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EDDIE RUSTLED THROUGH DRAWERS, SEB STOOD AWKWARDLY WATCHING HIM. "Nope." The elder teen spoke to himself, Seb sighing as he looked out the window. They were digging through the kitchen as Seb had said he wanted something warm to eat, Eddie insisting they find something to cook rather than eat cold food. After discovering Vecna's plan with Sebastian, Eddie wanted to treat the boy greatly when he wasn't in that foul trance. Or to Seb, the Munson was treating him like a baby.  "Do you like these?" Seb looked to the object in Eddie's hand, that being a tin of spaghetti hoops. "I don't know." Seb shrugged gently, Eddie giving him a light smile as he repeated the action.

"First time for everything."

☆

SEB SAT AROUND THE SMALL TABLE, EATING THE FOOD EDDIE 'MADE' SILENTLY. "Good?" He asked, leaning forward as Sebastian smiled with his cheeks full. "Mm-Hm." He let out, Eddie nodding with a grin. "Wonderful." He spoke, holding a hand out as Seb gave him a high five. "May I be excused?" Eddie asked, holding up the radio as Seb nodded mindlessly. "Hey, Dustin, this is Eddie the Banished." Eddie smiled to Seb, the boy tilting his head at the name. "And Sebastian the... mind boy." Eddie shrugged, Seb scoffing laughter as Eddie sighed. "Are you there?" Eddie asked Dustin, Seb hearing no response from the radio.

"Dustin, can you hear me? Hey, Dustin." Dustin's radio sounded as the whole group was asleep in the Wheeler's basement. "Uh, we found something out? Vecna is targeting Sebastian, too." Eddie continued, Seb staring at the radio. "Dustin?" Eddie dragged out, Seb's eyes widening at how long he'd been dragging his name out. "Hey, it's Nancy." A voice spoke, Eddie halting as Seb perked up. "Wheeler! Hey. Um, we're gonna need a food delivery, like, really soon, unless you guys want us to go out into the world." Eddie spoke, Nancy sighing. "No. No, no, no. Don't do that." Nancy spoke, sounding tired. "Both of you stay where you are, and we'll be there as soon as we can." Nancy ordered, Seb nodding to Eddie.

"Yeah. Yeah, yeah. Listen, can you... um, pick me up a six-pack?" Eddie asked, Seb's eyebrows knotting. A six-pack? "And, the mind mover some of those Nilla wafers. Drinking isn't great, but, like, I have nerves right now-" "Hey, I'm gonna have to call you back." Nancy interrupted, Eddie taken aback as Seb's eye widened. "No- Wheeler? Wheeler?" Eddie asked, looking to the radio as Seb visibly sulked. "Just us... again." Eddie shrugged, Seb smiling lightly. "Give me that spoon." Eddie snatched the cutlery off of the younger boy, taking the bowl also. "Hey-" "Sh." Eddie interrupted with a grin, stealing the rest of Seb's dinner or breakfast.

"Dustin! Wake up!" Nancy jolted the boy's shoulders, him shooting up. "Hm?" He asked, Nancy sighing. "Aren't you supposed to be on Max watch?" Nancy reminded, Dustin rubbing his eyes. "Yep. Yep, yep, yep. Sorry-" "Where is she?" Nancy interrupted, Dustin looking to her sleeping spot... to see rustled blankets and no Max Mayfield. "She's right... there. A second ago. I swear, I just dozed off for-" Dustin stopped himself once he saw the time on his watch, Nancy glaring at him. "...an hour." Dustin let out quietly, Nancy quickly walking up the stairs. Dustin rushed after her, the two landing themselves in the kitchen to see Ted and Karen Wheeler in the kitchen. Holly and Max sat at the table, Nancy and Dustin staring at the latter.

"Morning, guys." Karen smiled, rounding the table to see Nancy calming down. "Everything okay?" Karen asked, Max turning around and meeting eyes with the two... completely fine herself. "Yeah. Yeah, everything's okay." Nancy assured, Dustin letting out a small smile. "I think it's so sweet that you guys are sticking together like this." Nancy's mother moved past her, plating fresh pancakes ahead of her husband. "Could try sticking together at a different house for a change." Ted Wheeler let out, his eyes glued to his newspaper as Karen sighed, her smile dropping a little. Ted always had to find the pessimistic from the optimistic. Nancy ignored her father, moving to the table Max was sat around. "You know you're welcome anytime."

