chapter fifteen — the wheel of fortune

Mateo stared at the floor, feelings of grief and fear pulsed through him with a steady beat. He'd come to the conclusion, after tossing and turning all night, that he was in fact a terrible brother.

If it weren't for his constant pessimism his sister would've felt more comfortable with opening up to him about her visions – she wouldn't have easily thrusted herself into the void of chaos for people she hardly knew. He pushed her away and without any remorse or worry of what the repercussions would have been. And now he didn't even know where she was or what danger she might've been in.

He realized how foolish he was for discarding the oath he made to her when he held her small frame underneath the warm California rain when they were young, "You're my little sister, so that means it's my job to protect you at all times. You're my best friend and friends always look out for each other," he said as he held her face in his cold palms and mustered up his best smile; she fell off her bike and scraped her chin on the pavement and was bleeding generously. He made her hold a cloth over the skin as he frantically ran back inside to look for neosporin and a huge band aid. She cried into his shoulder after he put the bandage on, expressing both her embarrassment and fear. He just held her tightly like the loving big brother he was and whispered, "You're gonna fall from time to time but I promise when you do I'll be there to pick you right back up."

She fell far too many times to count after that and he reached a point where he stopped coming around to help her onto her feet, breaking his promise. However, there was room for redemption – it was his last glimmer of hope knowing there was some way he could help save his sister and his mom from whatever was going on in Hawkins.

"It can't be good for her to be in there this long." Mike's voice rang in his ears and suddenly the static of his thoughts faded away. Max argued against his words, urging him to relax and Mateo thought the comment was unnecessary; Mike had every right to be concerned for El.

If there was one thing he and the teen agreed on, it was that pushing El past her limits wasn't a smart idea. Even though he didn't have any powers he knew what it was like to have someone forcing him to exceed his boundaries. The body and mind could only take so much.

They started bickering about El's limits and he softly sighed, pushing his body off the floor and walking toward the trio in the other corner.

Nancy placed the phone she was holding back onto its hook and sighed as she shuffled over to Johnathan. Mateo watched the exchange, shoving his hands into his back pockets as he and Will listened to the oldest Wheeler's rationale on how there was a pattern to the flayed victims.

"But what about the source? I mean, did the Mind Flayer just suddenly stop infecting people?" She questioned, exasperation evident in her tone and face. "And even if the flayed are monsters now, why can't El find them?"

Mateo held his hand up to signal his interjection, "Well you said this thing operates as a hive mind right?" He asked and the three nodded their heads, leaning forward to listen intently to whatever theory he was about to disclose, "So if the flayed are now in a sense sharing the same mind as it, since we know it's controlling them, who's to say they don't also bestow its abilities? We know the Mind Flayer didn't want El to see where it was hiding when she saw Billy so don't you think it's doing the same for the others too?   If it's as powerful as you say and as I think it is, it already knows El would go searching for it. And think of it this way the flayed are basically zombies now -- their bodies are just hosts — so maybe she can't sense them because they're not consciously here. Maybe he was planning this the entire time." He said and his own words made goosebumps run along his skin.

Nancy was about to respond when Max came trudging near the four, Mike on hot on her heels, and Lucas trailing behind. "Okay, can you guys settle an argument for us? Who do you think should decide El's limits? Mike or Eleven?" She asked and Mateo sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

Even though he had just escaped his teenage years he was glad he wasn't in them any more; it was the most confusing era of his life and that's not including all of his familial issues. Being around the group of teens reminded him why he wouldn't revisit that time in his life.

"The way that you frame that is such bullshit!" Mike argued.

"It's not bullshit, Mike. This is your whole problem. And it's also precisely the reason why she dumped your ass." The red-head explained which caused Nancy to instantly question her brother's relationship status only for him to retort back that the girls were conspiring against him.

Mateo held back a chuckle over the entire debate, feeling like it wasn't the time nor the place to be arguing over something so easily fixable. But he forgot he was working with friends who had grievances and dynamics that he'd never witnessed nor understood.

"She's risking her life for no reason."

"For no reason?" Nancy interjected, shooting daggers at her younger brother. "Mike, the flayed are out there doing God knows what."

"Killing, flaying..." Lucas listed.

"Transforming into monsters." Will finished his friends sentence.

