Author's Note: I'm back and I'm late! I know! But, I was on vacation and I hadn't finished writing this chapter. I didn't want to just rush the end because I really want to put my heart, energy, and time into these stories. I know it's a stupid excuse, but I'm back and I will have the next chapter out Saturday! I also wanted to clear up that since this is my interpretation of season 2 with actual plot lines and characters from season 2, I will be using some scenes from the show. I do not take credit for writing those scenes! Anyway, thank you for listening to me babble but let's get to the story.

~Sofi

*DISCLAIMER*

I DO NOT OWN STRANGER THINGS I AM JUST BORROWING THE CHARACTERS AND SOME EVENTS

Chapter 3: New Friends, New Problems

"Video 7, Experiment Number 13," A voice rang over the intercom, but the young girl behind the glass couldn't hear a whisper. Her small frame sat upon a chilling metal chair as she looked on the wide table before her. A small tin soda can lie upon it, but she didn't know what it was. Wires wrapped her scalp, a barrier for her mind. Her full eyes, emerald-tinted orbs, stared longingly beyond the glass. Several men and a few women watched on the other side, clipboards ready in hand. A lengthy table sat just in front of the strangers who were gazing intently towards her.

Dr. Owens stepped towards the table where a mini black microphone sat, and spoke.

"Thirteen, can you hear me?" The miniscule girl gave a small and innocuous nod. "Good, good. Now, I need you to do something for me," He began, being as still and comforting as he could in a situation such as this one.

"Do you see the item on the table in front of you?" The young child repeated her actions. "I want you to crush it, with your mind." He made a gesture towards his head. "Try as hard as you can for me, alright?"

The girl sat up straight, inhaling a deep, low shaky breath. Her eyes, pinned against the aluminum can, squinted in compression. Her head began to shake as she focused deeply on the component before her.

"Concentrate, 13," Dr. Owens began, the newcomers vigorously scribbling on their clipboards.

Her head pounded with pain, praying for the sweet relief as soon as she ended the battle, but she kept focusing. Her vision blurred, but she kept going. Thirteen kept concentration until she couldn't feel any longer. She slumped back onto the hard alloy back of the chair. Her head rolled back, eyes mimicking the movement, feeling the alleviation of rest. A thin, crimson stream trickled from her left nostril as Dr. Owens sighed and picked up a phone from the desk. The tin can remained, unscathed.

"Doctor, the new experiment is showing signs of failure," He spoke, frustration lacing his voice.

The voice on the other side responded, "Well, we will just have to retrieve Eleven, Dr. Owens."

"Of course Dr. Brenner, she will not escape us again," With that, Dr. Owens hung up the phone, staring at the exhausted child behind the glass.

. . .

Will sighed. It was one of those days again, he was running late for school and he felt terrible. He shoved his school bag into the back of his locker and grabbed his science textbook. He had that sick, churning feeling in his stomach. Probably all the pizza I ate at Mike's, he told himself.

Will walked awkwardly down the hallway, palms growing ever more sweaty as he traveled further. It always felt like everyone was looking at him, watching him. A drop of sweat dripped down the back of his neck. Maybe it was just getting hotter? Will quickly brushed it off, it was just himself being nervous, like he always was. He spotted Mr. Clarke's room and slightly picked up his pace, shoes squeaking loudly against the cream tiled floors of Hawkins Middle School. He entered the doorway of the classroom and, immediately, all his friends' heads turned in synchronization to greet him. Will smiled meekly; he hated being the center of attention.

"Hey man, why so late?" Dustin voiced, shoving multiple chips into his toothless mouth before hiding the bag away into the pocket of his usual hoodie.

"Oh, umm, just didn't feel too well, guess I had to much pizza last night," He said quietly, taking a seat behind Dustin.

Mike gently nudged him on the soldier, "Sorry man, I think we bought to much,"

"It's fine," Will replied as Mr. Clarke entered the classroom.

"Alright students," He started enthusiastically, "Before we began today, we should have a new student arriving soon,"

Almost as if on cue, the wooden door swung open and in stepped the new student. Her hair was bright red, and the wavy fiber draped loosely down just past her shoulders. She wore a ruby-red athletic jacket that scrunched the tiniest amount at her wrists. The zipper was down just about halfway to reveal a cream-colored top with numerous colored horizontal stripes. A plain pair of jeans clung to her legs as she held a school bag in one hand. She began to quickly race to her seat to avoid embarrassment, but Mr. Clarke stopped her.

"All right, hold up. You don't get away that easy," The teenage girl rolled her eyes and walked to the side of his desk. "Come on up, don't be shy." He made a nod towards Dustin.

"Dustin, drum roll," At that, Dustin closed his textbook and tapped his hands against the book.

Mr. Clarke began with suspense, "Class, please welcome, all the way from sunny California, the latest passenger to join us on our curiosity voyage, Maxine!" He held a hand out to introduce her as he concluded his mini presentation.

