*(Y/n)'s POV*
"The Mind Flayer." Dustin repeated, standing at the front of the table. We all crowded around the kitchen table with Hopper, Nancy, and Jonathan joining up with us.
"The hell is that?" Hopper asked.
"It's a monster from an unknown dimension." Dustin explained. "It's so ancient that it doesn't even know its true home." Everyone else just kind of looked at Dustin, waiting for him to explain further. "Okay, it enslaves races of other dimensions by taking over their brains using its highly-developed psionic powers."
Hopper rolled his eyes. "Oh, my god, none of this is real. This is a kids' game."
"No, it's a manual." Dustin said, "And it's not for kids." He held up a finger. "And unless you know something that we don't, this is the best metaphor-"
"Analogy." Lucas corrected.
I placed a hand over my forehead and sighed.
"Analogy." Dustin asked. "That's what you're worried about? Fine. An analogy for understanding whatever the hell this is."
"Okay," Nancy cut in. "So this mind flamer thing-"
"Flayer." Dustin corrected. "Mind flayer."
"Oh, Dustin, calm down." I rolled my eyes.
"What does it want?" Nancy sighed.
"To conquer us, basically." Dustin said. "It believes it's the master race."
"Like, uh...like the Germans?" Steve asked, and we all just stared at him.
"Uh, the Nazis?" Dustin asked, making sure Steve knew his history.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, the Nazis."
"If the Nazis were from another dimension, totally. Uh, it views other races, like us, as inferior to itself."
"It wants to spread, take over other dimensions." Mike filled in next to me.
"Guys, we are talking about the destruction of our world as we know it." I said.
"That's great. That's great." Steve panicked, walking away. "That's really great. Jesus!"
"Okay, so if this thing is like a brain that's controlling everything, then if we kill it..." Nancy said.
"We kill everything it controls." Mike said.
"We win." I said.
"Theoretically." Lucas said.
"Great, so how do you kill this thing?" Hopper took the book from Nancy. "Shoot it with Fireballs or something?"
Dustin chuckled to himself, probably imagining a scene in his head where we do in our party. "No." He chuckled. "No, no, Fire- No Fireballs. Uh, you summon an undead army, because - because...zombies, you know, they don't have brains, and the-the mind flayer, it..it...it likes brains."
I crossed my arms and gave a concerned look to my brother.
He was really excited, but the more he spoke about it, the more he saw the look on Hopper's disappointed face. "It's just a game." Dustin said. "It's a game."
"What the hell are we doing here?" Hopper grumbled. He slapped the book back down on the table in front of me, and I jumped in surprise. Mike kept his hand on my shoulder and I shrugged at him.
"I thought we were waiting for your military backup?"
"We are!" Hopper shouted.
"Even if they come, how are they gonna stop this?" Mike asked. "You can't just shoot this with guns!"
"You don't know that!" Hopper said. "We don't know anything!"
"We know that it's already killed everybody in that lab." I argued.
"And we know that the monsters are gonna molt again." Lucas said.
"And we know that it's only a matter of time before those tunnels reach this town." Dustin said.
"They're right." a voice cracked. We turned to Mrs. Byers coming out of her room. "We have to kill it." Hopper walked over to her, and I placed my hand over my mouth. I never felt so guilty in my entire life until now. Mike pulled me over so I could place my head on his shoulder. "I want to kill it."
"Me too." Hopper said.
"I-"
"Me too, Joyce." Hopper agreed, "But how do we do that?" Mrs. Byers looked up at him with tearful eyes. "We don't exactly know what we're dealing with here."
"No." Mike said.
"But he does." I said, and Mike walked with me towards Will. "If anyone knows how to destroy this thing, it's Will." Everyone joined up with us in the living room where Will laid asleep. "He's connected to it. He'll know its weakness."
"I thought we couldn't trust him anymore, (Y/n)." Max said. "That he's a spy for the mind flayer now."
"Yeah, but he can't spy-" Mike started to say, but he met my gaze.
"If he doesn't know where he is." I finished.
"Exactly."
