TEENAGE NIGHTMARE
CHAPTER TWENTY ONE — PART ONE.
THE CIRCLE SEPARATES.

Mike stood staring at the girl for a second before he whispered, " El? "

A small smile appeared on her face as she responded, " Mike. "

The dark haired boy ran forward and crushed her in a hug, making the others relax as they realized they were safe, for now. Max didn't take her eyes off of the two embracing as she quietly asked, " Is that. . "

Lucas nodded wordlessly, and Mike pulled away from Eleven with tears running down his face as he told her, " I never gave up on you. I called you, every night for— "

" 353 days. " She finished forward him, blinking back her owns tears as her smile grew, nodding softly, " I heard. "

The girl turned her head to look at the rest of the group, walking towards them with a friendly smile as her eyes landed on the rest of the party. Charlie felt relieved to see that she was alive and well, and he was even more glad because her presence would make Mike in a ten times better mood than he had been since she left a year ago. Mike still stood in his place, but he wore a confused expression as he asked, " Why didn't you tell me you were there? That you were okay? "

" Because I wouldn't let her. " Hopper revealed, making the boy turn to look at him with furrowed eyebrows. He didn't spare him a glance as he stepped towards Eleven, Charlie witnessing classic 'dad mode' activate; every father had the same look when it came to that. " The hell is this? Where have you been? "

" Where have you been? " She fired back, but any animosity between them faded as she threw her arms around him. Hopper wrapped his arm around her, keeping the hand with the pistol away from her before he pressed a kiss to the top of her head. When Charlie heard Mike storm over to them, he turned his head to see a newfound anger lit within him.

" You knew!? You've been hiding her this whole time?! " He yelled as the father-daughter duo parted, allowing him to shove at Hopper, who barely moved.

" Hey, hey, hey! " Hopper shouted back, taking hold of Mike's forearm as he went to hit him again; he leaned forward and grabbed the back of Mike's shirt, insisting, " Let's talk. Alone. "

Mike grumbled under his breath but allowed Hopper to direct him down the hall, the door to one of the bedrooms slamming shut. The group could hear Mike's muffled shouts, but they became occupied with their reunion with Eleven to distract themselves from it. Eleven walked towards Dustin and Lucas, throwing her arms around them both and hugging them tightly.

" We missed you. " Lucas said, and Charlie stood behind them, watching with a faint smile as Eleven's happy grin never left her face. It was the most cheerful he'd ever seen her.

" I missed you, too. " She replied as they let go of each other.

" We talked about you pretty much every day. " Dustin told her, a sheepish grin on his face. Eleven cocked an eyebrow as she stared at his mouth in awe.

" Teeth. "

" What? " Eleven moved to him again, reaching out and lifting his lip to show him what she meant.

" You have teeth. " She clarified, and Dustin let out a laugh as Lucas and Charlie also chuckled at her revelation.

" You like these pearls? " Dustin teased, growling in a way that Charlie assumed was meant to be charming, but it made Eleven give him a strange look. The brunette's eyes drifted from the two boys to Charlie, the smile lighting her face again as she stepped towards him.

" Charlie. "

" El. "

The two of them stared at each other for a moment with serious expressions before they faltered, wide grins overtaking their faces. Charlie reached forward to pull her into an embrace, which she warmly reciprocated as she commented, " You're taller. "

" And you have hair. " He replied, making her raise an eyebrow in amusement as they let go of each other. He gestured towards the other people in the room that she might not recognize, " That's Steve, Jonathan, and my brother, JP. Oh, and my dad. . "

Max stepped towards Eleven with a welcoming smile, which made Charlie's brows furrow, remembering that she had be very unwelcoming to the boys upon their first meeting. The redhead girl held out her hand as she said, " Eleven? I'm Max, I've heard a lot about you. "

To Charlie's surprise, Eleven simply glared at the girl and pushed past her to walk to Joyce. The woman sadly smiled at her and leaned down to hug her, quietly greeting her, " Hi, honey. "

Eleven offered her a sympathetic smile, as if she knew what was going on with Will. Charlie felt foolish for even thinking that, of course she knew what was going on, how else would she have found them in the first place? Finally, Eleven walked over to the set of teenagers that stood in the center of the room, and her eyes briefly passed over Nancy and Jonathan with a nod of acknowledgement. She stopped in front of JP and Franny, also sparing Steve a short glance. Her eyes locked onto JP's first, and he smiled weakly before lifting two fingers to his head to salute her.

