Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Cassidy Benson always sat behind Michael in his classes, at least in the ones ordered alphabetically.

Now, replacing the scowling blonde girl was a short, wide eyed girl with far darker hair, slightly shaggy as if she hadn’t quite figured out how to brush it yet. She picked nervously at her fingernails, and he could hear her tapping her foot on the ground, though he didn’t quite care enough to tell her to stop. It felt like a waste of energy.

Her name was El Byers, and she was new. He knew that because the teacher called out their names for attendance and he had seen her and her family moving into the house that Henry and Charlie Emily had used to live in, three houses down. When he had been far younger and not a murderer, Charlie and Michael used to take turns sprinting down the street to each others houses to coerce the other into playing. They were the only children on the street other than Michael’s siblings, and Henry had a strict rule about Charlie wandering beyond the confines of their cul-de-sac. Not that it had protected her in the end.

Michael wondered what had happened to Cassidy. He hadn’t heard about her moving.

He realized, dully, that whatever happened to Casssidy was probably the same bad thing that happened to the other kids that disappeared.

The teacher handed him a stack of worksheets, droning on about class rules and expectations, and Michael was already zoning out. He turned to hand the stack of papers to El behind him, and she accidentally caught his eye.

She smiled, wide and a little desperate, the way a person does when they clumsily try and search for a connection. She took the papers, and was opening her mouth to say something when Michael simply turned back around, staring blankly at the teacher.

He could practically feel El wilt behind him, but he found he was too tired to care.

It was September 9th, 1985, and it was the first day of freshman year.

*** *** ***

“So how was your first day?” Will asked dully, waiting with El for the crosswalk light to turn green so the two of them could cross the road.

El was quiet for a long moment, thinking of her countless attempts to make friends that, at best, ended in blank and slightly confused stares. At worst, they would turn to another person and snicker while she was still standing there.

She had made a list of things to remember for her new life. Joyce had suggested it to her, claiming she always made lists when she felt overwhelmed. And El felt overwhelmed nearly all the time.

1. Talk more
2. Don’t stare at people
3. Use complete sentences
4. Act normal
5. Don’t let anyone know about Hawkins
6. Don’t be stupid

The list could have been far longer, but at that point, El was starting to get overwhelmed with a list that was supposed to help her feel less anxious. So she capped it off at six and resolved to add more when she felt it was necessary. The list sat in her pocket now, folded and already fading from checking and rechecking at least a hundred times, though she had the list well-memorized by now.

Will hummed, and El realized she still hadn’t spoken. “Yeah, me too.” He said, and heaved a sigh.

“But that’s just the first day,” El said, almost urgently, starting forward when the light signaled them to cross. “It gets better.”

Will didn’t answer, and El felt her stomach sink.

The part of her that had tried to stay positive about leaving Hawkins had said that Utah would be a fresh start. The shit from home was left there, and the unfamiliarity was terrifying, but an opportunity to wipe the slate clean. No one asked her odd questions about why she was suddenly living with the Byers. No one asked her hard questions about her past and family. No one asked her about Hopper.

But Hurricane County was just as small as Hawkins, and she was the stranger intruding once again. But now, the rest of the Byers were strangers as well. There was no built in friend group with Will for her to insert herself into. El realized, with sudden panic, that she had never actually made a friend on her own before.

She hoisted the backpack over her shoulder, her jaw set and mind determined. Her powers were gone-she wasn’t a weirdo anymore. “It’ll get better.” She said again.

“Sure,” Will said, glum. “I wish we at least had a class together. Or the same lunch period.”

El paused, seeing the boy who sat in front of her in her homeroom ahead of them, walking alone and staring at the ground. He was walking alone.

His name was Michael, she was pretty sure, and her heart still ached slightly for the Michael back home. This new Michael didn’t look anything like her’s, though. He was taller, and lanky like someone had stretched him out by hand. His hair a lighter brown and slightly uneven, like he had cut it himself in a hurry. His eyes were dull and tired, ringed with dark circles.

“El?” Will elbowed her. “You there?”

El blinked. “Hm?”

“I asked if you know if mom is working late,” He looked to where El had been staring. “Who’s that?”

“Hold that thought.” El said, and marched forward before her anxiety could make her second guess herself.

Hopper would want her to be bold. She would never make friends by silently waiting. Utah El Byers was outgoing and friendly, and people would flock to be in her and Will’s circle. She just had to start somewhere.

“Hi.” El said brightly, falling in step with Michael.

He blinked, momentarily startled to see her before his gaze returned to the concrete. He didn’t even grunt in greeting.

El swallowed. “I’m El. We’re in the same homeroom.” Good, that was a complete sentence.

“Hm.” He said this time, and El mentally tallied her victory.

“My family and I just moved here.” El said, waving back to Will. He looked shocked by her boldness, watching the interaction between her and Michael as if afraid one of them might detonate.

“I saw.” Michael said, the first real words she heard him say. He had an accent, and sounded distinctly irritated. She decided to ignore that.

“You saw?” She asked, confused.

“You moved into the old Emily house on my street.” He said.

“Emily house? Is that who lived there before?” El asked, and then paused. “Wait-you saw us move in and didn’t say hello? Why?”

“Didn’t want to.” Michael said, and then swerved, crossing the street with such suddenness it made El stumble. He was lucky that no cars were going by at the moment; he hadn’t even checked, so desperate to leave the conversation.

Will jogged to catch up with El. “Do you know that guy?”

El nodded. “Homeroom.”

Will frowned, watching as Michael kept walking, determined not to look back. “He seems friendly.”

El swallowed hard, suddenly missing Hawkins so hard she nearly burst into tears. “Is it…always this bad? Making friends?”

Will pursed his lips. “I don’t even remember how I made friends with Dustin, Mike, and Lucas. We’ve just…we’ve just always been friends. And Max, well, Max decided that we were going to be her friends. There wasn’t anything we could do about it.”

“I miss them.” El said, and swallowed hard to push down the lump in her throat.

Will frowned, watching Michael re-cross the street and enter a house not far from theirs. “That bastard.” He said, in such an offended tone that it made El snort.

“Let’s go home.” El said, and the two started walking again, even though home was one thousand, five hundred and seventy three miles away.

She had counted.

It felt farther.

*** *** ***

Michael’s father wasn’t home when he got back.

The house was dark, too small and too large at the same time. The silence wrapped itself around his chest, squeezing him like a snake, hissing in his ear. Welcome home, welcome home, there is one less person in this house than there should be and that is because of you.

His room was at the end of the hall, and he pressed his back against the wall as he passed the empty bedroom, trying to put as much distance between it and himself as he could, though the door had been closed for some time now. Sometimes, when guilt gnawed at Michael’s heart like a rat, he would stand in front of the door, his hand hovering over the handle, willing himself to enter and confront the hollow space.

But cowardice would always win out, and his hand would drop and he would step away slowly, as if afraid the door might swing open and something would leap out at him with a screech and a malicious grin.

He wondered when his father would return home. Maybe it would be in the next ten minutes. Maybe he would arrive before dinner. Maybe Michael would wake up in the dead of night to hear a door slam and hear his father stomping around. Maybe he would wake up in the morning and still find himself alone.

The last one seemed to happen more and more often these days.

Michael’s room was just as lonely as it always was, dark and cluttered. His father didn’t care if he made a mess or not as long as he kept the mess to himself. It had always been like that. Michael was free to do what he wished as long as it didn’t interfere with what his father wanted. He could go where he pleased, he could do what he wanted, none of it mattered.

He could bully his little brother to tears on a daily basis, and Evan was the one snapped at if he cried too loudly.

It only became a problem when blood coated the interior of Fredbear’s mouth, and the diner had needed to shut down and rebrand.

Michael’s mess was his own, and it always had been. The mess would grow, utterly uncontrollable now, hopelessly lost in himself, but it stayed within his room.

And that was where it would remain to the end of time.

Michael dropped his backpack on the ground, hearing it hit the ground with a thud. It toppled over, and papers and books spilled out like the world’s worst piñata, but Michael didn’t even bother looking to see where his stuff had gone.

He stood in the center of the hurricane, lonelier than he had ever been in his entire life.

Chapter Text

Joyce was, as she nearly always was, looking for her keys, in a frenzy to leave for work. She had left all the cabinets open, tossed jackets on the floor, and had turned all the sofa cushions over.

“El! Will!” She rushed over, harried and stressed, still planting a quick kiss on each of their heads. “How was the first day? Were you able to find all your classes? Did you make any friends? Were the other kids nice?”

“It was…” Will paused, looking at El, fishing for a word that wasn’t going to crush Joyce’s soul.

“Boring.” El said, which wasn’t untrue.

Joyce forced a smile, though she didn’t look quite convinced. “Well, the first day is always a little slow, I’m sure it’ll be more fun…I bet they have an AV club for you, Will, you should ask around. Have you seen my keys?”

“We got you that key dish for a reason, Mom.” Will said, looking amused.

“And they never seem to end up there,” Joyce huffed, going back to search the sofa again. “I wish they didn’t schedule me after your first day, but shifts have been hard to come by…Jonathan! Any luck?”

“No, sorry!” Jonathan's voice echoed down the narrow halls, and Joyce groaned.

“Did you check the key dish?” El asked, walking over to the small glass bowl sitting on a table by the door.

“Do you think I-” Joyce paused when she heard the keys jingle in El’s hand, and chuckled, slightly red-faced. “Alright, you got me there. Thanks, hon, you’re a lifesaver.”

She grabbed the keys and her purse off the coat rack, ruffling Will’s hair as she passed him. “I should be back before nine tonight, Jonathan’s in charge. Dinner’s in the fridge and I have chores up for you two, don’t spend all day watching TV-”

“Mom…” Will groaned, very used to her helicopter tendencies by now.

“I know, I know…” Joyce sighed. “Be good for Jonathan, okay? Both of you. And I want to hear more about school when I get back!”

She shut the door, and El heard her footsteps become more and more distant before the car pulled out of the driveway.

Will glanced at El. “What’s for dinner?”

El opened the fridge, and frowned when she saw a glass dish filled with a vague shape. “Meatloaf?”

Will made a face.

“I’ll ask Jonathan about pizza.” El decided, shutting the fridge and making her way down to the older boy’s room. She opened the door, not even hesitating before walking in. “Jonathan-”

Jonathan jumped, badly startled, grabbing a handful of papers off his desk and stuffing them into a drawer. “Shit! El, knocking!”

El winced. “Sorry.”

Jonathan took a breath. “‘S’alright. You just startled me. What’s wrong?”

“Meatloaf.” El made a face, and Jonathan copied her.

“Eurgh, my thoughts exactly. Lemme see if we have any coupons-”

“What’s that?” El asked, pointing at his drawer. A bit of paper was peeking out, and Jonathan stuffed it back in.

“Nothing,” Jonathan said quickly. “Um. Homework.”

El blinked. Jonathan had graduated over a year ago.

He sighed after a moment, motioning for her to shut the door, and she obliged. “You can’t tell mom or Will about this, okay?” He said, his voice low.

El looked at him suspiciously. “A lie?”

“No no no, not a lie…” Jonathan shook his head quickly. “Just…just a secret. And not a bad secret. Just…just a privacy thing. Can you keep a secret?”

El nodded slowly, and Jonathan slowly pulled the papers out, showing them to her. El squinted, trying to make sense of long forms with dozens of paragraphs, but an emblazoned logo at the top caught her eye. “What is…’nee-yoo’?”

“Not nee-yoo,” Jonathan said. “NYU. New York University. A college.”

“College.” El repeated, though her knowledge on the subject was limited. She knew that it was a school, but a school for adults who wanted to do big important things. People lived at college, and most people said it cost a lot of money.

“It’s just an application,” Jonathan said, looking sheepish. “It’s not…nothing’s set in stone. Actually, nothing’s set at all.” He dropped the papers in a wastebasket next to his desk.

“You don’t want to go?” El asked, confused.

“No, I do-I mean, I don’t, it’s…it’s complicated…” Jonathan picked at his shirtsleeve. “It’d…it’d be nice to go, sure. But that’s assuming I can get in. Which I won’t. And then the cost, it’s expensive, we can’t afford that. And New York is really far away, I wouldn’t be able to see you guys or help if something went wrong. It’s…” He shook his head. “It’s a nice dream, but that’s all it is. A dream.”

“If you’re not going,” El said slowly. “Why are you hiding it?”

