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Okay... it's okay... don't freak out. It's not like we came across a child... in the woods... at night, where we weren't supposed to be in the first place... And it's not like we brought said child back to the Wheeler's basement... oh wait, WE DID!

This is considered kidnapping, right? We just kidnapped somebody. We're kidnappers!

She's been breathing heavily on the couch since we placed her there and hasn't uttered a single word since we found her.

"Is there a number we can call for your parents?" Mike blurts out.

"Where's you hair? Do you have cancer?" Dustin asks.

My mouth falls open and I turn to smack his arm. "Dustin! What the hell! You can't just ask somebody if they have cancer!" Though head is shaved to peach fuzz. And she's only wearing the oversized yellow t-shirt, no pants, no sleeves, no shoes, well— and now Mikes jacket. Where did this girl come from?

"Did you run away?" Lucas questions.

"Are you in some kind of trouble?" Mike asks.

"Is that blood?" Lucas stretches his arm out towards her and her eyes widen.

Mike quickly whacks his hand. "Stop it! You're freaking her out!"

"She's freaking me out!" Lucas rebuttals.

"I think you are all freaking her out with all your questions!" I raise my voice in a scolding tone. I'm overwhelmed, and I'm not even the one on trial here.

"I bet she's deaf." Dustin concludes.

I groan, pinching the bridge of my nose. "Dustinnn." Where did this boy get his...

He claps at her and she jerks back. "Not deaf." He shrugs.

"Oh. My God." I grab his arm, yanking him back. "Has mom never taken you out in public before?!" He throws his hands up like 'what did I do?' I press my lips together, shutting my eyes for several seconds before reopening them.

"All right, that's enough, all right? She's just scared and cold." Mike defends, walking away for a moment.

"Well I'm scared and cold too." I say quietly to Dustin and Lucas.

"Me three." Dustin grumbles and Lucas nods in agreement.

Thunder rumbles outside and the girl winces causing Lucas to scrunch his nose in judgement and Dustin's eyes grow wide. I look over to see what Mike is doing and he's pulling something out of the laundry basket that's on top of the washing machine.

"Here." He returns, holding out a shirt and sweatpants for her. "These are clean. Okay?"

She takes them from him and slowly brings the fabric up to wipe her face, tugging the corners of my mouth into a frown. She's probably freaking the fuck out right now, on the inside. I know I would be. She sets the clothes to the side and stands, shrugging out of the jacket as she does, and starts to take off her shirt— woah?!

"No, no, no!" All three boys exclaim, Dustin and Lucas immediately turning their heads while Mike reaches out to stop her.

"Oh, my God. Oh, my God." Dustin freaks out as him and Lucas step back. I roll my eyes, stepping in the opposite direction to her.

"See over there? That's the bathroom." Mike points, stammering. "Privacy. Get it?"

She only stares at him blankly before grabbing the clothes and does as she's told. Mike and I follow her. She enters, peering around the small space, so Mike goes to close the door as I turn to walk away until she grabs the door abruptly, startling me I snap my head back around.

"You don't want it closed?" Mike asks her sweetly. His patience with her is astounding compared to the other boys.

Her eyes focus at the knob. "No." My head jerks back in surprise. She spoke. I was starting to think she may be mute, but I wasn't going to say that out loud... Dustin.

Mike takes a second before responding, also shocked. "Oh, so you can speak." My brows shoot up before I elbow him. "Sorry. Well... Um, how about we just keep the door..." He slowly brings it to a crack, the girls' hand still on it. "Just like this. Is that better?" I was just gonna offer to just stand in the doorway but I didn't want to make her uncomfortable- well, I guess more uncomfortable than she already is. Knots twist in my stomach at all the possibilities that could have resulted in her being alone wandering through the woods.

"Yes." She answers. Mike looks pretty satisfied with that and with that heads back over to Lucas and Dustin.

I slide my tongue across my teeth, trying to think of something... "Make some kind of noise if you need any help, okay?" I tell her before joining the boys in their huddled circle they've formed.

"This is mental." Dustin stresses

"At least she can talk." Mike defends.

"She said 'no' and 'yes'. Your three-year-old sister says more!" Lucas spits out.

"She tried to get naked." Dustin adds with wide eyes.

"There's something seriously wrong with her." Lucas continues. "Like wrong in the head."

Dustin jumps back in. "She just went like..." He throws up his hands pretending to take off his shirt and ends up knocking his hat off. 

I shake my head at my brother, letting out a snort before Mikes shoots a me a pleading look for help.

I sigh. "Okay, guys, this isn't funny." I finally chime in. "None of us have any idea what she's been through. Sure she's a little... different, but aren't we all?" I glance around the circle. "She needs our help, not you little twerps mocking and making fun of her."

"Exactly!" Mike nods in agreement.

"I bet she escaped from Pennhurst." Lucas comments, seemingly ignoring what I said. My throat tightens at that last word.

"From where?" Mikes asks annoyed. Hell. I know exactly what that is. The awful place a couple doctors suggested my mom take me to when I...

