[ Location: Train Tracks, outskirts of Hawkins ][ Time: 1:30 PM ]
Walking down train tracks sounds romantic in movies like Stand By Me. In reality, it's just stumbling over uneven wooden planks while the sun tries to bake your brain inside your skull.
"How much further?" Dustin groaned, adjusting his hat. "My legs are turning into jelly."
"We keep going until the needle moves," Mike said, marching ahead. He looked at the compass like it was a holy relic.
I walked a few paces behind them, observing. El was quiet. Too quiet. She kept glancing at the compass in Mike's hand with a mix of fear and intense concentration.
I wiped a bead of sweat from my forehead, hiding the motion of checking my own interface.
'System. Status.'
[ Current Telekinesis Mastery: Level 1 (9%) ][ Current Remote Viewing Mastery: Level 1 (27%) ]
'Still too low. If we find the Gate today, we find the Lab. We find the soldiers. And with a Level 1 wobble-power, I'm useless.'
"Guys," Lucas stopped ahead. He held up his compass. "Check it again."
We huddled around. The needle was pointing... North-East.
"We're getting close," Lucas grinned, sweat dripping down his face. "It's pulling hard now."
In the periphery of my vision, I saw it. El raised her hand to her face. A quick, subtle wipe. A smear of red on her sleeve.
My eyes narrowed.
'She's doing it. She's messing with the magnetic field. She's leading us in circles.'
I looked at the sun. Then I looked at the compass. The geometry was wrong. We were drifting.
I could say something. I could expose her right now. "Hey guys, El is sabotaging the mission."
But I didn't.
'If we go to the Lab now, we die. Brenner is waiting. The Demogorgon is waiting. We have a wrist-rocket and a bag of Nutty Bars. We aren't ready.'
I stayed silent. Sometimes, the smartest move is to let the lie play out. It was a calculated risk—let El steer us away from danger, buy us more time to grind.
[ Location: The Junkyard ][ Time: 3:45 PM ]
We arrived at the salvage yard. Mountains of rusted cars and twisted metal towered over us, casting long, jagged shadows.
"This doesn't make sense," Lucas said, spinning around, frustration radiating off him in waves. "We should be at the highway by now. Why are we back at the junkyard?"
"Maybe the gate moved?" Dustin suggested weakly.
"Gates don't move, Henderson!" Lucas snapped. He looked at the setting sun. Then he looked at his compass.
"The sun sets in the West," Lucas muttered, the realization dawning on him. "Which means that is West." He pointed.
He looked at his compass. The needle was pointing East. But we were walking South.
"It's wrong," Lucas whispered. Then his eyes narrowed. He turned slowly, his gaze locking onto El. "It's her."
"What?" Mike asked.
"She's messing with the compasses!" Lucas shouted, pointing an accusatory finger. "She's been doing it the whole time! She's leading us away from the gate!"
"Lucas, calm down," I stepped in, trying to control the blast radius. "Magnetic interference from the cars could be—"
"Don't give me that!" Lucas yelled, turning on me. "You saw her! I saw you looking at her earlier! You knew!"
I froze. 'Sharp kid.'
"She's a traitor!" Lucas screamed at El.
"I'm not!" El whispered, shrinking back against a rusted bus.
"You are!" Lucas advanced on her. "You don't want us to find Will! You want to keep us safe? No, you want to keep yourself safe from the bad men!"
"Lucas, stop!" Mike shoved Lucas back.
"Get off me!" Lucas shoved Mike harder.
It happened fast. The tension that had been boiling for days finally blew the lid off. Mike tackled Lucas. They hit the dirt, rolling and punching.
"Stop it!" Dustin screamed, jumping around them uselessly.
"Guys!" I yelled. "This is stupid! Stop!"
I raised my hand.
'Separate them!'
[ Ability Active: Telekinesis. ]
I focused on the back of Lucas's shirt. 'Pull!'
The pressure spiked in my head.
Tug.
Lucas jerked back an inch. Just an inch. It wasn't enough to break his momentum. He landed a solid punch on Mike's jaw.
'Damn it! Level 1 is too weak for dynamic targets!'
"Get off him!" El screamed.
She whipped her head.
BOOM.
It wasn't a tug. It was a cannonball.
Lucas flew off Mike. He sailed through the air—ten, fifteen feet—and slammed back-first into a rusted car wreck.
CLANG.
He hit the metal hard and crumpled to the ground, motionless.
"Lucas!" Dustin screamed, sprinting over.
Mike scrambled up, spitting dirt, looking from Lucas to El.
El stood there, panting, eyes wide with horror. She looked at her hands, then at me. She was looking for reassurance. For me to say "Good job."
I didn't. I looked at Lucas. He was groaning, rolling over. Alive, but that could have been a broken spine.
"Lucas?" Dustin shook him. "Lucas, wake up!"
Lucas coughed, clutching his head.
Mike turned to El. The look on his face wasn't love. It was fear. Pure fear.
"What is wrong with you?!" Mike shouted.
El flinched like he had slapped her. "Mike... friends..."
"I'm not your friend!" Mike yelled, backing away. "You could have killed him! You're crazy!"
"She saved you!" I snapped, stepping between them. "Lucas was going to knock your teeth out!"
"She threw him into a car, Vivan!" Mike screamed, pointing a trembling finger at El. "Stay away from us!"
El looked at me, tears spilling over. She took a step back toward the woods. She was going to run. She was going to disappear.
'If she runs, she's alone. Vulnerable. And if Brenner catches her, we all lose.'
I made a choice.
I grabbed El's hand. She flinched, looking at me with wide eyes.
"No," I said firmly. "You're not running off alone."
I turned to Mike and Dustin. My voice was hard. Commanding.
"Mike, Dustin. Get Lucas. Make sure he's okay. Then talk to him."
"Where are you going?" Dustin asked, panic in his voice.
"I'm going with El," I said, pulling her closer. "Because right now, you guys are too stupid to realize she just saved us from walking into a suicide mission at the Lab."
"Vivan—" Mike started.
"Fix the party, Mike," I cut him off. "Go get Lucas. Talk him down. I'll keep her safe until you guys cool off."
I didn't wait for an answer. I tugged El's hand.
"Come on."
We ran into the woods, leaving the junkyard behind.
[ System Notice: Telekinesis Proficiency Increased. ][ Current Mastery: Level 1 (11%) ]
'Great. 2% for failing to stop a fight. Thanks, System.'
We ran until the sounds of the junkyard faded. The woods were getting dark. El was shivering, clutching my hand like a lifeline.
"Vivan?" she whispered. "Bad?"
"No," I said, squeezing her hand. "Just... complicated. Humans are complicated."
"Where go?" El asked, looking at the dark trees.
I looked around. We couldn't go to my house. We couldn't go to Mike's.
"We find a spot," I said. "We camp. And tomorrow... we fix this."
I looked at El. She looked small, scared, and powerful enough to crush a tank.
'I'm not just a babysitter anymore,' I thought. 'I'm her partner.'
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