Dustin nodded to Karen, the woman smiling warmly at him. "Totally, you're like family." The boy smiled, Ted watching the Henderson boy. "May I?" He asked, pointing to the pancakes as Karen smiled. "Absolutely-" "Yeah, why not? Take us for all we're worth." Ted spoke sarcastically, earning a look from both Dustin and Karen. "Okay." Dustin smiled tightly, grabbing a plate as Ted's face dropped more and more at how many pancakes he took. Music rung in Max's ears, Nancy slowly taking a seat next to her. Taking her headphones off, Max looked away from her drawing. "Hey." She spoke quickly, Nancy saying the same. Staring at the girl lightly, Nancy sighed. "You okay?" She made sure, Max shrugging. "Just couldn't sleep. People kept blasting music in my ears, for some reason."

Max smiled a little, Nancy letting out a harmless chuckle. "But Holly let me borrow some of her crayons." Max smiled at the younger girl, Nancy looking at her drawings. "We've been having fun, right, Holly?" Max urged, the girl not looking up from her tablet. "Mm-Hm." She spoke mindlessly, Nancy looking through all of the drawings as her eyebrows knotted. "Is this what you saw last night?" Nancy asked, Max's smile dropping lightly. "I mean, it's supposed to be. I thought it'd be easier to draw it out than to explain it, but... not so much." Max shrugged, Nancy's head tilting at one. "Did Holly put this?" She pointed to a small dinosaur in one of the drawings, Max shaking her head. "No. For some reason, that dinosaur was just... there." She shrugged, Nancy humming as her eyes glanced through all of the papers.

"Is that?" She asked, bringing one forward. Two red poles held two mangled up people, Max scratching her nape. "It was like they were on display. And then there was this red... fog everywhere. It was like a dream." Max nodded to the sky of all her drawings. "A nightmare." Max added, Nancy glancing to her. "You think Vecna's just trying to scare you?" She suggested, Max nodding. "With Billy? Yeah. But when I made it here... I dunno, something was different. He seemed surprised, almost. Like he didn't want me there." Max spoke, Dustin humming as he made his way to the table. "Maybe you infiltrated his mind. He invaded your mind, right? Is that big a leap to suggest you somehow wound up in his?" Dustin shrugged, Max staring at him as Nancy stared at all the drawings.

"Like Freddie Krueger's boiler room. Or the Sawyer house?" Dustin referenced, earning a look from Holly Wheeler. "Freddie Krueger? Sawyer?" She asked, Dustin glancing to her. "Freddie's this burned-up dude with razors for fingers. And Sawyer's are this family who eats other people and wears their faces as a mask." Dustin spoke, Holly's face scrunching up as she leant back. "Really?" Nancy asked, Dustin looking to her. She nodded to Holly, as if warning the boy to not talk about cannibalism to her six year old sister. "Sorry. They're movies. They're not real." He assured Holly, earning a weird look before the girl before she went back to her drawing tablet. "Just... think about it. What if you somehow unlocked a backdoor to Vecna's world?" Dustin continued, Nancy holding up the drawing with the dinosaur.

The object seemed to be in great shape and completely spotless, making it stand out to anyone who glanced at the paper. It was perfectly placed atop of a spike, as if it was on some sort of homeade throne. Was this Vecna's... toy? That seemed silly but it could be a lead as to finding his identity. "Like, maybe the answer we're looking for is somewhere in this..." Dustin picked up a paper, tilting his head at it. "Incredibly vague drawing." He spoke, Max sighing. "God, we need Will." Dustin cursed, Max huffing. "No shit. But I tried them again this morning, and it's the same busy signal." Dustin placed the drawing on the table, Nancy looking to it. Her face dropped, picking it up quickly. "Is this a window?" She asked just as fast, pointing to one part of the drawing.

"Yeah." Max shrugged, Nancy staring at the drawing. "Stained glass with roses." She muttered, Max nodding to Dustin. "Yeah. See? I'm not so terrible after all." She spoke, Dustin giving her a light shrug through his syrup coated pancake. "Yeah, well, it helps that I've seen it before." Nancy spoke, the two teens looking to her. They watched silently as she rearranged the papers. Max helped her lightly, watching the elder teen outline certain parts with a sharpie. "It's pieces of a house." Max let out, Dustin leaning over to get a glance. "Not just any house." Nancy spoke, putting the sharpie down. Placing the door in the correct spot, Nancy's spine shivered. "It's Victor Creel's house." She spoke, quickly picking herself up.

