𝐂𝐎𝐒𝐌𝐈𝐂 || Will Byers x Gender Neutral!Reader [✓]

━ 𝐅𝐋𝐄𝐀𝐒 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐀𝐂𝐑𝐎𝐁𝐀𝐓𝐒 - 𝐏𝟑 ━

The boys shrug, following.

"Right, which means that is true north." I finish. Gesturing over my shoulder I was standing across from my brother who had the compasses all facing him.

"So what you're saying is the compasses are broken?" Mike said, causing me to sigh.

I'm just about to gently remind the boys how compasses work, but before I can Dustin cuts me off, clearly offended by Mike's lack of knowledge.

"Do you even understand how a compass works?" My brother asked, grabbing a compass off of the table.

"Do you see a battery pack on this?" He asked, waving it around.

"No."

"No, you don't. Because it doesn't need one. The needle's naturally drawn to the Earth's magnetic North Pole," He said, placing the compass back on the table.

"So what's wrong with them?" Lucas asked, shrugging.

"Well, that's what I couldn't figure out, but then I remembered. You can change the direction of a compass with a magnet. If there's the presence of a more powerful magnetic field, the needle deflects to that power. And then I remembered what Mr. Clarke said. The gate would have so much power–"

"It could disrupt the electromagnetic field." Mike finished, looking to Dustin and then back to me and Lucas.

"Exactly."

"Meaning, if we follow the compasses' north..." Lucas trailed off.

"They should lead us to the gate. Right to Will." I beam at my brother, very proud of him.

⊹ ⊹ ⊹

We found ourselves walking through the woods once more, our compasses leading the way.

Dustin and Lucas were ahead of me by a few feet, while Mike and El were walking side by side a few feet behind me.

I found myself walking, with nobody to keep me company but my own worries.

'I hope Will is okay. I just hope he is safe. I just need him to be alive.'

I haven't allowed myself to think about it much since that night. The times I did, I was able to convince myself that it was just the overwhelming stream of emotions that flooded me when I saw his 'corpse'. But yet, in the smaller corners of my mind -- deep in my chest, I knew.

There was something there.

It took me far too long to realize.

I was ripped from my thoughts when I heard Lucas speak.

"How much further?"

I saw Dustin's shoulders rise and fall as he shrugged.

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

"I'm just saying. How do we know when we get to the gate?"

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

There is a pause and I see Lucas cast a glance over his shoulder as he looks at El for a moment before turning around again.

"Do you think she's acting weird?" He asked, in a small hush.

Dustin spares a glance in El's direction and then looks to Lucas incredulously. "You're asking if the weirdo is acting weird?"

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

"I don't know. Who cares?" Dustin says while Lucas casts another glance in El's direction.

A few moments pass and I hear the timid voice of El.

"Mike."

"Yeah?"

"Turn back."

"What? Why?" He asked sounding shocked.

There was a small pause, but it was big enough to pique my interest.

"I'm tired."

Mike sighed. "Look, I'm sure we're almost there. Just hold on a little longer, okay?"

The rest of our journey was traveled in silence.