PLEASE READ BOLD:
This actually isn't a one shot. With one of my other fandoms, when I started another story, I always put the first chapter of the story on my one shot book. So, this is the first chapter of my new Stranger Things story called: Flash Forward.
But, this also could count for that one prompt where El goes back to explore unless you guys want a separate chapter where its just her. Let me know.
Anyway, I also need to say a few things before you begin reading: I've got a few headcanons that I used in this chapter and will be using in this story so just bear with me here as I list them:
Lucas is like an older brother in El's life. I kind of got that vibe from him in season 3 when he was saying how she was going to need back up. Like, he was one of the only people out of them who genuinely cared about her safety, not just the worlds. (whereas Dustin is that crazy best friend and Will is more of her like twin/best friend type figure)
I always imagined as El (in the future) being either a nurse, a therapist, or a school counselor because I feel like it just suits her. In this, I'm thinking she's going to be a school counselor at Hawkins High. And for Mike, he's either an author or a science teacher because that also fits him. In this story I think I'm going for both. (They got married at age 20/21)
And also, Will is very supportive of Mike and El's relationship, like he just loves them because his sister and best friend are just so happy. And like, yeah, he's just really happy for them and really always has been after El became his sister.
Yes, season 3 did happen! BUT: Hopper is alive and is happily dating Joyce and because of what they've through together, they live together with El and Will (Jonathan went away to college)
So that's that.
Summary: One bright and sunny May afternoon, The Party, go to explore the abandoned Hawkins Lab, and somehow get pulled ten years into the future. There, they need to figure out how to get back with the help of a few familiar faces.
Friday, May 16, 1986
Maybe it was the warm weather, and the fact she was wearing jeans and a T-shirt, or maybe it was the fact that she was standing in front of the place she once called home that was making her sweat. The building seemed to loom over her mockingly as if to say: What a fool! You finally escaped and now you're going back in? HA! Her fingers tightened around her backpack strap, her knuckled turning white in the process. She stared straight in front of her, her caramel eyes set in a cold gaze.
"Are you guys sure this is a good idea?" Mike asked from beside her.
El could feel his stare on the side of her head but she knew for a fact that he wasn't talking to her. Exploring the seemingly abandoned Hawkins Lab had no way, in any shape or form, had been her idea. Just a few hours ago she was safe in Mike's basement, snuggled up into his side while their friends made fun of them for being all "fluffy". But halfway through their Star Wars marathon, Dustin and Max, being the adventurous and daring people they were, had offered a plan to explore the lab. Lucas had agreed right away but the other three had been more hesitant. Somehow, they had persuaded El into agreeing.
So now she was standing in front of the main doors of the Lab, the place that had taken almost everything away from her, the place where she endured the torture of being an experiment, the place she once thought was her home. The place where she was only an experiment, a number, no where near a normal human being.
From a few feet in front of her, Max snorted, breaking El out of her unhealthy thoughts. "Yes, it's a good idea, maybe even great. No one said it was a safe idea, but who cares?" She rolled her eyes in Mike's direction as she shouldered her backpack, then peered into the glass double doors. "It's totally empty. Besides, what's life without a little bit of risk, huh, Micheal?"
"I hate you," Mike said and El glanced over at him then, only to find that he was no longer looking at her but at Max, his eyes fixed in a glare, but then his shoulders slumped and he sighed. "It's just last time I was in there..."
El frowned and furrowed her brows, reaching over to grab his hand, squeezing it comfortingly in which she received a soft smile from the boy himself in return. "Hey," she spoke softly, "It's going to be okay. Nothing can hurt... us in there, okay?"
"Okay," Mike breathed, fully believing her.
"Oh, God, you two make me sick, you know?" Dustin fake gagged from his spot beside Max. "We came her to explore, to fulfill our voyage of curiosity, not to watch you two shitheads smile all lovey dovey at each other- guys!"
"Asshole," Mike muttered so only El could hear.
Lucas rolled his eyes. "Guys, enough. Are we going in or what?"
"We would if the damn door wasn't locked!" Max exclaimed, exasperated as she tugged on the handle bars.
Will, who hadn't spoken since the minute this idea was proposed, finally spoke up, "You act like there isn't a person here who can open the door with the flick of her head," he deadpanned, not very enthusiastic about what they were about to do.
El, understanding what was implied, focused on the doors and with a slight jerk of her head upwards, the doors flew open. She brought her hand up to wipe her nose but found no blood, it was simply just a habit to do so now.
