""We don't. We just have to wait and try again." Mike said."Well, how long?" Nancy asked.Mike shrugged his shoulders weakly. "I don't know.""The bath." El's quiet voice grabbed everyone's attention and we all turned to see her standing just outside the kitchen."What?" I asked."I can find them." She seemed very hesitant, almost afraid of what she was going to say next. "In the bath."+++Well, this is happening.We really are calling our science teacher at ten o'clock on a Saturday and asking about sensory deprivation tanks and how to build them.That won't be weird at all.Nevertheless, we all watched nervously as Dustin stood by the phone and made the call."Mr. Clarke? It's Dustin.""...""Yeah, yeah. I just, I... I have a science question,"I cringed, unable to imagine any scenario in which this would pan out."...""Do you know anything about sensory deprivation tanks? Specifically how to build one?"I run my hands through my hair."...""Fun."I furrowed my brows and then sighed defeatedly before putting my face in my hands."...""You always say we should never stop being curious. To always open any curiosity door we find. Why are you keeping this curiosity door locked?"I couldn't help but let a small chuckle escape, slightly impressed he threw Mr. Clarke's words back in his face and I looked back up."..."All of the sudden Dustin motioned for something to write on and with and Jonathan grabbed a spare notepad and a pencil and Dustin sat at the table, listening to the instructions and writing them down."Uh-huh... uh-huh. How much? Uh-huh. Yep, all right. Yeah, we'll be careful. Definitely. All right, Mr. Clarke. Yeah, I'll see you on Monday. I'll see you on Monday, Mr. Clarke bye." Dustin quickly trailed off and was quick to hang up the phone."Do you still have that kiddie pool we bobbed for apples in?" Dustin asked Ms. Byers almost immediately after hanging up."Uhh, I think so, yeah.""Good. Then we just need salt. Lots of it.""How much is 'lots'?" The chief asked.Dustin took a look at the notepad and looked back at the chief."1,500 pounds.""Well, where are we gonna get that much salt?" Nancy asked the question everybody seemed to be wondering.+++The school. It was the chiefs idea. We all headed to the school, taking separate cars.The chief and Jonathan went to the shed to grab the bags of salt, Mike and Nancy were getting the hoses while Dustin, Lucas and I set up the pool in the gym."Damn, this thing is heavy." Dustin panted as we both rolled the folded up kiddie pool to the center of the gym.Together we undid the ropes holding it together and attempted to unfold it. After much trial and error we finally were able to get the pool set up. The water temperature had been tested just as much as the bouncy of the egg to determine if there was enough salt.The finishing touch; Will's walkie switched on to static nearby. Finally, we were ready.Ms. Byers and and I had helped El into the bath. She had just taken off her shoes and socks as well as the digital watch Mike had given her almost a week ago. Ms. Byers and her seemed to have constructed a waterproof blindfold with ducttape and goggles from the science lab.We all sat nearby, ready in case she needed anything and it was almost chilling to watch her float on her back. Suddenly, the lights in the gym flickered accompanied by the sounds of the electricity surging and lights went out. We all looked cautiously towards the ceiling before looking back to El.Seconds felt like hours when suddenly, El spoke. Her voice broke, she sounded fearful."Barbara?"My heart began to faster once more.El's breathing became frantic and the lights flickered once more."What's going on?" Nancy asked worriedly towards us."I don't know." Mike said, just as panicked."Is Barb okay? Is she okay?" Nancy asked frantically to El.El began whimpering."Gone. Gone. Gone."I looked to Nancy, who brought a hand to her mouth to mask her sobs. My heart ached for her.My heart was pounding by now. My hands were shaking.Ms. Byers immediately reached a hand out to El and held her hand, and rubbed her arm comfortingly."It's okay. It's okay. It's okay." She cooed."Gone. Gone!"I felt like I was stuck in the middle of a storm, unable to move. Unable to help. Useless. Waiting for the worst."It's okay. It's okay. Hey. It's okay." Ms. Byers was doing everything in her power to calm the girl.Even the chief gently grabbed her other hand to try and soothe her."It's okay, we're right here. We're right here, honey. It's okay. I got you. Don't be afraid. I'm right here with you. It's okay. You're safe."||3rd Person POV||Eleven found the wave of panic dissolve into nothing as she heard the distant echo of Joyce's voice reassuring her.For the first time she felt somewhat calm in this horrifying place. Suddenly she saw something the distance.It was a small hit roughly her height, made from large sticks and branches. It was decorated with flags and a painted sign that read《•••》"Castle Byers." El muttered.My eyes widen in shock and my eyes were glued to the girl in front of me. Terrified of hearing the word "gone".My heart was pounding so hard I could hear it in my ears. My fingers grasped the edge of the pool so hard my fingers began to ache.