Eve had expected a peaceful little stroll in the woods before they found the gate that led to a very un-peaceful place. She was wrong - for the last twenty minutes, Dustin had decided to up the anti by running, making the entire group follow them, relatively out of breath as they tried to keep up with him.
"Somethings happening!" Dustin cheered as he ran ahead, the only person not out of breath was Eve - track did come in handy.
"Dustin? Can you slow down? Dustin?" Eddie called out to him as everyone fought their way through a bush, trying their best not to get covered in leaves and spiders and whatever else was living in there.
"Jesus, this guy needs to calm down wit the adderall," Steve panted from next to Eve, who only laughed lightly.
"I think you need to head to the gym, old man," She jabbed back, making him shove her lightly, making her laugh louder as she attempted to keep her balance.
"I think we're getting close!" Dustin told them with a smile, staring at his compass like it held the key to everything, which it sorta did.
"Watch your step, big guy," Eddie grabbed dustin, stopping him from standing in a puddle of water, only it wasn't a puddle, it was a whole lake.
"Lovers Lake?" Eve asked, "This shithole holds the key to Max's freedom?"
"You gotta be shitting me," Steve panted.
"Yeah," Eddie sighed, looking out, "I thought these woods were familiar."
"This is confounding," Dustin said, his hopes draining a little.
"There's a gate in lovers lake?" Max asked them all.
"Yeah, apparently demogorgons need love too," Eve mumbled, swatting a fly away from the front of her face.
"Demogorgons-" Eddie started.
"Long story," Eve cut him off quickly.
"Whenever the demogorgon attacked, it always left an opening," Nancy told them all, remembering her own horrible experience in the upside down, "Maybe Vecna's the same way."
"Only one way to find out," Steve sighed.
-
They\d managed to get the boat that used to live in Reefer Rick's house, and as a team they had carried it down to the lakeside.
"Easy!" Steve said as Eddie ripped the tarp off, "I say easy, man."
"Sorry, dude," Eddie mumbled as they all started to push it into the water.
Eve went to climb in, bust Steve grabbed her around the waist, picking her up and putting her back on solid ground, making him send her a glare.
"Oh, you thought you were joining?" Steve asked her, "Funny joke."
"If something happens don't you think it would be smart to have the person with the cool superpower there to help?" Eve asks him, arms crossing her body.
"You're not going out there, I will not allow it," Steve shakes his head, "I don't care if you think you're cool now because you can make dust particles or whatever. No."
"Steve, we could really use the help," Robin stuck up for Eve.
"No!" He shouted now, "Eve I have seen you bloody and bruised, I have watched you flatline twice in a hospital because of this shit. I am not seeing anything like that happen again." He told her sternly, "It's a no."
"I did that protecting my friends and my family," Eve argued, "And I'm still here now, Steve. So let me go."
Steve shook his head.
"Then we vote," Eve says, turning to the rest of them, "Who thinks the girl with superpowers that could actually protect people should be in the boat?"
Steve turned to see Max's hand raise first, having complete belief and trust in the girl. He sent the Mayfield girl a small glare, before his eyes saw Robin's hand go up too. Then Lucas', then Dustin's, then Eddie's, and then Nancy's.
"Oh would you look at that," Eve smiled at her brother, "I'm going."
"You are so annoying, you know that?" Steve asked her, and she just smiled widely at him, jumping in the boat. Followed by Robin, Nancy and Eddie.
Dustin tried to get on, too, but his head was immediately shoved by Eddie.
"You try's sink us?" Eddie asked, "This thing holds four people tops, okay?"
"It's better this way, okay?" Nancy told them calmly, "You guys stay here with Max. Keep an eye out for trouble."
"You keep an eye out," Dustin argues with her, making Nancy send him a shocked look, "It's my goddamn theory."
"You heard Nance," Robin tells him.
"Who put her in charge?" Dustin asked.
"I did," Robin replied with a smile.
Nancy reached out to Dustin, "compass."
Dustin whined for a second, his actions close to a toddler having a meltdown over not getting a toy at a store, before handing it over to her.
"Hey, there you go," Steve then launched Dustin's bag at him, almost making him fall over, before jumping in the boat too, landing right next to Eve as they started to paddle out.
"You said four!" Dustin yelled from the shore.
"Sorry," Steve smiled at him, knowing fully well he wasn't. It was nice to have one up on Dustin.
"Bedtime at nine, kiddos!" Robin yells to them, "Miss you already!"
"He's always whining recently, anyone else notice that?" Eve asked them all.
"Thank you," Steve whispered, "kid thinks he knows everything."
"He pretty much does," Robin shrugs her shoulders, "If his head gets any bigger he'll fall over."
That makes the whole group laugh as they head further off into the lake, Nancy leading them with the compass.
"I've never been here this late," Eve says, trying to make conversation, "Doesn't seem all that romantic at night."
"It's not all that romantic in the day either," Robin assured her, "Just teenagers sucking face."
Both of their heads turn to Steve, who shakes his head, giving them the finger.
"Wait, stop," Nancy said, making Eddie take the oar out of the water. Everyone turned to the compass, looking at it as the little hands span like crazy. They had to be right above it.
"Whoa," Steve whispered.
"Guys what's going on?" Dustin asked through the walkie, "Come on guys, talk to me, what's going on?"