Without so much as a 'thank you', the six teens stepped inside.
Right away, an odd sensation washed over El, cold and menacing. Something in the back of her head screamed to turn back, this wasn't a good idea. She took a deep breath, shaking the thoughts away from her head, thinking it was just the PTSD that had slowly faded over the years, and fished out her flashlight, turning it on. Her eyes dancing around the empty room, one that she couldn't quite remember since she had always been kept on the second floor.
"We should go up," She said, her voice echoing off the bare white walls. Her friends stared it her quizzically and she clarified, "If you want to see anything with exploring, we should go up." She pointed her flashlight over to the right, the beam of light hitting a stairwell.
"Oh, right," Max said then began walking to the stairs, glancing behind her shoulder and groaned. "Don't just stand there. I'm not going alone."
Mike took the open opportunity and mocked, "Why? Is Maxine scared?"
"You know what? I hate you too," Max snapped. "Glad we agree on something. Now, come on!"
Their footsteps echoed loudly as they bounded up the stairs all at once, their noses crinkling as they passed a spot with dried blood, and finally reached the top. Their flashlights lit up the long endless corridors as they walked, their footsteps and breathing the only thing audible. They kept going, only stopping to look inside a few empty rooms that had nothing special inside, usually just a table, a chair, and a bed.
Tightening her grip on the flashlight, El tried to keep her breathing even though the closer they came to nearing an all too familiar room, she couldn't help like she would soon start to hyperventilate. Memories flashed through her mind, ones where she couldn't complete an experiment correctly and she'd be punished. The badmen would grab her arms- PAPA! - and drag her to the closet- NO! -locking her in there for days in the dark without food or water. El blinked, and gasped once the flashback faded.
"What?" Mike was instantly by her side, wrapping an arm around her. "What's wrong?"
Though she couldn't see him in the darkness without flashing the light in his beautiful brown eyes, El knew he was staring at her in concern. She swallowed the painful lump that had formed in her throat and shook her head. "Nothing." She tried for a smile but was sure it came out as an awkward grimace.
He held her gaze for a few more seconds before nodding slowly.
"Woah," Max's voice cut through their moment. "What'd they use this for?"
Frowning, El turned around and felt the odd sensation wash over her again as she stepped out of Mike's grasp, and walked closer to Max, peering into the room... the room. Nothing had changed about it at all. The same black walls and floors, the same door made of hard metal, no windows or exits. The "timeout" room.
"Um." She swallowed thickly. "It's... nothing."
"Mhm," Max hummed, not bothering to glance over at El to catch her anxiously looking into the room, a look of dread filling her once warm eyes. Max moved her flashlight beam up to the ceiling ad back down to the floor. "Not even a vent?"
El shrugged. "It was warm in there during summer."
At that, Max turned to look at El, as did the rest of their friends. "How do- how do you know that?" Her electric blue eyes moved between the "closet" and El's face, her copper eyebrows knitting together in confusion.
"I... lived here, remember?" El said, trying to move away from the subject. Though she hadn't been there in over two years, she'd never really talked about anything in great detail, it made the nightmares and flashbacks worse.
"That wasn't your room was it?" Lucas asked, coming to stand beside El, placing his hand on her shoulder for comfort. It was a known fact that he acted like an older brother to her, as did most of the party (beside Mike and Max), but his brotherly feelings were much more noticeable than the rest. Dustin... well, he was more of the crazy best friend.
"No..." El trailed off, her eyes drifting to the end of the hallway where it turned into another one where her bedroom was. "This was- they threw me in there when I didn't listen." She blinked back biting tears and turned around. "Come on, I'll show you my room... the most welcoming part of this hell hole."
Her friends stared at her for a minute, surprised by her cold tone of voice, one that she rarely used unless she was telling someone (or something) that she highly disliked to go away. They quickly snapped out of their funk and began following her to the other end, and she paused in front of the door, focusing on it, and it swung open. She directed her flashlight into the room, no, her old bedroom.
She stepped inside and somehow the yellow light landed on the same exact bed she had spent many nights wishing everything would stop. Her heart quickened its pace as she saw the old stuffed cat Papa had given her as an award for being such a good girl while her hair was being shaved off. Her eyes drifted to the table beside her bed and landed on the plant Papa had given her as a gift. It was still green... implying that it wasn't even real.