“Because-” Jonathan huffed, looking frustrated. “Because it’s stupid, that’s why. Mom and Will’d support me and all, but like I said. We can’t afford it. And I can’t leave them. They need me. Especially mom.”

El frowned, oddly sad. She didn’t know Jonathan that well, but he had always had a melancholic air that had been easy to see even without her powers. She had never heard him ask for anything, only offering to help in any way he could, dutifully working as much as he could to support their strange little family and never once complaining. The idea that he had dreams outside of their house felt strange, and then she felt guilty for seeing them as strange. All that he had, he shared-his money, his time, his interests, even his car once or twice, and he never hesitated to offer any of it.

El wondered how long it had been like this. Maybe it had even been like this before Will’s disappearance.

Jonathan smiled, maybe seeing El’s expression. “It’s fine, really, it’s not the end of the world. Believe it or not, I like being around you guys. Plenty of people don’t go to college and they do just fine.”

He nudged the wastebasket behind his desk and stood up, gently shooing El out. “What are we in the mood for? Pizza? Takeout?”

“Takeout!” Will said, traitorously.

El was about to argue the merits of pizza, and quite well too, before the doorbell rang.

She froze, panic seizing her heart, a force of habit that made her clench her fists in preparation for a fight, though she knew her powers were long gone.

Jonathan touched her shoulder gently, and glanced at Will. “Who is it?”

Will peeked behind the curtains. “...some lady. She’s got food. I don’t see any other cars. I’m pretty sure I saw her when we were moving in, on the street next to us.”

Jonathan nodded, stepping forward, and El hid around the corner. She heard the door open, creaking loudly.

“Hello!” A woman’s voice said cheerfully. “I’m sorry to bother you, I just saw you and your family moving in, and figured you wouldn’t want to cook after all that…I thought I might save you the trouble of worrying over dinner.”

“Thank you,” Jonathan said. “That’s nice of you-”

“So where might you all hail from?” She asked. “I saw two younger kids the other day, that’s so nice, they look about my son’s age-”

El hazarded a peek, which was the wrong move to make, because the woman instantly locked eyes with her, adjusting her grip on what looked like a casserole to wave at her. “Hello, dear! What’s your name?”

Every fiber in El’s being screamed at her to hide again, but then that would look suspicious. She forced herself to step out, and hoped she didn’t look too anxious. “I’m El.” She said, and hoped she sounded more confident than she felt.

“It’s nice to meet you, El,” The woman said. “I’m Mary Anne Fitzgerald. And you two?” She glanced between Jonathan and Will.

“I’m Will.” Will waved awkwardly.

“Jonathan,” He shook Mrs. Fitzgerald’s hand. “Sorry my mom isn’t here to say hello right now, she’s at work…”

“Oh, no worries!” Mrs. Fitzgerald said. “I’m sure it’s a hassle moving about. It’s nice to see this house full of people again, it’s been empty for years.”

“The Emily house.” El said, and then cursed herself when Mrs. Fitzgerald looked at her, surprised.

“Well, yes, the Emily family used to live here…” She looked slightly uncomfortable. “Ah, who told you about them?”

“Michael Afton,” El said. “He’s in my class.”

“Ah,” Mrs. Fitzgerald frowned. “Well, he’d be the one to tell you, I suppose. He used to play with the girl that lived here.”

“He lives on this street too, right?” Will asked.

“Him and his father, yes,” Mrs. Fitzgerald’s frown deepened. “I hate to spread ill-will, but you probably don’t want to hang around him. He’s…well, it’s not entirely his fault, but he’s the type that attracts trouble.”

El felt a chill down her spine.

“Ah, well,” Mrs. Fitzgerald forced a smile. “I shouldn’t take up any more of your time than I already have!”

She handed the casserole over to Jonathan. “I’ll try to stop by again sometime this weekend, have a proper introduction, I’m sure you’re all very busy. I’d love to meet your mother and bring my son!”

El wasn’t really paying attention as she waved her goodbyes, nor when Jonathan declared that the meal that Mrs. Fitzgerald had delivered was far more edible and cheaper than their other options.

She found herself staring at the Afton house, her face pressed against the glass, wishing not for the first time that she could use her powers again to see exactly what they were hiding from her.

Chapter Text

El had almost forgotten about Mrs. Fitzgerald’s warning a few weeks later when she ducked into the bathroom between her third and fourth period, nearly bumping into a small group of girls.

“Watch it.” A blonde with hair that towered above her scowled at El, barely looking at her.

“Sorry.” El nearly whispered, her face burning.

Neither her or Will had any luck making friends. At best, their peers politely ignored them, and at worst, they endured snide grins and sneers in their direction.

El couldn’t figure out what either of them were doing wrong.

One of the other girls nudged the blonde, and she glanced at El again, her eyes suddenly widening. “Oh, wait. You’re that new girl, right? El Byron?”

“Byers.” El corrected, hope swelling in her heart.

The blonde smiled, though there was something oddly plastic about it. “How cute. You’re a freshman, right? You and your brother?”

“Yes.” El nodded excitedly. The other girls muffled their giggles.

“Where are you from?” The blonde asked, her teeth showing in a smile that read more like a snarl.

“We-” El paused when another girl suddenly snorted, and the others shushed her, barely concealing their own laughter. The excitement quickly gave way into crushing disappointment, and she felt her face fall.

“El?” The blonde asked. “Hello? Can you understand me?”

El scowled, hiking her backpack over her shoulder and ducking past the group. “I have to go. Class.”

“Aw, so soon?” The blonde smiled, venomous. “We just wanna talk!”

El didn’t look back, staring at the ground as her eyes started to burn and a lump formed in her throat. She sniffled, wiping her face furiously. This school would show her no mercy if she started crying.

She crashed into someone, nearly falling to the ground. “Watch it!” A familiar voice snapped, and El saw Michael Afton looking sideways at her, though his look of irritation quickly turned to surprise when he saw her battle with tears. “Are you crying?”

“No,” El snapped, glaring at him as fiercely as she could manage. “Mouthbreather.”

Michael blinked in surprise, but El was already on the move again, so homesick she was nauseous.

*** *** ***

El had already taken up residence at an empty table in the corner of the cafeteria, delicately making her way across the room, clutching her lunch tray like a lifeline. It looked awful, and she didn’t plan to do much more than pick lifelessly at it, but sitting uselessly without a lunch tray somehow felt worse than sitting uselessly with one.

She took her seat, digging through her backpack to find a pencil before grabbing her list of rules out of her pocket, scribbling down a new one.

7. No crying

“What’s that?”

El jumped, horrified to see that she was suddenly surrounded by the blonde and her pack, each of them grinning at her with an excited glee to see her humiliated.

“Nothing.” El said, but one of the blonde’s friends snatched her list and handed it to the ringleader. “Hey!”

“Let’s see…” The blonde smiled, cruelty dripping from her features. “Number one, talk more. Number two, don’t stare at people. What the hell is this?”

“Give it back.” El ordered, her fists clenched.

The blonde laughed. “Oh no, this is getting good…Amy, look at this…” She leaned over, letting one of her friends look over it. “Number four, act normal. Ooh, I don’t think you can cross that one off yet, El…”

“Give it back!” El nearly shouted, lunging for the list. The blonde stumbled back, startled.

“Jesus!” She scowled. “Don’t you know how to wait your turn, or ask? You should add that to the list.”

Her friends howled in laughter, and El felt herself dangerously getting close to tears. The blonde looked back at her list. “Number five, don’t let anyone know about Hawkins…what’s Hawkins?”

“Go away.” El said, her humiliation suddenly turning to stone cold fear.

“Oh, come on,” The blonde cooed. “You’ve already broken all your other rules-what does it matter if you break one more? What’s in Hawkins? The loony bin you broke out of?”

“Real original, Stephanie,” A new voice said. “You should consider a career in standup.”

The blonde-Stephanie, El supposed-jumped slightly, scowling when she saw Michael Afton lingering at the edges of her circle. She crossed her arms. “Hello, Michael.”

Michael looked around at the group lazily. “What’s all this?”

“None of your business,” Stephanie snapped. “Piss off.”

“Since you asked so nicely,” Michael rolled his eyes. “Don’t you have anything better to do? Some hairspray to breath in or something?”

“You really want to start something?” Stephanie asked. “You really want to do that? Think about what you’re doing, Afton. You’re low enough on the totem pole as it is. You wanna stick your neck out for her?” She gestured vaguely at El.

“I’m not sticking my neck out for anything,” Michael said. “I’m just sick of hearing your screechy voice.”

Stephanie sneered. “Asshole.”

Michael held out his hand. “Give it.”

“Or what?” Stephanie challenged.

Michael didn’t say anything, his hand still outstretched, waiting.

The cafeteria felt silent, but El wasn’t sure if that was just her own anxiety.

After an eternity, Stephanie rolled her eyes, and crumpled the paper before dropping it into Michael’s hand. “Asshole.” She said again, before turning on her heels and walking off. Her posse followed.

Michael looked entirely nonchalant, setting the crumpled list on the table for El. “Don’t worry, Stephanie’s a bitch to everyone. It’s nothing about you.”

“Thank you.” El said, stretching her list back out and folding it back carefully, returning it to the safety of her pocket.

Michael shrugged, turning to walk away, and El grabbed her backpack and lunch tray, nearly dropping it to follow him.

He glanced back at her, confused. “What are you doing?”

“Following you.” El said. She thought it was obvious.

“Wha-” Michael shook his head. “No. Go away. We’re not friends.”

“Is your table full?” El asked, only slightly hurt by his rejection.

“I-” Michael coughed, looking thrown. “No, um, not exactly.”

“Eating alone?” El asked.

Michael’s face turned red. “We’re not friends.”

“That’s okay,” El said. “We can just sit at the same table.”

“Go sit with your brother.” Michael said.

“Will’s in the other lunch.” El said.

Michael paused, and then huffed. “Of course he is…” He stuffed his hands in his pockets. “Look, we’re not friends, okay? I just didn’t wanna hear Stephanie’s stupid voice anymore. It doesn’t mean anything.”

“Okay,” El nodded. “We just don’t have to sit alone.”

Michael clenched his teeth, looking thoughtful. He let out a long sigh, looking irritated, but he didn’t glare at her. “...don’t talk to me.”

El grinned, and Michael made a face. “Seriously, I don’t wanna talk.”

“Okay.” She agreed, unable to swallow her smile.

*** *** ***

Will slowed down when he saw Michael standing next to El, looking suspicious. El waved cheerfully at him, standing on her tiptoes to see him over the sea of students leaving for the day.

Will didn’t take his eyes off of Michael when he was in front of them. “...hello.”

Michael nodded in acknowledgment.

“This is Michael,” El said, overjoyed. “We’re not friends.”

Will didn’t take his eyes off of Michael. “...okay.”

The sidewalk was wide, just big enough for the three of them to walk side-by-side. El stood in the middle, grinning, though Will looked nervously at Michael, and Michael stared at the ground.

“So…” Will said. “You live just down the street from us.”

Michael shrugged.

“You said we lived in the Emily house,” Will said. “Someone told us that you used to know the kid that lived there.”

Michael’s face twisted oddly. “That was a long time ago.”

“Did she move?” El asked.

“I thought I said no talking.” Michael grumbled.

“Not in the cafeteria anymore.” El said slyly.

Michael huffed, kicking a rock on the ground, looking frustrated. “...yeah. I knew the other kid that lived there. Charlotte. Everyone called her Charlie. But like I said, it was a long time ago.”

“Did she move?” El asked again.

“She died.” Michael said stiffly, and Will and El both stopped walking, stunned into silence. Michael didn’t stop, didn’t look back, his head ducked down and nearly breaking into a sprint as he walked up the sidewalk to his house.

“He seems nice.” Will said.

“He is,” El insisted. “He helped me at lunch.”

“Hm. Whatever you say,” Will said, starting to walk again, though he looked unsure. “Do you…do you think he was telling the truth about Charlie?”

El shrugged, suddenly somber. It was entirely possible that he was just messing with her, but it felt like a strange thing for Michael to just make up out of the blue. Especially after he had been mostly kind to her, even if they ate lunch in complete silence.

“Don’t mention it to my mom,” Will said. “We don’t even know if it’s true, and it’ll just stress her out.”

“I won’t.” El assured him, though she thought she saw someone peeking out at her from behind the curtains at Michael’s house.

