She walked slowly, noticing Mike in the distance. She slightly smiled at his feet, as they stuck out of the fort. She had found that when sleep came she didn't really sleep at all. She wanted to see him; she wanted to hear how his day was, and what school was like. So here she was in this void she had created.

"El," Mike's voice sounded distant even though she was getting closer. She stood in front of the fort; his feet and long legs were the only things she could see. "El? It's Mike. I just wanted to say hi, and let you know how my day was." She bent down, looking into the fort acting like he could see her. She sat on some of the blanket looking at him even though he saw right through her. "Dustin slammed his head on his desk in Biology today." El let out a soft snort, picturing his head smacking into the wood. "I guess it was kind of funny, but really I know he is having the same problems we're all having." El's smile disappeared, turning into a frown.

She watched as he sat in a moment of silence, looking around at what she was picturing as the basemen;, to her it was just darkness. She noticed his eyes widen, his back straighten.

"El? Was that you?" El looked around her, she wasn't doing anything. She looked back at Mike in confusion; the hairs on his arm were sticking up.

"That wasn't me," she said, but he didn't take notice to her voice. She reached for him slowly, not wanting him to disappear.

"I miss you," she could see his eyes begin to water.

"No," she cried, feeling warm tears fall down her face. She reached up to his face, feeling a static that she wasn't used to feeling. His color was turning gray, he was dissipating.

"Who is he?" a voice rang loudly behind her causing her to drop her hand and jump in fear. El turned her head to the sound of the voice, the girl she had been seeing standing just a few feet away. She stood in a hospital gown, her feet cover with water from the floor.

El stood from her place as the fort began to disappear; she stared at the girl with confusion. They both took one step towards one another, looking each other in the eyes. Even though the girl was older than her, they still stood at the same height. The hair on the girls head sat the same way hers used to.

"Who are you?" El asked. She slowly reached out for the girl, not knowing if she could touch her or not. She reached for her left arm; the skin was almost like plastic, and cold. They both looked up at one another with wide eyes. El turned the girls arm over, reading the numbers 001 tattooed into her skin. "Who are you?" she asked again. She looked at the girls face, skinny and tired.

"They want me to find you," The girl said. "But I don't want you to be found." There was a moment of silence as El took in those words. Who wanted to find her? Papa? "I just want to sleep," The girl continued. "But there is this darkness that won't leave me alone." Her face turned from serious to scared. Her eyes searched the area behind El as she began to slowly cry. "I don't know what it is, but I can hear it in my sleep. Like the sound of an animal." El heart began to race. She thought about all the things this girl could be seeing, and she began to panic. "He always tells me to go towards the noise," she said in a whimper.

"Who?" El asked, she grabbed the girls hand a little harder, getting closer to her face. "Who is telling you?"

"It likes to follow you," she said in a slight whisper. "I think that's why he wants me to follow it. He knows that it watches over you." A chill ran down El's back. A slight sound of moving water came from behind her; a growl grew into her ears. The girls face screwed tight as she cried silently in fear; backing away from her. El let the girls arm go, listening to foot steps behind her. She closed her eyes, trying to get herself to wake up, to get out. "You have to help me," the girl said still backing up. El looked up at her, not understanding what was going on. A snarl sounded, El spun around to the noise. Behind her stood a Demogorgon, looming over her its mouth slightly opening and bending down to her. El's breath got caught in her chest, she took one step back, slipping on the water and falling on her butt. She could feel the cold press into her body, her overall getting wet, and her feet getting colder.

The other dimensional animal bowed its body over hers; she could feel the warmth of its breath on her skin. So, she screamed as loud as she could, hoping to be freed from the dream.

…

It took two screams for Hopper to open his eyes. They were faint, and at first he thought they could be some kind of animal, but as he slowly opened his eyes the second scream got his attention. He sat up fast, looking around the dark room. The fire had turned to soft embers, and he could feel a big breeze on his face. He looked over to his left; the front door was hanging wide open, and to his right El was missing from her place on the couch.

By the third scream he was on his feet, going for his gun by the kitchen table and running out the front door. The scream sounded like it was coming from each direction; he didn't know which way to go. Another scream came from the back of the cabin; he went around the building, running through the trees. The cold air was making his chest hurt, and a slight frost fell from the sky, melting on his skin.

