"i'm not crazy, i know i'm not — just give me one word."

—

they make it back to mike's house, immediately going down to the basement.

eleven's sitting on the couch, and erin sits down in the chair across from her. she smiles, doesn't get one in return (but she understands why. the girl had little to no emotional attachment support), and thinks.

mike suddenly launches into mr. clarke's entire explanation, even drawing out the flea and the acrobat again. he folds the piece of paper, and then sticks his pencil through it, right in front of eleven's face.

her eyes become comically wide, and erin leans forward, waiting for another reaction.

"it would take a lot of energy to build a gate like this. but that's gotta be what happened. otherwise, how'd will get there, right?" mike says to her.

"r-right." she replies softly.

"what we want to know is, do you know where the gate is?" lucas asks. eleven seems hesitant, and then she shakes her head and looks down at her lap. lucas is suddenly outraged. "then how do you know about the upside down?" erin and mike both glance at her as well, but she just looks back down at her hands.

erin watches as the girl then suddenly glances over to her left, where dustin is now walking around in circles, staring at a compass in his hand. erin sighs and sets a hand on her chin.

"dustin, what are you doing?" mike asks. when he doesn't get a response, he repeats his name.

erin tilts her head. "duuuuusssssttttiiinnn." she drawls out his name. he continues walking back and forth. she stares for a second. "dustin!" she suddenly barks, using her 'mom voice' as dustin had dubbed it.

he looks over quickly. "i.. i need to see your compasses." he tells them. they all glance at each other in confusion. "what?" mike asks.

"your compasses. all of your compasses, right now!"

the three other kids then all scatter, going to their backpacks and such. erin reaches into a tiny pouch on the outside of her blue backpack, and produces four different compasses. they vary in weight, size, and color. she shrugs at them and then walks over to the small table and lays them down next the rest of the boys'.

dustin filters through them, examining each one. he lined them all up, and then stood back, glancing around the circle. "what's exciting about this?" mike asks.

"well, they're all facing north right?" dustin asks. erin shrugs. "yeah, so?"

dustin waits like the next words are obvious. "well, that's not true north." he answers. "what do you mean?" mike asks.

"i mean exactly what i just said, that's not true north." he says back. when his friends just stared at him, he sighed. "are you three seriously this dense?" when lucas shrugs, dustin's eyes go wide and starts explaining it slowly, like to a little kid.

"the sun rises in the east, and it sets in the west. right?" he holds up a hand for each direction. they all nodded. "which means.." he points towards erin. "that's true north."

"so what you're saying is the compasses are broken." mike says. dustin lets out a heavy sigh, grabbing one of the small compasses on the table.

"do you even understand how a compass works? do you see a battery pack on this?" he turned it around in front of mike's face. "no." mike answers.

"no, you don't! because it doesn't need one. the needle's naturally drawn to earth's magnetic north pole." he explains.

"so, what's wrong with them?" lucas asks. erin looks down at the table and thinks as she listens to dustin talk.

"well, that's what i couldn't figure out, but then i remembered. you can change the direction of a compass with a magnet. if there's the presence of a more powerful magnetic field, the needle deflects to that power." he says.

erin scoffs. "wait." she interrupts. "a magnet bigger than the north pole's is affecting these?" she asks in disbelief, gesturing to the table.

"i was still confused, too, and then i remembered what mr. clarke said. the gate would have so much power-"

"it could disrupt the electromagnetic field." mike finishes in shock. he smiles up at dustin. "exactly."

"meaning, if we follow the compasses' north." lucas starts.

"they should lead us to the gate." dustin answers. erin nods in amazement. they now had a new plan, one that could actually work this time.

