CHAPTER FOUR
( slammed doors and superpowers )
IT HAD TAKEN a while, but Mike had finally come back and given the girls the clear. While he was gone, Maddie was able to get more trust with El. She could feel their bond growing and knew that El would soon be a good friend.
The trio had left the basement, Mike offering El something to drink as she just ignored him and wandered towards his tv.
"This is my living room. It's mostly just for watching tv. Nice, right? It's a 22-inch." Mike informed. "It's like, ten times bigger than Dustins." He finished.
El quickly became uninterested as she saw Mikes family photo wall. El pointed to the picture of Nancy. "Pretty."
Mike scrunched up his nose. "I guess. That's my sister Nancy." El moved to a picture of Holly. "And that's baby Holly." She then moved to a full family photo. "And those are my parents. What are your parents like? Do they live close?"
El continued to ignore the boy as she walked over to the la-z-boy. Maddie smiled and walked over to el. "That's their la-z-boy. It's super comfortable."
"It's also where my dad sleeps. You can try it if you want." Mike offered politely and El went over to it before taking a seat. Maddie bent down next to the girl with Mike at her side. "Trust me, okay?" El looked at Maddie and nodded before Maddie pulled the side lever, which sent El back when the chair reclined. El let out a small laugh, which made Maddie laugh.
"See? Fun, right?" Mike smiled and maddie pulled El back up. "You try now El." El nodded at the girl before pulling the lever herself and found herself sent back yet again, making the trio all laugh.
The three then made their way up into Mikes room and El began looking around again. She sat at a small table with toys on it when suddenly Mike smacked down his Yoda toy.
"Ready are you? What knows you of ready?" Maddie laughed at Mikes impression but El just stared at him. "His name is Yoda. He can use the force to move things with his mind, like this." Mike then pushed stuff over and made a whooshing noise.
El stood up as Mike began talking about his dinosaur, Rory, Maddie followed behind the girl as she walked up to the trophy stand.
"Oh, these are all my science fair trophies. We got first every year. Except for last year when we got third." Mike explained. "But Mr. Clarke said it was totally political." Maddie nodded in agreement. "Totally political."
El looked at the photo of Dustin, Lucas, Will, Mike, and Maddie holding their 1st place trophy with one of Mikes arms wrapped around Maddies waist as they all smiled. Maddie smiled at the memory, she loved that day.
El pointed right to Will, which made Mike and Maddie look at each other confused. "You know Will?" Mike questioned hopefully. "Did you see him? Last night? On the road?"
Before El can answer, the three heard the sound of a car pulling up. Maddie ran to the window and then turned back and looked at Mike. "Shit! Mike you're moms back."
"What?" Mike ran up to the window to see his mom before he grabbed Maddie's hand and pulled her towards the door. Maddie quickly grabbed El. "We gotta go." Mike freaked.
The three made it halfway down the stairs when they heard Mrs. Wheelers voice from the door. "I bought pizza and mararoni!" Mike pulled them down a few more stairs before stopping again to see Mrs. Wheeler right in-front of them on the phone with Holly in her arms.
The three ran back upstairs to Mikes room, hearing Mrs. Wheelers faint calls for her husband. Mike continued to pull the girls. "Just me, mom!"
"Mike? What are you doing home?" Maddie heard Mikes mom yell. Mike sighed. "one second!" Mike slammed his door and ushered the girls into his closet. Maddie walked in but El froze. "In here. I'll be right back, okay? Maddie will be here with you. Please, you have to get in, or my mom, she'll find you. Do you understand? I won't tell her about you. I promise."
"Promise?" El questioned, never hearing the word before, which confused Maddie. "It means something that you can't break. Ever." Mike quickly informed while his mom called him again.
"El please i'll be right next to you." Maddie pleaded, putting her hand out for El to take. El nodded and grabbed Maddie's. Mike shut the closet door behind the two.
El was obviously scared so Maddie squeezed her hand, hoping to show it was okay. "Don't worry El, i'm right here."
Maddie felt El squeeze back before letting go, seeming to go into her own world. The next thing Maddie knew, El dropped to the floor and pulled her knees to her chest.
