"Is there a number we can call for your parents?" Mike asked. I just looked at him.

"What do you think idiot." I answered.

"Where's your hair? Do you have cancer?" Dustin asked. I looked confused I know her from somewhere I think it's the lab.

"No Dustin you remember how my hair was when I left the lab." I answered earning a smile of Lucas.

"Did you run away?" Lucas asked. These boy's were stupid.

"Yes Lucas she ran away from the lab I think idiot." I answered.

"Are you in some kind of trouble?" Mike asked. I just sighed and sat down.

"Mike if you ran away what do you think." I answered. People say I have an answer for everything and I agree I do.

"Is that blood?" Lucas asked.

"Stop it! You're freaking her out!" I answered.

"She's freaking me out!" Lucas answered sitting next to me.

" I bet she's deaf." Dustin said. He then clapped his hands and she jumped. "Not deaf." I just smiled.

"All right, that's enough, all right? She's just scared and cold." I tried to explain.

"Here, these are clean. Okay?" I asked handing her some of my clothes. 

No, no, no!" I answered after she tried to take her clothes off in front of the boys. Mainly Lucas. The past day I felt closer to Lucas more then Dustin.

"See over there? That's the bathroom. Privacy. Get it? You don't want it closed?" I asked her. I knew her name was Eleven now from her tattoo.

"No" She answered. 

"Oh, so you can speak. Okay, well... Um, how about we just keep the door..." I explained closing it slightly. "Just like this. Is this better?" I saw Lucas looking at me smiling.

"Yes" She answered.

"This is mental." Dustin piped up.

"At least she can talk." Mike said.

"She said "no" and "yes." Your three-year-old sister says more." Lucas said I just looked at him.

"She tried to get naked." Dustin tried.

"There's something seriously wrong with her. Like, wrong in the head." Lucas piped up.

"She just went like..." Dustin tried then his hat hits the ground.

"I bet she escaped from Pennhurst." Lucas said.

"From where?" I asked.

"The nuthouse in Kerley County." Lucas explained.

"You got a lot of family there?" I asked high fiving Dustin.

"Bite me. Seriously though, think about it. That would explain her shaved hair and why she's so crazy." Lucas tried.

"Why she went like..." Dustin said trying to mimic what she did.

"She's an escapee is the point. She's probably a psycho." Lucas carried on.

"Like Michael Myers." Dustin suggested.

"Exactly! We should've never brought her here." Lucas piped up.

"So you just wanted to leave her out in that storm?" I asked.

"Yes! We went out to find Will, not another problem." Lucas carried on.

"I think we should tell your mom or your dad." Dustin tried.

"I second that." Lucas said.

"Who's crazy now?" I asked.

"How is that crazy?" Lucas asked.

"'Cause, we weren't supposed to be out tonight, remember?" I carried on.

"So?" Lucas asked.

"So if I tell my dad and he tells your mom and your mom and your mom..." I explained.

"Oh, man." Dustin piped up.

"Our houses become Alcatraz." Lucas says.

"Exactly. We'll never find Will. All right, here's the plan. She sleeps here tonight with Alex since Hopper already knows Alex is staying here." Mike says.

"You're letting a girl other the Alex--" Dustin tries.

"Just listen! In the morning, she sneaks around my house, goes to the front door and rings my doorbell. My mom will answer and know exactly what to do. She'll send her back to Pennhurst or wherever she comes from. We'll be totally in the clear. And tomorrow night, we go back out. And this time, we find Will." Mike explained his stupid plan.

"Here you go. This is my sleeping bag." I said handing her my old sleeping bag from when I went camping with the Wheelers.

"You really think she's psycho?" Dustin asked.

"Wouldn't want her in my house." Lucas answered. I looked at them and made them fall over with my powers.

"Geez Tee no need to be mean." Dustin started as I wrapped the blood from my noise.

"Yes there was you two were being mean like you were when we first met so I'm getting payback." I answered looking at them. "Want me to do it again?" The boys shook their heads a bit scared.

"(sighs) Mental." Dustin carried on I made his jacket pull him over. Eleven started laughing slightly at me I smiled.

"Hey, um, I never asked your name." I started and she showed me her tattoo and I showed her my 10 one.

"Is that real? Sorry, I've just... never seen a kid with a tattoo before well other then Tee. What's it mean? Eleven? That's your name? Eleven. Okay. Um, well, my name's Mike. Short for Michael. And her name is Alex. Short for Alexander. Maybe we can call you "El." Short for Eleven. Um, well, okay. 'Night, El." Mike explained. and I curled up next to her.

