Chapter 7
Barbed wire was easier to climb over than he thought it would be. Lucas jumped from the top of the fence to the ground, the balls of his feet hurting on impacted. He stared at Max on the other side of the fence while she looked at him like he was a lunatic.
"What are you, crazy?" she said loudly. "Did you not read the sign? High Voltage means deadly."
"Yeah and I'm not dead," he said back. "Just stay with the bike. My stuff is in my backpack. I'm just going to get a closer look." Max rolled her eyes at him as he turned his back and ran ahead into the trees. He could smell the smoke as he got closer; there were sounds of glass crashing and roar of the flames. He came to a road, looking up at the tall building. He had never been so close to it, but with the smoke covering his eyes it was hard to take in any detail.
Lucas decided he would keep his distance, but since there was still one car left he wanted to see if there was anyone left. He started running left down the road, coming to the parking lot, and running as close as he could to the front door. The wind picked up, smoke running into his lungs as he began to choke. He coughed hard, backing up down the front steps, back into the parking lot. He looked up into the windows, flames dancing with rage. He couldn't hear any screaming, just the faint sound of things combusting from the heat. He looked behind him at the white car that was left; walking to it slowly without taking his eyes off the building.
The inside of the car was a mess, cans of soda, old lunch, dirty cloths all littering the seats. Lucas made a face of disgusts before looking back to the building debating if he wanted to go around to the other side of the building. He looked back into the car one more time before heading back around to getting to the back of the building.
Lucas walked on the back of ther tree lining, throwing his hands over his face guarding it from the smoke. He looked through the back windows, looking just the same of the front of the building. He stopped and listened carefully, trying to hear anyone that could still be in there. Branches broke behind him and he jumped; turning around quickly in an almost karate stance. Max ran in front of him with an annoyed look on her face.
"Hey you idiot!" She yelled at him over the sound of the fire. "Let's get out of here before the cops are called. The smoke is getting high." She grabbed his arm fiercely, dragging him through the trees. She was out of breath, and just by standing in the smoky area for a few seconds she already had soot building up on her pale face. "My mom is going to kill me," she said as they made their way back. "I smell like smoke." Lucas let her ramble in anger as he thought about the car; about the flaming building.
"Do you think anyone was in there?" He asked her as they began to jump over the fence. They both jumped from the top, Max sucking her finger from sticking it on the barbed wire.
"I'm sure there were a lot of things in that building," Max said, walking over to her skate board and picking it up. "They are burning it down for a reason; if there aren't bodies in there I would be surprised." She turned back around, walking back into the forest from which they came. Lucas rolled his eyes, looking back at the smoke in the sky; forming black clouds over the trees. He grabbed his bike and backpack, Following Max in silence.
…
El slightly shivered in her seat as she looked out of the truck window. She had remembered snow from last winter, but the last time she had seen it, it had stayed on the ground. Now it was just slightly wet, and colder than El ever remembers it being.
"These windows are going to take the rest of the day to put in." Hopper said into the silence. "The higher up ones are going to take some time; I might do those on a different day." She could see him look at her from the corners of her eyes, but she kept her eyes on the window. She could see the trees pass at a high speed, the slosh of the tires playing in her ears. "You are going to sit in bed," he continued. "If you don't want to get sick you are going to have to rest."
She already knew she was getting sick. Her throat hurt, it was hard to keep her head straight, and she had a stuffed nose she had never experienced before. She looked at the side mirror outside of her window, trying to remember the direction they took from the Byers house. She could see in the reflection dark clouds, and she frowned at the thought of thunder playing through her head for the rest of the day. She continued to look at the clouds, watching as they danced quickly up into the air.
"Look," she said in a raspy voice. She pointed to her mirror out of the window; Hopper looked in her direction, then out of the rearview mirror. She could feel Hopper quickly hit the brakes, she felt herself slightly fly forward, her seat belt keeping her in the seat.
"That's a fire," Hopper said, turning the car around in high speed. El slide into the car door, her eyes widening in fear. Hopper turned his radio on." Is there any call for a fire?" he yelled into the speaker.