But when she looked again, no one was there.

*** *** ***

Michael dropped the curtains, stepping away from the window, still not entirely sure of his own reasoning.

El Byers was weird, sure, and her brother seemed more or less cut from the same cloth. She didn’t deserve to get harassed by Stephanie and her posse, but he wasn’t sure why he stepped up. It wasn’t like he gained anything out of it, other than sideways looks from the other kids for helping out the weird girl.

Though he wouldn’t deny that it was nice to not eat his lunch in solitude again.

“Who’s that?”

Michael jumped, whirling around to see his father at the kitchen table.

Mechanical parts were spread haphazardly around him, clearly in the middle of some kind of project. He didn’t react at all to scaring Michael, no apology, no laughter, just the same critical stare that seemed to pierce right through him, seeing all his flaws and secrets and condemning him for each and every one.

Michael swallowed hard, oddly shaky, though he hadn’t done anything wrong. In theory. “You startled me.” He said, stupidly.

“Who was that?” He repeated.

“No one,” Michael shrugged. “Just some kids who moved in on the street.”

“In the Emily house?” His father asked.

Michael’s throat felt dry. “Yes.”

“You were talking to them.” His father said, and for some reason it sent a chill down Michael’s spine.

“Only because they were talking to me,” Michael said. “I’m not friends with them.”

His father turned his attention back to his work. “I didn’t say you were.”

“Good,” Michael said, trying to make himself shut up. “Because I’m not.”

His father didn’t respond.

“...what are you doing back?” Michael asked. “It’s early.”

“There was a malfunction in Chica,” His father said. “We had to shut down.”

Michael nodded, relieved that he wasn’t in trouble, though he still couldn’t think of anything he did wrong. “Oh. Okay.”

His father’s eyes flicked to him. “Is there anything else you wanted?”

Michael shook his head so fast he got dizzy. “No. No sir.”

His father waved his hand vaguely, a signal for Michael to get lost and stop bothering him. Michael scurried away to his room, relieved that the conversation was over, though with a new goal.

His father would know as little about the Byers as possible. He would make sure of that.

Chapter Text

El jerked awake, blinking suddenly and rapidly, breathing hard.

Her room was dark, other than the bright red of her analog clock, which blinked uselessly at midnight. The power must have flickered, resetting it.

She blinked once, twice, and then rolled over, ready to fall back into unconsciousness before she heard something rattle down the hall.

Instantly, her stomach coiled with nerves, and she sat back up again, completely awake and on edge. “Joyce?” She called out hesitantly. “Will? Jonathan?”

She received no answer.

Taking a shaky breath, she stood up, goosebumps rising on her arms. The house was cold, and the air unnaturally still.

“Hello?” She called out, and grabbed a hairbrush off her dresser, a useless weapon, but one that made her feel slightly better nevertheless.

Joyce always left the hall light on, and it flickered when El walked under it, silently walking towards the source of the noise. The kitchen and living room were empty-the light was bright enough that any vague and frightening shadows that might have been there were banished, revealing a silent house.

El let out a breath.

The hall light flickered off with a weak buzz, plunging her into darkness.

When it turned back on, Billy Hargrove stood in front of El, bloody and grinning, his veins filled with black tar and evil.

El screamed, scrambling back. “NO!”

The light flashed, out of control in the presence of the Mind Flayer, and he laughed in Billy’s voice. “Did you think you won? Did you think you banished me?” He asked, stepping forward. “You can’t be rid of me anymore than you can be rid of yourself.”

“GO AWAY!” El shouted, throwing her brush. It missed.

“Don’t you see?” He asked. “We’re connected, you and I. Tied together no matter how many gates you open and close. You let me in. None of this would have happened had it not been for you.”

“No, no no no,” El said, tears welling up in her eyes, her breathing becoming sharp and uneven. “No, I didn’t…an accident, I didn’t-”

“Try as you might,” He said. “I’ll always be a part of you. You can run to the otherside of the world. You can pretend my teeth still don’t make you limp. You can push me away and bury what you’ve done, but it doesn’t matter. I see you, Eleven, I’m right here. I’m right next to you, sitting on your shoulder, and you don’t even know it.”

The lights flickered, and the world suddenly seemed dimmer, and Billy’s voice seemed less his own, though his cadence had not changed. “I will never leave you.”

“Please,” El choked. “Please, please go away, don’t…don’t…”

“You killed Billy,” The Mind Flayer said gleefully. “You killed Barbara. You killed countless people through your actions and inactions.”

“No no no!” El begged, her voice pitched and terrified. She had fallen, and scrambled back in a panic. “Leave me alone!”

“Hopper is dead, because of you,” The Mind Flayer said. “But I will never die. You are nothing.”

“JOYCE!” El screamed, forcing herself to her feet, ignoring how ash was floating through the air and how hard it was to breathe. “JOYCE, HELP!”

She threw open the door to Joyce’s room, but there was no one inside. “WILL?! JONATHAN!” She burst into their rooms amidst the panicking lights, but their rooms were just as empty.

The lights flashed badly, and when her vision adjusted, the house was covered in thick, slimy vines that moved like worms, and red lightning flashed outside. The air smelled like gasoline, and she couldn’t draw in a full breath.

“No,” El gasped, tears streaming down her face. “No, no no no…”

She tasted copper, and her hand instinctively swiped her nose. Blood was pouring out like someone had turned on a faucet, heavier than it had ever been, and she felt blood leaking out her ears as well. She wiped at her nose desperately, but all she accomplished was covering herself in her own blood.

Something pushed her roughly, and she fell to the ground with a yelp, twisting her head around to see Billy standing over her, no longer gleeful, just disgusted. “This is the best you can do? You nearly died to keep me at bay, and what did you accomplish? Nothing but graves and grief for the people you claim to protect.”

He stepped forward, and El sobbed, dragging herself away. “Don’t hurt me!”

“I’m not going to hurt you,” The Mind Flayer said. “That’s too easy. I’m going to take you.”

He grabbed her by the throat, lifting her off the ground with one arm. El gasped, thrashing weakly as her blood covered his hand. “I’m going to take you,” The Mind Flayer said. “And use you to rip them apart. You’ll break them down, slowly, piece by piece, one by one, letting them scream and beg for mercy. And then, when you’ve finished, I’ll let you go, so you can see your good work. So you can see exactly what you were made for.”

The Mind Flayer grinned, and crimson lightning flashed outside the window. “A weapon. A perfect weapon. My perfect weapon to end everything.”

“N-no…” El wheezed. “No, please…”

The Mind Flayer laughed, the noise echoing horribly and reverberating until it felt like it was coming from inside her head. Her vision blurred, and the Mind Flayer raised his fist-

El gasped, jerking awake with such violence she fell out of her bed. She drew in big, gasping gulps of air between choking sobs, tears streaming down her face. She felt dizzy, and pressed the heels of her hands against her forehead, as if she could press out the pounding.

She was shaking horribly, though it wasn’t cold.

She sobbed on the floor of her room, biting her pajama sleeve to muffle herself, her fear turning to a deep, bottomless grief.

She didn’t notice the faint streak of blood on her pillow

*** *** ***

“I don’t know about this.” The assistant told the scarred doctor, sitting in the back of a government van with him, driving through the desert.

The scarred doctor looked at him, his expression completely blank. It had been like that even before he had been attacked-the doctor was known for his mastery over emotion, bending everything around himself to his will even as the world fell down around him.

“We’ve dealt with less savory folks than this,” The scarred doctor said. “We have what they want. They have what we want. A betrayal would benefit neither of us.”

“They’re Russians.” The assistant said emphatically.

“And to them,” The scarred doctor said. “We’re Americans. I’m disinterested in their politics as long as they hold on to their end of the bargain.”

The assistant didn’t respond, looking out the window to stare at the military escort their cargo was receiving. “Still,” He said nervously. “I don’t think it was smart to give them files on the Hawkins lab.”

“We didn’t,” The scarred doctor said. “We gave them the same files we gave the president.”

The assistant blinked. “Then…?”

“The tampered ones,” The scarred doctor said. “The incorrect data to ease the president’s mind. If they attempt to use it, they’ll blow a hole in Moscow.”

“What if they did the same to us?” The assistant asked.

“Then we have the correct data to make them regret it.” The scarred doctor said.

The assistant swallowed, his eyes settling on the truck that held their cargo. He hoped that the Russians hadn’t double crossed them, both because he didn’t want to work with them again, and both because he would do anything to keep the scarred doctor from being angry. Even if it wasn’t at him.

They pulled into their facility, guarded by barbed wire and lit by blinding floodlights, the latter showing them the dirt path. The scarred doctor stepped out, pulling a pack of Marlboros out of his pocket. He offered one to the assistant, who shook his head. The doctor shrugged and lit the cigarette, the dim glow illuminating the flower-shaped gouges on his face in a ghoulish light.

The rest of the convoy pulled in, and Brenner nodded at the armed men, motioning to the cargo truck. It was large, and padded shut tightly, but the airholes let the assistant hear the raspy breathing from deep inside. Something rattled, and the assistant flinched.

The scarred doctor glanced at him, puffing out smoke. “Scared?”

The assistant swallowed and shook his head, sweating.

“Good.” The doctor said, stepping in front of the door to the cargo box. He nodded at one of the men, and the latter stepped forward with a key, unlocking the door and stepping back, gun raised.

The scarred doctor took a long drag of his cigarette, and opened the door.

Nothing came out, but the scarred doctor smiled all the same.

Curiosity overtaking his fear, the assistant peeked around and into the box.

There was no monster inside. Instead, a pale and sickly looking man was huddled in the corner. He was shaven roughly, bald, but even in the shadows the assistant could see the outline of what was once a bushy mustache. His eyes were dark, and his eyebags were darker, and he drew in on himself, shivering slightly despite the warm night.

And yet, in spite of the dozens of guns aimed at him, in spite of his pitiful state, in spite of everything, he still looked at the scarred doctor with such hate that it made the assistant draw in a sharp breath.

The scarred doctor blew out smoke and smiled again. “Chief Jim Hopper. You’re a long way from home, aren’t you?”

“You know,” The man said weakly, but his voice was still filled with sharp willpower. “I think a monster sucking on your face actually improved your looks.”

Dr. Brenner chuckled. “As much as I would love to exchange pleasantries, I don’t have time for that.”

“So,” Brenner asked, the scars of an otherworldly monster’s failed murder attempted more pronounced than ever. “Where is Eleven?”

Chapter Text

Joyce instantly frowned when El came out of her room the next morning. “You okay, hon?”

El nodded, and Joyce frowned. “Did you have another bad dream?”

“...yes.” El admitted hoarsely.

“You know you can wake me up whenever you have one,” Joyce said gently, handing Will his breakfast plate. “I won’t be mad.”

El nodded lifelessly, practically collapsing into her seat. Will looked at her sideways, as if trying to figure out exactly what had upset her without saying a word.

Joyce pressed her hand against El’s forehead. “Hm. No temperature…you’re white as a sheet, sweetheart. Was it a bad one?”

El shrugged, staring at the table.

Joyce hummed. “Do you wanna stay home from school today?”

She didn’t, not really. She was having a rough enough time in school as the new kid, not to mention that she had never been before until now and had to fight just to keep her head above water.

But the thought of going out and being around so many people made her skin crawl.

She nodded.

“Alright…” Joyce turned to Will. “Do you know her classes so you can pick up her work?”

Will nodded, and Joyce smiled, though she looked no less relaxed. “I’ll drop you off, then, since El’s not walking with you-”

“Mom,” Will said, slightly pleading. “Please just let me walk myself.”

“Will…” Joyce sighed. “El’s not with you, and I don’t want you walking alone.”

“He’s not alone,” El said quietly, each word feeling like a Herculean effort. “Michael.”

Joyce looked confused. “Michael?”

“Yes!” Will said, casting El a grateful look. “He lives up the street, he walks with us and sits with El at lunch.”

“A friend.” El said.

“You didn’t tell me you two had made a friend!” Joyce smiled.

“It’s more of a nice acquaintance,” Will said. “But the point is, I won’t be walking alone. Please, mom, I’ll be fine, honestly!”

Joyce looked unsure, glancing at El. “His name is Michael?”

“Afton,” El nodded. “His voice is funny.”

“He’s English.” Will clarified.

