DARE ME →MIKE WHEELER← DISCONTINUED

→the flea and the acrobat←1.4

Eleven sat on the couch not moving just very drained. bella sat on the floor next to her leaning on the couch and laying her head there. mike noticed that bella was awake "hey bels. you gave us quite a scare." he said laughing a little "yeah sorry" she said with a half-smile. "what happened back there?" lucas asked. "i was there fine and the next i just felt really dizzy. it's fine don't worry" she told them. "so what was will saying before everything," she said changing the subject." what was will saying?" mike said understanding that she didn't want to talk about it.

"are you sure you're okay?"lucas asked. she nodded.
"like home.." he added. mike gets up and starts pacing back and forth.  "but dark?" bella says. "and empty" lucas continues. dustin sighs. "empty and cold. wait, did he say cold?" dustin asks.

"i don't know. stupid radio kept going in and out." lucas said frustrated. "it's like riddles in the dark." dustin says letting out a sigh. "like home. like his house?" mike suggested. bella looked over at el "hey are okay? you were totally badass today" she told her whispering. el smiled. "or maybe like hawkins?" lucas also suggested.

"upside-down" el said softly and quietly. "what'd she say?" lucas asked confused furrowing his eyebrows. "upside-down" bella repeated. "what?" he asked again still confused. mike walked over to the d&d board which was still upside down. "when el showed us where will was, she flipped the board over, remember?" he said flipping it back and forth. dustin and lucas got up and sat at the down. lucas blocked her view from the couch so that made bella get up and sit down as well.

"upside down. dark.empty." mike explained. "do you know what he's talking about?" lucas asked. "no"dustin simply said. "guys come on, it's simple really. el took us to wills house right?" bella summed up. "yeah. and he wasn't there." lucas said. "but how you're wrong lucas, what if he was there? maybe we just couldn't see him or something " bella said. "yeah exactly" mike agreed. mike flipped the board over again on the light side "what if this is hawkins and this.." he paused flipping the board over back on this dark side "this is where will it?" he said tapping the board.

"the upside-down" be said. "like the vale of shadows?" dustin said. they all looked one another in the eyes. dustin grabs the d&d playbook. "the vale of shadows is a dimension that is a dark reflection or echo of our world." dustin read off. "it is a place of decay and death. a plane out of phase. a place of monsters. it is right next to you and you don't even see it." he continued. "an alternate dimension" mike said realizing.

"but...how...how do we get there?" lucas stuttered. "you cast shadow walk" dustin said. "in real life.dummy." lucas says. "we can't shadow walk,but...maybe she can" dustin says looking at her. they all turn around and look at her "do you know how we get there? to the upside-down?" mike asked her. she nodded no. "oh, my god!" lucas says sighing. "even if she did i wouldn't recommend it look what happened when she pushed herself too hard. i don't want her to get hurt, okay?" bella said sternly. they all shared a look

___________

the funeral was today. november 11,1983. bella stood her mirror brushing her hair. "you ready, kiddo?" her sister asked putting on her coat. "yeah. but can you help me put on my necklace?" she asked dangling it. "of course" she says taking it and putting it around her neck and clipping it. bella turned around "how do i look?" she said with a half-smile. "gorgeous as always" she says to her sister handing her coat.

the car ride there was mostly silent but with a couple shoulders squeezes. bella wanted to tell her sister about the girl, about will being alive, about everything but that would put her in danger and she couldn't do that to her sister.

"fear not, for i am with you. be not dismayed, for i am your god. i will strengthen you. yes i will help you.i will uphold you with my righteous right hand." pastor charles read off. bella stood next to mikes family. she held a yellow flower only her sister was there her parents hadn't been home a week which was normal for them. "it's time like these that our faith is challenged.how, if he is truly benevolent how could god take from us someone so young, so innocent?" he said.

"it would be easy to turn away from god but we must remember that nothing, not even tragedy can separate us from his love. we are here today to find comfort in the truth of scripture". dustin nudged lucas and mike toward a girl who was crying. her name was jennifer hayes. she had blonde hair and blue eyes. she sniffled. "just wait till we tell will that jennifer hayes was crying at his funeral." dustin says smiling. karen shushed them which made bella smile.

one by one they dropped their flowers on his coffin .it was weird because she knew the body in there wasn't wills. karen hugged wills dad.lori hugged joyce "i'm so sorry".they all went to the wake. "i'll be right back. i'm just gonna go talk to nancy and jonathan, okay?" lori said walking towards them. bella thought nothing of it.mike came over to her "you look beautiful, bels" he said looking her in eyes. she started to blush "why thank you." she said with her best victorian accent. they both laughed a little. oh how bad they wanted to hold hands.

everyone sat eating and talking with one another. the group approached mr.clarke. "mr.clarke?" mike said getting his attention. he turned around and smiled "oh, hey, there". "how you guys holding up?" he asked sincerely. dustin was chewing something quite loudly. "we're...in...mourning." lucas told him. mike nodded agreeing with him.

"man, these aren't real nilla wafers" dustin said disappointed. they all looked at him in disbelief. "we were wondering if you had time to talk?" mike said. "we have some questions" lucas added. "yeah a lot of questions" bella said. he nodded and they went to to a table to talk.