" Nice to meet you, kid. " He declared, and she smiled softly. The girl then turned to look at Franny, grabbing her hand and holding it in front of her, palm facing up. Eleven's eyes dropped to it, frowning at the dark veins that branched from the still-unsealed wound, following it up her arm until it disappeared beneath her shirt and continued slithering up near her collarbone. She bent Franny's fingers inward to close her fist and patted her hand as she gave her a weary look.

" It's bad, huh? " She quietly asked, leaning slightly downward to meet Eleven's eyes as the girl gave her a weak, halfhearted smile.

" Bad. " She agreed, nodding lightly, but she calmly added, " Not bad. "

Franny nodded to her, insisting, " I'll take bad over bad any day. "

Eleven smiled at her reassuringly before she let her hands fall back to her sides, and she turned to look at Joyce, " Can I see him? "

Joyce took Eleven to see Will in his bedroom, just as Mike and Hopper came back out to join the rest of them. They all waited idly for a few moments as they waited for them to return, and Charlie found himself picking anxiously at his nails. Now that the fear of death has slipped his mind momentarily, he could only think about the fact that he had just outed himself to Joyce, Hopper, and Jonathan, and Will, if he remembered it. He was really hoping he wouldn't, because he had planned to tell him in a much nicer way than saying it when he was being manipulated by a monster. JP nudged him, making him glance up at his brother with a questionable look.

" Hey, what you did back there— what you said —I know that was hard, but, you might've just saved our asses. " JP told him, wrapping his arm around Charlie's shoulders as the younger Walker shifted his eyes to the floor; JP squeezed his arm and lowered his voice to add, " Maybe you'll be like his knight in shining armor, or whatever, whenever all this shit blows over. "

Charlie glared at him, but it softened a bit when he saw that JP wasn't taunting him or trying to be funny. He didn't have a chance to thank him before Joyce and Eleven came back out, the latter heading towards the kitchen to find the message on the table. She held up the paper and read the red crayon that read CLOSE GATE. She lowered her eyebrows at it.

" You opened this gate before, right? " Joyce mentioned, and the girl turned her head towards the woman slowly, nodding in response. The dark haired woman wrung her hands nervously as she said, " Do you. . do you think, if we got you back there, you could close it? "

Eleven didn't answer, she just averted her eyes as she seemed to think about it. Joyce didn't press for a response, but the others all stood patiently waiting for one they wouldn't receive. Hopper defensively stepped forward, insisting, " The Gate isn't like how it was before. It's grown, a lot. "

" How bad was it before? " Max asked, and Lucas shuddered at the thought as he answered her.

" Bad. "

" That's assuming we can even get in there. " Hopper added, eyebrows furrowed, " That place is crawling with those dogs. "

" We barely escaped last time, and that took all of us. " Joseph mentioned, nodding in agreement with Hopper.

" Demodogs. " Dustin muttered under his breath, and Hopper shot him a look.

" I'm sorry, what? "

" Demodogs, they're called Demodogs. " Dustin insisted, and Hopper rolled his eyes as he threw his hand up in exasperation.

" How is this important right now? " He demanded, and Dustin shook his head.

" It's not, I'm sorry. " He sighed quietly, and Charlie nudged his shoulder, shooting him a reassuring look. Dustin gave him a small smile in return as Eleven's eyes flashed over to the group.

