Surreal ✿ M. Wheeler ✿

✿ ten ✿

Mike, Dustin, and Lucas stood in the courtyard before school. After having arrived and placing their bikes in the bike rack, they had came up with the idea of looking for rocks. Which is exactly what they were doing as they looked around, their eyes glued to the ground. Mike went to pick up a rock, not even seeing it or knowing where it was. He looked confused about it, but didn't protest as he turned to Dustin and Lucas and showed them what he had found. He didn't know how he knew it was there, but he just passed it off as his peripheral vision. He couldn't be more wrong, because Josie stood right in the courtyard with them, looking around as well.

Josie wasn't physically with them. She actually watched and looked with them from inside of Mike's house. She hadn't moved from her spot in his basement. However, her position had changed since they left. Her eyes were closed and she was laying down on the ground while Eleven was busying herself with the various items that Mike had in his basement.

She had been helping them with their search the whole time. Finding rocks and having Lucas, Dustin, or Mike pick them up. She didn't speak to them, finding that they could actually hear her after her little experiment with Mike a few days earlier. Instead, she just guided them to the spot and they picked it up. Neither of them knew what was going on, but she could tell that Mike was suspicious of it. He had already experienced what she could do and if he thought hard enough, he would be able to piece it all together that she was guiding them to the right spot.

Dustin then picked up a rock and turned to his friends, showing it to them, "How about this one?"

"It's too big for the sling," Lucas informed him as he looked at what Dustin found. Dustin decided to get rid of the piece. Just throwing it behind him.

After that, Josie had shot up from her spot and gasped for breath. Blood was dripping from her nose and her head was pounding. She was in there for too long and she needed to stop using her powers so much. She needed her rest. She didn't know why she hadn't thought of it earlier, feeling like she had to keep an eye on her friends. They were important to her and she couldn't help but feel like she needed to be there with them to make sure that everything was okay with them. There were far too many things that could happen to them and since she wasn't supposed to be with them, the fear of them dying was just enough to convince her that she needed to watch them at all times.

When the headache finally subdued a bit, she looked up and saw Eleven sitting right in front of her, her eyes wide as she looked the girl over with a worried expression. Josie couldn't help but smile at the girl's worried expression. She wiped her nose and said, "Don't worry about me, El, I'm fine."

Eleven nodded her head. She held something out for Josie to take and the girl looked down to see that she held a pack of Nutty Bars. Josie took them from her with a smile and opened the package, taking a bite out of it. Eleven had eaten earlier, right after the boys had left. Josie hadn't eaten anything. Instead, she made sure that everything was okay with Eleven and insured that everyone who needed to leave, left. Immediately after that, she had laid down, closed her eyes, and went to check on the boys. That's how the last couple of hours or so has been for the girl. She didn't have time to eat.

As the girl ate, Eleven looked at her and said, "Jo-sie?"

"Yes?" Josie asked after she had swallowed the bit of the Nutty Bar that she was munching on.

"Y-you and... Mike," she began. Josie tilted her head to the side, not comprehending what Eleven was trying to say. Eleven furrowed her eyebrows and then brought her hands together, "Close?"

Josie nodded her head, "Yes. He's my best friend."

Eleven shook her head at her. She intertwined her fingers and then looked at Josie, "Close?"