Saved

Thirty Five

The large Starcourt Mall sign loomed overhead as Allison stood beneath it, watching groups of people walk in and out of the densely populated shopping centre. Realizing how disheveled she must look after the intense morning that she had, she quickly smoothed down her hair and adjusted her clothes, before stepping inside.

She had to make a conscious effort to stop her jaw from dropping as she took in her surroundings. Each store was brightly coloured to draw in customers, while the center of the mall was filled with various plant life and a large water fountain. Further down she spotted what appeared to be a moving staircase, that helped to bring people up to the second floor.

As she stepped further into the building several pair of eyes turn towards her and she tried to ignore them, looking up to admire the large glass ceiling, that allowed natural lighting to flood inside. A group of girls that appeared to be around her age began to giggle amongst themselves, their thoughts simultaneously entering Allison's mind.

She's the one who is always with Billy Hargrove at parties.

What a freak.

I'll never understand what he sees in her.

Allison's felt a lump form in her throat at the mention of Billy's name. Maybe if he hadn't been interested in her, he would have been safe, but instead he was trapped inside his own body with a monster and she needed to save him. Pushing the other girl's thoughts from her head, she picked up the pace, needing to find someone who could help her.

She spotted the nautical themed ice cream shop and ran towards the well lit Scoops Ahoy sign. To her relief there was no line up and she was able to approach the counter without any waiting. A girl dressed in a blue sailor suit stood on the other side and Allison took a moment to read the name tag pinned to her shirt, Robin.

"What can I get for you today?", Robin asked, forcing an enthusiastic tone as she stood up straight and reached for her ice cream scoop.

"Um...I'm not actually here for ice cream.", Allison murmured, feeling guilty.

"You do know this is an ice cream shop, right?"

"I do. I'm looking for Steve."

"Steve Harrington? Well, that's a surprise.", Robin commented with a laugh. "It's just that most of Steve's friends are children.", she added, addressing Allison's look of confusion.

"There's a reason for that, but it's kind of a long story. Anyway...is he here?"

"He is, but he's a bit preoccupied."

"This is kind of important, and it'll only take a minute.", Allison insisted, placing her hands down on the counter to emphasize her point.

"Look, I wish I could help but what Steve is doing is pretty important too.", Robin shrugged unconvincingly.

At least Harrington seems to think so. His friend, Dustin, found some Russian transmission. Trying to translate. They think their saving the world. Such boys.

Allison tried to appear unphased as she took her hands off the counter and stepped back. She didn't know how Russians were involved with what had happened to Billy, but something told her to let Steve and Dustin continue translating the transmission, in case it contained any clues to what was going on.

"I'm sorry that I bothered you. Tell Steve and Dustin to keep up the good work.", Allison mumbled without thinking.

"Will do. Wait! How do you know about Dustin-", before Robin could finish speaking, Allison had turned away and was running for the exit, falling seamlessly into line with the other shoppers. Keeping her head down, she let the crowd direct her through the mall and out the front doors.

As she stepped outside, the sound of several familiar voices caught her attention. She glanced up to see Mike, Lucas and Will standing over by the bike racks, engaging in an intense conversation with two girls who both had their backs to Allison. It was obvious that the fiery redhead was Max, but the other girl was dressed in brand new clothes that Allison didn't recognize. Then it hit her, Eleven.

Lucas and Will both went wide eyed as they realized that Allison was storming towards them. Mike seemed to be too distracted by what Eleven was saying to notice, while Max listened intently, cheering Eleven on from the sidelines.

"I dump your ass!", Eleven uttered confidently, prompting the expression on Mike's face to drop.

"El! What are you doing here?", Allison asked loudly, startling everyone in the group that hadn't known of her arrival.

"I could ask you the same thing.", Eleven responded quickly, glancing at the bus that had pulled up to the curb and then back at Allison.

"Are we gonna catch that?", Max tried to whisper in Eleven's ear, but it was loud enough for Allison to hear.

"You aren't going anywhere without me.", she cut in, shooting both girls a look that warned them not to move, while she directed her attention to the boys. "I'm gonna take Eleven and Max home, and I think you three should do the same.", she suggested without any context, earning looks of confusion from everyone but Will.

He's back isn't he? I can feel him.

Will's anxious thoughts caught Allison by surprise and she locked eyes with him for a moment, confirming his suspicion of the Mind Flayer's return. She pleaded silently for him to keep the news to himself and to her relief he responded with a subtle nod of understanding. He then gripped the handles of his bicycle and mounted the seat, encouraging Mike and Lucas to do the same.

"What's going on? Is everything okay?", Max questioned Allison as the three boys rode out of sight.

"Of course! I just think that me and El should get home before Hopper realizes that we're gone.", she answered, putting her arm around Eleven and pulling her close. "Hey, Max! Why don't you come stay with us for the night?", she suggested, wanting to keep Max far away from Billy.

"That would be cool! I'd just have to stop at my place first and grab some stuff."

"No!", Allison snapped, startling the other girls. "Uh...I just mean...that won't be necessary. We have everything you need at the cabin.", she explained calmly, while Eleven stood by nodding her head in agreement and licking the ice cream cone in her hand.