SAD BOY HOURS.

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STARCROSSED (book one).
°• CHAPTER EIGHTEEN •°

" YOU'RE OKAY.
YOU'RE OKAY. "

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ELIJAH WOLFHART UNDERSTOOD HIS SISTER BETTER NOW. It was suddenly on a level he never thought was possible. He would give anything to take away the pain flooding his veins. It was becoming unbearable. It would pump so quickly and bring such an ache that he feared the only relief from the tension beneath would be slicing the surface containing the ticking time bomb. Or swallowing the pills just like his sister did until his brain adjusted to the need for more. Elijah felt sick at the thoughts running in his head but he couldn't help it. It felt like a curse sometimes. They were always there, even if they weren't present, they were lingering because the pain was always underneath, waiting to break free. It was always waiting for another moment or opportunity. It seemed like it found it.

And the thing is, Elijah would give anything to take away the pain surging her system, too. He would sacrifice himself as Eleven once had if it was necessary. Nevaeh had stopped crying by the time they pulled up to the Byers' house although he saw the way they were still pooled in her brown eyes, threatening to spill over. Elijah waited until she was ready to hoarsely spill the horrible truth and he swore his heart split in two.

"It happened so fast," Nevaeh had whispered. "It tore him open... And..." She sobbed, her breath hitching, "All that blood..."

It's a struggle to get Nevaeh in the house after that. Her legs and hands badly tremble as her brother guided her inside with the rest of the crew after everyone is parked. It doesn't take a genius to know what Nevaeh wanted so badly and Elijah knew right away. But he doesn't pester her to talk about it yet. What happened in that Lab had broken something inside of her and all she could do was sit at the Byers' kitchen table, and stare at the wall with sad, blank eyes. She doesn't acknowledge the kids sitting around her. Elijah already had an idea of the storm raging in her head.

And then there was Will Byers, the accomplice to their monster, unconscious on the living room couch. He's surrounded by crumpled pictures with dark drawings scribbled on them with crayons that are connected together in some kind of weird map. After the alphabet and Christmas lights fiasco, Elijah stopped questioning how Joyce Byers decided to decorate her house when shit went down in Hawkins.

Jonathan had crouched beside his sleeping brother and gently stroked his hair. Elijah had parked himself on his side. "I'm sorry, bud," he heard Jonathan whisper to his brother. "Sorry I wasn't there. I should've been here." Nancy placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. He leaned into the touch before his sad, brown eyes met Elijah's. "I'm sorry, Eli," he apologized again quietly. "We didn't want to leave you behind. We thought - "

"We thought it was better that you didn't know. We were trying to protect you," Nancy finished. She tried to supply Elijah with a smile, but her blue eyes are as equally sad as Jonathan's.

Elijah's heart warmed. He had been scared for a long time now that his two best friends have took off without him. Abandonment had been heavy on his mind lately which was just another addition to pain. But he felt slight ease knowing now that they didn't ditch him. They were just worried about him. Hell, he had to see a doctor after all the traumatic events because he wasn't coping so well. It must have been obvious. Elijah matched Nancy's troubled smile, touched that he had them, saying, "Thanks, guys."

Nancy nodded. "How's Nevaeh?" She asked, glancing at the girl who was silently sat in the kitchen, out of their earshot.

Honestly, Elijah wished he knew Nevaeh's level of pain. He was further concerned about her well-being than he was about his own. Elijah shook his head. "She saw what happened to Will, those guards, Bob..." he told them quietly. Jonathan visibly winced. "She's been through a lot. I'm worried about her."

"She'll be okay," Jonathan said. He pushed Will's hair off his damp forehead one last time before placing the palm of his hand over Elijah's knee. "She learned how to be strong from the best."

A wave of peace passed from Nancy's hand over Jonathan's shoulder, passing through him until it reached Elijah and filled him. He could have fallen forward and cried out with the alleviation that Jonathan's words brought. He's always struggled to believe he was someone who could endure whatever pain Hawkins could hit him with.

The trio's touching moment is interrupted by Chief Hopper's shouting into the phone. His furry eyebrows knit in annoyance at whatever the receptionist on the other end replied when he explained the situation. "... Sam Owens. Doctor Sam Owens," Hopper insisted. "... I don't know how many people are there! I don't know how many people are left alive! ... I am the police! Chief Jim Hopper!" He raised his voice, exasperated. "... Yes, the number that I gave you, yes." He listed off the number. "... I will be here."

He nearly slammed the phone on the receiver in frustration. A few of the kids argue that just because whomever Hopper argued with didn't believe him doesn't mean that they should sit there and do nothing which just so happened to be the Chief's final decision. Elijah didn't care either way. He couldn't find it in him to. He was exhausted so badly that his muscles were weak and every move he made from then on had been sluggish. He'd also have given anything to lay down and just sleep, even for five minutes. That's all he needed.

