"This damn thing is heavy," Dustin grunted, rolling the kiddie pool across the gym floor.

"Shut up and keep rolling," I urged. We stopped in the middle of the gymnasium and started untying the rope that was keeping it wrapped up.

"Come on," Dustin said.

"It's upside down," Lucas pointed out. We flipped it over, turning it and turning it. "No, this way."

"Okay, um..." I said, trying to figure out up from down, side from bottom.

"How does this even work?" Dustin asked.

"Try that side."

"Son of a bitch!" Dustin grunted, trying to pull back the sides like the rest of us.

"Pull it back. Pull it back!" Lucas said.

"I am!"

"Stop bickering!" I yelled.

"1, 2, 3!" Lucas counted and we all tried pulling at once.

"Shit!"

After a lot more arguing and struggling, we finally got it standing upright just as Mike and Nancy came back with the rolls and rolls of hoses. We started connecting them and leading them from the pool to the sink in the locker room.

Lucas held a thermometer in the water, yelling "Colder!" and then, "Warmer!" and lastly, "Right there!"

We started cutting open bags of salt and dumping them in, every so often Dustin would drop an egg in and it would sink, so we would go back to the bags of salt. I sat there feeling restless as Hopper and Jonathan dumped bag after bag, but finally the egg floated.

Mike set up the radio to static again and Eleven took off her socks. She handed Mike a watch, and took the duck tapped goggles from my mom, slipping them on. With help from Hopper and Joyce, she climbed into the pool and laid flat on her back.

For a while nothing happened. And then the lights flickered.

Once more we waited with baited breath for something else to happen.

"Barb? Barbara?" She suddenly murmured. Nancy leaned closer, her face a mask of worry. It was working. Eleven started breathing heavily and the lights flickered and then went out.

"What's going on?" Nancy asked fearfully.

"I don't know," Mike responded.

"Is Barb ok? Is she ok?" Nancy asked loudly, leaning over the edge of the pool.

"Gone. Gone. Gone." Eleven's voice was choked and warbled, as if she were crying.

"It's ok," Mom started repeating, holding onto the little girl's arms. "We're right here, hunny. It's ok. Don't be afraid." She kept repeating it until Eleven calmed down and became quiet again.

"Castle Byers," she whispered, and I felt my heart clench with fear. What if... What if Will was gone, too? I felt aa tear slip down my face and then Jonathan was wrapping an arm around me, pulling me close.

"Will?" Mom gasped, and I put a hand over my mouth to hold back a sob.

"You tell him... Tell him I'm coming. Mom is coming." Mom's voice shook, but she held tight to El. Weakly, through the static, we heard Will say hurry. A sob did break free then, and I turned my face into Jon's chest. It was so good to hear his voice, but what if that was it? What if we didn't find him in time?

"Ok, listen. You tell him to... To stay where he is. We're coming, okay? We're coming, hunny." Mom's voice was stronger now as she told Eleven what to say.

For another moment nothing happened, and then we heard what sounded like El whimpering through the radio before she shot up in the tub, ripping off the goggles. Mom grabbed her and pulled her close.

"Ok. Ok, ok. I've got you. I got you, hunny. You did so good. Are you okay?" She whispered as Eleven clung to her and cried.

I sat on the bleachers with the kids, Lucas wrapping a towel around El. Hopper, Mom, and Jon stood a ways away talking before heading outside.

We waited for them to come back.

I watched fondly as Mike held El close and rubbed her shoulders. They really were great kids. Taking in this lost girl and helping her, trying to find their friend... I wasn't related to any of these kids here, but I felt so proud of them. They were all so strong, yet so young. I wished we could have done something to protect them from this mess, but it was too late for wishing now.

Now, we wait. After a while I figured Mom and Hopper must have left to find Will, but where had Nancy and Jon gone off to?

No body talked, no body moved from their spots on the bleachers. But as time went on, and Jon and Nancy didn't come back, and there was no word from Hopper or Mom, we all grew antsy. Mike was practically vibrating in his seat, checking his watch.

"I'll go check on them," I said, standing up before Mike could take off, too.

I walked across the gym and outside, looking around.