It took him till the forth scream to find her, lying on the forest floor; facing the sky. He slid onto the floor in front of her, looking around her to see if anyone was there. Her face looked slightly calm, but as he tried to shake her awake he could see her face twist as she let another scream out. Blood was beginning to fall from her nose and onto the side of her face.

"El," he said patting her check and shaking her. "El! Wake up!" he yelled in her face. Her body felt frozen, and her lips were a slight shade of blue. "El!" he yelled one more time. Her eyes flew open, her arms going to grab him as she let in a sharp breath. He grabbed her face, her skin pale by the cold. He let out a sigh of relief as he watched her take in fast breaths. "What are you doing out here?" He asked her. She looked around her; she sat in a slight state of confusion.

"I-I don't know," she tried standing up; she began to shiver. She took the sleeve of her shirt to her nose, trying to rub the blood away.

"We need to get you into the warmth," Hopper said. He picked his gun up from the floor, looking around him one more time. "Come on kid," he said putting his hand on her shoulders and leading her back home. She stumbled in front of him, she body beginning to shiver harder and harder.

Mike lay in his bed, looking at his ceiling as the sun slowly rose outside of his window. He could hear his mother wake up to an alarm clock in the other room; she walked to Holly's room to start their day. He knew he should probably get up, but all he could do was lay there and stare. He didn't really want to move, he just wanted a day to rest, even though sleep was hard to come by.

He thought about talking to El, how the lights flickered, there was electricity in the air. Today he was going to see Hop, and hopefully he said yes to the Snow Ball. Even if he didn't, Mike was going to figure it out. They had promised a year ago that they would go together, and this year they would.

"Mike," His mom slowly peaked through the closed door. "It's time to wake up honey," she said in the softest voice that she could. Mike rolled his eyes, moving the blanket away from him. She left the door cracked as he sat in bed; placing his feet into the carpet. The shower started down the hall, and he could hear Holly give a small whine as his mother tried to coax her into a shower.

He moved to his closet, trying to see what clothes he wanted to wear in the dim light. His door creaked slowly, and he turned in surprise. Nancy stood in her pj's, she looked slightly spooked glancing at Mike.

"I felt like something was off," she said quietly, looking out his door to see if anyone was listening. "I called Johnathan." Mike felt his stomach drop, he walked closer to Nancy. "He said Hopper came to the house early this morning with El. She was out in the cold last night and got hypothermia." Mike quickly turned back to his closet, grabbing a random sweater and jeans, throwing them on as Nancy continued. "He says that she seems fine, just a little spooked."

"Can you tell mom I went to see Will before school," He grabbed socks from his drawer. He sat on his bed to put them on and looked up at Nancy. She looked at him with a sad expression on her face.

"Yeah," she said in a whisper. "Make sure you're not missing school, if mom finds out your toast." Mike nodded his head, standing and moving past her; opening the door wider. He stopped and looked at his sister. They hadn't spent not much time together since she got older. They had been close before, but everything changed when she got into more girly things.

"Thanks for letting me know," he said. He went in and gave her a hug, he didn't really know why he did it, but he felt a little comfort crawl through him when he did.

"Sure," she said breathlessly. Mike let go of the hug, running down the hall and to the stairs. He went for his shoes by the door, grabbing his back pack that still lay open at the kitchen table. He threw all his homework into his back pack in a jumbled mess, zipping it up, grabbing his jacket from the couch, and ran for the front door.

…

She just wanted to stop shivering. When she woke up in the forest she had so much adrenalin running through her that she didn't even feel cold. It wasn't until she collapsed through the front door of the cabin that she only felt like sleeping, but was having a hard time controlling the shaking she felt form her body. Hopper panicked, not knowing what to do, and had gone straight for the fire place, but there was only one piece of wood left.

He had thrown multiple large coats on top of her, before picking her up and bringing her to his truck. He blasted the heater all the way to the Byers house, where Joyce, through sleepy eyes, started a warm bath and made hot tea. Will helped gather blankets, while Johnathan helped Hop set up a warm spot in the living room.

Hop brought her into the bathroom. Taking off her sweater, and looked down at her arms, covered in bandages. Through her chattering teeth and shaking body she had no strength to move into the bath, so Hop picked her up as she lay in only her undergarments and arm bandages. He placed her into the warm water, and undid the bandages on her arms.