"Uh, Dustin, your compass has gone from wonky to wonky with a capital aah," Robin told him through their walkie, Eve hiding her smile at the way Robin had worded it - she never was good in serious situations.
"It's gotta be underwater," Eve says to them, beginning to take her shoes off.
"Hey, hey, what are you doing?" Steve stops her, making her roll her eyes and shove him off.
"I'm gonna go check it out," She says casually, taking her socks off too. She did not want wet socks when she came out.
"Hell no," Steve says, "I go. I was the Hawkins high swim co-captain."
"And you already proved back there that you're old now and get tired easily," Eve argues, "Out of all of us here, I'm the most equipped."
"Oh really? how?" Steve asks her.
"I am captain of the Hawkins high track team," Eve starts, "I got asked to be on the swim team," She continued, "I taught kids how to swim at Hawkins pool last summer before everything went insane, I can hold my breath for two minutes, I have the best stamina, I did fifty laps in the pacer test... do you want me to go on?"
"You are forgetting you are a child," Steve argues.
"You are less than four years older than me," Eve says to him, "get off your high horse." She then turns to the group, "Do I need to do another vote here?"
"Okay, Fine," Steve huffs, "Hands up if you think the older, wiser, stronger man should do the dive, or the fifteen year old girl who can hold her breath for longer than ten seconds?"
"Why did you bring gender into it?" Eve asked him with furrowed eyebrows.
"Yeah, Steve, you don't think a woman can do it?" Robin adds.
"Pretty sexist if you ask me," Nancy nodded her head.
"Jesus Christ," Steve mumbled, "Just put your hand up If you think I should go."
Not a single hand went up.
"Sorry man, she sold her case better," Eddie shrugged, "Also the superpowers. They add a lot."
"Ha!" Eve laughs. standing up and taking off her jumper, leaving her in a tight light blue shirt. Steve ended up taking off his shoes and socks too, as well as his shirt, making Eve glare at him, "Steve. I'm going."
"I'm just getting ready to jump in after you," Steve shrugged his shoulders, "Just in case."
Eve shook her head as Robin handed eve a bag. Inside was the flashlight so she'd be able to see.
"Good luck," Eddie said to her, making her nod.
"We're gonna find it and kill Vecna and make you a free man," Eve told Eddie, "I mean it. No more peoples lives getting ruined because of a world that isn't even this one."
"How noble," Steve said sarcastically, making Eve send him a glare, "Any longer than a minute under there and I'm jumping in after you, got it?"
"Got it." Eve nods, before jumping in. The water instantly consumes her body, the coldness of it making her clothes stick to her uncomfortably as she comes up for air, letting out a large breath as she tries to acclimatise to the coldness of the water.
"Be careful," Nancy said to her as Steve leaned over to look at Eve.
"One minute, That's all you get." He reminded her, making her nod before breathing in deep and holding her breath, beginning to swim to to bottom.
It was hard, and the water seemed to get colder the further she went down, her legs kicking as she kept the flashlight in front of her, her eyes opening to slits to see what was around. The water was deeper than she thought it would be, and it was harder to push down than expected, but she powered through, fighting off the feeling in her gut to just turn around and let Steve do it. She wanted to prove herself.
As she got to the bottom, her flashlight fell upon the bones of many fish. It creeped her out a ton, but she tried to ignore them, moving the flashlight around to see if she could find a gate.
It was creepy - how many fish were dead at the bottom of the lake - it wouldn't shock her if the gate had something to do with it.
She heard a weird croak, and turned her head quickly to see a red light. She swam towards it quickly, a little perplexed at the sight.
She stopped herself when she was close enough. Seeing a red opening surrounded bu the vines she remembered from the tunnels - from the night she almost died. The gate wasn't massive, about six foot long and a metre or two wide - enough to do what it needed to.
She went against her instinct, swimming a little closer, her hand reaching out softly to touch it lightly.
As soon as she made contact, some kind of long looking vine on the other side pressed up against it, making her flinch back and drop the flashlight, her heart began to races she quickly kicked off from the ground, swimming up as fast as she could.
The surface couldn't come fast enough, as she gasped in air, putting her hands on the side of the boat to catch her breath. Scaring the group inside the boat.
"I found it," She breathed out, spitting the water from her mouth.
"You found it?" Nancy asked, making sure she heard the girl right.
Eve nodded, "Yeah. I found it."
"And you're good?" Steve asked her as Robin grabbed the walkie.
"Fine," Eve breathed.
"Dustin, you are a goddamn Einstein," robin spoke into the radio, "Eve found the gate."
"It was wild," Eve breathed, "It was more of a snack-size gate than a big gate like the one El closed, but still, pretty damn big. Like, it was about a Steve and a half long, and then a Steve wide."
"Why are we using me as a unit of measurement?" Steve asked.
"I don't know," Eve shrugged, "But hey, I found it, all on my own, there was nothing to worry abo-"
Suddenly Eve was pulled under water, something wrapping around her leg. She screamed under water, losing all her air, before she managed to surface quickly.
She stared at Steve with wide eyes, holding onto the boat again.
"Come on," Steve said to her quickly, putting out his hand fo her to grab. She leaned up, about to grab it when she was suddenly pulled under again.
Being dragged to the depths of Lover's Lake.
a/n
unedited