"There hasn't been a 10-80 called in," a female's voice rang through the speaker. Hopper picked up his speed, El sat forward in her seat looking at the dark clouds at they grew in the sky
"I'm seeing some smoke clouds building in the sky," Hopper said back into the radio. "Stand by for back up," Hopper turned on his sirens, El slammed her hands over her ears in surprise. Everything was becoming so loud, and so fast. She looked out the window as they passed the Byers house in high speed; she felt herself slightly go forward as Hopper slowed the car down.
She could feel the panic rise as her and Hopper both realized where the smoke was coming from. He turned down Murkwood as El looked over the fence to the lab. Black smoke covered the area that used to be her home, and she could almost feel some sort of sickness as she saw the flames grow higher and higher. Hopper turned down the road that led into the grounds; no one was stationed at the gate. Hopper stopped the car, getting out and looking ahead of the closed gate that sat in front of him.
"Shit," he said quietly as he took off his hat and watched the building burn down. He dived into the truck, reaching for the receiver of the radio. "I'm going to need fire trucks and an ambulance at the Hawkins Lab asap!" he yelled into the radio. He looked over to El and they locked eyes. "I'm going to have to take you to Will's okay," She nodded her head as he jumped back in the car and turned them around.
…
"Lucas slow down," Max yelled as they came onto Wills drive way. He knew exactly where the party would be, and he wanted to be the first one to tell them what they saw. He couldn't feel his fingers anymore as he gripped the bike handles, tugging Max on the back of his bike.
They came to Wills house in full speed; he could hear the sound of a siren behind them. Mike came out of the house, his face expressing concern.
"They," Lucas said, out of breath while trying to stop his bike. Max slammed into the back of him. "They set it on fire." He stepped off his bike, while Max fell from it. Mike came down the stairs of the patio, looking at Lucas in confusion. Lucas turned and pointed to the sky behind him. "The lab is on fire!" Mike came over, helping Max off the gravel while the sirens got closer.
"Why," Mike asked. Max dusted herself off with anger dancing in her eyes.
"I don't know," Lucas said with attitude. Hopper trucked turned down onto the gravel, the sirens deafening them as all three turned to look at his approach. His truck skid to a stop in front of them as El fell from the passenger door. Mike and Lucas ran over, Hopper turned off his siren.
"Don't do anything stupid," Hopper yelled; pointing at El. "Don't leave the house, and stay here until I come back." He looked over at Mike, and then his eyes focused and Lucas and then Max. "Why are you covered in smoke?!" He yelled.
"Umm," Lucas slightly backed up looking down at his clothes.
"I don't want to know," Hopper said back. El slammed the door shut, backing up into the party to let Hopper leave. They watched him turn around, turning on his sirens as he left. Joyce came out the front door with Will and Jonathan close behind her.
"This idiot decided to run to the burning building," Max pointed her finger at Lucas.
"I thought there was someone in there," Lucas yelled back at her. "I had to check and make sure, it was my civic duty!" Max rolled her eyes, while Joyce came over and put her hands on Max's shoulders.
"Why don't we all come inside" her voice said slowly. "El, let's get you something warm." Lucas looked over to El, she covered herself in Mikes jacket. Dark circles brought her eyes down; her skin was paler than he could remember. They all turned towards the house, starting to walk slowly.
"How are you feeling," Lucas asked El, walking beside her.
"Fine," she said lowly. Mike let out a breath, rubbing his eyes with frustration.
…
Max and Lucas didn't stay long. They told their tale of the lab burning, and then Max checked the time with a curse, saying she was supposed to be under house arrest since she snuck out. Dustin had left right after El was gone the first time around; now it was just her and Mike sitting on the couch. His head lead back; tilting away from her as he slept. She looked out the newly replaced window.
She was worried about Hopper. She had never really seen a fire like that before; so big and bright. She couldn't really describe the feeling she had, the guilty relief that pulsed through her. She was happy to see the lab go. It was almost satisfying, a word she had learn from a call hot-line commercial that played late at night. All the same, she felt a homesickness she couldn't really understand. A home that she never loved, but was still sad to see it burn to the ground.
"Do you want some hot chocolate?" Will stood in the door way of the kitchen and living room. He held two steaming mugs in his hands. She arched her eye brows in confusion. She knew she liked chocolate, but this looked nothing like what Hopper had given her.
"Hot chocolate," she said slowly, testing the word in her mouth.