But no. Even if Elijah could shut his eyes for a few minutes, he wouldn't have been able to doze off when those Demogorgons are still out there. He was terrified to let his guard down long enough to catch a break. It wasn't possible. Elijah jumped at every little thing around him, specifically if someone moved too fast. He had to take a deep breath to calm himself when Nevaeh sat next to him in front of the coffee table.

The Wolfhart's sat with their legs crossed, knees bumping one another, and backs dug into the maple-wood in silence. The only sound was Will's soft breathing behind them. Nevaeh almost seemed afraid to speak. She kept parting her lips only to suck in a sharp inhale and close them again. It made Elijah ache. Did Nevaeh not trust him to talk about what she saw? Was she still mad that he suddenly disappeared?

What Nevaeh told Elijah the night before hit him again. If you decide to care about someone other than yourself... He tried to push it in the back of his head. It had to be the least of their problems. But he can't help it. Elijah was still feeling the long sting lingering from the poison behind the words. Was everything he gave not enough, even if he was shedding pieces of himself until there was nothing left? They were all scattered. It would be impossible for Elijah to put them back together at this point.

"Are you okay?" Nevaeh finally spoke. Her voice is barely a croak, a soft whisper that Elijah would've missed if the house wasn't so quiet otherwise.

Elijah didn't answer with words. But he lied when he nodded.

He turned his head and frowned when he saw Nevaeh's hands violently trembling. The way they shook looked like a blur. Her normally bronze skin seemed paler and oddly warm when her big brother placed his hand over hers. Elijah squeezed it before lacing their fingers together. The Wolfhart siblings don't speak. They don't have to. Nevaeh relaxed into the comforting touch he was offering her even though her hands don't stop their shaking.

"I'm sorry." The apology clumsily slid off Nevaeh's tongue.

Elijah's eyebrows furrowed at her with confusion. "For what?"

His question almost made Nevaeh's jaw slack. She couldn't believe Elijah thought he deserved the cold words she said to him. "For what I said," she whispered. Her eyes quickly grew teary. "I know... I know that I'm a pain in the ass. And you're trying to keep me safe from all this. And it's killing you." Nevaeh blinked furiously, but it was too late. Her throat was closing up and Elijah could hear it when she spoke. "I don't say it enough, but I don't know how you do it. I wouldn't be here without you."

And I would be nothing without you, Elijah thought but he didn't say it. He wouldn't be able to live another day if anything happened to Nevaeh. He used the pad of his thumb to brush away the balls of Nevaeh's tears before pressing the palm of his hand gently on the back of her head until she lowered it and planted a quick kiss over her hair. Nevaeh practically fell into him as she caved and dropped her head into her brother's lap as if his crossed legs were a pillow.

"Get some rest," Elijah told her softly. He knew Nevaeh wouldn't be able to fall asleep when they're stuck in a shitty situation like this, but he tried to help her anyway. She shut her eyes as Elijah gently scraped his fingers through her curly hair, his nails scratching her scalp soothingly until he didn't feel her tears soak his denim pants anymore.

Mike had been the quietest one there since they arrived. Elijah remembered they usually couldn't get him to shut up and usually the first thing that popped into the kid's head, he said. Elijah can't imagine what the poor kid had seen. His best friend lost his mind then sent soldiers to be slaughtered and knowing a man who saved them had been brutally ripped apart. He's surprised Mike hadn't shed a tear yet although he seemed close when he stepped across the living room rug.

"Did you guys know that Bob was the original founder of Hawkins AV?" Mike's voice carried. He turned around when Lucas questioned his statement to reveal he was holding a small box with rubber bands wrapped around it. "He petitioned the school to start it and everything. Then he had a fund-raiser for equipment. Mr. Clarke learned everything from him." He joined his friends in the kitchen as Neveah slowly lifted her head from her brother's lap. Mike had everyone's attention by now. "Pretty awesome, right?"

Elijah blocked out the kids when they start talking about Bob and Demodogs to make sure his sister was looking at him when he said, "Can you do this? Are you okay?"

"Can you?" Nevaeh challenged. Her soft brown eyes were still damp, but Elijah saw a weak smile starting to tug at her lips.

He made his decision there and grabbed her hand so they could stand together.

Suddenly, Mike came bolting by them, shouting about an army they could stop. They shared a confused stare before taking off after him along with his friends and Steve. They end up in Will's room where Mike was shuffling through a stack of drawings. He picked one out of the stack that looked as if it was yanked out of someone's nightmare.