-

they all left then, going to their own houses to change clothes, and get prepared to go look for the gate.

erin put on a light blue short-sleeved shirt with stripes and a collar, a pair of elizabeth's old mom jeans, her white shoes with soft socks, and then another old item of elizabeth's — her black and white nike windbreaker.

erin snuggles into the fluffy fabric on the inside and sits down on her bed, shoving her hands in her pockets. what the hell were they even going to do? what were they trying to find? the gate? it's not like they could open it.

she glances over at the clock on her bed, and realizes she has 15 minutes to get to mike's. she sighs, standing up and walking to her vanity. she pulls open a drawer, and reaches into it, pulling out a match that she would normally light scented candles with.

she laid them on top, and then walked over to her closet, pilfering through random clothing laying around. she then pulls out the same big backpack from before, when they went out to the quarry with eleven.

she grabs a few hair bands off of her vanity, the matches, and then walks to the bathroom to get her pills. when she opens up the cabinet, she grabs them, and then notices a small white box with a red cross. she takes the first aid kit and shoves it in her jacket pocket. she takes the pills quickly, using the sink for water again, and then shoves them in her pocket.

she walks through the empty house, to the door in the laundry room that connects to the big garage. she maneuvers around her mom's car, to the place on the wall where tools hung like apples in a tree.

she glances across them, and then reaches up, grabbing a hammer. she shifts it around in her hand and then sets it down. she reaches and plucks a pair of gardening loppers and drops it back, defeated. she glances back up, and then does a double take when she spots another tool.

she takes the wrench off, twirls it in her hand, and nods when she likes how it feels. she turns back to the door, and starts walking, when another object catches her eye.

it's elizabeth's very old baseball bat. from when she was around 8, so it was small. but still heavy. erin thought hesitantly. she bites her lip, before walking over and grabbing it. it's wooden, and has a small logo sign on the side. she sighs, slapping it on her hand a few times.

she shrugs and turns, leaving the garage and going back to her room.

she sits down on the bed, and closes her eyes like she did that morning before the funeral. maybe if she concentrated hard enough, she could hear will again.

it wasn't fake. she knows it wasn't. he was there. he was talking to her. will was trying to contact her, she was sure of it.

"come on, will, please. just one word." she whispers, squeezing her eyes tight. "one word, please. you did it, i know you did. just come on."

she waits for a few minutes, desperately clinging to the fact that it was him, and that he was able to talk to her. she lets out a harsh sigh, her breath shaky as she attempts to keep from crying.

"will." she gasps out. "please. one word, please. please, will. i'm not crazy, i know i'm not — just give me one word."

yet, nothing was ever spoken to her. she finally letz out a small sob, throwing her head in her hands. she sits there for several more minutes, borderline being late on meeting back with the boys.

she raises her head up, sniffles, and then pushes her hair back behind her left ear. she wipes the streaks of tears off her cheeks, and huffs out. she shakes her head and stands up. now was not the time to have a mental breakdown over will. he needed her, he needed them to be strong.

she grabs the backpack again, shoves the wrench into it, and attempts to fit the smaller baseball bat in. it doesn't go in all the way, but it barely pops out of the top. she can still zip it, though, so she throws it on her back and leaves her room, flipping the switch to turn the light off. she leaves her room and then the house, locking the door behind her and setting the key underneath one of the many flower pots.

-

they had been following the compasses for a while now. it had taken them all the way out to the woods, to the train tracks.

erin's walking by herself, with dustin and lucas one steps in front of her and mike and eleven a few steps behind.

dustin and lucas talk right in front of her. but for erin, it honestly goes through one ear and out the other. she's zoned out, not even thinking about anything really. it's like her mind is completely blank.

she hears lucas sigh in frustration, and then he's turning back. she glances up at him, but his eyes are trained behind her, probably at mike and eleven. erin continues walking, but looks back to see the frail girl wiping her nose.

"do you think she's acting weird?" lucas asks them. dustin glances back as well. "you're asking if the weirdo is acting weird?" dustin says to him. erin shakes her head.

"for the love of god, she's not that weird. she can't help the way she is." erin tells them. "and dustin, weren't you the one freaking out because she had powers?" she says, crossing her arms. dustin's mouth drops open as as he tries to think of a response, while lucas raises a fine eyebrow at him.