"It's a drink," Will said. He slowly walked into the room; trying not to spill the hot drink with every step. He handed her a mug, and she took it gratefully while he looked over at Mikes sleeping body. Will took a seat in front of her, sitting cross legged on the floor. "Mike has always been the leader." Will said. El looked over at Mike before slipping from the couch to sit closer to Will on the floor. "This past year he hasn't been much of one." El thought about his statement, how he was always the voice of reason to the guys in the party.
El blew the steam from her drink, taking in the sweet smell of the chocolate. She could feel a slight shiver move down her back; she hugged the mug closer to her chest.
"You saw it," EL looked up from her drink. Will's eyes gazed into hers. She looked at him; confused. "In your dream, you saw the Demogorgon." El closed her eyes for a second; images of the creature looming over her, its saliva falling from its open face. She could still smell the death that surrounded it, the smell of the upside-down.
"I think it was watching me," she said in a raspy voice. Her mind went back to the past few night; how she felt something dark looming over her as she slept. She had thought it was the girl she had been seeing, but now it felt like something else. "I think it knows that I closed the gate." She opened her eyes and looked at Will, his gaze darkening as he stared at her.
"Could you open it again?" he asked. El slightly felt her stomach drop from his question. "I mean," he said shaking his head side to side with his eyes closed, "could you opened it on accident again?" Will opened his eyes to look at her. She thought about the question. She knows she could open it again, but the amount of energy it would take; that something she didn't have at the moment.
"That won't happen," Mike's voice said from behind her. He still sounded tired; she looked behind her shoulder to look at him. He fixed his messy hair, placing his elbows on his knees. "Now that we know how it's been opened we can make sure it never happens again." El looked away in disagreement. What if she lost control? What if someone else could open it?
I don't know what it is, but I can hear it in my sleep. Like the sound of an animal. The other girl had been seeing it. She was following it, just like El did when she opened the gate. She thought about what that could mean; where-ever that girl is she could fall into something she wasn't ready to face. She thought about where the girl could be, but every time she thought about it all she could hear where the words, New York.
"El," Mike grabbed her shoulder, throwing her out of her thoughts. She looked back down at her drink, then back up at Will. She could feel herself getting tired; her body becoming slightly warm.
"I think it could be opened again," she said. Her throat hurt at the feeling of speaking, she took a sip of the sweet drink; it smoothly went down her throat. It made her fell slightly nauseous. Her head was becoming heavy.
"It's not going to happen El," Mike said. He slid down to the floor and sat next to her. She looked over at him with a slight smile, happy at his optimism. "You have us now," El looked over at Will, his eyes darting to the floor. "We won't let that happen." Mike looked over to Will, he raised his head and nodded at Mikes words. El thought back to the word, New York, as it flashed in her head again.
"What's," El began, but started coughing. She felt like she was slowly choking, like she had something hot in her lungs. Mike put his hand on her back, but she couldn't stop herself; dropping the mug in front of her. Everything was going dark, and if there was noise around her she couldn't hear it.
The void, she looked around her to figure out why she was there. She could feel water fall from her mouth as she desperately tried to bring air in. She coughed water all over herself, bringing in a harsh breath to her desperate lungs. She could hear coughing from behind her, a faint cry with it.
"Tell me," a voice yelled, echoing off the watered floors. El looked behind her, still gasping for air. In the distance she could see the girl, Papa looming over her body as she looked down at a small tub of water. "Where is she?" El stood from where she kneeled on the ground, walking to her.
"No," the girl said threw sabs. He took her shaved head, throwing it back into the water. El couldn't breathe, she feel to the ground again, trying desperately to bring in air. She held onto her throat. He brought her head back above the water; El caught the cold air into her lungs.
"Where is she," El didn't know what was happening. How was this happening? She looked back El closed her eyes hard, trying to wake herself back up.
"New York," the girl said, she looked up at where El stood. "New York," Papa took her face in his hands.
"What did you say?" He looked into her face, she slightly laughed at him.
"I'm in New York," she said. He cursed under his breath, slapping her across the face. El felt the hit, putting her hand up to her right cheek. He threw her head back into the water, El tried to wake up.
