One

Chapter Seven: The Bathtub

They were in the station for a few hours, when Joyce and Chief Hopper walk in.
"Hey! Jonathan? Phina? Jesus what happened," Joyce asks.
"Ma'am."
"Why is he wearing cuffs," Joyce asks the officer.
"Well, your boy assaulted a police officer, thats why," Callahan, the one that he it, says.
"Take them off," Joyce orders.
"I am afraid I cannot do that," he says.
Joyce then shouts, "take them off!"
"You heard her, take them off," Hopper says.
"Chief," cuts in Powell, "I get that everyone's emotional here, but. There's something you need to see."
They leave and Phina instantly knows where their going to, "shit. We are in such deep shit."
Jonathan shoots her a concerned and confused glance. She just tells him to wait for it. After a few minutes, they come back with the box of supplies. Jonathan gives her a look and she gives him an I told you so look.
"What is this," Joyce asks, digging through the box.
"Why don't you ask your son. We found this in his car," Hopper says, monotonously.
"What?"
"Why are you going through my car," Jonathan glares at Hopper.
Hopper leans on the desk and glares back, "is that really the question you should be asking right now? I want to see you in my office."
"You won't believe me," Jonathan shouts a little.
Hopper leans back over the desk, "why don't you give me a try?"

They sat in Hopper's office, and explained everything to him and Joyce. They looked at the picture in turn and Hopper looked up st them.
"You said blood draws this thing?"
Phina nods, "potentially, yes, but it's just a theory."
Joyce turns to Jonathan, "can I speak to you in the hall please."
   Phina hears the tension in her voice and gives Jonathan a scolding look when he goes to object. He sighs and follows Joyce into the hallway, leaving Phina, Nancy, and Hopper in the room alone. They can faintly hear Joyce and Jonathan's conversation and it makes them all a little awkward.
Hopper glances down at Phina's hand, "what happened to your knuckles kid?"
"I punched someone in the nose," she shrugs, she knew he was just trying to defuse the awkward air but she wasn't in the mood, and was very short with her answer.
"The Steve guy," he asks.
She nods.
"Why?"
She shrugs again, "he hurt my sister, I don't like that."
Phina ran her fingers over her knuckles, "he deserved everything he got."
Suddenly shouting comes from the main room of the police department, Hopper stands up and tells the girls to stay put. Phina follows after him anyway.
A hysterical woman argues with officer Callahan, her son who has a broken arm, standing behind her.
"What the hell is going on here," Hopper shouts.
The women turns to Hopper, "these men are humiliating my son!"
Callahan starts to defend himself, "no no no no no, ok that's not true!"
"There was some kind of fight Chief," Powell explains.
"Some psychotic child broke his arm," the women shouts.
Phina raises her eyebrows, standing next to the Chief. He gives her a look but she just shrugs.
"A little girl Chief. A little one," Callahan says, almost mockingly.
The women points at the officer, "that tone! Do you hear that tone?"
The officer raises his arms, "honestly I'm just trying to say state a fact.."
"We don't have time for this, will you please take a statement," Hopper then mouths, "and get her out."
Hopper turns and waves Phina to follow after him. Callahan asks the kid what happened and what he says stops Phina in her tracks.
"She had, no hair, and she was bleeding from her nose," the kid says, "like a freak!"
Phina whirls around and looks at him, "what?"
Hopper turns around to, a similar look on his face, "what'd you just say?"
The kid turns to them, "I said she's a freak!"
"No, her hair. What'd you say about her hair," Hopper asks, walking back over to the kid.
"Her heads shaved, she doesn't even look like a girl," the kid answers, "and..."
"And what," Hopper asks.
"Tell the man Troy," his mom says comfortingly.
"She can," he says, "do things."
"What kind of things," Hopper asks.
Phina steps closer to them, she knew who he was talking about.
"Like," the kid pauses, "make you fly. Piss yourself."
"What," Powell asks, his voice a little higher.
Hopper holds up his hand, quieting the officer, "was she alone?"
The boy shakes his head, "she always hangs out with those losers."
"Losers," Hopper asks, "what losers?"
"Mike," Phina answers for him, "god damnit, it's my brother and his friends."
"What?"
Phina turns around to get her sister, "he's in such deep shit!"
Hopper follows the girl, "what are you talking about!"
"Mike and his friends found her when they went out looking for Will, she's been staying in our basement," Phina says, "she's got these powers, telekinetic powers."
They get to Hoppers office, the three that had stayed standing from their seats and looking at the distressed pair.
"What's going on," Nancy asks.
"Your little brother is in trouble."
   "Mike's in trouble."

