Chapter 11

007

• 𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐙𝐨𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐫 •

─────✧･ﾟ: *✧･

☄. *. ⋆ “I don’t understand,” Lucas said after sighing.

“What do you not understand?”

“Will saw something that looked like Dart last year?” Lucas asked, trying to clarify what Mike and Will had told them.

“Kind of, but there was no tail,” Will told them before Mike added on. “But then he heard it yesterday. The exact same sound.”

“Why didn’t you tell us before?” Dustin asked.

“I wasn’t sure,” Will replied, shyness, guilt, and shame all mixed in his voice and body language. Dustin tried to conclude the situation. “So it’s a coincidence,” but Mike wouldn’t let it go. “Or not. What if when Will was stuck in the Upside Down, he somehow acquired True Sight?” Mike theorized.

“True Sight?” Lucas repeated, not understanding the term. Dustin was quick to explain. “It gives you the power to see into the ethereal plane.”

At the explanation, Lucas sighed. “Elaborate.”

“You think Will can see into the Upside Down?” Stella questioned to make sure she understood correctly.

“Maybe these episodes that Will keeps having aren’t really flashbacks at all,” Mike suggested. “Maybe they’re real. So, yeah, maybe Will can somehow see into the Upside Down.”

“So… that would mean…” Lucas started, prompting Mike to finish for him.

“Dart is from the Upside Down.”

Stella’s chest tightened at the information, looking down at the bite on her hand as the others continued talking. The girl’s breath caught in her throat and her nervousness only got worse as she saw the black veins branching out from the wound.

Her eyes widened before she snapped her head back up to her friends, hoping none of them noticed her moment of panic. Fortunately, it didn’t seem like any of them did, because they continued speaking. While Stella was looking at the bite, she had heard Lucas say that they should take Dart to Hopper, and Mike agreed. Dustin, however, was not so thrilled about the idea. “No way. If we take him to Hopper, Dart’s as good as dead.”

“Maybe he should be dead,” Mike argued. Dustin, however, was quick to retort, offended by the suggestion. “How can you say that?”

“How can you not? He’s from the Upside Down!” Mike reasoned, raising his voice.

“Guys, maybe we keep it down about the literal alternate dimension when someone who has no idea about it is just on the other side of that door,” Stella pointed out. Dustin spoke up again, not paying any mind to Stella’s words. “Maybe. But even if he is, it doesn’t automatically mean that he’s bad.”

“That’s like saying ‘just because someone’s from The Death Star doesn’t make them bad’,” Mike referenced.

“We have a bond,” Dustin argued somewhat shyly. “‘A bond?'” Mike repeated. “Just because he likes nougat?”

“No, because he trusts me!”

“He trusts you?” Lucas echoed the boy’s words.

“Yes, I promised that I would take care of him!”

Dustin barely finished his sentence before a screeching came from the box in front of them. The one that contained Dart. They all backed away from the box, eyeing it, afraid to take their gazes off of it.

Max banged on the door again, just adding to the stress of the situation, but Stella couldn’t blame her.

Mike reached over the box and grabbed a lamp, holding it up in defense.

“Don’t hurt him!

“Only if he attacks,” Mike assured the curly-haired boy. Lucas anxiously gestured to the box. “Open it already!”

Dustin held up the button that controlled the doors, and with one click, Dart cane rolling out from the box, Stella flinching back a bit at the noise and sudden movement.

“Holy shit!” Lucas cursed, seeing as the size of the creature had grown immensely. Dart took a couple steps towards them before hind legs erupted from either side of him, Stella’s lips parting as she grimaced.

“Oh shit!”

Mike swung the lamp at Dart, missing thanks to Dustin, who pushed his hand as he shouted. “No!”

Mike’s attack scared the creature, and it ran off of the desk. Reacting first, Stella moved to grab it, but the creature slipped from her grasp.

There couldn’t be a worse time for Max to somehow get the door open, because when she did, Dart saw his opportunity and ran out of the room.

“Shit, shit shit!” Dustin cursed, being the first to run out of the room. In his rush to go after Dart, he landed right on top of Max. Stella watched with wide eyes, her eyebrows furrowing – the girl confused and surprised as to what was happening – as the accident had a domino effect, making Mike and Lucas fall on to one another. The boys all scrambled to their feet, Stella helping Max up when they did.

“What was that!?” Max asked as she got up.

“Dart,” Stella informed the girl.

