matter of time - harrington

volume fifteen

Eliza paced in front of the gate. She thought she'd been in danger all day and the only reason she got through it was with the knowledge that her brother was safe at the Byers' house. She could hear the others frantically trying to open the gate, but she couldn't focus on them right now.

Her head snapped over towards the lab when the lights came back on. Eliza moved out of the way and practically hurled herself into Jonathan's car. They sped down the long drive and slammed on the brakes when they reached the front door. Eliza quickly threw her door open and waved for Joyce and the boys to get in the car. Eliza climbed into the backseat and grabbed her brother bringing him as close to her as possible.

"Oh my god I am so glad you're okay." Eliza sobbed as she crushed Jack to her. Without even thinking about it she reached past her brother and pulled Mike close as well. The three of them held onto each other the entire ride to the Byers' house.

When they arrived at the house, everyone filled each other in on what they'd gone through. Eliza made sure to remain close to her brother, never letting him out of her sight. After a few quiet moments, she ventured over and put her hand on her brother's shoulder. When Jack looked up at her, she inclined her head. Her brother got the signal and followed her to Jonathan's bedroom where they could be alone. The siblings settled on the bed and sat in silence for a few moments before Eliza finally took a breath and turned to Jack.

"I get it. I know why you didn't tell me, but just swear to me that from now on we have no more secrets."

"I swear. I wanted to tell you, Liza, I really did. But the others told me that if you knew you might be in danger with the lab." He replied, desperately trying to mend the rift between them.

"I know Jack. It's okay, it's too late now. I found myself in the middle of it anyway." She replied, grinning a bit and nudging him.

"How did you get involved in all of this?" Jack asked, furrowing his brow as he inspected his sister.

"Steve was headed to the Wheeler's house and I interrupted him, but Dustin interrupted us both. I made them bring me along because I needed to get to you as soon as possible." She replied with a shrug. "I'm glad mom and dad are in Indianapolis. We don't have to explain all of this."

It was never a question whether they would tell their parents about all of this. The less they knew the better. The two of them sat together for a moment before heading back into the kitchen right as Hopper slammed the phone back down. Eliza frowned, there was no way that was a good sign of things to come. Hopper insisted on calling the proper authorities in order to clean all of this up, but with the way things had been going, Eliza was almost positive that would never happen. They were going to have to deal with this on their own.

Without really thinking about it, Eliza gravitated towards Steve. They stood together on the sidelines, watching Mike and Hooper bicker about what should be done. The chief left the room without a second glance, probably going to check on Joyce. Eliza felt terribly for the woman. She'd never met Bob Newby, but according to the Jonathan he was an alright guy.