AS ABOVE, SO BELOW (BENEATH HIS FEET) | STRANGER THINGS ✓

CHAPTER FIVE | THE RUSSIANS ARE HERE

Lucky for them, Mike spotted two girls — a brunette and a redhead — getting off of the bus that dropped them off at Starcourt just as he, Lucas, and Will were getting their bikes from the bike rack. Amanda stood there awkwardly, waiting for the next bus to come. Why didn't she think to bring her bike? Right. Because she lived half an hour away from the rest of society.

     "El! We need to talk to you!" Mike exclaimed as he jogged up to who seemed to be El and a friend of hers, a girl with braided red hair.

     "No. She doesn't need to talk to you," the redhead retorted. "Yeah," El agreed, matching her face to her friend's, whose eyebrows were brought together in a squint. "Trust me, we do. And since when did you make choices for her, Max?" Mike bit back, then turning to glare at the girl who was supposedly named Max.

     "I'm not making choices for her, dingbat," Max rolled her eyes, "I'm just telling you what's on her mind."

     "Oh, so you can read minds now?" Mike scoffed. "What are you, telepathic?"

     "Are you treating El like she's your pet?" Max threw him a curveball. Mike shook his head out of confusion. "What?!"

     "Yeah. Am I your pet?" El repeated. It didn't seem like she had a mind of her own, she just went along with whatever Max was saying. But what did Amanda know? Chances were, things were probably worse for her than Amanda knew.

     "What? No. Where is this coming from, anyway?" Mike asked. "Then why do you keep blowing her off, huh?" Max asked in return. Amanda took a few steps back to stand next to Will. "Am I missing something here? Did she and Mike used to go out?" she whispered.

Will let out a low whistle. "Oh, God no. They just bicker like an old, married, divorced couple."

     Amanda nodded and tuned back into the argument. "Will you please just listen to me? I have to talk to El about something!" Mike exclaimed. "Anything you tell El, you can say in front of me." Max crossed her arms.

Mike fell silent and shifted his weight from one foot to the other. "That's gonna be a problem because it's kind of a private matter," he grumbled. "Go on and tell him, El." Max nodded at her. El stood toe to toe with Mike, and bit, "I dump your ass."

     Amanda's eyebrows rose in surprise as Mike's face scrunched back in shock. Max and El went ahead and entered the mall while the rest of them stood around Mike and comforted him. "Now what?" Amanda asked. "We go home and regroup. Think you'll make it back okay?" Will asked her. "I should be," she answered, "I'll be taking the bus. I still need an address, though."

     Will told her Mike's address before she boarded the next bus.

*･゜ﾟ･*:.｡..｡.:*･'

Will was setting up DnD, Mike was moping, and Lucas was comforting Mike when Amanda walked the steps down into Mike's basement.

     "Cool hideout you got here," she complimented, "I don't think my house has a basement." She took notice of the makeshift tent that was set up under a desk and pointed at it. "Who was the stowaway?"