𝐌𝐄𝐋𝐀𝐍𝐈𝐄 | stranger things ✓

CHAPTER NINE: THE UPSIDE DOWN

the upside down; an alternate dimension existing in parallel to the human world

Mel actually went to school the next day. They came to the conclusion that it would be the last place where the bad men would look. Dustin gathered everyone to AV Club at lunch. Firstly he told them everything he found out about Mel. Mike liked the idea of having her around. He thought she would be best friends with Eleven, only if she was here. Max was locked out until he introduced them to his newest discovery, Dart. Their plan was to show Dart to Mr Clarke but Mike and Will burst into class telling Mr Clarke that it was, "Just a stupid prank." And they all needed to go, "Right now!" To AV Club. Again. This time, they locked Max out, again because she wasn't allowed to know. The boys gathered around the table and Mel stood a few steps back between Dustin and Mike.

"Will saw something that looked like Dart last year?" Lucas paced before he asked.

"Kind of," Will quietly replied. "But there was no tail."

"But then he heard it yesterday." Mike pointed out, referring to Will's last episode. "The exact same sound."

Dustin rolled his eyes. "Why didn't you tell us before?"

"I wasn't sure." Will admitted.

"Guys," Mike began. "What if when Will was stuck in the Upside Down, he somehow acquired True Sight?" Mike theorised.

"The power to see into the ethereal plane." Dustin defined.

"Elaborate." Lucas said, still not completely understand. "For me and Melanie's sake." But for the first time, Mel actually knew what they were talking about. Dustin told her everything. Except for True Sight. She didn't know what that was.

Mike paused briefly before saying, "Maybe these episodes Will keeps having aren't really flashbacks at all. Maybe Will can somehow see into the Upside Down."

"And that means..." Lucas waited for someone to finish his sentence.

"Dart is from the Upside Down." Mike finished.

"Then we have to take him to Hopper." Lucas gave them the most rational way to resolve this.

Dustin frustratedly sighed. "No way. If we take him to Hopper, Dart is as good as dead." He pointed out but no one seemed to care. Not even Mel. Dustin was the only one attached to him. Max continued to knock on the door from the other side.

"And while we're at it, maybe we should take her to Hopper." Lucas pointed at Mel making her blood boil.

"We can't!" Mike protected her.

Lucas threw his arms up in frustration."Why not?" Dart then began to shriek, moving the trap Dustin kept him in. Dustin opened the trap to reveal the Dart had gotten bigger. "Holy shit." Lucas stared at it in shock. The creature began growing two back legs, disgusting them all. It loudly screeched. "Oh shit!" They all panicked. Mike picked up the microphone connected to the radio and tried to hit it. Dustin pushed his arm out of the way and Dart quickly jumped off the table. Suddenly, Max opened the door, causing Dart to escape.

They all made the decision to split up and look for him. When Mel was alone, she was passing the cafeteria when she stopped in her tracks. She had a vision of Will on the school field with his eyes shut for a long period of time. When she snapped out of it, she realized that she didn't know when Will would be standing there. It could've been today, tomorrow or next month for all she knew. She decided to make her way to the field while looking for Dart.

A/N:
So I'm picturing Melanie is wearing Dustin's clothes right now. Like a pair of jeans, a tshirt and a hoodie. Sure.