¢нαρтєя ƒινє 

тнє ƒℓєα αη∂ тнє α¢яσвαт

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(outfits ^^)

"What was Will saying?" Mike asks his friends, forgetting what he heard Will said.

"Like home... Like home..." Tess says, recalling what Will had said yesterday in the AV room.

"but dark?"

"And empty," Lucas adds

"Empty and cold. Wait, did he say cold?" Dustin asks, looking at his friends.

"I don't know," Tess sighs, "The stupid radio kept going in and out." 

"It's like riddles in the dark," Cheryl whispers, but loud enough that everyone hears.

"Like home. Like his house?" 

"Or maybe like Hawkins." 

That's when Mike realises something. Running up to the dnd board game, he takes out the map and flips it upside down.

"Upside down," Mike says.

"What'd she say?" Mike basically quizzes his friends, "Upside down."

"What?" Lucas asks.

"Upside down," Cheryl repeats what Mike said before, finally realising where he's coming from.

"When El showed us where Will was, she flipped the board over, remember?" Mike tells his friends, who were still very confused.

"And I thought school was hard," Tess says out of no where. Cheryl laughed at this comment.

"Upside down. Dark. Empty," Mike continues to confused the 3 friends.

"Do you guys understand what he's talking about?" Dustin asks, looking at Lucas and Tess.

"No." "I don't think so?" Tess and Lucas say at the same time.

"Guys, come on, just think about it," Mike speaks up, hearing his friends little conversation, "When El took us to find Will, she took us to his house, right?"

"Yeah. And he wasn't there," Tess says, still annoyed at the girl.

"But what if he was there?" Cheryl said this time, but they were still confused, "What if we just couldn't see him? What if he was on the other side?"

Mike turns the board so it's facing the right way, "What if this is Hawkins and..." Mike then turns the board back upside down, "this is where Will is?"

"The Upside Down..." Tess whispers, catching on.

"Like the Vale of Shadows," Dustin whispers. 

"An alternate dimension," Cheryl says to her friends, "But... how... how do we get there?" 

"You cast Shadow Walk," Mike says.

"In real life, dummy."

"We can't shadow walk, but..." Mike says, turning to Eleven, "maybe she can."

the party walk over to the bald girl, "Do you know how we get there? To the Upside Down?"

During the funeral, the party had spotted their science teacher. They went up to him for some explanations about the upside down. Though they weren't just gonna tell him everything, just a 'little white lie' as Cheryl would call it.

"Mr. Clarke?" Mike calls out to his teacher. 

Mr Clarke turns around to face some of his students, "Oh, hey, there."

"How are you guys holding up?" he asks them, as Dustin and Tess go to look at something else.

"We're... in... mourning," Lucas tells him. 

"Man, these aren't real Nilla Wafers," Dustin says out of no where. "Who the fuck brought these?" Tess says as well.

Lucas, Mike, Cheryl, and Mr Clarke turn to them with confused faces. But they turn back to their original conversation.

"We were wondering if you had time to talk?" Mike asks his teacher, "We have some questions."

"A lot of questions," Cheryl adds.

The party — including Tess and Dustin who were now focused on their mission — and Mr Clarke were now sat down at a table.

"So, you know how in Cosmos, Carl Sagan talks about other dimensions?" Tess asks Mr Clarke, "Like, beyond our world?"

"Yeah, sure. Theoretically," he says. 

"Right, theoretically."

"So, theoretically, how do we travel there?" Cheryl asks him, wanting to get straight to the point.

"You guys have been thinking about Hugh Everett's Many-Worlds Interpretation, haven't you?" Mr Clarke says, as they just stay silent, waiting for him to explain. 

"Well, basically, there are parallel universes. Just like our world, but just infinite variations of it. Which means there's a world out there where none of this tragic stuff ever happened." 

"Yeah, that's not what we're talking about," Tess tells him, coming off a bit rude. but then again, it is Tess who said it.