Something burned inside her as she stared into the room that had once brought her comfort, but now, as she stood there, it didn't seem like a room. It seemed like a prison which is had been the whole time, only guarded by lies from the person who claimed to be her father. Comparing this room, to the one she had back at the Byers' or in the cabin with Hop, this wasn't comforting it all. It made bile rise to her throat, and a burning sensation linger behind her eyes.
Her breath quickened, not because she was scared, but because she was angry. El could practically feel the steam pouring out of her ears. Her vision turned red. How had she just let them do that to her? Keep her in this prison for twelve years? Making her believe this what a home was like.
Before she could lose control and destroy the hole room, she felt someone grab her arm and gently pull her out of the room, closing the door behind them. That's when she realized the angry tears that had started rolling down her cheeks. Not wanting anyone to see her vulnerable, she wiped them away, took a deep breath, and straightened up.
"Let's keep going," El said, her voice hard and determined.
"Are you sure-?" Mike asked, catching up to her and lacing their fingers together.
El nodded. "Yes." She turned down another corridor and pushed open the first door to the left, her face contorting into one of confusion. This room didn't seem familiar at all. Although, she hadn't been explored the whole lab before... but this was the floor where she was held captive, a place she knew very well and she never once seen this room. "I don't remember this."
"Sweet!" Dustin cheered, his voice growing louder as it bounced off the walls.
"Should we go in?" Will asked as he came to stand beside his sister (sure their parent had only been dating for nine months but both of them were pretty sure they were going to get married sometime in the future). "Or is it too dangerous?"
"You three are wusses!" Max pushed her way through them and stepped into the room, nodding slowly as she looked around. "It's a wreck, that's for sure."
Stepping inside, El got a feeling that she should run as far away from this room as she could get. The same dreadful feeling she had felt before even walking inside the building grew stronger as she took more steps into the room. Funny thing was that the room was... empty, all except for one lonely chair. The room wasn't very big itself, maybe the size of that prison she once called her room so as more of her friends entered, the more cramped it became.
"The hell?" Dustin whispered as a screeching noise started filming the room, causing their stomachs to drop and their heart to rise into their throats. "What's going on!?" He yelled through the noise, dropping his flashlight so he could cover his ears.
El's breathing became more ragged and the room seemed to start to spin, and she felt something warm start slowly spilling from her nose. Her head felt like it was caving in on herself and her hands began to shake. But oddly, she didn't feel tired, or sick, or hurt. Something was not right.
Next to her, Will dropped to his knees, holding his hands in his head.
Apparently, she wasn't the only one feeling this spinning sensation. Over to the far wall, Dustin was stumbling around like he was drunk, screaming about Russian elevators and how this was an awful like that. Max, who was still by the door, looked out of breath and a bit green as she tried to open the door while Lucas sat against the wall, his head also in his hands. And Mike, oh gods, where was Mike?
El whipped her head around, her eyes darting around the room until they landed on Mike who was still standing, covering his ear, and his eyes were tightly shut. She let out a breath she didn't know she was holding.
"The door is jammed!" Max shouted over the screeching.
"Uh, guys!" Dustin shouted then raised his voice even more, "GUYS!"
Everyone looked over at him and saw him pointing at something on the ground. The flashlights. They were all flickering on and off, rattling against the ground as it spun. Okay, so maybe they weren't going crazy and something really bad was going to happen.
As soon as El was going to speak up, it all stopped.
She quickly wiped her nose before anyone could see, sighing when her head seemed to physically loosen once she screeching stopped. She glanced around and noticed that everyone else had recovered just as equally. Will, who had just looked like he was going to blow up seconds before, now looked perfectly fine. Like nothing had ever happened.
"We should go," Will said, grabbing his flashlight off the ground. "This is weird."
By the door, Ma shrieked, causing everyone to whip around, ready to fight but nothing was there, only Max who was lying on the floor, laughing. "I got it open!" She exclaimed as she bounced back onto her feet. "Man, that was so cool!"
"Cool!?" Mike gave her an incredulous look as he accepted the flashlight El handed to him. "That was anything but cool," He huffed, readjusting his backpack straps that slipped off his shoulders while the room was spinning. "The room was spinning, there was an awful shrieking noise, and my head felt like it was about to explode!"
El turned to face him as they began walking down the hallway. "You felt it too?"
"Felt what? My head caving in on itself?" Mike asked and she nodded. "Yeah."