"'Night, Mike." Me and El answered. I got up early and went to see Jonathan and Joyce. I was getting out of school today due to the fact I was helping Joyce and Jonathan. So Mr. Clarke would be sending work my end through Lucas since he never misses a day well he does when he is ill.

"All right, mom Alex. Breakfast is ready." Jonathan started.

"What? No, be careful of the poster." I answered.

"Yeah, okay. All right." Jonathan carried on.

"I can't eat." Joyce answered.

"We just need you to eat, Mom." I carried on.

"(sniffles) Listen. Listen, the Xerox place opens in, like, 30 minutes." She carries on.

"Yeah." I answered. I was going with Jonathan it Xerox.

"And I don't want you to go alone with Alex..." Joyce tries.

"No, we know. We told you, we got it." I answered.

"... so I'm gonna have Karen take you, 'cause I should be here." Joyce said. 

"Okay." Jonathan answered.

"We need to make, what, 200, 300 copies? How much is a copy?" Joyce asked.

"Yeah, okay. Okay, Mom. Mom." I tried.

"Ten cents? (stammering) if we... Ten cents--"Joyce carries on.

"Mom. Mom. Mom! (stutters) You can't get like this, okay?" Jonathan answered.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry." Joyce continued.

"No, it's okay." Jonathan answered. Then there was a knock on the door. Joyce opened the door.

"(sighs) We've been waiting six hours." Joyce started.

"I know. I came as soon as I could. Alex what you doing here? Shouldn't you be at school?" Dad asked.

"No Joyce phoned in saying I wasn't feeling well. I am helping Joyce and Jonathan dad." I answered.

"Six hours." Joyce carried on.

"A little bit of trust here, all right? We've been searching all night. Went all the way to Cartersville." Dad explained.

"And?" I asked.

"Nothing." Dad answered looking at me.

"God." I answered sitting down.

"Flo says you got a phone call?" Dad asked.

"Oh, yeah." Joyce answered. She sniffled and showed Dad.

"Storm barbecued this pretty good." Dad started.

"The storm?" I asked.

"What else?" Dad asked me I walked up to them.

"You're saying that that's not weird?" I asked.

"No, it's weird." Dad answered.

"Can we, like, trace who make the call? Contact the--" Jonathan tried.

"No, it doesn't work like that. Now, uh, you're sure it was Will? Because Flo said you just heard some breathing." Dad carried on.

"No. It was him. It was Will. (voice breaking) And he was scared. And then something--" Joyce tried.

"It was probably just a prank call. It was somebody trying to scare you." Dad carries on.
"Who would do that?" I asked.

"Well, this thing's been on TV. It brings out all the crazies, you know. False leads, prank calls, uh..." Dad tried.

"No, Hopper, it was not a prank. It was him." Joyce carried on.

"Dad what if she isn't lying at all. What if it was really Will and you're giving up a chance to find him and if he dies that would be on you for not helping." I answered looking at him.

"Joyce, Alex." Dad sighed looking at me. 

"Come on, how about a little trust here? What, you think I'm... I'm making this up?" Joyce asked.

"I'm not saying that you're making it up. All I'm saying it it's an emotional time for you. All three of you." Dad answered.

"And you think I don't know my own son's breathing? Wouldn't you know your own two daughter's?" Joyce asked dad.

"If this was me you would be the exact same dad." I told him. 

"You hear from, uh, Lonnie yet?" Dad asked.

"No." Joyce answered.

"It's been long enough. I'm having him checked out." Dad pointed out.

"Oh, come on! You're wasting your time." I answered knowing what Lonnie is like. Dad told me to go to the car since he was taking me to the station.

"Hey, Hopper. Hopper" Jonathan yelled to us. He was panting. "Let me go." 

"I'm sorry?" Dad asked.

"To Lonnie's. (stammering) You know, if Will's there, it means he ran away. And if he sees the cops, he'll think he's in trouble. He'll... He'll hide. You know, he's good at hiding." I answered knowing where Jonathan was going with this conversation.

"Yeah? Well, cops are good at finding. Okay? Stay here with your mom. She needs you. And Alex I am taking you with me." Dad answered. I knew he wasn't taking me to school just yet. Dad took me to the woods to see Callahan.

"Will! Will Byers!" The volunteers yelled.

"Will Byers!" Callahan yelled. There were dogs barking.

