||3rd Person POV||

El opens her eyes, finding herself in the familiar dark and damp setting. In the distance, she sees a bed. The covers are hanging off the mattress and grazing the water only she can see. She walks forward towards the bed cautiously, unsure if the figure lying in it is awake. As she approaches the bed she can make out more details.

The comforter is dotted with leaves and vines, intricate and faded flora in various hues sprinkle the vines, and there at the head of the bed are a few embroidered pillows that look older and handed down. The figure on the mattress is lost in sleep, her limbs splayed out in many different directions. The figure is still dressed, clothes El has seen at least once before. The girl wearing them is hugging her pillow, a small frown etched on her face as she is troubled and tired.

El is in front of her now, just at her bedside and she can't help but take note of the drying circles on her pillow where the girl had been crying.

What could have happened? And would she be making it worse if she were to wake her and share with her what she had to share? El couldn't help but wonder.

But she also knew she would want to know. And she did miss her friend terribly. After all, they were from the same place and Y/n had every right to know about her own past as much as El did.

Not waiting any longer, she reached out and laid a gentle hand on her friend's shoulder. Nothing happened and so she gently shook her. Much to her delight, Y/n moved slightly, which meant it was working. She shook again and only then did she allow herself to speak.

"Y/n? Y/n!"

Her eyes fluttered open and she caught sight of El. She peered up at her through her lashes, a groggy and confused look on her face.

"El?"

She nodded, a weak smile flickering across her lips.

"What are you doing here? Am I dreaming?"

She shook her head no.

"No. But I am real."

"I-I don't understand."

"I found my Mama."

There was a significant beat of silence as Y/n fought the losing battle with her heavy eyelids and the disbelief attempting to coax her back to sleep. "Wait... what? Y-you're saying... you found your mom? That's great," Y/n mumbled. She could feel herself slipping back under, more and more convinced her dreaming mind had conjured her friend.

Yet something within her told her to keep fighting. To tread desperately against the waves of sleep and maintain conversation with the El she was somehow seeing before her. But something about the devastating events of the previous night had left her so tired and Y/n couldn't be sure what she was seeing or hearing was real.

"There's something else." said El.

Y/n applied all the strength she could muster to keep her eyes open, they felt as if they weighed a thousand pounds. She hummed a 'what' in response, unprepared for the glint it summoned in her best friend's eye.

"Proof."

"I don't understand. What proof, El?"

That glint in her brown eyes grew, and more than ever Y/n was sure what she was seeing was real. Nothing else could have given her heart such a hopeful shiver. Nothing else but the words El spoke to her next.

"Where you come from."

⊹ ⊹ ⊹

Will bolts up straight in a cold sweat, gasping for air. His bangs cling to his forehead and he is gasps for breath.

"Will?" Mike sits up startled from his nest on the floor, looking up worriedly at his best friend. He is still dressed in his clothes from the previous day, his hood perched on his head. "What's wrong?"

Will turns to Mike with a sudden and eerie calm, a single and sharp look of fear that managed to drain all remaining light in his eyes.

⊹ ⊹ ⊹

Joyce was sat in the middle of her living room, lost in a trance as she gazes at the maze of paper tunnels. The small calls for her from Will are lost to her, and it is not until she feels a light touch on her shoulders that she is pulled from this trance.

"Mom?"

Joyce gasped in surprise but readjusts quickly for her son. "Yeah?"

Will was crouching down, concern etched in his features and Mike stands just a few feet away. "I saw him," Will says gravely.

"You saw who, baby?"

"Hopper," Joyce frowns slightly, and she can feel her blood run cold at her son's words. "I think he's in trouble. I think he's going to die."

⊹ ⊹ ⊹

Hopper gasps for air as he is ripped from unconsciousness. His bulging eyes frantically take in the details of his surroundings as the memories of what had happened come flooding back. He collects himself to the best of his ability, and scrambles to his feet. The man knows he can't last long without fresh air and the particles floating amongst the smog would do him no good. His senses overwhelm him and already his body is rejecting the environment and toxic air. He doubles over as his body ejects the contents of his stomach.

