SERENDIPITY | WILL BYERS ³ ✔

The Sauna Test - [Pt.1]

I didn't even bother to try and clean up my face.

Why in the hell were they trying to call me?

I sighed, left my room, ignored my parents on the way out, and mounted my bike and started pedaling.

What the hell do they want from me?

-

I arrived, and saw El and Max, heading in.

My heart started thumping the hell outta my chest.

I parked my bike.

I also knocked on the door, and I started picturing multiple different possible scenarios that could happen while I'm in the same room as Mike, and the rest of the party.

I heard a "Come in!" and went in.

Luckily, I didn't see anyone, so I made my way down to Mike's "glorious" basement, which is gonna be literal hell.

I went down, and I immediately felt all eyes on me.

"All right, what do you guys want?" I said, not looking at anyone.

"Remind me why she's here again." Mike scoffed and looked at Will.

I rolled my eyes and tried to brush it off, but it hurt inside.

Like, really badly.

"What is your guys' issue with her? You guys did the same the other day." Max stated, confused.

I sighed. "Here we go again," I muttered. Max looked even more confused. "Mike, would you care to explain?" I said, sarcastically.

Mike scoffed. "Kylie has pyrokinesis." He said, dully.

I looked away, almost on the verge of crying. Again. Great.

"What's that?" Max asked, still confused.

"It's--"

I interrupted Mike. "It means that I have fire powers."

"Wait-- WHAT?!" She said, shocked, and to her luck, even more confused. "You have powers?!"

"Yes! That she's hid from us for a whole year!!" Mike said, shouting, staring down into my soul. I quickly looked away, fighting back tears.

Max's eyes widened, and it seemed like she was trying to say something, but couldn't. I pulled the hood over my head.

I was sitting down by now.

I felt my eyes getting glossy.

Max scoffed, sighed, and looked away. So did El. They seemed... hurt.

It literally feels so bad when you unintentionally hurt people. Especially the ones you love most. It's the worst possible feeling.

Then Will decided to move on from this beefy topic and began explaining about Castle Byers and that the Mind Flayer could be back.

Every few seconds, I felt someone staring at me.

But I had no idea who, because I was looking back.

I listened, but I stared at the floor. I didn't need to attract any more attention than I already had.

"I didn't think it was anything at first." Will continued. "I mean, I think I just didn't want to believe it. The first time I felt it was at Day of the Dead."

"Power went out that night, too." Mike added.

"And then I felt it again at the field near the Nelson farm the next day. Then again yesterday outside Castle Byers."

"What does it feel like?" Max asked.

"It's almost like... You know when you drop on a rolled coaster?"

"Sure." Mike said.

"Yeah." Max said.

"Yup." I muttered.

"No." El said.

"It's like... everything inside your body is just sinking all at once, but... this is worse. Your body... it goes cold and-- and you can't breathe. I've felt it before. Whenever he was close."

"Whenever who was close?" Max asked.

"The Mind Flayer."

"I closed the gate." El stated.

"I know, but... what if he never left? What if we locked him out here with us?"

A few minutes, later, everyone had gotten up, and Will slapped a piece of paper on the table, and grabbed some black chalk.

"This is him." He said, and drew a black circle on the paper. "All of him. But, that day on the field, a part pf him attached itself to me." He drew legs like a spider and a body on the paper, too.  Then he smeared his hand all over it. "My mom got it out of me... and Eleven closed the gate." He turned the paper over. "But the part that was still in me... what if it's still in our world?" He lightly pressed his hand on the paper, getting excess chalk onto it. "In Hawkins." He finished.

"I don't understand." Max said. "The Demodogs died when El closed the gate. If the brain dies, the body dies."

"We can't take any chances. We need to assume the worst. The Mind Flayer's back." Mike said.

For once, we actually agree.

"Yeah. And if he is, he'd wanna attach himself to someone again. A new me."

"A new host." Lucas said. Everyone looked at him.

"How can you tell if someone is a host?" El asked.