JASPER AND DUSTIN biked in a complete and comfortable silence that morning to Mike's house. The two of them were lost in their own thoughts, wondering if Operation Mirkwood will succeed.

Jasper let out a small sigh as she remembered the promise she made to Eleven last night. She knew everything. She knew where their friend was, and she knew how to get to him. But her promise to Eleven was important. It was something Jasper had vowed she wouldn't break. Not to mention breaking it could potentially hurt Eleven.

Who knows what a girl with telekinetic abilities could do to us when she's upset?

"I'm gonna tell them," Jasper suddenly murmured, breaking the silence.

"What?" Dustin pedaled to her side, glancing over at her occasionally. "Tell them what?"

"About my powers," Jasper replied, meeting his gaze. "They deserve to know."

"How do you know that they'll believe you?" Dustin challenged, his eyebrows pressing together. "Mike, maybe, but we all know Lucas is a skeptic."

"I have an idea," she shrugged lightly, her lips curving into a half smile. "More or less," she mumbled before speeding up, gaining distance on Dustin.

"What does that mean?" Dustin shouted after her. "Jas, what does that mean?" he yelled, attempting to catch up to her.

She finally slowed, matching her pace with his again. Laughter escaped past her lips as she realized Dustin was out of breath trying to keep up with her. "You asshat," the boy playfully jeered between pants before giggling himself.

They finally arrived at Mike's house, meeting the other two boys downstairs. Eleven was casually laying on the couch, fiddling with Mike's walkie.

The four huddled around the table, which had been cleared away of all campaign stuff. Jasper leaned forward and placed her palms on the edge of the table, listening to Mike as he instructed all three of them.

"We just tell our parents we have AV club after school," Mike explained. "That'll give us at least a few hours for Operation Mirkwood."

Lucas let out a contemporary sigh, his dark eyes traveling past Mike's shoulder to glance at El. "You seriously think that the weirdo knows where Will is?"

"Just trust me on this, okay?" Mike pleaded.

Lucas nodded, mumbling a small "okay" back.

"Did you get the supplies?" the raven-haired boy demanded.

"Yeah," Lucas reached over and slammed his heavy backpack on the table. He began pulling out each item and naming it before placing it on the table.

"Binoculars, from 'Nam. Army knife, also from 'Nam. Hammer, camouflage bandana, and...the wrist rocket!" Lucas pulled out the device, shooting the other three a triumphant look.

"You're gonna take out the Demogorgon with a slingshot?" Dustin chuckled in disbelief.

"First of all, it's a wrist rocket. And second of all, the Demogorgon's not real! It's made up," Lucas declares, causing uneasiness to ripple through both Jasper and Dustin. They both knew that wasn't true.

"But if there is something out there, I'm gonna shoot it in the eye..." Lucas pulled the cord back on the wrist rocket, pretending to aim at Dustin. The curly-haired boy recoiled in shock, letting out a short gasp.

"...and blind it," Lucas finished his statement.

Mike sighed, shifting his attention over to Dustin. "Dustin, what did you get?"

The Henderson boy hauled his bag onto the table, just about to pour out its contents when Jasper stopped him. "Hang on. There's something I have to tell you two first," Jasper looked gravely at Mike and Lucas.

The two boys gazed at her curiously, urging her to continue.

"There's something I didn't tell you guys. The night we found El, I found something else. Something about myself," she began nervously, afraid of what they would say. Mostly of what Lucas would say.

"I discovered that I have the power to control time," she announced to the two of them. Their eyes grew wide, but they said nothing.

From behind, El's head snapped up and focused on the redhead, afraid that she might also spill part of her secret.

"I was able to go back to the night before. I followed Will home, and...I saw something," Jasper murmured, her expression darkening.

"What?" Mike asked, becoming invested in her story. Lucas just folded his arms and continued listening.

"It was a monster. It had...long arms and legs. And it was taller than any average human. It made low growls and high-pitched screeches. It went after Will, and it took him," Jasper explained, her hands beginning to shake.

Dustin noticed and placed a hand on her back, rubbing it comfortingly. Her blue eyes met his, finding an assuring smile pressed against his lips.

"Wait. You saw...?" Mike trailed off.

"I saw it. I saw the Demogorgon," she finished for him, gazing at them both with a serious face.

"No way!" Lucas snapped, holding out his arms. "First the weirdo and now you? Maybe she's begun to rub you the wrong way," he scowled, jabbing a thumb at El. "There's no way you can control time."