Hopper grunts in disgust, the bile burning his throat and tongue. Though he doesn't allow himself any more time to waste, knowing he had to find the exit. He grabs his hat, returning it to his head before finding the flashlight beside him and climbing to his feet. Hopper's free hand finds the ceiling of the slimy dank tunnels and allows the pads of his fingers and palm to trace the flora as he speeds down the familiar path. Just as he had feared, he found no breaks, the hole he had dug had in fact closed up. Hopper was now standing in a dead end.

"Shit!"

He reminds himself to steady his breathing. He knows now he has no immediate way out. No source of fresh oxygen and he knew he must save his breath. He is able to subdue the sporadic thoughts of panic racing in his mind, and he all he allows himself to think about is his oxygen intake. Even if he slowed his breathing he was still at risk of the toxic spores hanging in the air.

A little light bulb goes off in his head and he takes out his pocket knife, opening it up and raising it to his shoulder. He has to place the flashlight between his teeth in order to make a clean cut, but he is able to create a rip in the fabric. With one swift movement, Hopper tears the left sleeve off his uniform. Removing the flashlight from his mouth, he ties the sleeve over his face crafting a crude air filtration, somewhat safe from the deadly spores around him.

Calming his racing heart he treads on in the direction he had come. But he comes to a reluctant stop, the beam from his flashlight shifting uncertainly between a fork in the tunnel. He could not remember where he had come from. Hopper does not know why but his mind takes him to El. The familiar feeling of warmth and joy she brought to his dull life sparks in his chest and a terrible thought strikes him.

What if he never saw her again?

Their last interaction would be the terrible words exchanged and the mess left behind. And worst of all, she would be alone and in danger. He couldn't let that happen, and he promised himself he would get himself out. And apologize, work things out like he should have the prior morning. They would play games together again, do puzzles and even fix up the TV and continue their western marathons. He would read to her again every night, hell maybe he could find some more of Sarah's old books and--

Hansel and Gretel. He chuckles lightly under his breath. Half in relief and a half in disbelief for not thinking of it before. Hopper reaches into his left breast pocket and retrieves the stash of cigarettes. He's thankful he had grabbed a fresh pack. He took a single stick in his fingers and broke it in half, discarding the piece on the path, beginning his trail.

⊹ ⊹ ⊹

Mrs. Henderson shivers as she steps into her front room. She had spent all morning looking for Mews, she had even brought the feline's favorite toy, shaking the bell attached knowing she usually came running. Her spirits perked when she saw Dustin on the phone.

"Dusty, baby, you're sure she's not in your room?"

Dustin gulped, thankful his back was to his mother and she could not see his widened eyes. He holds a finger out for a pause, mindlessly mumbling an 'uh-huh'.

He does his best to ignore the operator on the line as he pretends to be taking a phone call. He hoped it was enough to fool his mother.

"Thank you so much, Mr. McCorkle. Thank you so much. You are a true life-saver. Thank you... All right. Have a good one. Bye-bye, now... All right... you too."

Mrs. Henderson felt a wave of relief wash over her hearing her son's words.

"Alright, great news," Dustin said, turning to her and hanging up the phone.

"They found her?" Her voice shook as she spoke.

"No," he said gently, stepping towards her mother. "But they saw her, wandering Loch Nora,"

Even her breath was trembling as she fought back sobs of relief.

"How did the poor baby get all the way over there?"

"I don't know, lost I guess," Dustin cooed. "But they're gonna look for her and I'll stay here, just in case they call again. And you're gonna go help look? Yeah?"

He tried to ignore the clenching feeling of guilt around his heart, giving his mother false hope like this. She smiled through her sobs and nodded eagerly.

"Give me a hug, give me a hug," She gratefully hugged her son, trying to swallow the lump in her throat. "You're gonna find her, alright?"

Mrs. Henderson backed away eagerly, nodding her head trying to convince herself that they would find her beloved cat.

"We can find her." He said reassuringly.

"We can find her." She repeated eagerly.

Mrs. Henderson grabbed her keys off the counter and headed towards the door.

She looked to her only son and sniffled, her voice was still slightly shaky.

"Dusty," another sniffle. "Honey, check on your sister, sweetie. She came home awfully upset again, and-and you let her know where I'm going, okay?"

"Of course, yeah, uh-huh."