"Jonathan? Nancy!" Nothing. Not a single car, either. "Fuck!"

I flung the gym door back open. "They're gone! Nancy and Jon. His car's gone."

"They're probably just sucking face somewhere," Dustin said offhandedly.

Mike made a face and Lucas said "Gross!" but I shook my head. I knew my brother better than that, and after spending some time with Nancy, too, I had a bad feeling about this.

"No, no way."

"Did they go with the Chief?" Dustin asked.

"Maybe. I don't know," I replied, rubbing my forehead with a heavy sigh. A really bad feeling.

"No," El pipped up, and we all turned to look at her. Her voice was grave.

"What?" Mike asked. "Did you see them? Do you know where they went?"

"Yes."

"Where? Where did they go?" I asked, fearing for the answer.

"Demogorgon."

"... Shit."

"Guys! Guys, this is crazy! We can't just wait around!"

"What do you want us to do?" I asked Mike. "They left us here with no car! We have no choice but to stay put."

"Plus, in case you forgot, we're still fugitives. The bad men are still looking for us!" Lucas added.

"Yeah, and we don't even know where your sister and Jonathan are," Dustin concluded.

"El can find them," Mike said.

"No, she can't. Mike, she's drained," I said firmly. She needed rest. We all cast a glance over at El, who was still wrapped up in the towel. There were new, dark circles under her eyes.

"I still think we should stick to the Chief's plan," Dustin said carefully.

"Exactly," Lucas agreed. "We stay here, keep El out of sight, and keep her safe. That's the most important thing, remember? Besides, Nancy's ok, she's with Jonathan."

I snorted. As if that was gunna be of any help.

"Yeah, and she's kind of a badass now, so..." Dustin said with too much excitement, and then started walking off.

"Well, where are you going? You just said stick to the plan!" Mike yelled after him.

"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 yelled, throwing his arms out. Lucas turned and started following Dustin.

And that's how we found ourselves sitting in the middle school caf, listening to Dustin dig around in the back, looking for that damn pudding.

"Found it! I knew she was hoarding it. I knew it. Always lying, saying she's out. Bald-faced liar. Mike, I found the chocolate pudding!"

"Okay!" Mike yelled back, sounding so fed up. He turned back to El and softened up. "Are you feeling any better?"

"What's 'putting'?" El asked cluelessly. I grinned to myself at her naïve childness. It was refreshing.

Mike chuckled. "Pudding, it's... It's this chocolate goo you eat with a spoon." He paused. "Don't worry, when all this is over, you won't have to keep eating junk food and leftovers like a dog anymore. My mom, she's a pretty awesome cook. She can make you whatever you like."

"Eggos?" El asked with excitement.

"Well, yeah, Eggos, but real food too. See, I was thinking, once all this is over and Will's back and you're not a secret anymore, my parents can get you an actual bed for the basement. Or you can take my room if you want, since I'm down there all the time anyways. My point is, they'll take care of you."

"Mike..." I cut in. "We don't know what's going to happen."

He shot me a glare so I sighed and decided to keep the rest of it to myself. Likely, child services would step in. Who knows who would be allowed to keep El, if any of their families?

"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."

I couldn't listen to this anymore. Not only was it saddening that Mike was setting himself up for likely heartbreak, now he was filling El with the same false hope. For all we knew, she could get shipped half-way across the country and we'd never see her again.

So instead I worried myself some more over what Nancy and Jonathan were up to. El had said they went after the Demogorgon, but what did that mean? Were they back in those woods, like we had planned before? But with what? The cops took all our stuff.

Suddenly lights flashed across the windows and my head shot up. Were they back already?

"Nancy. hold on, I'll be right back," Mike said.

"Woah, woah. Let me go. You stay here with El." Mike didn't look too upset about that as he sat back down. I hadn't missed their awkward-ass kiss. I walked out of the caf and down the hall, pushing open the outside doors. I was so happy they were back, hopefully they were both ok...

Instead of seeing Jon's car pull in, I watched as car after car rolled up, soldiers getting out of them. These must have been the guys looking for El.

"Oh, shit."

I turned on my heel and booked ass back to the cafeteria, yelling.

"Guys! It's not Nancy and Jon! They found us!"