In My Blood

Episode 15 - Reunited

They were questioning Will in the backyard shack when I felt it.

I stood outside the front of the Byers' house as a guard, my eyes closed and a hand on a porch pole to keep myself steady as I tried to use my powers the way Anya did. It was frustrating, being able to access such gifts and then having to go back to square one, but something in me knew I could do it. My injured leg shook every time I put pressure on it, but I continued to try and stand properly. With everything at stake, I had to show that I was still able to fight.

"Rachel." My eyes flared open at the sound of Eleven's voice, and my jaw dropped at our connection. I could feel everything again from Steve swinging his bat for practice in an empty room to Lucas comforting Max and then Will shaking with anger from being tied up. "Rachel?"

"I'm here," I nodded, the corners of my lips upturning at this change of events. I wiped the new trickle of blood coming from my nose with the back of my hand. "I'm here!" I didn't even know if I was connecting back to her properly. My eyes scanned the forest and road to the house foolishly despite knowing she wasn't in front of me. "Can you hear me?"

"Yes," Eleven confirmed. "Why..." There was a pause as she formed her sentence, and I waited patiently. "You're hurt. Who?"

"A lot has changed, Ellie," I told her, glancing back at the front door and lowering my voice as if anyone inside could hear me. "The Demogorgon is back. Not the original one, specifically, but it's back and it brought friends."

"I met someone. She had powers too. And Anya."

"Wait, wait," I stopped her, my grip tightening against the porch's pole as I accidentally put full pressure on my injured leg. "You saw Anya? Is- is she okay? How? Where is she?"

"Chicago. Long... story," she explained. "Anya is okay. She was with Kali. She's like us... but different. She's strong."

"So are you," I complimented her, and I could feel her smile from wherever she was. I heard Will scream, and I felt vibrations through the ground as the darkness inside of him lashed out. The porch lights flickered violently.

"You're not safe," Eleven told me, and I knew she was worried. "What is there with you?" I bit my bottom lip as I struggled on what to say next, and Will's angry screams filled my ears again. If he realized his location, there was no way we would survive an attack. We needed backup, and the police my father called were never going to arrive. It was at that moment I made my decision. "Rachel?"

"Come to me," I said, and her end was silent. "We need you here... all of us. I need you, Ellie."

"But Hopper-"

"I can deal with that- El, I'm telling you that you can see Mike again," I reassured her. Again, there was no response, and I looked up to the cloudy sky in desperation. "No more hiding in that little house. We can truly be together again. Just come home." The ground shook from the force of my words, power in me begging for her to return. My eyes widened, and I gasped slightly in shock. Something was off. My abilities felt stronger somehow since returning from the lab, but it didn't feel controlled. I couldn't place it.