Chapter 10
El dreamt of a forest. The tall, dark trees gazed down at her figure sombrely, wardens of an ancient place. Out of the shadows appeared a man. His hair was like straw, styled in straight lines that cut down his forehead. He wore a dark coat and otherwise plain clothes. He seemed to be waiting for someone and sure enough, a few moments later, a second figure appeared-a woman. She had long blonde hair and a tall figure. She would have seemed proud and happy if it hadn't been for the silvery tears slowly trailing down her face.
She looked at the man in the coat. "Why?" she asked him, sobbing uncontrollably. "Because I need him", came the reply. "Unless you want me to take both of them". "If I can't stop you taking him, then at least tell me why", she demanded. "Why do you need to do this?"
"For the future", came his reply. "The Russians grow stronger every day, we can't do nothing. Anyway, you don't have a choice. We will have the boy, and you can never see him again".
And the scene changed. El was standing in front of a small house. It was a different day, night-time, and the stars seemed to watch what was happening. She saw the same woman, but this time someone different was with her. A man. Her brother...no, her husband. They talked for a moment, and El saw a third figure with them, just for a moment-a child. The father took the child by the hand and started to walk away from the house, into the dark. Several minutes passed. Then, she heard a loud noise, a gunshot, a cry, and the picture in her mind faded.
She sat up, breathing heavily. She got up, left the room, and crept up the stairs. She had to talk to Mike. She crept over to his bed and shook him lightly. "Mike! Mike!" she whispered urgently. He stirred and opened his eyes. "Whatizzit", he said, rubbing his eyes. She quickly explained her dream to him. He looked intrigued. "Did you recognize any of the people in your dream?" he asked her. "No", she replied.
A sudden thought occurred to her. "Mike, do you think Will is okay?" she asked him. "Why do you ask?"
"Well, what if him being this host thing, the Upside-Down, it's all linked?"
"How is it linked?"
She tried to explain. "Well, when I came through the Veil-back from the Upside-Down-I used my powers to force it open, but I didn't close it behind me."
"So the gateway is still open?"
"Exactly, and that might be why Will's been infected by this thing-because it can travel between the dimensions."
"And that's how the monster got through", Mike finished.
They smiled at each other. It felt so good just working together, unravelling the tapestry of mysteries; learning, understanding. And both of them could tell that the other was understanding just how they felt.