"It's Max," she muttered, looking towards the floor while shaking her head slightly.

"Sorry?" Mr. Clarke asked, being caught off guard by her comment.

"Nobody calls me Maxine, it's Max." She repeated a little bit louder.

Mr. Clarke gave a meek smile, "Well, all aboard, Max."

Max brushed it off as she hurried to her seat at the back of the class. All the while, Dustin and Lucas watched her, clearly enticed by the foreigner. Mike watched the two companions, reading their expressions like books. Will sat quietly while looking down towards the floor as something bubbled in his gut.

Mr. Clarke began the class. "Now class today we-"

Will shot his hand up.

"Yes, Mr. Byers?" Mr. Clarke asked, the slightest bit annoyed.

"Umm," He stuttered, "C-can I go to the bathroom, please?" Will shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

"I guess so," Mr. Clarke gave him a small smile. Will returned one, but much more unsure and uneasy. He swiftly exited the classroom and raced down the hallway, frightful of what his stomach might push up. Will could feel the creature, the small slimy slug wriggle in his abdomen, longing for freedom.

While Dustin and Lucas 'swooned' (as Mike put it) over Max, Mike watched his shorter associate depart towards the restroom. He didn't look so well. Bad memories stirred awake within the young Wheeler boy, memories he wanted to keep asleep. Mike thought about it for a moment- his friend's demeanor, his appearance. It was all very strange, but Mike reminded himself that stranger things have happened. It was just all the pizza he ate, right?

. . .

"Hey, can you all go to the arcade later?"

"I'd have to check my stash but I'm pretty sure I can go."

"Yeah, I just gotta tell my mom."

"Cool, I'll call you on the Super-com later. How 'bout you Will?"

The bell had rung and the halls of Hawkins Middle were filled to the brim once again with the relieved and joyful spirits of the youth who attended there. Will's episode in the bathroom had subsided for the most part, but the jittery and tense feeling was still ever-so present in the bellows of his gut. Though his mind hung onto that fear, he let go of it for the most part.

"Will?" Lucas repeated, a worried expression working its way through his face.

"Oh, I just gotta tell my mom, too." He said, a little bit out of it.

Dustin tapped him on the shoulder, "You okay man?"

"Yeah, just a little nauseous I guess…" Mike did nothing but watch the conversation unfold.

Mike hopped up onto his bike after slipping his backpack over his shoulders, "Well I'll call you when I've told my mom. See ya!"

"See ya Mike!" Dustin called after him, while the rest perched upon their bicycles and rode off, heading towards their own personal destinations.

. . .

In the cold, bitter winter of Hawkins, Indiana, three teenage kids pulled up into the bright, neon-lit parking lot of 'The Palace Arcade.' Loose rocks were shot around beneath the rolling wheels of their bikes and left their marks in small patches of snow scattered about the pavement.

"So, why couldn't Will come tonight?" Lucas questioned while kicking up his bike stand.

Mike and Dustin repeated his actions. "Apparently he told his mom he hadn't been feeling his best and she insisted he stayed home." Dustin pulled a bag of chips from his pocket and began devouring them as if he hadn't eaten in days.

"Total bull," Lucas sighed.

The boys entered the bustling attraction and immediately headed over to Dragon's Lair so Dustin could win and get a higher score than Lucas. About an hour later, they decided to head over to Dustin's favorite, Dig Dug.

"No no no no no!" Dustin panicked as he looked upon the screen.

"Someone named 'Mad Max' got 751,300 points?" Lucas exasperated, very taken back by the new high score.

Mike looked on in disbelief, "That's impossible,"

"Mad Max… Mad Max!" Dustin chimed while looking towards the party members.

"Who's 'Mad Max?'" Mike asked, clearly puzzled. Lucas' face held the same contortion.

"Oh my god," Dustin muttered while shaking his head, "Are you both seriously this dense? Mad Max is Maxine, from school? The one who literally likes to be called Max?"

"We have no proof of that," Lucas sassed.

Dustin grew irritated quickly, "Oh my god Lucas! Use your common sense!"

"Girls don't play video games, though." Lucas countered, crossing his arms.

"Well, Lucas, last I checked girls don't really flip vans with their minds either!"

A silence fell over the three friends.

The tension was thick, way too thick. Dustin cleared his throat, "Umm, back to what I was talking about, do you think it's really a coincidence that in the same day a new student named Max comes to our school and someone with the that name beats my high score? I don't think so! Max is Mad Max!"

"Whatever, I mean she does ride a skateboard," Lucas added.

Mike stayed silent.

Lucas sighed, "Mike-"

"I-I just remembered, my mom wanted me home early, and it's already been an hour so, I gotta go," Mike uttered, looking towards his friend's almost forlorn faces. "I'll, uh, see ya later." He walked outside and hopped on his bike. He rode into the distance, knowing the only place that could give him comfort.