"Will!" Powell yelled.

"Will!" Volunteers yelled.

"Hey! Anything?" I asked Callahan since I was like a mini officer along side dad and Callahan.

"You?" Callahan asked.

"No, nothing but a dead phone." Dad answered.

"Joyce? About one step from falling off the edge." Callahan carried on.

"She's been a few steps for a while now, hasn't she?" Powell asked.

"Kid's missing, man. Show a little class. All right. Come on, let's go! We got a lot of ground to cover." I carried on. Me and dad joins the volunteers.

"The chief and her, they've screwed before, huh?" Callahan asked me I just shrugged.

"I wouldn't be surprised. Will!" I yelled.
"That a "yeah" or did they..." He answered looking at me.

"Will! Will!" Volunteers kept yelling. Dad dropped me off at Mike's house so he could go back to work.

"You want anything to drink? We have OJ, skim milk... What else? Um, we have... Oh, this is my living room. It's mostly just for watching TV." Mike asked.

"I'll have an OJ if your offering." I answered walking in. Mike passed me an OJ. Eleven sees the TV.

"Nice, right? It's a 22-inch. That's, like, ten times bigger than Dustin's. Same size as Alex's." Mike explained. Eleven goes to the photos on the mantle.

"Pretty." El says pointing to a picture of me, Mike, Holly, Nancy, Karen and Ted.

"I guess. That's my sister Nancy. And that's baby Holly. And those are my parents. What are your parents like? Do they live close?" Mike asked. Eleven goes over to the La-Z-Boy.

"That's our La-Z-Boy. It's where my dad sleeps You can try it if you want. Yeah. It's fun." I said. Eleven sits in the La-Z-Boy.

"Just trust me, okay?" I asked. I push the button and the La-Z-Boy reclines. Eleven laughs nervously.

"See? Fun, right? Now you try." I say. Eleven reclines herself using the button we both laugh. Mike shows off his toys to Eleven.

"(mimicking Yoda) Ready are you? What knows you of ready? His name's Yoda. He can use the Force to move things with his mind, like this. Whoosh! Oh, this is my dinosaur, Rory. Look, he has a speaker in his mouth so he can roar." Mike says. Rory starts roaring. El looks at our science fair trophies.

"Oh, these are all my science fair trophies. We got first every year. Except for last year when we got third. Mr. Clarke said it was totally political." I explained. Eleven points at Will in the photo.

"You know Will? Did you see him? Last night? On the road?" I asked. I could hear a vehicle approaching.

"We gotta go." Mike says. Karen walks in through the front door.

"I bought pizza and macaroni." Karen explains.

"Okay." Holly answers.

"Okay. (hears Mike Alex and Eleven going upstairs) Ted? Is that you?" Karen asked.

"Just me and Alex, Mom!" Mike answered.

"Mike Alex? What are you doing home?" Karen asked.

"One second! In here. I'll be right back, okay?" Mike asked. Eleven refuses.

"Please, you have to get in, or my mom, she'll find you. Do you understand? I won't tell her about you. I promise." I promise.

"Promise?" El asked.

"It means something that you can't break. Ever." I explained.

"Michael Alexander?" Karen asked.

"Please?" I asked. Eleven nods as I close the wardrobe. Me and Mike heads downstairs. Eleven remembers being put in solitary confinement back in the lab.

"I just... I don't feel good. I woke up and my head, it really hurt bad, and my throat was all scratchy, and I wanted to tell you, but the last time I told you I was sick you made me go to school anyway Alex came over because she also don't feel well and we and Hopper called us both in from school, and-" Mike tried. Well half of that was true. I didn't feel well and Hopper did call in to say me and Mike were ill today.

"Michael Alexander." Karen says.

"Yeah?" Me and Mike question.

"I'm not mad at you." She answers.

"No?" I asked.

"No, of course not. All this that's been going on with Will, I can't imagine what it's been like for you, I just... I want you to feel like you can talk to me. I never want you to feel like you have to hide anything from me. I'm here for you. Okay?" Karen asks and I nodded my head. There was a thud upstairs.

"Is there someone else here?" Karen asks.

"No." I answer. Me and Mike rushes upstairs and opens the wardrobe.

"Eleven? Is everything okay? El?" Mike asked I went in and sat beside her hugging her.

"(sobs) Mike Alex." She sobs I felt bed.

"Is everything okay?" Mike asked. I knew she was gonna lie but I wasn't gonna do anything. El inhales slightly.