"And El's not stupid. She knows her abilities better than any of us."

"Exactly thank you!" Max nodded furiously.

"Right, but he's got a point," Mateo finally stepped in between all of them. Sure, he was only an outsider looking in but if it were Irene in El's shoes he'd want someone to care for her as deeply as Mike. "Yes, El is her own person and very capable of making her own decisions as is everyone with free will but she also cares for all of you and I think she'd sell her soul before letting any of you die. So maybe she knows her limits, but I also think she'd ignore them if it meant saving all of you. You have to consider the toll this is taking on her mentally and physically and ask yourself if she'd really tell her friends, whom she needs to push herself to save, if she's undergoing a burnout. I'm new to all this, but not even I want her to use up all of her energy and powers when we can and should find another way. She's only a kid." He reasoned gently and it had gotten them all to think.

Mike threw his hands up and sighed, "Thank you! At least someone understands. The rest of you are treating her like some kind of machine when she's not a machine, and I don't want her to die looking for the flayed when they've obviously vanished off the face of the Earth. So can we please just come up with a new plan because I love her and I can't lose her again." The room went silent and Mateo looked around at everyone's faces, mentally noting that this was probably the first time the teen ever voiced his feelings for the girl. He scratched the back of his neck in discomfort once El walked into the room, questioning the group. An eerie tension fell between the cabin.

She drew her eyebrows together in curiosity, "What's going on?"

Mike was quick to respond with the shake of his head, "Nothing. Nothing." He averted his gaze, unable to meet her eyes.

"Just a family discussion...and Mateo being our mediator." Lucas said smoothly, throwing the lifeguard and El a sly smile.

"Oh..." She said and there was a short pause that lingered between all of them before she spoke up again, "I found him."

All of them drew their eyebrows together in confusion, "Found who?"

— — — — —

Irene curled her fingers around the metal cover and lifted it carefully before pushing it to the side. She hoisted herself up and scanned the room before extending her hand into the vent and helping the other two out. Dustin marveled at the sight, fascinated by all of the green tubes that were held in giant glass cases. His eyes then traveled to something in the corner and he broke into a smile, voicing his subtle excitement.

"Nope. No," Irene instantly protested once she saw what he was gushing about, "You're not driving that." She crossed her arms and gave him a hard look. It was her job to protect the two and the last thing she wanted was for them to end up injured because she let a child drive them around a secret Russian base. She hardly knew the mechanics of driving herself but if it were her life or the kids she'd risk hers in a heartbeat.

"Do you even know how to drive?" Erica asked, raising a questionable brow.

She waved the girl off and sat in the driver's seat of the small cart, "How hard could it be?" A soft huff left her lips as her fingers reached for the empty key slot. Dustin took a seat beside her and searched for any compartments that might hold a spare.

"Did you really think they'd just leave the keys in there?" Erica questioned as the lights attached to her helmet casted a soft glow onto Irene's face, causing her to grimace. She leaned her forehead against the wheel and took a deep breath.

There was an ugly feeling that rose within her; she didn't know if it was fear, anxiety, or grief. All she knew was that suddenly she felt like she couldn't breathe and it was getting harder to remember what she saw in her vision. Knowing Steve and Robin could be in some kind of trouble because she suggested they split up and they trusted her, made her shiver with unease.

The boy beside her echoed Erica's remark as he turned, "Aren't you like Steve's age? Shouldn't you know how to drive?" He questioned as she stood up and walked around the room, muttering to herself about how she didn't feel good and that they needed to find the spare key. Erica walked away from the two and investigated the room by herself, stopping in her tracks when she saw a huge metal kennel. Her breath hitched and she turned, shaking away her fear as she moved on with her investigation.

"My dad didn't want me to drive because I'm mildly clumsy and because of my fainting spells, so he never taught me and my mom didn't really speak out against it," Irene explained and looked over her shoulder at Dustin, "Find anything?" She asked and he pursed his lips and gave her a short shake of his head.

"So is that really how you like...see the future? When you fainted back at the mall, was that a vision?" He questioned further, still not sure how her gift worked.

"Yeah, the only one in my family to have experienced visions like this was my great-great-great grandpa; the very first in our lineage. His kids experienced their visions differently; when they joined hands with someone, they were able to channel something specifically for that person. I've tried before but it didn't work. My mom says I'm special – whatever the hell that means." She dropped her shoulders, turning her attention to a small metal box on the wall. She used the screwdriver in her back pocket to pry it open.

