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don't be afraid
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. ✧ ・゜. +・o ✧
"Holy shit, I can't believe we're really doing this," said Max, scribbling the last name on yellow construction paper. She arranged it on the red board they'd set up on the bed, which already had a list of names of people in Hawkins they knew. In the middle was an empty Coca-Cola bottle, and Alina, slightly amused, thought that if someone was to burst into the room, they would've thought they were playing the popular sleepover game Spin the Bottle. Except, this was different, because whatever name the bottle landed on would not be kissed, rather, it would be the person that Alina and El would find themselves spying on.
It had taken a little bit of coaxing from El to finally make Alina agree. She was still overall hesitant about this whole idea, but she figured it would do no harm to take a quick peek. It was almost thrilling, the idea, which is why she'd agreed. And maybe it was also because she needed practice. To harness the strange ability she'd used accidentally before.
She crossed her legs, then uncrossed them again. She wanted to get comfortable before she plunged into the whole mind-void thing, even though she wouldn't really be here. Her body in El's room would lay dormant, and a new one would awaken there. And, for the first time, she wouldn't be alone.
According to El, it was possible for them to travel together. They first had to have some kind of contact—to this they chose holding hands—and they both had to be thinking about the same person. It sounded easy when she said it like that, but Alina was doubting her own abilities. What if something went wrong? What if the two of them were separated? It was almost frightening to think about.
"Ready?" Max asked them now. El immediately nodded, but Alina was still a little bit hesitant. Max seemed to sense this, however, as she leaned forward, putting an arm around her. "You're going to be fine," she said, rubbing her shoulders. "You're not going to be alone in there. And you don't have to stay long, either."
"Okay." Alina sucked in a deep breath. "I'm ready. El, spin."
El spun the bottle, and it flew over the seven names they'd written down—Billy, Dustin, Mr. Clarke, Steve, Nancy, and Mr. and Mrs. Wheeler—before landing on Mike's father's name. Max let out a sigh at that, and three of them read it out together unenthusiastically.