《•••》Eleven slowly approached the fort, scared of what she might find. But she knew she had to. She needed to.After everything everyone had done for her. How kind Mike and [Y/N] had been. She felt she owed it to them. Facing her fears she brought her hand up to the blanket entrance and brushed it aside as she stepped inside.There he was. Drenched in sweat and slime and shivering from the cold conditions, laid Will Byers unconscious, but clinging to life.She lowered herself to the ground and sat on her knees."Will."《•••》"Will?" El asked hopefully.I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding and everyone around us gasped.《•••》In his life threatening state, he saw the girl kneeling before him and like a mirage, his mind chose to see the girl he grew so fond of.《•••》"[Y/N]?" The voice over the walkie talkie echoed all throughout the gym.My heart stopped and I felt everyone's eyes on me and everyone gasped.The voice, the sad and broken voice of Will Byers crackled over the radio saying my name causing me stare at the walkie talkie.My eyes became glassy and my vision blurred.He's alive. He's alive and that all that matters."That's Will! Tell- You tell him... tell him I'm coming."《•••》Eleven spoke the words that echoed in her brain. She grasped the boys hand shook it ever so slightly."No, but she's looking for you. Your mom... she's coming for you. Everybody is looking for you."Finally gathering enough strength to open his eyes, he looked to her and spoke.||Reader's POV||"Hurry."His voice echoed through the gym once more and we all watched feeling helpless.Ms. Byers began feeding words to El once more."Okay. Listen, you tell him to... to stay where he is. We're coming. We're coming, okay? We're coming, honey."We heard whimpering on the radio and suddenly El shot up, gasping for air making us all jump back. She scrambled backwards into Ms. Byers arms and she softly calmed the girl down.Tears were now freely falling down my cheeks as I try to process everything that just happened."Oh, okay, okay. I've got you. It's okay. I got you. I got you. I got you, honey. You did so good. Are you okay?"I quickly attempt to wipe my tears away with the back of my sleeve as I watch everything unfold. I wanted to be strong for El.For Will.

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||3rd Person POV||Hopper's body collapsed on the concrete floors of the interrogation room. He had been met with yet another surge of electricity from the taser gun.He and Joyce had unsuccessfully attempted to break into Hawkins Lab to enter the gate and find the missing boy.Joyce sat cuffed in a separate interrogation room, refusing to give up any information.A groan escaped the Chief's lips as he sat huddled into the corner of the room, three agents surrounding him - a woman with short blonde hair with a stern frown and an equally intimidating man standing beside her, as well as the balding man who held the taser gun firmly in his hand. Hopper couldn't help but wince from the pain and the foul metallic taste on his tongue that he couldn't shake.His breaths were ragged and he looked between the three agents - the second man spoke."Okay, now what do you know?""I'm sorry." Hopper panted. "Did I stutter?"The man and woman shared a firm look, and Hopper continued to speak. Confidence rose with every word he spoke."Everything."Hopper felt his entire body suddenly convulse when he felt the searing pain of the taser gun stab his upper back.He cried out in pain, doubling over and spitting up."What do you know?" The woman asked coldly.Hopper panted once more, making eye contact with the woman."I know you do experiments on kidnapped little kids, whose parents' brains you've turned to mush. And I know you went a little too far this time and you messed up in a big way."He never broke eye contact with the woman, who had huffed out in annoyance once or twice as he continued to ramble on."I mean, you really messed up, didn't you? Big time? That's why you're trying to cover your tracks."The two agents suddenly avoided eye contact as Hopper proceeded to list several of the horrible offenses they had committed."You killed Benny Hammond, you faked Will Byers' death. You made it look like that little girl just ran away. See, I told you. I know everything.""All right, who are you working with?" The man asked, anger showing through his clenched jaw."Nobody. But I did give all this over to my friend at the Times. He's gonna blow this thing wide open." Hopper's chuckles were quickly replaced with groans of agony when he felt the searing pain of the taser once more.Taking advantage of his weakened state, the two men grabbed Hopper by the arms and pulled him into the chair.The balding man with the taser bent over and got close in Hopper's face."You're just a junkie. A small town cop who had a bad week."The other man grabbed a syringe off of a metal tray as the balding man spoke."Took one too many pills this time." The man stepped aside and the woman stepped into view, arms crossed."You made a mistake coming back here.""No, I didn't." Hopper muttered. "Here's what's gonna happen. You're gonna let me and Joyce Byers go... you're gonna give us anything we need, and we're gonna find her son. And then we're gonna forget that any of this ever happened.""Oh, is that right?" The woman asked.Hopper held his cold gaze, never wavering."Yeah. That's right."