(      darkest before dawn      /      act one      )
episode four  |   stranger things

❛  WILL DO YOU COPY?  ❜

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AURORA HOPED IT WAS all a dream when she woke up, grasping at her white bed sheets. But all it took was a fluffy white cat to jump onto her bed for everything to hit her.

Sobs left her mouth as she clutched Mango to her chest, her tears like a never ending waterfall. Her three aunts rushed to her room, trying to comfort the girl, but they knew it was no use. She sat unmoving, clutched in the arms of her aunts as she sobbed for hours.

      She watched the sun rise. The black sky filling with pinks and purples, and the rays filled the forest that surrounded her home. An invitation to a new day, a new hour. A new everything that Aurora had to experience without her best friend.

      The morning was silent. Not even crickets chirped that morning as Aurora sobbed. The three woman had left a few hours after Aurora woke up, promising to be back around four but letting the girl stay home. Her window was open to let the breeze in, but Aurora jumped as her walkie crackled.

      "Rory?" It was Lucas, his voice was softer as he spoke. "It's Lucas. We need to get to Mikes house ASAP."

      Aurora didn't move to grab her walkie-talkie. She couldn't even find it in herself to cry anymore, her tears had run out. Aurora just sat on her bed, unmoving, memories of her and Will flashed through her mind. Things that would just be memories, nothing more, because Will was gone.

      Her walkie-talkie crackled again, "Rory, please. Mike said he found something out about Will, we have to get there."

      Aurora made no move to get up. She just loosened her hold on Mango, who rushed to the window. Her walkie-talkie crackled once again, "Aurora. Mike doesn't think that Will is dead! We need to get her to Mikes like now!"

      Aurora harshly shoved her blankets off her legs, and walked over to the window, leaning out to glare down at her two friends. "Did you not see what I saw yesterday? They pulled Wills body, his body, from the water! I saw his body," Aurora choked out a sob, as Lucas and Dustin watched her with sad eyes, "I saw his face, it was him. All I want to do is sit and mourn him today."

      Lucas glanced at his feet, and Aurora could've sworn she saw him wipe a tear. Dustin cleared his throat, "Rory, Mike thinks that he found something. That the bad men that are after El took Will, and faked his death. Please."

      Aurora cleared her throat, and picked up Mango with one arm, whispering, "five minutes," before closing the window with one arm and moving into her room to change. She held Mango close to her before kissing her head and placing her onto bed.

      Her radio cracked one more time, "I've got a double chocolate chunk cookie down here, Rory."

      Aurora rolled her eyes, before splashing a bit of water on her face, though it did nothing to clear her puffy red eyes. She sighed before grabbing a pair of jeans and a baby pink short sleeve to change into quickly. She chose to braid her hair, her hands shaking slightly as her fingers moved with precision. When she was done, she quickly stumbled to her white converse before kissing Mango's head one last time.

      Aurora opened the garage, wheeling her bike out before shutting it. Lucas and Dustin were waiting by the entrance, the former of the two placed a bag from Auroras favorite bakery into her bike basket. She mustered enough energy to smile at the boy, before letting him lead them away from the house.

      None of them spoke. Dustin and Lucas were close to Will, of course they were, but they would never have what Aurora and Will had. The pair were a thick as thieves, and many times they had been confused as siblings. Everywhere Will went, Aurora was by his side and vice-versa. They had inside jokes and could barely look at each other without giggling over something. They understood each other better than they did themselves. Even Jonathan treated Aurora as his sister.

      The boys glanced at Aurora as they rode on Mirkwood to Mikes home. Both of them chose not to acknowledge the tear they watched the girl wipe from her eye quickly as she passed the entrance to the forest.

      "I'll race you," Dustin spoke before he peddled away from the two quickly. Aurora nodded, and began to chase after Dustin, Lucas following behind her. At some point, Dustin had slowed enough to let the girl pass him, pulling into Mikes driveway first. Dustin had achieved what he wanted to, as Aurora was in a slightly better mood when they entered through the side door to Mikes basement.

      Eleven and Mike were sitting in the fort they had made only a few days ago. Aurora, Lucas and Dustin all nodded in greeting before sitting down silently. Aurora sat down next to Eleven, who turned to her solemnly, "I'm...sorry about Will."

