The Stranger Number

Meeting The Party Part 1

   I woke up to gentle shaking. I tried ignoring it but it persisted. I finally turned towards the shaking as my eyes fluttered open.

   Eleven stood there looking down at me, smiling. To show her my annoyance I just scowled and rolled over, going back to sleep.

   "Thiiiiiirrrrteeen," Eleven whined. Suddenly she went silent and I knew something was wrong. Right as I was about to turn and look at her she jumped onto the bed, landing on top of me. I glared in return.

   "Ready for breakfast?" she asked while jumping on the bed. I frowned at her energy, but cocked my head to the side in confusion. "Come on," Eleven coaxed, jumping of the bed and walking towards the door.

   I begrudgingly got out of bed and followed her. She sat down at the table and I wearily sat down in the chair next to her.

   Hopper set down a plate of yellow circles in front of Eleven. He then set one down in front of me, causing me to flinch back. I stared at the circles, trying to figure out if I should eat them or not. I looked at Eleven and she seemed to be overjoyed by the circles in front of us.

   "It's food," she assured me. "They're called Eggos, and they're really good." Even with her coaxing, I was unsure of the 'food.' Eleven took a bite of it and seemed really happy, so I decided to try it. Eleven was right, it was really good.

*Time Skip To After They Were Done Getting Ready*

   I was nervous about meeting 'the party.' The only people who were ever nice to me were Eleven and Will. I hoped to see Will again someday, and hopefully he would remember me. I became more and more panicked as the time for 'the party' to arrive came closer.

   Finally, there was a knock at the door. I jumped and clung to Eleven at the sudden loud noise. She sent me a reassuring smile and walked to the, leaving me alone in the same spot. I quickly walked behind Eleven and hid behind her as she opened the door, revealing a group of kids around my age. As the group walked to the living room to sit down, I stayed close to Eleven.

   "Everyone, this is Thirteen," Eleven introduced me to the group. "Thirteen, this is Mike, Lucas, Dustin, Max, and-"

   "Will," I cut Eleven off in a croaky voice as I we ran towards each other and were engulfed in a hug. Tears sprouted from my eyes as I squeezed Will tighter and nuzzled my head into his chest.

   "I was so worried about you. I didn't know if I'd ever see you again, especially since you never told me your name," Will gushed.

   I was so happy that Eleven had the party come over, and that I was finally able to see Will again after spending so much time in the Upside Down. Things were finally looking up for the first time ever.