"but, is she acting weirder than normal?" lucas interrupts the curly haired boy's thoughts.

dustin glances down at his compass and then his shoes. he thinks for a moment before answering, "i don't know. who cares?" dustin asks. lucas just glances back once more before turning back and staring at his compass.

erin fishes her out of her own jacket pocket and watches the needle wobble back and forth on the small 'n' at the top. the party gets off the railroad tracks a few minutes later, and they cut through the woods. the wind's biting at their faces when they finally escape them, and then they start following a wide dirt path.  

they walk for a while longer, erin's calves starting to hurt, when they reach a random junk yard. they're basically just following dustin now.

dustin suddenly stops, causing erin's tiny frame to slam into his back. she stumbles backwards while he barely acknowledges what just happened. "jesus, dustin." erin sighs, pulling on her coat sleeves.

"oh, no." dustin mutters. erin glances at the rest of the kids in alarm.

"'oh, no'? what's 'oh, no'?" lucas asks him. he sounds annoyed and erin can already picture one of the two boys' useless arguments. dustin turns to look at the group.

"we're heading back home." he says. erin stops and stares at him. "what?" mike asks, looking up from his compass.

"are you sure?"

"yeah, i'm sure. setting sun, right there." he points to behind his friends. they all glance back at it. "we looked right back around."

"and you're just realizing this now?" lucas says, enraged. dustin stops for a second. "why is this all on me?" he argues.

"because you're the compass genius!" lucas yells.

"what do yours say?" dustin asks. erin, lucas, and mike all look down at their compasses. "north." they answer simultaneously.

they all sigh in frustration, looking around the junk yard. "makes no damn sense." dustin mumbles.

"maybe the gate moved." mike sighs, still hopeful. dustin turns to him. "no, i don't think it's the gate. i think it's something else screwing with the compasses."

"maybe it's something here." mike suggests. erin shrugs in agreement.

"is anything here that big to move it?" she asks, looking around. dustin shakes his head. "no, it has to be like a super magnet." he tells them.

"it's not a magnet.."

erin turns to lucas at his angry tone. she squints at him.

"she's been acting weirder than normal." lucas says, pointing to eleven. erin rolls her eyes. she thought they were done with that now. "if she can slam doors with her mind, she can definitely screw up a compass."

"why would she do that?" mike argues.

"because she's trying to sabotage our mission. because she's a traitor!" he says, not taking his eyes off of her. he then starts walking towards her.

"lucas, what are you doing?" mike asks him. he walks after him as lucas steps up to eleven. "you did it, didn't you?" he asks slowly. "you don't want us to reach the gate. you don't want us to find will."

"lucas, come on, seriously, just leave her alone!"

"admit it." lucas tells her.

"no," she quietly mumbles, jumping when lucas screams at her and grabs her right arm. "admit it!"

he stares down at it. "fresh blood. i knew it."

erin starts stepping back, standing beside dustin. she was just gonna mike talk him down. mike could always talk him down.

but, it seemed like the wheeler boy had different plans.

"lucas, come on!" mike yells.

"i saw her wiping her nose on the tracks! she was using her powers!" lucas replies. "bull! that's old blood." mike turns to the bald girl. "right, el?"

the girl doesn't say anything, but she looks like she's about to have nervous breakdown. she's shaking, and she looks as if she's close to crying, too. erin glances at dustin, who looks back at her with equal worry.

"right, el?" mike repeats.

she gulps heavily, and then opens her mouth and whispers out shakily, "it's.. not.. i-it's not safe."

erin takes a deep breath as lucas starts again. he rants loudly and they all shift places to give mike and lucas room. the thick, angry tension is almost suffocating.

"what did i tell you? she's been playing us from the beginning!" lucas yells.

"that's not true." mike instantly retaliates. "she helped us find will!"

"find will? find will? where is he, then? huh? i don't see him." lucas yells, throwing his hands up and looking around the junk yard. erin sighs sadly.

"we need to stop them." she whispers to dustin. he nods his head, watching the duo continue to fight.

"yeah, you know what i mean." mike tells him. lucas scoffs. "no, i actually don't. just think about it, mike. she could've just told us where the upside down as right away, but she didn't. she just made us run around like headless chickens."

dustin takes this as his cue to intervene, and walks to them, setting his hands on both of their shoulders. "all right, calm down!"