      Aurora took in a shaky breath, "you didn't know. It's not your fault, El."

      She didn't say anything more, and Eleven just nodded. Then Mike — who hadn't even acknowledged Aurora's arrival — gestured to Eleven, and asked her to show everyone else what she had shown him.

      The walkie-talkie crackled as Eleven began to flip through channels, when she had landed on one, soft whimpering sounded from the speaker box of his walkie.

      "We keep losing the signal," Mike spoke as the radio crackled again causing the whimpering to stop, "but you heard it, right?"

      "Yeah, I heard a baby," Lucas rolled his eyes, as Aurora sighed, leaning on his shoulder as she closed her eyes softly.

      "What?" Mike tried not to let anger seep into his tone as he watched Aurora carefully.

      "Mike, you obviously tapped into a baby monitor," Lucas scoffed, "it's probably the Blackburns' next door."

      "Uh, did that sound like a baby to you?" Mike argued, "that was Will!"

      "Mike," Lucas softened his voice.

      "Lucas, you don't understand. He spoke last night. Words! He was singing that weird song he loves. Even El heard him."

      "Oh, well, if the weirdo heard him, then I guess—" Dustin cut Lucas off, as Aurora glanced at Eleven. The girl had dropped her head, but glanced up quickly as Aurora grabbed her hand.

      "Are you sure you're on the right channel?"

      "I don't think it's about that." Mike looked at the walkie-talkie as he spoke, "I think, somehow, she's channeling him."

      "Like...Professor X," Dustin grinned as Mike nodded, agreeing with the boys comic book reference.

      "Are you actually believing this crap?" Lucas's voice was gaining volume. Aurora moved off from his shoulder to watch him, some part of her mind agreeing with Lucas, but the other had hope that Will was alive.

      "I don't know, I mean," Dustin glanced at Aurora who hadn't spoken at all. "Do you remember when Will fell off his bike and broke his finger? He sounded a lot like that."

      "Mike, I thought you had something! You call us over here over a baby you had your weirdo listen in on!" Lucas pushed himself up, towering over the rest of the party as he continued, "we all saw the same thing yesterday, right? Wills body. You dragged us out of bed, dragged Aurora from her bed, so you could spew this nonsense! He dead! D. E. A. D. Mike, stop it."

      Aurora had tears rolling down her face by the time Lucas had stopped. Eleven grabbed her hand tighter, as Aurora sniffled, wiping at her tears with extreme force.

      "Maybe, it's his ghost. Maybe he's haunting us," Dustin reasoned.

      "It's not his ghost." Mikes rolled his eyes at Dustin's theory,

      "So how do you know that?"

      "I just do!"

      "Then what was in the water?" Aurora winced as Dustin's words had images of Wills body in the water once again.

      "I don't know! All I know is Will is alive." Mike sighed, angry that no one believed him. That no one wanted to figure out if their best friend really had died, "Will is alive! He's out there somewhere. All we have to do is find him."

      Eleven let go of Auroras hand to mess with the radio once more, before Mike pulled it away. "This isn't going to work, we need to get El to a stronger radio."

      "Mr. Clarke's Heathkit ham shack," Dustin smiled as Auroras lips tugged into a grin at the name.

      "But the Heathkit's at school," Lucas spoke up, "There's no way we're gonna get the weirdo in there without anyone noticing."

      "Her names Eleven," Auroras voice wasn't higher than a whisper as she spoke, "Lucas. Not weirdo."

      "Well, look at her." Lucas gestured to Elevens buzzed hair, and lack of an outfit, as the radio crackled in her hands.

Mike glanced between Aurora and Eleven, "Aurora, I think Nancy has some old dresses in her room. El might be able to fit into one of them. We'll stay down here and make find a wing or something for her."

Aurora nodded, pulling Eleven with her as she stood up. "No one's here right?"

"Nope, my mom and dad at work, Holli and Nancy are at school." Mike smiled at the girl softly, before Aurora was leading Eleven up the stairs to Nancy's rooms.

