CHAPTER SIX: "ELEVEN, HE REMINDED"

Billy and I stood outside of Eleven's bedroom window. It was eerily quiet outside tonight, and the two of us were excellent at keeping silent. Neither of us spoke, we didn't need to. Our minds were the same; we were the Mind Flayer.

     I gripped my bat tightly in my hand as I glanced through the window. Eleven sat on her bed with the door open a few inches, a plate on her lap with a small snack (specifically: nachos) and a glass of water on her bedside table.

     A plan quickly formed in my mind.

     Eleven finished her nachos in no time, and left the room to discard the plate. I jumped into action. Slowly, I opened the window before creeping in. I twisted the lid for the melatonin pills. I placed five on the table (which was far too much, but we needed to knock her out fast and silently) and crushed them with the bottom of the bottle.

I scooped up the melatonin powder and dropped it into the water. It quickly began to dissolve, much faster than it would've if the pills were still intact. Soon, it was completely unnoticeable.

I heard footsteps approaching. I wasted no time in slipping out the window, and closing it behind me, just making it out before Eleven could see me.

Eleven, being completely clueless as to what I had done, drank a few sips of water. She pulled it away after a moment and frowned at it, before putting it on her bedside table. She didn't drink all of it, but it would be enough to have her out like a light.

So, Billy and I waited. We were patient, and silent. Not a sound was made. After around half an hour, Billy nudged my arm. I glanced up at him before looking through the window. Eleven slept peacefully in her bed, her light still on.

I opened the window for the second time of the night, and creeped inside. The TV was on now, so I could only assume that Hopper was in the living room. I ignored it, and gently picked Eleven up bridal style as to not wake her up.

Billy and I worked carefully to get her out the window, and once she was in his arms, I climbed through as well. We silently walked through the woods, leaving Eleven's bedroom window opened behind us. It was our silent way of mocking Hopper for not watching his daughter very carefully. We didn't care if he knew it was us, or if he found out she was taken. We didn't care at all.

When we were a far enough distance from the cabin, Billy laid Eleven down on the ground. I stared down at her for a moment, thoughtful. A small, hidden part of me panicked when her eyes began to flutter. But I pushed it to the depths of my poisoned mind before raising my metal bat. Eleven's eyes grew fearful in her tired state, and before she could try anything, I swung the bat down against her head. She shouldn't be waking up for a while.

     I picked up an old chair from the abandoned building. The paint was chipping off the legs of it, and it wobbled when you sat on it. It was good enough. I then brought it to the centre of the room, facing it away from the Mind Flayer.

     Billy dragged an unconscious Eleven over to the chair. I watched as he shoved her down, and tied the rope tightly around her to ensure that she wouldn't try to run out. He didn't bother being careful, as we didn't care how much damage she received from her kidnapping.

     The rope was digging into her skin by the time he was done. It was sure to leave a bruise if she ever got out, and that was a big if. My eyes narrowed into slits as I watched her, waiting for her to wake. I was willing to stand here for as long as it took, ignoring the aches in my legs and just about every other muscle in my body.

     The wait was longer than expected. My mind drifted off every once in a while, but not for long. I wasn't allowed to think about ridiculous things like friends, or family, or even ice cream. Eleven, he reminded. We're here to take Eleven.

     It seemed the Mind Flayer had changed his mind. Of course it was more useful to have her on our side, rather than having her dead. She was soon to be our greatest weapon.

     So, I did as asked (not that I had a choice.) I focused my thoughts on the girl in front of me, and thought on every possibility of keeping her here until the job was done. She could move things with her mind, we needed to be weary of that. She could enter the void, but we would never let her do so. Every little thing had to be taken into account.

     Her eyes began to flutter.

     "Billy," I called out, my expression unreadable and emotionless. "She's waking up."

     I heard footsteps from behind me, barely noticeable over the rushing winds of the Mind Flayer. "Let's get this over with." Billy sighed as if this was all a complete waste of time.

Eleven's eyes were only half open, but she saw us crystal clearly. "What..." she muttered, stuck in a daze. She titled her head, "what's that sound?"

A smirk grew on Billy's face at the words, his head turning so he could see me, and I had a smirk just as noticeable as his. "Should we show her what it is?" He pondered.

I hummed before nodding my head, "yes, I think we should." I began to make my way to the fearful Eleven Hopper. Her eyes narrowed on me, as she tried to use her powers. I felt a small nudge, which caused me to stumble, but I was quickly back on track towards her chair. "Oh, I wouldn't try that. You're all tired out." I laughed.

Eleven seemed to realize the danger she was in for the first time. She was completely powerless and staring in the eyes of the Mind Flayer's pawn. With a strength that no regular person should have, I lifted that chair and turned it so that Eleven was facing the piece of the Mind Flayer which was left in our world. It was growing stronger each day, and I could feel my own power growing as the seconds ticked by.

I set the chair down, and walked around it so that I stood ahead of the scared girl. I was blocking most of the creature behind me, but the mist was still circling around the room, bringing a darkness to the atmosphere that wouldn't have been here otherwise.

"I'm gonna tell you how this works." I said softly, kneeling down so that we were face-to-face. "You, Eleven, are gonna sit here and stay completely still. You're not gonna cause any problems. That means: no screaming, no thrashing around, no mind powers and no tears." I wiped a tear from the corner of her eye, causing her to flinch away. "Do you think you can do that for me?"

Eleven didn't answer. It was good enough for me, so I stood. I made my way back to Billy, who nodded at me before walking over to Eleven. As the Mind Flayer approached her, he wrapped his arms tightly around her shoulders so she wouldn't move.

I rolled my eyes at her squirming, but thankfully, it didn't last long. The Mind Flayer began to surround the two with a cloud of dark mist. It was impossible to see through, so I waited patiently for the job to be done.

Within ten seconds, it was done. A part of me was confused momentarily. I suppose I didn't realize how quick it was. The amount of pain that I was in when it happened to me was enough to make me think that this lasted for hours, when it was only ten seconds.

I brushed off those thoughts.

The mist cleared, and returned to the dark corners of the room. Billy took a step back, while I took a few steps forward. We eyed Eleven curiously, watching as she was slumped over in her chair, still bound by the ropes.

Then, her fingers twitched, and she shuddered. A small cry escaped her lips, as she squeezed her eyes tightly together. "What's happening?" Billy frowned.

Then, she screamed. It was a horrible, painful scream. She thrashed around in her chair, mist leaving her mouth as it hung wide open. My eyes widened, "she's fighting it."

"Is that even possible?" Billy growled, growing angry. I didn't speak. Eleven continued to scream until all the mist had left her body. Finally, she laid there, limp in her chair. She remained unmoving for the rest of the night.

Billy and I watched from a distance, waiting for her to wake up. "If we can't take her mind, what are we meant to do?" Billy was frustrated by the turn of events.

"We will." I mumbled, "don't lose hope. She'll grow tired soon enough, and then, she'll be ours."

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lizzie speaks...

... wow