𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐲𝐰𝐨𝐠
———✰———
"His name is D'Artagnan" Dustin introduced the slimy creature that sat in closed on the table, in the Av room after Dustin told the party and Max they needed to talk. "Cute right?"
"Cute isn't exactly the word I'd use for it" Veronica commented.
"D'Artagnan?" Mike asked as Dustin picked the creature up.
"Dart for short" Dustin explained.
"And he was in your thrash?" The ginger girl asked.
"Forging for good" Dustin told his crush "do you wanna hold him?"
"No, no" she freaked out.
"He doesn't bite" Dustin assured her before he gently handed the slimy creature to the unwilling girl.
"Oh, God he's slimy" she groaned as she handed it to Lucas.
"Ugh, he's like a living booger," he said as he handed it to Will.
"Ugh, Oh, God!" Will exclaimed and quickly passed it to Mike.
"What is he?" Mike asked as he stared at it before he tried to hand it to Veronica who just stepped away in disgust which made Mike laugh at her gently before he handed it back to Dustin.
"My question exactly," Dustin said as he put the thing back in the cab,e circle to get some books out his bag.
"At first I thought it was some sort of Pollywog" Dustin explained.
"Pollywog?" Max asked.
"It's another word for tadpole. A tadpole is the larval stage of a toad" Dustin explained.
"I know what a tadpole is" Max cut him off.
"All right, then you know that most tadpoles are aquatic right? Well, Dart, he isn't. He doesn't need water." Dustin explained.
"Yeah, But aren't there non-aquatic Pollywogs?" Lucas trailed off.
"Terrestrial Pollywogs? Yep. Two to be exact. Indriana Semiplainata. And the Andenomera Andrae. Ones from India, ones from South America" Dustin explained showing them the book. "So how did one end up in my trash?"
"Maybe some scientists brought it here, and it escaped" Max tried.
"Ew, what's it doing!" Veronica suddenly exclaimed pointing at the pollywog who looked like it had something inside it.
"Looks like something's moving inside it," Mike told them as he moved the light onto it which made the creature screech and everyone to jump back.
"Whoa" Dustin shouted as Dart jumped out the cable chord prison.
"It's okay. It's okay." Dustin reassured the creature catching it before it fell. "I got you, little guy. I know you didn't like that. It's okay."
"And there's another thing," Dustin said to the group who were looking at him and the pollywog. "Reptiles are cold-blooded. Exothermic? They love the heat, the sun. Dart hates it. It hurts him."
"So if he's not a Pollywog or a reptile..." Lucas trailed off.
"Then I've discovered a new species" Dustin stated proudly.
Suddenly the bell went off making the six of them pack up and leave talking about showing Dart to Mr Clarke.
———✰———
"Stop!" Mike exclaimed as he, Will and Veronica ran into the science classroom with the new discovery of Dart being from the Upside down. "I'm sorry Mr Clarke. It was a stupid prank."
"What are you doing?" Dustin asked shocked.
"We need to go," Mike said as he started to leave the classroom with the box Dart was in with him.
"Mike!" Dustin exclaimed.
"Right now," Mike said, "Right now!" He repeated shouting making the three who were reluctant to follow to quickly leave.
When they arrived at ten AV room Mike refuses to let Max in and Claimed it was party members only"
"Can I come in yet?" Max's voice shouted from the other side of the door.
"No!" Mike yelled back.
"I don't understand," Lucas said confused.
"What do you not understand?" Mike asked.
"Will saw something that looked like Dart last year?" Lucas tried to sum up.
"Kind of, But there was no tail," Will told them softly.
"But then he heard it yesterday. The exact sound" Veronica explained for the quiet boy.
"Why didn't you tell us before?" Dustin asked.
"I wasn't sure," Will told him.
"Coincidence" Dustin tried.
"Or not. What if when Will was stuck in the Upside down, he acquired true sight?" Mike theorised.
"True sight?" Lucas asked.
"It gives you the power to see the ethereal plane" Dustin clarified.
"Elaborate" Lucas told Mike sounding intrigued.
"Maybe these episodes that Will keeps having aren't really flashbacks at all. Maybe they're real. Maybe Will can somehow see into the Upsidedown" Mike explained.
"So that would mean..." Lucas trailed off.
"Dart is from the Upside down." Veronica finished as Mike already explained his theory to her and Will.
"We have to take him to Hopper," Lucas told the others.
"I agree" Mike nodded.
"No way. If we take him to Hopper, Darts as good as dead" Dustin disagreed.
"Maybe he should be dead," Mike said.
"How can you say that?" Dustin asked shocked.
"How can you not? He's from Upsidedown" Mike shouted slightly, frustrated at Dustin's lack of understanding.
"Maybe. But even if he isn't it doesn't automatically mean he's bad." Dustin told him.
"That's like saying just because someone's from the death-star doesn't make them bad." Mike simplified.