"I think we all did," Will said from the other side of her, earning nods from Lucas, Dustin, and Max. "It was weird but hopefully it was nothing, and that we don't have to worry about it because-" He took inhaled and exhaled deeply before continuing. "-I am done with all this creepy stuff."
"Let's just... go back to my house and forget it every happened," Mike offered as they walked down the stairwell, almost tripping over his own feet but luckily El caught the back of his shirt before he could fall. He gave her a smile.
Lucas nodded. "We can just finish our Star Wars marathon."
"I don't know man," Dustin sighed and pushed open the double doors, stepping out into the fresh air that didn't smell like a doctor's office. "That's going to be really hard to forget. Maybe we shouldn't ignore it because... it's the lab, you know?"
"He's got a point," Will agreed then added, "Why did we walk? It's hot out here."
El frowned and slipped her hand into Mike's. Something seriously wasn't right. The atmosphere felt off... it was too warm and far too bright to be five in the afternoon in early May. She could have sworn it was just barely 60 degrees (Fahrenheit) and now it was just barely 70 degrees (Fahrenheit)? It didn't seem right. Nothing seemed right.
"Is it just me or was this road... not black like two hours ago?" Lucas asked as they started on the main road that lead to the cul-de-sac Mike lived on. "Wasn't it just all rocky and rough and falling apart?"
Another reason why something was very off.
And she was not the only one who realized it.
"They couldn't have possibly fixed this road in two hours and have it dried in that short amount of time," Mike said, his eyebrows furrowed. "Anyone else get the sense that something is seriously wrong?"
"It seems off," El spoke up quietly, her facial expression identical to Mike's. "It got warmer... as it got later. The road is now fixed in two hours. I don't see how anything is possible." She squeezed Mike's hand on instinct, it had became a habit that whenever she was troubled, squeezing his hand always made it seem just a little bit better.
They came across the busier roads, and that's when things really started going downhill. The cars... the new bill board... the new shops and restaurants. Had Hawkins gotten bigger? Or were they all just losing their minds? The cars... El had never seen anything like them, and she could tell neither did her friends.
"Uh, guys, did you read that new bill board?" Dustin asked, pointing it it.
El frowned. Why was a bill board important right now? But, nonetheless, she turned to look at it and found herself as equally surprised as Dustin when she read it. This had got to be some sick joke because- because that just wasn't possible. For all she knew, her boyfriend was not an author, just a freshman in high school.
Her eyes scanned the words one last time to make sure she was seeing it correctly:
The novel: 'Friends Don't Lie', a Stranger Things story, written by Micheal Wheeler, is now published and being sold at all book stores and even your local grocery store! Get it now before they all run out!
"Maybe they're talking about a different Micheal Wheeler?" Mike offered, but as the words left his mouth, he looked like he didn't even believe them.
"There's not another one in Hawkins," Lucas said.
Mike rolled his eyes as they continued walking. "No shit," he sarcastically stated. "If the book is on a billboard, it's gotta be pretty popular so, really, the author could be anywhere right now, not just in Hawkins," he told them in a 'duh' tone, holding onto El's hands tighter as they past a few bystanders who looked at them oddly, their eyes glancing them up and down, always stopping on their hair.
A few minutes later they were walking by Hawkins High School, since it was a faster route to Mike's house, and nearly tripped over each other as they read the banner that hung from the roof, being pushed, by the wind, flat against the front of the building.
Hawkins High's Prom on Saturday, May 17, 1996
"What the hell?" Lucas voiced their thoughts. "How'd this happen?"
El bit her lip. She knew something was off... but she wasn't expecting this. She was more expecting for some supernatural monster to jump out from behind a tree and like, devour all of her friends. But, this would explain the cars, all the new buildings/houses and roads, and why people were giving them odd looks because of their hair and clothes. They weren't in the 80's anymore, and though it frightened her a bit, El felt a bit relieved that she wouldn't have to be dealing with any paranormal forces.
"Temporal Prime," Dustin announced, sounding proud. "That's what's happening here."
"What's that even mean?" Lucas shared a weird look with Max before turning back to the bard of the party, not quite understanding what he was saying. "And what does it have to do with that?" He gestured with his right arm wildly to the banner.
