Symmetrical Stranger Things Book Two

Chapter 2: Trick or Treat, Freak

Eleven wakes up on the floor of the Upside Down world's classroom, a moment of panic as she assesses the situation. The demogorgon is indeed no more, and she is alone amidst a familiar parallel world, surrounded by a blue hue and a proliferation of vines.

"Mike?" She asks again and again, the desperation in her question increasing with every repetition. She wanders the vine-infested halls looking for what's next. It doesn't take long for her to find a red glow that juxtaposes the atmosphere, a glow emanating from a small break between the dimensions. The soldiers who marched through the hallways previously are still out there making one last pass at searching. She waits, not long, before it's safe enough to investigate the perforation.

She tries to push her hand through, the thick film stretching across her hand. The Portals have made some strong impacts in how they are visualized in the parallel dimensions, both in the color and in the sound mixing in the real world, the sound of Eleven stretching through is almost comically quiet, with no echoes or random growls and hums.

With a quick use of her powers a trace of blood still running down her nose the hole enlarges and Eleven bursts out of the Upside Down world through a slit out of the concrete wall. Eleven has been reborn, and is back in the real world.

But she isn't back with everyone. After wandering out of the school, she walks all the way to the home of Mike Wheeler's family, which is illuminated by the flashing blue lights of several otherwise-unmarked police cars.

Eleven sneaks up to the window. The house is crowded with an unnecessary number of agents interrogating the entire Wheeler family in separate spots. Mike's dad is more than understanding.

An agent tell the adults. "The most important thing is for you to try and go on with your lives and to keep all of this."

"Top secret. Understood." Ted replied.

Meanwhile, Mike is being told about how "dangerous" Eleven is, as she looks through the window. They lock eyes, and she knows that this home of hers is not safe. She's back in the world she wants, but in this moment she doesn't have a home to return to.

The agents notice Mike looking out, and knowing what that means, they fan out from the front door looking for her. But Eleven is already in hiding, crouching in the fetal position under a log. She keeps her sobs as low as she can. She is back, but she is alone.
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As time goes on it's Halloween, and the festivities are in the air. Trick or treating, carving pumpkins, parties, and dressing up as anything you want that's what Celeste loved about this amazing holiday.

Celeste is dressed up as a sock hop girl from the 50s, and the boys are Ghostbusters, because this is the early 1980s and nothing is cooler than Ghostbusters. As the boys get ready, it's Will that people should be paying most attention to. It's always Will. While he's putting the finishing touches on his costume, Joyce comes across a drawing of the Demogorgon on his desk. She asks him if he's having more "episodes" and he lies; we have to assume that it's out of a desire to protect his mother and make himself seem as normal as possible. We know Will hates to be thought of as a freak, and admitting to having more episodes would only further push him into that category.

Will saw his friends parking their bikes at the front of the school and heard the ghostbusters opening tune. "Ghostbusters!" He exclaimed.

"Hey, Spengler! Egon! Yeah!" They all greeted.

"Venkman!"

As the boys and Celeste greeted each other Mike noticed something about Lucas's costume. "Whoa! Whoa!"

"What?" Lucas asked.

"Why are you Venkman?" Mike retorted.

"Because I'm Venkman." Lucas replied.