The New Girl

chapter twenty six

chapter twenty six - november, 1984

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While everyone was working on different parts in order to not let Will know where he was, Alex, Mike and Max were in the kitchen. Mike and Alex were under the kitchen sink, pulling out bottles of bleach while Max was taping things together.

"I get why El was your mage now," Max said as Alex and Mike both turned around to look at Max. "And why Lexie is."

"What did you say?" Alex asked, not in a rude way but a confused way. 

"Lucas," she said, "he told me all about her and about you."

"Yeah well, he shouldn't have," Mike said as Max's face fell, "and just because you know the truth, it doesn't mean you're in our party. You do know that, right?" 

"Yeah, I know," Max said as Alex looked at the girl and Mike turned back around, "I mean, why would you want a stupid zoomer in your party anyway?" Alex looked at Mike and bit her lip before tuning back to Max. "I'm just saying, El? She sounds like she was really awesome," she turned to Alex, "and you, Lexie are badass." Alex smiled as she looked down at her hands. "Lucas told me she was your sister. Is that true?"

" Yeah, she was," Alex said as she smiled sadly as Mike closed the kitchen cabinet, "until that thing took her. Just like it took Bob." She sent Max a sad smile before getting up and walking out of the kitchen with Mike right behind her.

"Are you alright?" Mike asked as the two of them walked up to the she.

"I think Max should be in our party," Alex said, "and before you shut me down. Hear me out. Max didn't run or tell anyone when she found out about everything. Despite everything she's seen and been told by you and Lucas, she's still here. I mean, she's helping us help some kid she's never even had a conversation with. It says a lot, doesn't it?"

"What does it say?" Mike asked.

"That she truly wants to be part of the party and our friend," Alex said before they walked into the shed. 

Once everyone had arrived, they all began covering up the inside of the shed with as much material as they could find to make sure it was unrecognisable for Will when he woke up. When they were all finished, Jonathon carried Will in and tired him to a chair while Joyce got syringes ready in case she needed them. Alex's eyes were red and her hands had the familiar energy ball as she was using her powers to tie lights onto the post so they would shine right on Will. Max put down another chair that was disguised opposite Will so Hopper could sit on it.

"All right, you ready?" Hopper asked when it was just him, Joyce, Mike, Alex and Jonathon in the shed with Will. 

"Yeah," Joyce said and Hopper shook the bottle of bleach before dabbing it onto a cotton pad. He held it under Will's nose for a few moments before the boy opened his eyes wide and sat up, gasping.

"What?" Will asked, looking around the shed confused, "what? What is this? What? What is this? Why am I tied up?"

"Will," Joyce said as she bent down in front of her son, "we just wanna talk to you. We're not gonna hurt you."

"Where am I?" Will asked, looking up at the others. Hopper walked over to them and bent down next to Joyce and showed Will the drawing he drew of the mind flayer.

"You recognize this?" Hopper asked as Will stared at drawing, "do you recognize this?"

"No," Will said shaking his head.

"Hey," Joyce said as her son looked at him, "we wanna help you. But to do that, we have to understand how to kill it."

"Why am I tied up?" Will said, raising his voice at his mother, "why am I tied up? Why am I tied up? Why am I tied up?"