Chapter One: Mike
Mike squeezed his eyes shut as he sat on his bed. Sometimes, when he squeezed hard enough, he was able to see her. It was one of the only ways that he could stay sane. Every once in a while, he would be able to see her face in passing, as though she was really there. It would happen when he would least expect it, like when the bad people had come to his house to ask questions about her. He'd pictured her eyes staring at him through his window as though things were back to normal and she was waiting for the heads up so that she could sneak down into the basement again. Home.
Mike swallowed hard. Home seemed like a strange term now, considering it hadn't felt comforting since she'd been gone. Everything felt different. He couldn't go down into the basement with his friends without thinking of her. Dustin and Lucas did their best not to mention El, and Mike knew they were being sensitive to his feelings, but it was impossible not to think about her. His life had quickly gone from being completely normal to being absolutely insane, but he couldn't bring it in himself to enjoy the fact that everything was fine. He couldn't bring himself to rejoice in the fact that he was able to return to his normal life, because it meant that she wouldn't be there.
It wasn't that he had planned on liking her. None of them had talked to a girl so much before her, so the initial awe of her being a female had gone to his head. At first. After that, it was hard to explain. Mike saw things in Eleven that Lucas and Dustin just didn't see. They could all marvel in the fact that she had abilities, there was no doubt about that or how cool it was. But while Lucas saw a weirdo and Dustin was just confused about it all, Mike had found her…charming. Her innocent understanding of the world was lovable. The way her face lit up when they were staring at each other was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen, and the way she seemed to be so very loyal and protective of him was…well, it was awesome.
And the kiss. Mike squeezed his eyes shut and could still remember how he had seen colors bursting behind his eye lids when he'd kissed her. It was so short and literally out of nowhere, because he had no idea what the hell he was doing, but it seemed fitting. Eleven had been shocked, but in a pleased way, for the little inhale of breath and the slight smile awoke something inside of Mike that knew he had made the right decision. And it made him want to continue to make the right decision, over and over again until she couldn't stop smiling.
He opened his eyes and threw his head back against the wall. His room seemed haunted. He was constantly reminded of the fact that she had sacrificed herself for all of them. But there was a small part of him, the part of him that made him use the radio every single night, that felt her presence even a year later. He clung to the idea that Eleven could be out there somewhere, no matter what form she was in. He didn't really know how her powers worked. Did they kill her? Did they send her into the upside down? Did they cause her to simply be released into the radio waves or something?
He sighed, and found himself standing from his bed and exiting his room. There was only one place that he could do it and feel at least a little bit hopeful, though, and it was the same place that he knew he should avoid going at all costs.
The little fort was still intact. Mike hadn't had the heart to tear it down, and he had convinced his parents that it was simply something he and his friends had built and wanted to preserve. Really, though, it served as both a happy place and a sad reminder.
He picked up the hand-held radio and sighed deeply. He had been calling her for almost a year, and had never received a reply, but tonight he felt the need to just talk. He didn't require a response to feel better about the situation.
The sound of static broke through the silence of the basement, and he swallowed before pressing the button and saying, "El?"