Will piped up, looking like he understood. "D&D," He clarified and they all nodded, but were still confused on why it was important. He added, "It's a time travel spell. Each separate time line is like a river in space, then it's possible o time travel to any time-line river that's directly connected with your time line-"
"Yes, but," Dustin continued, "It's actually a separate plane on it's own. As Will had just explained, it is a place where there are endless rivers of different times. But it also can be used as a vehicle to travel through time and space, leading to: Time travel!" He spread his arms to emphasize his point.
Yup, they were nerds, and they new that but they weren't really bothered with it. Of course, they could only go so far with scientific knowledge, but further than that, there was a loss. But with the stuff they've seen, there was barely any scientific ways to explain that, so they regularly turn to the one thing they all fully understand: D&D.
"Uh, yeah, no way. That- that can't be possible." Max crossed her arms, not ready to believe anything as bizarre as this. Which El found kind of strange considering the red head was best friends with a girl with super powers... literally. "I get we've seen some crazy shit, literally just ten minutes ago, but time travel? That''s just- no."
Dustin rolled his eyes, clearly getting irritated. "Then how do you explain the banner that is advertising something that's ten years into the future?" He challenged, also crossing his arms indignantly.
"He's really got a point, Max," Will said. "We've seen some crazy things. I mean, your best friend has super powers and-" He paused, looking cautiously at El before continuing, "-was held captive in Hawkins Lab for twelve years, and remember the Demogorgon?"
"You know, Byers," Max started, "I liked you better when you weren't such a smartass."
"It's just cause Hopper's living with him," Lucas piped up and the party broke out into laughter.
Max's smile wiped off her face as she remembered what they were discussing. "This is super insane. Just ten minutes ago that room was spinning and messing with out heads and now we're ten years into the future? It's insane."
"So..." Lucas drawled, trying to break the awkward silence that followed her words. "What do we do now? But first, how did we even get here?" He asked as they started walking again, still heading for Mike's house.
"Maybe the room had something to do with it," Will said. "Everything was fine until we went in there."
"I don't know. Maybe this is just some joke kids are playing on people," Mike said. "Let's just go back to my house and see for sure. Then we can figure everything out."
They all nodded in agreement and kept on walking, talking quietly among themselves about Star Wars, D&D, and other nerdy things. Well, all except for El who stayed quiet the whole time, deep in thought. How had they gotten here? They had to have somehow. But it just didn't make sense, nothing matched up with anything. The room spinning? There was nothing that could have made that happen. The headache? That didn't even make sense. Her nosebleed? She was worried she had done something that lead them here, even though she knew that was just a rational fear.
She couldn't shake the feeling that this wasn't a joke. The moment she stepped into that lab, she had felt like something wasn't right. Why hadn't she just told them not to leave when she sensed that it was dangerous to be in there? Now they were stuck in the future and had no idea how to get back into the past, and who knows how long it will be until they'll be back. Their parents will be so worried, they had all told them that they were just going to be at the movies and be back at Mike's by dinner time.
As they walked into the cul-de-sac, and neared Mike's house, that's when she knew this was not some joke. Sure, the house looked the exact same and so did the yard, but there was a garden that wasn't there before. And instead of three cars being in the driveway, there was only one and she had never seen it before, and she had been to Mike's too many times to count. Not to mention the outside of the house seemed to be repainted.
"Unless your mom could plant a garden in two hours, this isn't a joke," Dustin voiced her thoughts as he noticed the differences. "And who's car is that? And where are your parents' cars?" He raised an eyebrow. "See? We really did time travel. Now I don't know how but-"
"Jut shut up, dusty bun," Max said sarcastically, smirking when he flipped her off.
Mike rolled his eyes at their antics. "Let's just... go knock on the door. Maybe they just got a new car or someone is visiting and their cars are in the garage." He shrugged and walked up the front steps, his friends behind him, and rang the doorbell.
Though it was only seconds, it had felt like hours (to El) until the sound of feet hitting against the floor sounded from inside, and the door was unlocked before it opened just a crack, then opening wider. A tall girl with blonde hair tied up into a ponytail and blue eyes, maybe a few years older than them, gave them a confused look then said, "I don't want any cookies or popcorn."
She moved to close the door but Max stepped forward, placing her foot between the door and the frame. The girl raised an eyebrow and Max said, "We're not selling cookies. We're looking for Wheeler Family. Do you, by any chance, know them?"
"Yes, I'm Holly Wheeler. Now why?"
They all gaped at her. So, they really had time traveled.
The girl- Holly leaned against the door frame and crossed her arms, then narrowed her eyes as she took in each and every one of their faces. "You guys really look familiar. Do you guys go to Hawkins High? Freshman?" She asked kindly. "What are your names?"
