Chapter Six: Hiding

After the whole locking-the-door fiasco, we moved El back down to the basement, where I sat with her while the boys headed upstairs for dinner. She sat under the table in her little fort, and I sat across from her, asking her questions. I was actually grateful for the opportunity to get my own answers before we had to get anyone else involved.

"So you saw me...in the other place?" I asked. She nodded. "Did you recognize me when you saw me yesterday." She shook her head.

"Dreams." I nodded.

"Yeah...you were in my dreams last night too." I said honestly. "But Will is there right now?" She nodded. "But the...creatures, from the other place, they're not the ones that are looking for you?" She shook her head again. "Look, El...if there's anything that you can tell me about the other place-"

"Guys?" My question was cut off and I turned around to see the boys, carrying a tray with two plates on it. "No adults. Just as and some meatloaf." He put the tray down, handing me one of the plates.

"Thanks." I said, picking up a fork and beginning to eat it. El looked at Lucas and Dustin warily.

"Don't worry. They won't tell anyone about you. They promised. Right?" He looked back at his friends.

"We never would have upset you if we knew you had superpowers." Dustin said, earning a punch to the leg from Mike. "Ow!" 

"What Dustin is trying to say is that they were just scared...earlier. That's all."

"We just wanted to find our friend."

"Friend?" She asked, clearly unfamiliar with the word.

"Yeah, friend? Will?"

"She doesn't know what that means." I clarified, looking back at her.

"What is 'friend'?"

"Is she serious?"

"Mike?" I prompted. He reached back, punching Lucas. "Ow! What was that for?!"

"Show a little sensitivity, why don't you?" I shot back, turning to look at her again. "A friend is...um...geez how do I explain this, um..."

"Its someone that you'd do anything for." Mike told her.

"You lend them cool stuff, like Comic books and trading cards." Dustin added.

"And they never break a promise."

"Especially when there's spit." Lucas said. I scrunched my nose up in disgust.

"Spit?"

"A spit swear means," He spit in his hand, "You never break your word." He shook Dustin's hand and I turned back to her.

"Ignore that last part. They're boys, boys are gross." She smiled at this. "But they are right, friends tell each other things."

"Things that parents don't know." Mike clarified.

"Like maybe, together...we can help explain where we think Will, is, yeah?" I suggested. She nodded, her eyes looking at something over my shoulder. She got up, walking over to the table, which had a dungeons and dragons board set up on top of it. She sat down, putting her hands on top of it and closing her eyes. I furrowed my eyebrows.

"El?" Mike asked. She picked up a little wizard figurine, holding it up in front of her face.

"Will." She said.

"Superpowers." I looked at them.

"Is that his piece?" I added. They nodded and Mike sat down beside her.

"Did you see him? On Mirkwood?" Mike asked.

"Not Mirkwood." I said. She pushed the pieces off of the board, flipping it over so the black side was showing. I furrowed my eyebrows. She grabbed the wizard, putting him down in the middle of the board. "Wait...upside down?" I asked. She nodded. "Is that what its called? The Upside Down?" She nodded again.

"What what is called?" Lucas asked.

"What's the upside down?" Mike threw in. I sighed, pressing a now shaking hand over my mouth.

"Um...its where I went when I went missing." I said "Its hard to explain, it's sort of like...its like our world, but it isn't. There's no people, and its dark and terrifying."

"And you've been there?" Dustin asked. I nodded.

"I was trapped there for a year." I stated.

"And you think Will is there now?" Mike questioned. "Well what is he doing there?"

"Hiding." Eleven said. I stood up, walking away from them and wrapping my arms around myself as tears welled up in my eyes. I wanted to be sure but now that I know...

"Hiding from what?" She put something else down, and I turned around to see that it was a monster figurine. The boys shared a look and Dustin put his hands on his head.

"Does that have a name?" I asked. "Something that we can call it?'

"Its the demogorgon." Dustin said.

"Did you run into that too?" Lucas asked. I sighed.

"I really wish I could say no, but...yeah...yeah I did. And if that thing is after him, if he's hiding...I don't know how long he has."

"You lasted a year!" Lucas pointed out.