"Mike, wait!" Lucas called after him, "Great goin', idiot." Dustin scoffed and turned to go back inside.

Maybe I can try to talk to her again...maybe she'll listen, maybe she'll hear. He just wanted to sit in that fort. He wanted to sit in that goddamn stupid blanket fort until she comes back. He'd wait until time stopped. He'd wait until the world broke down and crumbled around him and there was nothing left. He'd wait forever. She's not gone. She's still here.

Mike barged open the basement door, pausing to look around. He stepped towards the fort, hesitating slightly as he took in the solemn sight. It was empty, incomplete.

~:~

Mike handed her a sleeping bag to use for the night. He had quickly constructed a small but manageable blanket fort for her to stay in for the time being. "Hey, umm, I never asked your name,"

She turned towards him, eyes locked on her wrist. She pulled back her sleeve and revealed a tattoo depicting the number '011' just below her palm.

"Is that real?" Mike went to touch the mark upon her wrist, but she flinched and quickly pulled her wrist away from his reach.

"Sorry I just...never seen a kid with a tattoo before," Mike apologized and smiled at her. "What's it mean? Eleven?"

She stared at him blankly, and then pointed towards herself, twice.

"That's your name?" Mike questioned, seemingly puzzled at the information. She nodded several times to signify that it was.

"Eleven...okay," Mike looked towards the floor, than had and idea, "Well, umm, my name's Mike, short for Michael. Maybe we can call you 'El', short for Eleven." She nodded, pleased with the idea.

"Umm, well, okay," Mike spoke again, a bit awkwardly, "'Night El," Mike sat up and began to walk towards the stairs of the basement, but not before she replied.

She looked up at him, almost innocently, "'Night Mike,"

Mike gave a small nod and lowered the sheet to cover the opening of the fort. He turned to walk up the stairs, and glanced back once more at the fort. His heart skipped a beat.

~:~

Mike pulled back the sheet and peered inside.

At that moment, everything came crashing down. Every single emotion a human could feel lifted all its weight onto one, scrawny teenage boy. Mike fell onto his knees before the blanket construction. Shaky, heartbreaking sobs escaped his lips as hot tears flowed from his eyes. Trembling, he rested on the floor of the fort, reaching out for someone who couldn't reach back. It was much too much, it was too hard to wait for something that might never even happen, but it was so much harder to give up on it. He'd do it for her. He felt it, he felt her presence. Maybe it was wishful thinking? No. It was almost like a piece of her stayed there, waiting for her to return. A piece of her that would've died out with the rest of her but didn't. That was all the hope that Mike needed. He hadn't known how much time had passed, but Mike continued to sob with himself, out of somber, out of hope, out of acceptance.

"Mike?"

A small voice came from the staircase.

Nancy stepped onto the concrete floor of the lowest level and walked towards the fort. She knelt down to observe her brother, her heart crumbling at the sight. She could see the tear streaks, and they left his eyes red and puffy with emotion.

Mike croaked, "N-Nancy?" He looked up at her and her heart broke clear down the middle.

Nancy reached a hand out and pulled her younger brother into a tight embrace, and just sat there. Neither cared how long, they just sat there and hugged for as long as they needed. "It's okay, Mike, I'm here," Nancy mumbled, over and over again.

After some time, Nancy broke the embrace and looked her brother right in the eyes. She knew all too well what was going on. "Mike-"

"I know what you're gonna say!" Mike snapped, "E-El's gone and I should get over it! But you don't understand, I know she's alive! S-she, she-"

"Mike!" Nancy said again, "I believe you,"

Mike became confused, "Y-you do?"

"Of course," she gave him a small smile, "Look, I don't really know El, but I know one thing, and that's that she is strong. Besides, no one saw her die, she just disappeared, right?" Mike nodded, interested in what she was saying.

"I'm not just saying this to make you feel better, I just think she's lost. But, she will find her way home. She really likes you, she wouldn't leave you behind just to make you feel bad." She comforted, giving Mike one more hug.

"I wish Lucas would believe that, he never really liked her but I thought he changed." Mike expressed, wiping stray tears from the brims of his eyes.

"Well screw Lucas! He doesn't deserve to be friends with her, then." She threw her hands up in the air in exasperation.

"Thanks," Mike replied, nudging Nancy on the shoulder as they both chuckled.

"Now come on, let's get to bed." The siblings, now closer than they ever were before, walked up to their bedrooms to escape their harsh reality. Unbeknownst to them, a muted static crackle escaped the Super-com nestled in the pillows of the blanket fort.

". . . . . ."

To be continued…

Author's Note: Thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed! (So sorry Mike you'll meet her again someday T-T) Anyway, leave a review! I hope you come back Friday! Thank you!

~Sofi