Adventures of Mileven

20

Mike

The biggest worry of my life a couple days ago was to make sure that no one found out about me dating El. Now it's to make sure that she doesn't get stolen from me. 

I woke up that next morning, my hand around El's waist and her hands were squeezed beneath her head. 

She is one of the best things that happened to me. When she cries, I feel like I'm dying inside. If I cry, she makes me feel better by telling me not to cry. This problem is something that she is not going through alone. She acts like its all her problem in an attempt to protect me. When the guys make fun of us, she teases the right back. The way she can just read my mind whenever and whatever it is. That is what we call selfless and absolutely perfect. 

I stared at her for a moment. She may not be there the other moment. I began softly crying, though like I said. This girl knows everything going on. 

Her eyes fluttered open and a faint smile appeared onto her beautiful face. It faded only seconds later when she noticed me.  

"Mike?" she whispered, wiping the tears off my face. 

I didn't say anything. She knew what was going on. El began rubbing my arm and telling me everything's going to be fine. I saw her eyes glazed over and her voice choking up at every syllable she said. I didn't want to tell her anything. Negative thoughts were the reason I starting crying. 

After what seemed like eternity, we finally got up and got ready for the day. El joined me later for breakfast, wearing a blue romper. My jaw dropped. 

She sat down with us at the table gobbled up her Eggos. That was the only thing that made me smile so far today. 

El

I do not want to be taken away from Mike. I know I won't though. He is a fighter, just like me. I am not letting Brenner's family mess with me anymore. Especially now that this time I found someone who makes me happier than anything in my entire life. 

After breakfast, Mike and I stumbled down the steps into the basement. I ran over to the pile of private messages from my 'siblings'. I sat down next to Mike on the couch, randomly spreading the papers among the table. 

"They're like scavenger hunts," Mike stated, picking up the paper for 001. 

I looked over at the paper in his hand. There was a tiny riddle and an upside down picture of some generic idea of the woods. 

Mike began to read the riddle: 

"For I am the first and beginning of this new generation of freaks. 

My new power is teleportation, along with the ability of masking the sound around.

Only in the greenery will you be able to take a splashing peek.

At the human like creature that to be, I am bound."

"Why is the drawing upside down?" he asked. 

"Upside down. She's hiding in the upside down." 

"Why would anyone want to do that? Isn't it toxic down there?" 

"Is it. But only to natural humans. Will was practically dying down there due to lack of powers. However, One breathes better in the Upside Down than she does in our dimension." 

Mike looked shocked. As if he hadn't been through all this stuff already. 

"Wait, I know this place. El can you get me that map on my table above you're fort?" 

I sprinted to the desk and pulled the covers of the top of my fort gently. I picked up a laminated piece of plastic with weirdly shaped blotches on it and labeled with names of the different places in the world. 

"This is a world map. The places on it are pretty discrete, but the way the most beautiful places in Hawkins are highlighted on the back," he said, flipping the map over. 

I pointed to one that matched the drawing 1 drew. It was the woods behind Benny's restaurant. I remember that place and I dipped my feet in a lake nearby to wash off some dirt before I went into the restaurant. 

"It's the woods behind Benny's restaurant. It has a lake a couple minutes of walking into the woods. It's a really secluded area," I told Mike. 

"Wait a minute." he picked up the paper with the riddle on it. "Splashing. Splashing! She's in the Upside Down in that lake. But that makes no sense. She would have drowned by now." 

"Actually, no. In the Upside Down, the places where water is in dimension are completely drained and empty. It would be the perfect place to hide. Just like when Barb was sucked into that by the monster, she was in a the pool, but with no water in the pool."

"Oh. That's smart of her."

"Ya, she's pretty intelligent. Like our older sister because she's 16 years old now. I never really talked to her much, just when we were escaping. But enough to know that she knows things." 

Mike reread the riddle. He looked confused for a second and then jumped up in excitement. 

"Is she able to transport to other dimensions?" 

"Nope. Just anywhere and everywhere in one zone at a time. There has to be a way where One was able to go into there." 

"What if there was another gate?" Mike looked worried. 

"There can't be. I'm the only able to open one aside from the Demogorgon-" I slowed my words. "I killed it. But it could have made some gates before." 

Mike and I shared a look. We knew we were gonna go look for the gate in the lake. It left a worried expression on his face, but he lifted himself from the couch and grabbed his backpack and led me upstairs. 

"Mom! I'm going to Lucas' house with El for the afternoon. I'll be back in a couple hours!" he yelled. 

"Okay Honey! Be safe!" 

Before leaving, Mike stuffed a towel and the paper with the riddle on it into his backpack. We stepped out of the house and he grabbed my hand as we began the search for One.