Love Is..?

Chapter 25

At the Varlineau/Hargrove house~

Nova was in her room, sobbing softly, when a thought occurred to her. 'How did the girls know about Billy?' She got up and dried her tears before heading to Max's room. Nova knocked and heard a quiet 'come in' so she did. She froze however when she saw Eleven with a Nosebleed and Max looking up at her from the floor. "Did... Is that how you knew about Billy? You spied on him?" Both girls look guilty but Eleven told Nova exactly what she saw. Nova frowned and sat on the bed, "Oh my god... last night, he said he swerved to miss hitting a dog but... something about it just felt wrong. Like he was lying to me, but I brushed it off. El, are you sure everything was behind the gate when you closed it?" Eleven and Max frowned at each other. Max spoke up, "What do you mean?"

"What if the part that was purged from Will got stuck here. You said you closed it as soon as Will was freed, right." Eleven nodded with wide eyes. "Then it may be possible..." The phone rang and Nova got up to answer it. It was Will, "Can you come over? We all need to talk." Nova's eyes closed, "It's the Mindflayer, isn't it?" "How did...?" "You're right. We do need to talk. We'll be right over... wait, where are you?" "At my house." "Okay. Stay there." Nova hung up and looked at the girls, "We're going to the Byers house. Let's go."

At the Byers house, Timeskip~

Nova pulled into the driveway and parked. Nova got out, helped the girls out and they all went up to the house. Nova knocked and Will opened the door. Inside, Mike and Lucas were sitting on the couch, waiting. The girls went into the house and Will shut the door. Will looked at Nova, "How did you know that the Mindflayer was... have you been crying?" Nova sniffed and looked at the boys, "We think the Mindflayer has Billy under his control. But we're not entirely sure." The boys frowned and Will hugged Nova tightly. Nova patted his shoulder and looked at the kids, "The real questions are, how do we confirm that it has him and how do we get it out?" Eleven spoke, "I can go into his mind, and see?" Nova frowned and shook her head, "That sound too dangerous El..." Eleven insisted, "I can do it."

Nova frowned and nodded, "Alright, but the moment it seems like he's on to you, either of them. Get out of there immediately. Understood?" Eleven nodded and sat cross-legged taking the scarf she was using earlier and began to look for Billy after putting it on. After a few minutes, Eleven gasped and took off the blindfold, her nose bleeding lightly. "The old Steel Works. Billy was there with Heather and her parents. And so was it." Nova closed her eyes in pain and Will frowned, "So I was right. Its spreading itself out. Its presence has gotten stronger." Nova frowned, "We need to free Billy. He might know a way to stop it since he was the first one Flayed."

Everyone nodded but Lucas spoke up, "And how exactly are we supposed to do that?" Nova thought for a moment, "It's his turn to close the pool tomorrow. If we can trick him into the sauna room, we might be able to get it hot enough to burn it out of him." The group nodded. That means, wait... Will, where's Orchid?" Will looked surprised, "Oh shit..." He looked over in the direction of Nova's old room and saw a stunned but silent Orchid. Nova's shoulders sagged, "Well shit..."

The Next Day~

Nova and Orchid, she had been told what happened by Will and agreed to help, went to the Hawkins public pool to keep an eye on Billy. Billy was currently sitting in the lifeguard's chair watching the pool with a shirt on. Nova looked up at him and Orchid touched Nova's arm and pointed to two open lounge chairs within eyesight distance of the chair. They both took of their towels and showed off their bikinis.

A few guys wolf-whistled at them but Orchid and Nova ignored them. Nova kept her eyes on Billy who finally noticed her. They stared at each other intensely before Orchid broke the trance by talking to Nova, "So, I talked to Steve. He asked me out on a date over the phone and we'll be going on it after the 4th of July. Do you think we'll live until then?" Nova gave Orchid a 'WTF?' look, "Really? Did you really just ask me that?" Orchid shrugged and Nova sighed, "If this plan works, then yes, you can go on your date with Steve. I can't believe you sometimes." Nova laughed out of frustration.

Orchid smiled, "At least you're laughing. Even if it's from frustration." Nova sighed, "Bitch. I missed you." Orchid grins and speaks in her Valley girl accent, "Like, I know! I missed you too!" Nova groaned and slapped Orchid's arm in warning, "Shut up with that!" Orchid laughed and Nova did too. Billy watched Nova, occasionally watching the pool as well, but mostly on Nova. Once his shift was over, he would speak to her. He had to.

Timeskip~

Nova watched as Billy got down off the chair and walked over to her, "Can we talk?" Nova and Orchid looked at each other before Nova looked up at Billy, "Yeah, we can talk. Now or...?" Billy took her hand, "Now." Nova got up with Billy's help and looked at Orchid, "I'll be back." Nova walked with Billy to the back near the sauna room and she frowned at him, "So... what's...Mmph?!" Billy covered her lips with his in a heated kiss that got deeper the longer they kissed. Billy eventually pulled away from her and dragged her into the sauna room, which was empty, and placed her in his lap, "You know I love you, right?" Nova nodded, "And you know I love you too." The door suddenly shut and locked. Nova was moved off of Billy's lap as he got up to try the door. He then spotted Max and the party, plus Orchid and looked at Nova, "What's going on?" 

Nova stood up and yelled, "Turn it on all the way! NOW!!" Will did as she asked and then stepped back. Billy took a step forward towards Nova and Nova backed up away from Billy. Nova glared at Billy, "I know what you are. Now let go of Billy." Billy growled and grabbed Nova, "You bitch!" He slapped Nova to the ground, causing her to cry out and retaliate by kicking him in the nuts, hard. He groaned as he sank to the ground in pain and curled up.

The heat inside the sauna was sweltering, and black veins were popping up on Billy's body. Nova was panting slowly as to not waste air. Billy was suddenly crying, "It's not my fault! He made me do it. Nova, I love you!" Nova frowned, "What did he make you do Billy?" Billy suddenly shot up, his eyes black, "I'LL KILL YOU BITCH!!" He grabbed Nova again and repeatedly slammed her against the sauna door, eventually breaking the glass, which was letting heat out. Nova fell unconscious at the treatment, and he tossed her aside in the sauna. He looked at the horrified faces of the party, "Let me out, or she dies." 

Orchid, afraid for her friend's life, unlocks the door and is immediately grabbed and choked by Billy. Eleven screams out "NO!!" and uses her powers to fling Billy away and through the back of the sauna's wall, where he escaped. Orchid was coughing on the ground while Will and Max ran to check on Nova. Nova was breathing but she was badly hurt and was bleeding profusely from a wound on the back of her head. Once Orchid stopped coughing, she ordered the kids to get help. Lucas ran off to get help and Orchid looked at the unconscious body of her best friend and began to cry.