Mike turned to the redhead. “You let him escape!” He accused. Stella stepped in front of Max, moving the girl slightly behind herself. “I was the one that dropped him,” she pointed out, her words stern.

“Why did you attack him!?” Dustin butted in, yelling at Mike.

“Come on,” was all Mike said, everyone following for a moment before splitting up.

–

☄. *. ⋆ “Oh, there.”

Stella looked at Max when she heard the redhead’s voice, soon following her gaze to the Boy’s Locker Room. Max and Stella looked to each other before both running from the middle of the Gym to the locker room.

“You see anything?” Stella asked, lifting up jerseys that had been haphazardly thrown on benches and some just on the floor with the idea that Dart might have managed to get under one. Max was on the other side of the room, lifting up helmets with the same idea. “No. Jesus, boys are disgusting. It smells like shit in here.”

“Tell me about it.”

The two girls whipped their heads towards the door when they heard clattering from just outside of the room. Stella slowly moved in front of Max, putting a protective arm out to keep Max behind her as they inched towards the room in silence, listening for the sound- or any sound, really -again.

The girls flinched when Mike jumped out from behind a wall and yelled, mop in hand as a weapon.

“Jesus Christ, Mike! What the hell!?” Stella shouted through a sigh before snatching the mop from the boy. “Put that down! Dumbass.”

“What the hell are you doing?” Max asked the raven-haired boy. Mike just returned the question. “What are you doing? Why are you in here?”

“What do you think we’re doing, Mike?” Stella asked rhetorically.

“We’re looking for Dart,” Max told Mike.

“This is the boys’ room,” Mike pointed out. Stella and Max’s eyebrows furrowed, looking at each other before looking back at Mike. “And?” Stella asked, confused. Max nodded at Stella a bit. “Yeah, so?”

“So you should go home,” Mike hissed at the redhead beside Stella before leaving the Locker Room. Max and Stella glanced at one another again before following the boy out.

“Why do you hate me so much?” Max asked as she left the room, her and Stella trailing behind Mike. The boy in front of them glanced back for a moment, but kept walking. “I don’t hate you. How could I hate you? I don’t even know you.”

“Yeah, but you don’t want me in your party,” Max pointed out. Mike looked back at her again, but still didn’t stop walking. “Correct.”

“Why not?”

At those words, Mike did stop walking, suddenly halting and turning on his heels. “Because you’re annoying,” he snapped, making Stella speak up. “Mike!”

“What? She is!”

“No, she isn’t! You’re just upset and bitchy because you miss El! We all do, Mike. But you don’t have to be an asshole,” Stella’s shouting softened at the end. Mike paused, the words getting to him. Max’s eyebrows furrowed at the mention of the name, but Mike spoke again before the redhead could ask any questions. “Also, we don’t need another party member! I’m our paladin, Will’s our cleric, Dustin’s our bard, Stella’s our fighter, Lucas is our ranger, and El’s our mage!”

“That’s the second time you’ve mentioned El. Who is she?” Max looked between Mike and Stella as she asked her question. Mike shut his eyes for a moment. “Someone. No one.”

“Someone or no one?”

“She was a friend,” Stella told her, Mike adding. “She was in our party a long time ago. She moved away, okay?” Mike told the redhead, saying the story they had all agreed they’d stick to if El was brought up. Mike started walking away, Stella following.

“She was a mage?” Max asked, putting down her skateboard and riding it over to Mike. “What could she do? Like, magic tricks or something?” She questioned as she made her way over.

“Or something,” Stella said, looking back to Max.

Max got off of the skateboard, stopping right in front of Mike. “Well, I could be your zoomer.”

“That’s not even a real thing,” Mike retorted.

“It could be,” Max said before getting back on her skateboard. The redhead started to ride in circles around the two. “See? Zoomer.”

“Mind-blowing,” Mike said sarcastically, deadpanning. Max narrowed her eyes. “Come on, you know you’re impressed.”

“I don’t see any tricks. You’re just going around in a circle,” Mike said.

“I hate to side with Mikey here, but…” Stella spoke. “He’s kinda right.”

“If it’s so easy, you try it.”

“No,” Mike refused.

“Why not?”

“Because I don’t know how!”

“So, then you admit it’s kind of impressive.”

Stella raised her hand. “I’ll try. Teach me.”

Max’s eyebrows raised. “Okay,” she shrugged, hopping off of the skateboard.

