Dray POV
The gym smelled faintly of dust and old sweat—the kind of smell that never leaves no matter how many years pass. The overhead lights hummed softly, casting pale circles across the scuffed wooden floor.
I sat with El and Joyce up in the stands, watching Dustin and Lucas wrestle a plastic kiddie pool into position at the center. From up here, it looked ridiculous—a bright blue pool in the middle of all that empty space. But ridiculous or not, this was our best shot.
El sat stiff beside me, eyes tracking their movements, but I could tell she wasn't really watching them.
"Do you think I can find them again?" she asked quietly.
Her voice carried that kind of nervous edge like she wasn't just asking me, but herself.
I rested a hand on her shoulder. "El, never doubt yourself. You're stronger than you think."
She didn't look convinced. "Do you think this is all my fault?"
That made me turn toward her fully. "What do you mean?"
She stared down at her hands. "Because… I opened the gate. The monster came out. It took them. Maybe it—" she swallowed hard "—maybe it killed them. If I hadn't—"
"Hey," I cut in gently, giving her shoulder a squeeze. "Look at me."
She did, reluctantly.
"Look at all of them," I said, nodding toward the others setting up equipment and hauling in salt. "Your friends believe in you. They trust you. Not one of them thinks this is your fault. And they're right—it's not."
"But then… whose fault—"
"Who else could it be?" I cut in. "Ninety-nine percent sure it's the guy who thinks handing out candy makes him everyone's favorite science teacher."
She tilted her head, confused.
"You know… white hair so neat it looks like it's glued in place. Talks slow, like he's afraid the words might bruise if they come out too fast. Creepy calm all the time. Always has candy like it's some kind of… trust-building program."
Her eyes narrowed, then softened in recognition. "Papa."
"Exactly. Dr. Brenner. Papa. The guy's basically running Hawkins Lab like it's a kindergarten, except instead of nap time, you get mind-control practice."
She let out a short laugh—soft, almost disbelieving—but the smile stayed on her face. I gave her shoulder another squeeze. "We'll get them back. And you're not alone in this."
Her gaze softened, and for a second, we just sat there, both smiling faintly.
Then, of course, Dustin and Lucas's bickering echoed across the gym.
"You've got it crooked!" Lucas barked.
"It's perfectly straight! You're just looking at it wrong," Dustin shot back.
I sighed, standing up. "Let me help them before they start an actual wrestling match over a kiddie pool."
As I headed down, I caught Joyce's eye. One quick nod was all it took for her to slide over to El's side, her presence warm and steady.
While I went to referee the great pool placement debate , Joyce slid closer to El. From where I stood, I caught flashes of their conversation between the shouts of, "We need more space!" and "No, the wall's fine right there!"
Joyce handed El something—black goggles, the kind she'd been working on since we got here. "You have a great brother," she said warmly.
El smiled faintly. "Yes. Even though I don't remember him… I can feel it. His concern. Not just for me, but for all of us." She turned the goggles in her hands. "Thank you."
Joyce's smile softened. "When you're trying to find Will and Barbara, I'll be right here. If you're afraid, tell me, and we'll get you out."
El's voice was quieter now. "Thanks… for all this."
Joyce kissed her forehead. "Don't worry. We'll bring them home."
Back at the kiddie pool, progress was… happening, technically. Dustin was testing the salt level with what looked like an egg he'd smuggled from someone's kitchen. He dropped it in, and it sank straight to the bottom.
"Needs more salt," he declared.
Hopper and Jonathan tore into more bags, cutting them open and dumping their contents into the water.
Ten minutes later, another egg test—this time it floated.
Dustin grinned. "It's ready."
Mike set a radio on a nearby table, the static hissing like it was waiting for a ghost to answer.
El stood at the pool's edge, goggles perched on her head. She looked at me, then at Mike. We both gave her a nod.
She reached for Joyce's hand, stepped carefully into the water, and waded to the center. The plastic creaked under her weight.
She lowered the goggles over her eyes, leaned back until she was floating, and let her arms spread slightly. The whole gym went quiet except for the faint buzz of the lights and the soft slosh of water.
A bead of blood trickled from her nose.
"It's time," I murmured.
From El's perspective, the gym vanished. She was in the void again—black water under her feet, stretching endlessly. The surface was still, perfect, reflecting her every movement like glass. Above and around her, there was nothing. No walls. No ceiling. Just infinite darkness.
The only light came from somewhere far above, soft and cold, illuminating her like she stood in the center of a stage no one else could see. Every sound was muted, as though the world had taken a breath and forgotten to exhale.
She walked forward, each step sending ripples outward into the darkness.
"Are you alright?" Nancy's voice broke the silence of the gym, though it didn't reach El.
"Yes," El answered, her voice small but steady.
A collective exhale passed through the group.
"Let me find them," she said, and the goggles hid her closed eyes as she focused.
In the void, faint whispers began to weave through the silence—fragments of voices, too far to understand but close enough to pull her onward.
The black water beneath her feet trembled.