Bundles of trees with dead leaves sat on a field below dark clouds that blast bolts of lightning behind a large black figure that towered over everything with long legs. Mike thrusted the image into Dustin's hands and Elijah looked over his shoulder for a better glimpse.

"The Shadow Monster," Dustin realized.

"It got Will that day on the field. The doctor said it was like a virus, it infected him," Mike declared.

"And so this virus... It's connecting him to the tunnels?" Max questioned.

Mike nodded furiously. "To the tunnels, monsters, the Upside Down, everything," he says in one breath.

The corner of the picture is pinched by Nevaeh. She studied the monster colored on the paper with a deep frown and a glare of concentration. Then she lifted her head. "I've seen this before," she admitted softly.

Elijah's head snapped towards her. "What?"

Nevaeh lifted her hand and waved it nervously when she noticed everyone looking at her. "I - I mean, that... My nightmares. It's not always just Demogorgons and vines that try to hold me down. It's..." She shook her head and examined the picture again. "... I always thought it was a shadow. A moving one, but... A shadow. Or..." Nevaeh trailed off.

"Or what?" Mike pressured.

It was hard for her to speak, but Nevaeh still tried to explain, "A man. Apart of the vines, I think." She was furiously trying to rack her memory, but nothing was coming up. She couldn't make sense of what glimpses she remembered. She finished, "It's all part of the virus. It's all connected."

Elijah forgot about the stakes they were at and asked with concern, "Nevaeh, why didn't you tell me?" But his sister shook her head. She was trying to protect him too.

"Whoa. Slow down. Slow down," Steve insisted.

"But Nevaeh's right. The Shadow Monster's inside everything. And if the vines feel something like pain, then so does Will," Mike argued.

"And so does Dart," Lucas added.

Mike nodded. "Yeah, like what Mr. Clarke taught us. The hive mind."

"Hive mind?" Steve repeated cluelessly.

"A collective consciousness. It's a super-organism," Dustin explained.

Mike pointed at the Shadow Monster again. "And this is the thing that controls everything. It's the brain."

All of a sudden, Dustin's eyes grew wide as a thought hit him. His jaw dropped. "Like the Mind Flayer," he stated.

His words brought Lucas to snap at him with his fingers and Mike to gape while Max, Steve, Elijah, and Nevaeh stared at him like he sprouted another head. Mike turned around to search for something else before retrieving a thick book. Elijah had to hold back a roll of his eyes when he saw the title, gold letters reading DUNGEONS & DRAGONS.

The book smacked against the kitchen table once they retreat to gather the adults. It was better if they heard this when Elijah could hardly believe it himself and he was only eighteen. Dustin pointed at a strange figure with a robe and what looked like an octopus pulled over its face. "The Mind Flayer," he announced.

Chief Hopper stared at the kid blankly. "What the hell is that?" He muttered.

"It's a monster from an unknown dimension. It's so ancient that it doesn't even know its true home. Okay, it enslaves races of other dimensions by taking over their brains using its highly-developed psionic powers," Dustin explained sincerely as if the characters in Dungeons & Dragons were a real game and not something his band of nerds plays for fun.

"Oh my God," Hopper groaned. "None of this is real. This is a kid's game."

"And this is real life." Elijah reached out to snap the book shut.

Dustin's hand quickly shot out to stop him. "No, it's a manual! And it's not for kids!" He snapped. "And unless you know something that we don't, this is the best metaphor - "

"Analogy," Lucas corrected.

Dustin's face dropped. "Analogy," he deadpanned incredulously. "That's what you're worried about? Fine. An analogy," he stretched the word out, "for understanding whatever the hell this is."

"Okay!" Nancy exclaimed. "So, this mind flamer thing - "

"Flayer," Dustin exaggerated. "Mind Flayer."

Nancy huffed as if she was about to reach out and smack the cap off his head, but held herself back from doing so. "What does it want?" She questioned pointedly.

"To conquer us, basically. It believes it's the master race," Dustin clarified.

Steve nodded as if he understood. "Oh, like the Germans?"

A long sigh fell from Elijah as he pinched his forehead. He can't believe he loves this idiot.

"Uh, the Nazis?" Dustin overstated.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, the Nazis."

"Uh... If the Nazis were from another dimension, totally."

Steve's jaw clicked as it snapped shut. Elijah noticed him flush a little since a thirteen year old just put him in his place. It's a little satisfying to see, he can't lie, but he also can't help letting it slip despite being nearly surrounded by white men, "Just like colonizers."

"Uh, yeah. Like that," Dustin agreed hesitantly. "It views other races, like us, as inferior to itself," he continued.

"It wants to spread, take over other dimensions," Mike added.

Lucas gravely finished for them both, "We are talking about the destruction of our world as we know it!"

