Rosalyn walks out of the bathroom in the Wheeler's basement. The boys were crowding the unknown girl who was sitting on the couch.
"Is there a number we can call for your parents?" Mike asks.
"Where's your hair? Do you have cancer?" Dustin stares at her shaved head.
"Did you run away?" Lucas tilts his head.
"Are you in some kind of trouble?" Mike leans in.
"Is that blood?" Lucas points to the spots of red on her shirt.
"That's enough boys. You're not even giving her time to answer. You're freaking her out!" Lyn scolds them.
"She's freaking me out!" Lucas defends himself.
"I bet she's deaf." Dustin reaches out his hands to clap in her face, making her jump. "Not deaf."
"No duh, she's not deaf. She nods her head in the woods when I ask her a question." She smacks her brother in the back of the head.
"Alright, that's enough? She's scared and cold." Mike put an end to his friend's antics. He walks over to grab some clothes from a laundry hamper. "Here, these are clean." He gave them to her.
She put the clothes to the side and stood up to put her hands on the bottom of her shirt to lift it. The boy turns around and covers their eyes. "Oh, my God. Oh, my God." Dustin chants.
Lyn grabs the girl's hands to stop her. "No honey, not here. There is a bathroom over there, where you can have privacy. You don't take your clothes off in front of people, especially strangers." She told the younger girl, who nodded her head although she looks confused. She grabs the clothes and led the girl to the bathroom. She went to close the door but the girl grabs it.
"You don't want it closed?" Lyn asks.
"No." She said simply.
"Oh, so you can speak. That's good. How about this, we'll keep the door open this much?" She grabs the doorknob and slowly pushes the door that still had the younger female's hand on it so it was only open about two inches. "Is that good?" She asks. As a response, the girl nods her head. "Alright, you can come back out when you're done changing and we'll decide what to do next. I swear to you that I'll make sure the bad people don't get you." Lyn said, even though she had no idea how powerful these bad people were. All she knows is she sees a lost vulnerable duckling that she wants to save.
"Swear to me?" The girl wonders what that meant.
"It means that I'm going to keep you safe no matter what." Lyn was surprised when the girl smiled weakly at her. "I'll let you change." She turns around and walks over to the boys, who were arguing with each other. "What's going on?" She asks them.
"Oh, maybe the fact, that we have an escapee from Pennhurst in the bathroom. We shouldn't have brought her here. Now, she knows where Mike lives." Lucas whisper yells.
"Like Michael Myers," Dustin's eyes went wide.
"She's not Michael Myers. If she was, we would be dead by now." She rolls her eyes.
"So, you just wanted to leave her out in that storm?" Mike ignores her to argue some more with his two peers.
"Yes! We went out to find Will, not another problem." Lucas points out.
"I think we should tell your mom." Dustin turns to Mike.
"I second that." Lucas nods.
"Who's crazy now?" Mike shook his head.
"How is that crazy?" Lucas stares at Mike like he was the crazy one.
"Cause, we weren't supposed to be out tonight, remember?" Mike reminds his friends. Lyn reminds herself to think of a way to creatively punish Dustin later, so their mom wouldn't find out.
"So?" Dustin asks.
"So if I tell my mom. She will tell both of your moms," Mike tells them.
"Oh, man." Dustin realizes how much trouble he would get into.
"Our houses become Alcatraz." Lucas groans.
"Stop being selfish, that girl could be in real trouble" She glares down at the three boys.
"It's not selfish. If we get grounded we can't find Will." Mike matches the teen's glare. Lyn widens her eyes in shock, realizing the boy was being honest. He wasn't trying to weasel his way out of trouble. We wanted to help his friend and the girl. "Alright, here's the plan. She sleeps here tonight."
"You're letting a girl..." Dustin shook his head not knowing how he felt about a maybe psychopath sleeping in his friend's house. What if she slit Mike's and his family's throats in their sleep?
"Just listen! In the morning, she sneaks around my house, goes to the front door, and rings my doorbell. My mom will answer and know exactly what to do. She'll send her back to Pennhurst or wherever she comes from. We'll be totally in the clear. And tomorrow night, we go back out. And this time, we find Will." Mike explains his plan.
"Okay, that sounds good." She nods her head, agreeing with the plan. The door squeaks open, making the group turn their heads. "Hey, come, we'll make you a fort to sleep in for the night." She waves the girl over. The girl watches as the teen and preteens made a fort out of chairs and a blanket.
"Goodnight, I'll see you tomorrow." Lyn smiles. In a panic the girl grabs her arm, she swears to keep her safe and now she is leaving. Dustin's eyes went wide at the maybe psycho grab his sister. "Hey, it's alright. Mike won't let anything happen to you. I'll be back in the morning. I can't stay or it will raise suspicions." She told the young girl. She nods her head and lets go of her arm.
