ACE OF HEARTS ( mike wheeler! )

CHAPTER TWELVE

ACE OF HEARTS
CHAPTER TWELVE: RANDOM ACTS
OF BRAVERY

AFTER THE GROUP ATTENDED Will Byers' fake funeral, they began their mission to finding the gate. Walking next to Mike, Cassie continuously kicked a small pebble under her shoes. The party had been walking on the train tracks for about an hour and a half with still no luck of finding their friend.

Shoving her hands into her pockets, Cassie jogged up to Eleven, who walked alone. Glancing down at the girl, Cassie realized that Eleven looked rather pale—goosebumps rising on her skin.

Cassie's eyebrows furrowed, "El, you okay?"

Turning around, Cassie waved Mike over—the boy popping up on Cassie's side seconds later. The boy touched her shoulder, "Cass, what's wrong with El?"

Examining the girl, Cassie muttered, "I don't know."

Eleven then stopped walking, turning to Cassie and Mike, who stopped walking moments after. "Turn back," said El, pointing in the other direction.

"Why?" asked Cassie. "El, what's going on?"

Eleven paused, a lie forming in her mouth, "Tired."

Mike sighed, continuing his journey forward, "We're all tired, El. I'm sure it's just a bit further."

Noticing Eleven's clenched fists, Cassie jogged up to Mike, "Hey, are you sure this is a good idea? You know...going to the gate?"

"Yeah," Mike spoke. "Why wouldn't it be?"

"Mike, I've seen the monster," explained Cassie, her lips quivering. "It's not something that we could just fight off with a wrist rocket."

"Well, we have to try, don't we?" asked Mike defensively. "I mean, this is the closest we've ever been to finding Will. We are prepared for this."

Heart rate increasing, Cassie followed Mike, not saying a word for the whole rest of the trip. Even though she had not verbally said anything, Cassie knew that whatever took Will and Barbara was something that they could not fight off alone.

Walking into an abandoned trailer park, the group paused. Dustin searched the atmosphere, then muttered, "Oh no,"

"Oh no?" Lucas questioned. "What's oh no?"

Dustin shook his head, "We're headed back home."

Glancing around, Cassie nodded, "Dustin's right. The sun rises in the East and sets in the West. We went in a circle."

"You've got to be kidding me!" shouted Lucas angrily, throwing his hands up in defeat.

"Maybe the gate moved," Mike suggested, looking around the area and reaching out his compass.

"No," said Dustin. "I think something else is screwing with the compasses. Maybe something like a super magnet."

The group turned, facing a pale-faced girl with a knitted blonde wig. Lucas pointed his finger at the girl accusingly, "It's not a magnet! She's been acting weirder than normal. If she can move things with her mind then she can definitely screw up a compass!"