||Reader's POV||We were all sat on the bleachers. Mike had a very exhausted and cold El leaning against his shoulder, a towel wrapped around her shoulders. Dustin sat next to Mike and Lucas and I occupied the other bench behind them.After getting El out of the bath, Joyce and chief left us with Jonathan and Nancy to go find the gate to get Will.Meanwhile, we were all still sitting here growing impatient and a little worried as to why Jonathan and Nancy stepped out and haven't come back yet. Mike seemed as worried as I did.His leg bounced up and down in worry and I sat and stared as I wrung my hands together in a nervous habit.My attention was ripped away to Mike when, without warning, he jumped to his feet and left the gym calling for his sister and Jonathan.Moments later, he came back, walking fairly towards us."They're gone.""What?""Nancy and Jonathan. His car's gone."I stand up quickly at the news."So, they just up and left us?" I ask angrily?"They're probably just sucking face somewhere."My face scrunched up in disgust at the comment and look to my brother incredulously."They would never leave us alone for anything like that knowing we are in danger.""[Y/N]'s right. They would never do that. No way!""Did they go with the Chief?" Dustin asked."I don't know!" Mike said defensively."No." El said quietly."What? Did you see them? Do you know where they went?"We all looked to her hopefully."Yes.""Well, where did they go?" I asked frantically.There was a small pause before she spoke, making my stomach plunge."Demogorgon."||3rd Person POV||Hopper's attention was brought to the door when it slowly opened. A man with white hair, who he had recognized to be Martin Brenner, stepped in. His feet scraping against the floor lazily, indicating his lack of urgency, and he turned to lock the door behind him.He took one look at Hopper before reaching into his jacket pocket grabbing a pack of smokes and walked over to the man handing him the cigarettes. Hopper gladly accepted them and took a cigarette out and placed it between his lips. Brenner stood off to the side, hand in his pockets as Hopper lit the cigarette."Where's the girl?"Hopper took a deep elongated breath before speaking."You gotta give me your word." He muttered staring ahead at the brick wall in front of him. "Nobody's ever gonna find out about this. And those other four kids, those boys, and that young girl, your gonna leave them alone. Then I'll tell you. Tell you where your little science experiment is."Brenner watched the man from behind, prepared to negotiate, found a bitter taste on his tongue at the mention of the demands regarding the Henderson girl. A small scowl etched his face before it slowly melted away as the gears began turning in his brain. He circled Hopper, knowing he had to choose his words carefully."If you give me what I want, I assure you, those children will be safe." He said with a twinkle in his eye.

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A//N: A little on the short side. sorry!||Reader's POV||"Guys, guys! This is crazy."The boys had gone on some tangent, trying to debate what we should do. The three of them stood in a circle debating while I sat next to El, an arm around her trying to warm her up."We can't just wait around." Mike finished."Mike, in case you forgot, we're still fugitives. The bad men are still looking for us." Lucas said.At that moment, Dustin jumped in."Yeah, and we don't even know where your sister is.""El can find them.""No, Mike." I spoke up, grabbing all their attention. "Look at her, she's exhausted. She's already done more than enough for us in that last 24 hours alone. She's only human, she needs rest." I defended.El didn't say anything, so she laid her head on my shoulder in a tired manner.Mike frowned a little, indicating he knew that I had a point."I still think we should stick to the chief's plan." Dustin concluded."Exactly." Lucas eased. "We stay here, keep El out of sight and keep her safe. That's the most important thing, remember?"A small smile found its way onto my face. I'm glad Lucas is looking out for El. She's truly one of us now."Besides, she's okay. She's with Jonathan.""Yeah, and she's kind of a badass now, so..." I chuckled at my brother's comment.He wasn't wrong about that.My head perked up when I saw him turn around start to exit the gym."Well, where are you going? You just said stick to the plan!" Mike exclaimed."I am. I'm just gonna go get some chocolate pudding. I'm telling you, Lunch Lady Phyllis hoards that shit.""Are you serious?" Mike yells while Lucas trails off after my brother at the mention of pudding."El needs to be recharged!" Dustin finished, before disappearing past the gym doors with Lucas.