" I can do it. "

Hopper gave her an incredulous look and insisted, " You're not hearing me— "

" I'm hearing you. " Eleven repeated, giving him a stern look, " I can do it. "

Before Hopper could shoot her down again, Mike interjected, " Even if El can do it, there's still another problem. If the brain dies, the body dies. "

" I thought that was the whole point. " Max said, brows creased in confusion, as were half of the occupants in the room. Charlie realized what he was getting at simultaneously, briefly wondering how strange it was that he and Mike were almost always on the same wavelength. The tall boy looked over at his sister, who was frowning as she knew what he meant, too.

" It is, " Mike agreed, eyeing the redhead before meeting Charlie's eyes, giving him a solemn look, " but, if we're really right about this. . If El closed the Gate and really kills the Mind Flayer's army— "

Charlie lowered his eyes from Mike as Lucas suddenly understood, finishing, " Will's a part of that army. "

" And Franny. " Jonathan also followed along, dragging his eyes from the boys to the aforementioned girl, who glanced back at him emotionlessly.

" Closing the Gate will kill Franny and Will. " JP said aloud, arms crossed tightly over his chest as his stomach knotted at the words. Mike nodded slowly in agreement.

The group was silent for a while, then Joyce's chair creaked as she leaned forward. They all turned to look at her, and she stared at them all as she kept her fingers near her chin, a determined look on her face as she suddenly rose. She didn't say a word, she just walked down the hall, causing the others to follow her as she turned into Will's bedroom. She stared at her son as they all stood near the doorway, and she crossed her arms before she mumbled, " He likes it cold. "

Franny's head shot up as Joyce turned around to face her, locking eyes with the young brunette as she held a hand out to her, " He likes it cold, that's what Will kept saying to me. Did it. . do you. . "

She understood what she meant, and Franny slowly nodded as she answered, " Yeah, I. . um, a couple of time, when I blacked out, it's like. . right before it happens, my hand gets really hot and then it spreads through my whole body. Hot, like, excruciatingly hot. "

Joyce nodded at her frantically, then she turned around, moving towards the open window, where cool air was blowing inside. She pulled it shut and spun on her heel to look at them, " We keep giving it what it wants! "

" If this is a virus, " Nancy said slowly, meeting Joyce's eyes, " and Will's a host. . "

" We need to make the host inhabitable. " Jonathan stated, and Franny swallowed thickly.

" So, if he likes it cold. . " She started, looking over at the dark haired woman wearily.

" We have to burn it out of him. " Joyce concluded.

" We have to do it somewhere he doesn't know this time. " Mike declared, and Dustin nodded.

" Somewhere far away. " He added, and Hopper nodded, snapping his fingers to draw everyone to look at him.

              " I got it. "

               Mere minutes later, Hopper wrote down some sloppy directions to his cabin somewhere out in the woods, giving it to Joseph as Jonathan lugged Will into the backseat of his car. Will would never figure out where he was, he was just short of genius, but Charlie would never admit that to Hopper. The others quickly took the heaters from the shed and piled them in Jonathan's trunk while Joyce, Jonathan, and Nancy stood near the car, giving the others farewells. Charlie stood with his lips pressed firmly together as he hugged Joyce tightly. When they parted, Joyce leaned down to his height and squeezed his arms, giving him a thoughtful look.

            " You can come with us, if you want. " She told him, and Charlie gave her a faltering smile before he looked back at his father, who stood with his arms crossed, attempting to keep a stern look before he sighed.

            " Then I'm going, too. " He insisted, and Charlie didn't argue. He turned to Franny and JP, giving them a collective hug for a short moment before he looked to the rest of the party.

           " We'll be okay, " Mike assured him, nodding, and Charlie gave him a small smile.

            " Yeah, we'll watch over these little shits. Don't worry. " JP confirmed, ruffling Mike's hair, the dark haired boy scowling in response as he smacked his hand away.

            Charlie and Joseph followed Joyce to the car, opening the back door before the tall boy stopped and spun on his heel to face Eleven, who stood beside Hopper's truck. She gave him a thin smile, and Charlie stepped forward, engulfing her in a goodbye hug nearly thirty minutes after their reuniting hug. She smelled like hair grease and gasoline, but it felt right, even the scratchy material of her jacket itching his chin.

             " Be careful. " He warned her under his breath, and she squeezed him back tightly, nodding into his shoulder.

