DANCIN' ► DUSTIN HENDERSON [1]

2/3

happy birthday to me :)

JASPER WOKE UP to the sound of static and a voice calling her name. Confused, she sat up and rubbed her eyes sleepily before realizing it was Mike calling her through the walkie.

"What, Mike?" Jasper clutched her walkie, her voice heavy with sleep. "What's so important that you had to call me this early?"

"Get over here," his voice was sharp and demanding, "...please," he added politely. "The girl's name is Eleven, but we'll call her El for short, by the way."

"El..." Jasper whispered to herself. She sat up and ran a couple fingers through her red strands of hair. "Why do you need me to come over?"

"Because," Mike struggled to find an explanation. "She doesn't trust Lucas and Dustin like trusts you and me. I can tell. And right now she needs people she can trust."

Jasper clambered out of her bed, gazing outside her window. "Yeah, okay. I'll be over soon."

Twenty minutes later, Jasper hobbled down the stairs with her backpack slung over one shoulder and her jacket over the other. "Hey Ruby," Jasper greeted her older sister, who was sitting at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee.

"Hey," Ruby responded tiredly, sipping on her coffee. She had dark bags under her eyes, and her hair was sticking up in different directions.

"How was the search last night?" Jasper asked, placing her backpack on the couch as she slipped on her jacket. She already knew the answer, however. Whatever took Will, it wouldn't be found easily.

"We searched for hours, Jas," Ruby shook her head, exhaling deeply. "We found nothing. I'm so sorry."

Jasper nodded, sliding her backpack on. "It's okay, Rubes," Jasper murmured sympathetically. "It's not your fault."

Ruby suddenly sat straighter in her chair. "Joyce Byers got a strange call last night," she began.

Jasper froze, looking at her sister. "Yeah?"

"She said she heard Will. She heard his breathing," Ruby nodded, holding her cup of coffee uneasily. "Then the phone electrocuted her. Hopper says it was the storm but...I don't know. A mother's instinct is always the strongest, right?"

Jasper pursed her lips together deep in thought. "That's weird. Is she...okay?"

"She's fine, but...I can tell it's taking a toll on her," Ruby sighed, brushing her hair with her fingers. "So, where are you heading off to so early?"

"Mike wanted me to come over," Jasper replied, heading towards the door.

"Mike, huh?" Ruby asked with the raise of an eyebrow. "I thought you liked Dustin."

Jasper chuckled lightly, shaking her head. "I don't like anyone, Rubes. Especially not Dustin," she declared, ignoring the burning in her cheeks.

The redhead rushed out the door, jumping onto her bike and heading down the street towards Mike again. Bile rose in her throat as she nervously gripped her handlebars. The plan that Mike had formed last night seemed like a good one, but something didn't seem right.