Joyce was quiet, chewing on her lower lip, and then sighed. “...alright, fine. But I wanna meet this kid sometime-”

“Thanks mom, love you!” Will practically leapt out of his seat, planting a kiss on Joyce’s cheek before sprinting out-Michael always left earlier than they did, and he would have to hurry if he wanted to keep up the semblance of having a buddy system.

Joyce sighed deeply, turning her attention back to El. “You sure you’ll be okay on your own? I can take off from work-”

“I’m okay,” El said, because she knew Joyce needed all the shifts she could get. “Promise.”

Joyce chewed on her lips, but slowly nodded. “Alright…you have my work number, and Jonathan’s, right? Call me if something goes wrong, call both of us if something goes really wrong-”

“Joyce,” El said softly. “I’m alright.”

Though that couldn’t be further from the truth.

*** *** ***

El wasn’t sitting behind Michael.

He knew it wasn’t anything to be concerned about. It was none of his business, and he didn’t intend to make it so. Hell, he barely spoke at lunch when they sat together, and he spoke even less on the walk home when her brother was present.

But she had never missed school. In fact, she had even once mentioned that she liked learning, like the weirdo she was.

But she never walked through the door.

Michael, inexplicably, felt horribly lonely.

*** *** ***

El took a breath, taking the last few bites of her Eggo waffles before sitting cross-legged in front of the TV, flicking through the channels until she got to one of white noise and static. She looked around, as if worried Joyce might materialize and fret over her. Or Jonathan or Will to look at her as if she were made of glass.

She took a deep, slow breath, and tied the blindfold around her face.

Mike. Mike. Mike. Mike. Mike Wheeler.

She pictured him, shaggy black hair, pale face, and a slouch. She pictured the Void, tried to hear her footsteps on the watery surface, look out across the endless blackness. She tried to imagine the pinprick in her head, like a needle was ever so slightly touching her brain to make her nosebleed.

But nothing happened. Mike’s face remained in her imagination alone.

A lump formed in her throat, and El tore off the bandana, her eyes watering. She sniffed, embarrassed by her tears even in privacy, wiping her face.

Something warm and wet smeared across her hand, and she froze. El stared at her hand in open shock before scrambling to the nearest mirror, her heart hammering.

There was a streak of bright red blood smeared under her nose.

*** *** ***

Will paused when he saw Michael waiting for him outside the school, suspicion rising in him. Michael waved at him, and Will didn’t wave back, walking by him without waiting.

Michael easily caught up, and the two walked in silence, El’s missing space between them speaking volumes.

“El’s not here.” Will said finally.

“Obviously,” Michael said. “Where is she?”

“Home,” Will said. “She feels sick.”

“Oh.” Michael nodded, and uncomfortable silence fell over them again.

“So…” Michael finally said. “What’s…what’s her deal?”

“What?” Will’s head snapped to Michael, and the latter flinched.

“Sorry, that was a bad way to phrase it…I mean,” He coughed. “She’s kind of weird.”

“You’re an asshole.”

“No, I-!” Michael sighed. “Look, I like hanging out with her, okay? She’s nice. She’s smart. It’s not like it’s a bad things, but…you know, she’s not really like the other kids.”

“Not like the other kids how?” Will challenged.

“Quieter,” Michael said. “But like…she can still carry a conversation?”

“You’re an asshole.”

“So you’ve said. Look…” Michael stared at the ground. “I don’t know how to explain it, but sometimes she’ll just…she’ll just stare, and I’ll get goosebumps. Not bad goosebumps. Just…I don’t know how to describe it. But you know exactly what I’m talking about.”

Will did.

“So…what’s the deal?” Michael asked.

Will sighed, trying to figure out how to get Michael off of El’s back without giving too much of her past away. “Look, I…keep this to yourself, okay? She doesn’t like to talk about it. She’s not…she’s not technically my sister.”

“So, she’s adopted?” Michael asked.

Will nodded. “Mhm. Pretty recently. Just this July.”

“July?” Michael blinked. “Where was she before?”

“Well…” Will kicked a stone on the sidewalk. “That’s the private stuff. Seriously, it’s private. If I find out you’re telling other people-”

“You’ll kick my ass?” Michael rolled his eyes. “Alright, grow about six inches and then I might be scared. But okay. I won’t tell anyone.”

“Promise me.”

Michael looked odd all of a sudden. “...yeah, okay. I promise.”

Will hesitated for another moment. “...her family was…not good.” He lied, but it was barely a lie. He just replaced ‘lab’ with ‘family’. “They were pretty awful to her, actually, and about two years ago, a guy in our hometown took her in. He was basically her dad, and they were really close. She was friends with all of my friends, things were going good, but…he died. It was…it was pretty bad too. In the line of duty because he was the chief of police.”

“Shit.” Michael breathed.

Will nodded. “My mom was friends with the chief, so she took El in. We had been planning to move already, so…so El had to come with us. And she didn’t want to, because we were kind of the only friends she ever knew, but…” He shrugged vaguely.

Michael looked shocked. “I…shit. Shit.”

“Don’t tell her I told you any of this,” Will said. “And don’t-”

“Don’t tell anyone else,” Michael echoed. “Who am I going to tell? You two are my only friends.”

Will grinned suddenly, sprinting ahead. “I’m telling El you said that!”

“Wha-hey, no!”

Will was already up the stairs and inside the house, slamming the door behind him with a mischievous grin. El jumped, having been watching TV on the couch. “Will?”

“Hey,” He panted. “Are you alright?”

El shrugged.

“I got your schoolwork,” Will said. “Oh, and Michael said we’re his only friends.”

El’s eyes widened. “He said we’re friends?!”

Will nodded, and El smiled widely. “That’s great!” She said. “Because we don’t have any friends either!”

Will frowned. “Aw, you didn’t have to say it like that.”

“Sorry.”

Chapter Text

She had never wanted the Snowball Dance to end, but it did, as all things had to.

Hopper was waiting outside his police cruiser, puffing smoke around his head, the end of his cigarette lighting up his face.

His smoke didn’t smell like the Bad Men’s. Their smoke was sneaky, and she would jerk her head up, only noticing it was there once the room was full of it, unable to escape and choking her as her nose bled and bled and bled and she couldn’t leave yet, even as her head seemed to turn into painful noise and slog, because the bright red can had not yet been crushed.

Hopper’s smoke was overwhelming, announcing its presence like a gunshot, but not in a way that made her flinch and panic. It was an announcement, like a banner that read ‘HOPPER IS HERE. THINGS ARE OKAY’ for her and only her to see.

Hopper himself was overwhelming, a large man prone to loud noises and fits of emotion, utterly unlike the Bad Men, crisp and antiseptic even when her world was crumbling. But El was quickly finding that ‘overwhelming’ didn’t mean bad.

Nearly everything overwhelmed her-Mike overwhelmed her, Eggos overwhelmed her, TV overwhelmed her. But, as Hop told her, these things were just new. That didn’t mean they were bad. It just meant that she got to decided how she felt about them, if she liked them or not.

‘Overwhelming’ was one of El’s first words of the day with Hopper in the cabin.

Hopper saw her approach his truck and tossed the cigarette on the ground, stepping on it to kill the flame. “So?” He asked, opening the car door. “Did you like it?”

El nodded once, twice, and then found herself unable to stop as a grin spread across her face.

Hopper smiled back. “Careful, your head’s gonna fall off if you go too fast.”

El caught her reflection in the side mirror as she shut the car door. “Pretty.” She said softly.

“Yeah,” Hopper said, turning the keys. “Pretty. So how was it? Were Mike and all his friends there? I saw Jonathan’s car outside, did you see him?”

El opened her mouth, because there was so much to say, and it was building up inside of her like a flood, but when she wanted to speak, nothing came out. She just sat there, stupidly, with her mouth open as if shocked.

Hopper glanced at her. “A lot, huh?”

El closed her mouth and nodded, sinking in her seat slightly. She still tended to clam up when she was overwhelmed, even if it was a good overwhelmed.

“Well,” Hopper said, flicking through the radio. “That’s alright. They play the best music at this time of night, and you just let me know when you wanna talk.”

He settled on some station with a song that El had never heard, something about climbing mountains and seeing reflections in the snow. Hopper was humming along, and El made a mental note to ask what the song was later when she wasn’t feeling so quiet.

Papa (Brenner, she mentally scolded herself) hated it when El got overwhelmed. Hated probably wasn’t the right word-he hated when he disobeyed her, and if she did something he hated, she was put in the Room.

When she was overwhelmed, Brenner simply didn’t care. If El’s silence was longer than what he deemed acceptable, he discarded her. She was sent back to her room, or he would forge ahead with what he wanted. There was no time to wait for Eleven to sort herself out in the lab, there were things to do and people to find and Gates to open.

Hopper waited.

For such an overwhelming man prone to shouting at the most minor inconveniences, Hopper was incredibly good at waiting. He waited three days for El to say a word to him when he took her to his cabin, and waited two months for her to tell him in halting words what had happened to and how she had survived.

“Not like him.” She said suddenly when they pulled up in front of the cabin.

Hopper glanced at her, surprised. “What?”

“Not like him,” El swallowed. “Brenner.”

Hopper blinked. “What are you-” He paused. “Oh…”

“The fight,” El said, grabbing the fabric of her dress, bunching and un-bunching the fabric in her nerves. “I said…I said you are like him.”

“Jeez, kid, I…” Hopper tapped his fingers on the steering wheel. “I know you didn’t mean that.”

“Not like him,” She said earnestly. “Not like any of them.”

“That’s pretty high praise,” Hopper chuckled, and then his mirth died. “I shouldn’t have yelled at you. I didn’t…I shouldn’t have said I didn’t like you. Or that I was going to call the lab.”

“Didn’t mean it.” El assured him.

“I still shouldn’t have said it,” Hopper said, and then sighed. “...you’re a good kid, El, you know that?”

El, inexplicably, thought she might cry.

“That’s-” Hopper sniffed loudly, and wiped his eyes as if something was bothering him. “That’s enough sappiness for tonight. If you’re up for it, whaddya say we have a little Eggo Extravaganza and you can tell me about this Snowball thingie?”

El blinked in surprise. “Late.”

“Yeah, well,” Hopper shrugged. “Figure we’re already breaking a bunch of rules tonight. What’s one more?”

El’s face split into a grin, and she jumped out of the car, rushing after Hopper. “It was…it was…” She paused, searching for her words, and Hopper waited. “It was sparkly.”

“Yeah? Sparkly?” Hopper asked, opening the cabin door for her. “Tell me more.”

*** *** ***

El face was snowy pale, punctuated by blotchiness around her eyes and nose. Her hair was askew, and her shirt had water all over it from when the sink decided to sputter violently.

She stared at her sorry state. “Not pretty.” She mumbled.

Jonathan knocked on the door. “El? You almost done in there? Mom wants us ready in five minutes.”

“I’m almost ready,” El said, forcing each word out. “Need to change. Wet shirt.”

She opened the door to the bathroom, ducking around Jonathan before he could see her post-panic attack state.

The Fitzgeralds had been inviting the odd family to come visit them for weeks now, and mid-way through October, Joyce declared that they had avoided them long enough without it becoming weird, and maybe they could make some meaningful connections out of it.

Will and El had glanced at each other when Joyce said ‘meaningful connections’.

“Maybe it won’t be so bad,” Will had said. “Didn’t Mrs. Fitzgerald say she had a kid our age? Might be nice to make a new friend.”

“Maybe.” El said. At that point, it had been about a week since El had skipped school. Michael hadn’t treated her any different, not technically. But there was something unspoken in the air that she didn’t like.

Now, she dug around in her closet for a new shirt that wasn’t stained by water, taking deep breaths to try and dispel the vague panic in her chest beating like a frightened bird.

“You okay?” She heard Will say behind her.

“Yes,” She said, more snappishly than he deserved. “Get out. Changing.”

It was even better, then, that it was the kind of day where using her words felt like a fight, and complete sentences were like running a marathon.

The door closed behind her, and she grabbed the most acceptable and least wrinkled shirt she could find, tossing it on before examining her face in the mirror.

She still looked like shit, but she didn’t look like she had been crying.

It would have to do.

*** *** ***

William Afton was usually the last to leave the restaurant, working late into the night, only stopping when the lights flickered or a truly terrible headache pulled him away from his work.

Of course, footsteps when there was no one else there always made him leave, especially when he was certain that damn Puppet was in a different position.

