The five of us were scattered around our basement.
El was curled up on the couch, most likely physically exhausted from contacting Will.
Mike was sitting at the opposite end of the couch by
El's feet, concentration etched in his features.
Lucas occupied the lounge chair deep in thought and I sat on the carpet infront of him while Dustin resided at the bottom of the stairs.
"What was Will saying?" Mike wondered.
He began reciting Will's words from earlier in an
attempt to recall the only clue we might have that
he might be alive.
"Like home.... Like home... but dark?" He stood up
from the couch, hands still in his jacket pockets as
he began pacing the room.
"And empty." Lucas pressed his intertwined fingers
against his forehead, his eyes closed deep in thought.
"And cold."
Dustin sighed.
"Empty and cold. Wait, did he say cold?" He looked
around the room, seeming to second guess himself.
"I don't know, I think? The stupid radio kept going
in and out." Lucas sighed.
"He did. He said cold." I nodded.
"Like home." Mike repeated once more. "Like his
house?"
"Or maybe like Hawkins." Lucas offered eagerly.
"Upside Down." El muttered.
"What'd she say?" Lucas asked.
"Upside Down." Mike said, a hint of astonishment
in his voice as something seemed to have clicked.
"What?" Lucas repeated.
Mike walked over to the table I sat at and looked at
the overturned game board.
It was then, I recalled what El had been telling us the other night, with Will's game piece.
My jaw dropped as everything began falling into place.
I turned myself back around in the chair and looked at the board.
"Upside down." I breathed.
Mike had taken a seat across from me, both hands on the game board while the other boys got up and
joined us at the table.
Mike began flipping the board over multiple times
as he explained.
"When El showed us where Will was, she flipped
the board over, remember? Upside down. Dark.
Empty. Cold." He finished, locking eyes with me as
he said the last word.
"Do you understand what he's talking about."
Lucas asked me and Dustin.
We replied simultaneously.
"Yes." I nodded
"No."
We both looked at each other with confusion for a split second before dismissing the thought.
"Come on guys, think about it. When El took us to
find Will, she took us to his house, right?" I offered,
gesturing all around me as I spoke.
Lucas shrugged.
"Yeah. And he wasn't there."
"But what if he was there?" I offered, eyebrows
raised as I looked between Dustin and Lucas.
"What if we just couldn't see him? What if he was
on the other side?"
The boys, aside from Mike, of course, seemed to
consider this.
Mike jumped back in as he flipped the board right side up once more. "What if this is Hawkins and..." he flipped it back. "This is where Will is? The Upside Down."
Dustin seemed to perk up.
"Like the Vale of Shadows."
Dustin had slammed Mike's collection of Dungeons
and Dragons guides and spell books on the table and began flipping through the various guidebooks.
After a few moments he stopped on the page he had been looking for and began to read aloud.
"The Vale of Shadows is a dimension that is a dark
reflection or echo of our world. It is a place of decay
and death. A plane out of phase. A place of monsters."
As he read the next sentence, Mike, Lucas and I all
shared the same, unsettled look, and a chill ran
down my spine.
"It is right next to you, and you don't even see it."
Dustin finished, and looked up, sharing our looks
of concern.
Mike spoke up.
"An alternate dimension."
"But.... how how do we get there?" Lucas asked
worriedly.
"We cast Shadow Walk." Dustin said.
"In real life, dummy." Lucas deadpanned.
"We can't shadow walk, but... maybe she can." I offered.
We all look to a drowsy looking El.
"Do you know how we get there? To the Upside
Down?" Mike asked her gently.
She shook her head softly and we all felt the heavy
ache of disappointment.
Some of us were better at hiding it.
"Oh, my God!" Lucas sighed dramatically.
As the boys bickered, I rolled my eyes and started to pack up Lucas and Dustin's things for them.
"You guys better go." I stated, handing the two their bags.
Word count:741
YOU ARE READING
Girlfriend or girl that's a friend. (Lucas Sinclair x Reader)
FanfictionY/n Wheeler has basically always been part of the party. Ever since her twin brother, Mike (fraternal of course) introduced her to Will in the first grade, she kind of just stuck to the group. They were her support system and she was theirs. Practic...
