MELISSA USES TWO OF HER FINGERS knocking on the bathroom door, which is wide open. " Sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. It is just me, don't worry. Sweetie."

Eleven relaxes her shoulder muscles, her dirt and soil covered face reflecting all those troubles which transpired in the last few days.

" Come here. I know being here must be scary for you. But, I can promise, all the people here want to help." Milly, using a cleaning solution liquid, lightly applies it on El's delicate skin. Searching her eyes for lies, finding nothing but sincerity, El breathes in heavy. " I..m sorry. I could not find... your brother." Milly pauses to take in her words. She met elevens gaze, both stare at each other in the moment, sighing. It wasn't right to put all responsibility on El, how she wishes there is someway she could help.

" bath."

Melissa, not understanding eleven and her implications, takes a minute to realise exactly what El is saying. 'Deprivation tank. Of course, like Becky explained! But the bathtub isn't the best option for it.' Milly feels El take her hand, in hers. " I know how to find Will. Bath." Mike, explaining all complexities which came with eleven's super abilities and her limitations of how much she could use before it drains her, frowns in concern when he hadn't seen Melissa or El.

" Like a bad battery." Dustin compares; putting it simple and straight.

" Well... how do we make her better?" Joyce voices, unsettled at the thought of bringing more harm to her. It's a risk. Katherine feels her arm nudged, Mandy made an effort to appear subtle and use her nose pointing at Chief hopper.

Both girl smirking, seeing him glaring down at his hat, mumbling things they couldn't hear.

" We don't. We just have to wait and try again." Explains mike.

Nancy, guilt still on her face after learning the Demogrogan is responsible for murdering Barb in cold blood knowing she could have saved her, speaks up. A touch of acerbity in how she spoke. " Well... how long?" Hopper's face lightens when his eyes zero in on Melissa, she came out hand in hand with Eleven. Before Mike replies, Milly brings attention to herself.

" I think there is an idea El will like to share, it could be beneficial. Go on, it's okay."

Melissa Encourages her.

Amanda snickers, quietly, when Jim stands moving to stand and takes Milly by her waist. Katherine shushes her but is equally amused by how the chief of police is acting.

" bath. I can find them in there."

Eleven clarifies, looking to Milly for validation like a kid asking he's or hers mom if they're right about the choice made. Hopper, his exact words and thought he did share with Melissa, a knowing gaze on his face.

There is a question that which remains.

Would this be safe for eleven?

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Hawkins middle school. A place of refuge for those that seek out an escape from home life, and for others an opportunity to be targeted by bullies. Melissa fell in the first category. There were renovations and changes done to make a better version of the school she remembers.

In the early seventies, a whole decade had passed, when she attended it was all relevantly restored to its original design. But from how she stepped out of hoppers wagon, taking in the building hand on door, it all came back to her. 'Hawkins middle school. We meet again.'

Katherine, and Amanda, got out their places in the back seat of chief hoppers car carrying sacks of de-icing salt normally used for melting ice on roads in blizzards. In this instance salt would be use to make a temporary deprivation tank for eleven.

" Who knew we'd all land up coming back here, to this hell hole? I do not miss this place that is definitely for certain." States Mandy, using her tongue to click her teeth.

" I agree. Personally.. the only good memories I have, here, is when I met you and Mel."

Kat says putting the de-icing salt over her right shoulder.

As both girls are reminiscing, about old times in school, Milly scours cabinets in the science class room. Needing to make made-shift blackened out safety sensory goggles. " Okay. I know these aren't the greatest, design wise. But this should, and will hopefully, help keep it dark for you. Sweetheart."

Melissa stops talking, identifying discouragement and frustration on El's face.

Eleven had been quietly listening to Milly speak, cursing, to herself at how 'it should not be this hard for her to design a pair of glasses.' When she's a fashion designer.

Her voice tones down, delicate.

" I just want you to know, you're such a brave girl. For doing this. You know that? Don't you?" Milly grasps eleven by her hands. El, eyes watery, avoids connecting her eyes to Melissa's fearing she'll see the exact expression she is use to. Disappointment.

