Not Just Another Number

Some people are just Jerks

Sarah's POV

I park my car in the driveway of my house. I had just finished dropping off Mike and Dustin at their houses. I turn off the car and climb out. I slam the door shut and shove my hands into my pockets. I feel something small in one of the pockets. I take it out to reveal my compass. I squeeze it lightly, debating on throwing it. I can't. I still need this, just in case. I groan and shove it back into my pocket.

I take my keys out as I walk over to the front door. I stop for a second, keys in hand. I hear voices coming from inside. I shake my head, making myself move closer. It's probably Mom or Jonathan on the phone. I stick my key into the lock and turn, unlocking it. I open the door and put my key back in my pocket.

"How did you know it was a kid's room?" I could hear Mom ask someone. I quietly step inside and close the door, not wanting to disturb her. "Because, I told you, the size of the bed. There was a drawing and a stuffed animal." I could hear another voice. It sounded like Hopper's voice.

I lock the door and walk into the living room. There was Hopper and Mom, talking at the table. "You never mentioned a drawing." Mom says.

"There was a drawing of an adult and a child. It said 'Eleven' on it." Hopper says, waving his hand around. Eleven? "Was it good?"

"What's going on?" I ask, finally making them notice me. They both look up, almost nervous. Mom quickly stands up and walks over to me. "Sarah! Where have you been? I haven't seen you all day." She worries. I try to talk, but Hopper answers before me. "She was with me. I had her work on some stuff." He says.

She looks between us, wanting me to confirm, and I nod my head. She visably relaxes and she hugs me. I hug her back, desperately needing the hug. She lets me go and I take a step back. "So, what were you guys talking about?" I ask as I walk over to the kitchen. I take out one of our cups and fill it with water.

"Nothing sweetie. You don't need to worry about it." Mom says, sitting back down at the table. I sigh and take a sip of my water. "You're lying. Isn't she, Chief?" I ask, nodding my head at Hopper.

He shakes his head. I groan and shake my head. I place down my cup and lean against the counter, crossing my arms. "Okay, so you're both lying. You really shouldn't. I caught you guys talking about something." They both look at each other with nervous looks. That concerns me. "What? Is it about me? Or is it about Will?" I ask, putting my arms down to my sides. They don't look at me. "What about Will? And what was that talk about a kid's room?" I ask, walking closer to them.

Hopper sighs and puts his hand on the table. "Remember how I said that I found you last night?" He asks, looking up at me.

"Yeah. So?" I ask, ignoring my mom's distressed noises.

"Well, I was investigating the lab, thinking I could find Will. I found a kid's room inside." The opening was at the lab?! No wonder Eleven didn't want us to find it. I nod my head. "What do you mean by that? You found her somewhere?!" Mom asks, freaking out. I place my hand on her shoulder to calm her down. "I'll explain later, Mom. Right now, we need to worry about Will. Now, what about this drawing you mentioned?" I ask.

Mom looks back at Hopper, nodding her head. "Yeah, w-was it good?" She asks, making me confused. She's asking if a kid's drawing was good?

"No. It was a kid's drawing, it was just stick figures." Hopper says, clearly confused. Mom stands up and walks over to the fridge. "It's wasn't Will." She says as she comes back. She slams a piece of paper onto the table. It's one of Will's drawings. It's a drawing of all of our dnd characters. I forgot about this drawing.

I take a step back from the table. It has to be Eleven's. Hopper suddenly stands up and walks over to the couch. "Earl...The night the Benny died, he said he saw some kid with a shaved head." He says as he sits down. It's definately Eleven. Mom and I walk over to him, Mom sitting down and me still standing. "What if this whole time that I've been looking for Will, I've been chasing after some other kid." He says.