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The blackness surrounding the girl was enveloping. Cool air made what little hair she had on the back of her neck stand on end. She had become accustomed to the cool wet on her feet and the echoing of the voice in the dark. It was something she did often. More often as time passed. Months had gone by now. Still, her powers grew and soon this task felt easier. Less blood seeped from her nose back in the regular world. She used to be afraid of this dark in-between place, but now, it was her only outlet. To him. To where her heart resides.
“El? Are you there? It’s me, Mike,” the voice said. The girl felt her heart flutter and she began to concentrate harder on his voice.
“It’s day 200. I wish you were here,” he said. The girl could see him now. She didn’t speak, he wouldn’t hear her if she did. The connection in her brain wasn’t strong enough yet.
“Today, me and the guys rode our bikes out to the train tracks. All I could do was think of you. Will asked me what was wrong, but... I just told him it was nothing. I know friends aren’t supposed to lie. But I just couldn’t tell him.” He paused then. Taking a deep breath, steadying himself.
“It’s just hard, you know. Not being able to talk to you. To see you. I really miss you.” The boy let a tear fall down his cheek. The girl’s heart broke into a million fragments. She was so strong, but a ghost of the girl she was before.
She reached out for his hand, concentrating so he wouldn’t disappear into a mist. She grasped his hand. For the first time in months, she felt the pain subside and relief flowed through her body.
The boy reacted as if he could feel her touch. And maybe, just maybe, he could.
“El?” he asked. The girl wished she could tell him she was there in words. But holding his hand from miles away would have to suffice.
“Hi.” The boy smiled. He kept his hand still and she knew he was trying to keep the feeling there. He wanted to believe it was real, but his brain was telling him that he was absolutely crazy.
The girl wanted to answer. So badly that tears threatened to spill over, but she kept the connection between them. She was determined.
“I know you’re there, so I’m just gonna talk.... I hope you’re safe. I think you are. How else would you be holding my hand right now.” The boy let a small laugh out. This was the first time he felt her presence. Even if he did think he was going insane.
Something the girl couldn’t hear or see distracted the boy. His face distorted into slight annoyance and he rolled his eyes at someone.
“I’ve gotta go now. I’ll call again soon. Goodbye, El.” The boy vanished into a thin black mist, dissipating into the cool air. The girl’s head pounded.
“Goodbye, Mike.”
——————
This time the girl enters the blackness eagerly. It had been two months since she had been reunited with the boy. Her location no longer a secret to him, she was now allowed to speak.
“El? You there?” The boy’s voice came to her easily now, and he appeared out of thin air without much effort on her part. Her nose did not bleed.
“I’m here.” She smiled at him. Even though he couldn’t see her, the boy found comfort in hearing her voice.
“I missed you. A lot. I know we just spoke yesterday, but...” The boy blushed red, realizing his words.
“I missed you too. A lot.” The girl giggled.
“I wish I could see you,” the boy said.
“I can see you,” the girl answered, slightly teasing him.
“Yeah, I know,” he rolled his eyes. “I meant in person. In the real world.”
“I wish I could see you too. In person.”
“Do you think Hopper would let me come and visit you?” The boy was eager.
“He said soon, but I’m not sure. He promised it would be within a month or so.” The girl looked deep into the boy’s eyes. He couldn’t see her, but looking into his warm eyes was enough for her. Perhaps it was better that he not know how lost she got in his eyes.
“I have a question,” The boy said, hesitant.
“Shoot,” the girl responded.
“If you kissed me in the void, would I be able to feel it?” His blush erupted again, obviously embarrassed by his own question.
“Let’s find out,” the girl managed to say. She leaned into him and kissed him. A kiss very similar to the one they shared at the Snowball.
When the girl leaned away from him, she saw a small smile appear on his face.
“Could you feel it?” she asked, eagerly.
“Yes. It was faint but I could feel it.” He smiled bigger, making her heart flutter even harder in her chest. “Hold my hand?”
The girl reached out for his waiting hand.
They held hands a lot in the void. A connection that was becoming increasingly stronger. And not just in the girl’s brain.
It didn’t matter that they were far away from each other. They could handle the distance.