…
Kali didn't know what it was, the black land scape. She had never really seen it, but new that there was a time when Jane had found a place to see her friends. She lifted her hand to her cheek, taking in a large breath of air. She had been drowning in the back of the van; choke as water filled her lungs. Now everyone looked at her, the van pulled over to the side of the road.
She looked around her, the sun had gone down, the overhead light in the van was on. They had been leaving Dallas, getting away from another hit and run they had done. She had gotten information, on a lab still open in Statin Island. New York. She let out her long breath, her head beginning to hurt.
"You okay Kali?" Mick got closer to her, looking into her face with concern. "Do you need some water or somethin'?" Kali let out a small laugh, the last thing she wanted was some water.
"We need to keep going to New York," she said to the group. "I know what we're going there for now." She lifted her palm to her nose, feeling blood run out of it as she sat up. Everyone moved from where they sat, going back to their seats in the van, While Mick got back behind the wheel. They drove into the night, silence building as the rock music played on blast.
…
"El," she could hear Joyce's voice, it shook with unease, and really El couldn't figure out why. She was sleeping, really sleeping and she didn't want to open her eyes. She could feel a sting come onto her cheek, she groaned as she brought in a stinging breath. "El, please open your eyes," She slowly opened her eye lids. The living room light was hurting her eyes, and she was starting to feel the hit to her cheek that the girl had received on the right side of her face.
"El?" Mikes voice said, she looked straight up at the ceiling, his head coming into her view. She was still sitting on the floor; on her back. "What happened?" he asked her. She thought about it, what had happened? She wasn't sleeping, she wasn't even trying to get into the void; how did she get there?
"Water," she said, choking on her dry throat. "There was water." She didn't know where to start; she didn't know what to say. She began to sit up, but Mike put his hands on her shoulders and pushed her back down.
"We know," he said. "You were coughing up water like you were drowning." He placed one of his hands in her hair. She looked around her, Will sitting on the sofa, Johnathan in the kitchen door way. She slowly got up, ignoring Mike in his protest.
"Is Hopper back yet," she asked, looking for him around the room. The windows were darkened; the sun had gone down. The blood rushed from her head, her nose started to bleed. She felt like she had that thing called a hangover, the one that Hopper always complained about.
"He hasn't even called," Joyce said shaking her head. "What happened?" El felt like she was getting sick, she could feel it in her throat and the heat that was radiating off of her body. She could feel the drooping of her eyes, but tried to ignore the tiredness that was growing over her limbs.
"I don't know," she said. She looked at Joyce, who took El's hands into hers. "It was the girl," She felt a chill run over her. "He was putting her in water." The room was silent as she thought. She honestly knew what was happening; papa was looking for her, but it was something more than that. There was more than just Papa and the lab. There was the girl, the darkness looming into her life.
Joyce took the silence as a que, moving off the floor. El stood slowly, with the help of Mike, hugging his jacket for warmth.
"Are you cold?" he asked. She looked up at him, his eyes filled with concern; it almost looked like he had been crying. "You look like you're getting sick," he said leading her to the couch. The mug of hot chocolate still spilt on the floor. She could see a small spot of water where she had been coughing it up.
"Sick," El said nodding her head. Mike let a smile creep onto his face. They looked at one another, Will awkwardly sitting on the other side of the room. She thought about what happened before she saw the void. She wanted to know what New York was. "What's a New York?" She said the new words slowly, they sounded slightly familiar to something she had heard on T.V.
"That's a state," Mike said. "Like we live in Indiana, that's the name of the state. New York is a state, but it's also a big city." El thought about what he said. The girl was in New York, that's what she had said. "Do you understand?" Mike asked taking her hand. El looked into his eyes.
"Yes," she said with a grin.
They stayed on the couch until seven. Mike looked at his watch and sighed. El knew he had to leave, even though she was enjoying the silent company. Will sat across the room, the T.V. was on low; they were watching the local news. They showed a glow in the night, as the fire from the lab still wasn't contained. Joyce said she was happy to see it go, everyone slowly nodded, not knowing what else to say.
"I think I might have to go," Mike said lowly to her. Her eyes felt like they were lowering, since her episode a few hours before she felt as if she was getting sick faster. Her head was hurting, her nose was getting more stuffed, and she could feel a slight sweat build up over her body. For the first time ever she wanted to go back home, to the cabin, and have no one look at her while she hid under her covers. "El, are you okay?"
