‧₊ ·˚ ༘❁ ┊ep 4. the sauna test. ▬▬▬▬▬▬
꒰ ✎ ꒱ؘ STARGIRL, a stranger things fanfiction

They arrived at Max's house where the girls sat in her bed. Eleven was brushing her teeth while Franny and Max were lying down on Max's bed.

Max pulled out two comics. "Which one do you think El would pick?" Max asked, Franny, shrugged, "Maybe... Wonder Woman?" Franny squinted one of her eyes then tilted her head to the side.

El came out of the bathroom where she sat on the bed next to the three girls. "Which one?" Max asked, El stood there blankly. She walked to an extra bag that she had. "I'll read this one." Eleven responded softly.

It was the comic Franny gave to her when they first became actual friends. "No way!" Franny got up and grabbed the comic from El. "You still have it! I'm..." Franny chuckled. Eleven smiled. "I kept it ever since I left," El explained, Franny looked up at El and she brought her into a hug.

"I'm surprised I didn't lose it." She pulled out of the hug and lay on the bed with Franny and Max. Eleven had a worried look on her face.

"El, hey, there's nothing to worry about okay?" Franny explained. El nodded. El opened the comic as Franny took gently from her and opened it, Franny sat in the middle of the two as they read the Susan Storm comic. They flipped through the book as each one read each dialogue.

El was the first one to fall asleep, Max next then Franny. They had a good rest, but it was disrupted by Lucas calling them over the Walkie.

"Do you copy? This is a code red." Lucas called. "This is a code red." Max opened her eyes and she sighed. "Shut...up." Max switched off the Walkie.

Max rolled over and El and Franny lay back down. Next thing, the phone rang. Franny sighed, "I got it." Franny rushed to the phone. She picked it up. "We're sleeping go away!" Franny called out.

"Wait! Franny. Don't hang up." Mike called out from the phone. Franny placed the phone back to her ear. "Something happened, something bad," Mike told her.

Max and El walked to her. "Our very lives can be at stake." Franny furrowed her eyebrows. "What are you saying, Mike?"

"Just come over to my house. We'll explain everything." Mike added. Franny placed the phone back on the stand as Franny looked at them. "We should change," Franny explained. They nodded and went to the restroom and changed into fresh clothing.

They walked to their bikes as they biked to Mike's house. They dropped their bikes. They walked to the basement door. Franny knocked. "Hi." Franny smiled to Will who let them in.

They all sat, and Franny stood up. "I didn't think it was anything at first," Will explained. "I mean, I think I just didn't want to believe it." Will paused. "The first time I felt it was at Day of the Dead." Will looked like he had a flashback.

"The power went out that night, too," Mike explained. Will nodded. "And then I felt it again at the field when we're going to talk to Suzie." Will air quoted Suzie.

"Then again yesterday at Castle Byers..." Will added, he looked to the group who watched him intensely.  "What does it feel like?" Max asked, furrowing her brows.

"It's almost like... you know when you drop on a roller coaster?" Will asked, Max, nodded. "It's like everything inside your body is just sinking all at once, but,..." They watched him as Franny sat down in an empty chair. "this is worse."

"So, what, are you saying?" Franny asked softly. "Your body..." Will looked at her. "...it goes cold and-and you can't breathe." El's eyes shifted between the two. "I've felt it before, whenever he was close."

Max furrowed her brows, "Whenever who was close?" Will turned to her, "The Mind Flayer."

"I closed the gate..." El responded Will shook his head. "I know, but...." Will gulped, "What if he never left?" Will looked around before turning his head to El. "What if we locked him out here with us?"

Eleven's gaze intensifies. Will took a piece of paper and made a brief drawing of the Mind Flayer. "This is him. All of him." He explained while drawing. "But, that day on the field, a part of him attached himself to me." Will smeared the drawing. "My mom got it out of me... and Eleven closed the gate."

Will flipped the drawing over.

"But the part that was still in me, what if it's still here? In our world?" Will gulped looking at the group. He used the charcoal paint he had on his hand to make a hand print. "In Hawkins."

"So if we're saying the Mind Flayers back, then he'd want to attach himself..." Franny explained, "To a new host." Will replied. "How can we tell if someone's a host?" El asked.

Max looked to Franny. "Billy was acting weird last night, I mean yeah he's a total jackass and he's never like this around my mom or Neil. So do you think he's the host?" Max assumed her brother was the host, she just didn't want to believe it. "Where is he now?" Lucas asked.

Franny looked to Max. "The pool usually, he works there with Heather Holloway," Franny told him. Mike nodded, "Let's go!" Mike rushed out of the basement to the garage. Max, Franny, and El left the basement door and on their bikes.

They biked their way to the public pool where Billy was working and park their bikes and make their way to the back, Lucas brought some binoculars to spy on Billy.

"I don't know Lucas. He looks normal?" Franny told him. "Normal? How many times have you seen him with a shirt on?" Lucas asked Max. "I mean, it's a little weird."

"More than a little. He was in a tub of ice. The Mind Flayer likes it cold." Mike added.

Mike looked to Max then El then back to Max, "But he's lounging at the pool, which is, like, the least Mind Flayer thing ever." Max explained. "Not necessarily." Will chimed in, looking at them. They turned to him, "The Mind Flayer likes to hide. He only used me when he needed me." Will added.

"It's like..." Will looked onto the ground. "...like you're dormant. And then, when he needs you, you're activated."