" hey I'm not disappointed. This is all scary, I know. What you are doing for .. for will."

Eleven, eyes closing feeling Melissa touching her jaw, feels a tear roll on her skin.

" I am not going to leave you. I'll be here the entire time. Okay? You will be safe." Milly wipes off those tears that fell. El maintains her eye contact, trusting Melissa's judgment and words. " If it gets too scary, for you, in there. You just let me know. Alright?".

Eleven studied Milly's face. A flash back of how she first saw Melissa in the forest, prior to the evening before now. There was an inexplicable familiarity, she felt, but never once had she met her before that faithful night saving her from a Demogorgan. Face softening with each second, at elevens sudden moment of clarity and vulnerability when she hugs her, Milly's eyes in a second feel an intense sensation to cry. When eleven's silent voice says 'Mommy'.

All eleven wanted was a sense of security. And she found it in Melissa.

╭━━━━━∙⋆⋅⋆∙━━━━━╮

Sliding off her socks, with the help of Milly, El undid the wrist watch mike loaned her and he takes it back. A walkie talkie radio is situated on an opened retractable table, crackling of each radio wave bouncing from frequencies to sounds it picked up on other stations in the school's gymnasium. Melissa, worry for Eleven and her mental health written in her eyes, passes the duct-tape safety glass goggles she made to fit her.

" Remember. Just pull on my arm if it's gets overwhelming for you. I will be right here."

Katherine, kneeling before the kid sized pool, offers her hand to Eleven. Amanda joins Kat helping eleven into the salt-filled water. But El pauses before she goes further, hand shaking. Jim made a surprised noise hearing Melissa get inside of the kiddie pool, soaking her Jeans and shirt. " I'm right here. I'm right here." She assures, ripples of waves from her moving her hands in the water. Seconds later, after eleven laid her arms out drifting and entering in an a deep half-conscious head space, lights began to shine in bursts of energy. She is finding will.

Jim, wanting to lean forward and bring Milly out, kept his composure. He knew to trust Mel when it came to dealing with certain situations like these.

" Barbara?"

The one simple word made Nancy inhale, hearing her best friend's name. Joyce watches Melissa soothing eleven's shaven hair, faintly smiling then turns neutral. Pulsating electricity, with El's heavy breathing, had Milly beginning to think of pulling eleven out of her hypnosis. She felt hoppers hand on her shoulder. " What's going on?" Nancy asked unsure of how exactly, or why, the lights were flickering. " I don't know." Mike answers.

He's thankful for Melissa being an anchor to El. It was clear to those, that sat around the inflated pool, how El felt when being close to the eldest of the Byers children.

" Is Barb okay? Is .. Is Barb okay? Is she?"

Nancy questions, how she wishes she never did ask.

El, whimpering her words, voices. " Gone."

Mel caught Nancy's eyes misting over, mourning her dead friend. Wishing for it to be a sick joke. " Gone! Gone! Gone!" Milly brought El closer to her chest. " Honey. Honey. Hey, hey. It's okay. Nothing can hurt you. Just remember what I said. Focus on my voice. I know it's scary." She shushes, rocking her head in a swaying motion. Jim grasps elevens finger and Joyce, though she is concerned for El, checks on Melissa. " I'm fine, Mom. I'm not the one to worry about this instance. It's eleven."

Hopper watches on in worry for Melissa, she is attempting to not cry for el. Her empathy for eleven a trait is a reason he loves her. Love, such an incredible thing and emotion to feel in circumstances such as this. " Castle Byers. Will." She found him. She found will.

Melissa, posture rigid, gazes at her mom.

" El. I want.. I want you to tell Will, that Milly and mom are.. are coming. Milly is coming for him."

There is a pause, silence. Melissa's lips quiver as she heard " Hurry. H..Hurry." Will.

" Okay. Listen, I need you to listen to me, honey. You tell will he needs to stay where he is. That.. he needs to just wait for me. I will get him out of there. His Minnie Mouse will come for him." Milly knew what she had to do in order to save will. An interference from the radio, along with a terrified gasp echoing out of eleven, made her jump from her spot as El clung on for dear life to Melissa's arm.