             " You too. " She replied, and the two of them parted. Charlie walked back to the car and spared a last glance to his friends before getting in as his father and Nancy adjusted Will's body laying across them. Joyce climbed into the passenger seat across from Jonathan, who started the engine. JP stood hesitantly on the porch, fists clenched to his sides as he impulsively decided to call out, " Wait! "

            The blond boy ran down the porch stairs, jogging over to the car and placing his hands on the car door as he leaned down, noticing Jonathan's raised eyebrows as he looked back at him. JP locked eyes with him momentarily before he looked to the backseat to Nancy, then to Jonathan.

           " You've got a lot of important passengers in this car, Byers. Lotta people I care about, and that circle is a small one. " He reminded him, Jonathan seeming a bit puzzled as he nodded slowly. JP tilted his head slightly and added, " You better keep them safe. A scratch on any of 'me and your ass is grass. Got it? "

           A ghostly smile grew on his face, " Got it. "

           JP pulled away from the car, drumming his hands against the side as he straightened, stepping back away from it as Jonathan put the car in reverse. As he began to pull out, JP cupped his hands around his mouth and called, " Hey, that means you, too, Byers! "

           Jonathan gave him a curious look, and JP declared, " Welcome to the circle, Jonathan! "

            Then, with a small grin, Jonathan nodded back at the blond boy and they drove down the road, disappearing further down it. JP stood with a heavy feeling in his lungs, unaware of Franny staring at him with lowered eyebrows. Every time she'd ever seen JP interact with Jonathan Byers, which was very few occasions, it was usually brief and full of distaste. JP could never even say is name or hear a mention of him without griping about it. The change in attitude was definitely a switch for her. She glanced to Steve beside her and saw his content expression, raising her eyebrow questionably at him. He lifted his eyebrows back at her, and she shook her head lightly. Of all the things Steve Harrington was, he was a shitty liar, even if he wasn't speaking. He definitely knew something she didn't.

           Her attention turned to Eleven and Hopper, though, as they geared up to leave as well. The girl stood before her friends with a small, hopeful smile. The party watched her with saddened expressions, but they tried their best to fight it.

          " Just be careful, okay? " Mike told her, giving her a soft smile as he insisted, " We can't lose you again. "

          Eleven glanced at them all, returning the reassuring smile as she stated, " You won't lose me. "

          Mike ran up to her, embracing her in a bone crushing hug again, closing his eyes tightly as he quietly asked, " Promise? "

           Eleven also closed her eyes, a serene look on her face as she squeezed him back, saying, " Promise. "

          " El. " Hopper called, causing the two of them to separate. He gave her a look and she nodded, sparing one last glance to her friends before she got in his truck. Hopper got in the driver's side, started the car, and they pulled off in the same direction that Jonathan had.

           Franny could feel a change in the atmosphere with their group cut in half, and she instinctively frowned at the empty feeling. They stood idly outside for a moment, the same sinking feeling in the pits of their stomachs, but then they began to file began inside the house. JP was the last to enter, pulling the door shut and leaving it unlocked just in case they needed to make a quick escape. Dustin busied himself almost immediately, enlisting Steve to help him wrap up the Demodog in one of the couch blankets to put it in the freezer. JP had asked him if he was high, and Dustin simply told him it was a 'groundbreaking scientific discovery', so he let him be. Dustin then dug through the freezer, pulling everything out and putting the contents on the table to make room for it. Franny almost scolded him for it, but it seemed like a minor problem in the big situation.

           Franny sat on the couch, chewing on her fingernail as she held her injured hand in her lap, mind racing as she absentmindedly watched Lucas and Max carefully pick up the broken glass from the shattered window. She thought about how she would have to find some money to help the Byers pay for the damage done to their house, and she perked up as Max got dangerously close to stepping on a piece of glass.

          " Hey, be careful! " She called, making both kids glance down at the glass before giving her a grateful nod. Lucas's eyes snapped up to Mike, who was pacing back and forth, a nervous look in his eyes.