"The nuthouse in Kerley County." Lucas explains. Flinching at the word 'nuthouse' I shift my gaze down to my shoes.

Dustin notices my discomfort and tries to advert the heavy conversation. "You got a lot of family there?" He cracks. Well... he tried.

Lucas squints, turning to Dustin. "Bite me." He snaps before turning back to Mike and I. "Seriously though think about it. That would explain her shaved hair and why she's so crazy."

My blonde waves would've been gone— head shaved to bare scalp.

"Why she went like..." Dustin does the shirt motion again. We're getting nowhere.

"She's an escapee is the point. She's probably a psycho." Lucas nods, sure of his conclusion.

Everyone would've known. I would've had to return to school. The stares, the names... far worse than what people already call me, though can't imagine any idiots at Hawkins High are that creative.

"Like Michael Myers." Dustin adds.

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

"So you just wanted to leave her out in that storm?" Mike retorts. "Back me up here JJ." He turns to me, voice sounding muffled, far away or under water. "JJ? Are you ok?" My ears start to ring. "JJ?" Mike's hand waves in my face, pulling me out of the tortured shitshow playing in my head, a crashing symphony falling apart on stage, and I realize I was starting to slowly hyperventilate. I blinking, looking into his innocent eyes drowning with concern and nod, letting him know I'm okay. Lie.

"Yes! We went out to find Will, not another problem." Lucas points out. He has a point. The lump in my throat tightens at the thought of Will still out there in that storm right now... while we're inside here dealing with this instead of looking for him.

"I think we should tell your mom." Dustin suggests.

"I second that." Lucas agrees.

Mike whips his head back to them. "Who's crazy now?"

"How is that crazy?" Lucas fire backs.

"Cause, we weren't supposed to be out tonight, remember?" Mike reminds the group.

"Shit." I curse under my breath. Mom thinks I'm at the Byer's... and my note told them Dustin needed help with something so I had to head back home. Ugh, my head is spinning. I sink down, taking seat on the floor, letting them continue as my stubby nails dig into the sides of the thumbs.

"So?" Lucas doesn't understand the dilemma.

"So if I tell my mom and she tells your mom and your guys' mom..." He looks between me and Dustin.

"Oh, man." Dustin lets out weakly. Our mom would have a full on aneurysm. And then I would get lectured for my irresponsible ways.

"Our houses become Alcatraz." Lucas finishes for him.

"And I'd be grounded, for life." I mutter, clanking my converse together, knocking off the pieces of dry dirt.

"Exactly. We'll never find Will." Mike concludes.

Dustin turns to Lucas with bewilderment and throws his arms up, mimicking the shirt thing once again, before keeping his arms raised in a confused manner. I shake my head at his antics, never a dull or quiet moment at home.

"All right, here's the plan. She sleeps here tonight." Mike declares. Fine by me. If we stay here any longer I'll be sleeping here tonight. And we don't have a basement to hide her in at our house.

"You're letting a girl-" Dustin's voice rises.

"Just listen!" Mike asserts, cutting back in. "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."

"Seeee, not too bad guys." I look up to Lucas and Dustin, both of which are staring at Mike anticipatingly.

Mike nods thanks before continuing. "And tomorrow night, we go back out. And this time, we find Will." He finishes determined.

Dustin and Lucas share a glance before Dustin turns to me, awaiting my answer. I heave myself up off the ground, ass slightly numb. "Sounds like a plan. Just be careful, okay?" My teeth nibble on the inside of my lip as I look Mike. Hopefully nothing too crazy happens once we leave.

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Once Mike and I finish building the girl a fort out of blankets and chairs for her to sleep under Lucas, Dustin, and I finally trudge towards the stairs. My body feels like dead weight and I can barely move, beyond exhausted after today's whirlwind of events.

How is it still Monday?!

This has been the longest day of mankind.

"Here you go. This is my sleeping bag." Mike tells her as we move up the steps and the boys pause.

"You really think she's psycho?" Dustin asks with a sigh as they stare at her and Mike.

"Wouldn't want her at my house." Lucas comments before stomping the rest of the way.

Dustin takes one step and stops again causing me to crash into his backpack. Ugh.

"Mental."

"Come on, let's go home before I sleep here." I usher him along. I'm just glad she's not a problem at our house, we have enough to worry about. But after tomorrow we can go back to looking for Will and hopefully find him in no time.

The tiresome wonder if I did enough, if I made the right call, if I should've done more about... the girl, weight heavy on my mind we head home. 

Hopefully she'll just go straight to sleep, and everything will be okay.

But after Mrs. Wheeler handles her, tomorrow we can go back to looking for Will. We'll find him and bring him home. We have to.

I have to.

Cause I don't know what I'll do if we don't...

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Original Author's Note: Finally!! I'm backkk

I've had the beginning of this chapter written since last summer so omgggg I'm so glad to have finally finished it. But I'm barely 3 minutes in to this episode so buckle up y'all, this gonna be a long one hahaha, hope y'all enjoyed <3 Dustin cracks me up so much in this scene lol.