"Where're you going?" Dustin asked, his hands coated in syrup as he held his head above his plate as to not make a mess.

"Waking the others."

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EL'S EYES SHOT OPEN, SITTING UP LIGHTLY. Brenner wasn't around. Dr Owens wasn't around. Where was she? She had been taken to the middle of nowhere, pulling the covers off of her...

hospital gown?

"No." She spoke slowly, her voice shaky as she looked around her room, seeing the hole her and Seb created. A camera sat in the corner, El's eyes quickly stinging. "No." A tear ran down her cheek, turning to see the exact drawing she had made of her, Seb, and Dr Brenner in the rainbow room. Tears ran silently down her cheeks as she held her hair, feeling a buzzed version of it. "No-" Children's laughter echoed, El looking to the door of her room. Opening the door slowly, no one was around, the corridor's camera focusing on her. Staring at everyone's door, she froze at Seb's. The room had an unfamiliar feel to it, El following the children's chatter.

The Rainbow Room.

El quietly scanned everyone as they played in the room, El inhaling sharply once someone looked at her from the table. A look of disgust was on his face, El blinking quickly as she looked away. "Well, well." A man spoke, El turning around quickly to see Orderly, one of Brenner's men. "Look who finally decided to join us. Seven has been waiting patiently all morning." The man smiled, stepping aside to reveal a younger version of Sebastian. El's face fell, staring at the boy. "You're such a sleepyhead!" Seven smiled, El staring at him silently. He was here. Her brother. Was here. At least the younger version of him was. More tears fell down her cheeks, Orderly not seeming to care nor notice.

"Where am I?" El asked, Seven looking up to the man behind him. "I guess you're still not quite awake, huh?" He joked, Seven giggling a little. "Am I in Hawkins?" El asked, her voice trembling. Electricity buzzed, El looking around before she found herself facing the opposite direction. "Well, well." Orderly spoke, El quick to turn around and see him stood as if he was rewinded, smiling at her again. "Look who finally decided to join us." He smiled, stepping to the side again. "Seven has been waiting patiently all morning." He added, Seven giving her the same bright smile. "You're such a sleepyhead!" He spoke, El panting as she stared at her brother. Seven stood still as the girl moved towards the door, Orderly moving to her previous spot.

"Don't go too far, sleepyhead." He smiled, Seven stepping forward. "Lessons begin promptly at 10:00." Orderly reminded, El looking between the two. "I'm coming with you!" Seven's younger voice stated, El staring at their suddenly conjoined hands. Slowly back to Seven's face, she observed it before running out of the rainbow room, ripping her hand from Seven's. "Ow!" He let out, tripping over a tower of red blocks. His voice rung through El's ears as she ran, seeing another set of doors. Sprinting through them, she found herself in the rainbow room again, the girl's chest ragged. "Well, well." She turned to see Orderly again. "Look who finally decided to join us. Seven's been waiting patiently all morning." el shook her head as she watched Orderly step aside, again.

Seven smiled the same eerie smile, El gulping. "No." She let out, Seven ignoring her. "You're such a sleepyhead!" He repeated himself, El's heart rate showing up to a woman. "Heart rates now 120 BPM." She informed, Owens huffing from his spot. "She's rejecting it." He spoke, Brenner shaking his head. "Give her time." He spoke, Owens looking to him. "You do realise Seven is dead, right? 'Giving her time' is like telling her to suck it up." He spoke, Brenner looking to him from the multiple screens that showed El's panicked state. "We shouldn't have just thrown her in like this. With her dead twin brother. She'll drowning there." Owens spoke, pointing to the tank the real El was placed into. "No. No, she is going to swim." Brenner objected with a smile.

Owens rolled his eyes at the man, Brenner standing up. "Seven's death is gravely unfortunate. His ability always topped everyone else's." Brenner spoke, straightening his blazer as he walked out, missing Owen's glare. The boy died. And all Brenner cares about is the boy's ability lost?

The machine measuring El's heartbeat was the only noise.

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See? I told you the next chapters were going to be better!

[2310 words!]

Hope you enjoyed!!

Byeee!