+++"Found it! I knew she was hoarding it."Dustin and Lucas began grabbing as many cans of chocolate pudding as they could carry, as Dustin continued rambling about it."I knew it.""Yeah.""Always lying, saying she's out. Bald-faced liar."I chuckled and shook my head as I watched the boys hoard their own new stash of pudding.The three of us had joined Lucas and Dustin in the cafeteria. I was leaning my back against the doorway that separated the cafeteria from the kitchen, my arms folded as I waited for the supply of food. I wanted to let Mike and El have a moment alone so I kept my distance."Okay!" He shouted back, clearly annoyed.I chuckled under my breath once more.My limbs began to grow tired and I found a seat at one of the tables closest to the kitchen and I was clear across the room from Mike and El. I slouched in the chair, my legs stretched out lazily across the ground and I began fidgeting with the hem of my shirt.I want to think about anything but everything that just happened. Given the circumstances of course, it's pretty much impossible. My heart sank at what Will must be going through right now.He sounded so... so weak. I wanted desperately to help him, but there was nothing for me to do.It was then that I couldn't help but overhear Mike and El's conversation. They were talking very softly."My point is, they'll take care of you. They'll be like your new parents, and Nancy, she'll be like your new sister.""Adopted? Like [Y/N]?" She asked hopefully.I suddenly felt a pair of eyes on me and I looked up to see El looking at me and I smiled politely and looked to a slightly disappointed looking Mike."Will you be like my brother?" She asked.He scrunched his face up in disgust and I had fight a bellow of laughter. What came out was a series of snickers that luckily they didn't catch."What? No, no."Tuning back out, my mind wandered to Will again. It was easy then for the chuckling to die down. My face quickly fell and I began fidgeting once more.I tried to picture what happened in there. The Upside Down, or wherever it was that El was able to speak to Will.To see him.I suddenly envied her.I miss him so much and I wish there was more I could do.The reality of everything that had happened recently hits me like a ton of bricks every time I think about it. What I was able to do. Like I get the news of it all, every time I think about it.And I still haven't told anyone yet.More guilt and anxiety hit me all at once again.It was then that two words pulled me from my trance once more. I couldn't help but listen as the two spoke, while I kept my head down and focused my eyes on my hands."Snow ball?" El asked confused."It's this cheesy school dance, where you go in the gym and dance to music and stuff. I've never been, but I know you're not supposed to go with your sister.""No?""I mean... you can, but it'd be really weird. You go to school dances with someone that, you know... someone that you like."I couldn't help but frown, all of this felt too familiar. But yet nothing like this had ever happened to me. Deep down I knew what was wrong but I was fighting to acknowledge it."A friend?" She asked brightly.I felt a wave of guilt wash over me and I frowned."Not a friend," Mike sighed. "Uh... uh... Uh, someone like a..."Something about all this was making my chest feel heavy. I felt isolated, like something was missing.Someone.I couldn't stop my eyes from wandering to the duo and I saw Mike quickly and nervously lean over and gave El a kiss.Suddenly, it felt as if someone punched me in the gut.And it wasn't from jealousy. Far from it. I was happy for them, and I thought they were adorable. But Lucas's words from a few days ago popped into my head.《•••》"That doesn't prove anything! We're best friends! So what if we're close?"He laughs. "Yeah, just as close as Nancy and Steve! And you're no better. You just haven't realized it yet."《•••》My heart would have fluttered violently by now but it feels too heavy.A strong wave of guilt washed over me at the thought that I might not ever get a chance to see him again. Much less share innocent moments like these with him.Having been fidgeting with the hem of shirt once more, I caught sight of a tear land softly on my lap. I hadn't realized I had been crying.I quickly wiped it away when I heard Mike get up front the table suddenly."Stay here," He suddenly ran out of the cafeteria doors and I caught sight of a blushing El staring after the boy.Suddenly, Dustin and Lucas barged in carrying a hoard of chocolate pudding and dumped it on the table before El. I stood up walked towards the table, eager to have a taste of pudding that sounded so good after all that has happened."This will charge your battery right up, I'm telling you." Dustin smiled, handing El a pudding cup.I gladly grabbed one off the table when suddenly, Mike came running into the hall gasping for breath."Guys! Guys!""What?" I asked."What is it?"Mike came to halt, completely out of breath."They found us."