"Are you sure?" I asked.

"Promise." She promised.

"Are you out of your mind?" Lucas asked after he got back.

"Just listen to me." I answer.

"You are out of your mind!" Lucas said. I just looked at him.

"She knows about Will." I carried on.

"What do you mean she knows about Will?" Dustin asked. Mike grabs the photo and hands it to me.

"She pointed at him, at his picture. She knew he was missing. I could tell." Mike explained.

"You could tell? You didn't tell me this." I answered.

"Just think about it. Do you really think it was a coincidence that we found her on Mirkwood, the same place where Will disappeared?" Mike asked.

"That is weird." Dustin answered.

"And she said bad people are after her. I think maybe these bad people are the same ones that took Will. I think she knows what happened to him. Alex can help." Mike explained.

" Then why doesn't she tell us? Do you know where he is? Do you know where Will is?" Lucas asked. I pulled Lucas away from El. I made him look at me.

"Stop it, you're scaring her!" I say in his face.

"She should be scared! If you know where he is, tell us! This is nuts. We have to take her to your mom." Lucas tried. I just kissed him to shut him up.

"No! Eleven said telling any adult would put us in danger." Mike explained.

"What kind of danger?" Dustin asked. 

"Her name is Eleven?" Lucas asked.

"El for short." I answered.

"Mike, Alex, what kind of danger?" Dustin asked.

"Danger danger." I answered. Me and Mike mimics Eleven's finger gun movements. Lucas slaps my hand away.

"No, no, no! We're going back to plan A. We're telling your mom." Lucas carried on. I looked at El and smirked. I went into his mind and pulled him back to the group the door slams shut and locks.

"(nose bleeding) No." Me and El answered. Karen notices the boys not touching their food.

"Something wrong with the meatloaf?" She asked.

"Oh, no, I had two bologna sandwiches for lunch. I don't know why." Lucas answered.

"Me, too." Dustin continued.

"It's delicious, Mommy." Holly answered I looked at Holly.

"Thank you, sweetie." Karen answered.

"So, there's this... special assembly thing tonight.. for Will at the school field. Barb's driving." Nancy piped up.

"Why am I just hearing about this?" Karen asked.

"I thought you knew." Nancy answered.

"I told you, I don't want you out after dark until Will is found. I don't really like Alex out when she's riding home." Karen explained.

"I know, I know, but it'd be super weird if I'm not there. I mean, everyone's going." Nancy tried. 

"Just... be back by 10:00. Why don't you take the boys and Alex, too?" Karen asked.

"No!" I answered.

"Mmm-mmm." Mike answered as well.

"Don't you think you should be there? For Will?" Karen asked. I see El sneaks downstairs the boys gasp, seeing her. Dustin slams his hands on the table to distract everyone Holly groans.

"Sorry. Spasms." Dustin explained Holly whimpers.

"Oh... It's okay, Holly. It's just a loud noise." Karen explained.

"(looks at Dustin) Nice." I answered.

"El? No adults. Just us and some meatloaf. Don't worry. They won't tell anyone about you. They promise. Right?" Mike asked.

"We never would've upset you if we knew you had superpowers." Dustin answered I hit his leg.
"Ow!" He exclaimed.

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

"We just wanted to find our friend." Lucas carried on.

"'Friend'?" El asked.

"Yeah, friend. Will?" Lucas asked. 

"What is "friend"?" El asked.

"Is she serious? Um, a friend-" Lucas tried.

"Is someone that you'd do anything for." I started explaining.

"You lend them your cool stuff, like comic books and trading cards." Mike continued.

"And they never break a promise." I continued.

"Especially when there's spit." Lucas butted in.

"Spit?" El asked.

"A spit swear means... (spits) you never break your word. It's a bond." Lucas explained.

"That's super important, because friends... they tell each other things. Things that parents don't know." I finished.

"What's the weirdo doing?" Lucas asked.

"El?" I asked sitting next to her. Eleven picks up Will's figurine. I knew what she was doing.

"Will." She answered.

"Superpowers." Dustin said from behind me.

"Did you see him? On Mirkwood? Do you know where he is?" Mike asked. Eleven clears the board and flips it she puts the figurine in the middle.

"I don't understand." Lucas said from beside me.

"Hiding." I answered.

"Will is hiding? From the bad men?" Mike asked. Eleven shakes her head.

"Then from who?" Dustin asked. Eleven puts down the Demogorgon on the board.