"no!" lucas yells, slapping his friend's hand away. "she used us! all of us! she helped just enough so she could get what she wants. food and a bed." he says.

"lucas, that's enough!" erin suddenly yells out. he glances at her quickly. "no, she's like a stray dog!" he gestures to the girl by the bus.

"screw you, lucas!" mike yells. "no!" lucas yells back, getting in mike's face. "screw you, mike! you're blind.. blind because you like that a girl other than erin is not grossed out by you!"

erin shakes her head at his words, glancing over el. el looks like a kicked puppy, exhausted and sad.

"but wake up, man!" lucas continues. "wake the hell up! she knows where will is, and now she's just letting him die in the upside down."

"shut up!" mike screams, suddenly furious.

but lucas keeps on going. "for all we know, it's her fault

"shut up." erin sets her hands on her cheeks as she tries to keep from crying. hearing these words finally spoken aloud was getting to be too much.

"we're looking for some stupid monster.. but did you ever stop to think that maybe she's the monster?"

erin looks up at lucas' words, tears in her eyes. the sky was spinning overhead as she looks over at eleven. the girl's face drops as she registers lucas' words and she begins to silently cry.

"i said shut up!" and with that, mike tackles lucas down to the ground. erin gasps, staring down at them wide eyed.

"stop it!" erin screams at them, eleven and dustin shouting as well.

"quit! don't be like this!" erin yells. "stop!" eleven weakly yells at them.

"stop it!" she shouts with more force. the boys continue to fight, grunting and panting as they attempt to throw punches. "stop it, you dumbasses!"

"STOP!" a loud scream escapes eleven, and erin watches in shock as lucas is thrown off of mike, landing against a large piece of metal.

he lands, and then doesn't move at all. before erin can think twice, she runs past mike and slides to a stop beside lucas, picking up his head. she pulls it down so it's laying flat on the ground. dustin and mike crowd around lucas as well.

they shake him repeatedly. "lucas! lucas! are you all right?"

he doesn't awaken. "lucas, come on." shakes his shoulders. "lucas!"

"lucas, wake up!" dustin tries, patting him. mike suddenly whips around.

"why would you do that? what's wrong with you?!what is wrong with you?"

erin shakes her head at him repeatedly. that is just going to make the entire situation worse. anger always makes everything worse. she looks back down at lucas, continuing shaking him and saying his name.

the girl starts crying, but erin is too preoccupied to notice, and she continues shaking lucas harshly, begging for him to wake up.

"wake up, man, come on!" dustin cries.

"lucas!" erin begs. "come on!"

he slowly comes to, blearily looking everywhere. erin lets out a breath of relief as the two boys behind bed chuckle. "lucas." mike exhales.

erin and dustin help him sit up, and then lean him against the metal plate. "lucas, you okay?" mike asks.

he stares ahead for a second, blinking blearily. "lucas. lucas, how many fingers am i holding up?" dustin asks, holding up three fingers on his left hand. "lucas, how many fingers?" he repeats.

"let me see your head." mike says, reaching for him.

lucas comes back to reality pretty fast, because he's then slapping dustin and mike's hands away from his head and is stumbling upwards.

"just.. lucas.. lucas, let me see." mike argues, trying to stand up too. he reaches for the dark haired boy again.

"get off of me!" lucas sounds out, kicking at him. erin can tell he's trying not to cry. he stalks away. erin and mike get up quickly. mike tries to run after him. "lucas, come on." he mumbles.

dustin grabs his shoulders. "let him go."

"let him go." he repeats. mike sighs, looking down at the ground. he turns back to his friends. he stares for a second at the bus.

"where is el?"

erin looks over there and furrows her eyebrows when the girl isn't to be seen.

"el!" he shouts. erin cups her hands over her mouth. "eleven?"

"eleven!" dustin yells. erin glances around the bus. "el?!" she screams out.

they continue to yell for her, but she doesn't come back. not for one day, at least.

—