golden - eleven hopper

xii. Draw first blood

(  Stranger Things, Season one )

The Monster

Chapter Thirteen: Draw first blood

"you pushed first. And you know the rule, draw first blood..."

"I just can't believe she didn't come back," Mike paced around the basement. His concern for El was high and he really did expect her to come back. Eva thought that was quite naive though, she doesn't know her way around Hawkins probably. She also noticed the little tent made for her was now all taken down, Mike clearly got emotional and beat it all up. 

"She's gotta be close," Dustin assured, listening to Mike's rambling, the same as Eva and Via now. Mike had called Via along with Dustin that morning to come over, it was starting to seem like the two girls were joining their group. 

"She just messed up the compasses because she wanted to protect us. She didn't betray us!" Mike carried on, still pacing around.

"Mike, calm down," Dustin sympathised a little firmly. Dustin was much more rational, he would rather have a calm conversation about all this. 

"I shouldn't have yelled at her," Mike admitted, slowing down a little to think about all this. His eyes lingered on Eva a little as he spoke, "I never should have done that."

"Mike, this isn't your fault," Dustin insisted, starting to see where Mike was maybe going. 

"I mean, you shouldn't have yelled at her no but if anyone's at fault it's Lucas'" Via chimed in, providing her usually irrational thought.

"It's Lucas'" Mike also accused at the same time as Via, basically finishing her sentence too. 

"Wasn't his fault either," Dustin declared, making Mike stop completely to look Dustin in the face. 

"It wasn't his fault?" Mike raised his eyebrows incredulously.

"It wasn't his fault," Dustin repeated more firmly.

"So you're saying he wasn't way out of line?" Mike pointed out, his voice raised slightly.

"He h-h-h-has treated El qu-quite bad..." Eva said slowly, licking her bottom lip and pressing them into a line while looking at Dustin.

"Yeah, he was out of line but so were you, Mike!" Dustin concluded, his voice raising more to match Mike's.

"What?" Mike stated shortly.

"And so was Eleven!" Dustin added.

"Oh, give me a break," Via rolled her eyes harshly and putting a hand on her face in exasperation.

"No, Via, you guys give me a break! All of you were being a bunch of little assholes, at the time, I was the only reasonable one!" Dustin glanced at Eva and Via before turning to Eleven, "but the bottom line is, you pushed first. And you know the rule, draw first blood..."

"What?" Mike furrowed his eyebrows, slightly dis contorted in anger, "no way! I'm not shaking his hand!"

"You're shaking his hand!" Dustin insisted.

"No, I'm not!"

"This isn't a discussion, this is the rule of law. Obey, or be banished from the party, do you wanna be banished?" Dustin argued back, making Mike quiet for a moment.

"No," Mike replied sheepishly, hands in his pockets.

"Good, then come on," Dustin replied, picking up his bag and swinging it over his shoulder.

"Where are we going?" Mike asked. 

"Where do you think? We're going to get Lucas," Dustin finished, then picking up Mike's bag and coat to throw at him, "And then we're gonna find Eleven

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The group got to Lucas' house on their bikes in about less than 5 minuets, benefits of living in a really small town. They let Mike lead them, ringing the door bell for Lucas to answer, "what do you want?"

Mike was silent for a second so Dustin shoved him in the arm to get him to talk, "I drew first blood, so..."

Mike put his hand out for Lucas to shake, but he didn't respond. He only beckoned them inside to his living room. For about 3 minuets Lucas paced his living room in thought about what Mike had said, he sighed and turned to the group, "okay, I'll shake," Lucas finally replied.

A smile now plastered on Dustin's face and Mike looked relieved, "but on one condition, we forget the weirdo, and go straight the gate."

"Then the deal's off!" Mike stepped forward without hesitation in replying.

"Fine!" they said after each other loudly.

"No, not fine! Guys, seriously?" Dustin complained, standing between his two friends, "do you even remember what happened on the Bloodstone path?"

Each of the boys shrugged, and Via and Eva simply exchanged looks having absolutely no idea what they were talking about.

"We couldn't agree on what path to take, so we split up the party and those trolls took us out one by one, and it all went to shit. And we were all disabled!" Dustin condemned loudly, "so we stick together! no matter what!"

"Yeah, I agree, but this is the party right here in this room, excluding Eva and Via obviously," Lucas declared, narrowing his eyes at the two a little. 

"They're one of us now," Mike stated, shrugging a little while he looked at Lucas.

"Um, no! They're not! El, not even close! Those two, maybe, but no!" Lucas ranted, "El never will be! she's a liar, a traitor--"

"I won't hesitate to fight to shit out of you, Sinclair!" Via glared.

"Why aren't those two in the party?" Mike blurted.

"They just aren't!" Lucas seethed.

"El didn't mean to hurt you either! It was an accident!" Via snapped back, still standing up for El.

"An accident?" Lucas stated incredulously.

"Okay, accident or not... Admit it, it was a little awesome," Dustin proclaimed.

"Awesome?" Lucas raged.

"Yeah! She threw you in the air with her mind!" Dustin exclaimed, and he almost beamed at saying it, El's use of powers was pretty impressive.

"I could have been killed!" Lucas stressed, his hands on his head in exasperation. Eva honestly felt that was a little dramatic. Sure, El shouldn't have used her powers on Lucas but he definitely wouldn't have been killed from being thrown across the ground a bit. Maybe if there were knives all over the floor. 

"Which is exactly why we need her! She's a weapon!" Mike insisted, "do you really wanna fight the Demogorgon with your wrist rocket? That's like R2-D2 going to fight Darth Vader! We're no use to Will if we're dead!"

"If you three wanna waste your time looking for a traitor, go ahead, but i'm not spending my time on her anymore. No way!" Lucas remonstrated and he shook his head a little in exhaustion from each of them. He was annoyed of all of them, "I'm going to the gate. I'm gonna find Will."

☆

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