"Hm...and you said your brother and cousins weren't born with the gift, how come?"

She let out a dry chuckle, "Your guess is as good as mine." The box opened and she softly smiled in triumph at the sight of the key that hung from one of the hooks inside. She grabbed it and turned to the young teen who was already looking at her with a face full of child-like wonder. A part of her admired that he was so curious about her gift, the other not so much. She knew there was still a chance she could ruin everything and because of that, she bit her tongue and kept quiet about certain things. She didn't want to push away the only people she had in Hawkins.

"Maybe you were like, I don't know, chosen." Dustin said, a hint of excitement evident in his voice.

Irene shook her head, "I highly doubt that. Me? Of all the people in my family? It's not even like I have clear and concise visions. I don't bring anything to the table other than a few fragments of the future that sometimes don't even happen. What was the purpose of it choosing me then? All my gift has been good for is making people run away from me in fear and ruining my parents' marriage. And who knows what's going on with Steve and Robin, they—" She hesitated, taking a deep breath and pursing her lips. "They could be dead for all I know. What help is that? If they're in danger it's my fault. How does that scream 'chosen one'?" She questioned, a tinge of desperation laced in her words as she looked defeatedly at him. He bowed his head and kept his eyes on the floor, not entirely sure what to say.

Clearly, she'd been through more than she let off and he could sense it in her eagerness to find Steve and Robin. She was terrified and it wasn't just because they were stuck in a secret Russian base or because they didn't know what was happening to the two. She was scared because if anything did happen it'd be her fault. He'd be lying if he didn't agree to some extent, but he knew it wouldn't be fair to place blame when they all listened to her anyway – it was the only plausible plan...right?

"Erica, let's go! I found the key." Irene called and when she was met with silence she took a short step forward, "Erica?" She whispered and fear instantly began to settle inside of her. She turned the corner and almost jumped back at the loud zap that sounded from behind her. She whipped her body around and eyed the girl who was holding a large stick that seemed to emit an electric shock at the end.

"What the hell is that?!" She and Dustin asked simultaneously, slightly cowering away from her.

A smile ghosted her lips as she stared down at the device, "A deadly weapon. Could be useful." She shrugged nonchalantly and then turned it on again, moving it toward the two of them.

"No. No. No!" Irene said frantically, grabbing the stick from the young girls' hands. Erica rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest.

"We need it to take down the Commies and save your friends." She retorted.

"Thought you were more realistic than that, nerd." Dustin taunted and just as Erica took a step forward, Irene moved between the two. He continued, "And anyways, we don't even know where they are. And even if we did, there are a million guards up there with weapons way deadlier than that." His voice sounded almost bored as he plucked the keys out of Irene's hand and walked around her toward the cart.

She opened her mouth to say something but a sharp pain pierced the front of her skull. The stick in her hands dropped to the floor with a clang as she held her face in her hands, crouching down.

Images of a beaten Steve and disheveled Robin flashed behind her eyes. They were being injected with something and the words "try telling the truth this time" rang in her ears. Their screams muffled the words and she shut her eyes tightly. She felt light, and a sudden trickle of blood crept down her nose. The familiar piercing scream of the monster she'd come to fear had echoed around her. She reached up and felt the warm liquid above her lip and looked up at Dustin hazily.

He placed her arm over his shoulder and hoisted her up, dragging her toward the cart, "Rena you can't do this now. Please." He pleaded as her eyes drooped.

"Just go...we have...to go...Steve...Robin...We have to go." She mumbled drunkenly as he plopped her into the back of the cart. A soft whisper tickled her ear and she swore it sounded like Billy's voice mixed with something far more sinister. Her mind felt like a fall morning full of fog and gloom, her eyes and body felt heavy. Suddenly it was like her body was collapsing in on itself and the last thing she remembered was feeling the jerky movement of Dustin's driving.

— — — — —

"Sí... sí, entiendo... está bien, me aseguraré de que ella te llame cuando vuelva a hablar con ella. Yo también, te amo." Mateo whispered before he hung up the phone and rubbed his face. He told his mom Irene had been staying at Robins' house and that she just needed some time away after they'd gotten into a fight. Surprisingly his mom had bought the lie and told him to call her every now and then to keep her updated. She wanted to hear from Irene herself but he advised it was best if they both just gave her some space.