"C-cause, I'm sure she'll be glad to hear they saw Mews. You let her know, okay baby?"

"Of course. I will go check on her right now. Okay. Hey,"

She paused at the front door, looking back at her son.

"I love you." Dustin blew a kiss at his mother, a fake smile plastered on her face.

She reciprocated, unknowingly the only genuine.

"I love you,"

"I love you"

"I love you,"

"Alright go, alright," He eased her out the door with encouragement and a thumbs up.

His smile did not falter until she had closed the front door.

Now to get Y/n out of the house.

||Reader's POV||

I nearly lost my balance as I slip the left shoe over my foot. I grabbed my bag and rifled through it once more making sure I had everything I needed.

I still can't believe I'm doing this. I just hope it was truly real, and I'm not just doing this for nothing. But it had to be real, it had to be.

"Meet me at nine-four-five. Outside Mirk-wood."

"El?"

"Don't tell. Anyone."

She vanished before I could say anything else. I vaguely remember seeing her in my room, but at the same time, she wasn't completely real. She almost looked transparent. The only thing convincing about all this was what she had said to me at the school. She had a way of contacting me. This must be it.

Everything was in my bag, by now I have triple-checked, but I still don't feel quite ready. Then again, I don't know if I'll ever be prepared to find out what happened to me, but I don't want to let that stop me.

I took a deep breath, willing away the nerves bubbling in my stomach to the best of my ability. My bag over my shoulder, I turned the doorknob and the door swung open. I flinched when I saw Dustin on the other side with a look of surprise. His fist was hung in the air, as if he was about to knock. He dropped it just as soon.

My eyes dropped to my bag nervously before fleeting back to his, hoping he didn't notice the grip on bag-strap tightening.

"I'm going to Will's. Mike and I are gonna stay the night with him, and make sure he's alright."

Dustin seemed to process this but he blinked soon enough, shaking himself from shock. I could have sworn he seemed relieved, and I could feel relief myself. Until he gently grabbed my shoulders as if I were a bomb about to explode and speaking to me with a really weird look in his eye. Now I'm just disturbed.

"That's great, you should do that. You should definitely do that. He really needs you,"

As if this morning wasn't already perfectly strange, Dustin began guiding me down the hall and towards the front door, still talking in that creepy, "soothing" spa tone. I didn't linger on it too much before I started worrying about what I was about to do. I was so excited at the possibility of seeing El again, but where are we going and how long am I gonna be gone?

I realized we were nearing the door and I hadn't even registered that he had been talking to me.

"...at Loch Nora, looking. And don't worry, I'll man the phones. You just worry about Will, alright?"

I mindlessly mumbled an "uh-huh" and I turned to home when I reach the door.

"Dustin?"

He blinked lightly and continued in that weird soothing voice. I shrugged it off, too wracked with guilt that I was basically leaving my family, who loved and cared for me to find someone I didn't even know.

I looked him in the eye, and I felt something rare. Rare for the two of us at least. Genuine admiration. I thought of all the fun and harmless little pranks we'd pull on Mom together. The late nights monster movies competitions to see who would get scared first (more specifically, who could could scare the other first). Or the times he looked out for me, and how much he genuinely cared about me despite how much he drives me up the wall.

"I love you,"

Before I could acknowledge any odd looks from him I wrapped him in a hug. I fully expected a snarky response or an awkward pat or even something in between. But to my great surprise, he reciprocated.

"I love you too," he said. "And don't you worry, we'll find her."

My eyes opened, still locked in an embrace with my brother as I frowned.

What?

"What? Find who?"

We both pulled away and it was his turn to look confused.

"Mews."

"Mews is missing? Since when?"

"I just-- I just told you." He blinked several times but shook his head, slowly gesturing me out the door once more. "It's no big deal. Mews got out the other night and long story short, someone saw her wandering around in Loch Nora but Mom is headed there now. Don't even worry about it, okay?"

I nodded, my mind still racing with far too many thoughts. My eyes and hand fell to the doorknob and I gave my brother one last glance before I disappear out the front door.

||3rd Person POV||

Unbeknownst to the two of them, the Henderson children stood on either side of the door, simultaneously breathing a sigh of relief.

