~Upside-down Love~A Dustin Henderson Fanfic

Chapter 9- Holly, Jolly[3-3]

By now the school day had ended and the group was on their way to the powerlines behind Mike's house. Amelia had a flashlight, rope, and a random army knife she had swiped from her mother and father's old and dusty bedroom.

"Okay, so you guys do remember the plan right?" Mike said before they pulled up into the grass behind his house.

"Yes, Mike. You have literally gone over it all day." Amelia said as she peddled along up the hill. Beating the rest of them up it and to the girl.

"El, hi! I'm Amelia by the way." Amelia told the quiet girl.

"Hi, Amelia," El responded quietly,  eyes looking around her.

"El. You okay?" Mike said once he got closer to the two.

He and the rest of the group had taken their time while the girls stood atop the hill. Simply. earning a small nod.

"Hop on. We only have a few hours left." Mike said as he patted the extra space in his seat.

The girl then walked toward Mike and his bicycle hopping onto the back as they pedaled away.

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By now the sun had started to set and the children were still walking along the old path littered with fallen leaves. Mike and El took the lead with the others falling a good distance behind.

"What do you think they're talking about?" Lucas asks Dustin and Amelia.

"I don't know. What about you Mels?" Dustin says turning toward the girl.

"It doesn't really matter. Besides she's not gonna hurt him so I don't understand why you guys are so worried." Amelia tells the two.

"I don't know Mel. There is still a possibility we barely know her." Lucas says.

"It doesn't matter anyways. The focus is finding Will." Amelia says picking up her pace in an attempt to get away from the negativity.

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The sun had finally set as the group had come up to a turn still following Eleven. The turn leads to an opening in a set of brush gating in the Byers property.

"Here." Eleven tells the group as she comes to a stop.

"Okay? This is where Will lives." Amelia speaks up as she begins to think this might be a joke.

"Hiding."

"No, no, this is where he lives. He's missing from here. Understand?" Mike tries to explain to the younger girl.

Dustin and Lucas finally catch up to the group dropping their bikes. Both of them were exhausted from walking all day.

"What are we doing here?" Lucas asks the three who made it to their destination first.

"She said he's hiding here." Mike tells the tired boy.

"I honestly don't even understand really." Amelia says giving her explanation.

"Umm...no!"

"I swear if we walked all the way out here for nothing-" Dustin begins but gets cut off by Lucas almost immediately.

"That's exactly what we did. I told you she didn't know what the hell she was talking about!" Lucas shouts.

"Why did you bring us here?" Amelia says as she turns towards the now guilty-looking girl.

"Don't even bother Mel," Lucas advises.

"What do you wanna do then?" Mike asks, not even allowing Amelia to respond.

"Call the cops, like we should have done yesterday."

"We are not calling the cops!"

As Mike and Lucas continue to bicker the faint sound of what sounds like police sirens becomes closer and closer to where the group currently stands.  Amelia goes quiet for a second before looking over at Dustin to see if he had heard it as well. He obviously had by the look on his face.

"Hey, guys?" Dustin speaks. This did in fact not work as the two other boys continued to argue.

"You guys!" Amelia and Dustin both shout louder this time. Both of the boys finally silenced their argument.

The group walks a bit closer to the road before all the first responder or cop vehicles pass by speeding down the road. And just like any curious person they then run to grab their bikes pedaling right behind.

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Only a few minutes pass by as they began to slow, nearing the quarry. All the children hopped off their bikes and ran behind a firetruck.

Amelia watches in complete terror as they pull Will's body out of the dirty water.

"It's not Will. It can't be." Mike speaks up .

"It's Will. It's really Will." 

When those words fall from Lucas's mouth Amelia began to cry and cry. Ignoring the yelling of Mike and her other friends, Amelia sits down on the grass as she continues to cry.

Dustin walks over sitting down by her side. He then wraps an arm around her shoulders to comfort her.

"Mel, come on. We've got to get back home. " The kind boy speaks to her, helping her up off the ground.