Mileven One-Shots

I Can't Lose You Again

El's POV:
The Flayed.

Billy, Janet and Tom Holloway, Heather Holloway, Doris Driscoll.

Why can't I find them?

Where have they gone?

My nose is bleeding. With my blindfold, I can't see how many tissues I've gone through cleaning the blood up. But it must be a lot.

Voices. I can hear voices. Is it them? Did I find them?

"Mike doesn't know what the hell he's talking about!"

"Oh and you do?"

It's Mike and Max. Arguing. About me? Probably.

I continue to search for the Flayed. My head hurts and I could really use a cold drink of water. But I can't focus; Mike and Max won't stop yelling at each other.

"You want to talk about trust, really? After you made Eleven spy on us?" Mike says.

"Wait, what?" Lucas interjects.

"Oh she didn't tell you this?"

"No!"

"Your girlfriend used El's powers to spy on us."

"No no no I did not make her it was her idea! And why are we even talking about this seriously!" Max argues.

"Yeah, who cares!" Will says.

"I care!" Lucas shouts.

"Yea I guess girlfriends don't lie, they spy!"

"We were just joking around!"

"Wouldn't it have been so funny if I was taking a massive shit or something?" Yuck. He's such a boy.

"You weren't!"

"But what if I was!?"

"Then gross!"

"Seriously Mike?" Nancy says. Yea, seriously? What's his problem? What's all of their problems?

"I'm just trying to demonstrate how careless Max is with Eleven's powers. In fact, how careless all of you are! You're treating her like some kind of machine when she's not a machine, and I don't want her to die looking for the flayed when they've obviously vanished off the face of the earth! So can we please just come up with a new plan because I love her and I can't lose her again!" Mike shouted.

Wait, what did he say?

I rip off my blindfold and get up, opening the door and stepping out.

"What's going on?" I ask.

"Nothing! Nothing!" Mike says.

"Just family discussion," Lucas says. Mike stares at me awkwardly, and the others keep looking between him and I. I can't believe he just said that. He loves me. And I...I love him too. But now isn't the time to tell him.

Anyway, back to business...

•••••

I sat down on the floor, preparing to tie the blindfold around my eyes. I am going to see where Billy has been, in an attempt to find him. Then Mike is crouched at my side.

"El...I know you think you have to do this but you don't. Your mom, she loved you. And she wanted you to see what happened. It's just...you've only done this one time, and Billy's mind is sick...diseased," he says.

"He can't hurt me. Not in there," I say.

"We don't know that for sure," he says. I turn to face him, and take his hand in mine. Our eyes meet, and my only thought is of his words.