As it happened, tonight he glanced up and saw the Puppet was no longer hunched over the prize counter, but was in fact sitting up and seeming to look straight at him. The lights flickered, only slightly, as if laughing at him, and Afton decided that schematics could be worked on at the kitchen table.

He locked the doors to the restaurant behind him with a satisfying click, thinking about how he wished someone would answer the help wanted ad for a night guard. He fumbled for his keys, trying to hold onto all his supplies at once.

“Mr. Afton?”

Afton didn’t jump, but his head did jerk up quickly to see someone leaning against his car. He couldn’t see his face, obscured by shadow, but they were long and thin, and he was fairly certain the man was wearing a suit.

“Who are you?” Afton asked, suspicious.

“No one in particular.” The man said, lighting a cigarette. The light lit up his face for a second, and Afton saw long scars stretching down his face. “Want one?” He shook the box of cigarettes towards Afton.

“What do you want?” Afton asked.

“I’ve been getting some reports about you,” The man said. “You’ve got a colorful history.”

“Are you police?” Afton asked. “They closed the investigation, and unless I’m under arrest I’ll not be responding to you lot anymore-”

“I’m not police, Mr. Afton,” The man said. “Just someone interested in your work.”

“My work?” Afton asked. “Robotics?”

The man chuckled. “The other thing.”

“I haven’t a clue what you’re talking about.” Afton snapped.

The man took a long draw from his cigarette, slowly blowing out smoke. “Let’s just cut to the chase,” He said. “You killed six children, and your animatronics caused the death of two of your own, though the second was assisted by your surviving child, and your wife disappeared under so-called mysterious circumstances, but my men aren’t quite done checking out your rental location yet, so we’ll get back to you on how mysterious it is later on.”

Afton stood dead still. “...you don’t have any proof.”

The man took another puff from his cigarette. “We do, actually, and a lot of it. But you’re not in trouble.”

He motioned to something behind Afton. “I’m guessing they're not supposed to do that.”

Afton glanced back, and saw Freddy, Bonnie, and Chica standing at the entrance of the restaurant, staring at Afton. The Puppet sat trapped at the prize counter still, its head tilted as if laughing.

Afton gritted his teeth. “A technical error.”

“Ah, of course,” The man said. “It’s quite the error. We were wondering if such an error could be replicated.”

Afton turned back to the man. “Replicated?”

The man offered out the cigarettes again. “You sure you don’t want one?”

Afton stood still for a moment, and then, slowly, with trapped spirits watching, he took a cigarette. The man lit it for him, and Afton saw his scars again.

“Now,” The scarred man said. “Let’s start at the beginning.”

Chapter Text

Joyce knocked on the Fitzgerald’s door once, twice, and then stepped back, holding a cake made from a box, though her three children had promised to say that it was homemade if they were asked.

A moment later, Mrs. Fitzgerald opened the door, and smiled brightly when she saw the motley family on her doorstep. “Oh, hello, Joyce! Hello, you three!” She waved kindly, and then stepped aside, welcoming them in. “Jeremy! Come say hello!”

There was shuffling, and a boy about Will and El’s age walked into the foyer. He had thick glasses, and strawberry blonde hair that was cut surprisingly short. His glasses magnified his pale blue eyes, and he looked unsure about the whole dinner business. El shared his reservations.

“I told you about the Byers,” Mrs. Fitzgerald said. “There’s Mrs. Byers, Jonathan-and El and Will just started freshman year like you!”

“Cool.” Jeremy said, looking embarrassed by the introduction.

“Why don’t you take El and Will to see your room and I can get your dad to say hello to our guests?” Mrs. Fitzgerald suggested.

Jeremy shrugged, starting up the stairs, and then paused, waiting to see if El and Will followed. The two glanced at Joyce and Jonathan. Joyce smiled encouragingly, and Jonathan merely shrugged.

That would have to do.

They followed Jeremy upstairs, and El listened as the adults’ conversation grew fainter. “...not at our school.” She told Jeremy, and then cursed herself for not using a full sentence.

Jeremy didn’t seem to notice. “Yeah,” He shrugged. “The way the school are set up is weird, and splits the neighborhood. You two probably go to West Hurricane High, I go to the East.”

He opened the door to his room, letting El and Will step in.

It looked hastily cleaned, like he had tossed everything into half-hearted piles before guests came over. A bubbling tank with colorful fish sat on his dresser, and movie posters seemed to cover every square inch of the wall. Planets hung from his ceiling, and an impressive rock and fossil collection sat on one of his shelves. The other shelf held two cameras-a Polaroid and one that looked similar to Jonathan’s-and a video camera.

Jeremy stood awkwardly in his room. “So, uh,” He gestured vaguely. “Here it is. Sorry that my mom’s being kinda pushy. All my friends ended up going to West Hurricane, so I’ve been kinda lonely and-” He frowned. “Never mind, I’ll stop talking about that now. Um, so where are you guys from?”

El glanced at Will, and he swallowed. “Indiana.” He said.

Jeremy looked surprised. “Indiana? That’s…pretty far.”

“One thousand, five hundred and seventy three miles.” El said, and then wished she didn’t.

Jeremy stared at her. “...yeah. Okay then…” He coughed, shuffling in place. “So, um. What kind of things do you guys like? I like movies and stuff. Obviously.” He gestured around.

“Will likes Dungeons and Dragons.” El said.

“El!” Will elbowed her, and El winced, remembering that he had asked her not to mention that. Apparently, the game carried a reputation.

But Jeremy perked up. “Really? What class do you main?”

El didn’t understand a word of what he was talking about, but Will grinned. “Oh, um. Wizard, usually.”

Jeremy rolled his eyes, but there was no malice. “Oh, so you like getting killed at level one, I gotcha.”

Will crossed his arms. “It just means I can’t use my brute strength to get out of trouble. I gotta problem solve. What about you?”

“Rogue,” Jeremy said proudly. “And I’m pretty good at it. It’s, uh…” He frowned. “It’s been a while since I played, though. Like I said, all my friends went to West Hurricane, so they’re on a totally different schedule and stuff. And, um, our barbarian kinda…well, Cassidy’s not around.”

El took note of Jeremy’s pained expression, but he shook it off. “Maybe we could play sometime,” He suggested. “I could dig my stuff out.”

Will suddenly looked distinctly uncomfortable. “I-I don’t…” He coughed. “Two people isn’t much of a game-”

“I could play,” El said, ignoring Will’s glance at her. “I have…never done it, though.”

“It’s not so hard,” Jeremy assured her. “You just gotta make a character-”

“And two people is kind of small still,” Will interrupted. “Especially if El’s never played before.”

“I can run the campaign,” Jeremy said. “I’ve done lots of new players before.”

“And we can ask Michael.” El added.

Instantly, Jeremy’s building excitement seemed to drain out of him. “Michael?” He asked. “Not…Michael Afton?”

El blinked. “...yes,” She said slowly. “We’re friends.”

Jeremy made a face, suddenly looking even more distant than he had at the beginning. “Uh…I don’t…I don’t think Michael would want to play.”

El blinked. “Why?”

“He’s-” Jeremy peeked out his door and lowered his voice. “He’s an asshole, that’s why.”

El frowned, indigiant. “No, he’s not.”

“Yes, he is,” Jeremy insisted. “Trust me. I know the guy. Unfortunately.”

“What’s wrong with him?” Will asked.

Jeremy peeked out the door again. “...we used to be friends when we were little kids. Have you guys heard of the Emilys?”

“We live in their house.” El said, and Jeremy nodded.

“Right. So, we were the only kids around. Michael, Charlie Emily, and I, I mean. So we played a lot together, though Charlie and Michael were closer because at the time, Charlie wasn’t allowed to leave the street. And then…uh…” Jeremy trailed off, looking unsure.

“Charlie died.” El said.

Jeremy looked surprised, but nodded. “Y-yeah. And Michael just kind of…changed, I guess. Morphed into the worst version of himself. Made new friends that made himself even worse, started bullying anyone smaller than himself, and was an asshole to his brother especially-”

“Brother?” Will interrupted. “Michael has a brother?”

Jeremy blinked, looking shocked. “You didn’t…no one told you?”

“Told us what?” El asked.

Jeremy still looked amazed. “Everyone knows about Evan Afton.”

“We don’t,” Will said. “We didn’t know Michael has a brother.”

Jeremy frowned. “...he had two younger siblings. Elizabeth and Evan.”

“‘Had’.” El repeated, a sinking feeling in her stomach.

Jeremy didn’t say anything, and Will’s eyes widened. “Oh my God.”

El swallowed hard. “...Michael knows a lot of dead people.” She said quietly.

“Yeah,” Jeremy agreed. “He really does.”

He shuffled again. “I’m not…gonna tell you not to be friends with Michael, of course. That’s stupid. I haven’t even spoken to him in, like, two years. Maybe he’s not a jerk anymore. I don’t know. But I…I don’t really wanna be around him. I don’t want him to remember me. So maybe just…do me a solid and don’t mention me to him?”

El and Will glanced at each other, and then slowly nodded.

Jeremy smiled tremulously. “Thanks. Um, sorry, didn’t mean to kill the mood…” He coughed. “I have an Atari, if you guys wanted to play?”

Will smiled brightly, his language closer to Jeremy’s than El’s. “Sounds awesome.”

*** *** ***

Michael jerked awake suddenly when the front door slammed open. He squinted at the clock, sighing when it told him it was nearly three in the morning. He rolled over, expecting to hear shuffling from his father before he drifted off.

But that wasn’t the case.

The shuffling turned into banging and scraping, as if someone was dragging something heavy and repeatedly dropping it. He heard his father swearing loudly, and sighed before hauling himself out of bed, figuring it was worth it to check it out.

“Dad?” He asked, rubbing his eyes and opening the door. “Is everything-”

He paused, seeing large, black cases strewn across the living room. His father scowled at him, setting a case on the ground roughly before standing back up. He looked strange. “Go back to bed, Michael.”

“What’s going on?” Michael asked, unable to stop himself. “What’s all this stuff?”

“A new project,” His father snapped. “Not that it’s any of your business. And you’re not to go into Evan’s room.”

Michael flinched as though he had been struck. “I-I wasn’t going in there anyway.”

“Good,” His father said. “Then you’ll have no problem following instructions.”

“What are…” Michael swallowed. “What are you using the room for?”

His father looked at him sideways, his scowl suddenly made of iron. “Are you questioning me?” He asked quietly.

Michael shrank back. “N-no sir.”

“Good,” His father nodded. “Now go back to bed. I don’t want to see you out here again.”

Michael immediately shut the door, and wished he had a lock before diving underneath his covers like a much younger child and covering his head with a pillow.

But the sounds continued, drilling themselves into his brain, all night long.

Chapter Text

Dear Mike,

I am doing very well in Hurricane County. I like school, and usually it isn’t too hard. Will says school is supposed to be stressful, and it is, so I must be doing it right.

I made a friend. His name is also Michael, but no one calls him Mike, which is good, because when you come down for Thanksgiving we won’t get you two mixed up. He’s quiet and scowly but he’s nice.

Will also made a friend named Jeremy, because they both like things like Dungeons and Dragons, video games, and riding bikes. He’s nice, but he’s mostly just Will’s friend and Jeremy doesn’t like Michael very much, so we don’t all hang out.

I don’t really hang out with Michael much, actually, just during lunch and walking home from school

But that’s okay, because if Michael is mostly my friend and Jeremy is mostly Will’s friend, then we each have one friend plus each other, and half a friend with Michael and Jeremy. That’s two and a half friends.

I miss everyone. I miss Hawkins. I sent everyone else a letter already, but tell them I said hello anyway. Tell Nancy, Robin, and Steve hello too. Tell Nancy that Jonathan still misses her a lot.

I miss you most of all. I keep trying to see you, but it never works. Do you feel me there? Please tell me if you do.

I can talk to you this Saturday, like you said in your last letter. Ten o’clock in the evening is great. Will, Jonathan, and Joyce all miss you and want to talk to you too.

I am counting the days until I can see you again.

Love,
El

*** *** ***

“Are you mad at me or something?” Michael asked El over lunch a few days later.

El glanced up at him, surprised.

They still very rarely spoke during lunch, and El was always the one to start the conversation.

“No.” El said simply.

“Really?” Michael asked. “‘Cause your silence is…more silence-y than usual.”

