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I had been staying with Hopper for the past nine weeks or so, where Eleven had been hiding. I appreciated the fact that I wasn't alone anymore, but the same two people and four walls gets kind of old sometimes. El had the same mindset, and constantly fought with Hopper about it. I'd just sit on the couch and stare at the floor, not speaking a word as they screamed at each other. I don't talk much anymore. I don't want them to worry.

My hair was longer now, about to my chin. It was slightly wavy, and dark brown. I'm pretty sure it grows faster than I do. El's hair was shorter and curlier, reminding me of Dustin's. It made me kind of sad if I'm being honest.

I missed all of the boys, but Dustin especially. He gave me food, so I liked him. I visited all of them from time to time, but Will most of all. I had to make sure he was okay after living in that place for a week. He has what Hopper calls "episodes" now. Flashes to the Upside Down. His mind is there, but his body is in the Upper World. And lucky me, every time he has one, I do too, usually within an hour or two of his. 

I've come to the conclusion that it happens because I created the Upside Down, which is why I can't tell anyone. Not even my sister.

I sat on the couch, laying down so my body was scrunched up with my head on the headrest. I looked over at El, who was in our room with the door cracked, asleep after visiting Mike again. I ran a hand through my hair, sighing. I was exhausted, but I didn't want to sleep. Every time I try I have nightmares, and can't sleep for days afterward. Once it got so bad, Hopper had to sneak a sleeping pill in my food.

I ended up sleeping for three days. I wasn't too mad about it, although El was. I made sure to watch him cook very carefully for weeks afterward, just in case it happened again.

I contemplated checking on Will but decided against it. I know he doesn't like to be treated like he's a baby. Besides, Joyce has it handled. She's always on the lookout for episodes, so I had no need to. Right?

Hearing the familiar buzz of his mind close by, I glanced at the clock to see that it was 8:07. Hopper was late and El was going to be pissed.

I walked away quietly, heading for the kitchen. I got a few of the frozen dinners out of the freezer and reheated it like Hopper taught me. I set the table and grabbed my foldable chair from behind his and put it in it's place.

I decided to leave the plate of half eaten Eggo's on the edge of the table. El had left it there for a reason. She was trying to rebel in the smallest ways possible. Lately if he didn't signal, she would leave a plate to get even with him.

Once I had finished, I sat on the couch, trying to fill the silence until Hopper got back. I turned the TV on with my mind, clicking through the channels until I ultimately got bored of it. I got up again to pace, swinging my legs over the couch. I didn't bother to shut the TV off.

Just as my feet hit the ground, the small cabin was covered in an eerie shade of blue. I was back. I sucked in a breath, hoping El would stay asleep and not notice. I heard something rumble outside.

Every instinct I had told me to run. To lock myself in my room with El and not come out until the next morning. But my body just decided "No way. Let's walk towards the terrifying thing that will probably kill us."

I cautiously walked over to the front door. Everything inside me was screaming in protest. It was as if my body was in someone else's control. All the locks on the door unlocked and it swung open. I walked outside- or rather, my body did- and down the stairs. I looked up to see a massive thunderstorm.

Red veins of lightning streaked across the sky, illuminating my face. Tears gathered in the corners of my eyes. A huge, spidery shadow was in the sky. It wasn't facing me, but somehow it knew I was there. I stood there for what felt like hours but was most likely less than five minutes, frozen and terrified.