"What is this," he asked, but she had no time to answer. All she could think of was keeping her mind on the breathing and the shaking. She let Hop take every last bit of bandage off. He looked at her scabbed over cuts, and looked up at Joyce who stood over her shoulder.

"They look like ropes," she said as he moved his hand over the small scabbed burns. They sat in silence for a moment while the phone started to ring. Johnathan stood in the door way of the bath room with towels, passing them to his mother to go answer the phone.

"Okay kid," Hop said. She could feel her body slightly calming down, but even though she was still in hot water she felt so cold. "We are going to get you out, and Joyce is going to help you get into something warm." El tried to nod her head in understand while Hop helped her stand in the tub. The water dripped off of her body and she could feel the cold air touch her wet skin, causing her to start shivering more. Joyce passed a towel to Hop. They both took towels and began to dry her off while she held the wall for support.

"That was Nancy," Johnathan said, coming back into view. "She said she felt like something was off."

"Shit," Hopper said under his breath. "Now we're going to have a worried teenage boy on our hands." He helped El out of the tub, handing the towel to Joyce. "I'll be right in the hall way if you need help," he told her, making Johnathan move out of the way.

"Is she okay," she could hear Wills voice from the hall way. Hopper closed the door while Joyce unfolded some heavy pajama pants.

It wasn't until Hopper had settled her into the couch, three blankets on top of her and a heater plugged in beside her that she really understood what was going on. Hop bent down in from of her face, she was still shaking but not as much.

"I don't know what happened," she said through chattered teeth.

"Mikes here," Will said. He stood slightly behind Hopper looking out the window. El could hear heavy footsteps on the front porch as the front door opened. Light from the rising sun made El's eyes sting. Hopper put his hand up to Mike as he entered the house to shut him up before he even started talking.

"What's the last thing you remember," Hopper asked her. A draft came through the front door and Mike closed it quickly.

"I remember watching the fire before I closed my eyes." She said, thinking back to last night. "and then I went to listen to Mike," she paused for a moment, not knowing if she should go any farther.

"What else happened?" Hopper glared into her eyes. "Friends don't lie remember."

"It's a secret," she said back. Mike walked around Hopper bending down next to him to look at her. He looked just a worried as the other night when she closed the gate.

"Friends tell each other secrets all the time," Mike said to her. She thought for a minute about what that meant, if she really wanted them to know what she saw.

"There's a girl," she said slowly. She let in a warm breath; she could feel her shivers picking up slightly. "And then there was a monster," both Hopper and Mike looked at one another.

"Do you remember how you got outside," Hopper asked; El tried shaking her head through the mass on blanket. "Do you know where those cuts on your arms came from?" Mike looked back at El in confusion.

"Tied to a chair," she tried to explain, the cold was taking over again. Her teeth chattered loudly and Mike stood to sit next to her on the couch; rubbing her arms over the blankets to keep her warm.

"What chair?" Hopper asked with a little more aggression. "Who tied you to a chair?" El shook her head, she was too tired to explain; she didn't really know how to explain at all.

Hopper stood in the door way of the living room watching Mike whisper to El as she tried to fall asleep. He couldn't get anything out of her while she was so tired, and he knew it would be a while before he really got the full story. Things started making sense. She had looked so tired, and a little timid, but he had thought that was because of how intense the past week had been. She had been sleep walking, but while she was in the other plain; in her void.

"Is it sad that I am kind of used to this kind of stuff now?" Joyce came behind him, handing him a mug of coffee. She smelt slightly of cigarettes and lotion; Hopper took in a deep breath.

"I just wish," Hopper said lowly, looking back to El bundled in the couch. "I wish she could just live." He said, taking a sip of his drink. Will took a seat next to Mike, looking over to El with concerned eyes. He held a blanket over his shoulders, still in his P.J.'s. "How is he?" Hopper looked at Joyce, searching for the answers in her eyes.

"I don't know," she said slowly, looking down into her mug. "He keeps telling me he's fine, but when I catch him when he doesn't know I'm looking," she paused looking up at Will, then at Hopper. "It's like it's still there. Like I can still see it living in his eyes." Hopper looked back over to Will, watching him help Mike calm El down so she could sleep. Mike said something with a smile, and Will let out a laugh. Hopper could see a small smile play on El's lips; her eyes were closed, almost asleep.

