As Oliver went into the Wheelers garage to search for his bike, Rosie and the boys were having a serious conversation.
"I don't know guys, this is a big decision" Lucas said arms crossed.
"I say yes" Rosie stated.
"Well of course you do. I say no, it's weird" Mike argued.
"Dustin, what do you think?" Rosie asked her brother. As he went to answer his sister widened her eyes at him frowning slightly.
"Uhhhh"
"Dustin! Just decided" Mike told the curly haired boy.
"Fine I'm with Rosie" he answered making Rosie pump her fist in the air.
"Your 2–1 Wheeler, we win" Rosie joyfully announced but Mike was quick to stop her.
"Lucas has the last vote" he reminded her causing her to turn to said boy. "What do you say Lucas?"
Lucas knew if he sided with Mike it would be a 2-2 and without an extra member to have the deciding vote they would be arguing all day over it. That would take time away from finding Will and that was the last thing he wanted.
"I'm with Rosie" he told Mike who rolled his eyes clearly upset "It's Oliver he can be useful"
The whole argument the party members had been having was whether or not to allow Oliver to become an official party member. Rosie was a firm yes while Mike argued the opposite of her until the other two boys finally picked a side.
Just then the sound of footsteps coming down the stairs got them scrambling into their positions. When Oliver reached the bottom he was met with the sight of Rosie, Lucas and Mike stood behind Dustin who was holding up a D&D manual face up in his hand,serious expression on his usually cheery face.
"What's going on here?" He asked them kinda worried for their sanity.
"Oliver Wheeler, do you wish to become an official party member?" Dustin asked him. Oliver looked at Rosie uncertainly causing her to laugh a little as she nodded her head at him.
"Yes I do" Oliver told the curly haired boy.
Dustin then took his hand placing it on the book and told him all the party rules that had been made around 3 years ago but were still used to that day.
When Dustin finally finished he asked "Do you swear to uphold the rules of the party and help a party member in need no matter what?"
"I do"Oliver told the boy with a nod causing the others around him to smile while Mike still looked pretty annoyed about the whole idea.
"What's your D&D character?" Lucas asked from behind Dustin.
"Sorcerer" Oliver answered them. Even though he hadn't played in years he still remembered it. He never really wanted to stop playing just never found a reason to do it until now.
"Perfect, Sorcerer Oliver welcome to the party" Dustin congratulated the older boy before he put the book down on the desk. "Now let's go"
The younger boys ran up the stairs past Oliver leaving him in the basement with Rosie. "What just happened?"
"You're a member of the party now" she said "Well done" she gave him a small smile before she also ran up the stairs with the boys with Oliver quickly following after.
~~~~~~~
It was a short bike ride to the middle school with El looking at everything around her in awe seeing as she had spent all her life in a lab.
Once they arrived they put all the bikes in a empty bike rack near the doors they were about to go in before heading inside.
"Remember to look sad if anyone see's you" Rosie reminded the boys as the walked through the corridors.
As Dustin, Lucas and Oliver mimed being sad to El so she knew how to behave in the school Mike led the way to the AV room. Both Rosie and Oliver had an idea of where to go having gone to the school themselves.
The P.A telling them about an Assembly happening at that moment was the only sound as they reached the door to the A.V room only for them to realise it was locked as Mike kept tugging on the handle.
"Do you think you can open it? With your powers?" Dustin asked El but before she could respond Mr Clarke came round the corner.
"Boys?" his eyes then shifted to the two oldest teens with them "Rosie? Oliver? What are you guys going here?"
"Emotional support" Oliver answered him putting an arm round Mike as Rosie did the same to Dustin.
"Oh good but the assembly's about to start" he told them.
"We know. We're just you know..."
"Upset" Lucas finished for Mike putting a frown on his face.
"Yeah,definitely upset" Dustin agreed.
"We need some alone time with our siblings"
"To cry" Dustin added shifting himself under Rosie's arm.
"I get it. I do. I know how hard this is, but let's be there for Will, huh? And then" Mr Clarke fished around in his pockets for a set of keys he threw to Mike "the Heathkit is yours for the rest of the day" he offered.
The boys and older teens smiled at the man's generosity. Mr Clarke was always both Oliver and Rosie's favourite teacher during their time at Hawkins middle.
"I don't believe we've met. What's your name?" He asked El who looked at him unsure of what to say.
"El-"
"Eleanor!" Mike corrected her "She's our uh-"
"Cousin" Oliver helped his brother.
"Second Cousin" both Dustin and Rosie then added causing Dustin to turn and grin up at his sister over the fact they thought alike.
"She's here for Wills funeral" Mike informed Mr Clarke.
"Ah welcome to Hawkins Middle, Eleanor. I wish you were here under better circumstances"
"Thank you" El said to Mr Clarke.
"Uh where are you from exactly?" Mr Clarke questioned.
All the party turned to El as she said "Bad place" while shaking her head.
"Sweden!" Dustin stepped in for her.
"We have a lot of Swedish family" Oliver explained to further the lie.
"She hates it there" Mike added on.
"Cold"
"Subzero" Rosie finished as Mr Clarke gave them all odd looks.