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Warnings: nothing severe, but there is some creepy narration regarding Brenner and well, the overall idea of what I was trying to convey was kinda essential to explain or else it didn't make sense, but I tried my best to make it not sound like the gross kind of creepy but it was kinda hard. So I apologize. Also, (kinda graphic, but really) violence and mentions of blood.||3rd Person POV||"Sir, we've searched everywhere. There's no sign of them."Brenner and his team were currently standing in the gym in front of a kiddie pool and a few hoses.Immediately he knew what the children had been doing.He felt his lips form a tight line as stared at the makeshift bath before him in anger.He had to get his hands on Eleven. She had been gone for far too long.And Nine, well he was not prepared to let her escape again.He was careful when making his promise to that stubborn chief. After finding Eleven and taking her home, the boys would be left alone and indeed safe. But the Henderson girl, she would be safe. Safe with him, at the lab.||Reader's POV||I practically crash into Lucas as we rounded the corner as we ran for our lives.How did they find us so quickly?Lucas seems to be thinking the same thing as he pants between breaths. "How did they find us?""I don't know, but they knew we were in the gym," Mike responded, equally winded."Lando." Dustin muttered.The exit doors were only feet away and it felt like we were gonna make it but suddenly they ripped open and a flood of white light danced from the doorways as a mass of agents stormed in.We skidded to a halt and began backing up and we immediately whipped around and started running."Go, go, go, go, go!" Mike shouted.I felt like my heart was about to explode, I was so terrified. I was worried it was gonna happen again. And it was.My legs grew heavy and I began to slow down but luckily for me, Lucas grabbed my hand pulled me along."Come on!"We ran frantically up the small set of stairs and turned the corner and went through one of the open doors into another hallway."There they are. Freeze.""Back! Go back!" Mike shouted.We skidded to a halt once more when even more agents turned the corner ahead of us and marched towards us. We scrambled for the exit and all tried to go through the doorway at once."Go, go! Go left!" Mike ordered.We all ran for the hallway in front of us when out of nowhere a group of agents rounded the corner, lead by a terrifyingly stern woman who clocked her gun and aimed it at all of us.I whipped my head around when I heard the sound of more guns cocking behind us.This was it. We were trapped.I panted heavily looking around terrified when I noticed El becoming later focused on the woman.Every single flashlight began to flicker the woman froze.I stared in shock as the woman and all the other agents began to bleed from their eyes, all of them not moving a muscle.Horrifying squelching noises filled the silence and men began to choke.It looked like they were crying blood.The next thing I knew everyone, simultaneously dropped like flies.I look to the boys in shock and we all looked to El in time to see her collapse to the ground.We all dove to the ground to aid, and Mike frantically shook her, trying to wake her.But she wouldn't budge."El, are you okay?" Mike asked worriedly."El! Something's wrong." Mike looked at us desperately."She's just drained." Dustin said, although his voice gave away how worried he was."No, no, no, she won't wake up. El! El!"I covered my mouth, crying not to cry. I looked around anywhere else but my unconscious friend, but nausea became my only alternative as I gazed at the many bodies lying in a pool of their own blood.The noise of the brains exploding echoing in my head made me gag.I looked back to Mike, who shook her once more and screamed, panic getting the best of him."El!"He leaned down and brought his ear near her face.He sat back up quickly. "She's barely breathing.""We gotta go," Lucas insisted.Without another word we all knew to grab her and carry her out before we can lift her, a man spoke up and we all whipped around to see the same man from before, the man with the white hair."Leave her."My breathing and heart rate picked up once more, and the hair on the back of my neck stood up.He walked towards us, a few men behind him, he stepped over the bodies without a second thought or even a glance."Step away from the child." He said calmly."No!" Mike yelled defiantly. "You want her, you have to kill us first."Dustin and Lucas immediately chimed in."That's right!""Eat shit!"Suddenly I felt a pair of arms wrap around me and pull me back. I fought back with all my strength and I saw the same thing happened to the boys.We all screamed in protest, fighting as best as we could as the man walked forward and sat El up."Eleven? Eleven, can you hear me? Eleven?"The man held her by the face and shook her slightly, and after a few moments she stirred."Papa?""Yes, yes, it's your papa." He smiled.Tears flooded my eyes as I watched helplessly as this creep got a hold of my friend."Leave her alone!" I kicked and screamed as much as I could, but he ignored my protests.Mike didn't hesitate to join in."Let her go! Let