His voice took her out of her thought of home. She looked at him, trying to brighten her face like nothing was wrong. She could feel red spread across her face, but not from a blush, from a heat wave.
"I'm fine," she said through a raspy voice. She coughed slight and Mike and Will sat up straighter, getting ready for her to go back in the void. She just cleared her throat, looking at them both with annoyance. "I'm fine," she said a little stronger. She stood from her seat on the couch, looking out the window when she saw head lights come into view. Hoppers truck stopped in front of the Byers home, he stepped out of his truck.
"Now I really have to go," Mike said. He stood with El, looking down into her eyes, squinting as if trying to figure something out. Hopper come through the front door, Will jumped slightly at the intrusion.
"You're not looking to good kid," Hopper said, coming into the living room, getting a closer look at her.
"That's because she's sick," Mike said. He took her hand a squeezed it. "How's the lab, do you know who did it yet?"
"No, it won't stop burning. Which means it was probably set up to completely burn it down." El looked over to Will, who quietly slumped back into his seat, looking at the T.V. commercials.
"Hopper," Joyce came into the room. They looked at one another closely, Hopper taking the hint and walking with her into the kitchen. El and the boys watched them go; while El silently cursed to the fact that they were going to be talking about her.
"It'll be okay," Mike said. He went to the front door, his backpack sitting on the floor. "My mom's going to kill me if I don't make it home by dinner." He said shrugging his shoulders. He walked back over to El, putting his back pack on his back. They looked at one another, and El couldn't get a grasp of her emotions. They both went in and hugged one another, letting it last for as long as it could.
"Hey kiddo," Hoppers voice came softly from the kitchen door way. "We gotta go," El and Mike broke apart, Mike giving a small smile while walking out of the house.
2 Weeks Later
El and Hopper had a long discussion about her dreams, more like visions. She had been sick for days, and Hopper was very adamant about how she was going to get real sleep, and she needed to stay out of the void. In return she told him that she couldn't help it sometimes, and that sometimes the darkness was too loud to let her sleep.
They never talked about the Snow Ball until a few days before. Hopper had been gone for the day, she was sitting on the couch watching MTV in aww as a man named Michael dance across the screen. She balanced a hot cup of tea in her lap, while eating a bowl of soup. The windows of the cabin had been fixed, the fire was going, but she still felt cold from her time of hypothermia.
She listened to the music, humming to the tune. She heard the secret knock at the door, stopping her motion for a second because he was home really early. She thought about who it could be other than Hop, no one, she thought, because no one knows where I am. She let the locks unlock while she went back to her soup.
Hopper came through the door, putting his hat up while letting a cold breeze in to the living space. El sent him a death glare with a mouth full of soup, and he closed the door with an innocent smile.
"How are you feeling," he asked; a question he had been using with her a lot. She shrugged, she wasn't bad, but she wasn't feeling good either. "I have a surprise for you, but first I wanted to talk to you about something." His words made her perk up a little bit; watching as he walked over to her with a white envelope. He walked over to the T.V., lowering the sound before taking a seat on the coffee table in front of her. "I had lunch with Dr. Owen today." El passed him the soup; he lowered the bowl onto the table next to him. She sat up a little more to listen. "He said we have to wait another year." El could feel herself deflate. Another year of no one, of no talking, of no fun. She thought about the Snow Ball, of how she was going to miss another year. "But, I thought you could at least have one night," he said with a smile. "I'm having Joyce go out to find a dress for you, and some real shoes, other than those convers you always wear." El could feel a fire in her ignite, a smile spread across her face.
"When do I get to go?" she said. After so many days of being in the middle of nowhere she was starting to forget her days, and since she couldn't go into the void she didn't have Mike telling her his daily count on how long they had been apart.
"In two days," he said. "I told Mike weeks ago that I was going to do my best to get you there, he didn't look so hopeful the last time I saw him." El raised her eyebrows.
"When did you see him," Hopper rolled his eyes at the question.
"He comes by the station all the time," Hopper said. "Always asking if you're okay, making sure you got the right cold medicine, wanting to know if you could come to Will's for dinner one day so everyone can see you." El smiled at the thought.