          " Mike, would you just stop already? " Lucas demanded, and the dark haired boy whirled on him, glaring at him.

          " You weren't in there, okay, Lucas? " Mike told him, shaking his head and jabbing his finger into his own chest, " I was! That lab is swarming with hundreds of those dogs! "

            " Demodogs! " Dustin shouted from the kitchen, and Mike sighed, rolling his eyes in annoyance.

            " The Chief will take care of her. " Lucas insisted, and Max scoffed.

            " Like she needs protection. "

             " Wheeler, " JP called, making Mike turn to look at his position leaning against the wall, pulling out his pack of cigarettes and biting into one to yank it from the box. " they're gonna be fine. El's a badass, Hopper's a badass, that's like, the most badass duo to ever commit badassery. "

              The three kids blinked at him, and Steve and Dustin rounded the corner with their eyebrows furrowed. Franny wasn't fazed, but she did crack a smile as Dustin questioned, " Are you high? "

             JP sighed longingly, " I wish, hairball, I wish. "

              Dustin looked offended, but JP ignored it as he realized that Nancy had his lighter. He swore under his breath and glanced to Steve, " Harrington, you got a lighter? "

             The lanky boy looked at him briefly before digging into his pockets, finding one easily and tossing it to him. The blond clicked his tongue and said, " Thank ya. " and promptly lit the cigarette before throwing it back to him.

              Steve caught it and looked over at Mike as he put the lighter back, pulling the dishrag off his shoulder and wiping his hands on it as he explained, " Listen, dude, coach calls a play in a game, bottom line: you execute it. All right? "

              Franny lifted an eyebrows, glancing up at him as she asked, " So. . you're saying Hopper is our coach? "

              Steve parted his lips to answer, then shrugged instead. Mike rolled his eyes again, firing back, " Okay, first off, this isn't some stupid sports game. And, second, we're not even in the game, we're on the bench. "

              " Right, so my point is. . . " Steve agreed, eyes briefly darting to JP for some form of backup, but, upon seeing the blond choke on a puff of smoke, he instead switched to Franny. The others looked to him expectantly, including Franny, causing him to frown as he lamely said, " Right, yeah, we're on the bench, so, uh. . . there's nothing we can do. "

             " That's not entirely true. " Dustin completely erased any form of authority Steve held over them as he glanced to the party. " I mean, these Demodogs, they have a hive mind. When they ran away from the bus, they were called away. "

            " So, if we get their attention. . " Lucas trailed off, and Max eagerly interjected, " Maybe we can draw them away from the lab! "

            " And clear a path to the Gate. " Mike finished, and Steve shook his head frantically, flashing them all a wide eyed look as he scoffed.

            " Yeah, and then we all die! " He exclaimed, and Dustin carelessly shrugged. Steve again looked to Franny for help, and she gave him a pitiful smile before his eyes narrowed. She sighed quietly, moving to stand from the couch.

           " That's one point of view. " Dustin stated, and Steve looked at him as if he had two heads, finding what they were proposing utterly unbelievable and ultimately suicidal.

            " That's not a point of view, man. That's a fact. " Steve insisted, glancing over at Franny as she joined his side, holding her hand to her body as she looked over the four kids. " Franny? "

             " Steve's right, guys, " She said, making the aforementioned boy gesture towards her with both of his hands, making a face at the boys and Max. Franny rolled her eyes but didn't try to stop the small smile from growing on her face as she continued, " I think we should sit this one out. We have to trust El. "

            " And what about you? " JP suddenly interrupted the argument, using his leg to push himself off the wall. He raised an eyebrow and drew the cigarette from his mouth, smoke billowing from his lips as he said, " If they close the Gate with that thing still in you, you'll die. "

            Franny stared at him, pressing her lips together and thinking on it briefly before she turned to look at Mike. Sighing, she asked, " What did you have in mind? "

X X X

note.

we are literally possibly maybe perhaps most likely two chapters away from the end of part one.

i!love!el!and!charlie!

as always, all comments, questions, predictions, and feedback are greatly appreciated!