her go!"El looked around at us, tears in her eyes and looked back to the other agents surround us. She returned her gaze the man and whimpered."Shh, shh, you're sick. You're sick, but I'm going to make you better. I'm going to take you back home, where I can make you well again. Where we can make all of this better, so no one else gets hurt."She met his eyes, he eyelids drooping. She seemed to gather all the strength she could to speak."Bad. Bad." She held out a hand towards us."Mike. Mike. Mike." She whimpered.He frowned, and then looked to the agent who was holding me back. He gesturedI never stopped fighting or struggling, and tears were falling freely down my face."Leave us alone!" I yelled, finding my voice."You know I can't do that, [Y/N]."My eyes widened and I looked at the man in disgust and fear."How-"Before I could finish he made eye contact with the agent holding me back and signaled him to bring me forward and the man complied."What- what are you doing?" I continued to fight and kick even harder, panic was taking over me and I began to hyperventilate.On instinct, I turned my head enough to look at Dustin and I cried out. "Dustin? Dustin!" I yelled, fear consuming me completely."[Y/N]! [Y/N]! Leave her alone! Let go of her, you son of a bitch! You sick bastard, you let her go! You fucking prick, I said let her go!" I saw tears in his eyes and he kicked as hard as he could but it was no use."[Y/N], don't fight it. You belong with us. We are your true home. Come home to us, Nine"The man holding me hostage brought me closer and closer to the man and the boys were now out of my line of sight.I felt my heart stop and suddenly I was calm for a split second and then everything happened at once.A violent scream erupted from my throat, a scream that pierced my own ears and made my throat raw.The same powerful force of energy exploded off of me and everyone, including the man holding me, were thrown back violently. Most of the men were knocked into the concrete walls and slid down to the floor unconscious, blood dripping from their heads.I landed on my knees, El only about a foot in front of me, who had miraculously avoided the line of energy.Panting I looked up to the man several feet away, laying on his back slowly coming too.I looked back over my shoulder to see the boys scrambling to their feet, having been knocked back in the process. Thankfully, the men must have cushioned their fall. They stared at me, their eyes bulging out of their heads.I smiled sheepishly."Surprise?" I panted.We all looked around when the electricity throughout the school spike and lights began to flicker.Everyone, the man included were all staring at the concrete wall at the end of the hall as we heard the same eerie thundering sound."Blood." Mike mumbled."What?" Lucas asked.Realizing what he was hinting at, I quickly rose to my feet. "Blood!"Blood draws it out.And we were standing in pools of it.We watched in horror as the giant blue paw painted on the concrete wall began to crumble as the Demogorgon began fighting his way through.The man stumbled to his feet in fear, he stood unarmed and all his men and women were either dead or unconscious.With his attention on the beast, I quickly and quietly gestured for the boys to get El and I stumbled towards her.I nearly collapsed by the time we reached her. Mike helped Dustin pick El and up and Lucas caught me before I could fall. With one arm over his shoulder, he helped me navigate through the maze of hallways to safety.I spared a glance over my shoulder and the last thing I saw before we turned the corner was the Demogorgon tackling the man to the ground.

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||Reader's POV||We finally made it to safety in one of the science classrooms. At least, it was the best we could do under the circumstances.It would do. For now.Dustin carried El to the back of the classroom and placed her on one of the black tables, meanwhile Lucas helped me sit down and I opted to sit on the ground, back against the cabinet so that if I passed out I would be closer to the ground.I panted and my head bobbed up and down as I tried to fight unconsciousness.Dustin and Lucas lingered around me, but I gestured towards El."She- I'll be fine. She, she's the one, you need to worry about."I closed my eyes and let my head rest against the cabinet and I focused on the voices of my friends to stay awake."Just hold on a little longer, okay?" Mike said. "He's gone. The bad man's gone. We'll be home soon, and my mom... she'll get you your own bed. You can eat as many Eggos as you want."There was a pause and I could hear El sniffling.Mike continued. "And we can go to the Snow Ball."There was more sniffling and I heard El whimper. "Promise?"My eyes fluttered open and I looked to Mike who was holding El's hand and I could see a hint of fear in his eyes."Promise."The lights were still flickering and they only got faster when we heard the awful sound of the Demogorgon. It was getting closer.We stayed as silent as possible, knowing it was only right outside.WHAMThe door slammed to the ground, ripped right off its hinges and the disgusting creature we had been running from stood before us.It was a long