CHAPTER TWO: trick or treat, freak

[══]B♥r♥o♥k♥e♥n♥[══]

PERSEUS WARD RAN INTO THE KICTHEN, HEAVY BOOK IN HAND. "What's wrong?"

Eleven turned around, having a bed sheet over her head. "Ghost." She says.

"Yeah, we see that," Hopper replied.

"Halloween."

"Yeah it is." Perseus smiled at the girl. "Might need to cut in a ghost mouth to eat breakfast."

"They wouldn't see me," Eleven says.

That caused Perseus to frown.

"Who wouldn't see you?" Hopper asked.

"The bad men."

"What are you talking about?"

"Then one's who work at the Hawkins Lab. You know, you trespassed the property?" Perseus speaks. "Had Eleven there because of her powers...we had to fight them in the school. Any of this ringing a bell? Do you need to retire?"

"Haha, very funny." Hopper faked an amused

"Trick or treat," Eleven spoke.

"You want to go trick-or-treating?" Hopper asked in disbelief. "You know the rules."

"Yes but-" Eleven started but Hopper moved to stand up, moving take a hold of Eleven's arms.

"Yeah, so you know the answer," Hopper replied.

"No, but they wouldn't see me."

"No. Hey. I don't care."

"But, they wouldn't see."

"She can go with me and hide in that. And not speak," Perseus tried to help out Eleven

"I don't care, all right? She goes out there, ghost or not, it's a risk. We don't take risk. All right?" Hopper talked back and forth at the two kids. "They're stupid, and..."

"We're not stupid," Eleven finished.

"Exactly. Now, you take that off, sit down and eat. Both your food's getting cold. And Perseus don't even think about sneaking her out."

Both sat across Hopper.

Hoper sighed, looking at the sad Eleven, and how Perseus seemed incredibly focused on the pancakes in front of him. "All right, look. How about I get off early tonight," had  he planed to get off early to drop Perseus off at the Wheeler house, unless the boy had decided to go to one of his friends house after school.  "and I buy us a bunch of candy, and we can sit around and get fat, and we watch a scary movie together? How's that for a compromise?"

"Com-compromise?" El questioned.

"C-O-M-promise. Compromise." Hopper says. "How about that's your word for the day?"

Perseus nodded. "an agreement or a settlement of a dispute that is reached by each side making concessions." He explained. "Just doing something that combine the two suggestions."

"By 5-1-5?" Eleven questioned.

"Five-fifteen. Yeah, sure," Hopper agreed.

"Promise?" Eleven asked.

"Promise."

"Half-way happy."

Hopper turned to Perseus. "Who's house am I dropping you off at?"

"Oh. I don't know." Perseus says. "Dustin just asked me if I was going at all before telling me that I should go. They'll be the ghost hunters," he tells Hopper. "I'll ask them at school."
[══]B♥r♥o♥k♥e♥n♥[══]

Perseus smiled when he had seen the four. But, then noticed how they seemed upset. "What's wrong?"

"Perseus!" Dustin smiled widely at the other boy, but the others had looked at Perseus, frowning.

"Uh, sorry?" Perseus asked, unsure of what he had done.

"No one is dressed up!"

Perseus looked around, seeing that it was true, aside from the four in front of him. "Yeah. Did the school make announcement against it? I don't listen to the morning announcements."

The four looked at each other before looking back at Perseus, unsure.  Perseus clicked his tongue. "There's not a close enough store that I can walk to get a ghost costume."  He says, looking over. "And I stopped carrying extra clothes once I stared to live with Hopper."

"Why would you need extra clothes?" Lucas asked.

"In case one I bleed over my shirt," Perseus shrugged.

The school bell rung.
[══]B♥r♥o♥k♥e♥n♥[══]

"I'm about to punch one of these students," Perseus says when multiple students laughed at the group.

"When do people make these decisions?" Dustin asked.

"Everyone dressed up last year," Will says.

"It's a conspiracy, I'm telling you."

"Just be cool," Mike tried.

"Who you gonna call? The nerd!" Someone yelled.

"Okay, that's it," Perseus turned around, ready to swing at the boy but was stopped and Dustin and Mike grabbed him, pulling him back and Will took the backpack out of Perseus's hand. "I'll cave you're skull in." He threatened the student, vicious smile as the boy stared wide-eye.
[══]B♥r♥o♥k♥e♥n♥[══]

"Perseus! Perseus!" Dustin yelled, smiling as he rushed to the other before he could close his locker. "Are you coming trick or treating?"

"I'm not sure yet," Perseus smiled back, putting a few books back on his locker.

"Oh," Dustin's smile fell.

"Probably will go. I'll just throw on a sheet to be a ghost,"

"Really?"

"Yeah. If there was store close enough I'd walk to it and get the sheet to be back in time before school ended, but there's not."

Dustin smiled again. "You would do that?"

Perseus turned, returning the smile. "Yeah. Where are you guys meeting?"

"Oh! Yeah, right. We're meeting at the-" Dustin paused, having forgotten the name for a moment before speaking quickly. "the Maple Street cul-de-sac at seven."
[══]B♥r♥o♥k♥e♥n♥[══]

Hopper had dropped of his bike when he remembered that he wouldn't be there to pick Perseus up today.

And now, Perseus rode his bike alone side Dustin, Lucas and Mike.

"Hey, guys?" Dustin questionedc looking behindhimshbe a cad was suddenly speeding at them.

All of them drive off the road, into the leaves.

"Fucking pyschopath!" Perseus yelled as he hit the ground.

"Perseus are you okay?" Dustin moved over to the over.

"Yeah. Geesh, who even drives like that?"

"Mad Max," Lucas breathed out.
[══]B♥r♥o♥k♥e♥n♥[══]

"I'm sure he'll be here soon," Perseus tells Eleven, even as he had walked back into the kitchen to make himself and Eleven more popcorn.

And then there was a beeping, Morse code. Which, had Eleven rush to the little sign above the machine. "L...A...T...E. Late."

"Hey, come on, Eleven, pick out a movie," Perseus speaks a loud.
[══]B♥r♥o♥k♥e♥n♥[══]

Eleven had moved the TV into her room before taking Perseus's hand and pulling him into her room.

There was a knock at her door. "Hey, kids, open up, would you? I got, uh...stock somewhere, and I lost track of time. And I'm sorry. El, Perseus, would you please open the door? I'm sorry I didn't drop you off."

Perseus looked at Eleven, who shook her head.

"El? Perseus?" Hopper asked. "All right. I'm just gonna be out here by myself, eating all this candy." he called out. "I'm gonna get fat. It's very unhealthy to leave me out here. Could have a heart attack or something."

Perseus was amused, smiling and laughing lightly, not wanting the man to hear him. Eleven turned the TV louder. "One quarter pound of all American beef, fresh cut tomato and four strips of crispy bacon." The man on the TV said.

"Did somebody say bacon?"

Eleven changed the channel as she titled her head. Until she got to a screen that was nothing, except it glitching and static.  She out on a blind-fold.

"El, what are you doing?" Perseus asked.

Eleven shushed him.

"Mike," she says.
And when she removed the blind-fold, she was slightly crying.
[══]B♥r♥o♥k♥e♥n♥[══]

{1254}