"I think we're stupid if we think this is over," Hopper said lightly. He looked over to Joyce, her eyes widened from his statement. "There's no way it's over." He checked his watch, and then down at his cloths. "Can she stay?"

"Of course," Joyce said taking his mug out of his hand and placing both coffees on the dinner table. "You can stay as long as you need."

"Just for a few hours," Hopper said. "I need to head back and get ready, I'm already late. Today's going to be a long day." He turned and walked over to El. Mike and Will looked up at him, Mike looking slightly pissed.

"You go to school," he pointed to Mike, "and you stay here and keep watch," he said to Will.

"I'm not leaving," Mike said. He stood from his spot, him and Hopper meeting chest to chest. "You can't just kick me out."

"Watch me," Hopper said getting closer to his face. He moved Mike out of the way and bent down to El's face. "You need to rest kid," El let out a slight moan. "Like, real sleep. None of this void stuff; don't go looking for trouble." He ruffled her hair slightly. Standing from his spot he grabbed Mike's arm and dragged him to the door.

"Hey," Mike said loudly.

"Listen Kid," he said opening the door and throwing Mike out of it while taking his own step out. He closed the front door while Mike looked around his shoulder to look inside. "I can't have you skipping school. I have ten thousand things going on and I don't need your parents freaking out to be one of them, you got me?" Mike let out an angry sigh.

"Yeah sure," he said turning around and heading to his bike.

"We are still talking today," Hopper yelled from the porch as Mike got on his bike. "Just because El sleepwalks doesn't mean I don't want her to go to this dance, okay kid? I can't hide her forever." Mike looked up from his bike.

"I guess I'll see you later," he said, turning his bike around and peddling away. Hopper let out a sigh, fishing his keys out of his pocket and headed for his truck. Today was going to be a long day.

…

Mike was late to first period, but that didn't really bother him. Mrs. Peters sat at the front desk, her half-moon spectacles slipping down her nose as she wrote a tardy slip for Mike. He looked around the empty hall ways, whishing that the silence would go away.

"Go straight to class," she instructed Mike, he rolled his eyes while taking the slip from her. Where else would I go, he thought. He walked to Mr. Clark's class, his voice boomed down the hall as he talked about cells again. Mike appeared in the door way, walking in and handing the slip to Mr. Clark. He was putting on his best teacher face as Mike took a seat by his friends. All three of them gave him a weird look and he whispered, "I'll tell you later," under his breath.

"So," Dustin said as he let his lunch tray slam on the cafeteria table. "He just found her out there, screaming?" Everyone took a seat around the circular table, all watching Mike as he opened his milk.

"Something feels weird," Mike said looking around his friends. "I mean, weirder than it already does. Last time all of this happened our homes were swarmed by crazy government people, and now we don't even hear a word from them. Plus, it feels like somethings watching us." Max nodded her head in agreement.

"I thought I saw something in my room last night when I was trying to sleep." She said, spooning up some mac and cheese and inspecting it. "I don't know if it's just trauma, or if there is really something there." Lucas gave a little shiver, looking down at his food in disgust.

"How do we know the gate is really closed," he said quietly, looking around him. "I mean, yeah, El closed the gate, but what's stopping it from just coming back?"

"El opened the gate," Dustin said. He took a sip of his chocolate milk. "She would have to open it again; she's the one with the power to do that." Mike thought back to the breakfast they had all shared. El had talked about a sister.

"What if El's not the only one with powers?" They all looked at each other with concerned eyes. "Hawkin's lab has closed down," he continued, "but who says that's the only lab like that out there. What if they're all over the country? Doing the same thing that they were doing here?" Mike pushed his tray of food away from him, to antsy to eat.

"I don't like the sound of that," Dustin spooned in his mac and cheese, eating with a ferocity that would disgust anyone. The other three watch him as he took in one spoon after another. Dustin stopped and looked up at them, "What?" he asked with a mouth full of mac and cheese. Lucas shook his head and rolled his eyes.

"We keep our eyes and ears open," Mike said looking around at all of them.

"We can go take a look at the lab," Lucas said. "I still remember how to get to the tree I used to look past their gates." Max nodded her head.

