𝟬𝟰
𝘁𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀

    The air in Mike Wheeler's was heavy. The dim glow of the single lamp cast shadows on the walls, adding to the tension that had been growing since they brought the strange girl here. Elise stood near the staircase, arms crossed, her eyes flicking between the others. Mike was pacing in front of the couch, where the girl sat silently, still in that oversized T-shirt. Lucas stood in front of the TV, his face twisted in frustration, while Dustin had his usual look of fascination.

    "Mike, this is stupid," Lucas snapped, his voice cutting through the silence. "We don't even know who she is! What if she's dangerous? What if she's lying?"

    Elise nodded in agreement, running a hand through her hair, though she kept her silence for the moment. 

    She didn't like being the voice of reason—no, that wasn't her thing—but even she knew this was beyond just finding a stray dog and keeping it. This was different. The girl wasn't normal, and everyone in the room could feel it.

    "We can't just kick her out, Lucas," Mike said, his voice firm. "She's scared, and she's trying to help. She knows something about Will."

    "And how do you know that?" Elise chimed in, her voice sharp. "Because she pointed at a picture of him? That's not exactly hard evidence."

    Mike shot her a look of frustration but didn't respond immediately. He turned back to the girl, who sat quietly, her head lowered. There was something unsettling about her stillness, and it wasn't helping Elise's nerves.

    Dustin, sitting on the arm of the couch, leaned forward. "Guys, come on. What if she really can help? What if she knows where Will is?"

    Lucas scoffed, crossing his arms. "Or what if she's the reason he's missing? We don't know anything about her, and you're all acting like she's our best chance."

    Elise glanced at Lucas. They didn't often see eye to eye on things, but for once, they were on the same page. Mike was being reckless, letting his emotions cloud his judgment. But she couldn't shake the feeling that there was something deeper going on—something she wasn't fully grasping.

    "This isn't just about finding Will," Elise said, pushing herself off the wall and stepping closer to the group. "We could be making things worse by keeping her here. What if the police find out? What if she's dangerous?"

    Mike stopped pacing and turned to face her, his eyes pleading. "Elise, I know it sounds crazy, but I just... I feel like she's connected to all of this. I don't know how, but she is. She's not dangerous. I just know it."

    Elise raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. "You don't know that. You're guessing. And you're letting your thoughts about all this shit make you do stupid things."

    That hit a nerve, and she could see the flash of anger in Mike's eyes. But instead of snapping back at her, he sighed. "I just want to find Will."

    "So do we, Mike," Lucas said, his voice softer now. "But this? This isn't the way to do it."

    The girl looked up, her wide eyes scanning the room as if trying to understand the argument. Elise watched her carefully. There was something unnerving about the way she stayed so quiet, so detached. Most kids would be crying or begging for help in this situation, but not her. She just sat there, almost like she was waiting for something.

    Elise glanced at Lucas, who looked just as uneasy as she felt. They didn't need to say it out loud, but they were thinking the same thing: this girl was trouble.

    Dustin, ever the optimist, tried to break the tension. "Maybe we should just give her a chance. I mean, she hasn't done anything to hurt us, right? And she's been pretty cooperative."

    Lucas rolled his eyes. "Yeah, because that's totally what innocent people do—show up in the woods, not say a word, and act all creepy."

    Elise couldn't help but snort at that. "Exactly. This isn't normal, Mike. None of this is."

    Mike looked torn. He clearly wanted to believe that helping the girl was the right thing to do, but the weight of Lucas and Elise's doubts was starting to get to him. Still, his stubbornness won out.

    "I'm not kicking her out," Mike said firmly. "She stays."

    Lucas groaned in frustration, throwing his hands in the air. "Fine! But when this blows up in our faces, don't say I didn't warn you."

    Elise didn't argue anymore. She had said her piece, and there was no point in pushing further. Mike wasn't going to change his mind, no matter what they said. He was determined to play the hero, and she wasn't going to waste her energy fighting him on it.

    "This is so stupid," Lucas muttered. "We're gonna get in so much trouble."

    The two were perched at the back of Mike Wheeler's staircase, unable to process the events of everything that evening

    Elise turned her head slightly to look at him. "You're preaching to the choir, Sinclair."

    Lucas glanced over at her, his expression softening slightly. It wasn't often that they agreed on something, but in this case, they were united in their skepticism. He let out a sigh and turned onto his back, staring at the ceiling like she was.

    "Do you think she's dangerous?" he asked quietly, his voice barely above a whisper.

    Elise hesitated before answering. "I don't know. But something's off about her."

    They fell into a heavy silence, both of them lost in their own thoughts. Elise's mind drifted back to the conversation in the basement earlier. Mike was so convinced that Eleven was the key to finding Will, but Elise wasn't sure. She wanted to believe it—she wanted to help find Will, if only to prove that she wasn't just Steve Harrington's little sister, that she could do something important. But this felt different. This felt wrong.

    Her thoughts were interrupted by a faint sound—something shifting in the room. Elise's eyes snapped to Eleven, who was still lying on the couch. But something was different. The air felt heavier, charged with an energy that hadn't been there before.

    Elise sat up slowly, her eyes narrowing as she watched Eleven. The girl was still as stone, but there was something about the way she lay there that made Elise's skin crawl.

    Then it happened—a small object, a Dungeons & Dragons figure, slid across the floor without anyone touching it. It was subtle, almost imperceptible, but Elise saw it.

    Her breath caught in her throat, and she quickly glanced at Lucas, who had also noticed the movement. His eyes were wide with shock, and for a moment, neither of them spoke.

    "What the hell was that?" Lucas whispered, his voice shaky.

    Elise didn't respond. She didn't have an answer. All she knew was that whatever had just happened, it wasn't normal.

.ೃ࿐ IRIS SPEAKS !

i love sunnyv2 sm its not healthy!! 

every chapter i've written, i'm watching his videos while writing

PLUS MY LIFE IS SO MUCH INTERESTING NOW THAT I LIKE SOMEONE LMAOOAO

anyways!! don't forget to comment, gives me alot of motivation xx

love u guys!!