Eleven sat on the bed and Aurora pulled a few of Nancy's makeup products. Her aunts had taught her how to do some things, though her knowledge only expanded to blush eyeshadow, mascara, and chapstick. So those were the things Aurora picked out, before moving back to Eleven. She was happy for a distraction from Will, so she would enjoy this as much as she could.

The blonde grinned as she opened the blush container, before softly dipping a large brush in, "okay just close your eyes." Aurora made quick work with what she knew. The blush was the easy part, but when it came to mascara, Eleven would not let her near her eyes with it.

Once her make-up was done, Aurora opened Nancy's closet, dinging around to find a dress that would be small enough for Eleven to fit in. In the back corner of Nancy's closet was a small pink dress, Aurora laughed to herself before dragging it out. She brushed off a bit of dirt before handing it to Eleven. As Aurora stood up, Mike opened the door.

"Here!" The boy tossed a blonde wig into the room, before closing the door again.

"I'll let you change, I'll be right outside if you need me, El." Aurora smiled that the girl before softly closing the door behind her, running straight into Mike.

He grabbed Auroras arm, making sure she was steady. The pair just stood watching each other for a few seconds, before Mike jumped away from her as Lucas and Dustin came scrambling up the stairs.

"Rory?" Elevens soft voice sounded through the door a few minutes after she had left. Aurora quickly entered the room, wanting to get away from the awkward tension between her and Mike. She smiled as Eleven stood in the middle of the room, the blonde wig all twisted.

Aurora let a laugh escape her lips before she rushed to fix it, only pulling a few seconds before the wig sat where it should, looking like it was Elevens actual hair. Aurora smiled, "okay give me a spin!"

"A what?"

"A spin!" Aurora smiled before twirling around to show the girl, "like that." Eleven twirled like Aurora did, though more cautiously than Aurora, "you look beautiful, El! You ready?"

With a nod, Aurora walked out first, the boys watching her before Eleven stepped into the vision. She was stiff, but had a soft smile on her face that seemed to be more prominent as she got more comfortable with the group.

"Wow," Dustin was the first to speak, "she looks—"

"Pretty." Mike was the one to cut him off, his eyes still on Eleven. Aurora dropped her head slightly at his comment. "Good! You look pretty good."

Aurora clapped her hands together, "Here, come see!" She led the girl towards the mirror in the hall, with Mike following behind them.

Eleven stood in the mirror, softly touching the wig and dress, almost like she didn't know it was her. Mike watched Eleven through the mirror, but every few seconds his eyes would drift towards Aurora, the girls soft smile as she helped Eleven, and the small dimple on her left cheek that was only there when she was truly smiling.

"Pretty." Eleven whispered, and all Aurora could do was nod.

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THEY ENTERED THE SCHOOL through the front doors, the lady at the front desk just smiled at the sadly when she buzzed them in. It was the least suspicious way of entering through the school. Eleven took everything in, from the lockers to the bathrooms and the few classroom that were empty.

"Okay," Mike spoke, "if anyone sees us, look sad."

"I am sad," Aurora blurted, "and you should be too."

Even if Will wasn't dead and the body that found was fake, it still meant a boy had died. Friend or not, it seemed like Mike didn't seem to care about any of them, he just knew that Will wasn't dead.

"You know what I mean," Mikes voice was quiet, as he shook his head.

The door to the AV club was locked when they approached it, something that none of them had thought about. Mike tried it and then Lucas, then Dustin. None of them had much luck.

"Hey!" Dustin spoke, causing Eleven to jump slightly as he grinned, "Do you think you could open it? With your powers and all?"

"She's not a toy, Dusty," Aurora told him with a grin, "but that would be cool."

"Kids?" Mr. Clarke questioned as he walked around the corner, the three boys jumped as Mike grabbed Auroras hand for a split second, almost like a reflex. The girl didn't react, so he chose not the address it as he let go, "assembly's about to start."

"We know, we're just, you know," Mike kicked at the ground, a frown on his lips.

"Upset."

"Yeah, def-definitely upset," Dustin stuttered, wringing his hands together. Aurora nodded, her head pounding slightly.

"We need some alone time."

"To cry," Dustin finished Mikes sentence loudly.

