Castle Byers

She goes to Mike's first.

It's the only place she wants to go, the only place she needs to go. Mike will be worried about her. He is already worried about her. She knows it's true, because she saw the look on his face, the last time they looked at each other. They both thought it was the last time. She knows it's true, because Mike cried. She saw his tears. She saw the broken look on his face. She hated hurting him, but she was saving him from something worse. From the monster.

And she has saved him. Mike is safe, because the monster is dead. She's not sure how long she's been missing, but it can't have been long. The Bad Men were searching the school when she left. She had to be very careful. She's glad she hasn't been missing for long, because Mike needs her. He needs to know she's okay. And she is okay. She is mostly okay. She is hungry and cold, but she is okay. She is more tired than she has ever been, but she is okay. She's alive. And she will see Mike soon. And that makes her feel more than okay. It makes her feel happy. It's the reason she's walking fast, even though she's tired. Even though she knows it hasn't been very long since she saw him, it feels like a long time.

She knows where Mike's house is. Lucas and Dustin walked her back to his house, the night a body was pulled out of the quarry. The first time Mike was angry with her. Even if she hadn't known how to find his house, she'd still know. She has the magnet feeling. She can find him anywhere. It's how she knows he's at his house, and not anywhere else. She can feel him. He's very close.

Eleven doesn't notice the cars parked in the driveway. She's too tired to notice them, and too focused on seeing Mike again. She doesn't notice anything's wrong until she does. It just happens. She wouldn't know how to explain it; it's just something she feels. It's a feeling of being watched. Of being hunted. It's just instinct, and she knows what instinct means, even if she doesn't know the word. The instinct feeling causes her to approach the window cautiously, instead of just opening the door to the basement.

She sees Mike first. She always sees Mike first, no matter who he's with. She smiles because even though it hasn't been long, it's also been too long. Forever. She's so happy to see him; she almost forgets the hunted feeling. Almost. Until she sees movement through the window. She sees Mike's parents. She sees the men. The Bad Men. She knows they are only there for one reason, because she is the reason. She is always the reason. Her heart sinks. Is Mike in danger? Does he need her help? She will help him if she can, but she's very tired. Drained. She doesn't know how much help she can be right now.

Mike is talking to the men. The men have guns. She can't see them, but she knows they're there. It's the hunted feeling, which is a bad feeling. But the men are hiding their guns, and that makes Eleven feel a little better. They are hiding their guns because they aren't going to use them. They are just talking. And she knows exactly what they want to know. They want to know where she is. It never crosses her mind that Mike will tell them anything. She knows he never would. She knows he never will. Mike will always keep her safe, if he can. She's not surprised at all when she hears Mike. He says he doesn't know where she is. And he will never tell them where she is, even if he did know. The Bad Men have no idea she's right outside the window.

But Mike does. He turns his face toward the window. It's not just a passing glance, he knows. Part of him knows. Somehow. He can feel her. He has the magnet feeling, too. He can't see her, even though she sees him. Their eyes are locked even if he isn't aware of it. It makes her smile and cry at the same time, because she knows now that she can't come home. Not yet. Mike is safe right now, but he won't be if she comes home. The Bad Men will know. They already suspect, because one of them is looking out the window, too. They will hurt Mike. They will try. She will kill anyone who tries to hurt Mike. She can do it. She's done it before.

But she can't right now. She's too tired. She used too much of her power and she can't right now. She knows her power can't keep him safe right now, but she can still keep him safe. The only way she can keep him safe is by leaving. The idea breaks her heart, even if it's only for a little while. She wants to come home, and Mike wants her to come home. She can see it in his face. She closes her eyes to block it out, because if she keeps looking at him, she'll come home anyway. She'll have to.

Instead she turns and flees, hiding in the trees and brush as the Bad Men search for her. She cries silently, so they don't hear her. She only hopes that Mike will know. She is safe. She is near, even if she can't come home yet.

When she no longer hears their footsteps and voices calling for her, she stands up. She leaves. She doesn't run, because that would make too much noise, and they might still be near. She walks as quickly and quietly as she can. She doesn't know where she's going, she just has to go. She doesn't try to find her other friends, because she knows the men will be there, too. The only way to keep them safe is to stay away from them.

She's very tired. It's cold outside, but she'll have to sleep outside. She just needs to get as far away as possible first. She keeps walking, forcing one step in front of the other. She starts to doze off without being aware of it, but she keeps walking. She keeps walking until she steps on a dry branch and the crack of it breaking snaps her awake. She looks around fearfully, but there's nothing there. Nothing living, anyway. Nothing except a fort in front of her. She smiles a little when she sees the sign. Castle Byers. She's been in Castle Byers before, but only in the Upside Down, and that doesn't count.