~~~
Hopper, Mike and I walked over to the shed in the back, and we looked around. "Yeah, this will work." Hopper said.
After that, we split up into teams to prepare ourselves.
Nancy and Steve hung up tarps inside the shed. "Hey, what you did..." Nancy spoke up, and Steve looked at her. "Helping with the kids that was...really cool." She gave him a genuine smile.
"Yeah." Steve muttered. "Those little shits are real trouble, you know?"
"Believe me, I know." Nancy nodded.
Meanwhile, Lucas and Dustin rummaged around the trash. "Hey," Dustin said, and Lucas looked up at him. "I'm...I'm sorry about Dart and all. I guess I just thought that he was my friend. I was wrong. I broke the rule of law, so...if you want your girlfriend to take over my spot in the party, I understand."
Lucas pinched the bridge of his nose and smiled. "She's not my girlfriend." He chuckled.
"I saw you two holding hands in the bus, Lucas." Dustin said.
"She was just scared."
"Maybe, but I could feel it."
"Feel what?" Lucas questioned.
"The electricity."
He picked up a few pieces of newspaper that they needed and walked away without another word, feeling heartbroken and Lucas speechless.
Mike grabbed the bleach bottle from underneath the cabinet, and Max ripped off the duct tape. "I get why El and (Y/n) are your mages now." Max said.
Mike turned around suddenly without bumping his head on the top part of the cabinet. "What?"
"Lucas." Max said. "He told me all about those two, and how (Y/n) has these incredible powers now."
"Oh, well, he shouldn't have." Mike mumbled. "And just because you know the truth, it doesn't mean you're in our party. You do know that, right?"
"Y-yeah, I know." Max said, but she looked away with a frown.
"Yeah, I mean, why would you want a stupid zoomer in your party anyway?" I asked, walking over to them. That was when Mike bumped his head and winced. He turned to look at me.
"Wow, harsh." Max grinned at me. She knew I was playing a joke, but I wanted to sit down and talk with them. "And I was about to tell him how awesome you are."
I giggled at her comment, and Mike rolled his eyes. "No matter what Mike says, our party is a democracy, Max. The majority wants you in." I said, placing a hand on her shoulder. "He might be my boyfriend and the leader of the party, but please, don't let his hurt feelings of losing El get to you."
Mike was trying to figure out words to say, but he stumbled over them and he ended up pouting at me. "(Y/n) is awesome, and I like her." Mike turned back and closed the doors. "And so was El, until that thing took her."
I frowned, and I had a glimpse of the memory with the Demogorgon and El back at the school.
"Just like it took Bob." I whispered, and Mike walked away.
"Aren't you going to follow him?" Max asked me.
"I...We're not in a good place right now, Max." I said, truthfully.
"What's happened, if you don't mind me asking? I'm willing to listen."
"Well, it's just that...I had a chance." I told her, helping her with the duct tape. "To save Bob. But he was already far too gone, and Hopper pushed me away. I couldn't save him...with my powers. I didn't even know if I could you know...Do anything, but I pretty much told myself I can do it. I can save him, but at that split second, the monster was pretty much tearing him apart. One wrong move and I'm basically dead."
Max frowned, and looked at the ground. "You're still pretty new at this, (Y/n), it's not your fault." Max said. "Even if you told Mrs. Byers and Hopper what could've happened, I'm sure they would understand."
"They'd hate me for not telling them about my powers."
"No, they would hate themselves for not getting out of there alive with you." She placed a hand on my leg and I looked up. "Go get Mike, you two need to talk. I can finish this up."
I nodded at her, and I clenched my hand into a fist. I stood up and followed after Mike.
We all grouped up in the shed, putting everything together. We had covered every window, and any light that could shine through. Mike and I set chairs down together facing each other.
Jonathan went and grabbed Will who was still fast asleep, and we tied him up.
Afterwards, Mike adjusted the lights that faced Will, and I ripped the duct tape off to help keep it secured. Lucas plugged in the lamps, and it was bright enough.
"All right, you ready?" Hopper asked Mrs. Byers.
"Yeah." She whispered back.