"I was a girl with a Cop dad who taught me survival skills! Will may be smart, but he's just a kid, we have to find him." I said. "That's why I said that you can't go out without me, and that's why I have a gun, I'm the only one, aside from maybe El who knows what we're dealing with here." I looked up at the clock, knowing my Dad would probably be home any minute." I have to get home, but promise me you guys won't do anything without me."

"Yeah, we promise." Mike said.  I nodded, turning to look at El.

"I have the radio, don't do anything without radioing me first, and if I don't answer, wait for me. Is that clear? I'm serious, this is incredibly dangerous stuff guys."

"Yes, we get it." Lucas shot back. Dustin nodded. I nodded,

"Ok. See you tomorrow." I grabbed my bag from the floor, making my way out of the basement and out the back door, running down the street towards my truck. I climbed in, starting it up, when all of a sudden the hair stood up on the back of my neck, and suddenly I was covered in goosebumps. It was the same feeling I had the morning Will disappeared, and I had a bad feeling that I would wake up in the morning and someone else would be unaccounted for.

~~~

When I pulled into the driveway, Dad's truck was parked there, and I could see him standing on the deck with a cigarette in his hand. I closed my eyes as I turned the car off, groaning to myself. Crap.

I got out, and immediately he was walking towards the stairs to meet me.

"What did I say?!" He exclaimed. I nodded. "I said you were to go home, lock the doors, and not go anywhere, so why is it that you are coming back at eleven o'clock at night?! Where were you?!"

This was it. This was the moment I'd been waiting a year for, the moment where I could finally tell him everything; where I'd gone, what happened to Will, the monster that plagues my nightmares, all of it.

But then I saw Mike in my head, pressing a finger gun to Dustin's forehead and I realized something.

Bad men are after Eleven, and she can see into the Upside Down. She has a shaved head, a number printed on her arm, and superpowers that involve telekinesis and she can see into the Upside Down which means that whoever is looking for her probably knows about its existence meaning if I tell him, not only will he be in danger from the Demogorgan...he could have humans coming after him too, which in a lot of ways can be just as dangerous.

So instead, I said:

"I was at a party."

His eyes widened at the sound of my voice and I swallowed nervously. I hated lying to him but if it would keep him safe...I had to do it.

"You...you what?" He asked. I nodded, tucking a few loose strands of hair behind my ear.

"I know, it was dumb, but some kids in my class were having a party and I went."

"And um...you drank?" He asked. "Is that why you've suddenly found the courage to speak to me after a year?! You're hammered?!"

"I didn't drink anything." I said, wrapping my arms around myself.

"So what...what changed in the last twenty-four hours that's suddenly got you all talkative?" I shook my head. "Well, kid?!"

"I don't want to be scared anymore." I said, meeting his eyes. His angry look softened slightly. "I have spent the last year...terrified of absolutely everything. Do you...do you have any clue the last time I got a good night's sleep? Just the very concept of talking had me having panic attacks, you saw it for yourself, so is it so wrong, that for once, I wanted to go to a party, and actually have a conversation with somebody without being completely and utterly terrified?! Sue me!"

"You wanna talk to me about terrified?" He asked. "I lost you for an entire year, Riley! First, your sister, and then you and...when I realized you weren't home just now..."

"Everything ok?" We both turned around to see a woman who I didn't know, wearing nothing but one of my Dad's button ups. I nodded, biting my lip.

"Yeah, I can see you were real torn up about it." I stalked inside, moving around the woman.

"Riley, get back here and talk to me! RILEY!" I walked to my room, slamming the door and locking it behind me. I sighed, putting my hands over my face. I was only half mad at him. I just figured if he thought I was angry I'd have an excuse not to talk to him, but I was mad on some level.

Because when Sara was diagnosed, and he thought she might die, he was paralyzed. He didn't sleep, he didn't eat, he couldn't do a thing.

He didn't even notice that I wasn't home until after he slept with some random woman, and once he realized it, all he did was go outside and spark up a cigarette. I sat down on my bed, burying my head in my hands. There was a soft knock on the door.

"Riley, come on." I stood up, walking over to my stereo and turning it on, blasting music at full volume and going over to my bed, laying down and putting my pillow over my head so that I couldn't hear him.