Y/n tightens the grip on her bag and began walking towards the garage out of habit until she saw her bike laying in the grass where she had left it the previous night. She sighed and grabbed her bike only to realize the rubber around the handlebars had been melted down. A rough and messy shape of where her hands had been was now clear underneath it all on the metal core of the bike's structure. She gasped, examining the odd sight until her mind wandered to the previous night.

She realized now why the handlebars of her bike had felt so slippery. She had inadvertently melted the rubber handled off of her bike. Her eyes fell back to the grass as fast as the memory came flooding back to her: the perfect handprint singed into the grass remained at the dead center of a single dead patch of grass about two feet in diameter. Her heart leapt into her throat as she looked all around for prying eyes. When she found none, she grasped the handles with care and casually buried the handprint with a layer of scattered autumn leaves. It wasn't a permanent fix. Maybe not even a temporary one. But it made her feel better if not for the few seconds it took her to refocus on her task.

Y/n managed it with a small shake of her head. Nine twenty, she had to get moving. Mounting her bike, she cast one last longing glance at her home, reassuring herself that what she was doing was right. Not a moment longer she disappeared around the corner and into a path amongst the trees.

Dustin lay on his hands and knees below the front window. He winced at the slight prickling feeling of rug burn that had managed to get to him through his jeans. As Y/n had retrieved her bike from the grass, he sped to the window, waiting for confirmation that she had finally left.

Unfortunately for him, she turned and looked back at the house, and he cursed himself for allowing himself the vulnerability. He had to drop down onto the floor to avoid being seen by his sister, but luckily she had just missed him. Moments passed and when he couldn't hear her soft but identifiable footsteps nearing the porch he knew it was safe to peek. Sure enough, he saw her disappear around the corner down the road, a small cluster of leaves flying off the ground at her climbing speed.

He jumped to his feet and ran outside through the back door. He ripped open the cellar doors and retreated into the house. He didn't stop running until he reached the hall closet and ripped them open. He turned on the light, the metal chain swinging back and forth, even hitting him as he bent down to retrieve his gear.

He was grateful he kept his and Y/n's old baseball stuff. He remembered the day he and Y/n saw a program on TV and the kids were playing baseball. That same day, the pair begged and pleaded with their mother for the gear and when she finally caved, Y/n and Dustin spent all of summer break out in their backyard. Granted they were new to it and barely managed to hit the ball more than five times between the two of them but they had a blast. Of course, they usually played with the rest of the party, and Dustin was almost always the umpire, given he had gear for it. As for Y/n, she had a pretty decent arm, she made the best pitcher out of the group. Naturally though, school rolled around again and the following summer was when their little group officially became the Party in what became their very first campaign.

Dustin was thankful he and his sister had been so damn stubborn and he was certainly very thankful his mother had gotten them what they had so desperately wanted. He always had been, truthfully. Especially considering all they could afford before was half a set of hockey equipment from a garage sale the year before ( yet another treat their mother spoiled them with as an early holiday gift). It had entertained them for years. Now, more importantly, he had protection from Dart.

He tossed everything in the living room and went to the kitchen. Ripping open the fridge door he grabbed every variety of meat he could find. His confident urgency wavered only slightly when he approached his closed door. He began the trail of meat stretching from outside his bedroom door to the cellar in the outside. He closed every other door in the house as a precaution and suited up. His usual hat lay discarded on the living room chair in exchange for his umpire helmet. To top it all off, his mother's (second) nicest pair of oven mitts covered his hands. Not ideal for the situation but was the best he could find.

Now completely geared up, he grabbed his hockey stick just for short measure. He stood outside his room, careful not to step on the trail of bologna, and got ready to run.

"Alright, Dart," He called. "Breakfast time,"

Not allowing himself to think about it any longer he ripped open the door and started running. A mantra slipped from his mouth as he wobbled through the house, his gear restricting his speed.

"Oh, my God. Oh, my God. Oh, my God. Oh, my God. Oh, my God. Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit."

He was outside now, and he had already heard light thumps of wet feet behind him. He did his best to speed up and before he knew it he was safe in the shed.

Panting heavily and still trying to calm his racing heart, Dustin stepped towards the shed walls. He peered through a slit in the boards and waited for the slimy figure to emerge from the open door.