They drove to the Wheeler's house, stopping far away from it. On the way there, Hopper had explained to them about Hawkins Lab, and why they were searching for Eleven. At the mention of Hawkin's Lab, Phina got a queasy feeling, one she didn't like at all.
People from the lab were taking boxes of things from the house, Mike's things. Hopper watched them through binoculars.
"We have to go home," Nancy says.
"You can't," Hopper answers.
"Our mom, our dad are there," Nancy shouts at him.
"They'll be ok," Hopper tells her.
Nancy grabs Phina's arm and starts walking towards the house. Phina pulls back her arm from her sister.
   "Nance, he's right, they have nothing to do with this. They'll be fine," Phina says.
   "You don't know that Phina," Nancy argues, walking toward their home again.
   Hopper grabs Nancy's arm and pulls her to a stop, "hey. Hey hey hey!"
"Let go!"
   Nancy tries to free her arm, pulling back, but Hopper holds on.
"Listen to me. The last thing in the world we need is them knowing you're mixed up in all of this," he says.
"Mike is over there," Nancy shouts worriedly.
"No he's not Nancy, they haven't found him, not yet," Phina says.
Hopper nods and points to the helicopter that was flying around. They all look towards it, Nancy getting a astounded look on her face.
"For Mike," she asks.
Hopper pulls her back, "come on, get in the car."
They rush to get into Hoppers truck, Nancy sits in the middle of the backseat, sandwiched between Phina and Jonathan. Hopper gets in the drivers seat and turns back to them.
"Look, we need to find them before they do," Hopper says, "do you have any idea where he might have gone?"
"No, I don't," Nancy says, her emotions showing clear on her face.
"I need you to think," Hopper tells her.
"I don't know! We haven't talked a lot, I mean lately," Nancy falls back in her seat.
"What about you Phina, is there any place your parents don't know about where he might go," Joyce asks.
"Not that I know of," Phina sighs.
She then gets an idea and looks at Jonathan, "but I might know how to ask him."
"Will's radio," Jonathan nods, "they all have radios."
Hopper turns on the car and they speed toward the Byers' house.
It takes almost no time at all to get there, Hopper drove like a mad man and Phina was honestly scared for her life. There were a few corners where she was almost certain they were about to flip.
   Hopper skids to a stop in front of the house. Phina jumps out of the car before it's even completely stopped, rushing into the house which was left unlocked. She leads everyone to Will's room, ignoring Nancy who stops to look at the messy state of the place.
She barges in and starts looking, Jonathan and Joyce as well. Joyce crawls underneath the bed and shouts that she found it.
They circle around her and Nancy takes the radio, "Mike? Are you there? Mike?"
"Mike, it's me Nancy," she tries again, "Mike we need you to answer."
No one answers and Nancy tries again, "this is an emergency Mike, do you copy."
No answer, "Mike do you copy!"
They look at each other and Nancy tries again, "we need you to answer!"
Hopper gets annoyed and takes the radio from Nancy, "listen kid, this is the Chief, if you're there pick up. We know you're in trouble and we know about the girl. We can help you, we can protect you, but you gotta pick up. Are you there, do you copy? Over!"
"Give it to me," Phina says and takes the radio.
"God damnit Mike, I'm worried sick about you guys. Pick up the damn radio, we're trying to help," Phina growls into the radio, "we're trying to protect you guys, from the bad men, got it? Over."
Phina looks down at the radio and groans. Hopper turns to the group.
"Do we got any other ideas," he asks.
Suddenly, the radio makes a noise, "yes, I got it Phina. It's Mike, I'm here. We're here."
Phina jumps, "where are you, we're coming!"
"The old junkyard, in the broken down bud," Mike says.
Phina throughs the radio onto Will's bed and rushes towards the front doors, hearing someone following her.
"Phina, go back inside, I'll go get them," Hopper yells after her.
   "I'm going whether you like it or not," she snaps.
   "No, you are going to stay here where it's safe," he argues, "I don't want to add you to the list of kids I have to protect."
   Phina turns around to face him, her eyes burning him, "I can handle myself Hopper. Now listen to me, those are my kids and I am going to save them, with or without your help. Got it? Good."
She turns on her heel and continues towards the truck, getting in and slamming her door shut. There was no arguing with her, Hopper realized, Seraphina Wheeler is fiercely protective of who she loves, trying to stop her would be like standing between a bear and her cub. Hopper was not that stupid.
He got in the car, no argument left on his tongue.

-1758 words-