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"It's the pyrolisks."
Dustin sits with his head in his hands.
"What are we going to do?" He asks desperately.
"It's not the pyrolisks," Lucas says, incredulous. He sits across from Dustin, rolling his eyes. The gesture is easy and familiar.
"It's the pyrolisks. Oh god, what are we gonna do?" Dustin asks again.
Mike smiles from behind his dungeon master's screen.
"Three pyrolisks appear!" He yells, slamming three figurines down on the battle map. Everyone groans. Will looks at them nervously.
"I told you," Dustin yells at Lucas.
"What do you do?" Mike asks.
The boys all turn and look to their fifth companion. Eleven looks at each of them unsurely. Will sits up a bit straighter.
"Confuse them," he says. His smile is confident. Eleven nods. They've done this before, she and Will. They're the magic casters of the group. He's a Wizard. She's a Sorcerer. Dustin's Paladin is a powerful protector, and gives him plenty of room for theatrics, invoking gods as he smites their enemies and heals the party. Lucas' Rogue works well as a counter to Dustin. He likes to tease Dustin, preferring his sneak attacks, yelling and cheering for every d6.
But El and Will both have spells. They work well together, combining their powers to great effect. Dustin likes to bring up the time they threw double fireballs to take out a androsphinx. It was awesome. Lucas always rolls his eyes, Mike always emphatically agrees, and El always blushes.
"I cast confusion," she says.
She grabs a d% and rolls it. Everyone cranes their necks forward as if getting a closer look will somehow make it stop faster.
47%.
The party cheers, Mike smiles, and El blushes.
"The pyrolisks look confused, wandering around, bumping into each other," Mike says mimicking a monster swaying drunkenly.
"Will, what do you do," he asks.
"Don't cast fireball! They're immune to it," Dustin yells.
"Will already knows that, Dustin," Lucas says.
"I cast lightning bolt," Will says. He grabs a few d6 and rolls. The room goes silent.
15.
Everyone cheers.
"The pyrolisks scream in anguish," Mike yells, "Uuuuuugh."
He mimics a monster falling to the ground, writhing in pain. The cheering continues, high fives all around. Mike pops up.
"So..." Dustin says hesitantly, "Is it over?"
"Boys!" Mike's mom yells from the top of the basement stairs, "It's time to wrap it up."
Everyone looks disappointed until Mike says, "How about we keep going with this one next time?"
Dustin and Lucas shout and race up the stairs.
"Jonathan should be here soon to pick us up," Will says to El. After a brief pause and a few knowing glances Will says, "I'll see you upstairs," and runs off before anyone can stop him. El appreciates the opportunity to be alone with Mike. It doesn't happen very often. The boys are almost always around. Especially Will.
El had moved in with the Byers family when she came back. They made some excuses about her being a second cousin and coming to live with them after some family trouble. With what had already happened to their family no one was really asking questions. It was Chief Hopp's idea. He had gotten ahold of some fake documentation to smooth things over. Nobody asked him anything either. Not even El. She didn't know how she made it back. She just knew Hopp was looking out for her.
Mike was sad when he found out what the arrangement was, but brushed it off all cavalier. He didn't mind. He understood. It didn't really bother him. Why would it?
But here they are in his basement. Alone for the first time in days.
"This was fun," El says.
"Yeah?"
"Very fun."
Their eyes meet and there's a brief moment of awkward silence. El begins to speak, but Mike looks away.
"Jonathan is here," Mike's mom calls from the top of the stairs.
"Well," Mike says. "I'll see you later."
Eleven does well in the Byers house. Will fairly enthusiastically agreed to have her in his room with him when they were first figuring things out. He didn't mind having someone else there when it came time to go to sleep. He wouldn't admit it to his family, but he had a lot of trouble sleeping after everything. Having a girl with superpowers around who had killed the thing he had hid from for days made him feel a bit safer. Out of everyone they were the only two that really understood what it's like. What it feels like to be in The Upside Down, and how hard it is to escape it even after you've left. They became fast friends.
Eleven wakes up groggily to the rustling of blankets. It's dark outside still, but there's a light in the room coming from somewhere. From under some blankets. From Will's bed.
He has a blanket draped over himself, tented by his head. The light is coming from a flashlight under there with him. El can barely hear a faint whisper.
If I go there will be trouble
She remembers the song.
If I stay there will be double
He sang it when she found him.
So come on and let me know
He sang it when he was scared.
Should I stay or should---
"Will?" She asks. He goes silent and still. The room is dead quiet. She gets up from her bed and walks over to his.
"Will, are y---"
"What's the password?" he asks.
She pauses to think.
"Saruman," she says.
Will lifts up his blanket and she climbs under across from him. It's almost stiflingly hot. He's holding a flashlight pointed up. He points it to the side and wipes his eyes. He tries to hide it so she doesn't see him crying, but his eyes are red and puffy and give it away.
