𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐧

ⅳ 𝒆𝒍𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒏

HAPPINESS CIRCLED THE ROOM AS EL WALKED IN. EXCEPT FOR ONE. Chrisanna stood awkwardly behind Dustin watching as Mike and Eleven held each other in an embrace. Chris leant across, almost comically, over to Nancy to whisper to her. "Is this Eleven?" Chris asked her eyes darting over to the young girl. Nancy nodded subtly watching the two kids, a shocked expression on her face.

"I never gave up on you," Mike whispered looking into Eleven's eyes. They continued to speak to each other. Chris silently sent the knives back to the kitchen, figuring she didn't need them anymore. Chris whipped the blood from the bottom of her nose, clicking back on to the conversation.

"I heard," Eleven whispered still holding onto Mike. Mike shook his head in a confused disagreement.

"Why didn't you tell me you were there? That you were okay?" Mike said in a rush.

"Because I wouldn't let her," Hopper announced stepping forward, holding his gun at his side. "The hell is this? Where you been?" Hopper asked in a strong voice. Mike stepped back letting Hopper get close to Eleven.

"Where have you been?" Eleven snapped back. Hopper extended his arm pulling her into a hug, which she gladly reciprocated.

"You've been hiding her," Mike figured his eyes snapping back up to Hopper. "You've been hiding her this whole time!" Mike yelled shoving Hopper's shoulder. The chief reacted gripping the front of Mike's shirt.

"Hey!" Hopper held him back forcibly making Mike calm down. "Let's talk. Alone," Hopper said in force leading Mike over to a different room.

El spotted Lucas and Dustin and they ran to her, throwing their arms around and hugging each other, El's arms around their shoulders. "We missed you," Lucas spoke still gripping onto her.

"I missed you, too," El mumbled with her eyes shut, enjoying the comfort of her friends.

"We talked about you pretty much every day," Dustin announced with a smile pulling away as he finished his sentence. El's eyes creased in confusion before grazing her thumb over Dustin's dentures.

"Teeth," El announced a little smile on her lips.

"What?" Dustin asked his tone confused.

"You have teeth," Eleven repeated properly. Dustin smiled at her with a chuckle.

"Oh. You like these pearls?" Dustin questioned letting out a purr. Eleven flinched her eyes widening at him. She looked behind him to look at Chris who smiled awkwardly, Dustin followed her eyes. Dustin rushed over pulling Chris to Eleven.

"El, El, EL" Dustin said in a hurry. "This is my sister, Chrisanna, but everyone calls her Chris," Dustin said with a proud smile. El nodded but saw red on her fingers.

"Blood?" El asked in concern, taking Chris's hand in her own. Lucas and Dustin smiled before they both yelled at the same time.

"Chis has powers!" They both laughed. Chris looked at Dustin and flicked his hat off again.

"Would you stop?" Dustin said sighing bending over to pick up his hat.
"Powers like me?" El asked softly, looking at Chris. Chris smiled with a nod. "What?" El inquired.

"Uh, I can move things without touching them, I can make fire and heat," Chris said looking down to where the girl's hand met and letting the embers swirl, "Shields and sometimes I can see the Upside Down," Chris explained with a smile. El nodded smiling as well.

"I like you," El said plainly with a small smile. Chris smiled confused but let out a chuckle anyway.

"Eleven?" Max asked stepping forward. Chris looked to El who had a stern look.

Chris smiled one last time before walking to Alex and Miya. Miya chuckled at her stunned face. "I just got approved by a thirteen-year-old," Chris said with a laugh Chris brought her hand under her nose whipping the blood away. Chris looked over to El who was being led to Will's room. Miya passed Chris a pack of bagels from the backpack she brought with her.

"Here charge your strength," Miya encouraged, tossing the bag of bagels at her. "I know you haven't used too much but as a just in case." Alex nodded in agreement. Chris sighed tearing the pack open and taking a bite. Miya smiled cockily at her, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh shut up," Chris mumbled with a sigh, smiling anyway.

"Wow, I'm deeply wounded," Miya sighed, holding a hand over her heart, flopping against Chris. Chris caught her under her arms and pushed her back upright.

"Everyone over here," Hopper announced walking over to the table. Chris finished the bagel and the girls crowded around the table with the others. "What are you thinking?" Hopper asked standing next to Joyce.

