Trust - Lucas Sinclair

E Pluribus Unum (Part 2)

Static filled the room as everyone looked at El with hope that she will find something that they could put to good use.

Nikki felt bad she couldn't help El more but she insisted she would be fine, so Nikki watched from the sidelines with her hand laced with Lucas's.

The silence felt deadly as they heard every deep breath El took until she finally pulled off the blindfold and faced everyone around her.

"What's he doing now?" Max asked from beside Nikki.

"He's sitting on his bed," El said with her voice cracking slightly. "He's back at his house."

"Come on," Nikki walked up to her with her hand out. El looked tired and Nikki figured she could take a break while the rest of them figured things out.

El took her hand and stood up, letting her lead her to the kitchen. Nikki got a glass and filled it up with water and handed it to her without a second look. She turned back to the conversation they were having.

"And that's not normal, right?" Nancy asked Max.

"Billy staying in his room on the fourth of July?" Max said with a raised eyebrow. "No, that's not normal."

"He wants us to find him," Will added.

"Yeah, that's what I'm afraid of," Nancy sighed, crossing her arms. "If we go to Billy, then the rest of the flayed know where we are."

"It's a trap, I agree," Mike shrugged. "We'll be ambushed."

"We won't be surprised," Lucas said like it helped them in anyway. "We'll know that they're coming and we will kick their flayed butts."

"You mean El and Nikki will kick their butts," Max corrected, earning a nod from Nikki.

Nikki turned back to El who had finished the water and was now looking at a box of Lucky Charms.

"Hungry?" Nikki asked opening the cabnet to get a bowl for her but winced due to the pain in her back.

Gee, back, thanks for reminding me of my pain, she sighed, not reaching up to get the bowl. If she's hungry, she can get the bowl herself.

El, however, didn't notice her pain. She put down the box and started to go back to the living room. "I have an idea." She muttered.

It was enough to make Nikki follow her out there.

"Killing the flayed won't stop the Mind Flayer," Nancy said, not noticing the two girls joining them. "We have to find out where it's spreading from. We have to find the source."

"Billy knows it," El announced their presence to everyone else. "Billy's been there. To the source."

"Yeah, but-"

"It's a trap," El cut off Mike. "I know. We can't go to Billy, but I think there's another way. a way for me to see where he's been. Remember how I told you how I found out aboout everything with my mom?"

The last question was directed at Nikki who remembered well what her sister told her. "Yeah, but you've been using your powers all day. You need to rest them, you're exhausted as is."

"You can help me," El said, making Nikki take a step back.

"What?" Nikki asked in shock.

"Please, we need to do this and we need to do it now. Before it spreads more."

Nikki looked at El and then the others and back at El. "Okay."

***

Nikki turned on the tv to the staticy channel they needed as El got the blindfold ready.

"El," Mike's voice made her turn back to her sister where Mike sat right next to her, looking like he was about to say something important, "I know you think you have to do this, but you don't. It's just, you've only did this before once. And your mom, she loved you, and wanted you to know what happened. And Billy's mind is sick, diseased. The Mind Flayer is in him."

"He can't hurt me," El said, trying to reason with him. "Not in there."

"We don't know that."

El scooted closer to him and grabbed his hand. "Mike. I need you to trust me."

Mike looked at Max who gave him a hard look. Then he looked at Nikki who gave him a soft nod.

"Yeah," he gave El a little smile. "Just be careful."

He sat down on a chair as El turned to face Nikki so they were sitting face to face.

"Ready?" Nikki asked, looking for any signs of her being uncertain.

She got a nod back and Nikki knew she was ready. El covered her eyes and laid her hands on her lap. Nikki grabbed both of her hands and let some of her energy pass on to El. A light blue hue filled the room as El took in a deep breath.

Static. Until...

"Billy," El whispered and Nikki felt a small pit form in her stomach.

It's going to be fine, she told the pit. Soon after El breath became uneven.

"Something's wrong," Mike said, worriedly. He looked at Nikki. "What's going on?"

"I don't know," Nikki squeezed El's hands trying to tell her she was there for her but it didn't seem to help the girl at all.

Within a few seconds, El's breathing started to slow and return to normal.

"El," Nikki whispered, worried she might break her focus, "are you okay?"

They waited for a response from the girl. Nothing.

"El?" Nikki tried again. No answer.

"El," Mike tried, "are you okay? Are you okay?"

El sighed. "I'm okay," She answered softly.

Nikki released the breath she was holding and gave the girl's hands another gentle squeeze.

"What's going on?" Mike questioned further.

"I'm on a beach," El said.

"Okay," Lucas nodded, "I may be dense, but the last I checked, there weren't any beaches in Hawkins."

"What else do you see?" Max asked.

"A woman. She's pretty. I think she's looking at me."

Everyone looked at each with confusion before El continued. "There's a boy. It's Billy."

"It's California," Max concluded. "It's a memory."

"I think I see it," El said. "The source."

Authors note

Yay! Another chapter out! I hope you guys liked it. I am so close to finishing the book!

Love ya!!❤️❤️❤️