“You said you don’t like talking.” El pointed out, frustrated.

“Yeah, but…” Michael sighed. “Fine. We can talk. What do you want to talk about?”

“You,” El said, and Michael frowned. “I don’t know anything about you.”

“Well, I don’t know much about you either,” Michael said. “Let’s keep it that way.”

“Will said we are your only friends.” El said.

Michael made a face. “Goddammit, I told him not to say that-”

“If we are friends,” El said. “We tell each other things. Friends don’t keep secrets. Friends don’t lie.”

“Friends lie all the time.” Michael said.

El frowned. “They shouldn’t.”

“See?” Michael said. “This is what I’m talking about, you keep-”

A much taller boy walking behind Michael dumped a soda over his head, cackling when Michael gasped and jumped up in surprise. El stood up, shocked by the sudden aggression. The soda pourer shook his head, grinning. “It’s too easy, man.”

“Knock it off, Tommy.” Michael grumbled, grabbing the napkin that El offered. “Thanks.”

“Yeah?” Tommy asked, stepping towards Michael. “What if I don’t?”

Michael scowled, balling his fists, and then scoffed, sitting back down. El followed suit. “You’re not worth my time.”

Tommy snickered. “Yeah, that’s what I thought. Enjoy the free soda.” He turned to walk away.

“Mouthbreather.” El muttered.

She must have muttered it louder than she thought, because Tommy’s head jerked back to her. “What did you say?”

“Get your ears checked,” Michael said quickly. “She didn’t say anything-”

“No, no,” Tommy towered over El, glaring at her. “Did you just call me a mouthbreather?”

El stared back at him, unafraid. Tommy’s glare deepened at her lack of reaction, and leaned down in her face. “What the fuck is this, first grade? ‘Mouthbreather’? What’s wrong with you?”

“Fuck off.” El said crisply, and Tommy blinked in surprise before his scowl deepened even further.

“Leave her alone, Tommy,” Michael said. “She has nothing to do-”

“Oh, that’s right,” Tommy said, turning his attention back to Michael. “I forgot. You run with her now, don’t you? The freak?”

El’s face didn’t twitch, but her heart still sank at his words.

“Go away, Tommy,” Michael said. “You had your fun. Don’t you have a second grade math test to flunk or something?”

Tommy’s face grew dark, serious. “You can pretend you’re a nice guy all you want to the new in town freak,” He said lowly. “But I know better. We all know better.”

Michael’s face twitched, but he grabbed his lunch tray and stood up. “Let’s go,” He said to El. “Lunch is almost over anyway.”

El stood up, following him, glad to be away from Tommy. She opened her mouth to say something to Michael, but Tommy spoke first, his voice echoing across the cafeteria.

“We all know what happened to Evan was your idea!”

Michael’s face instantly changed to some unidentifiable emotion, and he threw his lunch tray aside and sprinted back to Tommy. Before El even knew what was happening, he had tackled Tommy, punching wildly.

The cafeteria erupted.

“STOP!” El shouted, but her voice was swallowed by the countless voices of her peers, thirsty for drama. She shoved her way to the center of the ring, her heart pounding in her ears.

Michael had the element of surprise, but Tommy had a big height advantage. Tommy shoved Michael off, punching him in the gut. Michael keeled over with a rough oomph, but Tommy just attacked him again.

“STOP!” El shouted, desperately. “STOP IT!”

Her heartbeat was louder than the shouts of the kids around her, louder than Michael’s swallowed yelps of pain, louder than Tommy’s fists colliding with Michael’s face over and over and over-

“STOP!” El screamed, and jerked her head up.

Tommy flew backwards, as if smacked disapprovingly by the hand of God Himself. He crashed into a table as kids moved to let him fly through, and he blinked, dazed. “Wha…?” He looked at Michael, their shared confusion momentarily overtaking their fury.

Michael looked back at El, his face a mess of blood and bruising, and before El could stop it, their eyes locked and Michael’s eyes widened.

“Alright, alright, what’s going on here?!” Luck seemed to spit on them as the principal pushed aside the children who had formed a ring, looking around furiously. “You two-” He gestured to Michael and Tommy. “-with me. Everyone else, back to class right now!”

The kids mumbled amongst themselves, already reliving the drama, shoving to get around El, who found she couldn’t make her feet move.

Slowly, terrified of what she already knew was true, she pressed her hand against her nose.

When she pulled it away, blood stained her hand.

*** *** ***

Michael pressed an ice pack against his eye, not really paying attention to what the principal was telling him, only focused on El’s expression.

He hadn’t hit Tommy more than a few times-it was embarrassing, and he had even been aware of that during the fight itself, but he hadn’t hit Tommy when he had flown back. Even if he had, there was no way he had that kind of strength.

But El’s face, the absolute shock and fear in her eyes when she looked at Michael was hard to ignore. Her nose had been bloody, but she hadn’t been hit. A bloody nose like her’s had to come from a serious hit, and there was no bruising or swelling around it.

Somehow, someway, she knew what had happened.

“-call your father-” The principal said, and Michael was abruptly brought back to earth.

“No!” He blurted out, and the principal looked surprised. “No, wait, don’t call my dad!”

The principal scowled. “You’re really not in the position to be making demands here, Michael. We take fighting very seriously here.”

“It was barely a fight,” Michael said. “More like Tommy just kicked my as-butt.” He corrected quickly.

“Witnesses say you started it.” The principal said, and Michael’s face burned.

The principal sighed. “...I know the last few years have been rough for you, Michael, but I can’t allow this kind of thing to slide. You’re lucky we aren’t suspending you.”

“I’ll take any punishment,” Michael said. “Please, sir, I’ve never gotten into a fight before. My dad will be furious if you have to call, just let me tell him myself.”

The principal was quiet, and Michael could feel his heart pounding. Finally, the man sighed. “...detention after school every day for two weeks,” The principal said. “You’ll have to tell your father where you’ve been.”

Michael nodded, relief flooding his systems. His father had been coming home later and later; he’d never notice. “Thank you, sir.”

“The nurse said that you just need to keep ice on that eye,” The principal said. “Back to class. And if something else comes up…”

“Yeah, okay, no more trouble,” Michael said earnestly, grabbing his backpack. “Thanks.”

Whispers followed him when he stumbled back into class and sat back down, but he ignored them.

All he could think about was El’s expression.

*** *** ***

Joyce jumped when the front door suddenly opened and slammed shut, and she realized with sudden fear that she couldn’t remember locking it.

“Hello?” She called out, inching forward, keys bunched between her knuckles in case it was an intruder.

She rounded the corner and froze when she saw El standing there, staring at her with wide eyes. “El?” She asked. “Wha-it’s the middle of the day! What are you doing back home…”

She trailed off, seeing a smear of dried blood under her nose. “Oh, hon…”

El’s eyes filled with tears, and she was shaking. “I didn’t mean to.” She whispered, her voice breaking.

“Oh, hon.” Joyce said again, and rushed forward, sweeping El into a tight hug.

El hugged back, breaking into sobs. “I didn’t mean to, I didn’t mean to, I’m sorry…” She cried, burying her face in Joyce’s shoulder.

“I know, sweetheart, I know…” Joyce stroked her hair gently, her heart breaker for her. “It’s alright, I’m here.”

“I miss Hop.” El said, the sob spilling out of her like a confession.

Joyce swallowed, grief pulling at her chest. “I know, sweetheart,” She whispered. “Me too.”

Chapter Text

Michael knocked desperately on the Byers’ door, feeling silly for doing so, but he knew he wouldn’t be able to rest until he got some answers.

“El? Hello? Are you there?” He called out, his knuckles getting sore. “El-”

The door swung open, and a woman with a lined face looked at him, her eyes widening when she saw his beaten up face. Michael blinked, having forgotten that he still looked like hell, and then swallowed hard. “Oh, sorry, are you Mrs. Byers?”

“Yes.” The woman said, looking unsure.

“Good, is El there?” Michael asked, and then winced. “Sorry, my name’s Michael, I didn’t mean-”

“Michael Afton?” Mrs. Byers asked.

Michael nodded. “Yes! I’m friends with El and Will, look, I just need to talk to El-”

“Ah…” Mrs. Byers peeked back into the house, looking anxious. “I’m sorry, hon, she’s not feeling well right now, it’s not a great time-”

“I’ll be quick, I promise,” Michael said, feeling oddly desperate. “Please, I just have to know-”

“Michael?” El’s voice echoed from inside the house.

“El!” Michael practically shouted. “Hey, El, I need to talk to you-”

“Michael, now really is not the time,” Mrs. Byers said, slightly stern. “You really should go home and put some ice on that eye-”

She started closing the door, and Michael resisted the urge to push back. “Wait, one moment-!”

“It’s okay.” He heard El say, and the door stopped closing.

“El, are you sure?” Mrs. Byers asked.

The door opened all the way, and Mrs. Byers looked at him anxiously, chewing on her lower lip. El stood at the end of the hall, her nose no longer bloody, but dead pale and just as anxious as her adoptive mother.

“Your face doesn’t look too bad.” She said kindly.

“Thanks,” Michael said. “So…what was that?”

“El…” Mrs. Byers said, and El shook her head.

“It’s okay,” El said quietly. “He won’t tell anyone. He’s nice.”

Michael blinked. “...won’t tell anyone what?”

Mrs. Byers was still for a moment, and then sighed, looking defeated. She gestured for Michael to come in. “Alright, hon, why don’t you take a seat? I’ll grab something for that eye.”

*** *** ***

Will had been having a good day.

He did well on his math test, didn’t get tripped during lunch, and his mom even let him go to Jeremy’s house after school on his own. He didn’t bother waiting for El and Michael-El already knew he was leaving, and he didn’t care much for Michael, especially after what Jeremy told him.

Jeremy was great, and more than once Will had wished that they went to school together. He liked all the same things as Will and then some, and they had spent the afternoon testing Jeremy’s new video camera and making plans to make their own movie.

“Do you think El will be willing to help set off some special effects?” Jeremy asked, following Will out to the garage.

“Probably,” Will said, grabbing his bike and kicking Jeremy’s folded kiddie pool away. “I’ll just bug her about it until she does. I know Jonathan will help too! He likes that sort of thing and he can drive us places.”

“Oh, hey,” Jeremy perked up. “My mom said you could spend the night at my place this weekend if you wanted. She even said she’d rent us a movie.”

“Really?” Will grinned.

“Yeah!” Jeremy nodded. “She said it can’t be something too adult, but if I ask my dad he might get us an R-rated movie.”

Will’s eyes widened. “Awesome.”

“Ask your mom!” Jeremy said.

“I will!” Will said, pushing his bike out and starting to pedal home. “Bye Jeremy!”

Jeremy waved, and Will pedaled faster, the streets becoming blurry as he gathered more and more speed. He grinned, standing on the pedals as the bike dipped down a hill, feeling like himself for the first time since the move.

The sun was starting to sink into the horizon, and Will heard his tires squeal when he braked in front of his house, stuffing his bike in the bushes. Both cars were in the driveway, and Will made a mental note to ask about a sleepover and ask Jonathan about driving him and Jeremy to set locations.

“Hey Mom,” He said, stepping inside. “I’m back-”

He froze, seeing everyone gathered on or around the couch, looking serious. It wasn’t quite so odd, except for the fact that Michael Afton was there too, his face battered, holding a bag of frozen vegetables on his right eye.

El and his mother looked equally anxious, and Jonathan was leaning against the wall, looking stoic. Michael looked slack-jawed and shocked.

Will’s heart skipped a beat.

“Did you tell him?” He almost whispered.

Joyce winced, and Will’s stomach twisted in betrayal. “Will…”

Will ignored her, instantly storming away, clenching his jaw tightly. “Will!” Joyce called out again, but he didn’t answer, slamming his door shut and throwing his backpack.

He heard Michael say something quietly about being sorry for staying so long, and needing to get home. Will resisted the urge to shout at Michael, instead kicking a pillow he had tossed on the ground the night before as hard as he could before practically collapsing at his desk.

There was a soft knock at his door, and Will groaned. “Not now, Mom!” He snapped. “I’m doing homework!”

“It’s Jonathan.”

Will paused, thinking, and then sighed. “Fine.”

Jonathan opened the door, stepping inside before closing it behind him with a soft click. Will refused to look at him, digging through his backpack. “What?” He grumbled. “I have work to do. And I’m not gonna apologize.”

