"Will!"
"Will!"
"Will!"
"Will!"
Mike's voice cracked. At first, Lucas yelled louder each time. Dustin then put his hands together to shape a megaphone and yelled:
"I'll literally give you my X-Men #132 if you answer right now!"
Their voices echoed through the greying woods just off Mirkwood, off wet bark and leaves dripping beads of water.
đˇ Evan's POV đˇ
Now, if someone asked why I was out here-breaking curfew, ignoring Hopper, sprinting through a forest that looked like every horror movie intro-I'd have a simple answer:
Because I know where Will really is.
The Upside Down.
The place where nobody here has even heard of yet.
So why search?
Because tonight's the night where everything changes.
This is where we meet her.
This is where the entire story turns.
Because with one mistake, evenâjust a step, just a decisionâeverything could turn out far worse than on the show.
So yeah. I'm here to keep the timeline from exploding.
Even if my heart's pounding like a jackhammer.
Even if Mom is absolutely going to kill me when she sees my bed.
đ¸Third personđ¸
The sprinkle became a steady rain. Rain pattered on their jackets, soaking a pair of sneakers as they pushed deeper into the woods.
Four flashlights cut into the darkness: thin beams sweeping across slick roots and tangled underbrush, mist curling off the ground.
Heavy breath misted the cold air as the chums Mike, Dustin, Lucas, and Evan trudged onward.
"Will!" Mike yelled again, voice edging into desperation.
Only the rustling of wet branches replied.
Lucas kicked a stone hard enough to hurt. "We're wasting time. He's not out here."
"Yeah?" Evan said gruffly, looking around at the trees. "Then I'm grounded for nothing."
Dustin shuddered. "Okay, that's⌠not comforting."
Evan didn't answer.
Just because there was something not quite right.
A faint snap echoed through the trees.
All four boys were nailed on the spot.
"âŚDid you hear that?" Dustin whispered.
Mike swallowed. "Maybe it's Will?"
Another snap, this time closer.
Thenâ
A shadow lurched into the beam of Mike's flash.
The four boys roundly gasped.
A small figure stood before them, drenched and shivering, barefoot, in a soaked hospital oversized t-shirt that clung to her thin frame. Rain dripped from her buzzed hair. Her wide dark eyes darted between them like a terrified animal.
Dustin squeaked, "That⌠that's not Will."
Lucas raised his flashlight defensively. "Who the heck is that?!"
She flinched, her hands lifting protectively as she took a step backwards, shaky.
"Wait!" Mike exclaimed then, edging closer to her. "It's all right! We're not going to do anything to you."
She didn't say a word.
Evan staredâbecause he knew exactly who she was: not personally, but from memories nobody here would believe even if he screamed them.
Eleven.
The catalyst of everything.
Her gaze flicked to Evan and stopped a heartbeat longerâas if she sensed something odd about him. Her eyes seemed to furrow in a frown as though trying to puzzle him out.
Evan blinked.
"Hi," he said softly.
She said nothing.
But she didn't back away from him either.
Mike slowly stepped closer, his palms open. "You're hurt. And freezing. You⌠you need help."
Something flickered in her expression, a flash of fear, confusion, then that small spark of trust.
"Mike, what are you doing?!" Lucas exclaimed in an urgent whisper. "She's like some kinda creepy forest kid!"
Evan raised an eyebrow. "Right, because Hawkins is so normal otherwise."
Dustin raised a finger. "Technicallyâ"
CRACK.
Another branch snapped deeper in the woods.
The boys jumped-but the girl's reaction was quite different.
Her eyes went wide with terror.
She seized Mike's wrist with both hands. Hard.
"No," she whispered.
Her voice shook, but the implication was clear.
Evan stepped forward.
"Mike. We have to get her somewhere safe. Now." His tone was calm but firm. Mike nodded in a trice. Lucas looked at them as if they were crazy.
"You guys are out of your minds! You really wanna bring that forest goblin back home?! Dustin elbowed him.
"Dude! She's not a goblin!" The rain got heavy once more, drumming on leaves and hoods. Mike regarded her gently then.
"Come with us. Please." Something in his voice-soft, sincere, warm-made her hesitate. Then, still nodding, slowly. She took a step closer to the circle of their flashlights.
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So, how are you guys liking it so far?
If you're enjoying it, please leave some reviews, comments, longer thoughts or paragraph comments, and don't forget to send some power stones.
If you're not enjoying it, let me know where I can improveâand still send me some stones.
P.S.: The MC won't interfere with the main plot until chapter 14.
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Number of Chapters in P@treon: 14
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