"Could we go to Will's?" It was a hopeful question; one she knew wouldn't get a real answer because he didn't want to disappoint her. She looked at the envelope in his hands while he tried to form an answer to her question. "What is that?" she point to the paper. He stared at her for a moment before clearing his throat.
"That's another surprise," he said softly. "We haven't really talked about it, but when we were back at the lab that night I told Owen that he will help let you live a normal life." El nodded, remembering the conversation in the stair well. "This," he said holding up the envelope, "is what will help with that. It can get you into school, and help you get an I.D." El took it from his hands eagerly, opening the flap. She took out a folded paper. Birth Certificate, it read at the top.
"Jane Hopper," she slowly read out loud. She let a smile play across her face, liking the feeling of seeing her name with his.
"We don't have to call you Jane," Hopper said. "El can be your name among friends, but when you are out in public and I introduce you, because at some point I'm going to have to tell people you are here, I'm going to have to say your name in Jane." El looked back down at the paper, Birth Date, she read, March 31st 1971.
"Birthday," she slowly said. She didn't remember ever having a birthday before, but knew what it was through the television.
"Yeah kid," Hopper said, ruffling her hair. He gave her a watery smile as she folded the paper back up with care, placing it back in the envelope.
"School?" she asked.
"We still have to wait a year," Hopper said to her. "I want you to be doing more reading and studying, not as much T.V." he said pointing his thumb behind him at the lit up screen. El thought about this, how she hated reading because it was so hard. "It's going to be hard," Hopper said. "But nothing good ever comes easy."
…
Mike sat with the guys on the side walk outside of school; they were watching Max do different tricks on her skate board. Will had finally returned from recovering; he once again was the talk of the school. Other kids asked him where he went, if he had died again, and wanted to know if he was going crazy. Mike was getting frustrated; having to stick up for Will since he was so soft spoken. He had almost fought Troy a few days before, while he sang ZombieBoy down the hall way.
"Is there going to be food at this dance?" Max asked as she balanced herself on the back two wheels of her skate board. The boys all watched as she placed the front of the board back onto the ground.
"I hope so," Dustin said. "We never went last year, Will was still sick and El was gone." Lucas nodded his head and Mike stuck his hand into his coat pocket. He didn't want to go home, but he didn't want to be here. He was starting to get annoyed with this dance. Ever since the last time she had seen El the hope of her coming with him to the Snow Ball was dwindling.
Mike stood from his spot on the concrete, grabbing his backpack as he went. He was going to go see Hopper; try to convince him for the hundredth time why El should go to the Snow Ball.
"Where are you going," Will said beside him. Mike looked down at the guys while Max skated closer to them.
"I'm going to go see Hopper," Mike said. He could see Max and Lucas rolled their eyes at each other, a secrete look that they had been using for the past few weeks. Mike could feel a little bit of anger build within him.
"Tell him," Dustin began, "That we would love to see El, and that he still hasn't returned my mother's call about the dogs next door." They all rolled their eyes at his last statement. "What, they keep getting in to her garden; she was working so hard to keep everything alive all winter." Mike walked over to his bike, unlocking it, hopping on.
"Hey Mike," Will called from behind him. Mike stopped his motions and sat on the seat of the bicycle as Will walked over to him. "Do you think we'll have fun at the dance?" Mike thought about the question, raising his eyebrows.
"I think we could have fun anywhere," Mike said, "but I also think that if we don't go to this dance our mothers are going to kill us." Will snickered at his statement.
"I'm sure my mom would be fine with me staying home," Will said.
"You should go," Mike wheeled his bike closer to him. "I think it's good for you to get out more."
"I just," Will stopped, thinking out what he wanted to say. "I just, have never really talked to girls before, and I know that if I don't dance with one than I will always be the Zombie Fairy Boy."
"Well," Mike said," if no one asks you to dance than I won't dance either. We can just sit and make fun of all the losers dancing." They both smiled at each other, Will turned around, walking back to the group. And Mike headed on his way.
Mike walked through the front doors of the Hawkins police department, ringing the bell at the front desk, but instead on the nice older women that always greeted him he was met face to face with Steve Harrington. Steve rolled his eyes at him, while Mike wondered what would possess anyone from giving this guy a job.