"Come on, I know you're hungry" he mumbled.

Dustin gasped when he saw Dart trudge down the steps. Just as he had predicted, Dart was happily gobbling up every slice of bologna and ham in the trail Dustin laid out.

"Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes," he mumbled.

He had to move around the shed to see Dart approach the open cellar doors. Everything had been going so smoothly. Up until Dart whipped around and looked Dustin dead in the eye. He knew it was impossible, given the critter had no face and all that. But he could just feel it.

His eyes widened and he gasped in fear, hoping Dart hadn't seen him. Like with Y/n, he waited a moment. There was no sign of movement and Dustin stepped forward. Only to find Dart just outside the shed. He jumped back, his own back to the wooden wall as he gripped the hockey stick closer to his chest.

Dustin could now hear the pitter-patter of Dart's small webbed feet and he knew it was now or never. It was his fault for bringing Dart into the house, and it was his fault for ignoring the other's logic and lying about Dart's whereabouts. And it was time to fix it. Taking several deep breaths, Dustin ripped open the shed door, startling Dart in the process, and charged after said critter he had once believed so fiercely to be good.

Dart retreated frightfully, an image that instilled more guilt in Dustin's heart. Nevertheless, with a scream tearing from his throat, Dustin gave the hockey stick in hand a great swing. His eyes hadn't been open to see it, but he felt the jolt of the strike hitting Dart. The next thing he knew Dart went flying, miraculously hitting the open cellar door and tumbling inside.

Dustin ran to the cellar, and just as he began closing the doors, an angry and betrayed Dart charged up the stairs after him. Feeling guilty, frightened, and utterly exhausted, Dustin collapsed on the closed cellar doors. He could feel his body jerk and move as Dart attempted to break the doors down but it was no use. Dustin was grateful he was wearing leg padding, he could feel his shins digging into the steel edge of the cellar entrance.

"I'm sorry," he said, ignoring the chitters from the cellar and dropping his chin on the metal with a pout. "But you ate my cat."

||Reader's POV||

My eyes scan the trees as I breeze down Mirkwood. I feel a chill run down my spine but I can't quite tell if it's from the cold autumn air or what's to come. I almost miss it, but I break on my bike quickly when I see a small figure standing amongst the trees. Its El. She's dressed in a mix of browns and grays and her dark hair blends in with the bark of the trees.

My bike makes an awful screech as the tires skid across the pavement and I cringe. So does El, I notice but she's happy all the same. She steps forward out of the trees and I dismount the bike, propping it up on its kickstand.

We meet in an embrace and I smile at the contact. It was real. She was real and I was actually getting to see her again. I don't fail to appreciate the tight squeeze she gives the hug just before we separate.

"I'm so glad you're here. I was worried I dreamt it all. How are you? Is everything okay?"

She nodded, and the smallest of excited smiles tugged at her lips. "I found Mama."

"So you really did find your mom, huh?" I ask hopefully, tugging anxiously at the hem of my sleeves.

El's smile grew only slightly and she nodded once more.

"I also found something else."

I nodded, encouraging her to continue.

"The 'Missing Experiment'."

A silence hung in the air sharper than any autumn wind currently biting at my skin.

"Is that... ?" I felt the words die on my tongue and I try again. "So, I really am...?"

El looked at me, sympathy in her eyes and she nodded again.

"Yes," she croaked.

I wasn't quite sure what to say. Of course I knew on some level I was connected to that place in some way, ever since everything that happened the previous year. That wasn't what was so shocking. What was shocking was just how hard it was hitting me, now more than ever. Something about those three words made everything more real. Cause sure, blasting people with heat waves, healing wounds and popping popcorn with my bare hands when no one is looking for practise isn't reality enough its this that gets me. The Missing Experiment.

I guess everything about it drives home exactly what I was intended to be--what El was for most of her life and still technically is: an experiment. It's what almost was. And it's horrifying.

"Y/n?"

I felt a gentle hand on my arm bringing me out of my spiraling thoughts and it's not until I'm caught in the overwhelming look of sympathy I see in El's eyes that I realize just how scared I must seem. But I feel it melting away the more El holds my gaze. I'm suddenly reminded of our conversation last year on the tracks and just how much she had helped. It was no different now. Something about the look in her eyes and the comforting touch that came from a deeper understanding was enough to subdue any lingering unease.