slimy figure, a purplish grey and it let out a growl that could only be described as an echo reverberating off of tin."Go, go, go, go!"I scrambled to my feet in fear, and Dustin and Mike began screaming at Lucas for the wrist rocket.I scrambled over so that I was standing in front of El protectively.Lucas scrambled inside his backpack for his slingshot and moved to the front."Get the rocks! Get the rocks! Get the rocks!" Mike shouted as him and Dustin fished through he backpack.While his hands were still searching for the rocks, Dustin turned to shout in Mike's face, his voice squeaking. "I'm getting the rocks!""Give me one!" Lucas ordered!He drew back the wrist rocket as Dustin and Mike shouted frantically and released. It missed and the Demogorgon stalked towards us.It roars in anger.I grasped the table, trying to not fall over. Not sure what I would pass out from first; exhaustion or fear."Give me another one!""Kill it! Bastard!""Kill it! Go, go, go, go!""Kill it now!"He releases and it hits. The monster is unfazed. The boys hand Lucas more ammo."Get, get, get... come on, kill the bastard!""It's not working!""Hit him again!""Kill him!""Keep going! Come on!""Get, get, get..."It continues to stalk towards us.It opens its mouth, or rather head by the looks of it. Lucas draws back and releases.Just as the rock hits the Demogorgon its thrown back across the classroom and is pinned against the chalkboard.We stare in awe and suddenly is dense movement out of the corner of my eye.El walks confidently past us and towards the monster.Mike runs after her. "Eleven, stop!"Without looking, she throws her hand back and Mike is thrown to ground and against the cabinet. He sits against it in a daze, the wind knocked out of him.We all stare, frozen as she walks up to the beast. It writhes against the chalkboard and she calmly looks over her shoulder to us.Tears begin to fall once more when she speaks."Goodbye, Mike." She looks to me and smiles sadly. "Thank you, [Y/N]."My vision is blurry but I can make out El's figure as she turns back to face the monster."No more." She states softly.She raises her hand and the monster begins to cry out in pain.The noise was too much for me to bare and I quickly covered my ears, I could see the boys do the same.She let out a scream and she was engulfed by the ashes of the Demogorgon and just like that, she was gone.We all stood in shock and pain as we shared at the spot where she once stood.Ashes flitted around the room and settled all around the classroom.I knew that was it, and there was nothing more that could be done. Which is why it broke my heart all the more when Mike jumped to his feet and began looking for her."El? El?""Eleven?""El?""El, where are you? Eleven? El?"I turned to Dustin, tears freely falling from both of us, we embraced and I cried into his shoulder at the loss of another friend.+++We all stood out in the parking lot of the school. Multitudes of police cars and ambulances were surrounding the school. Some of the paramedics had checked my vitals and given me a shock blanket.Dustin and I were waiting for our mom knowing she had been notified by now.The Sinclair's had met up with Lucas and they went home.I leaned against the side of the ambulance as I sat in the back. It was silent between the two of us. That is until Dustin broke the tension."So, when the hell where you gonna tell us you have superpowers?" Dustin said weakly with a hint of fake anger.Without moving my head, I looked up at my brother."Give me a break, I didn't even know until we got split up and I lost my bike.""You what?" He asked incredulously."I would have told you sooner Dustin, but we kinda had your hands full. Ya know, running from the government and all?" I snapped defensively.My stomach grumbled and I looked to my brother. "I'm sorry, I'm just really hungry, and sad, and completely exhausted." I chuckled half-heartedly."[Y/N]? Dustin? Oh, my babies! Come here!"We looked to see mom speed walking towards us, her arms outstretched."Good luck telling, mom." Dustin whispered before she could hear, earning a quick glare from me.Suddenly, I was engulfed in her embrace, partly squished up against Dustin since she hugged us both.I couldn't help but embrace her. I nuzzled my head into her shoulder as she hugged us tightly, forgetting how safe I always felt in her arms.||Will's POV||When I came to, all my senses picked up on things before my eyes could open. I could feel the gentle flow of oxygen into my nose and the beeping of a familiar sounding machine.I vaguely remember my mom and another man, the chief I think, finding me.My eyes fluttered open and I saw my mom and Jonathan sitting at my bedside.Mom was quick to notice I woke up and she lit up immediately. Jonathan followed suit."Hey." She said softly. "Hi, sweetheart.""Hey,"Mom began running her fingers through my hair, something she'd always to do to comfort me when I'm sick.I smiled when I saw them, glad to be with them again."Where... where am I?"Mom and Jonathan shared a relieved look and Jonathan grabbed my hand."You're home. You're home now. You're safe." Jonathan said a smile on his face as he began to cry."Jonathan." I said happily, knowing he was really here."Yeah, it's