"Well, thanks for showing how much faith you have in me," Jasper sighed in exasperation, followed by a disapproving hum from Dustin as he narrowed his eyes at the Sinclair boy. But since you need proof, I'll give you proof. I'll predict what is in Dustin's bag."

"Then do it," Lucas demanded, crossing his arms once again.

"Well I have to see what's in it first," Jasper nodded, gesturing for Dustin to empty his bag.

"Well, then how are you—"

"Are you really that stupid, Lucas?" Mike snapped. "She's gonna rewind time and tell us before he dumps it out. Right?"

Jasper nodded, watching as Dustin poured out all the snacks filled in his backpack. She examined it carefully, noting each snack that he had. "Okay," she whispered to herself, closing her eyes and focusing on rewinding time right before Dustin poured out his bag.

"Okay, I saw it," Jasper breathed.

"What? But he didn't even—oh wait," Lucas murmured in realization.

"Dustin packed Nutty Bars, Bazooka, Pez, Smarties, Pringles, Nilla Wafers, Apple, Banana, and Trail Mix," she announced, counting the items off on her fingers.

Dustin dumped out his bag, allowing the boys to look at the items and see that Jasper was right. Judging by the amazed look on Mike's face, he completely bought it. Lucas, of course, was still skeptical.

"How do I not know you and Dustin planned this?" Lucas mumbled, his arms folded over his chest. "You two always pull pranks like this on us."

"Need more proof? Fine," she exhaled deeply. Raising her hand, she snapped her fingers, freezing time. Jasper couldn't help but feel a burst of pride, seeing that she had done it so quickly this time.

Shuffling to the opposite side of the room, Jasper stood near El and snapped her fingers again, unfreezing time. All three boys gazed at her with huge eyes.

"You just teleported!" Mike exclaimed in wonder.

"Watch this!" Jasper gave them all a mischievous smirk. Marching over to Mike and Lucas, she held onto their forearms before freezing time. "Now you're frozen in time with me."

Lucas and Mike exchanged glances, both of them smiling in excitement. Jasper walked over to Dustin's figure, which was frozen in time. She pushed against him, using a huge amount of her force.

Nothing happened, that is until she unfroze time and he went flying towards the floor.

"Whoa!" Dustin exclaimed, grimacing as he braced for impact with the floor. However, a gasp escaped his lips as he felt a hand strongly grip his, catching him before he could fall. He gazed into the fiery eyes of Jasper, the redhead helping him back to his feet.

"What the hell, Jas!" Dustin snapped, ignoring the warmth spreading in his heart after feeling her fingers intertwined with his. Mike and Lucas both burst into laughter.

Jasper giggled, sheepishly pulling her hand away. "At least I caught you," she mumbled to him. "But do you guys believe me now?"

"Yeah," Mike and Lucas agreed in sync. Their eyes widened once again, and Mike rushed forward towards Jasper in concern.

"Holy shit, your eyes!" the raven-haired boy wiped her cheek with his thumb, groaning at the blood.

"Sorry," she murmured apologetically, wiping it away with her sleeve. "That's just some of the side effects I get for using my powers."

"It happens to her nose too," Dustin inputted.

"Now why exactly did you pack nothing but snacks?" Jasper questioned Dustin, cocking an eyebrow. She wanted the subject to move away from her and her abilities.

"We need energy for our travels! For stamina," he explained. "And besides, why do we even need weapons anyway? We have you and El," Dustin gestured to Jasper and Eleven, who was lounging on the couch behind him.

"She shut one door! And Jasper just pushed you," Lucas snarled disapprovingly.

"Wow you lose interest quickly," Jasper murmured under her breath, flicking dust off her shoulder in boredom.

"She shut that door with her mind! And Jasper can manipulate time. Are you kidding me? That's insane," Dustin exclaimed.

His blue eyes looked past the others and focused on El. "Imagine all the other cool stuff she could do. Like..." Dustin marched across the room, pulling out one of Mike's giant spaceship toys. "I bet...that she could make this fly!"

"Hey," Dustin caught El's attention, causing her to look up at him. "Okay, concentrate. okay?" He let go of the spaceship, causing it to clatter against the floor.

"Okay, one more time," Dustin held up his index fingers, picking the spaceship up again. "Okay. use your powers, okay?"

Judging by the rebellious look on Eleven's face, Jasper knew she wouldn't listen to Dustin. Instead, the redhead paused time, snatching the spaceship midair before returning back to her spot next to Mike.