And part of her must have known it. A hopeful, almost nervous smile of sorts replaced the lost look to have been growing in her eye and she pulled her hand away. Aprehensively, she shuffled back and forth once or twice on her feet, and her hands kept falling to her shoulder bag hanging at her side.

"I think," she continued. "Mama could tell us more. Maybe."

That feeling in my gut solidified. The one that had been growing since this morning. But for once I wasn't scared of it. This was it. The question of who I was and how I found myself to be another target of the bad men--the bad man, the one who almost caught us, the one who El called Papa. The one who called me Nine. The Missing Experiment...

"Well," I said, taking a breath to collect myself. "We better go then, huh?"

||3rd Person POV||

El nodded, and Y/n returned to her bike, El following noiselessly behind. Y/n perked up at the memory and she looked back to El, patting her bike.

"After I lost my bike in the chase last year, my mom got me a new one for the holidays. I have an extra seat, just like Mike's!"

El smiled and stepped forward, and Y/n turned her bike around so it was facing the road. She looked at El once more.

"So, where are we headed?"

"Five-One-Five, Larrabe"

"Um," Timid confusion crossed Y/n's features. "Do you by any chance know what part of town that is?"

El thought about it for a moment but shook her head. Y/n pressed her lips into a firm line as she thought about it aloud.

"Well, we could always ask for directions, I mean I would, so you could stay hidden. I think there's a--"

"Hitch-hike!" El said suddenly as the idea came to her.

"What?"

"Hitch-hike! Like TV,"

Y/n blinked several times, searching her brain for one of millions of ways to begin as to why that was such a bad idea. All she could do was shake her head, sputtering with a nervous laugh.

"El, we can't--"

But El was too focused on her mission, and much to her delight - and Y/n's chagrin - she heard the deep rumbles of an engine growing louder. She walked past Y/n to stand on the edge of the concrete road and stuck her thumb out.

"El, what are you doing? They'll see you, never mind that, do you know how dangerous that is for us?"

Her thumb still out, El turned to look at her best friend with a deeply confused look on her face.

"Why us?"

Once again, Y/n was at a loss for words. Without a response, she returned her attention to the road where a large truck came to slow. Y/n's heart began to pound faster and in a desperate attempt to save her friend and herself, she dropped her bike and stepped forward to stop El. But El was one step ahead and Y/n's eyes widened when she stopped abruptly, her feet rooted to the ground.

She looked to her feet in fear, and back to El, gaping.

"Hey! What the hell?!" Y/n tried to remain calm, but it was a challenging feat seeing the truck grow closer, words tumbled out of her in a hurry. "El, I promise you we can find another way but this is not a good idea, trust me. He could hurt us,"

El turned back to look at Y/n and gave her an incredulous smile.

"Y/n," she eased. "We can defend ourselves, remember?"

Y/n felt the invisible hold on her legs release and she tied her best not to stumble forward in an awkward fashion. Before she could get another word in, the truck pulled to a stop in front of El and the passenger window rolled down. It was a man with a beard and a trucker hat. He looked at the pair with genuine worry for them, which put Y/n's mind at ease in just the slightest.

"You ladies alright?"

El was quick to answer before Y/n could protest.

"We need a ride home. Five-one-five Larrabee"

The man seemed taken aback, and he looked around for any sign of the girls' parents.

"Well, uh, sure I guess. You guys a long way from home?"

El nodded and stepped forward. She felt a hand on her wrist and she looked to find Y/n giving her one last pleading look.

El lowered her voice and spoke to her friend gently (and quietly).

"It will be okay, we can protect ourselves. But I'm going Y/n, you can come if you want."

With that, she stepped forward and stood on the tips of her toes to open the passenger door. Y/n felt the surge of anxiety in her stomach, everything warning her against this. But El was getting into a big truck with a strange man, she knew she couldn't stop her, but she had to make sure she was okay. Y/n kicked herself for what she was about to do, never more angered by any decision she has ever made.

And against her better judgment, Y/n climbed into the truck after El.