Stuck Together (Max Mayfield X Male OC)

The Flea and the Acrobat

Back at Mike's house, everyone was sitting on something trying to figure out what in the hell just happened. "What was Will saying? Like home...like home... But dark? And empty." Mike said walking around. "Empty and cold, wait did he say cold?" Dustin asked. "I don't know. The stupid radio kept going in and out." Lucas said. "It's like riddles in the dark." Dustin said tilting this head back. "Like home. Like his house?" Logan asked. "Or Hawkins?" Logan continued. "Upside down." El's said from the couch. "What did she say?" Lucas asked. "Upside down. Upside down. When El showed us where Will was, she flipped over the board, remember? Upside down. Dark. Empty." Mike said flipping the bored over. "Do you understand what he's talking about?" Lucas asked. "No" Dustin said while Logan shook his head. "Guys, think about it. When El took us to find Will, she took us to his house, right?" Mike asked. "Yeah, and he wasn't there." Lucas said. "What if he was there, but we just couldn't see him. What if he was on the other side? What if this is Hawkins, and this is where Will is. The upside down." Mike said turning the board over. "Like the vale of shadows." Dustin said in realization. "You guys knew and didn't tell me!" Stephanie yelled scaring the boys. "Mike, really! You decided not to tell me that you knew Will was alive. I can't believe you." Stephanie scoffed as she sat next to El. The boys said a small sorry and looked down. The boys went quite for a moment after that, before Dustin grabbed his DnD book and sat down trying to find the Vale of Shadows. "The Vale of shadows is a dimension that is a dark reflection or echo of our world. It's a place of decay and death. A plane out of phase. A place of monsters. It is right next to you and you don't even see it." Dustin read straight out of the book. "An alternate dimension." Mike said. "But...how...how do we get there?" Lucas stammered. "You cast shadow walk." Dustin said. "In this reality Dustin." Stephanie said. "We can't shadow walk, but... Maybe she can." Dustin said as the boys turned to look at El. "Do you know how to get there? To the Upside Down?" Mike asked and El shook her head gaining a groan from Lucas.

The next morning. The other half way the Byers family got ready for Will's funeral. James helped Logan with his tie, "How does that feel?" James asked his son. "It's fine." Logan said. James looked away. Logan saw something in his dads eyes. "Dad, what is it?" Logan asked. "I just never thought that this day would happen." James said. Logan nodded but the knew his dad was lying.

The family piled into the car and headed to the cemetery for Will's funeral. Logan stood with his family instead of his friends. Logan stood next to Jamie and Evan right in front of his father. His mother was holding Chris. Logan saw Dustin say something that resulted in Mrs. Wheeler shushing him.

Logan walked up to his aunt and hugged her. "What is he doing here?" Logan asked pointing to Lonnie. "He is here to help me out around the house." Joyce said. As much as Logan didn't like that he didn't have much of a choice. Lonnie turned around and looked at Logan and smiled. "Logan, you've grown." Lonnie said ruffling Logan's hair. "Yeah, that's what happens when people grow up." Logan said empathizing the word 'grow'. Logan then walked away not wanting to be near that man he used to call uncle.

In the building, the four boys walked up to Mr.Clarke. "Mr.Clarke?" Mike called his name. Mr.Clarke turned his attention to the boys. "Oh, hey, there. How you boys holding up?" Mr.Clarke asked. "We're...in...mourning." Lucas said. "Man, these aren't real Nilla Wafers." Dustin said. Logan looked at him and smacked him a little on his shoulder. "We were wondering if you had time to talk? We have some questions." Mike said.

The boys and their science teacher sat down at a table and began their discussion. "So, you know how in Cosmos, Carl Stantan talks about other dimensions? Like beyond our world?" Logan asked. "Yeah, sure, theoretically." Mr.Clarke said. "Right theoretically." Mike said. "So, theoretically, how do we travel there?" Lucas asked. "You guys have been thinking about Hugh Everett's Many-Worlds Interpretation, haven't you?" Mr.Clarke asked. Logan nodded, not sure what any of that meant. "Basically, there are parallel universes. Just like our world, but just infinite variations of it. Which means there is a world out there where none of this tragic stuff ever happened." Mr.Clarke said. "Yeah, that's not what we're talking about." Lucas said. "We were thinking of more of an evil dimension, like the Vale of Shadows. You know the Vale of Shadows?" Dustin asked. "An echo of the Material Plane, where neurotic and shadow magic--* Mr.Clarke got cut off. " Yeah, exactly. If that did exist, A place like the Vale of Shadows, how would we travel there?" Logan asked. "Theoretically." Lucas added. "Well..." Mr.Clarke began. He pulled out a paper plate and a pen. "Picture... an acrobat... standing on a tightrope. Now, the tightrope is our dimension. And our dimension has rules. You can move forwards, or backwards. But, what if... right next to our acrobat, there is a flea? Now, the flea can also travel back and forth, just like the acrobat, right? Here's where things get really interesting. The flea can also travel this way... along the side of the rope. He can even go...underneath the rope." Mr.Clarke said drawing a picture for a better understanding. "Upside Down." Mike said. "Exactly." Mr.Clarke agreed. "But we're not the flea we're the acrobat." Logan said. "In this metaphor, yes. We are the acrobat." Mr.Clarke said. "So we can't go upside down?" Lucas asked. Mr.Clarke shook his head. "No." Dustin spoke up, "Well, is there any way for the acrobat to get to the Upside Down?" Mr. Clarke said, "Well...you'd have to great a massive amount of energy. More than humans are currently capable of creating, mind you, to open up some kind of tear in time and space, and then..." Mr.Clarke folded the paper plate and stabbed a hole in it, "You create a doorway." Mr. Clarke added. "Like a gate?" Dustin asked. "Like a gate." Mr.Clarke clarified. "But again this is all--" Mr. Clarke began but was cut off by Logan. "Theoretical." Mike asked, "But... But what if this gate already existed?" Mr.Clarke said, "Well, if it did, I...I think we would know. It would disrupt gravity, the magnetic field, our environment. Heck, it might even swallow us up whole. Science is neat. But I'm afraid it is not very forgiving." Mr.Clarke said softly.