"I'll go with you," she said. Mike and Dustin looked at one another. Mike took his milk from the tray, taking a sip slowly, and thinking. Dustin continued to eat, while the rest of the party watched; thinking.

…

El thought back to the time she first saw Hopper in the forest; knelt down by the wooden box, placing in some healthy food in a plastic container and some Eggo's on top. She smiled slightly, coming back to reality. She could feel a sweat building up around her body, her arms were bare and her feet were so hot it was making her feel sick. She tried to move, but her arms and legs felt like jelly, and the blankets that were stacked on top of her were too heavy.

"It's okay," Joyce's voice said next to her. El opened her eyes to see the mom with a mug of tea and a smile on her face. "Let's get some of these blankets off," She took one blanket off and then the other, leaving El with one thin soft comforter on top of her. She helped El slowly sit up, El took in a big breath, looking around at her surroundings. Will sat across from her, wrapped in his own blanket, asleep. Joyce handed her the mug when she knew she was stable enough to handle it, El took it gratefully.

"Thank you," she said lightly. She noticed the short sleeve shirt she was wearing, no bandages coving her arms, but burns where already going away.

"I hate bad dreams," Joyce said sitting next to her on the couch. "When I was your age my mother would always make me a hot tea after a bad dream. She said that the herbs and leafs were good for the soul. "Joyce gave a slight laugh at the memory. "My mom was always considered the loony I guess." El looked down at her tea, then back up to Joyce.

"I don't think it was a dream," El said quietly. "It's almost like I can feel her." She sat in silence, think about what she just said.

"Her, as in the girl that you saw?" Joyce asked look at her. El nodded her head looking at her with sad eyes.

"She's like me," she continued. "And she wants me to find her, but I don't know if I want to." They both sat in silence for a moment; El took a sip of her tea and sighed at the taste of mint. It made her feel a different kind of warmth, it was a comfort. "I saw her with Papa," she said lowly. The front door opened quickly, and Hopper stomped into her room closing the door behind him. He looked over at her with a smile.

"Good morning sun shine," he said. She let a small smile play on her face. "Joyce," he said looking at her. "If I could steal Johnathan, I got you a pane of glass to fix this window." El looked behind her to see a piece of wood in the windows place. Joyce stood from her spot with a smile.

"Let me wake him," she said leaving the room. Hopper walked over, taking her seat on the couch. He looked down at El, but she was too scared to look back.

"I got some glass for our place too," he cleared his throat slightly and El could feel that he's uncomfortable. "I know you don't want to go back, honestly I don't either." El looked up at him. "I had lunch with Dr. Owen today," he said. He stood from his place on the couch, putting his palms to his eyes. "I'm trying to get this worked out." El looked back down at her tea.

"Promise," she said slowly.

"I promise," he said kneeling in front of her. "You deserve a better life," he said. "I don't know if that's living with me," he rambled off as Johnathan came into the room. Joyce stumbled into the kitchen, putting the kettle on the stove and turning it on. "Why don't you go into the kitchen," Hopper said walking to the front door. "You ready," He opened the door and Johnathan walked out first, Hopper watching as she stood and walked into the kitchen with her thin blanket and tea.

She watched from the table as Joyce went through her cabinets and recently cleaned fridge. She pulled out a carton of eggs, some bread, and container of coffee. She let the kettle whistle for just a second before filling one mug with tea, and another with coffee. She took them out to the boys on the front porch, leaving El to look around the kitchen alone.

"How do you feel," she heard Wills voice behind her. He walked in, blanket on his shoulder. "Honestly, that's my least favorite question," he continued taking a seat next to her at the dinner table. "Every time my mom asks me how I'm doing I just say fine so she will leave me alone." El slightly smiled at him and they stared at one another. "It's nice to finally meet you," he says shyly.

"Friends," she said taking the tea up to her lips. Will nodded his head and smiled.

"I feel like I know you without even knowing you," he says looking at her in hopes that she could understand. She nodded her head in agreement.

"A connection," she said with a smile.

"Yeah," he said.

"Are you okay Will?" Joyce came into the kitchen looking at them both. Will rolled his eyes and looked at El with a slight smile on his face.

"I'm fine mom," he said pulling the blanket closer to him. El let a small smile play on her face. She listened to Hopper instruct Johnathon on what to do. Hopper came into the living room to stand on the other side of the window as they both tried to fit the pane of glass in.