"We have a bond" Dustin argued ignoring Mike's example.
"A bond? Dustin, sweetie you shared nougat" Veronica tried to make him understand.
"He trusts me" Dustin exclaimed.
"He trusts you?" Lucas questioned.
"Yes, I promised I would take care of him," Dustin said before Dart started screeching and shaking the box he was in.
"Don't hurt him" Dustin told Mike who had placed himself protectively in front of Willa me Veronica with a microphone raised as the box flipped onto its side.
"Only if he attack's" Mike promised.
"Just open it already" Lucas snapped which made Dustin press the button to make Dart roll out the box.
"Holy shit!" Lucas exclaimed looking at the much bigger Dart.
"Shit!" He shouted again as Dart sprouted a pair of bigger legs and shrieked.
Dustin made Mike Miss hitting Dart But the bang from hitting the table made Dart fall off and run out the door as Max opened it.
What was that?" Max asked as the five exited the AV room.
"Dart!" Mike shouted at her angrily.
"What?" The ginger asked confused.
"You let him escape!" Mike yelled at her again.
"Why did you attack him?!" Dustin asked Mike.
"Come on," Mike told them dragging Veronica down the hall.
"East is clear" Mike spoke into the intercom as he and Veronica walked down the gall "no sign of Dart"
"Where'd you fo you little bastard?" Mike asked rhetorically making Veronica giggle and take his hand.
"West is clear too. Will?" Dustin's voice came through.
"South is clear. Lucas?" Will's voice responded.
"Nothing here, man" Lucas informed.
Mike and Veronica went into the gym only to see the boys changing room doors swinging shut. They shared a look and squeezed each others hands in assurance before entering the red illuminated room. They heard a noise making Mike grab the broom, which would have made Veronica giggle if She's wasn't freaked out. Only to reveal a max which made Veronica sigh in relief.
"What the hell are you doing?" The redhead shouted at the two.
"What are you doing? Why are you in here" Mike asked annoyed at the girl's presence.
"Looking for Dart," she told Mike as if it were obvious, which Veronica thought it kind If was.
"This is the boy's room," Mike said making the two girls squint at him.
"Yeah, So? Veronica's in here" Max argued.
"So you should go home. And Veronica's with me" Mike answered dropping the broom and leading Veronica out with Max following.
"Why do you hate me so much?" Max asked.
"I don't hate you. How can I hate you? I don't know you" Mike answered.
"But you don't want me in you're party?" Max said confused.
"Correct" Mike agreed.
"Why not?" Max asked.
"Because you're annoying. Also, we don't need another party member. Veronica's our Druid, Will's our Cleric, Dustin's our bard, Lucas is our ranger and El's our mage" Mike spilt making Veronica look down sadly.
"El? Who's El?" Max asked.
"No one" Veronica spoke up not wanting to talk about El.
"No one? Cause she sounds like someone." Max asked.
"She was in our party but...she moved away" Veronica explained sadly.
"She was a mage? Well, what could she do? Like magic tricks or something? Well, I could be your zoomer" Max told them as she rode around on her board making Veronica laugh slightly.
"That's not even a real thing," Mike argued.
"It could be," Max said as she skated around the two "see? Zoomer" making Veronica smile.
"Mindblowing" Mike commented sarcastically.
"I wanna learn to do that" Veronica told the two making Max smile hopefully and Mike look at her amused.
"You wanna learn to skateboard?" Mike asked her amused.
"Oh, Yeah I could be a skater girl. Like Max" Veronica smiled making the other two laugh.
What all three of them didn't notice was the girl standing the doors watching the three with jealously coursing through her veins at the thought if this girl being Veronica's best friend and Mike's sister instead of her.
All sudden Max fell from her board as the three were playfully talking about Veronica's skateboarding.
"Jesus! Are you alright?" Mike asked as he and Veronica ran over to the girl on the floor.
"Yeah, Yeah. I think so" Max responded taking the hand Veronica held out making the girl at the door sadder.
"I don't know. It was like a magnet or something pulling my board" Max said making the two look towards the door where now no one was " I know it sounds crazy"
Veronica ran out of gym doors looking around the halls soon joined by Mike to see if they could find her best friend but no one was there which made Veronica lookup down in tearful disappointment.
"Guys... I found him" Will's voice came through the intercom that was in Mike's hand drawing the twos and Max's (who had joined them a couple of seconds ago) attention to it.
"Where?" Dustin's voice asked.
"In the bathroom by Mr Salerno's" Will replied.
"Copy that" Mike responded.
"Where's Dart?" Mike asked Dustin as he, Veronica, Max and Lucas entered the bathroom.
"I don't know, not here" Dustin responded.
"What?" Mike asked before looking in the stalls.
"He said by Salerno's, right?" Max asked.
"Yeah, Maybe Will has him," Dustin said making Veronica frown in realisation.
"Where is Will?" Veronica asked scared that he could be having another episode or Dart could be near him.