None of them answered, which confused El. This was Holly Wheeler, not some stranger. She didn't see the problem with telling her who they were, from the past or not. She removed her hand from Mike's before she drawled attention to herself, "I'm, uh, Jane," She stated but it came out more as a question, not sure if she should have used 'El' instead, but by the looks her friends were giving her, she made a good choice.
At that Holly's jaw dropped as something seemed to click behind her eyes, and she nearly tripped over her own feet. "You have got to be shitting me," She muttered under her breath, her eyes as wide as saucers. The blue irises traveled over to the tallest out of the younger teens and her jaw seemed to drop even wider. "Mike!? I have got to be dreaming," She laughed. "This is ridiculous! You look... fourteen! This is insane."
"That's what I said," Max muttered but Holly didn't seem to notice.
"Well." Lucas puffed out his cheeks. "Our cover's blown."
"As if there ever was one," Dustin mumbled.
Holly furrowed her brows. "How's this even possible? This has got to be a joke." She chuckled softly and shook her head before cupping her hands over her mouth and yelling: "GOOD ONE, MIKE! YOU CAN COME OUT NOW!" Though, no one popped out from any bushed or trees or from behind a house. The kids in front of her just stared at her weirdly.
"You know, I'm right here, right?" Mike asked. "And yes, this is crazy because somehow you're my little sister ten years into the future and we somehow got ten years into the future..."
"Don't tell her too much," Will muttered so only he could hear. "We don't want to mess up the time line."
Mike rolled his eyes. "No, it won't. We're from the past. If we were from the future... that would be a different story."
Yeah, El was so confused. Sure, she listened to what Dustin and Will had explained about time lines and all that stuff but she still didn't quite understand. How could telling Holly something mess up the time line? Or the other way around? This was one of the times she really wished she had a normal childhood and grew up with her friends... that way she'd know more about what they were talking about half the time, but at least she was lucky to find them nonetheless.
"We still can't screw anything up," Dustin intervened.
"Oh my God," Holly said. "You guys are not kidding." They shook their heads simultaneously. "There is no way. How- what?" She shook her head as if to clear her thoughts. "Okay, um, I'm calling Mike." She pursed her lips before spinning around and marching back into the house, calling over her shoulder, "You guys can come in. Just, uh, stay in the doorway please."
El glanced over at her friends, not knowing what to do. Since they can't apparently say things because it might mix up the time lines, do they go in? Or do they stay out? This whole thing was so wildly confusing, it made her head hurt. But once they started moving inside, she followed them, shutting the door behind them with her mind.
She watched as Holly walked into the kitchen which was pretty much right across from where they were standing, and grabbed something off the island, flipping it open. She used her thumbs to tap something into it before holding it up to her ear, bouncing her leg anxiously, something she's seen her do even as a six year old when she's waiting for her mom to get off the phone.
"I really want to act surprised," Lucas said, "but considering we're in the future I probably shouldn't shout out that she's holding a... portable phone."
Holly looked over at the party and rolled her eyes. "You're all lucky my parents aren't home till tomorrow. Hopefully Mike will be able to get you back where you came from with all his scientific knowledge stuff." She waved her free hand in the air.
"Um, I can't get us back?" Mike looked at her in confusion.
She rolled her eyes again. "Not you. The... future Mike."
"Oh," Mike muttered.
A couple more seconds passed before Holly's face brightened, "Mike!" The party tried to listen in to the other line but found it impossible by the space between them and Holly. "I'm fine... yes, I know you're at work but something really weird just happened... I don't know!... Tell them you're sick and you need to go to the doctor...It's important, Mike!... No, Mom and Dad aren't home... Mike!" She rolled her eyes. "You're an ass... Yes, our parents'... Come quick... Thank you," She sighed as she flipped the phone shut and rubbed her forehead.
"You hear that Mike?" Dustin nudged him teasingly with his elbow. "You're an ass."
Mike shoved him away. "Shut up."
Holly rolled her eyes at their bickering. "Well, Mike will be here in a few minutes and you guys better not be lying because if you are, Mike will be mad at me and I'll call the cops and-"
"We're not joking!" Dustin practically shouted, obviously annoyed. El jumped slightly at his sudden outburst. "Why do you think we'd lie about something like this!? We somehow time traveled and just need help getting home because I promised my mom I'd be there for dinner and she's making my favorite meal!"