He turned to El who was looking down at a box of Lucky Charms and seemed deep in thought. He didn't want to disturb her so he walked over to the rest of the group, listening intently as they theorized how to find the Mind Flayer without falling into its trap.

"...Killing the flayed won't stop the Mind Flayer. We have to find out where it's spreading from." Nancy informed the group, "We have to find the source."

"Well the only person to have seen and been at the source is Billy and we all know that's a trap."

"No," Will shook his head and drew everyone's attention to him. "Billy isn't the only one." He said and then locked eyes with Mateo.

"But...would that even work? It's not like she was physically there, it was just something she saw." He explained and the small flame of hope dimmed between them. He thought it was an insane idea, but if El somehow could tap into his sisters' mind then they'd at least be one step closer; he'd finally find out if she was safe or not.

"But it's a memory, right?" Nancy asked eagerly, clutching the edges of the couch, and he shrugged.

"I guess you could call it that..."

"Well it's worth a short, it's either this or letting the Mind Flayer know where we are." Will spoke up looking between them and then back at El who gave a short nod. Mateo sighed and rubbed his face, still not entirely on board or sure with how it would work.

Finally after a moment of thought he looked up, locking eyes with El, and nodded with as much confidence as he could give off.

"Okay." He threw up his hands, "Let's do it."

Mike was giving El a pep-talk as Mateo, pinched his elbow over and over — thinking of his sister and hoping nothing bad would happen to her or El. If the Mind Flayer was as powerful as he believed, there was a possibility he could somehow infiltrate both of their minds. Just the thought made his skin crawl. The static hiss of the TV brought him back to the moment and he anxiously watched as El tightly wrapped the blindfold around her eyes.

She tuned into the void of her subconscious and searched deeply for Irene. Luckily, after a while, she'd made a connection. The older teen was lying in what seemed to be a metal box, there was dried blood underneath her nose, and she seemed tired but as El looked closer there was a bright surge of fear that lingered in her eyes. She gently grabbed the girls' clammy hand and called to her in a soft whisper.

They locked eyes and Irene eyed the girl in front of her curiously, suddenly feeling weightless and like she wasn't entirely in her body, "El? H-how are you here? What's going on?"

"I need you to take me to the source — y-your first vision." She said quickly and watched the life flicker from Irene's face.

"So it is real." She said and tears began to pool in her eyes as she looked down. El nodded her head slowly and grabbed her other hand, beckoning for her to look up. The two locked eyes yet again and Irene sighed, shaking her head. "I'm sorry. This—This is all my fault. I could've—I should've said something." She whispered defeatedly, bringing their hands up to her forehead.

"No," El protested, making the teen look up. "You didn't know, none of us knew." She reasoned, giving her hands a tight squeeze. Irene looked back up at her and nodded with a soft smile, brimming with confidence as she fully opened her mind up to the young teen.

El felt like she was falling but unlike when she tried to search Billy or Heather, she wasn't afraid, she trusted Irene and knew that nothing could happen to either of them. The shift in atmosphere made her body feel warm despite the heavy sound of rain that clinked against the window and roof. She clutched the soft carpet underneath her and opened her eyes.

"What happened? Did you make it through?" Mike's voice echoed beyond her; back in the cabin they all stared in anticipation.

"Yes..." She trailed, standing up to look around the room. "I'm in a room. There's a funny clock on the wall...it's a cat," Her fingers gently grazed the object before a poster beside it caught her eye. "Linda...there's a woman on the wall named Linda." She said slowly and Mateo's breath hitched.

"Its our old room," He told the group, "This one specifically was the last one we ever shared; we lived in Oregon...she wanted that goddamn clock so bad. I got her the poster for her birthday...Why would she be showing her a memory that far back?" He questioned and no one was able to give him an answer, they all continued to watch El.

A young girl rushed through the door and threw herself onto one of the beds. She clutched a light blue pillow tightly to her chest and El listened to her soft cries; she couldn't have been that much younger than her. Another person entered the room, a young boy, and sat at the edge of the bed. She was sure now that it was Irene and Mateo when they were children.

