The Pixie Moves On

Mike rolled over. It was going to be a lazy Sunday morning. He opened one eye to look at El, he saw that her eyes were open and she was staring at the ceiling.

She gave off a deep sigh, "You awake Mike?"

Mike was groggy only half awake. El sounded… funny. He wasn't quite awake enough to pick up on her mood.

"I suppose I might as well tell you this now while I have the nerve."

"Hmmm?" Mike almost fell back to sleep.

"I'm finished with playing house. It was fun while we were doing it, but I'm done with it now. I'm moving on. I'm going to have a shower, you should get up."

She left, and in a minute or so Mike heard the shower running.

He froze. His eyes were wide open. He was fully awake now. Finished with playing house? Moving on? He'd noticed that she'd been distant the last few weeks, and they hadn't been intimate for the last few days, unusual for them. She seemed to be flaunting it in his face, walking around the cabin, sometimes half undressed, standing or sitting provocatively.

Then it dawned on him what she was really saying. He sat straight up in bed. He knew her tone of voice now. Determination. Finality. It was the voice of El Hopper, the one you didn't question.

So that's it? That's how marriages ended? Mike was able to read between the lines when she said, "you should get up."

What she was really saying was that he needed to leave. When he realized that, the numbness started creeping in. He was starting to feeling lost. Not being with El was… unthinkable.

He dressed quickly but then he felt the lethargy in his body as he grabbed his gym bag and started packing clothes. He knew he could stay at his parents place until he could find an apartment.

It was over. Mike would hurt later, when the numbness wore off, but he wanted to get out of the cabin before El was was finished her shower.

He grabbed his gym bag and his jacket. He took one look around the cabin… he hung his head and then opened the door. Out of the cabin and out of El's life.

This was really going to hurt.

He had just stepped off the porch when he heard the door open behind him, "Mike? Where are you going?" She stepped out wearing only her bathrobe. She was probably looking the prettiest he'd ever seen her.

Oh, man, this was really going to hurt.

"I'm leaving El. I don't need to be told twice. I'm not sticking around for coffee or to chit chat. You say you're moving on. I get it." He started turning back towards the woods.

"Mike!" Her voice had the sound of desperation, it it reached her eyes. "You're leaving me? What did I do? I'm sorry, please… can we talk about this? I don't understand."

Mike was confused now. The look on El's face was enough to turn him back around and walk with her into the cabin.

Tears were streaming freely from her eyes. Mike could barely look at how he'd made her feel. He felt like shit. He was sure he'd broken his promise to her. That was going to hurt too.

"I thought you'd be happy that I left so cleanly without any drama. If you want to move on that was the easiest way. We deal with the paperwork later."

"Move on?" El looked completely bewildered.

"From playing house? It can't be more than twenty minutes since you told me that."

"I want to get back to work Mike, doing nothing is bothering me. It was fun doing all the domestic things with you, and I still want to do a bit of that, but I need to get back to my music. I… I think I used a really bad choice of words… that's not like me. I will be more careful… . So..." She wiped as much of the tears from her face as she could.

"So, you're not leaving me?" Mike could barely hear her voice. She was scared.

He pressed his lips together, shook his head. El started crying again, and Mike pulled her into a hug. "I told you Pixie, I'm with you forever." He could feel her head nodding on his shoulder.

"Um, El? Uh, there is one other thing."

"I know what it is Mike."

"You do?"

"We haven't fooled around for a few days. I've trying to drive you crazy with showing more skin… um, more of… me."

"It's working. I've been torn between being taking a lot of cold showers and just plain worrying."

"Oh, I'm sorry Mike. You never needed to worry about that. Um, I was trying to drive you crazy because of this…" She got up and walked to a bookshelf...she pulled a piece of paper out and handed it to Mike.

Mike read it. Smiled and then turned red. "You want to do some role playing… with this." He waved the piece of paper.

El had already turned red. "It's not too much?"

"Uh, no, that's really hot… and you… are… uh… you have a lot of imagination."

"I can still make you blush Mike." El sighed. "That's good."

Suddenly the radio crackled. "L1 to 11. Operation Asshole reinstated. Setting up asap. Watch for him."

For the second time that day Mike froze.

"Ok. this time I end it. I told you I would bring hell on earth for that asshole. He's never going to know what hit him." El's voice was cold. A scary cold.

El reached for a blindfold that Mike had seen her move around the little cabin, she went and turned the tv on to a dead channel.

She kneeled in front of the tv.

"What's going on? What are you doing?"

"Stop talking… Mike… please."

Mike kept quiet. The thought he heard a ripping noise. Then snarls from something not… human. He thought he heard screams. Then a zipping sound.

And then silence.

El was still kneeling in front of the tv. Mike saw a cold determination on her face that was beyond terrifying.

"I'm guessing you have an ability that I don't know about. Is there any reason you kept it from me?"

"A few Mike, I'll tell you know. I don't want to keep any secrets from you. I don't want there to be any reason that you feel you need to leave me."

"I'm sorry about that El. I thought we were over. It was going to be a bad night for me."

El stood up and hugged him… "Ok, let me tell you the part I left out when I told you about the lab."

XXXXX

"So you can find anybody?"

"I just need to see a photo of them. You, I can just picture in my mind, so I can find you anywhere Mike." El smiled at him.

"If I hadn't already seen you use your ability I'd have a hard time believing this Upside Down stuff. But it's real? And this demogorgon took Brenner?"

"I made a deal with it. If it helped me escape the lab if I let him have Brenner. It was a simple trade. No loss for the world. He gets to meet his research face to face."

"We don't have to worry about him again?"

"I'm sure he won't charm the demogorgon info to letting him go. I think he's probably… gone now."

"I need to get this all out of my system now Mike. And I know exactly how to do it… I'll need your help. Max and Dustin's too." She looked up at him with those big round eyes.

That look could get Mike to do anything for her.

XXXXX

This year we got two big albums to announce. Pink Floyd's The Wall and 11's The Upside Down. I guess both are aiming for the concept album market during the disco era. Pink Floyd's is what you'd expect, they are Pink Floyd after all. 11's last concept album didn't do so well. This one is… well, I don't really know what it is or what to make of the song titles. This is an advance the tracklist. El Wheeler told us that the songs, and liner notes would clear up any questions people would have:

Mama (I Don't Know You, But I Love You)

The Void

The Demogorgon

The Cat

Papa (The Degenerate Piece of Shit)

The Upside Down

The Escape