me, buddy." He sighed. "We missed you. We really missed you."I noticed his other hand and the splotchy bandages around his palm and I frowned."Are you okay?"He smiled and gestured to his hand."What, this? It's just a cut. It's nothing."They both started to cry again, but they were chuckling softly.I looked back at my mom, who was smiling through tears as she continued to run her hand through my hair and I smiled tiredly at her."Oh, hey, uh..." I looked to Jonathan when he spoke, grabbing something from off the floor. "We, uh... we brought you some stuff..."I noticed it was a box of my things from home."so you don't get bored in here, so..." He reached into the box and pulled out a cassette tape. "Uh, I made you a new mixtape. There's some stuff on there I think you really might like."I smiled fondly at my family, silently thanking them for all they had done."Oh, and uh," Jonathan looked at mom and they shared a look before he reached in the box again and pulled out a very familiar duck."[Y/N] insisted that we bring you this. She wanted you to have it while you're in here. To keep you company when she can't, is what she said." He chuckled fondly and I blushed, reaching for the duck I had won for her all those years ago."I-is she here?"Mom rubbed my arm and smiled down at me."Yeah, baby, she's here. So is everybody else, everybody has missed you so much.""When can I see them?"+++"Byers!"All my friends burst through the door at once and ran to the side of my bed.Mike was first to get there and he leaned down to hug me which I gladly accepted. Lucas did the same."Be careful. Be careful with him." Mom cautioned."Move!"I see a pair of hands rip Lucas and Mike off of me and pull them aside and I see Dustin who quickly dives in for a hug.I gladly pat his back when he leans down to hug me.I try my best to follow along when they all start talking at once."You won't believe what happened when you were gone, man." Lucas started."It was mental." Dustin exclaimed.It was then that I saw over his shoulder, it was [Y/N] and she seemed to be in shock and but she still followed behind the guys and stood quietly, listening to them ramble.I blushed when we made eye contact and she smiled warmly at me."You had a funeral." Lucas continued, which quickly grabbed my attention."Jennifer Hays was crying.""And Troy peed himself.""What?" I laughed."Yeah, right after [Y/N] yelled at him in front of the whole school, too! It was awesome." Dustin exclaimed.[Y/N] laughed at the comment and looked at her feet and it only made my heart beat slightly faster. I only hoped the heart monitor didn't give me away.I started laughing at the thought of Troy peeing himself in front of the whole school and the laughter quickly turned into coughing.My coughing made everyone fall silent, and then Mike nudged me."You okay?"I nodded and looked at him. "It got me. The Demogorgon.""We know. It's okay. It's dead." I looked at Mike when he said this. "We made a new friend. She stopped it. She saved us. But she's gone now."Mike seemed to get sad when he talked about her. Then Dustin spoke up."Her name's Eleven.""Like the number?" I asked."Well, we call her El for short," Lucas added."She's basically a wizard."Suddenly Lucas got quiet and whispered so that only we could hear."She has superpowers.""More like a Yoda." Mike added."Speaking of superpowers, [Y-" Dustin was cut off by [Y/N] elbowing him harshly and I frowned in confusion."She flipped a van with her mind, and these agents were trying to shoot us-"I listened in awe as I caught bits and pieces of what they were saying. The guys were all talking over each other."Yeah, it flipped over us-""Them she squeezed the brains out of their heads-""And blood was pouring out of their faces.""Ew" I couldn't help but laugh at how excited Dustin was about that part."Agents started grabbing us and stuff-""And then they were knocked back because [Y/N]- Ow!""Not yet!" She mumbled to Dustin."And then Demogorgon shot out of the wall- it was insane!""Hey, boys," Mom called out.They all quieted down."I hate to do this, but it's pretty late. And Will needs his rest. But I promise you guys can come to visit tomorrow, straight after school if you want to." She smiled.They all frowned and each of them leaned down to hug me again and they said their goodbyes.Mom walked them out of the door, asking if any of them needed a ride.[Y/N] was the only one who lingered.She shyly turned to face me and I smiled at her and she gladly reciprocated.Not knowing what else to say, my nerves getting the best of me I spoke up. "Thank you for the duck,"She smiled warmly once more. "Of course. It's always been a sense of comfort for me, figured you need it more than I do."I smile at her, not wanting this moment to end despite the awkward pauses. It was worth it.She was worth it."I'm really glad you're back Will."I couldn't believe what happened next.She leaned down, and I assumed she was going to give me hug as the guys did, but then I felt a pair of soft lips on my cheek and she pulled back, blushing almost as hard as I was.She started to back away and she was almost out of the room when she looked back at me and smiled. She looked at feet shyly and then she was gone.