“I’m not gonna ask you to,” Jonathan said, and sat on Will’s bed. “El’s powers came back.”

Will’s head jerked up and towards Jonathan, his mouth slack-jawed. “What?! What happened?!”

“I don’t know all the details,” Jonathan said. “But apparently Michael got in a fight with another kid, and El threw the other one off. No one seemed to realize what she did, though. Other than Michael.”

“Michael figured it out?” Will said, slightly relieved that El hadn’t told him just because she wanted to.

Jonathan nodded. “At least, he knew something was up. He came over here, so El decided to tell him.”

“Right,” Will grumbled, turning back again. “Of course she did.”

“She didn’t say anything about you,” Jonathan said. “As far as Michael knows, she was the only one involved in any of it. He doesn’t even know the fake lost in the woods story.”

“Oh,” Will said, and then shrugged. “Whatever. She can tell him. I don’t care. And he can tell everyone. It’s not like I have a shining reputation I need to protect.”

Jonathan was quiet for a moment, and Will huffed. “I don’t care. I’m friends with Jeremy, and Jeremy’s not a jerk.”

“Is Michael a jerk?” Jonathan asked.

“I mean-” Will shrugged, finally turning back to face him. “He was kind of an ass when we first met him. And Jeremy said he used to be really mean.”

“Wasn’t Max mean?” Jonathan asked.

“That’s different.” Will said.

“Why?”

“It just is, okay?!” Will snapped. “That’s not fair of her, she should have talked with everyone else before telling him everything-”

“Like I said, she only said stuff about herself.” Jonathan said.

“Still!” Will threw his hands up. “It’s stupid, and she shouldn’t have done it!”

Jonathan was quiet for another moment, thoughtful. “You know,” He said slowly. “El’s not stupid.”

“Of course she’s not.” Will rolled his eyes.

“She knows how important keeping secrets is,” Jonathan said. “I think she’s probably the best at it. She wouldn’t tell just anyone. She’s a good judge of character, and she believes that Michael’s trustworthy enough to keep her secret.”

“She’s only doing it because Michael’s her only friend.” Will muttered.

“But she must think he’s a good friend to tell him, right?” Jonathan said.

“I still don’t like him.” Will huffed.

“You know,” Jonathan said. “I didn’t like Dustin very much when he first became friends with you.”

Will blinked, shocked. “What? Why?”

“I thought he was rude, annoying, and was going to end up being an asshole to you.” Jonathan said.

“But he wasn’t!” Will protested.

“Right,” Jonathan said. “I know that now. But back then, I didn’t really know. I just had to trust that you were a good judge of character. You don’t have to be friends with Michael. It doesn’t seem like you ever see him anyway. You just need to trust El.”

Will was quiet, tapping his foot nervously. “I do trust El,” He said slowly. “I just, ugh, I don’t know. I worry.”

“I think that just means you’re a good brother.” Jonathan said, smiling lopsidedly.

Will looked quickly at the ground, fighting a smile. “Um,” He shuffled. “Jeremy wanted to see if I could spend the night at his place this weekend. Mom’s gonna be on edge now…do you think you could help me convince her?”

“I think I could be of some help.” Jonathan said.

*** *** ***

Hopper winced slightly when the lights came on in his tiny cell, and then immediately settled his face back into an expression of cool indifference when he heard footsteps on the floor.

He didn’t open his eyes, sitting with his back to the wall, hearing papers shuffling around before someone took a seat at the table that had one chair in the center of the room. Both pieces of furniture were bolted to the ground. Hopper knew this because he had tried to flip the table more than once and failed spectacularly.

“Another day, another interrogation.” Hopper mumbled.

“You already know my question.” Brenner’s voice said, infinitely calm.

“And you already know my answer,” Hopper said. “I have no idea where El is.”

Even though he knew this answer would turn out badly for him, he felt a little thrill at his answer, because it was honest. He didn’t know. Joyce had never told him where she was planning to move, and he hadn’t told them she had moved. So even if his mind cracked, even if everything was lost, he knew he would never be able to betray El.

He forced himself not to tense, waiting for whatever blow would come for his noncompliance. But none came.

He cracked his eye open, and saw with some surprise that Brenner was not tailed by his usual goons. Instead, there was a man standing in the corner, with light brown hair, pale skin, and darting, cunning eyes.

“And who’s this guy?” Hopper asked, glaring at the man. The man merely looked at Hopper as though he was already a disappointment.

“Just someone who was curious about what was in this room,” Brenner glanced back at the other man. “Are you satisfied, Mr. Afton?”

“Why is he being kept here?” Afton asked. He was English, which Hopper thought was odd.

Brenner opened his mouth, but Hopper spoke first. “They’re trying to kidnap and experiment on my daughter.” He said venomously.

Afton didn’t look horrified, and Hopper supposed they probably wouldn’t have let him in if he hadn’t been just as sick and depraved as the rest of them. Brenner smiled thinly. “Eleven is not your daughter.”

“She sure as hell isn’t your’s either.” Hopper growled.

Brenner shrugged. “It wouldn’t be the first time you gave her up, you know.” Brenner said crisply.

Hopper gritted his teeth. “I didn’t…there was no other way.”

“Of course not.” Brenner said, almost gently, and Hopper wanted nothing more than to put his fist through Brenner’s face.

Instead, he leaned his head back against the wall, closing his eyes again, and hoped that he would never see El again.

Even if it broke him apart to wish it.

Chapter Text

“Stop staring at me.” El grumbled, picking lifelessly at her lunch tray.

“Sorry,” Michael said quickly, but his effort to stop his racing mind and wide eyes was useless. “Sorry, I just…yesterday was a lot of information. I still don’t know if you’re playing a joke on me or something.”

El looked offended. “It would be a mean joke.” She said.

“I mean,” Michael tried to keep his face neutral. “There’s meaner jokes.”

El must have still caught his odd expression, because she frowned, but Michael barrelled forward. “So you…” He lowered his voice, though he knew no one in the lunchroom could care less. “You can move things, right? That’s it?”

El shook her head. “Find things, too.” She said.

Michael blinked. “Find things? What kinds of things?”

“Anything, I think,” El said. “I need to see a picture of it, though. Then I need to close my eyes and focus to go to the Void.”

“The Void?” Michael asked.

“Empty place,” El gestured vaguely. “It’s where I can find things.”

An idea popped into Michael’s mind before he could stop it. “Can you find people?”

“Of course.” El said, as if Michael had questioned something akin to her ability to tell time as opposed to ESP.

“Have you heard about the missing kids?” Michael asked fervently.

Instantly, El’s eyes narrowed. “Yes.” She said slowly, and Michael winced.

“Shit, I’m sorry, I’m not trying to pry or anything, I’m just…well, I’m curious, but I think you knew that,” Michael squirmed. “I don’t want to use you or anything. It’s just that the missing kids have been gone for a while. And no one seems to have any idea what happened to them. And no one cares. They looked for the first person, but by the time Cassidy disappeared, only her family and friends cared.”

“And you want to find them.” El said.

“Not like…” Michael frowned. “Not for glory or anything. It just…it sucks. It’s not fair. Their families deserve to know.”

El looked thoughtful, her eyes far away and remembering something that Michael couldn’t even imagine. “It’s different now,” El said softly. “My powers don’t work like they did before. They’re weaker.”

Michael’s heart sank. “So you can’t find them?”

“I can,” El said. “But we’ll need help.”

*** *** ***

“No.” Will said.

Michael blinked. “I haven’t…I haven’t even said anything.”

“Whatever it is, no,” Will shook his head, and glared at El. “Why is he in our house?”

“He’s our friend-”

“Your friend.”

“-and we have an idea. But we need your help.” El said.

“Is this the type of idea that’ll stress my mom out?” Will asked.

“Everything stresses Joyce out,” El said. “Just listen.” She elbowed Michael.

Michael coughed. “So, I don’t know if you know about the missing kids around town-”

“Nope!” Will shook his head. “No no! No more creepy stuff!”

“We need your help to make a Bath,” El said. “My powers are too weak otherwise.”

“My dad owns a restaurant not far from our street,” Michael said. “We can go there after it closes, I know where he hides the spare key. They have salt and warm water, and I can tape up some goggles I stole from the science lab for El.”

Will raised his eyebrows. “Your dad’s restaurant has enough salt to make El float?”

Michael shrugged. “They fucked up an order a while ago and added zeroes where they shouldn’t have been. That’s not important. We need to borrow your walkie talkie for the white noise.”

“You’re insane,” Will said. “What about a kiddie pool? We don’t have one.”

El and Michael instantly winced at the same time, and Will sighed, rolling his eyes as if he expected nothing less. “Oh my God.”

“I don’t think I can fit in the sink.” El said, defeated.

“Good!” Will said. “This is insane! We can’t just…break into a restaurant to try and find a bunch of kids!”

“That’s not nearly the craziest thing that’s ever happened to us.” El scolded.

“Plus,” Michael said. “It’s my dad’s restaurant, so it’s not really breaking and entering.”

“It’s totally still breaking and entering!” Will said. “What if your dad sees?”

“He never stays after hours on Saturdays,” Michael assured him. “He has this whole schedule.”

“Do you know anyone with a kiddie pool?” El asked.

“...no.” Will said, not confidently enough.

“So you do,” Michael looked excited. “Who is it? Tell them we need to borrow it.”

“It’s Jeremy.” Will snapped, looking directly at Michael. It had the intended effect-Michael instantly winced and looked away. “So unless you wanna ask him-”

“Cassidy was his friend,” El said quickly. “She’s one of the kids who went missing.”

Will paused, temporarily shocked into silence. “...so what?”

“So I bet he would do anything to try and find her.” El said pointedly.

Will’s jaw clenched, and a part of him wanted to throw something at El, but the rest of him was devoted to thinking about how his friends kept looking for him when he was trapped in the Upside Down, even as they were being shot at by the government.

“If I asked Jeremy,” Will said. “He’ll want to know why.”

“So tell him.” El said.

Michael blinked. “Wait, hang on-”

“I can’t just tell people,” Will said. “He won’t believe me.”

“Then let him come and see.” El said.

“He doesn’t like Michael.” Will said weakly.

“He’s hardly the first.” Michael muttered. El elbowed him.

“You really want to do this?” He asked, and then glanced at Michael. “And he didn’t talk you into it?”

“It was his idea,” El admitted. “But I want to. I want to help.”

Will looked back and forth between the two, feeling himself breaking slowly like a crumbling mountain. “...how far is your dad’s restaurant?”

“Not far,” Michael said eagerly. “El said we could bike there, easy.”

“Easy peasy.” El said, a phrase she had been running into the ground recently.

Will sighed, closing his eyes as if he could wish away the whole debacle. “...I’ll talk to Jeremy. But don’t say I didn’t warn you if he wants nothing to do with Michael.”

“Tell him he can film in the employee’s only section,” Michael said with a grin. “That ought to peak his interest. He’s been dying to see the animatronic repair room since he was a little kid.”

*** *** ***

Jeremy looked at Michael suspiciously, snatching his camera out of his bike basket as he kicked the stand for it down, looking at the restaurant with equal parts trepidation and excitement.

“Are you sure we’re not gonna get in trouble?” Jeremy asked, his suspicion starting to lean towards a glare as Michael parked his rusted and creaky bike, struggling to hold the kiddie pool and put a bike lock on at the same time.

“Positive,” Michael said. “You know, it wouldn’t kill you to trust me a little.”

“Right, because you’re so incredibly trustworthy.” Jeremy rolled his eyes, glancing at Will and El, the latter of the two hopping off the back of the bike where she had been previously holding on tight to Will and standing on the wheel spokes.

“It’ll be fine,” Will said. “You wanted to see the backrooms and the cool thing, right?”

“You didn’t even tell me what the cool thing was,” Jeremy complained. “Or why we need my kiddie pool for it.”

“You have to see it to believe it, trust me.” Will assured him, though he looked anxious.

“I don’t think you need to lock your bike,” El said, watching Michael manage to simply latch the handlebars and wheel together. “No one will steal it.”

“Look, it’s not in good shape, but it’s operational, alright? That’s all we need from it.” Michael huffed, motioning for the group to follow him to the back of the pizzeria, illuminated only by a flickering light under the door.

El had been to only a few restaurants, but she was fairly certain they weren’t meant to inspire a feeling of dread, especially a restaurant supposedly catered to very young children.

