Joey Hopper//Will Byers -Book two-

The spy: Part one

I stand at the front door, hands shoved into jean pockets. I stare forward at El, remembering our recent conversation. You see, after seeing what our mother showed us we both decided that we needed to do something. The only problem is that we both have completely different ideas on what that 'something' is.

Those scientists stole El and I away, they damaged our mothers brain, obviously the correct line of action is to go back to Hawkins and deal with them. To make some kind of stand. Eleven doesn't see it that way though. Somehow, all that she got from that blast to the past was that there are more of us. That other girl who was sitting at our side in the rainbow room, El's mind is set on finding her.

So now we're here. At a crossroads. We both have somewhere to go, the question is whether we're going together or whether we're going alone.

I clear my throat. "We have to go back El."

"Why?"

"It's not just about this," I start. "We walked away from something by coming here. Will, Mike, everyones in danger. I can't just forget about them."

A frown finds her face. "I'm not forgetting."

"I know, I know. It's just-" I sigh, "you know what? You do what you have to do El. I totally get where you're coming from, wanting to meet someone-"

"Our sister," she cuts me off.

"Yeah, yeah. I understand that you need to go, I just-I can't go with you El. I just can't."

There's a few seconds of silence between us. The space only being filled with the whistling sound of the wind.

Finally El speaks up. "Okay."

"Okay?" I question. "You know you'd be all alone, right? You could get lost or-"

"I understand." Eleven states, copying what I previously said.

Our eyes meet and I sympathetically ask, "you really wanna do this?"

She nods her head.

"Then I'll see you on the flip side." I sadly smile.

As I start to walk off El tackles me into a hug. "I love you."

I turn around to face her.

"I love you too." I grin as an idea comes to my head. I stick out my pinky. "We're going to meet up eventually. I promise."

She pauses for a moment before linking her pinky with mine. "Promise."

With that, she walks off. A single thought runs through my head. What if this is the last time I ever see her?

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I try to hitchhike my way back to Hawkins but it seems like my luck has run dry. I walk for what seems like hours with no cars in sight. Just as I'm about to give up hope, I look up to see none other than a big brown bus. It just turned onto my road and based on the fact that there's literally nothing else in between here and home, I'll be willing to bet that's where the things going.

One major problem immediately comes to me though. I don't have any cash. Even if I could somehow manage to get them to stop for me, there's no way they'd be willing to give me a free ride. Unless...

A plan forms in my head and let me just say, it's pretty stupid. It probably won't work and at the end of the day I'll probably just end up looking like an idiot. Nonetheless, I have to try. It's not exactly like I have any other options. I rush through my backpack and pull out two stray hair-tyes. Hurriedly and messily I put them through my hair, creating two low pigtails. I leave my eyes open for as long as possible until tears start to form, then the bus comes my way.