WARNING: DO NOT ENGAGE [stranger things] [1/2]

XXVI - Hot Blood

"They don't know 'bout who we are

They don't know 'bout you and I

They ain't know 'bout the stars of your eyes"

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"What's exciting about this?" Mike asked sceptically, looking at the collection of compasses. Dustin had, after spinning around with one in his hand for about five minutes, ordered them to collect all the compasses for him. They didn't think it was quite worth it, but had obliged anyway.

"Well, they're all facing north, right?" Dustin asked.

"Yeah." Rosemary nodded. "They're compasses, dude. I'm pretty sure those things always face north." She sighed, crossing her arms. She didn't have time for a compass crisis, not now. Dustin looked at them, slightly bewildered at being the only one to get it.

"Well, that's not true north." He said, gesturing to the compasses. Rosemary looked back down at the compasses, a furrow appearing between her brows. You truly had to be a special type of nerd to know the direction of true north, she thought.

"What do you mean?" Mike asked him.

"I mean exactly what I just said." Dustin said, now sounding the slightest bit frustrated by their obliviousness. "That's not True North." He looked around at them. "Are you all seriously this dense?"

"Okay, chill out. It's just compasses." Rosemary scoffed.

"The sun rises in the east and it sets in the west, right?" Dustin explained slowly. "Which means that's," He pointed over Rosemarys shoulder. "True North."

"So what you're saying is the compasses are broken." Mike said, obviously not interested in this conversation at all. Rosemary hummed, shaking her head. "They won't all break at the same time." She said. "It's magnets, isn't it? I know you can break a compass with a magnet."

"Magnets?" Mike furrowed his eyebrow.

"Do you even understand how a compass works? Do you see a battery pack on this?" Dustin asked, turning one of the compasses over in front of Mikes face.

"No-" Mike started, beginning to look a little insulted at how it was being explained.

"No, you don't. Because it doesn't need one." Dustin said. "The needles naturally drawn to the earths magnetic pole." Rosemary picked up one of the compasses, turning it over in her hand as the boys still questioned it. She didn't listen all that much, understanding now what this meant for them.

"Which means, if we follow the compasses north-" Lucas began.

"They should lead us to the gate." Dustin finished, nodding. Rosemary pursed her lips, looking over to Eleven. She recognised to look of fear on her face, how she pleadingly looked at Rosemary, and Rosemary looked back down to the compass in her hand. She knew exactly where it was pointing, and she didn't like it at all.