She tentatively moves the blanket aside and walks in, crouching a little. It's nice. It's a lot warmer inside than it is outside. It's the perfect place to sleep, at least for tonight. She senses that it won't be safe to stay here, not for very long. But she will sleep here tonight. She's only met Will once, but that was in the Upside Down, so maybe it doesn't count. She's not sure. But she is sure he wouldn't mind sharing Castle Byers with her. She looks around curiously, because, now that she's safe and a little warmer, she isn't as tired. She sees Will's drawings. He's very good, much better than she is. She sees his pictures. She smiles at the pictures of her friends. She's as happy as she can be right now. Even if she can't be with her friends, they are still here. With her. She takes one of the pictures and gently runs a finger over their faces. Dustin is laughing, Lucas is smiling. Will and Mike are holding a trophy. She traces their faces with her finger, letting it linger on Mike.

Something splashes the picture and her finger moves to her eyes, instead. She's crying again, and she didn't even realize. She wipes her eyes and pulls the blankets back from the makeshift bed before pulling them over her. She usually sleeps on top of blankets, but she's still a little cold. She keeps the picture in her hand and tries to get warm. Will has a stuffed animal. It's a lot like one she used to have, back in the lab. She stares at it. Part of her wants to move it away from her, because she doesn't like to think about the lab. But this is a different stuffed animal. It's Will's, and he is her friend. Or he will be, someday. She clutches it to her chest instead, and looks at the picture again. She's still looking at it when she finally falls asleep.

Two days later, Mike, Dustin, and Lucas are looking for Eleven. They've been searching the woods, just in case. Will is still in the hospital, although he wishes he could join them. He's anxious to meet the girl who saved him.

"El!" Dustin cries, cupping his hands over his mouth as they walk.

"ELEVEN!" Lucas shouts. They are searching for any sign. Dustin half-heartedly jokes that maybe they'll find a box of Eggos, and then they'll know.

"I don't know why you think she might be in the woods," Lucas tells Mike. He's afraid of pointing it out to his friend, because his friend looks terrible. Lucas isn't the most sensitive of the party, but it's obvious. Mike's face is drawn and white. Lucas knows it's impossible for him to have lost any weight in only a couple of days, but Mike looks skinnier. And he was already skinny.

"We have to try," Mike mumbles, without looking at him.

"She would go to your house first, though," Lucas points out. He can see Mike hesitate. "What?"

"I think…maybe she did. Maybe she tried."

Dustin and Lucas goggle at him. "What? When?" Dustin asks.

"The night she disappeared. Right after. When those assholes came over."

Lucas and Dustin exchange a glance. "Are you sure?"

Mike sighs. "No, but…" He struggles to put it into words. "I looked out the window. I felt someone watching me. It felt like…her. I think she was there." His friends don't know how to respond to this, so Mike continues. "She would have seen the Bad Men," he says, unconsciously referring to them the same way Eleven does. "She would have known she couldn't come home yet, so she may be hiding somewhere close by."

Dustin nods and Lucas doesn't respond. It's possible, he knows, but it's also possible that Mike just can't let her go. Lucas hasn't fully processed what happened yet. He doesn't know if Eleven is alive or dead. He doesn't know what happened to her, but he's more than willing to look for her.

They've reached Castle Byers. Dustin's packed a lunch for them, because they plan to stay out all day, if they can. Dustin ducks into the fort, with the others trailing behind him. Mike moves to the makeshift bed while Dustin unloads the sandwiches. The covers are rumpled. He moves Will's stuffed animal and sits down. He hears a crinkle and sees a picture half-buried under his leg. He pulls it out and looks at it, sees his friends and himself in the photo.

"Must have fallen down," Dustin says, around a mouthful of sandwich. He hands one to Mike. "Here."

Mike doesn't take it. "It fell down? It was across the room!" He calls it a room instead of a fort, because it does feel like a room. Will's made it as cozy as possible.

Dustin shrugs and Mike looks at the photo again. His mouth is dry and his heart is pounding because maybe she was here. Maybe this is a sign. A sign that she's okay. Dustin sees the look on his face and understands immediately. He sits next to him, and when he speaks, it's in a curiously gentle voice. "Mike. Will's been in here a lot without us. And Jonathan and Mrs. Byers, they were here, too. Maybe they moved it."

Mike's eyes are starting to sting, so he keeps them fixed on the photo instead of on his friend. Dustin seems to notice that, too, because he pats him once on the shoulder and then joins Lucas on the floor to look at comics. Mike's grateful for that, grateful they're giving him a moment alone. He sees something splash on the picture and wipes his eyes. Breathes. When Mike feels more in control of himself, he gets up. Drops the picture on the pile of blankets and joins his friends. He has the magnet feeling Eleven sometimes gets, but he doesn't understand it like she does. He ignores the magnet feeling that Eleven always trusts. Dustin is right. Will's here all the time, even when they aren't with him. His mom and brother were here when he was missing.

Anyone could have moved that picture.