"El? Eleven are you okay?" Maddie shook El a bit but couldn't see her. The young girl shook a bit, stuck in her own mind.
Maddie was getting worried, especially when small whimpers could be heard coming from El. She tried to get El to respond before she heard the closet door open and saw Mikes worried face. El, finally able to see, looked at Maddie. "Maddie." El had tears running down her face so Maddie rubbed her shoulder. "Is everything okay?" El took a deep breath and nodded as Mike helped Maddie up, who helped El up.
"are you sure?" Mike questioned. El nodded. "promise."
LUCAS AND DUSTIN had come after school to see where Mike and Maddie were, so when the two saw them both at Mikes, Dustin and Lucas where confused. But once they went upstairs and saw El, their confusion got worse and Lucas's turned into a bit of anger.
"Are you two out of your minds?" Lucas questioned as Maddie sighed. Mike was quick to try damage control. "Just listen to me."
"You are out of your mind!" Lucas exclaimed. Mike quickly shouted, "she knows about Will!" Dustin looked at the boy confused. "What do you mean she knows about Will?"
Mike grabbed the science fair photo. "She pointed at him, at his picture. She knew he was missing. I could tell."
"You could tell?" Lucas repeated, unable to believe his friends. Mike continued his explanation. "Just think about it Lucas. Do you really think it was a coincidence that we found her on Mirkwood, the same place where Will disappeared?"
Dustin sighed. "That is weird." Mike nodded. "And she said had people are after her. I think maybe these people are the same ones that took Will. I think she knows what happened to him."
"Then why doesn't she tell us?" Lucas snapped before turning his glare to El. "Do you know where he is?" Lucas began to shout and shake El. "Do you know where Will is?"
Maddie pushed Lucas off of El. "Stop it, you're scaring her Lucas!" Lucas glared towards Maddie. "She should be scared!" He turned back to El. "If you know where he is, tell us!" Lucas walked back over to Mike as Maddie made sure El was ok.
"This is nuts. We have to take her to your mom." Lucas tried to reason. Mike immediately argued back. "No! Eleven said telling any adult would put us in danger." Dustin looked at Mike. "What kind of danger?"
"Her name is Eleven?" Lucas questioned at the same time Dustin asked his question. Mikes turned back to Lucas. "El for short." Dustin raised his voice. "Mike, what kind of danger?" Mike turned back to Dustin and raised his voice as well. "Danger danger." He then proceeded to hold a finger gun up to Dustin head and then Lucas's, like El had done earlier.
Lucas slapped mikes hand down. "No, no, no! We're going back to plan A we're telling your mom." Maddie cut in. "To hell we are Lucas!" Lucas began to storm out of Mikes room and when he opened the door, it slammed shut by itself.
Lucas tried again with the same outcome and the door locked. Maddie watched as El stood from Mikes bed and glared at Lucas, blood running down her nose. "No."
Maddie went to stand next to Mike, freaked out that el just did that with her mind.
MADDIE WAS SAT at the Wheelers table for dinner with the whole Wheeler family, minus Nancy, and with Dustin, and Lucas. Mrs. Wheeler called Nancy down to dinner, and a second later she was at the table.
The four kids were still shocked by Eleven and it ruined their appetite, which Mrs. Wheeler noticed. "Something wrong with the meatloaf?"
The four looked up and Dustin lightly smiled. "Oh, no, I had two bologna sandwiches for lunch. I don't know why." Lucas chuckled a bit. "Me, too."
Mrs. Wheeler looked at maddie. "What about you honey? Everything okay?" Maddie nodded with a smile. "Yeah, sorry, I guess i'm just not that hungry."
Mrs. Wheeler nodded and Nancy looked at her. "It's delicious, mommy." Mrs. Wheeler smiled, obviously not realizing Nancy just wanted something. "Thank you, sweetie."
Mike grabbed his glass of milk before Nancy continued. "So, there's this... special assembly thing tonight.... for Will at the school field. Barbs driving."
Mrs. Wheeler looked at Nancy. "Why am i just hearing about this?" Nancy looked at her innocently. "I thought you knew."