"He didn't mean it," Mateo sighed as he rubbed his sisters arm comfortingly. She looked up at him with a pained expression and sat up.

"Yes, he did. He's always so mean to me — never you. He says he's just joking but we both know he's not, we both know how he feels about me. He thinks everything is my fault and maybe it is," She cried and he brought her into an embrace, a sudden crack of thunder made him clutch her tighter. A flash of lightening illuminated the room and suddenly she was in a new memory.

Irene ran in front of her, a bright smile etched into her face as she laughed loudly. She looked a little older and they were somewhere different — somewhere with a lot of flowers. She was wearing a long flowing summer dress and her hair was long,"Come on, slowpoke! Mom made auga fresca and said we could have a cup once we made it to the top!" She yelled to her brother who was at the bottom of the hill she was running up.

He rolled his eyes in return and re-adjusted the backpack full of snacks that he was carrying. She stumbled backward, catching herself before she could tumble down, and closed her eyes. Mateo dropped the backpack and rushed toward her. She quickly wiped the blood from her nose.

"You okay?" He asked once he reached her side.

She didn't meet his eyes as she whispered,"I'm fine." The words echoed around El, like a symphony; like there were different variations of the spoken words. Almost as if, she'd said them over and over like a mantra to anyone that asked. It perplexed El.

A blood-curdling-monstrous shriek made her shut her eyes tightly and when she opened them she was in another bedroom. Irene was on the floor, crying softly as she slept. She looked the same as she did when they bumped into each other at the mall and she felt like she might have reached the right memory.

"I think I'm here." She told the group and crouched down next to Irene. She held onto the teens' shoulders, trying to dig deeper into the memory. Suddenly she was on a dark road, nighttime had fallen over Hawkins as a mass of people pushed past her. She stood beside Irene and looked around at the sunken faces. She followed behind the girl as they walked forward, soon coming up on a warehouse building.

"I found it," She breathed. "The source... Brimborn...Steelworks." She stammered and on the other end Johnathan rushed to the yellow pages book he and Nancy were looking through earlier and pointed out the warehouse. The memory tugged at her and she watched as Irene pleaded for the people to stop. Their bodies decomposed in front of her eyes and joined toget her with what she assumed was the Mind Flayer's final form.

She was roughly pushed to the floor, hitting her head on the concrete, and they were in another one of her 'visions' except this time around they were face to face with the Mind Flayer. As its screamed tore through the both of their ears, images of Billy flashed behind El's eyes—she felt a strong grip on her hand and ripped the blindfold off. El steadied her erratic breathing and looked around the empty cabin, fear still coursing through her.

"Mike?" She called quietly as she stood up. "Mike?!" Desperation croaked in her throat as she searched for her friends.

A chilling voice rung behind her ominously, "You shouldn't have gone sticking your nose where it didn't belong."

— — — — —

Irene gasped as she sat up quickly, smacking her head against something that towered above her, "Ow! Jesus christ!" She exclaimed, holding her throbbing forehead. Steve and Robin's giggles filled her ears and she let out a huge breath of relief. She opened her eyes and stared at the two, "Oh my god, you look like shit." She whispered and Steve laughed, bopping her nose before she brought the both of them into an embrace, "I'm so sorry, holy shit, I'm so sorry."

Dustin brought the cart to a halt in front of the elevator, flinging the three backward. He and Erica rushed to the older teens and yanked open the doors to the back.

"What the hell happened?!" Irene questioned, stepping out and helping Steve and Robin. She heard a rumble of footsteps echo along the bases walls and turned toward the two children, looking at them expectantly.

"I'll explain later, we have to go!" Dustin rushed, muttering something to himself as he slid the keycard he stole into a panel. The elevator opened quickly and he pushed the three in, Erica following behind closely.

A/N!
woah woah woah! DAMN. a lot happened here...we're y'all expecting that??? 👀 honestly my brain surprises me sometimes and i love it.

i already told y'all, Billy is not getting a redemption arc...with that being said, how do you think el will be saved from the mindflayer?? pls drop those theories! do ya'll think Dustin is mad at Irene for what happened to Steve and Robin??? 👀

let me know how you liked this chapter! Was it too fast paced? What was your favorite part?

Until next time!