The Long Game, Lucas Sinclair

a day free of girls! (for the most part)

At that, El seemingly was struck with an idea. Her eyes fell away from both girls, staring at the wall in a contemplative manner.

Max's eyebrows raised warily. She tilted her head, asked El, "What is it?"

"Oh, my god," Sam realized, reading the scheming look on El's face that was never there before. She was hanging out with the Party too much. "The void?"

A mischievous smile slowly grew on El's face. She nodded eagerly.

Quickly, El explained to Max what her idea was. She asked for Max to retrieve a blindfold for her, which Max was eager to do. Sam, on the other hand, wasn't as sure about it all. Against her own will, she barely touched El's radio and it somehow turned onto an empty station. The soft crackling of static filled the room as she sat next to Max on the bed.

El made herself comfortable on the floor in front of the radio.

"Are we sure we wanna do this?" Sam stressed warily. "Like, isn't this breaking the rules of privacy?"

Max nudged Sam with an unphased smile. She teased, "Aren't you the one who said breaking the rules is the best part?"

Sam groaned at the fact Max was using her own words against her. She threw her head back, and when her head tilted back down, she frowned at Max and El. "This just feels wrong, though. We wouldn't want them doing this to us."

"Luckily they can't," added El, and Sam did not know where this sudden sass came from. Her suspects were Mike and Max.

Sam exhaled, knowing she was being overruled again. "What's the point of having morals if no one listens to you?" she grumbled.

"This'll be fun, Hughes!" Max clapped Sam on the back, before looking to see El was tying the black blindfold around her eyes. Excitement rushing in her, she asked, "Is this really gonna work?"

El nodded silently, trying to focus on the static of the radio.

Sam could feel Max's elation heighten. Max held onto Sam's arm in excitement, sending the blonde a questioning look. "Have you seen her do this before?"

Sam nodded back, also quiet, because she knew El needed the quiet. She also still had a bad feeling about this, so Sam was basically grimacing.

Max beamed at the information, hugging Sam's arm tighter. She freaked, "Holy shit, this is insane—!"

"Max," El said seriously.

"Yeah — quiet... sorry."

Finally, Max fell quiet, and El could actually focus. Sam could hear the static of the radio in her ears, could feel it in her chest. It was a feeling she didn't like. It mixed with that usual, sharp cold she felt when things like El or the Upside Down were involved. Above Sam's head, the dim, warm light of El's fan flickered slightly.

Max's eyebrows furrowed, and she looked up to see the light stuttering. Then, her head tilted down, and she noted Sam still seeming nerved. It wasn't that far off of what happened when Sam was having a nightmare.

"Hughes, you okay?" Max whispered. "If the whole eavesdropping thing really freaks you out, we can stop."

At being addressed, Sam immediately snapped out of it and the light stopped flickering. She sniffled and wiped her nose, turning to Max. "No, sorry, I'm fine," Sam shook her head.

Max opened her mouth to interrogate Sam further, because she didn't believe Sam, but El spoke up before Max could.

"I see them," said El stoically, immediately catching Max's attention.