When she unfroze time, all four of them let out short gasps. "She made it disappear!" Dustin exclaimed in shock. "She made it...oh," Dustin froze when he whirled around and saw the spaceship in Jasper's arms.

"Stop treating her like a dog. We're not your science experiments," Jasper sighed, tossing the spaceship on the sofa.

"Idiot," Lucas mumbled, referring to Dustin.

"Hey guys, do you mind if I take Eleven to my house today?" Jasper questioned, her eyes darting back and forth between the three of them.

They all exchanged confused glances. "Are you not going to school?" Dustin asked, his voice lowering in sadness.

"I just think it's better if someone watches over El. Preferably me," Jasper folded her arms. "Ruby will be gone all day, so she won't come home and see her. If anything, she's safer at my place."

A moment of silence passed between all of them. "Fine," Mike surrendered, giving her a nod. "But meet us at the power lines today at 3:15. Got it?"

"Yep," Jasper nodded, happy she would get to spend the day with El. Judging by the small smile on the girl's face, El was happy too.

"Boys! Time for school!" Mrs. Wheeler yelled from upstairs.

"Cover for me," Jasper pleaded, staying in the basement as the other boys hustled up the stairs.

"Where's Jasper?" Mrs. Wheeler questioned.

"She left early to go get something from the library," Mike lied, blocking the doorway from the basement.

"Okay," Mrs. Wheeler mumbled, sounding fairly convinced.

Jasper crouched near the stairs, her hands placed on the banister. She waited until she could hear the Wheeler's front door shut and Mrs. Wheeler's car leave the driveway. "Ready to go, El?" She turned to Eleven, sending her a warm smile.

"Go?" she asked, her eyebrows raising in confusion. "Go...now?"

"Yeah! You're gonna go to my house today," Jasper informed her, sitting on the couch next to El. "It won't take long to get there, and I promise nobody will see you. Is that okay?"

El hesitated for a moment, but she knew she could trust the redhead the same way she could trust Mike. "O...kay."

"Come on," Jasper grinned, getting to her feet and holding out a hand for El to take.

She took it feebly, allowing Jasper to help her off the couch. "Hopefully Mike doesn't mind if I let you borrow some of his old shoes to wear," Jasper murmured, handing her a fresh pair of socks and white sneakers.

El just smiled, slipping on the socks and shoes without complaint. She had been cooped up in one house for too long, maybe going with Jasper would give her a sense of freedom. "Thank you," she mumbled to the redhead, and Jasper knew it wasn't just for the shoes.

"Of course," Jasper replied, her heart swelling at the sight of El. She finally had met another friend, a girl. And she understood Jasper better than Mike and Lucas did.

But Dustin, Dustin was always going to be her other half.

"Just hold onto my waist," Jasper instructed El as both girls got comfortable on the small bike seat. "It's not a long ride, but, it's nice to get some fresh air I'm sure."

El wrapped her hands around the girl's torso, feeling wind whip her face as they started riding down the street. She absorbed her surroundings as they passed several houses, nearing the woods. El let out a contempt sigh, resting her head on Jasper's back.

"We're here," Jasper announced, stopping at a fairly small, secluded wooden house. "It's not as big and glorious as Mike's house, but, it's enough for me and my sister Ruby."

"Sister?" El repeated curiously as they both clambered off the bike.

"Yeah, Ruby. We both have the same parents, we're related by blood," Jasper explained, hoping it would make sense to El. She understood better than the boys how the girl's isolated life probably didn't give her much vocabulary to learn.

The two girls walked inside, and El felt a sense of safety and homeliness that she hadn't gotten from Mike's house. A shelf of family pictures caught the girl's eye, and El began stalking towards it.

"That's my family," Jasper followed, pointing at the faces in each frame. "The is a picture from before I was born. My sister Ruby, mom, and dad. My mom died giving birth to me...and my dad left us a few years ago," Jasper explained, a tinge of sadness in her voice.

El froze, her eyes focusing on one familiar shape. The woman with a heart-shaped face and fiery red hair like Jasper's. She slowly placed her finger on the picture of the woman, murmuring one simple word. "One."

"One?" Jasper echoed in bewilderment. "My mom...what do you mean one?"

Eleven stepped back from the photos, looking at Jasper with a stony expression. "One," she repeated, drawing back her sleeve to reveal her tattoo.

"One..." Jasper whispered, and it finally clicked for her.

"My mom...she was the first one? My mom was the first experiment?"