"What are you doing here," they both said at the same time. Mike rolled his eyes while Steve moved the papers he was working on out of the way.
"I'm here to see Hopper," Mike said. He looked past the small hall way into the open floor of the department. Two cops sat at their desks, one with his feet up, and the other blowing bubbles with his chewing gun.
"Well he's not here," Steve said. "He also told me not to let kids into his office; I'm guessing he met you." Mike raised his eyebrows at him.
"When is he getting back?" he looked down at his watch, it read 3:50. "He's not coming back is he," Mike said looking back up at Steve.
"He's done for the day, he said he had a lunch meeting and then had somewhere to be." Mike sighed, not knowing what to do next. He desperately didn't want to go home and face the music of his parents. His mother had been fuming lately, over what, Mike didn't know. The angry glancing at his father and the constant wine drinking was starting to drive him crazy and he didn't want to be a part of it any more.
"I'm sure you and I both know where he is right now," Steve said pulling Mike out of his thoughts. "I'm sure she's fine, just go home and play Dragons and Dudgeons or whatever."
"It's Dudgeons and Dragons," Mike said with annoyance, "and you don't just play it. There's planning and writing and hours on end of strategies that-"
"Kid," Steve interrupted, "I have things to do." Mike left the building in defeat. He would have to go on without knowing if she was going to be there or not. He felt sour at the fact that another Snow Ball would go by without her. As he rode home he felt the old him coming back, the anger, and the sadness. He was going to go home to his basement and talk.
…
Two days later
She had been pacing all day. She thought of the void, the looming of the darkness over her shoulder wasn't bothering her. She was just worried about what she was going to wear, and how her hair was going to look less like a ball of fuzz, and more like the girls she had seen through movie and shows.
She had taken a shower early, had her lunch, watched some television, and even read a few really hard chapters in Matilda. She had even cleaned out the fridge, the smell of old veggies that her and Hopper were finding hard to eat, going bad. It wasn't until it hit four in the afternoon that she could feel the knots in her stomach. Hopper was going to be home with her dress, and they only had a few hours to figure out what to do with the mess of her hair.
She couldn't wait to see Mike. She wanted to watch the boys as they argued, and she also wanted to see what it was like to be around Max. She was nervous to be around a girl, mostly because she had started that relationship off rocky.
El looked down at her nails, half of them bit off while the other half were uneven. She knew that girls used paint to color them and make them look pretty, but she had never seen it done in real life. She checked out her face in the mirror, her teeth uneven, and her skin slightly red. She looked pale, and not tan like Max. She looked nothing like the girls she would see in pictures, and nothing like the girls that went to Mike's school.
She heard the knocks come from the front door, unlocking it before he was done. He came into the cabin quickly holding a long bag that she assumed was her dress. He gave her a happy smile, but for some reason she couldn't produce one back.
"You okay kiddo," he said putting his hat up and taking his belt off. She nodded her head not sure what to say. "I hope this dress fits you, Joyce said it should go with the color of your hair." He shrugged his shoulders, handing her the bag to look. She lifted the bottom, the dress spilling out from under it. It was a blue long dress and a pink belt was wrapped around the hanger. "Why don't you try it on," he said. "I forgot the shoes in the car." He turned back around while she head for her room.
She threw her overalls off, taking the dress carefully off the hanger and onto her body. For a moment she didn't know what she was going, she didn't know which way the dress should face and she was having a hard time getting it down her small curve. By the time Hopper made it back inside she was able to fix the belt onto her waist. She walked out into the living area where Hopper handed her the shoes.
"Wow," he said. "You actually look like a girl." El slightly smacked him; opening the box to see two pink flats. The nicest shoes she'll ever wear. "We need to figure out this hair," Hopper said trying to move some of the curls out of her face. "It's starting to grow so fast."
"I like it long," she said with a smile.
It took Hop twenty minutes of messing with two clips and some gel to get her hair to stay in place. They drove in silence in the car as she looked out the window. The sun had gone down and she was starting to get a little cold from the winter chill that hung on the truck windows. She didn't know what to expect, but her nerve were telling her that something was going to happen that would embarrass her and she didn't know what.
