Elijah Brooks's life is turned upside down when his best friend Will Byers goes missing one night. Teaming up with an unlikely group of friends, Eli finds himself transforming from a quiet bookworm to a courageous adventurer willing to do anything f...
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THE SIBLINGS EXCITEDLY CROSSED the carpark, joining the Wheelers just in time to hear Mr. Wheeler hounding Mike about Nancy's whereabouts.
"I don't know!" Irritation dripped from the boy's tone, his freckled face lit with anger. "She went somewhere with Jonathan. How am I supposed to know?"
Eli fiddled with his fingers, tugging at them anxiously as he contemplated speaking up. "If it's any help, sir," he began nervously, aware of the ever so pensive gaze of Mike falling across him. "My sister is missing too. I think she might be with Nancy."
"How's that supposed to help me?" Ted growled in annoyance, his calloused fingers reaching up to pinch the bridge of his nose.
Eli felt his heart sink at the adult's disapproval, but Mike was quick to lash out his arms defensively. "She'll meet us at the hospital. I'm sure of it. Can we just go now?"
"Hey, guys!" A distance voice was calling, and Eli tossed a glance over his shoulder to find Martha hurrying towards them. Dark bags and stress lines had already begun to shape under her almond shaped eyes, and Eli assumed he probably looked the same. "I can't go to the hospital. I'm grounded."
"What?" Eve cried incredulously.
"It's my parents. They're p—" the girl took a careful glance at the onlooking Wheeler parents before ducking her head back down to stare at the kids. "They're really mad at me. But tell Will I said hi, okay? And that I hope he feels better."
"Yeah, okay," Eli almost hurriedly answered, aware that the three of them conversing was delaying their trip to the hospital and leaving holes burning in his skull from their spectators. "See you soon, Martha."
The five of them trekked back to the Wheeler's family car in silence, the sound of sneakers kicking rocks being the only noise. Eli had finally taken off his beanie, ruffling his unkempt curls with agitation, hoping to tame them. The sensation of eyes on him caused his head to snap to the left, meeting a light smirk that danced on his sister's lips.
"What?" He demanded.
"I don't think Will is gonna care how you look when he sees you after spending a week in a scary dimension," Eve's tone was taunting, and it caused red splotches to spray over the boy's cheekbones as he furiously tugged the beanie onto his head and behind his ears.
Eli looked over his right shoulder just to catch a glimpse of Mike's sullen eyes glued to him, but the moment they met he was looking glumly back at the ground. A cloud of sympathy swirled inside Eli as he looked at the boy a moment further before decidedly speaking up.
