Fallout || Stranger Things [2]

eleven || anniversaries and anguish

"I hate New York."

"That's a strong word for a place you've only lived in for a few months."

Eleven's face scrunched underneath the bandana secured around her eyes. "Since when are you so optimistic?"

Although El was sat by herself on her bed with a growing pile of blood-stained tissues next to her, she was far from alone. In her own line of sight behind the bandana she was still sitting on her bed, but instead joined by Nina plopped opposite of her as the walls blurred out in an endless black.

It was unnerving to have someone notice you in the Void – a place typically dark and desolate. Before Nina, the only person that could see and hear her in the Void was some wearing Billy's face, someone she had accidentally let in.

Nina, however, had no intentions of eating the planet. At least, not that she knew of. She just wanted to catch up with her friend, even if it had to be done hiding in a bathroom stall in the science wing of her high school.

"I'm just saying you haven't given it much of a chance," Nina countered coolly, shrugging.

El let out a long groan, tossing her head back. "Who even are you? First you say we can't talk every day, and now you want me to like New York?"

"Hey," said Nina with soft offense, "I can't keep missing bio. And we have more to talk about with two days between each spy." A face that had often been seen as solemn and unreadable instead donned a warm smile. "And next semester, we can push it back a little later so I don't miss class but we can spy every day again if we want to."

While her physical body remained upright and automatically blotting blood from her nose, El flopped backwards onto her bed where a dead blackness stared back at her where the ceiling should have been. "Don't tell me you actually like Washington."

"It has its charm."

El squinted, propping herself up on her elbows. "What?"

"The view out my window is really nice," Nina offered. "I like how it smells after it rains, which is almost all the time. And my school really isn't all that bad. People are nice."

"But you have to pretend with them."

Nina sighed softly, shrugging. "We have to pretend for the rest of our lives, El. Even if we were in Hawkins we would have to pretend with all of the other kids at school." Although she felt her outer body wipe away blood from her lip, she absently wrang her hands together as she sat across from an annoyed Eleven. "I can't keep hoping that we'll move back to Hawkins. We're in hiding. You get to be Jane, but I can't slip up. I can't draw attention to myself. The Russians are looking for Ben and the media is looking for the whole family. We just have to blend, and we can't do that in Hawkins."

"Don't tell me you're going to be like Will and join a club."

Nina's brows raised, a small smile growing. "Will joined a club?"

El scrunched her nose. "Don't sound so excited."

"Don't be so grouchy. It's good that he's involved in something. What is it?"

"Audio something," she sighed. "He's always hanging out with them, even after school on some days." Her lips pursed at the brightness of Nina's face. "I'm always home alone. Jonathan drops me off at home and then goes back for the camera club. Most days Will stays at school or goes to a friend's house."

"Maybe you should join a club or something."

"Yeah right," El scoffed, dropping back down onto her back. "And I'll start singing on stage next."