"I hope you guys are hungry," Joyce said. "I got extra eggs in preparation for people to stop by so we are going to have a feast today." El and Will nodded their heads in unison, just enjoying the silence of each other's company. "Mike should be getting out soon, and I'm sure the others will be close behind him." Joyce greased up a pan while cracking eggs into a bowl. El and Will watched in silence, listening to the guys fix the window and cuddle their blankets at the table.

…

The final bell rang for the day and Mike and Dustin rose from their seats in their history class. "Remember to read chapter five and six," their teacher yelled as the students quickly filed out of the door. They met Lucas at his locker, Dustin going into his own to get his back pack. Max came over with skate board, looking around the hall while they all kept their heads close to one another.

"Dustin and I will go to Wills, see if we can get the full story from El," Mike said. "You two head for the tree, and keep your eyes out for anything weird." Lucas nodded his head, looking into this backpack to find his wrist rocket and binoculars.

"You carry those with you on a regular basses?" Max asked giving him a funny look.

"You never know when you need to investigate, "Lucas said. He closed his locker and they all walked out to their bikes.

…

It wasn't long until El and Will heard Jonathan great the boys at the front door. Mike and Dustin filed in, Dustin gave a small wave to Hopper who grumbled and went back to working on the window. El looked over her shoulder at Mike as he walked into the kitchen. He gave Will a warm smile and a pat on the shoulder, and then came around his chair to say hi to El.

"How are you doing?" he asked, taking the seat next to her; scooting it closer. "Are you still cold?" he asked sitting down. Dustin came in, taking a seat across from her, a friendly smile on his face. El gave a slight smile, not really wanting to talk but just enjoy company.

"Lucas and Max were going to come, but they had other obligations," Dustin said. Mike kicked him under the table. El and Will looked at them funny. "What?" Dustin asked looking at Mike.

"Okay," Hopper said coming into the kitchen. "You now have a working window." Johnathan came in behind him; he looked around the kitchen then turned around.

"I'll get more chairs," he said lightly.

"It's perfect timing," Joyce said. "Not only did I make eggs, well try to make eggs, but" she turned around with a plate. "I also made some pancakes," El gave her a warm smile, the sweet smell making her stomach yell.

"Breakfast in the afternoon?" Dustin said. Mike gave him a glare and then looked over to El.

"Have you had pancakes before?" she shook her head shyly and Mike smiled at her. "I think you're really going to like them." Joyce handed Hopper empty plates, and as he passed them around the table. She placed a plate filled with scrambled eggs and a plate full of round fluffs onto the table. She took the syrup from the cabinet handing it to El, giving her the okay to start plating her food.

Her first bite was like biting into a pillow. It was so soft and sweet, and she dared to think that it just might be better than a waffle. She didn't know how hungry she was until she began to spoon eggs into her mouth. Hopper, Mike, and Dustin ate their food at the same speed while the Byers watched El in curiosity.

"I like breakfast foods too," Will said quietly to her. "I think I could eat breakfast for every meal." El looked over at him with a mouth full of egg, trying to give the best lady like smile without being disgusting.

"So," Hopper interrupted. "I was thinking that since you have friends here, and you are feeling a little bit better." El looked over at him, slowly putting her fork down; not liking where his voice was going. "That maybe you would feel a little more comfortable to tell us what happened." El looked around the table, Joyce took a slow sip of her coffee, Johnathan looked down at his food, While Mike Will, and Dustin put down their forks; looking at her.

"I had a bad dream," she said quietly.

"A dream that wasn't like a dream at all," Joyce said. "You said it was like you can feel her." El looked down at her food. She shouldn't have told her that. "Is that how you got the scabs on your arms?" El nodded her head, looking over to Mike for a little bit of comfort. She looked back down at her bare arms; moving the blanket that had slid off her shoulders and putting it back up to hug closer. Mike nodded his head once to tell her to continue, and she looked over to Hop.

"I saw Papa," she said. Hopper let out a sigh and put in head in his hands with frustration. "He's looking for me."

"But I thought the Demogorgon got him," Dustin said. "Didn't he die in the school?"

"No one ever dies if you don't find the body," Mike said back. Will slightly flinched at the thought.

