Hometown| Mike Wheeler

CHAPTER TEN

"Well...how do we make them better?" Joyce asks.

"We don't. We just have to wait and try again." Mike sighs.

"Well, how long?" Nancy questions.

I shrug, "We don't know. But if they use to much of their energy, they start to turn grey. It's weird."

"The bath." Eleven's quiet voice cuts in.

"What?" Joyce asks, all of us turning to the two girls.

"We can find them," Ten breathes out, "In the bath."

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"Mr. Clarke? It's Dustin," Dustin says into the phone, contacting our teacher for more information on sensory deprivation tanks. After a small argument with him, Dustin finally gets Mr. Clarke to help us. He nods as he writes down everything Mr. Clarke was telling him. He hangs up the phone, asking Joyce, "Do you still have that kiddie pool we bobbed for apples in?"

"I think so. Yeah..." She trails.

"Yeah." Jonathan confirms.

"Good. Then we just need salt. Lots of it." Dustin tells us.

"How much is 'lots'?" Chief questions.

Dustin looks down at the notepad for a second, "1,500 pounds."

"Well, where are we gonna get that much salt?" Nancy asks with a sigh.

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We all jump out of the car, racing inside our school. Hopper had realized that there was lots of salt at the middle school, hopefully enough for the depravation-thing.

Lucas and I walk into the gym, Dustin trailing behind us, rolling the kitty pool, "This damn thing is heavy," We begin to untie it in the center of the gym, spreading it out, "Come on. It's upside down."

"No, this way." Lucas argues.

"Okay, um..." Lucas trails, as we try holding all the sides up.

"How does this even work?" Dustin asks, irritated.

"Try that side." Lucas orders Dustin, pointing to the opposite side of him.

"Son of a bitch!" Dustin snaps.

"Stupid thing." I grunt as the sides of the pool fold down.

"Pull it back. Pull it back." Lucas demands as we all take steps backwards.

"We are!" Dustin exclaims.

"One, two, three." Lucas counts down, and we lift the pool up, hoping that it would land with the sides facing up.

"Shit!" Dustin curses, all of us throwing the sides of the pool back down in frustration.

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I was with Nancy in the back, waiting for the directions of Lucas to tell us to turn the temperature of the hoses to hot or cold.

"Colder!" I hear Lucas scream from inside the gym, Nancy turns her dial to the left, "Warmer!" I turn the dial in front of me a little to the right, "Right there!"

Nancy glances to me, looking at her shoes once, then back at me, "So, are you my brothers like...best friend now?"

I snap my head up, furrowing my eyebrows, "I think they just want me to help them find Will," I shrug, looking at my hands sadly, "Lucas, maybe, but Mike and Dustin...I-I don't know."

"Oh, please. I'm sure all the boys are shaking in their boots that a girl like you would even talk to them, let alone hangout with them." Nancy laughs.

"I want to be their friends...I do. But maybe just not D&D. Anything but that." I joke, the two of us laughing as we turn off the water, walking back into the gym.

Jonathan and the Chief were filling up the pool with salt, and when they had finished, Dustin needed to test if it worked. He takes an egg from the carton, all of us watching with hope filled eyes as the egg hits the water, but sinks.

More salt is added to the pool, and when Dustin goes to test it once again, the egg floats. A grin spreads across Dustin's face, proud that his tank had worked.

Mike sets up the walkie-talkie, the static buzzing the only noise, as everyone else was quiet.

The two girls, Ten and Eleven, slip off their socks, El handing Mike his watch.

Joyce gently handed the two girls the goggles that had duck tape all around them, so you couldn't see through it.

Joyce and Hopper help El into the pool while Lucas and I help Ten wade in. They were laying down in the water on either sides of the pool, their arms and legs outstretched.

The lights begin to flicker, until they go fully out. I bite my lip, slouching down onto the glossy gym floors. Like I've said, I hate the dark.

"Barb?" Ten whispers.

"Barbara?" El questions softly right after her.

Nancy raises her eyebrows at the mention of her friends name.

My leg begins to twitch a little, still creeped out that we were all sitting in the dark. But, my fears calmed and my twitching stopped when Mike put a hand on my leg, giving me a small and comforting smile, "I'm...kind of scared of the dark."

Mike nods, pulling me closer to him and holding my hand in his. I smile widely.

Both girls start to breath heavily, and the lights flickered once more before shutting off like before, Nancy asking, "What's going on?"

"I don't know." Mike answers truthfully.

"Is Barb okay?" Nancy looks at Eleven, before turning to Ten, "Is she okay?"

"Gone." Ten begins to mutter, sounding like she was about to cry. Eleven was sniffling, shaking a little in her spot.

"Hey, it's okay," Joyce coos both girls as Eleven joins in on Ten, both of them screaming the same word, 'gone', "Its okay, we're right here. We're right here, honey. It's okay, its okay, I got you. Don't be afraid. I'm right here with you. It's okay. It's okay...."

I let go of Mike's hand, guiding my own to Ten's, and she grips it tightly, her breathing beginning to calm.

"Castle Byers," Eleven whispers. After a few long minutes, El continues, "Will?"

Joyce gasps, "You girls tell him...t-tell him i'm coming. Mom is coming."

"Your mom...she's coming for you." Eleven tells what I believe to be Will.

"Hurry." The small and scared voice of Will Byers comes through the radio.

"Okay. Listen, you tell him to...t-to stay where he is. We're coming. We're coming, okay? We're coming, honey."

"Just-just hold on a little longer." El stutters.

"Will, Will," Ten mumbles, shaking a little, "Will...get-wake-get up! Will? Will!"

"Will?" El cries out. Ten's nails dig into my skin as she lightly thrashes in the water, her head turning every which way.

"Will!" Ten continues to yell, as Eleven whimpers. At the same time, the girls spring up, ripping off the goggles.

Ten scoots over to Eleven, and they embrace as Joyce pulls them to her, letting them cry in her arms, congratulating them on how good they did.