Mike guides her into the fort as Dustin and Lucas climb the stairs. "Here you go. This is my sleeping bag." He hands it to her.
Lyn walks fast up the stairs after she saw the boys left her. She got into the driver's seat and drop Lucas off before going home. "Do you think that girl is dangerous?" Dustin asks her.
"I don't know, but something tells me she is in danger." She told him as they quietly went into their house, not wanting to wake their mother.
The next morning, Lyn had Lucas and Dustin in the back seat of Darling. They were going to pick up Mike and check on the girl. When she pulled up to the Wheeler's house Mike jumped into the car. "I got El to talk to me. So I'm going to stay home to see what I can find out." He told them.
"Who's El?" Lucas asks.
"Eleven, the girl we found last night," Mike explains.
"Eleven like the number." Dustin narrows his eyes.
"Yeah like the number. It's a tattoo on her arm." He points to his forearm where the girl had the tattoo.
"What? How does a child get a tattoo?" She gasps.
"I don't know, but I'll find out more. I need you to drive around the block and drop me off down the street and I'll sneak back into my house. If my mom catches me I'll tell her I'm sick." He explains.
"Okay, I'll bring over chicken noodle soup after school. That will be our in." She nods her head. Nancy walks out of the house and tries to walk past the car without talking to them. "Hey, Nancy," Lyn waved at her, knowing it would annoy the girl. Nancy throws a glare her way. When Lyn kept smiling and waving at her, Nancy rolls her eyes and stormed away.
"She's dating a popular boy for like a week and now she's too good for us peasants." She glares at the other girl's back.
"She hates you because Steve Harrington has a crush on you," Mike told her what he overheard his sister say to Barb on the phone. She pulled away from the curb and started rounding the block.
"Douche Bag Harrington has a crush on you." Dustin pretends to gag.
"He asks me out a couple of times but I always said no. Instead of being a bitch she should be grateful that I'm not taking her man because I could." She grumbled, annoyed with her prissy attitude. All the boys were pretending to gag. "Okay get out of my car, Wheeler." She parks down the street.
"I'll see you guys after school." He got out and walked to his house. She took off down the road.
"Do you think he's safe?" Dustin watches his friend until he disappears from view.
"He's risking it for a crush. It seems to be a genetic thing, Wheelers goes for stupid people." Lucas grumbled. Lyn let it slide since she knew he was being protective of his friend. The boys whisper back and forth to each other for the rest of the ride.
She parks in the high school parking lot. "I'll meet you guys at the car after school." The boys nod their heads before getting out of the car and making their way to the middle school.
She got out and walks into the school to see Jonathan putting up a flyer. She went over to him. "Oh, what a cute picture," She smiles sadly at the lost flyer. "Did Hopper get back to you guys?"
"Yeah, he still thinks he's with Lonnie. We tried to tell him that even if he went there that bastard would send him right back." He finished pinning up the flyer.
"Hey." The two teens look up to see Nancy Wheeler standing in front of us.
"Oh, hey," Jon was as surprised as Lyn that the girl was talking to him.
"I just wanted to say, you know, um I'm sorry about everything." Nancy looks in between the flyer and Jon. He looks over her shoulder at Steve, Barb, Tommy, and Carol. They were staring at him. Steve and Carol look away while Tommy waves.
"Everyone's thinking about you." She said seeing where he was looking.
"I'm sure they have great things to say." Lyn walks over to the group. "Why don't you guys fuck off? A kid is missing and a family is worried sick, yet you're all staring like he's a freak show." She glares at the other teens.
"It's not like that." Steve shook his head, all of a sudden feeling ashamed.
"Save the fake prince charming act for the naive virgins, Harrington. No one believes any of your pretend sympathy. If you had any, you would have been at the woods last night helping us look for him." The bell rang stopped her from tearing him apart completely. She pushes past them to go to class.
"I wanted to be there, my parents wouldn't let me!" Steve yells after her. Tommy and Carol laugh at their friend's hundred failed attempts with the Henderson girl. Barb glared at the boy who was obviously pining for someone else while going out with her best friend.
Lyn was leaning against Darling while she waited for Dustin and Lucas. She groaned when she saw Steve Harrington approaching her. When he saw her glare, he put his hands in the air in surrender. "Look, I just wanted to say I'm sorry. I didn't know you cared about the kid."