“You’re gonna break your other arm,” Mike told her, but the brunette just shrugged, getting on with Max’s hands holding her good arm.

“Alright, push off with whichever leg feels comfortable, then pivot so you’re standing sideways, then to turn you just lean whichever direction you wanna turn in,” Max instructed and Stella shrugged. “Sounds easy enough.”

Stella tried to ignore the butterflies in her stomach when Max’s hand met her arm and pushed off of one leg, the leg she pushed with joining the one already on the board. Quickly, she turned her feet and leaned to turn, successfully doing it. Max’s grip loosened on Stella’s arm and she spoke again. “Okay, I’m gonna let go now.”

“Oh, shit, okay.”

Max’s hand left Stella’s arm and Stella tried to focus on turning. Once she had successfully turned in a circle- a rather large one, not yet able to make sharp turns, but a circle nonetheless -around Mike, she hopped off, sighing in relief.

“Good job, you’re a natural,” Max said, retrieving her board as Stella made her way back to Mike. “Pretty girl said I’m a natural,” she whispered as she winked and moved her shoulders, whispering loud enough for Mike to hear, but not Max. The boy rolled his eyes as Stella moved to stand next to him and Max got back on her board, continuing to circle them.

“I think if I spent, like, all day practicing, I could do that. I could probably do it now, since Stella did,” Mike argued. Max scoffed. “I would give you a million bucks if you could.”

“You’re saying Stella has more potential than me?”

“Yup,” Max nodded. Stella and Max smiled at one another as Mike spoke again. “Okay, you’re making me dizzy. Please just stop.”

“I’ll stop when I join your party,” Max shrugged.

“Come on, just stop,” Mike ordered, but Max kept pressing. It’s a simple question. Am I in or out?”

Mike started to smile a bit, and Stella had been grinning for a while. The brunette turned to Mike. “I vote she’s in,” she shrugged before starting to chant. “Zoomer! Zoomer!” Max joined in after the second chant, and both girls were just repeating the word “Zoomer.”

Eventually, they stopped, and Mike rolled his eyes, still not saying anything until Max suddenly flew off her board. Stella reacted unusually quickly, moving to catch Max and almost succeeding, but failing to keep her grip on the girl’s arm.

“Shit! Max, are you okay?” Stella asked, hurrying to kneel down next to the redhead, Mike doing the same. “Jesus! Are you alright?”

“Yeah, yeah. I think so,” Max groaned, clutching her side until Mike and Stella reached to help her up. Max’s left hand took Mike’s left hand, and her right hand took Stella’s right hand, both party members helping the girl to her feet.

“What happened?” Mike asked.

“I don’t know,” the redhead replied. “It was just like a magnet or something pulling on my board,” she explained. “I know that sounds crazy,” the girl finished before making her way over to her skateboard, which had rolled almost all the way to the bleachers. Mike and Stella shared a look, both thinking the same thing. They turned to the Gym doors, glancing at each other again before running to them and pushing them open, but there was no one.

Max joined them outside of the Gym and they heard static from Mike’s radio, Stella deciding to get hers from her backpack. The voice that came through the radio was Will’s, soft and low. “Guys… I found him.”

Dustin’s voice came through the radio immediately after. “Where?”

“In the bathroom… by Mr. Salerno’s,” Will’s voice came through the radio again.

Mike brought the radio up to his face before pressing the button to speak and talking into it. “Copy that.”

“We’re on our way,” Stella said into her own radio. She then gestured with her head in the direction of the bathroom Will was talking about and the three ran towards it.

On their way, the found Lucas in the hall, the boy joining them.

“There’s Mr. Salerno’s,” Stella said as they rounded a corner, staying a few steps ahead everybody else.

“Come on,” Mike saw the bathroom and kept running. “Let’s go! Down here!”

“We’re coming!” Lucas shouted back.

When they entered the bathroom, all they saw was Dustin and a radio on the floor. “Where’s Dart?” Mike asked.

Dustin shrugged. “I don’t know. Not here.”

“What?”

“He said by Salerno’s, right?” Max asked to confirm.

“Yeah, maybe Will has him,” Dustin suggested. At those words, Mike turned to Dustin, taking his attention off of where he was searching before speaking.

“Where is Will?”

─────✧･ﾟ: *✧･

hihihihihihi

i completely forgot to post my bad guys 💔

theories? i’m curious

thx for reading 🙂