"Oh." 

"We were thinking of more of an evil dimension, like the Vale of Shadows," Dustin tells his teacher, "You know the Vale of Shadows?" 

"An echo of the Material Plane, where necrotic and shadow magic—" Mr Clarke starts saying.

"Yeah, exactly," Mike interrupts, "If that did exist, a place like the Vale of Shadows, how would we travel there?" 

"Theoretically," Cheryl adds, so Mr Clarke didn't think something was up.

(im gonna try my best to write mr clarke's explanation)

"Well..." Mr Clarke starts, then grabs a plate and pen, "Picture... an acrobat... standing on a tightrope," he says next, whilst drawing a stickman figure on a line in the middle of the paper plate.

"Now, the tightrope is our dimension. And our dimension has rules. You can move forwards, or backwards," he keeps saying, this time drawing 2 arrows on either side of the person.

"But, what if... right next to our acrobat, there is a flea?" he says drawing a little flea next to the acrobat, "Now, the flea can also travel back and forth, just like the acrobat."

"Right?" "Right."

"Here's where things get really interesting. The flea can also travel this way... along the side of the rope. He can even go..." this time he draws an arrow, underneath the line, which was supposed to be a tightrope, "underneath the rope."

"Upside down," the party whispers, which Mr Clarke heard, "Exactly," he responds.

"But we're not the flea, we're the acrobat," Mike tells the teacher.

"In this metaphor, yes, we're the acrobat."

"So we can't go upside down?" Tess asks.

"No."

"Well, is there any way for the acrobat to get to the Upside Down?" Cheryl asks, hoping there would be a way. 

"Well... you'd have to create a massive amount of energy. More than humans are currently capable of creating, mind you, to open up some kind of tear in time and space, and then... you create a doorway."

"Like a gate?"

"Sure. Like a gate," Mr Clarke responds to Cheryl, "But again, this is all—"

"Theoretical," Tess interrupts her teacher, "But... but what if this gate already existed?"

"Well, if it did, I... I think we'd know. It would disrupt gravity, the magnetic field, our environment. Heck, it might even swallow us up whole," Mr Clarke says, "Science is neat. But I'm afraid it's not very forgiving."

The party, including El, were sat in the Wheeler's basement. Discussing about the upside down and shit like that.

"What we want to know is, do you know where the gate is?" Cheryl asks El with a soft voice, but El shakes her head in response.

"Then how do you know about the Upside Down?"

But before El could respond, Mike spoke up. "Dustin, what are you doing?" Dustin didn't respond so he asked again, "Dustin?"

Dustin still didn't respond, so Mike kept yelling his name until Dustin finally heard him.

"Dustin! Dustin!"

Dustin turns around to face his friends, "I... I need to see your compasses," he says with a worried voice.

"What?"

"Your compasses. All of your compasses, right now!"

Once everyone gives Dustin their compasses, he looks at them and his smile widens.

Tess noticed his smile, "What's exciting about this?" 

"Well, they're all facing north, right?"

"Yeah, so?" Tess responds 

"Well, that's not true north," Dustin says, as his friend give him a confused glance.

"What do you mean?" Lucas asks.

"I mean exactly what I just said. That's not true north," Dustin says, but everyone was still looking confused, "Are you guys seriously this dense? The sun rises in the east, and it sets in the west. Right? Which means that's true north."

"So what you're saying is the compasses are broken," Mike says, definitely not thinking straight. (then again his boyfriend is missing)

Dustin sighs at what his friend had just said, "Do you even understand how a compass works?" "Do you see a battery pack in this?"

"No," Mike responds.

"No, you don't. Because it doesn't need one. The needle's naturally drawn to the Earth's magnetic North Pole."

"So what's wrong with them?"

"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. And then I remembered what Mr. Clarke said. The gate would have so much power—"

"It could disrupt the electromagnetic field," Tess interrupts Dustin's long explanation.