"Are you sure you want to do this," Hopper said slowing down as he got deeper into town. He had been asking her this question since he gave her the birth certificate two days ago.
"Yes," she said simply. "It was a promise."
"Right," Hopper said. They pulled into the school; he parked his car further away so they wouldn't be seen. "Just go in and get yourself a ticket to hang your jacket. Make sure to act confident so people don't know you're not supposed to be there." El nodded her head. Looking to the gymnasium door as Dustin walked in. She felt excitement, seeing someone she knew. "Also," Hopper continued, "I wanted you to have something." He pulled his blue bracelet from his wrist, pulling her arm towards him and slipping it on. "My daughter made it when she was in the hospital. She tied some strings together for a friendship bracelet and gave it to me. Blue was her favorite color." El looked down at her wrist; he tightened the sting around it, making it fit her small arm. "Make sure you keep it safe, okay kid," she felt herself smile up at him while he gave a small kiss into her hair.
She stepped out into the cold, Hopper watching as she made her way to the front doors of the gymnasium. She greeted the woman at the front table, giving her jacket as Hopper instructed her to do, and step into the dance room. The music playing louder than she had ever heard, kids dancing with one another, and people laughing as the song went on. She searched back and forth before finding him, standing just across from her. She could feel herself smile as she watched him make his way towards her.
"You look beautiful," he said breathlessly. She slightly looked down at herself, finally feeling like a normal girl. "Do you want to dance," he asked. She looked around at all the other kids, feeling her self-confidence go down by the second.
"I don't know how," she suddenly felt ashamed of herself. Why didn't she think of this, why didn't Hopper mention there would be dancing. She's never danced in her life.
"I don't know either," Mike said to her. She looked up at his eyes feeling a little less embarrassed. "Do you want to figure it out," she could feel his hand in hers as he led her onto the dance floor; showing her where to put her hands while he put his on her hips. They swayed to the song, a song she had never heard before. They looked into one another's eyes; their heads moving closer without even meaning to. El felt like there was a magnet in her head, moving her towards Mike's lips. She thought about their first kiss, how at the time she didn't even know what it meant.
It was like taking in cold air after being stuck inside all day. It was fresh and fast, but just as she remembered it being, and she was happy that she finally got her chance to kiss him back. A year of waiting, and the thinking was driving her crazy, but now she was able to show him that she was growing, and changing. The song stopped, and so did they.
"Do you want to go find the others," he asked as a faster song started to play. She looked around at the other kids, finding Dustin a small distance away with Nancy. She grabbed Mikes arm, moving through the sea of students dancing to get to him. Dustin looked over with a surprised face.
"You made it," he said giving her a hug. She smiled and let a small giggle play out of her mouth. "Wow, you look nice," El looked up at him, as she felt concern play on her features.
"What happened?" she asked raising her hands to his hair.
"Seriously," Dustin said dryly as Mike laughed beside her. "This is called fashion," he said moving her hand from his hair. Nancy excused herself from the group, moving back to the punch bowl. El felt something tingle down her neck, causing the hairs on her arms to stand on end. She looked around her while Mike made fun of Dustin; Will came walking out of the crowd looking at her.
"Hey," he said breathlessly. He let a small smile escape her slips, she let one slip too. She felt electricity in the air as he got closer, making her feel uneasy.
"How was your dance?" Dustin said in a sing song voice.
"Shut up," Will said, red spreading across his cheek. Al three of the boys smiled while El stood watching them.
"El," Lucas's voice boomed from behind her, she turned to see him and Max walk out form the crowd. Max gave her a soft smile and El gave one back.
"Why don't we find a table," Mike said. "We can get some punch and just hang out." Everyone nodded in agreement while mike took her hand walking her towards Nancy and the table she stood behind. "This is punch," he said getting closer to the table. "I think you'll like it," Nancy smiled at them, handing El a cup. She looked down at the red water, he mind going towards the thought of blood; dripping from her nose as she tried to close the gate. The large beast staring at her through the gate as it closed; hearing herself scream as she willed herself not to lose. "Are you okay?" Mikes voice took her out of her daze; she looked up from her drink and took a sip. The flavor of cherry playing on her tongue. She liked it.
"I'm great," she said. They walked over to a table the party had grabbed. A Warmth filled her that she hadn't felt in a long time.