"I couldn't sleep," he says.
"I know," she says placing a hand briefly on his. She pulls back again and the blanket droops in between so they can't see each other's faces. It makes them giggle.
"You're Professor X," she says suddenly. She can't see him still as he adjusts the blanket a bit, but can hear his confusion.
"What?"
"You're Professor X, and I'm Jean Grey," she says, "I think Dustin is Beast. He always knows things."
"You mean like the X-Men?"
She nods and continues.
"I think Lucas is like Iceman. He... makes fast decisions."
That makes Will laugh.
"And Mike," Will says, "Is like Cyclops?"
"Yeah. A leader."
"But why wouldn't he be Professor X then?"
"Professor X isn't so loud."
This makes Will laugh again. El smiles at the reaction. He helps her sometimes when she has bad dreams. She's happy she can help him too.
"Professor X thinks,” she continues, “And keeps everyone together."
Will nods, but she can only tell because the blanket droops more. They both giggle.
"I think I can sleep now," Will says.
She nods and gets out from under the blanket. The cool air feels good on her face. She feels lighter somehow. Will clicks off the flashlight and El feels her way through the dark back to bed. It doesn't take her long to fall back asleep.
"Birthday?" El asks confused.
"You don't know what a birthday is?" Lucas asks.
"It's the day you were born," Dustin explains.
"I'm pretty sure she got that from the name, genius," Lucas says.
"It's a day you get to have a party," Will says.
"And you get presents!" Dustin exclaims.
"Like Christmas?" El asks.
"Yeah, but all of the gifts are for you," Mike says. "So when is your birthday?"
El looks confused. She feels like she should have an answer but she doesn't.
"Birth certificate," Dustin says.
"Oh yeah," Will says. "It would be on your birth certificate."
"You have one, right?" Mike asks.
"Yeah," Dustin says, "The Chief must have made---"
Lucas smack him on the chest.
"Ow."
"Don't ask about that stuff, man," he hisses quietly.
"I can ask my mom," Will says.
"Thank you," Dustin says. Lucas rolls his eyes.
"We can have a big party for you and everything," Mike says smiling at her. She smiles back and there's a brief pause. Dustin interrupts and Mike looks away.
"So,” Dustin says, “Should we just go or..."
Lucas smacks him again. Mike looks away. Will, ever the diplomat, pipes up.
"I'm hungry," he says. "Maybe we should grab something to eat downstairs?"
They all agree it's a good plan, Mike a little more readily than the rest. He looks a bit frustrated and a lot blushing, but El doesn't really understand why.
El doesn't know what happened. She can't remember how she got here. It's dark. Her feet are wet. She can see horizon on every side, but it's nothing but a black expanse. She's back there.
Eleven is back in that place.
That dark place in her mind. Or in the Upside Down. She was never quite sure. All she was sure of is that she was scared. She is scared now and she doesn't know how to get back.
She chooses a direction and starts running, but there is nothing and she knows it. She yells for help. She yells for Michael or Will or Joyce or Jonathan. For anyone.
Please.
A loud crack rumbles all around her. Thunder. She hates thunder. Crack. Another one. Crack crack. She can't get away. Each one is a burst of light filling everything, nothing but a searing light so bright it hurts her eyes. It gives way to the darkness and then crack the thunder comes again.
But now a warmth against the fingers of her right hand. Starting right at the tips, slowly radiating through her hand. Each crack feels a bit quieter now. She hears someone calling her name, but the sound is muddled like it's coming through water.
El.
The warmth comes up through her arm. The thunder becomes almost a whisper. Sudden, but dull. The light becomes gentle like the sun at dusk. The warmth slides easily across her shoulder and down into her chest and envelopes her heart. She feels comfort and happiness. Like being held by someone you love and who loves you. She hears her name called again, a little clearer now.
El.
The voice is familiar. It's comforting.
El.
"Mike?"
Her eyes open to a worried face. Mike's face.
"El, are you okay?"
She nods yes, her eyes welling up with tears. She slowly orients herself to her surroundings and finds that she is laying on a floor. She sits up with Mike's help. She hears the crack of thunder and grabs Mike.
"It's a storm. It knocked out the power."
She nods, sits herself up straighter and, tries to compose herself. She still feels that warmth in her heart.
"Mike," she says.
"Yeah?"
She leans and gives him a gentle kiss. Mike freezes in place. Their eyes meet.
"I-I thought," he stammers, "I thought that you, well, that you and, you liked Will."
His eyes go to dart away, but she gently pushes his face back with her palm. His face is warm against her hand.
"Will is Friend," she says. She leans in again to give him a kiss. Mike does not freeze this time. He leans in too. El feels the warmth in her heart. Their eyes meet just a little bit shyly, but Mike does not look away.