"That's great. That's great. That's really great." Steve spun on his heels with an annoyed, "Jesus!"

The book was lifted by Nancy so she could study it closer. "Okay, so if this thing is like a brain that's controlling everything, then if we kill it..."

Her brother confirmed, "We kill everything it controls."

"We win," Dustin cut in.

But Lucas winced. "Theoretically," he reminded them.

"Because this is all hypothetical," Elijah mumbled sourly. Why were they comparing this creature to another character from a fantasy game? His irritation started to spike and being exhausted wasn't helping.

"Great. So how do you kill this thing?" Hopper snatched the book from Nancy's hand and started to flip through the pages. "Shoot it with fireballs or something?"

A small laugh passed Dustin's lips. "No. No, no, no fireballs. You summon an undead army because..." The smile slipped off his face when he noticed the Chief scowling at him. "Uh... Because zombies, you know, they don't have brains. And the Mind Flayer it... It - it likes brains." Nobody spoke. Hopper's dry, unamused glare didn't change. "... It's just a game," Dustin defended quietly.

"Point proven," Elijah muttered. He stopped himself from uttering another cold word when Nevaeh's hands slipped into his and gave him a reassuring squeeze.

Hopper clamped the book shut. "What the hell are we doing here?"

"I thought we were waiting for your military backup," Dustin taunted him.

"We are!"

"Even if they come, how are they gonna stop this?" Mike pointed out. "You can't just shoot this with guns."

"You don't know that! We don't know anything!"

"We know it's already killed everybody in that lab!"

Nevaeh's hand froze before falling out of Elijah's clasp at Mike's exclamation. It was like the second the words loudly left his body, they came with terrible memories. She didn't want her older brother to feel her hands shake again.

"We know the monsters are gonna molt again," Lucas spoke up.

"And we know that it's only a matter of time before those tunnels reach this town," Dustin added. Elijah squeezed his eyes shut for a moment. Darkness flooded his vision before being dotted with tiny lights that reminded him of the stars. He'd rather be floating in space than dragged to Hawkins thanks to gravity where monsters were about to invade their small town.

A small voice suddenly cut in from the doorway. "They're right." Joyce stood unsurely in nurse's scrubs with tears in her eyes and a determined frown on her lips. "We have to kill it. I want to kill it."

"Me too. Me too, Joyce, okay? But how do we do that?" Hopper begged her to understand. They were sitting ducks while destruction could be minutes away. "We don't exactly know what we're dealing with here."

"No. But they do."

Mike's words sent everyone to follow his gaze that had glued onto Nevaeh. She blinked a few times and turned her head. "No, I - " She swallowed the lump in her throat. "If I knew something, anything about what these things are I'd say it. I would. I care about Will. But I... I don't know," Nevaeh told them with trembling desperation. "I wish I knew more. But I don't. I run when I dream."

"You're okay. You're okay," Elijah whispered again and again to his baby sister so only she could hear. He looped an arm over her shoulders and pulled her close to her chest to act as her shield and keep her away from their prying stares. Nevaeh clung to him as if she was an anchor and he was the only thing keeping her from sinking. Elijah's protective brown eyes narrow towards the others, even the ones he loved as if daring to challenge anything Nevaeh knew about the Mind Flayer.

"You're right. Dreams are different than here," Mike caved. "So if anyone, anyone, knows how to destroy this thing - it's Will." He guided the group into the living room where Will was still sprawled on the couch, unconscious. Elijah kept his arm around his sister as they hung back and listened to Mike's speech. "He's the one connected to it, not Nevaeh. He'll know its weakness."

"I thought we couldn't trust him anymore. He's a spy for the Mind Flayer now," Max tried to reason.

"Yeah, but he can't spy if he doesn't know where he is."

Elijah Wolfhart can hardly believe this. He glanced from Nevaeh to Will and realized there that the pain flooding his own veins was nothing compared to theirs, and there was nothing he could do even when he gave it his all to relieve them of it.

.

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author's note:

very boring chapter IM SORRYYYYY i had to make a filler but there'll be more action and more interactions in the next chapter for sure! if i mixed all these chapters it would've been way too long for my standards. but i will be updating this more often and likely prioritizing it as we're closing up season 2. i'm way more excited for seasons 3 & 4 like y'all won't believe the plans i have.

anyway elijah and nevaeh's relationship absolutely melts my heart. he'll act okay just for her and she'll act okay just for him <3 he told her to take a quick nap even though he was so tired he could barely move <3 him daring the others to try and use nevaeh <3

❤️THE WOLFHARTS❤️

like i promised the next few chapters will be way better, so i'm sorry again for the boring chapter, but thank you for reading anyway! i always appreciate it! ❤️

- koda

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