" Mom..my. Mommy." Eleven cries; softly weeping in terror.

Amanda, and Katherine, stood up from their respective places moving in to the water. Kat soothes El's hand, Mandy comfort Melissa.

" So where is this fort?" Hopper inquires, pulling his jacket over Milly to keep her from catching hypothermia. Eleven sat beside Mike, on the last row to the bleachers, Lucas drying her using a striped beach towel. Katherine was standing an inch from Dustin, her concern for El indiscreet as Amanda had her arms around Milly. " It's behind our house. He uses his castle to hide when he's in trouble or just does not want to go home straight away."

States Melissa, finishing rinsing out all of the water from her hair.

" Yeah. What Melissa said. Will.. he likes to have a place where he can feel safe. You know?" Jonathan confirms his sisters, and her statement, words.

Jim, not saying a word, leaves the auditorium. Melissa was close behind, as Jonathan and Joyce follow. Amanda stayed inside, knowing her place. To not interfere, when it came to chief hopper and Milly. " Get back inside." Jim orders, directing his words at Melissa. " It's not safe." Joyce scoffs, incredulously. Thinking he'd would go alone to save her son. Her boy.

" I know where he is. Hop. You know that. I'm coming with you. Whether you agree, or not, I won't let you go alone. I can't risk losing you." Milly states, hands on his forearms.

" wherever you go. I go. Remember."

Jonathan shook his head, knowing the risk of Melissa being lost in the place will is would be high. But he needed to put trust in Milly and knew how tough Milly is.

" Mom..mommy. I need you to stay here. I am going to get will. I'm going to bring him ho-me. To us. To find him." Joyce refuses on letting go of Melissa's embrace. " I.. I just want you to come home safe. You hear me. Home."

I can't make any promises. Milly thought, closing her eyes.

Melissa Byers would sacrifice her life if it meant her little brother will come home. Safe and sound.

╭━━━━━∙⋆⋅⋆∙━━━━━╮

Coming to a stop, hopper switches off his wagon's ignition. Hawkins laboratory loomed in all its heinous glory, menacingly taunting all who could see past its exterior. Melissa, bolt cutters in her hand, marches over where the fence is.

" Straight to the point. I see they fixed the hole we left behind last time." Hopper, light heartedly, comments. " Inappropriate. Sorry." He coughs as Melissa stares, blankly. " At least it isn't electrified. Right, I will shut up, now."

Milly, effectively cutting and doing a new hole in the perimeter fencing, goes through. Jim is close, seconds after.

Hopper, hand in Milly's, on guard for any surveying officials of the lab, brings her close after flood lights, highlighting where they stood are triggered. Security armed to the teeth, with assault rifles, aim their guns.

" Freeze." One shouts; ordering Milly and Jim.

Oh Crap.

╭━━━━━∙⋆⋅⋆∙━━━━━╮

Grunting, at her wrist restraints, Melissa's eyes take in the dull dimly light reflected space. All she could see is off-white, cream coloured, tiles and a rectangular one way window.

'These assholes. They're lucky I am being held back by these hand cuffs.'

Her glare rests on her face.

' I am not intimidated.'

She revealed her teeth, in a snarl.

" I know you're out there! You're lucky I'm in these 'cause so help me, god, when I'm free you are going to regret ever wanting to be born."

Melissa heard her chair groan, when she threw her arm. Unaware to a shimmer of white glinting in her eyes. " Let. Me. Out. Now! I know you bastards are there." Her eyes snap open to the interrogation space door, Dr. Brenner made an entrance. Milly eyes narrow.

" You. I know who you are. You're the doctor, Martin Brenner." Her attempts, to get free of her confined wrists, futile. Brenner, calculating and observing how fearless she appears even in the eyes of danger, sat adjacent to Milly. " I know who you are. As well. Melissa Byers. You are here for your brother and we know you've been able to communicate with him. Am I not mistaking? Hmm." Brenner, collected, leant in his seat. Melissa, wrists bruising black and blue trying to break the bones free, jaw locks.

