golden - eleven hopper

vii. Operation Mirkwood Meeting

( Stranger Things, Season One )

Holly Jolly

Chapter Seven: Operation Mirkwood Meeting

"Do you think I trust you assholes with El?"

Radio static echoed throughout the basement as Eleven fiddled with the buttons on Mike's supercomm, sat up in the tent Eva had built her. There was a plate with a few discarded crumbs on after she had quickly eaten the Eggo that was on there. Eva was stood with Via, Mike, Lucas and Dustin as they went to conspire their plan to find will, and Tori. They had apologised to El last night with some meatloaf after freaking out, (Eva thought Lucas' apology was a bit shit though).

Eva wasn't exactly sure what Mike had got in mind for a plan, but whatever it was she was sure it would be something not very thought out. 

"We just tell our parents we have AV club after school, Eva, Via, you just say it's theater stuff or something, okay?" Mike started, looking at all the boys then at Eva, "that'll give us at least a few hours for operation Mirkwood."

"O-Okay but I have b-ballet later at s-s-s-six... So I have to be home at five to g-get ready Mike," Eva replied, a slight dumbfounded tone as if Mike should've remembered her schedule.

"That's not nearly enough time, you should just let us have El and you come home," Mike exasperated, somewhat frustrated that Eva's schedule didn't fit in perfectly with his. 

"Let you have her? She isn't a dog you know, Mike," Via quipped back, offended on El's behalf that Mike thought of El like property. 

Lucas decided to jump in a comment he knew full well Via would snap at. He decided to say it anyway as there was a certain pleasure in winding Via up, "If Eva can't come I don't see why Via has to now, since we're not all friends with her."

"Do you think I trust you assholes with El?" Via quickly raised her voice and got right up close in Lucas' face. He almost had a look of regret, not that he'd admit being scared of her.

"Shut up both of you! Via comes. We'll pick El up after schoool," Mike cut off any chance for Lucas to resort back, ending their insult match and quickly changing the subject, "did you bring the supplies?" 

"Yeah," Lucas reached behind to his backpack, and dumped it on the desk to open it up and take them through his haul of crap, "binoculars. .  . from 'nam, army knife, also from 'nam, hammer, camouflage bandanna and... the wrist rocket!"

"You're gonna take out the demogorgon with a slingshot?" Dustin asked sarcastically and Via snorted loudly. 

"First of all... It's a wrist rocket, second of all, the demogorgon's not real, it's made up!" he replied stubbornly, "but if there is something out there... I'm gonna shoot it in the eye, and blind it!"

"Dustin what'd you get?" Mike sighed, leaning on the back of a chair and turning his head to look at him.

"Well, alrighty. So we've got. . .nutty bars, bazooka, pez, smarites, pringles, nilla waffers, apple, banana and trail mix," Dustin smiled, holding each of the food items up, from the inside of his bag to all of them proudly.

"Seriously?" Lucas dumbfounded, giving Dustin a look.

"We need energy for your travels! For stamina!" Dustin argued, "and besides, why do we need weapons anyway? We have her!"

"She shut one door!" Lucas argued.

"With her mind! are you kidding me that's insane! Imagine all the other cool stuff she could do! like..." Dustin looked around for inspiration before grabbing a Star wars Millennium Falcon toy, "I bet, that she could make this fly! Hey, hey! Okay, concentrate! okay?"

Dustin stood in front of El holding up the toy and she stared up at him. He held it up carefully for a moment before letting go of it. He was shocked when to his surprise, the ship didn't float and instead crashed to the floor. Eva tried to hide a giggle but Via started laughing without shame at the sound of the ship clattering down. "Okay, use your powers!"

Dustin dropped it once more, but Mike got fed up and picked the ship up afterward, "she's not a dog."

Eva smiled a little at Mike's response to Dustin's messing, she was glad it wasn't just going to be her and Via standing up for El like that. It was then that her mom called down, "kids! Time for school!"

The boys started to gather their things while Eva went to kneel in front of El quickly to talk her through and say goodbye, "s-s-stay down here or j-j-just in my room, o-okay? I-If you get h-hungry, eat D-Dustin's food. I'll b-b-be back later."

☆

Eva typically didn't mind physics, but on this particular day she hated it. She wasn't particularly bad at physics but some of the concepts she found difficult, but Tori was amazing at physics which is why she was glad they were partners. With Tori still not in school though, her practical lesson wasn't going very good and she ended up having to join someone else's group to get the research. 

She was beginning to really feel Tori's absence and she was still wondering what was going on with that. Was her mom really not home yet? Surely she would be soon... Eva was still clinging onto the hope that Tori was with her mom and they would be home soon.

Lunchtime wasn't much better either. Eva, Via and Tori were in a small group of female friends and Via quite honestly hated them. She thought they were bitchy girls who did nothing but be bitches (as she would say), but Eva didn't quite mind them, she knew sometimes they were a bit mean but she enjoyed the company. Tori didn't really mind much, Eva didn't really know much of what she thought really. Tori had dropped dance and such last year, choosing to do more science and math based subjects. She'd become a little less involved in their friendship group since that because they mostly bonded on the fact they all did sports and music. Eva used to worry Tori would find better friends than them. 

"Eva I think your brother is trying to argue with Troy," Amelia remarked, looking over behind Eva's shoulder, badly suppressing a laugh at him, "I can't believe you're related, he's so..."

"Weird," Stacy finished for Amelia, giggling along with everyone else, "their whole party, as they call it, is weird honestly."

Via felt a little awkward. Sure, she didn't like Lucas much and Mike bugged her but she didn't really like how they talked about that group, she'd rather make fun of them to their own faces. Eva however laughed along a little and shrugged, "I r-r-really have no i-idea."

They watched the encounter for a moment before Troy tripped Mike up and he hit his chin badly on a rock. Eva winced a little watching while the girls let out a few gasps and shocked laughs. 

"That's so... embarrassing," Emily laughed a little, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear as she covered her mouth a little.

"Literally," Stacy agreed, shaking her head slightly. Eva sighed a little into a smile, trying not to ask for attention when she hesitated to laugh. It was moments like these where she didn't really like how the girls were. 

☆

1.2k words

so it's been like a while??? LOL

anyway stranger things 4 drops friday and i'm back in my stranger things phase and i want to update again. i missed you all

i also need to edit previous chapters so bad still

anyways ops on all the trailers omg