Will explained as the others nodded. Max asked questions as Will answered them, Franny looked at Billy who was watching the kids and teenagers swim and play in the pool. They made a plan about how and if Billy was the hose. Mike headed off as he said "boys only!"

Franny and the others rolled their eyes. "I hate boys." She muttered to herself as Max nodded, "they're dicks." As she placed the binoculars to her eyes.

Max watched Billy from the parking lot. She sighed, "Max what's wrong?" Franny asked, placing an arm on her shoulder. "I don't know," Max replied she gave a worried look.

"He'll be okay, don't worry? What's the worst that could happen to him? I know he's a dick and all, but I can tell you care for him." Franny explained smiling at Max.

Max replied giving her a sad smile, nodding, she fixed her gaze back to Billy with the binoculars.

"Okay. Come on." Mike rushed to them in the parking lot. They rushed with him. Franny followed Will and Lucas to a shed. "Hey, uh Will. I'm sorry about yesterday..." Lucas trailed off as Franny furrowed her brows as she looked for something that could hold Billy.

"It's fine. I don't care anymore." Will added. Franny turned around giving Lucas a confused look, he looked at her placing up his hand and giving her a sign for him to explain later. "It was a really cool campaign..." Lucas added that Will ignored him. "I don't care, Lucas, it's over now." Will took out a long piece of chain and looked at the two.

"This should hold him." Will walked out of the shed, leaving Franny and Lucas alone. "What campaign? Did you play without me? Lucas, we talked about this!" Franny explained as Lucas nodded and tried to interject.

"I know! And I'm sorry, Frans. I really am. I love you." Lucas grabbed her hand and placed them in his. "Are you mad at... me?" He asked as Franny shrugged.

"I don't know. We're all different Lucas. I guess you could say we're all different species." Franny smiled giving him a sarcastic grin to him as his eyes went wide.

"You spied on us?" He asked, Franny, shrugged as she took her hands out of his and walked outside of the shed. She turned her back to him and smiled at him as she blew him a kiss and walked away.

Lucas rushed after her. "Love you, Lucas." She walked as he trailed behind her. "I'm not mad but I can't believe you spied on us? That's against the rules!"

Franny crossed her arms as she turned to him, "We make our own rules." She replied, leaving him standing alone. Franny looked for El as she watched El walk out with a dummy.

"Did you tell Mike about the rules and species?" Franny asked as Eleven nodded. They made a plan to tell the two about their own rules and the species they smiled at each other as they laughed.

𓆩♡𓆪

The group waits for nightfall and Billy. They hid somewhere in the locker room waiting for Billy. They had to chat conversations as they waited.

Eleven waited for the right moment to distract Billy. She clanged a metal piece to get Billy's attention. More metal scrapping and clanging.

"Billy!" Mike called out, and they waited. Mike sang in a voice calling out to Billy. Mike kept singing in a voice. They saw Billy rush to the gym room where a dummy and a Walkie were standing in the heater room.

El threw Billy to the wall as they all rushed in to help Eleven. Mike placed a metal piece as Will placed the chain and Lucas locked it. They rushed back to the group.

Franny grabbed onto Lucas' hand. He held her hand tightly. He wanted to make sure, that they would both be okay. But in his heart. Her, only being okay.

Billy was grunting and panting against the door. They stare a Billy through the window. "Max," Billy called.

Max stared at him. "Do it," Max replied keeping her gaze on Billy. Will rushed to the cranker nod up to where it was the hottest. Billy groaned in pain but Max watched intensely.

Billy yelled out to Max to let him out of the sauna. Max watched not convinced to let her brother out. His breath fogs the glass. He spits onto the glass.

Max wore a concerned expression as Will checked the temperature gaze.

"We're at 220." He told them as Max looked at Will from the back to the door. Billy started sobbing. Max approached the window. They had a one-on-one conversation as Franny watched. She wasn't convinced that Billy was apologizing to Max. They walked closer to El,

"Max, get away from the door," Mike called out as she looked at him. "What?"

"Get away from the door!" Mike yelled. Billy slammed into the window. The glass shattered everything making Max got tearier than she was before.

Billy yanked out the rod. Lucas fires his slingshot at Billy who gets knocked out. Max rejoined her friends as the lights start to flicker. They looked around frantically.

Billy rams against the door. "He can't get out can he?" Max asked as Billy rammed the door as he breaks out of the Sauna. He breathes heavily, lights still flickering.

He faces off with Eleven. Lucas stepped in front of Franny placing his arm over her chest.

Eleven picks up a lift weight with her mind and throws it at Billy. Billy pushed the weight out of the wall. Eleven fell to her knees as Billy grabbed her as she gasped and screamed.

Billy wrapped his hand around her throat. "El!" Franny yelled out. Billy looked at them as they watched helplessly. Eleve struggles as his grip remains firm. Franny rushed to the metal rod and smacked him in the head.

El fell to the ground as Mike picked her up. "Go to hell!" Franny yelled out before she tried to slam it against Billy. She missed.

Billy catches it and threw it to the side. He made his way towards Franny. He backed Franny up into a wall. Lucas watched as he tried to do something but Max stopped him. "No."

Max gave him a look as El lifted Billy into the air. Billy and El were screaming and grunting. Lucas rushed to Franny. "Are you okay?" He asked as she nodded.

Eleven threw Billy to the side. He crashed through a brick wall. They watched out in awe as Eleven fell into Mike's arms as she fell into tears.

Mike helps El stand up. They walked to the hole in the wall as they saw Billy fleeing. Eleven expressions harden. They watched.