sunshine | m.w.

five.

"i found him." eleven stated, her voice starting to bleed. "where is he?" max asked softly. "woods." lucas looked at her, confused. "woods?" she nodded. "he's with... will's mom." will looked at her as if she didn't hear him right. "my-- my mom?" he asked. sophia raised a brow, flinching a bit as mike padded some alchahol on her cheek. she had a long, bloody cut from the glass that hit her face yesterday. they were all back in mike's basement, all trying to figure out hopper was. everyone was shook "what are they doing?" she asked, shuffling to get into a more comfortable sitting position. "don't move, sophi." mike hissed at her, pulling the padding away from her cheek. "i can't help it." she snapped back, rolling her eyes she looked back at eleven. "ill... annoy." sophia furrowed her brows as lucas and will exchanged a confused glance. "they're going to ill-annoy." the brunette claimed as more blood trickled down her nose. suddenly, mrs. wheeler kocked on the basement door. "mike, breakfast!" she called. mike turned around to yell at the door, stopping himself from dabbing sophia. "not now, mom!" he screamed before continuing to clean up sophia. "illinois? illinois, like the state? the state of illinois?" sophia rolled her eyes at mike's constant repeating. el looked at him. "i-ill-annoy." she said quietly. sophia smacked mike slightly. "she doesn't fucking know, genius." she growled. mike made a fake pout face, making sophia roll her eyes and restrain a smile.

sophia, lucas, mike and will were sitting in the basement while max and el were in the bathroom. "something's not right." will started, pacing around the room. "i can't get hopper off my back all summer, and suddenly he's hiking with my mom to illinois? and dustin's mia, too? this can't be a coincidence!" he ranted as sophia rolled her eyes. "what does it matter?" lucas stated. "the bottom line is, they're not here. it's up to us." "up to us to do what, exactly?" sophia asked, caressing the bandage that was now on her cheek. "to find billy and stop him." lucas replied easily. "okay, yeha, that's a really nice sentiment, but even if eleven could find him, and that's a pretty big if, then what?" mike cut in. "we burn the shit out of him, and make sure he doesn't escape this time." lucas stated, grabbing the coco puffs in front of him. "okay, then what?" sophia asked. "then we win." he stated simply. "no, see, that's the problem." mike hissed, making everyone look at him. "we don't. we don't win. we got the mind flayer out of will before and he just came right back. we don't just have to stop billy, we have to stop the mind flayer." sophia turned towards her best friend. "and how in the hell do we do that?" she crossed her arms. "i don't know!" he huffed at the girl. "maybe el does." everyone turned towards the bathroom until mike scoffed. "what are they still doing in there?" he growled. lucas shrugged as he stood up to stand next to mike. "i don't know. girls like hanging out in bathrooms." "why?" mike asked as he pushed away the coco puffs that lucas try to offer. "i don't know." lucas replied. sophia rolled her eyes as will spoke up. "they're conspiring against me," he stated as he stared at the door. "that's what you're concerned about right now!?" sophia snapped, looking up at him. "it's not my main concern! it's just a sub-concern!" he snapped back. "i thought it was already over!" she hissed at him. "it's not over, okay? we're just taking a break." he growled back at her. "she said she dumped your ass. that doesn't sound like a break." "it wasn't!" max yelled from the bathroom. "you guys do realize we can hear everything you're saying, right?" sophia smirked at will as she turned around and sat down. will turned to mike. "conspiring. i told you, conspiring!" mike rolled his eyes as someone knocked on the basement door again." "not now, mom!" mike yelled. "mike, open the door." the voice of his sister, nancy, was heard as mike scrunched up his nose with confusion as he then opened thr door, only to reveal jonathan and nancy with worriful expressions.

-----

"it was the same thing, the exact same thing that happened to will last year." nancy explained to the kids, whho were all now sitting on the couch and floor. "and look at this. look at the body temperatures." everyone leaned forward at the paper nancy pointed to. sophia read at the temperatures, her eyes widening. "these are critically low. they would either be sick or die at that point." nancy nodded. "exactly." will looked at both of them. "he likes it cold." mike blinked as he looked at his sister. "okay, so this crazy old woman who was eating fertilizer--" "mrs. driscoll." nancy corrected. "right, yeah mrs. driscoll. what time was this attack?" he asked. nancy looked at him, confused by his question. "last night," she stated. "right, but, what time last night?" "around 9:00." jonathan looked at his girlfriend. "you waited all night to call?" nancy looked back up at jonathan. "i was waiting for the doctors to run some tests," she stated before turning her attention back to the kids. "you weren't there?" will asked his brother. "well i'm here now, aren't i?" jonathan retorted. "hallelujah!" nancy stated sarcastically. lucas cringed at the sarcasm. "um, so, wha-- what time was your... sauna test?" nancy asked the kids, rubbing her head. "around 9:00," the teenagers said in unison. "well, that proves it! that proves my theory." nancy exclaimed. "she's flayed, just like billy." mike agreed. "flayed?" sophia asked. mike blushed. "the mind flayer. he flays people. takes over her mind. "once they do that, they basically become him." sophia smiled at him, making him smile back. "if there are two flayed--" lucas started. "then we have to assume there are more." will finished. "heather," eleven put in. max looked at her, as if she knew who eleven was talking about. "billy was doing something with her. she was scared. she was screaming. bad screams." lucas raised a brow. "what are good screams?" he asked. "max said-" "it doesn't matter." max interuppted. sophia closed her eyes for a moment before looking up at eleven. "i'm sorry, i'm lost. who's heather?" she asked. "she's a lifeguard at the pool." max answered, looking at the dirty blonde. "heather holloway?" nancy asked, her voice toned with surprise. eleven and ma nodded, and max and jonathan looked at each other. "tom," they said in unison.