Michael jumped slightly when a heavyset man suddenly stepped out from the back, a cigarette dangling from his lips. He paused when he saw the motley group, and his yellow teeth pulled back in a scowl when he saw Michael.

“Your dad’s not here,” He muttered, fumbling with a ring of keys. “Go home.”

“I know,” Michael said. “I’m taking my friends in to see the back.”

Will and Jeremy winced slightly at the loose use of ‘friends’, but the man merely shrugged callously. “Tough. I’m locking up for the night, so piss off. I’m sure you don’t want Afton to know you were here messing around.”

“I’m sure you wouldn’t want him to know how you put out your cigarettes on the backs of the animatronics.” Michael challenged.

The man blinked, and then glared fiercely at Michael. “You little shit-”

“Key,” Michael held out his hand. “And we both get to keep our secrets.”

The man regarded Michael with a furious sort of shock, before he huffed and reluctantly handed the keys over. “If you don’t lock up-” He threatened, but Michael was already opening the door for the others to duck in.

“Yeah, yeah, whatever…” Michael said carelessly. “Enjoy your evening or whatever.”

Michael shut and locked the door behind them, and rolled his eyes, handing the pool off to El. “Danny. Head line cook. Hates working here just like anyone else.”

“So what’s this cool thing you have to show me?” Jeremy asked, fiddling with his camera.

“I’ll show you,” Will promised, following Michael into a kitchen. “But first, we’re gonna need some salt water.”

Chapter Text

Michael flicked on the lights, and El flinched when the halls lit up with harsh fluorescent lights, flickering weakly. The restaurant smelled odd, with the smell of pizza lingering in the air even after the kitchen had long closed, but there was a sharp, almost burning smell that vaguely reminded her of bleach.

“Alright,” Michael said, shoving the pool into Will’s arms before he could protest. “Let’s see how fast we can get this set up-what the hell are you doing, Jeremy?”

Jeremy was holding up his video camera, the red light on and recording. “Evidence,” Jeremy said. “In case you try to murder me.”

Michael rolled his eyes. “And I’d bring two witnesses because…?”

“I dunno, maybe you’re super overconfident.” Jeremy said. He stepped forward, zooming in Michael’s scowling face. “Say cheese.”

“Buzz off,” Michael shoved him away. “And turn that thing off. You shouldn’t have brought it. It’s supposed to be a secret, remember?”

“I’m not showing it to anyone, it’s for me.” Jeremy said, but turned off the camera anyway.

“Let’s start,” Will said, turning on the sink to wait for the water to warm up. “I don’t want to be here any longer than I have to. This place gives me the creeps.”

“The only creepy thing here is my dad, and he’s long gone,” Michael said. “We don’t have anything to worry about.”

*** *** ***

“Dammit-!” Afton whacked the hand controller when the endoskeleton he had been testing suddenly sparked and began jerking wildly. It’s head whirled around, and eyes flashed before it slumped over, unmoving.

Brenner took a long drag of his cigarette, unimpressed. “I thought this was a test run, Mr. Afton. I was under the impression you were nearly finished.”

“I am,” Afton said, resisting the urge to snap. “This is my first time creating a fortified endoskeleton for one of these things. The added weight messes with the controls.”

“I apologize,” Brenner said. “I didn’t realize your robotics skills were limited to children’s toys.”

“My-” Afton sputtered. “My animatronics are not toys. They’re goddamned feats of engineering-”

“And yet,” Brenner said. “You can’t seem to recreate it.”

“It’s this place!” Afton gestured wildly around in, in the test room inside the secret facility in the middle of the Utah wastelands. “It’s not my usual place, it throws me off-”

“Don’t make excuses, Mr. Afton, it’s unbecoming.” Brenner said.

“I’m not making excuses,” Afron snapped. “But all my personal tools and such are at home or in the restaurant. Something that you have banned me from using for this project.”

“Your home and restaurant are not secure,” Brenner said. “We’ve been over this.”

“And you still won’t tell me what this is even for.” Afton said.

“It’s classified.” Brenner said.

“I’m already working for you people,” Afton said, and narrowed his eyes, suddenly sly. “And, of course, I’ve seen your prisoner, and even though this facility is in the middle of nowhere, I can lead journalists here-”

“Are you threatening us, Mr. Afton?” Brenner asked, thoroughly unafraid.

“That’s a word for it, I suppose.” Afton said, crossing his arms.

Brenner took another puff from his cigarette, looking thoughtful. His silence unnerved Afton. “A-and you can’t kill me,” Afton said. “People will go looking for me.”

“I suppose they would,” Brenner said. “You have your son, uninterested in him as you are, and the restaurant. You’re something of an infamous figure in the community, aren’t you? But no, Mr. Afton, we wouldn’t make you disappear. We’d simply take things away.”

“Are you threatening Michael?” Afton asked.

At this, Brenner chuckled. “No. Men like us aren’t moved by threats like that. We’re far too clever and self-reliant to place our compliance in other people. I’m not worried because you and I both know that we have more than enough evidence for your murders to put you away for life. The Hurricane police may not have been able to nail you, but we’ve got you underneath the hammer.”

“And,” Brenner added. “I somewhat doubt that the police would get to you before a mob did.”

Afton was quiet, chewing on his lip. Brenner was right, as much as he hated it. He didn’t have a leg to stand on.

“We chose you because we know we have enough dirt on you to keep you from ever speaking up,” Brenner said. “Never forget that. Start over. I expect progress within the week. Got it?”

Afton didn’t say anything, and Brenner nodded, satisfied, turning to leave.

“Who’s Hopper’s so-called daughter?” Afton asked suddenly. “He mentioned something about her.”

Brenner chuckled, and Afton felt the doctor’s ire move from him to the broken police officer just down the hall. “Hopper is a delusional man who’s own daughter died, and is now attempting to use Eleven as some kind of replacement for her?”

“Eleven?” Afton blinked. “What kind of a name is that?”

“It's not a name,” Brenner said. “It’s a number. She’s an incredibly powerful young girl with highly sophisticated telekinetic abilities.”

Afton chuckled, and then saw that Brenner wasn’t laughing too.

The scarred doctor took one last, impossibly long draw of his cigarette before he dropped it to the ground, stepping on it to snub it out. “Pray you never meet her,” Brenner said darkly. “She’s incredibly, unbelievably dangerous. She’s killed before, and won’t hesitate to do it again.”

*** *** ***

“Will, you forgot my bathing suit!” El gasped, tossing her shoes to the side.

The pool was filled up, and they had added enough salt to make her float. Will looked annoyed. “I thought you brought it.”

“She brought the hose,” Michael said, yanking said hose from the faucet in the sink after he turned it off. “You were supposed to bring the suit.”

“Can’t you just get in with your clothes?” Will asked.

“I’ll get cold.” El frowned.

“What’s this all even for?” Jeremy asked, filming again.

“Put that thing away before I break it.” Michael threatened.

“You break it, you buy it, pal,” Jeremy said, shoving the camera in Michael's face again. “And I’ll make you buy me a new model, too.”

“Can we focus? Please? It’s awful here.” Will said.

“Oh, calm down and quit being dramatic. We’re here for a good cause,” Michael rolled his eyes. “Look, El, we gotta leave before Will has a meltdown, can you just get in with your clothes?”

“Leave Will alone,” El scolded, shoving her jacket into Jeremy’s arms. “Fine. Goggles.”

Michael handed her the goggles, and El took a deep breath, stepping into the pool. The water was warm, but she already dreaded how cold it was going to be when she stepped back into the night air. She didn’t have high hopes for drying off with anything other than paper towels.

“Someone has yet to tell me what we’re here for.” Jeremy grumbled.

“Sh.” Will and Michael said at the same time.

Will grabbed a walkie-talkie out of his backpack-it was out of range of the others, but he kept it out of nostalgia-and turned it on. White noise echoed in the kitchen.

El slipped the goggle over her eyes, took a breath, and let herself go back to the Void.

*** *** ***

The blackness was sickeningly nostalgic, and she heard her non-existent footsteps on the false water as she walked the nothingness.

“El?” Will’s voice echoed. “You there?”

“Yes,” El said. “I’m okay.”

“Okay,” Michael sounded unsure, like he still believed El and Will might shout ‘gotcha!’ at any moment. “Let’s start with Cassidy. Look for Cassidy. You saw her picture-”

“Cassidy?!” Jeremy sounded furious. “What the hell is this?!”

“Jeremy, hang on-” Will sounded scared.

“I thought you were my friend!” Jeremy said. “And now you’re making some…some kind of sick joke about this?!”

“It’s not a joke-” Michael said.

“Oh, shut up, Afton, like I’ll believe you!” Jeremy snapped. “I know what your idea of a joke is!”

Michael made a choked noise, but El shushed them. “There’s something.” She said, slowly approaching a slumped figure that didn’t look entirely human.

“Really? Where is she?” Will asked.

“There’s…” El stopped, face to face with something that was definitely not Cassidy. “There’s something wrong.”

“What? What do you mean?!”

“It’s…” El stared at it. “It’s a bear. A gold one. Big and metal.”

“What?” Michael sounded flabbergasted. “What the fuck-wait, is it leaned against a wall or something? Mouth open with no eyes?”

“Yes?” El asked, walking around the collapsed robot bear cautiously.

“That doesn’t-” Michael sounded angry. “That doesn’t make any fucking sense. That’s an old broken animatronic, my dad hasn’t used it in years, he was supposed to throw it out-”

“El,” Will said. “Are you sure?”

“That’s it,” She heard shuffling. “I’m going home, you guys suck-”

“Jeremy, wait-!” Will said, but El gasped, stumbling away from the bear.

“El?!” Will said, instantly focused on her again. “El, what’s wrong?!”

“It…” El swallowed. “It blinked.”

“It doesn’t have eyes.”

El shook her head, already feeling herself shaking, unable to tear her eyes away.

“Yes, it does.”

Two white pupils stared at her, unblinking, and unmoving. Exactly like Billy.

“It can see me.” El whispered, feeling her voice crack from fear to paralyzing she could feel her blood run cold in spite of the warm water.

“That’s not-”

It was so fast she didn’t have time to process it. The bear lunged at her with a scream that grated on her ears like a fork scraping a plate, mouth open and filled not with teeth, but with wires and sharp metal, and it closed around her head-

El screamed, sitting up and ripping off the goggles, splashing water all over Michael and Will. Jeremy rushed back, unable to believe her fear was fake.

“El, El!” Will grabbed her arm. “It’s okay, you’re fine! We’re here, you’re okay…”

“That wasn’t Cassidy!” Michael looked furious. “You said you could find her!”

“Lay off her, man!” Will stood up, and though he was several inches shorter than Michael, he looked ready to fight him. “Something obviously happened-”

“Will-” Jeremy said.

“It saw me!” El said, unable to stop herself from sobbing, as humiliated as she was.

“Nothing fucking saw you!” Michael paced furiously. “What an idiot I am, I really fucking thought you could find her-”

“Say another thing about my sister and I’ll kick your ass!” Will shoved Michael, though he barely stumbled.

“Guys, do you-” Jeremy said faintly.

“You didn’t scare me before, and you don't scare me now, Byers.” Michael said, looking dangerous.

“Stop it!” El snapped, standing up clumsily, dripping wet and a tad pathetic.

“GUYS!” Jeremy said, and looked slightly embarrassed when all the furious eyes turned to him. “There’s…am I crazy, or do you hear that?”

The four went quiet, straining their ears.

For a second, El could only hear the hum of the vents, constant and headache-inducing. But then, after a moment, something else.

“Is that…” Will blinked. “Music?”

There was a loud noise like Joyce’s vacuum powering down, and the lights went out, plunging them into darkness.

El gasped before she could stop herself, and Michael groaned. “Oh, relax, I have a flashlight-”

“Sh,” Will said urgently. “There’s more.”

They went silent again, and this time, there were footsteps.

“I thought you said there was no one here!” Jeremy hissed, and El grabbed Will’s hand, trembling.

“There’s…” Michael’s toughness had oozed out, replaced with something that seemed more like cold, hard fear. “There’s not. I know there’s not.”

There were three crisp knocks on the kitchen door, and a low, inhuman laugh that still sounded like mocking.

“Who is that?” Will whispered, his voice barely audible.

El swallowed.

“Cassidy.”