"Exactly. Meaning, if we follow the compasses' north..." Dustin says, facing the way the compasses think is north, "They should lead us to the gate." 

Nancy and Alex walk up to Jonathan Byers, who was holding a gun. 

"You're supposed to hit the cans, right?" Nancy tells him.

"No, actually, you see the spaces in between the cans?" Jonathan says, pointing in between the cans, "I'm aiming for those."

"Ah," Alex whispers.

"You ever shot a gun before?" Jonathan asks the girls.

"Have you met my parents?" Nancy scoffs, making the 2 other teens laugh.

"What about you, Alex?" Jonathan asks.

"My dad used to teach Tess and I everyday when were younger," Alex responds, remembering the time when she shot her first gun, along with Tess and ???.

"Yeah, I haven't shot one since I was ten. My dad took me hunting on my birthday. He made me kill a rabbit." 

"A rabbit?" Nancy asks Jonathan, making sure she heard him right, obviously not believing he shot a rabbit.

"Yeah." 

The 3 teens took turns shooting the cans, and talking about family problems and past shit.

"How much further?" Lucas sighs, getting tired of walking, since they had to leave their bikes at a certain point.

"I don't know. These only tell direction, not distance," Dustin responds "You really need to learn more about compasses."

"I'm just saying."

"How do we know when we get to the gate?" Mike asks.

"Uh, I think a portal to another dimension is gonna be pretty obvious."

Tess began walking slower, compared the others. Dustin seems to notice that, so he stops walking so she can catch up and talk to her.

"You good?" Dustin asks her, trying to find what shes been staring at for a while. And when he finally spots it, its Cheryl... she's help El walk until they get to the gate.

"Tess?" Dustin speaks up, which causes Tess to stop staring at her best friend. "Hm?"

"You good?"

"Yeah... i'm fine. I mean it's not like Cheryl even likes girls..." Tess just blurts out of no where.

"How about we find that out later, and we focus on trying to find the gate and Will," Dustin tells his friend, genuinely concerned about both of his friends — her and Will.

"Plus you heard Lucas tease Mike the other day. You even played along with it," Dustin says next, causing Tess to glance back at him, confused.

"Y'know, when Lucas and you were teasing Mike about his love for El," Dustin explains, making Tess smile to herself, knowing that Cheryl probably wouldn't even have a chance with El. plus she knows for a fact that both of them only like each other as friends, and nothing more.

"You're right, thanks," Tess tells Dustin, as they both smile together. But Tess still stares at the back of Cheryl's head, so he takes her hand and they both head in front of Cheryl, Mike, and El.

El falls back a little bit, as she hopes no one sees her wipe her nose on her sleeve touching her wrist. Although someone did see, unbeknownst to El and the rest.

Lucas walks closer to Dustin and Tess, "Do you think she's acting weird?"

Tess says, turning back to look at El, but also taking a little glance at Cheryl. "You're asking if the weirdo is acting weird?"

"I mean, weirder than normal?" Lucas says.

"I don't know. Who cares?" 

"Mike," Eleven whispers, causing both Mike and Cheryl to turn their heads towards her. 

"Yeah?" Mike asks worried.

"Turn back."

"What? Why?" Cheryl asks.

"I'm tired."

"Look, I'm sure we're almost there. Just hold on a little longer, okay?" Mike tells El. Obviously determined to find his friend who has been missing for a while. (Ha, 'friend')

"You never said what I was saying," Nancy says out of no where.

"What?" both Jonathan and Alex respond at the same time, looking over at Nancy.

"Yesterday. You thought I was saying something and that's why you took my picture."

"Oh, uh... I don't know. My guess... I saw this girl, you know, trying to be someone else. But for that moment... it was like you were alone, or you thought you were. And, you know, you could just be yourself."

"That is such bullshit," Nancy responds.

"What?" Jonathan stammers.

Alex knows that she's just going to be 3rd wheeling them, so she just walked away without saying goodbye.