"Do you know where he is?" Hopper asked. "Could you go back into the void and figure it out?" She looked at Hopper sadly, not wanting to do it. It almost reminded her of how she used to live her life in the lab; how they would use her for information.

"No," She said, anger pulsed through her, and she didn't know where it was coming from. "I'm not looking for him, I don't want to find him, and I don't want to see him." A silence fell in the room as all members of the group looked at her with sad eyes. "I don't want to talk," she said, picking her fork back up.

"Okay," Mike said back looking around the table. He began to eat with her, while the other slowly picked up their forks again too. She thought back to the girl, you have to help, she had told El. Guilt ran through her, because honestly she didn't want to help anyone at this moment. It follows you, a slight chill ran down her back.

"Are you still cold?" Mike asked her, he took off his jacket and handed it to her. She gave him a soft smile, and put it on. She looked over to Hopper who rolled his eyes, stabbing some eggs onto his fork.

…

Lucas stood at the gates of the lab, he looked down one end and then at the other, Max followed his gaze. They had been quiet a good amount of the time there. Half way through the journey he had Max ride on the back of his bike, the roads becoming too hard for her to skate. They walked through the forest with his compass out as he acted like he knew where he was going; even though he got lost a few times.

"So," max said taking a closer look at the gate. "Now what?" Lucas looked around at the trees, he recognized the one he had climbed before just a few feet to his left and walked his bike over to it.

"We climb and look over; we just want to see if there are still people there." Max followed him over to the tree. They discarded their bike and skate board onto the forest floor. Lucas cupped his hands to help Max up the tree; she raised her eyebrows at him, taking the help. She can probably climb the tree herself you idiot, Lucas thought to himself. He jumped up after her, almost losing his grip a few times on the cold branches.

They perched themselves halfway through the tree. Lucas opened up his bag; grabbing his binoculars. He peered through them, first looking at the building then taking a look at the parking lot. There were no lights shining through the windows, just a few cars sitting on the black top.

"I don't see anyone," he said, looking back to the windows, adjusting the lenses trying to see through the blinds.

"What do you think they did with the bodies?" Max said, grabbing the binoculars out of his hands and looking for herself.

"Like, the human bodies?" he asked, feeling uncomfortable with the thought of death.

"No, the other bodies; the Demidogs. Do you think they buried them, or are they doing experiments on them? Where would they even do the experiments?" Lucas let her questions hang in the air for a moment. He squinted at the building trying to think of an answer.

"Whatever their doing, I'm sure it's being done in a lab just like this one." He grabbed the binoculars back, looking back at the parking lot. "Why do you think there's cars there?" He asked.

"Maybe there are people still cleaning out stuff." Max shrugged her shoulders, looking with a thoughtful expression. Lucas kept it eyes on the front doors waiting for someone to walk out. He looked at each car, four in total, all white.

"Maybe they were extra cars, like from people that died that night." He felt Max move next to him, adjusting herself on the branch.

"This is weird," she said lowly. "Who would have thought that moving to a small town could be so eventful?" Lucas took his gaze from the building lowering the binoculars to look at her. She played with her own fingers, her hair slightly flying in the cold breeze.

"Do you like it here?" he asked her. He thought about California, how it could be so warm and sunny right now, but she was stuck in this cold gray weather.

"It's growing on me," she looked at him with a smile. "I mean, people talk about California like it's this magical place, but it's just filled with a whole lot of suck for me."

"Why?" Lucas thought about Billy, about how it could be worse there than here.

"My mom," she said slowly, "she always chooses the same kind of guy, you know?" she sadly looked at Lucas shrugging her shoulders like it wasn't that big of a deal. "My mom says we left because of my dad, but really I think she's just embarrassed. She left my dad because he was abusive, but gets with this guy that can't hold his temper." She sat in silence for a moment. Lucas didn't know what to say, what to do. He looked down at the binoculars in his hands, thinking about his family; how good he had it. "I think she just didn't want our family and friends to see that she messed up again." At that moment a light boom erupted from the building beyond the fence. Lucas picked up his binoculars and looked for what the sound came from.

The lab was on fire, smoke coming out of the windows, and flames dancing in the black clouds.

"They set it one fire," Lucas sad loudly. "They're burning it down!" Max took them out of his hands, getting a look for herself.