" Yes. I knew I recognised you. How could it be that I, of all people, didn't think I would ever see the day my granddaughter would be arrested. I would be the one questing her. Such a shame."

All blood from Melissa's face is drained, all molecules of her blood running cold at the word Granddaughter.

" Excuse me. W-what the fuck did you just say to me?! I am not your granddaughter. My grandpa is dead."

Milly spat, she knew this is a strategic deploy for her to be misguided and confused.

" It's all the truth. Melissa. I know this must be extremely confronting, to think about. But I'm telling you to the whole truth. Your real father, my son Abraham, and mother Joyce met before she got with your dad." Milly shook her head, eyes verging on releasing tears. " Lonnie Byers is my father. He.. he.. no. You're lying. I would know if my own dad wasn't m.. no. He's my.."

Martin, settling his suit coat on his seat, stood and leaned both hands against the table. Commiserating, with Milly, Martin rummages a finger in his vest pocket pulling out a Polaroid photo. Milly's eyes began to cloud.

'Mom. It's.. it's all true.'

Brenner consoles Melissa.

" See. There you are, on the day you were born. January first. Nineteen sixty one." Martin points to her swaddled baby body in a hospital graded blanket.

" That is your father, Mel."

He uncovers the face of her alleged biological dad. ' Mom looks genuinely happy.'

'Abraham' had lustrous, undulating, brown hair which match hers and a defined sharp curved jaw line. His blue eyes an almost mirror image of Martin's.

" Now you know. I need your cooperation, Mel. I want to help you find your brother. To find Will. You will get your answers after you tell me, truthfully. How did you connect with him? I want to know."

Melissa, emotionless, eye brow spasms feeling a rising anger. Her mouth upturns in an apparent manner of frustration.

" I don't know what you are talking about, Dr. Brenner. Even if I did I would never tell you."

" I'm not the enemy here, darling." Brenner asserts, folding his hands together. " I know I have gone 'bout this the wrong way, I attest to that. But I want to save him. Your brother. We can save more daughters. Brothers and Sons. If this monstrosity is not stopped. It's not a possibility if I don't have your help or trust, Mel. Please. Just listen. Then you can be back with your boyfriend who's in the next room."

Though calm on the surface, Doctor Brenner's eye pupils dilate in incredulity and wonder. Her eyes a faintly a lustreless light whiten glow. " Listen now. I know what lies here in this place. I know what you, and everyone, are doing. What you have here. You are the one who Took my brother, from me! My mom! My brother, Jonathan! You left will there to die of all places." Her hand-cuffs begin tinkering and vibrate. The square industrial light surges in then out of power.

" Faking his death. Using a Dummy body double. What kind of monster's are you? To do that to a grieving family."

Milly felt a presence in her mind, ignoring the pain inside her head. " There was a funeral. We had a funeral, mourning his death. buried him! And now you dare to ask for my help so.. you can, what? Help others who've lost their child to this Monster. Fuck you, Grandfather. You, and every other bastard in this cursed place, can go to hell. Now let me go. Let. Me. Go!"

Dr Brenner, intimidated— which is a first for him, leaned back. 'She is just like her father. He was a stubborn bastard, before he passed away. This is my karma for pushing him to his limits.'

Who knew this information would later become his ultimate demise. Melissa Byers wasn't a woman known to hold back, when it came to her family, That is the first Mistake Dr. Martin Brenner made. Two things she lived by. A, You never lie to her.

And b. Don't threaten, bring, her family or her loved ones in to the picture.

JASMINE SPEAKS;

Plot twist of the century. Martin is her grand-dad. How do we feel about this plot twist? See I did say I have a few surprises. This is one of them. Now it all makes sense as to why Lonnie treated her like he did, why he Hates her. She's not his actual daughter. Joyce will explain how she met Abraham in the next coming chapters.

Patrick Dempsey portrays 'Abraham Brenner.'

What are we thinking when it comes to this new chapter?

El and Milly? Jim and Melissa? Melissa's eyes glowing white while being questioned by Dr. Brenner?

Why do you think that is happening? It's a hint to another story plot-line I have planned for.

Let me know in the comments.

®️ Written by Jasmine. 2024