"I told you, I don't want you out after dark until will is found." Nancy didn't even give her mom a second before responding. "I know, I know, but it'd be super weird if i'm not there. I mean, everyone's going."
Mrs. Wheeler sighed. "Just... be back by 10:00." Nancy nodded before Mrs. Wheeler focused her attention back at the four kids who were uncharacteristically quiet.
"Why don't you take the boys and Madison, too?" Mrs. Wheeler offered and all the kids voiced their un-wanting to go.
"Don't you think you should be there? For Will?" Mrs. Wheeler questioned but before the kids could answer, they all watched as El begin walking down the stairs behind Mrs. Wheeler.
This view made Mike spit up the milk he had been drinking and Dustin bang on the table when he saw Mrs. Wheeler about to turn around and see El. Mrs. Wheeler looked at Dustin shocked and the boy looked at her sheepishly. "Sorry. Spasm."
Maddie handed Mike her napkin, to which he smiled a thanks and cleaned up his face. The noise Dustin made scared Holly, who began lowering herself down in her chair.
"It's okay, Holly. It's just a loud noise." Mrs. Wheeler comforted and Nancy looked at dustin with a glare. "Nice."
After dinner, the kids all ran to the basement where El had found her way back to. Maddie held a plate of meatloaf for the girl. "El? No adults. Just us and some meatloaf." Mike smiled as Maddie handed the girl the plate.
El had mikes walkie in her hand as she looked back at Dustin and Lucas. Maddie noticed this and sighed. "They're on our side." Mike nodded. "Yeah, don't worry. They won't tell anyone about you. They promise. Right?" maddie looked up at her friends hoping they'd stick to their word.
Dustin smiled down at El. "We never would've upset you if we knew you had superpowers." Mike punched him for that one.
"What Dustin is trying to say is that they were just scared.... earlier. That's all." Mike explained and Lucas sighed. "We just wanted to find our friend."
El looked at the boy. "Friend?" Lucas looked at El confused. "yeah, friend. Will?" El just looked back at him, not getting it. "What is "friend?"
Lucas looked at his friends. "Is she serious?" Maddie just rolled her eyes at the boy before she smiled at El. "A friend is a person who makes you happy even when you're sad." Maddie and Mike smiled at each other and Mike continued. "A friend is someone you can tell anything. A friend is someone you do anything for." Dustin quickly nodded. "You lend them your cool stuff, like comic books and trading cards." Mike smiled. "and they never break a promise," Lucas finished the explanation for everyone. "Especially when there's spit."
"Spit?" El questioned, not getting what spit had to do with anything. "A spit swear means..." Lucas spat into his hand. "You never break your word." He connected his hand with Dustins before continuing. "It's a bond."
Maddie smiled at El and moved closer to her so only El could hear her once Maddie saw the disgusted look that fell on Els face. "I usually just connect my pinky finger to someone else's as a way to show i mean my promise, a pinky promise if you will." El smiled at the girl.
"That's super important, because friends... they tell each other things. Things that parents don't know."
IT HAD BEEN a bit and the kids, minus El, were huddled together talking when they saw El stand. They all watched as she sat in front of the D&D board.
"What's the weirdo doing?" Lucas questioned and Maddie glared at him. "Don't call her that." The group got closer as El closed her eyes, before grabbing the cleric piece and calling it Will.
"Superpowers." Dustin whispered in awe, since all the other kids knew that was the piece Will always used, but lucas just rolled his eyes. Maddie sat next to El and Mike began questioning her. "Did you see him? On Mirkwood? Do you know where he is?" To that, El threw all the other pieces off the board before turning the board around to the back. She first placed the cleric piece on the black side of the board.
"I don't get it." Maddie frowned, tilting her head to the side as she stared at what El did. To that El looked at Maddie. "Hiding." Mike shook his head, trying to understand. "Will is hiding?" El nodded. "From the bad men?" El shook her head no. "Then from who?"
El then placed the Demogorgon piece next to Wills piece on the board, which led to all the kids looking at each other in worry and confusion.
authors note!
and here's chapter four!