miss know it all

Chapter Seven

Well. Things just couldn't possibly get more confusing than it already is, right? Nope. Wrong. It could, and it did.

According to your sister and the other kids, Will was stuck in some sort of secondary dimension they dubbed the "Upside-Down." Whether or not that was the actual name for that place, you didn't know, but thats what they called it. The way to get there was, of course, through a gate thats located in Hawkin's Lab, the place you had stolen those files from. Eleven was the one who knew where it was, surprisingly, and had the powers to find Will in that other dimension.

So here you all are now, surrounding the table where Eleven sits. Her eyes were closed, but you could all see the way they still moved underneath their flaps. You grimace at how disgusting that looks, but flinch when the lights begin to flicker. All of you stare at her expectantly, and when she opens her eyes, you find your heart dropping. Her eyes were filled with sadness as she locked eyes with Jonathan and Joyce.

"I'm sorry." She mutters, and Joyce weakly speaks. "W- What? What happened?" Jonathan rubs his mother's hands shortly as Eleven responds with heartbreaking news. "I couldn't find them." Joyce's world breaks apart, and both her and Jonathan stand up from the table out of shock and fear at the revelation that something could have happened to Will. Everyone moves from the table, eyes cast downwards or just plain unknowing of what to do. Before Eleven could leave to head to the bathroom, you stepped up to her and placed a hand on her shoulder.

You watch as she pauses, eyes flicking up to stare at you with eyes filled with her own self disappointment. "You did what you could, you know? Don't beat yourself up. We're still grateful to you and your help." You mutter shortly before awkwardly coughing and moving towards the living room once more. You went unknown to the stare of hers that lingered on your back before she made her way down the Byers' hallway. You find yourself leaning on the wall, listening in to Mike and the other kids explain the deal about Eleven.

"The more energy she uses, the more tired she gets." Dustin starts, and Lucas follows behind. "Like she flipped the van earlier." Mike grins slowly, nodding his head. You could only imagine watching an actual van flip over the top of your head, and surprisingly, you, too, found it cool in a way. "Yeah, it was awesome. But, she's drained." Dustin nods as well. "Like a bad battery." At his analogy, you find yourself remembering something from the files. Since Eleven was the test subject, 011, then that means-

"There's a way." Your suddenness makes everyone perk up and turn to you. You had a few fingers underneath your chin, eyes glancing around the room. You didn't know if she would be comfortable with you telling the information you could remember, but you had to at least try. "There is?" Ashton bumps her side into your own, and snickers as you roll your eyes. "If Eleven is the same...test subject from the files I read, then ultimately, there is another way for her to do the little...thing she did." Joyce's voice is cut off before she could even speak.

"The bath."

Everyone shifts, and their attention turns to Eleven. She awkwardly glances around before finishing. "I can find them...in the bath." Your eyes widen, and you snap. "A sensory deprivation tank." Ashton recognizes the way your eyes light up. You were always a science-technology weirdo, but you were also smart. If there was anyone they could count on to know this type of stuff, it was you. As you dart into the kitchen, Ashton turns to rest of the confused group. "She's got that look in her eye." Lucas sends her a confused look. "What look?" He asks, and she smirks.

"The look...of a science nerd."

"Ms. Byers!"

The said woman and everyone else turned to you when you came running up to the table with what seemed to be...salt? "How much salt do you have? Do you have any more than this?" Hopper quickly steps up, shaking his head. "Woah, woah, okay, slow down, kid. What's all this about? Salt?" You quickly place the salt down before placing your hands down onto the table to explain. "When Eleven spoke about being able to use the bath to find them, she was talking about a sensory deprivation tank," You send her a quick look before glancing away.

"This method was created way back in the 1950's. Why? I cant remember, but to create one, we'll need tons and tons of water, and a ton of salt."

Dustin was the only one to catch onto what you were saying, and perked up. "Do you know the actual portions of everything we'll need? Like numbers?" You shake your wrist back and forth, before answering. "Maybe around... 2000 pounds of salt? Water, i'm not too sure." Their eyes widen at your words, but before they could ask, Dustin turns his attention to Joyce. "Do you still have that kiddie pool we bobbed for apples in?" She stutters as she looks at Jonathan before back at the child in front of her.

"I- I think so, yeah."

"Well, where are we gonna get that much salt from still?"

You wince at her words. None of you did, but one man at that table did know.

You never would have thought you'd be going to school at a late time like this.

As everyone piled out of the cars to help get things ready, you and Ashton stayed to the side. Your heart was beating way too much for your comfort, and you didn't want to get in the way with how sick you were beginning to feel. Everything was just happening way too fast, and you weren't even sure if your calculations were right. What if they weren't, and you made them come all the way out here for absolutely no reason at all??

"Stop worrying, (Y/n)," Ashton grips your hand softly, smiling up at you as if she were a proud mother. You tussle your messy hair, and sigh as she pats the back of the hand she was holding. "You were amazing! I knew your science nerdy smarts would come in handy!" You shoot her a playful glare and she laughs before squealing with you squeeze her hand harshly and let go. "Har har, Ash. So funny," You huff and blow your hair out of your face one last time before sighing. You glance away before turning back to her with a smile.

"You know, mom and dad are totally gonna lose their shits if we don't get home tomorrow."

"Yeah, I know, but who cares about them? We're literally saving Will right now, and maybe even the world!"

"I know, right? Cool isn't it?"

As you shove your hands into your pockets, something donned on you. "Wait a second. You're telling me this whole time, you knew about all of this? With those boys? And you didn't even think to tell me?" You take your hands out of your pockets to frown down at her with your arms crossed, and she pales whilst laughing awkwardly. You were right on the money. "You see, uh..." Before she could answer, the door opened and out peeked Mike.

"Come on, El's almost ready!"

You both glanced at each other before nodding and heading inside behind him. Just like he said, everything was set up and ready for Eleven to enter. Everyone was surrounding the pool, eyes on the girl of the hour as she got herself prepared. Joyce was going to be her moral support, on standby in case anything bad were to happen whilst she was doing this, and you couldn't help but admire the woman. She was being really strong despite how crazy all of this is. You'd be on the brink of insanity if this were you.

It was silent as Eleven, with the help of Hopper and Joyce, entered the pool. The water rippled and clapped as she sat down, before finally, she was laying in the pool with her body completely floating. You bite into your finger, nervous for what was to outcome from all of this. You felt bad using a mere child having to do all this, and you felt even more bad when you thought about all the images of the tests she had done and was recorded.

The lights flicker, your eyes widen, and then they go out. She had finally begun her search for Will.