To Catch a Falling Star (Steve Harrington)

(1.7) Brown and Red

I sat for a long time, I also walked around for a long time. It seemed like everything that I did was for a long time, and I wasn't surprised when I fell asleep leaning up against a tree just inside the edge of the woods.

I dreamed of terrible things. Darkness that spiraled, and screaming creatures. It was chaos and the Scratcher was back but this time it wasn't going just after me. It went after Steve and Eleven, and a boy that I had never met before. Something tugged on my shoulder, pain flared from it, and I felt myself being pulled to the edge of the dream before being thrown back in.

But it wasn't in in. It was the Inbetween, and the second I stood there I realized that this wasn't good. I disappear when I go there. Like, I am gone from where I was and I am physically in the Inbetween. The first time I came here, I met a Scratcher, and that is when it got its name. The doctors at the Lab freaked out when I disappeared, but my punishment was twice as bad when I came back injured.

Since then the doctors made sure they had some way of holding onto me when I went through, which of course meant more pain for me. They tied me down, metal wrapped around my wrists to attach me to this world. I didn't have it this time which meant that I was there as me.

I had shoes on, the ones that Steve let me borrow, and they kept my feet out of the water. A box sat in front of me, and as I walked closer sounds were coming from it. Sad sounds, I stepped into it and found a boy. A little boy like Eleven, curled up and crying. I reached out to touch him, but stopped when a voice cut through the air. It was Steve, and he was looking for me. I tried to reach out to the boy to bring him back with me, but it was to late.

"Zero, oh my god there you are!" Steve ran over to me, and put his hands on my shoulders. He forgot, I knew he forgot and that he didn't mean to but his hand landed right on top of the bite from the Scratcher. I reacted instantly, throwing him away from me and tensing up in pain. He hit the ground ten feet or so from me, and than it was my turn to run to him.

I said the word that he and Benny said a lot, not that he could hear it, and I helped him sit up, scanning him for any kind of hurt.

"Wow, okay." Steve groans, before laughing. "Remind me never to wake you up."

He smiles at me, waving away my worried hands and moving to his feet. Steve led the way through the trees talking about the 'school' that he was at, and how boring it was. I was happy that he was happy, his excitement was contagious, but I couldn't help but think about the dream and the Inbetween.

Steve opened the door for me again, making sure to put the window down before closing it behind me. I sat staring out, listening to Steve sing along to the music again. I think he noticed my sad mood, because instead of going back to home, he went to another place first.

"Come on Zero," He had a smile on his face as he led the way into the building. It was a colorful one, with many of the doors with only glass in them. "Okay so, this is a Diner."

I didn't know what that meant, but when we stepped inside it smelled really really good. Like Benny. Steve opened the door for me, and as I walked by he grabbed my elbow, holding it as he led the way to a table. He sat on one side of the table, and I took the seat across from him. He handed me a paper, and I looked at it, attempting to understand what it said. I couldn't, and when I looked up at Steve he smacked himself on the head.

"Right, I'll order than. Yeah?" He nods, answering his own question and I agree. We both knew it would be a better idea, as I did not know enough about the food to make a choice.

We sat in silence, I was staring at the tabletop, just trying to keep the attention off of myself as the building started to fill up with more people. I could feel Steve staring at me, trying to form some kind of sentence or question, anything to start our one sided conversations. I liked this boy, and I liked this world that he was slowly showing me. I could almost forget about Eleven when I was with him.

Almost being the important word. I couldn't see Eleven anymore, and she wasn't close by. Some part of me worried that she had gotten herself into some form of trouble, but I couldn't see that happening. For some reason, I trusted the people that she went with. I did not even know them but I trusted them. They were young and small and could not do a lot of damage, so what trouble could they get into?

"What did they look like?" Steve asked, his voice startled me, causing me to look up suddenly, nearly bumping the table with the quick moment. I leaned my head to the side, and Steve corrected himself, "The people Eleven went with?"

The question was obvious, and I tell myself off internally at my stupidity. I lift my left hand up, and put my thumb and pointer finger an inch or so apart, meaning small.

"Tiny?" I nod. "Wait like, tiny people or young?"

I hold up two fingers, meaning the second word, with he understands instantly. He nods, thinking for a minute before laughing loudly, and leaning forward just a bit.

"Three kids?" I nod.

"One with curly hair?" I didn't know what that meant, and he stunted for a second, before continuing. "Like this, but in spirals." He touched his hairs, and I considered it for a minute before nodding.

"And another with black hair?" I nodded again. "And the last one is African American?"

I had no idea what that meant, and Steve sighed, saying that he would explain it later. He said three names, and the second they left his mouth I forgot them, but I still nodded along. Another person walked up to the table, setting down plates of food in front of the two of us. The food is a brown stick on a brown piece of bread, and the same brown sticks as before. The ones that Eleven loved so much. I ate quickly, loving every bite of it.

"That's a hot dog," Steve points to the long brown stick on the brown bread. "And those are french fries. They taste good with this on it."

Steve picks up a bottle on the table, and taps a little bit onto my plate telling me to dip the 'french fries' into it. I do as he said and smile at the taste, it was sharp, and I loved it.