"There's people," she said loudly. Lucas took the binoculars throwing them over his eyes to see who was there. Three people ran out of the building, three men, all wearing doctor coats, smoke staining their face. They got into their separate cars, leaving one car behind.

"I think there's a person missing," Lucas said, looking back at the front door and then through the windows. "They all got into their own cars, but there's still one car left."

"What do we do?" Max began to head down the tree. "Should we tell the others, maybe the chief will know what's going on." Lucas followed her down. They both jumped from a branch, landing on the floor of the forest with an, oomph. Lucas walked up to the gate. A sigh read, High Voltage, just a few feet away.

"I'm getting a closer look," he said taking his hand to the gate.

…

El tried her best at helping Joyce clean up after their afternoon breakfast. She stood with her by the sink, Mike's jacket on her shoulders, the blanket still sitting in her chair. She watched as Joyce put her hands into the warm water, she held a towel ready to dry.

"You don't have to help," Joyce said with a smile. In all honesty El really wanted to go sit with the others in the living room, but after Hopper took Mike aside into Wills room she couldn't stop fidgeting. She wanted something that could keep her busy, but she was starting to feel her legs give in.

"I think I might sit down," she said slowly. Joyce nodded her head, and El left the towel by her side to go into the living room.

"I'm thinking about asking someone, but Steve says it's all about getting the date when you get there." Dustin said while Will rolled his eyes.

"I'm not asking anyone," Will said. He looked up at El as she walked into the room. She took a seat in front of them on the floor, while they kept their seats on the couch. "I don't even know how to ask anyone out." He slightly blushed, and El let a smile play on her face.

"Hopper says I might be able to go," the boys looked at her with a smile.

"You would love it," Dustin said. "They play music, and everyone dances. They even have punch, although my mom makes the best punch there is."

"Would we dance," she asked Dustin.

"I mean if you want to," he looked to Will and then back to her. "I'm sure Mike might kill me, but sure we can dance." El tilted her head at the thought, why would he kill Dustin? She listened to the boys for a little bit longer while Dustin told Will what he was missing at school. Everything he said sounded so new to her. Classes, other people's names, even the mention of lunch time and different food. What was Mac'n Cheese?

Hopper stomped into the room, with Mike on his heels, looking slightly happy, but sadness played in his eyes.

"Okay kiddo," he said. She looked up at him not wanting to hear what he had to say. "We are going to have to get out of here if we are going to want some windows in that cabin of ours." El rolled her eyes, but stood to her feet slowly.

"What happened to you windows," Dustin asked.

"Let's just say there was a disagreement," Hopper said looking back at El while she blushed. The boys stood from the couch while Hopper walked into the kitchen, grabbing his coat from the back of a chair and his keys from the table. He came back in looking at the teenagers as they awkwardly stood around one another. El looked over at Mike, and he looked back at her. "I'll wait in the car," he said awkwardly.

"I should probably be heading home," Dustin said walking into her view. He gave her a quick hug and a slight smile, following Hopper out of the front door.

"It was really nice to finally talk," Will said. They smiled at one another, and El went in giving him a hug. They let one another go, Will gave Mike a smile and walked past him in the kitchen.

"Hopper said you wanted to go to the dance," Mike walked closer to her. She nodded her head as he took her hands. "It's in two weeks," an awkward silence played between them while El searched his freckled face. "Please," he said lightly, "don't be late okay? I would love to get in a dance with you before you disappear again." El could feel a stone clog her throat.

"I promise," she said in a thick voice.

"Well, it's in two weeks. Hopper says I won't be able to see you until then." El let out a frustrated breath. She looked down at their hands. "Just promise me you won't get into trouble before then." El let a smile play on her face again.

"Yeah," she giggled slightly. "No trouble." She gave Mike a hug, letting it last a little bit longer than any other hug she had gotten all day. They broke apart looking into one another's eyes both smiling at each other. El let her head move closer to his, wanting to feel his lips on hers.

A honk broke the silence making both of them dump apart in surprise. Mike rolled his eyes, and El let out a frustrating sigh. She started taking Mikes coat off, but he stopped her.

"Keep it," he said with a smile. "You might need it more than I do. Plus I have like, five coats back home." She gave him a grateful smile, putting the coat back in place. She gave him one last smile before moving toward to the front door and to Hops car. These next two weeks were going to be the worst.