El stifled a laugh.
"You think this is funny?" Dustin snapped, causing El to roll her eyes.
"Lay off, Dustin," Mike grumbled.
"Holly's right, you really are an ass," Dustin said. "I can't miss dinner."
"Enough!" Holly shouted. "God, where did I sign up to do this? Am I getting paid?" She muttered mostly to herself as she rubbed her forehead again then sighed. "Okay, you guys can go take a look around because if I went to the future, I'd want to as well." They started moving toward the basement. "Just don't steal anything!"
As they walked deeper into the house, Mike was met by something that felt oddly familiar. Well, it should since this is- was his house at some point. He could tell that over the years the walls had been repainted with a nice creamy white color, some of the ugly wallpaper was gone but some of it was still there in some places. Most of the furniture had been replaced, including his father's La-Z-Boy, and in it's place was a nice cushioned, regular, chair with puffy arms. How his mom convinced his dad to get rid of it, he had no idea. It was the same house through and through just... different.
Mike wandered away from the group (they were looking at pictures of some brown haired boy who looked to be around two) and wandered to the basement stairs, pushing the door open, and turning on the light. From his spot of the stairs, he could see his dad's La-Z-Boy sitting down there in front of the TV. Ah, so they didn't get rid of it. He slowly walked down the stairs, stopping at the last step, and looked around, his heart clenching when he noticed the fort he had made a couple years ago for El was gone. He had always though he would keep that up. His eyes drifted over to where him and the party would play D&D for hours straight only to find the table stacked with boxes.
Shrugging, Mike turned around only to almost run into someone. "Oh sorry," he laughed quietly once he realized who it was. "I was just seeing if everything was still there." He shrugged again and grabbed El's hand, giving it a squeeze. She smiled. "It's not, but that's okay."
"Eh, you can fix it once we go back," El told him, her words washing over him like a trance.
He didn't know how she did it, but literally anything she said calmed him. As long as it wasn't anything against him or a friend which it rarely ever was after last summer. That had been a wild ride of emotions but at least it was over. "What brought you down here?" He asked her.
"I noticed you disappeared." She let his hand go as they started walking up the stairs, turning off the light when they reached the top, and she shut the door with her hind this time behind them, not wanting to waist her powers in useless ways. "Wanted to find you."
Will saw them first when they entered the kitchen and smiled, tilting his head up toward the staircase. "Ever wonder how much your room has changed?" He asked, and the other party member looked over at them, smirks tugging on their lips.
Then they were all running up the stairs (except the girls who walked slowly behind), shoving and shouting at each other to move out of the way, each one of them wanting to see Mike's room first. "It's my room!" Mike yelled, shoving Dustin away from the door so he could open it himself, peering inside.
It was nothing extraordinary, just a bed, still twin sized but with a new deep blue comforter. Unlike the table down in the basement, there was only two boxes that sat on his desk that he ever rarely used (unless he was studying). There was a bookshelf that was collecting dust from just sitting there for so long, littered with things that apparently the future Mike hadn't felt a need to bring to college or his new home, assuming he no longer lived there.
"There's nothing there," Dustin deadpanned.
"Yeah. Boringgg," Max sing songed.
"Obviously," Holly said, matter- of -factly, from behind them, causing the younger teens to jump, not knowing she was there at all. "He doesn't live here anymore. He's twenty-five. Now go back down stairs and wait in the living room. Enough snooping."
They rolled their eyes and trudged down the stairs, this time their footsteps didn't echo off the walls, and they soon found themselves plopping down on the couch. Well, Dustin sat on the floor in between Lucas's and Mike's legs, his back leaning against the couch. They faced that chair, assuming either Holly or future Mike would want to sit there when he arrives.
Sooner than later, a knock sounded from the other side of the door and Holly rushed to get it, and the younger teens strained their ears to listen in on the hushed voices but still only could make out a few words: going, see, yourself.
"Holly, if you made me get off work early just so you could pull some sick prank on me or some other shit..." A deep, raspy, yet familiar voice trailed off in a warning tone, the voice becoming louder until the figure was standing in the doorway to the living room though he was looking back at Holly.
"I'm not!" She defended. "Just look!"
Then the man turned his head, his eyes widening. "Holy shit."
So, yeah. Want to read more? Go find my story on my page. I'm hoping to have chapter 2 posted before tomorrow. I really hope you like it if you do decide to read it!