She realised that Jonathan and Will have such a good relationship, and it basically got taken away, just like her and ???. 

Alex knows she's never going to get over her brother leaving her. And thinking that she was the reason that he left; by not being a good enough sister.

She's already lost one of her siblings, so she's not going to loose the other one to her being a bad sister.

If anything, Alex would spend all day everyday with Tess, if it means she doesn't leave like ??? did. And if it means putting her life at risk to help her sister and her friends find Will, then so be it.

"Oh, no," Dustin whispers to himself, but everyone heard it.

"'Oh, no'? What's, 'oh, no'?" Lucas asks, getting annoyed once again.

"We're headed back home."

"What?"

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I'm sure. Setting sun, right there. We looped right back around."

"And you're just realizing this now?" Tess asks him, just as annoyed as Lucas now.

"Why is this all on me?" Dustin asks her.

"Because you're the compass genius!" Tess argues.

"What do yours say?" Dustin asks his friends.

"North," everyone but El and Dustin responds.

"Makes no damn sense."

"Maybe the gate moved," Cheryl says.

"No, I don't think it's the gate," Lucas says, making everyone turn to him. "I think it's something else screwing with the compasses."

"Maybe it's something here," Cheryl says, looking around for something that might be the cause of it.

"No, it has to be like a super magnet."

"It's not a magnet. She's been acting weirder than normal," Lucas tells them, pointing at Eleven, "If she can slam doors with her mind, she can definitely screw up a compass."

"Why would she do that?"

"Because she's trying to sabotage our mission. Because she's a traitor!" 

"Lucas, what are you doing?" Mike asks, as he watches his friend stomp towards El furiously.

"You did it, didn't you? 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!" Cheryl yells at Lucas, but he doesn't listen. 

"Admit it."

"No," El whispers to Lucas.

"Admit it!" Lucas yells once again, but this time grabbing her wrist and yanking it the other way so he can see the blood. (why is writing about blood make me feel sick)

"Fresh blood. I knew it."

"Lucas, come on!" Cheryl yells, thinking that El has a reason.

"I saw her wiping her nose on the tracks! She was using her powers!"

"Bull!" Mike yells at Lucas, annoyed at what he's saying, "That's old blood. Right, El?" 

Eleven doesn't respond.

"Right, El?" Cheryl asks this time.

El starts crying obviously not liking the pressure out on her. "It's... not... it's not safe." 

"You were right. This whole time, you were right," Dustin tells Lucas.

"What did I tell you? She's been playing us from the beginning!" Lucas says.

"That's not true. She helped us find Will!" Mike argues, still taking El's side. 

"Find Will? Find Will?" Lucas says, with a sort of sarcastic shocked expression, "Where is he, then? Huh? I don't see him."

"Yeah, you know what I mean."

"No, I actually don't. Just think about it, Mike. She could've just told us where the Upside Down was right away, but she didn't. She just made us run around like headless chickens."

"All right, calm down!" Cheryl yells.

Tess starts getting annoyed at everything now, "No! She used us, all of us! She helped just enough so she could get what she wants. Food and a bed," Tess argues, really not liking El, "She's like a stray dog."

"Screw you, Tess!" Mike spits out. His eyes widen at what he just said, knowing he isn't going to get out of this with no injuries.

"No! Screw you, Mike. You're blind... blind because you like that a girl, besides me and Cheryl, isn't grossed out by you. But wake up, man! Wake the hell up! She knows where Will is, and now she's just letting him die in the Upside Down." 

"Shut up!" Mike yells at Tess again.

"For all we know, it's her fault."

"Shut up." 

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

"I said shut up!" Mike yells, pushing Tess to the ground.

"Oh that's it!" Tess yells, while getting off the ground. She goes to hit Mike, but Cheryl moves, so she gets the hit.

"Stop!" Cheryl yells, now holding her cheek thats hurting like hell.