"I can close it," El spoke as the others squashed around the table. Hopper sighed leaning a hand on the table.

"It's not like it was before. It's grown. A lot. And, I mean, that's considering we can get in there. The place is crawling with those dogs," Hopper explained.

"Demo-dogs," Dustin spoke looking back to Hopper, Hopper sighed looking at Dustin.

"I'm sorry, what?" Hopper asked confused and ticked off.

"I said, uh-"

"Dustin, not important," Chris jumped in cutting Dustin's sentence off.

"Sorry," Dustin mumbled under Hopper's glare. Dustin leant closer to Chris who he stood next to.

"I can do it," El said breaking the tension with a strong voice.

"You're not hearing me," Hopper spoke.

"I'm hearing you. I can do it," El repeated.

"Even if El can, there's still another problem," Mike spoke up standing next to Hopper. "If the brain dies, the body dies."

"I thought that was the whole point," Max pointed out slightly confused.

"It is, but if we're really right about this..." Mike paused taking a breath "I mean, if El closes the gate and kills the mind flayer's army..."

"Will's a part of that army," Lucas finished.

"Closing the gate will kill him," Alex confirmed.

An unsettling and uncomfortable silence hung in the air for a moment. Joyce looked at everyone before her eyes settled on one of Will's drawings. Joyce pushed herself out of her seat walking to Will's room with everyone following. "He likes it cold," Joyce spoke up looking between Will and one of his open windows.

"What?" Miya asked glancing at Alex "Will likes it cold?" Miya looked to Joyce in confusion.

"It's what Will kept saying to me," Joyce spoke again. "He likes it cold." Joyce walked to the window nearly slamming it closed. "We keep giving it what it wants."

"If this is a virus, and Will's the host, then..." Nancy spoke trailing off.

"Then we need to make the host uninhabitable." Jonathan figured, kneeling at Will's side. "So if he likes it cold..."

"We need to burn it out of him," Joyce spoke in anger.

"We have to do it somewhere he doesn't know this time," Mike pointed out.

"Yeah, somewhere far away," Alex agreed. Hopper looked to Will and then over to Eleven.

"The cabin," El said aloud.

"I want you to grab any heaters, anything alright, bring them to Jonathan's car," Hopper ordered walking over wrapping Will in a blanket and rushing out the house, Joyce and Jonathan following.

The others rushed out to the back for a second time that night, looking for any heaters. All the older kids, excluding Jonathan, were digging through a pile of Joyce's old scrap metal and appliances. Nancy and Steve stood nearly side to side, but everyone could tell they were feeling off. Chris tapped Miya's arm. "I think they need some space," Chris whispered. Miya nodded holding onto Alex's hand.

"Hey Alex, I think there was an old...fan in the... garage," Miya said in an unconvincing tone, her lips pulled into a tight smile. Chris groaned rubbing her temple and watching as the two shuffle awkwardly away. Steve looked at Chris with a smile and Chris came up with her own excuse.

"I gonna go check on Dustin," Chris said with a smile rubbing a hand along Nancy's arm. Chris didn't even make it to the porch when Miya and Alex came running at her,

"Chris you won't believe it!" Miya yelled in a laugh, carrying a fan in her left hand, "I actually found a heated fan." Miya nearly slammed the fan into the floor making it clang.

Chris let a dopey smile crack on her face. "Very good Miya," Chris said in a teasing tone. Miya smiled back not realizing Chris was teasing her.

"I'll take it to Jonathan," Alex spoke quietly, a lot more on edge than usual. Alex took the fan over to the car.

"Is she okay?" Chris asked walking onto the porch, Miya at her side. Miya looked over at Alex in guilt.

"She - the last time this happened, she lost her friend Barb," Miya explained sitting on the porch step Chris leaning on the railing next to her, "I think she's scared to lose someone again." Chris looked between the girls, Alex walking to them. Alex sat next to Miya leaning against her shoulders. Miya laced their fingers together and Chris smiled softly at them.

"El... Come on, let's go. It's time." Hopper called making all the kids turn to him. El looked to Mike before heading to Hopper's car. Chris looked out over the yard as Jonathan drove off with the other Byers and Nancy with him, Hopper and El following after in the Chiefs car.

෴

❝ there's a calm in my 𝒇𝒊𝒓𝒆 ❞