"Shall we?" he asked.
"Yup" Dustin agreed immediately wanting to get the group away from Mr Clarke's questions.
"Alright, you two can stay here" he told the older teens before leading the boys and El away leaving Rosie and Oliver together.
Rosie sighed as she pulled her bag off and sat down against the white brick wall before Oliver joined her. There was a brief moment of silence before the two teens made eye contact and burst out laughing.
When Rosie's laughter died down enough for her to speak she turned to Oliver who was smiling wide. "Sweden?" she questioned giving them more fits of small laughs "What was my brother thinking?"
"I have no clue but somehow, it worked" Oliver told her.He looked at her noticing the way her brunette waves fell slightly in front of her face as she looked down at her shoes before she turned to him. "So what about you?"
"What about me?"
"What member do you play in the party?" he asked curiously.
"I'm the Rogue" she told him.
"Rosie the Rogue?" he repeated about to burst out laughing again.
"Yeah,yeah make fun all you want but I was 12 okay?" she defended herself making Oliver raise his hands in defeat.
The pair sat in silence for a moment before Rosie asked "How do you feel?" Oliver looked at her slightly confused after she spoke so she elaborated "After learning about the telekinetic girl in your basement who's convinced your brother his best friend isn't actually dead and is eating all your eggos"
"Oh that" Oliver realised as Rosie nodded "I mean other than the fact that she's stealing my favourite breakfast food I'm okay. I just hope for Mike's sake all this stuff about Will isn't just nonsense"
"Thats fair enough" Rosie agreed with the boy.
"But you being here is making it all easier to handle" he told her looking in her eyes. Rosie quickly bowed her head, resting it on her arms that were crossed onto of her knees hoping he wouldn't see the blush that covered her face. But he did.
~~~~~~~
Soon enough the boys returned Dustin and Lucas talking excitedly about something as Mike walked ahead with El by his side. Rosie and Oliver stood up on their arrival ready to get into the AV room.
"What happened?" Rosie asked her brother, who was fully grinning showing the gaps in his teeth due to his cleidocranial dysplasia. She knew he got bullied because of it sometimes but always did everything she could to help him no matter what. He was her brother and the most important person in her life.
"El made Troy pee himself" he told his sister still laughing at the image of a boy who caused him terror most days being so publicly embarrassed.
"Why?" Oliver asked them all.
"He was talking bad about Will" Mike answered his brother who could tell immediately his little brother was pissed. Once the door was open the others walked in as Rosie gave El a high five for helping the boys.
Oliver help Mike back slightly so he could make his brother turn and face him. "We're gonna find out what's going on with Will. No matter what" Mike nodded up at his brother before they shared a brief hug and entered the small room.
They sat El down at the big desk that held the Heathkit and all it's equipment. "Now what?" Dustin asked.
"She'll find him" Mike spoke confidently about the girl's abilities "Right El?"
Mike began to mess around with the radio dials causing the frequency to go in and out. The only sound in the room was the static as El closed her eyes to concentrate on trying to find Will. "She's doing it, she's finding him!"
"This is crazy" Dustin commented.
"Calm down. She's just closed her eyes" Lucas pointed out but just after he finished speaking the one light on in the room went out making Rosie jump. She felt a hand on her back and turned to see Oliver giving her a comforting look.
Just then a clanging sound could be heard over the radio making all the boys and Rosie lean in together. "What the fuck?" she asked no one in particular.
The clanging sound got louder and louder as if there was something coming towards them"Okay what the hell is that?" Oliver asked the others but from the looks on their faces he could tell they were just as in the dark as him.
All of a sudden someone over the radio could be heard calling "Mom?" and they all instantly recognised it as Will's voice.
"No way" Lucas spoke in disbelief.
"Holy shit" Rosie sighed as they continued to hear Will worriedly shout for his mother.
"Will!"
"Will its us! Are you there?"
"Can you hear us? We're here" the boys all shouted hoping they could somehow make contact with their friend however Will gave no response only continuing to shout for his mother.
"Why can't he hear us?" Rosie asked.
"I don't know" Mike replied.
Before anyone could speak again the heathkit sparked up and stopped working causing flames to emerge from it. The fire alarm began to ring as Oliver quickly grabbed the fire extinguisher and started to spray down the burning radio.
As he did Rosie wheeled the chair El was sat on away from the table and wiped her nose with a tissue from the packet she had in her pocket. She noticed how tired the girl was so asked "El you okay?"
Hearing her question Mike came round beside Rosie to see what was wrong with El noticing what the older girl had. "Can you move?" he asked but all she did was sit there staring at Mike as if she were in a trance.
"Here help me get her in my arms" Rosie told Mike and Lucas who helped the older girl to secure El in her arms,holding her like a small child. "It's okay, I got you" she comforted the girl who relaxed into Rosie's arms.
"We've got to go" Oliver warned them knowing the fire alarms would have alerted teachers. The party then ran out into the corridors going out the way they came before anyone saw them.
Rosie carried El the whole way before helping her get onto Mike's bike so they could all cycle away back to the Wheelers.