𝘁𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗲𝘆𝗲𝘀, ( 𝗺𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗿 )

[16] THE JUNKYARD

THE COMPASSES LED THEM TO AN ABANDONED JUNKYARD, Mariella now next to Dustin whispering about the directions as the quiet pattern of their friends shoes followed behind them.

"Oh, no," Dustin says, stopping in his tracks as Mariella confusedly looks dowm at her compass and taps it a few times.

""Oh, no"? What's, "Oh, no"?" Lucas asks, worriedly with bitterness in his voice.

Mariella sighs as Dustin responds, "We're headed back home,".

"What?" Mike breathes out.

"Are you sure?" Lucas clarifies, hands falling limp at his sides in frustration.

"Yeah, I'm sure. Setting sun right there—" Dustin affirms.

"We're circling back. We head that way, we'll end up on the corner of my street," Mariella adds, pointing behind her as she closed her eyes and rubs her temple.

"You guys are just realizing this now?" Lucas looks to the two of them in agitation.

"Why is this all on us?" Dustin asks, looking at Mike and Lucas defensively.

"Because you guys are the compass geniuses!" Lucas argues, raising his arms them dropping them back to his sides.

"Hey, relax! Let's just think here — what do yours say?" Mariella pipes in, dropping her compass into her coat pocket and looking at Mike and Lucas with pointed eyes.

"North," They both reply breathlessly.

"Makes no damn sense," Dustin says as Mike looks away exasperatedly and Lucas sighs.

"Maybe the gate moved!" Mike suggests, looking for a probable reason why their compasses were acting up.

"Highly unlikely. If it requires so much energy to be made how would it move from its original spot?" Mariella responds, pacing around the yard of dead grass and car parts.

"Something else is screwing with the compasses," Dustin says, looking around the area in hopes to find the gate itself.

"Maybe it's something here," Mike points around, a hopeful sheen in his eye.

"No, it has to be like a super magnet," Dustin shuts down the suggestion.

"It's not a magnet," Lucas speaks up, glaring at Eleven who stood far from
The group and pointing at her. "She's been acting weirder than normal. If she can slam doors with her mind, she bam definitely screw up a compass," He says, harsh and bitterly.

"Why would she do that?" Mike asks, scrunching up his nose confused at the ridiculous accusation.

"Because she's trying to sabotage our mission. Because she's traitor!" Lucas spits, pointing aggressively at her in anger. Eleven simply stares at him blankly with clenched fists as he walks towards her.

"Lucas, what are you doing?" Mike questions, looking to an exasperated Mariella and stressed Dustin before walking next to Lucas.

"You did it, didn't you?" Lucas asks her, getting in her face with narrowed eyes. "You don't want us to reach the gate. You don't want us to find Will," He continues.

Mike stands to the side and tells him to stop, looking to Dustin and Mariella for help but they stay silent, watching the scene unfold with unimpressed expressions.

"Admit it," Lucas says.

"No," Eleven replies, barely above a whisper as she looks behind Lucas to Mariella who just sighed and shook her head, sadly. Eleven could see that the girl was losing faith in her — even if Mariella chose to defend her when the time came. Eleven had come to realize that was part of the girl's nature. To give people the benefit of the doubt.