Tess stops for a second, realising who she just hit. But that seemed to make her angrier, thinking that he just used Cheryl as a shield.

"Knock it off, you idiots," Dustin says.

"Stop it!" 

"Mike, get off!" 

"Stop it!" El screams, using her powers to make Tess go flying back to a broken metal wall. And that seemed to make Tess go unconscious.

"Jesus!" Dustin says, shocked at what he just witnessed. Everyone but El runs towards Tess.

"Tess! Tess, are you all right?"

"Tess?" 

"Tess, come on!" Cheryl yells, not wanting to loose her best friend. She really wanted to tell her how she felt, but now it might've been too late.

"Tess, wake up! Tess.." Cheryl starts crying a bit, as everyone continues to shake an unconscious Tess.

"Come on, Tess!"

Mike turns back to look at a scared El, "Why would you do that?" he yells at her angrily.

"Come on."

"What's wrong with you?"

"What is wrong with you?"

"Cherry..?" El whispers.

"It's 'Cheryl', not 'Cherry'!" Cheryl yells at El.

"Y'know... i've learnt to lose, but not to lose you," Cheryl whispers to Tess, so if she was conscious, only both of them would hear it.

"Come on, wake up. Come on!" Dustin yells.

"Tess... Tess, come on!" Lucas yells, not wanting to lose her, especially since she had always been on his side since the beginning.

Tess wakes up, a little scared, but more shocked. She looks around while her friends are happy.

Cheryl was quick to wrap her best friend in a tight hug.

"Tess," is all Cheryl was able to say.

"Tess, you okay?" Lucas asks, breaking up the hug from the girls.

"Tess... Tess, how many fingers am I holding up?" Dustin asks her, holding up 4 fingers, "Tess, how many fingers?"

"Let me see your head," Mike says.

"Get off of me!" Tess yells, trying to push her friends away, who were quite close to her.

"Just... Tess. Tess, let me see."

"Get off of me!"

"Tess, come on," Mike tried again.

"Let her go," Cheryl whispered.

Mike turns around only to see El no where in sight, "Where is El?" he asks.

"You're still on that? SHE COULD'VE KILLED ME!" Tess screams at Mike, before running off to go home. Lucas followed her.

"Tess!" Cheryl screams out to her best friend, but it was no use.

Cheryl stood there, completely still, not believing that she might've just lost her best friend, but most importantly, the love of her life. (HELP THIS IS SO CHEESY)

"El?" 

"El!" "Eleven! 

Mike and Dustin yell out their friends name, over and over again, but no response.

On Tess' way back home, she was wishing she had never left at all, so she could still feel the comfort of Cheryl... (SEE WHAT I DID THERE?)

Alex makes her way home first, to try and find Tess, but no luck. Knowing that it'll get dark soon, she decided to just wait for her sister to come home.

Once Tess made it home, she just ditched her bike on the front lawn and ran to her room.

Alex noticed that, so she ran up to where they both still shared a room.

"You good Tess?" Alex asks her sister, when they're both in their room together.

"No..."

Alex hasn't seen Tess this upset in a while now.

Alex noticed a bit of blood in Tess' hair, "Holy shit, you do realise theres blood in your hair, right?"

"What?" Tess says, her voice cracking a bit, while putting her hand up yo where her sisters hand was.

"Oh shit," Tess whispers.

"What happened?" Alex asks her sister.

Tess explains to Alex what happened, while they both tried to clean up Tess' blood stained hair.

Which was basically just Alex checking the place where the blood was coming from, then for Tess to take a shower. And then for the girls to have a girls night, without the mum though.

Holy shit this feels like the longest chapter ive done. (in this book) and it probably is.

ALSO IM SO SORRY FOR THE CHEESY PARTS, ITS REALLY KILLING ME.

but i hope you enjoyed the chapter :)

i'll try to post another chapter either before or during my holiday. (which is next week)

3500+ words

NOT EDITED