"Oh my god, do you even think before you speak?" She glares. He was confused about what he said wrong. "Will Byers is one of my brother's best friends. I've babysat and hung out with the kid a lot. But, even if I didn't know him I would care." She said now thinking about Eleven. "When someone is hurt, especially a kid, anyone who has an ounce of kindness in them would care. The fact that you only care when it bothers someone you know is sickening." She wanted to spit on the teens' nice sneakers.
"You know most girls would find that flattering." He told her.
The two teens were so engrossed with the other they didn't notice the middle schoolers approaching them. "Yeah, well my sister isn't like most girls." Dustin opens the passenger door and got in the car.
"I'm pretty sure she's another species. I mean look at her brother." Lucas got into the back seat.
"Hey!" Dustin yells from the front seat. Lyn didn't spare the other teen another word or glance. She got into the car and drove off to a diner in town.
"Here, go inside and get the chicken noodle soup." She hands her brother some money.
"Come on Lucas." Dustin waves his arm for his friend to follow him. They got out of the car and went into the diner. She searched the radio for a rock station, knowing that was Will's favorite.
The boys got back in the car. They noticed the music change from pop but didn't say anything. She drove them to the Wheeler's house for the third time today. They got out and rang the doorbell. Mrs. Wheeler opens the door. "Hi, Mrs. Wheeler. When I was picking up Mike this morning he told me he was sick. So, I brought over some chicken noodle soup." She points at the bag Dustin was holding.
"That's so sweet of you. He's up in his room." She points up the stairs. They share a look wondering why he was in his room and not the basement.
They ran to his room and found the door locked. "Hey, Mike." She knocks on the door.
"Come in." He opens the door enough for them to get in. They walk in to find Eleven sitting on his bed.
"Are you out of your mind?" Lucas's jaw dropped. Dustin put the container of soup on the dresser.
"Just listen to me." Mike tried to reason.
"You are out of your mind!" Lucas answers his early question.
"She knows about Will," Mike said, making them look at the girl on the bed.
"What do you mean she knows about Will?" Dustin looks back at Mike.
"She pointed at him, at his picture. She knew he was missing. I could tell." Mike grabs the picture of them at the science fair.
"You could tell?" Lucas raises an eyebrow.
"Just think about it. Do you think it was a coincidence that we found her on Mirkwood, the same place where Will disappeared?" Mike points out the connection they could have.
"That is weird." Dustin agreed.
"And she said bad people are after her." Lyn looks over at the girl, wondering if she was a kidnap victim. If she was, the kidnapper would be freaking out. They may kill Will and ditch his body somewhere in a panic or skip town with him.
"She told me that too. I think maybe these bad people are the same ones that took Will. I think she knows what happened to him." Mike told them.
"Then why doesn't she tell us?" Lucas snaps.
Lyn grabs the picture and sits down next to Eleven on the bed. "Honey, can you tell me how you know Will." She points at Will. She stares at the picture, not saying anything.
"Do you know where he is? Do you know where Will is?" Lucas screams, putting his hands on her shoulder to shake her roughly.
"Stop it, you're scaring her!" Mike screams at him. Lyn removes his hands from her.
"She should be scared! If you know where he is, tell us!" Lucas continues to try and scare the information out of her. When all he got was silence, he turned to Mike. "This is nuts. We have to take her to your mom."
"No! Eleven said telling an adult would put us in danger," Mike told us.
"What kind of danger?" Dustin asks. Mike ignored him to continue and argue with Lucas. "Mike what kind of danger?" He yells at his friend. Lyn was surprised that Mrs. Wheeler didn't come up to check on them with all the noise.
"Danger, Danger." Mike made his hand resemble a gun and put it up to Dustin's head and pull the pretend trigger. He tried to do the same to Lucas but his hand was smacked down.
"No, no, no! We're going back to plan A. We're telling your mom." Lucas walks over to the door, opening it for it to roughly close by some invisible force. Lucas tried again, but the door was forced to shut once again. They watch in horror as the door lock itself.
Lyn leans away from Eleven, who was staring intently at the door. Blood was dripping from her nose. "No," El said when the boys turn to look at her.
The group found themselves sitting around the Wheeler's dining table for dinner. Lyn was forcing the food down her throat even though she wasn't in the mood to eat. "Is something wrong with the meatloaf?" Mrs. Wheeler asks the boys who were pushing it around their plates.
"Oh, no, I had two bologna sandwiches for lunch. I don't know why." He smiles at the woman.
"Me too," Lucas nods. More like they finish the large container of chicken noodle soup they brought for Mike.
"It's delicious, Mommy." Nancy smiled, sweetly.