Mr. Clarke hummed before bending down, speaking a bit softer, "listen, I get it. I do. I know how hard this is, but let's just be there for Will, huh? And then," Mr. Clarke pulled a key from his keyring, tossing it to Mike, "the Heathkit is all yours for the rest of the day. What do you say?"

Then Mr. Clarke noticed the new edition, "I don't believe we've met. What's your name?"

Eleven started to say her name before Mike cut her off.

"Eleanor! Shes my, uh—"

"Cousin!" Lucas finished.

Dustin grinned, "Second cousin."

"She's here for Wills funeral."

Mr. Clarke nodded sadly, "Ah, well welcome to Hawkins Middle, Eleanor. I wish you were here under better circumstances."

"Thank you," Eleven spoke softly, her eyebrows scrunched in confusion.

"Where are you from exactly?"

It was silent for a few seconds before Eleven answered with all seriousness, "bad place."

"Sweden!" Lucas cut in, rubbing his neck.

"I have a lot of Swedish family," Mike nodded, looping his arm across Elevens shoulders.

"It's really cold."

"She hates it there."

Aurora grinned as her friends made a fool of themselves, black dots crept into her vision. "Mr. Clark," she started, leaning herself against the wall as her body began to slowly shut down. She didn't notice the panicked look Mike sent here before their teacher was helping her.

"I have to take her to the nurse, I trust you will get there quickly, boys and Eleanor." Mr. Clarke nodded as he held Aurora up, walking her to the nurses office.

Aurora could barely grin before sleep overtook her.

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AURORA MISSED THE ASSEMBLY. She missed Mike shoving Troy to the ground and she even missed Troy peeing himself. She missed a lot, according Dustin's recap.

The group was standing over Auroras bed in the nurses office when she woke up, against the nurses judgement. Aurora thanked the nurse as she walked out, the older woman just grinning as Mike helped her out the door.

They walked to the AV room, Dustin the most excited as Mike unlocked the door. Her head pounded as the door closed loudly, the rooms small light only lighting up the desk. She escaped from Mikes hold, collapsing into her chair with a huff.

"What now?" Dustin questioned as Mike flipped on the radio, which crackled to life.

"She'll find him," Mike spoke as Eleven closed her eyes. The boys whispered between themselves before the light above them shattered, Aurora jumping.

"Holy..."

The radio clattered again, loud clanging sounding on their side, and Aurora stood up, stumbling into Mikes side as she jumped again.

"What is that?" No one had an answer for Dustin, as the radio crackled before the clanging intensified.

"Mom?" Wills soft voice filled the small room.

"No way." Lucas and Aurora spoke at the same time.

"Mom?" Wills voice echoed again. "Please..." The clanging intensified as Will whimpered again.

The boys started shouting.

"Will!"

"Will it's us! Can you hear us? We're here!"

"Hello? Mom?" Wills voice was louder now, as Elevens nose started to bleed.

"Why can't he hear us?"

"I don't know!"

"It's like home, but it's so dark. It's so dark and empty. And it's cold! Mom? Mom!" Aurora had a few tears running down her face as Will cried for his mom over and over.

Then the radio stopped.

The light on the radio flipped off before the Heathkit crackled and caught fire, the overhead light turning back on as the fire alarm filled their ears. Eleven watched the flame, breathing heavily as Dustin rushed for the fire extinguisher, quickly blowing out the flame.

Elevens eyes closed as her chest heaved up and down. Aurora moved to the girl, and softly wiped the blood from her nose as Elevens eyes opened.

"Thank you," Aurora mouthed to the girl, she couldn't find it in herself to fully say the words. Eleven only smiled, but seemed like she couldn't move, Aurora noticed this, waving her arm, "Help me."

Lucas took her spot as Mike grabbed her other arm. They found a table with wheels, the two boys placing Eleven on it as they rushed her out of the school. Aurora laughing softly as they ran, her braid had fallen apart, and was now blowing wildly in the wind.

Will was alive. All they had to do was find him now.

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( LET ME SPEAK : )

very much a filler chapter, but i rewrote
SO MUCH, because it was so unrealistic
that aurora would just jump right into
believing that will was alive when she
literally saw his body, so I had to fix that
and had to add a bit more tension with
mike and rory <3!!!

credit goes to fivehxrgreeves