"Thank you, sweetie," Mrs. Wheeler smiles. The woman was desperate for any affection. It made Lyn wonder about Mr. Wheeler. He was married to a woman completely out of his league and yet he didn't treat her right. Between her dad, Lonnie, and Mr. Wheeler, she wonders if any man was capable of treating a woman well. Then she remembered Mr. Sinclair, Lucas's dad, who treated his wife with respect and love.
"So, there's this special assembly thing tonight for Will at the school field. Barb's driving." Nancy told her mom. Lyn rolls her eyes, realizing she only complimented her mom to butter her up.
"Why am I just hearing about this?" She glances up at her daughter as she cut her meatloaf.
"I thought you knew." Nancy shrugs.
"I told you, I don't want you out after dark until Will is found." Her mom glared at her for asking when she already laid down a rule.
"I know, I know, but it'd be super weird if I'm not there. I mean, everyone's going." Nancy emphasizes the last part.
Mrs. Wheeler looks like she was thinking about what the town would say about them for not going. The fake caring made Lyn grip her fork tightly turning her knuckles white.
"Just be back by 10:00. Why don't you take the boys, too?" She points her fork at the boys.
"No!" The boys shouted.
"Don't you think you should be there, for Will?" She looks at her son who was so angry with the lack of caring last night.
Behind Mrs. Wheeler's back, Eleven was walking down the stairs and heading to the basement. Mike ends up choking on the milk he was drinking.
Dustin slams his fists down onto the table getting everyone to stare at him. "Sorry. Spasm." He apologizes.
"Oh, it's okay, Holly. It's just a loud noise." Mrs. Wheeler told her youngest, who was sinking in her chair while staring at Dustin.
"Nice." Nancy glared at him. He sunk in his chair looking ashamed at having his crush mad at him.
"This assembly isn't for Will anyways. It's not like they're going to be looking for him. They're just going to show a picture of him. It's more to scare other kids from playing in the woods. It's the school's fake caring. People who care would be with the police searching the woods for him. The assembly is the perfect place for you to be Nancy." Lyn sent a fake smile the other teen's way.
Nancy grits her teeth, not wanting to engage the other girl in an argument. Her mother would make her stay home for being rude to a guest. The rest of the dinner went quietly. After helping Mrs. Wheeler clean up, Nancy left. Lyn and the boys went to the basement.
"El? No adults. Just us and some meatloaf," Mike put the plate down in front of her. She stares at Lucas and Dustin, not knowing if she could trust them. "Don't worry. They won't tell anyone about you. They promise, right?" He turns around to get his friends to assure her.
"We never would've upset you if we knew you had superpowers," Dustin said, earning him a punch in the leg from Mike. He yells out in pain.
"What Dustin is trying to say is that they were just scared earlier. That's all." Mike turned back to her.
"We just wanted to find our friend," Lucas told her.
"Friend?" She narrowed her eyes at the boy for using an unknown word.
"Yeah, friend. Will?" Lucas said, not knowing who else she could think he was talking about.
"What is a friend?" She asks.
"Is she serious?" Lucas looks over at them.
"Um, a friend is..." Lyn tried to think of the meaning.
"Is someone that you'd do anything for," Mike finished for her.
"You lend them your cool stuff, like comic books and trading cards." Dustin listed.
"And they never break a promise," Mike told her.
"Especially when there's spit," Lucas said. Lyn cringed, remembering the few times they made her do that.
"Spit?" Eleven wonders what the bodily fluid had to do with anything.
"A spit swear means…" Lucas spits in his hand to shake it with Dustin's. "…you never break your word. It's a bond." Dustin looks between his hand and Lucas in disgust before wiping his hand on his shirt.
"That's super important because friends tell each other things. Things parents don't know." Mike explains. El looks them over as she processes the new information.
She got up and walked over to the table that had the dungeons and dragons board set up on it. She put her hands down on the table and closed her eyes. "What's the weirdo doing?" Lucas slowly trails behind her like the rest of them.
"El? Honey, are you alright." Lyn sat down on a chair beside her.
She opens her eyes and picks up the piece that looks like a wizard. "Will."
"Superpowers," Dustin's eyes went wide for that was the piece that Will always played as. Lucas rolls his eyes, determined not to be impressed by her.
"Did you see him? On Mirkwood? Do you know where he is?" Mike took a seat on the other side of her. Eleven put two pieces on the side before swiping the rest of the pieces off the table and flipping the board over before putting Will in the middle of it. "I don't understand."
"Hiding," She answered.
"Will is hiding?" Mike asks for clarifications.
She nods her head.
"From the bad men?" Lyn asks, fearing the worst for the boy.
El shook her head no.
"Then from who?" Mike asks.
El put down the monster piece, the Demogorgon. Everyone shares a look of horror.