#experimcnt

" ELEVEN !" as the men in white coats grabbed them bill felt her fingers slip from his. he reached out to reclaim it only to be deterred by more white coats as they further the distance between him and her. " you can't do this !" they couldn't! sure she was special. he knew that from the start. but she was still a human. & his friend! " let her go !" he screamed once more as he tried to claw his way free. he was fighting now. fighting for her. he continued to do so until he felt the tell tale prick of a needle. " el-el-eleven ." the last feeble cry. blue hues rolled up into whites as the young boy fell limp in the arms of the waiting scientist.

          ❛ El! ❜ He burst in excitedly through the opened doorway, only to find she wasn’t there.

HIS CHEST ACTUALLY HURT MORE than the forceful collision he made as he was thrown back. Mike knew there was a difference between the pain that bruised and festered skin deep, because he felt enough pain without that. He felt it clenching around his heart in a vice-like grip. Mike could scarcely breathe, tears misting his eyes over. He wanted to shake his head in frantic DENIAL but he didn’t think he could move without breaking apart altogether so he remained slumped on the tiled floor in silence, his gaze soaked. Mike’s expression fell, and it was like he was sinking. Rising over the rumble of the storm breaking was the monster’s alien SCREECH, the sound high and cold, almost hushing in its climb when all he could focus on was El walking away from him. Her back was receding, the gaping chasm of the space yawning wide open between them broadening with every step.

It was already clear; Mike understood COMPLETELY what she was setting out to do. For that brief instance his arms lowered from over his head, the brightness of fluorescent lights winking and flashing off and on, in and out, and she seemed all the more mystical and perfect, powerful enough to evaporate the world around them --- powerful enough to save them. Save him.

His frame sagged with the mounting defeat of the inevitable. Everything was so PAINFULLY bright, so bright it was a shock to his eyes, reflecting off every surface, but nothing was worse than his friend saying goodbye. Mike’s mind reeled. He didn’t want her to be gone! He didn’t want her to go somewhere without him! The MISERY building inside of him was more powerful than even Mike recognized, mounting and gaining speed and strength with every second that ticked away into oblivion. A cold stab of FEAR went through him as he lost control. He was a tangle of raised elbows and skinny knees, slipping until he hurriedly pushed himself to his feet. ❛ EL! ❜ he shouted out, desperate for her to hold on. Mike’s vision blurred over like he was seeing through a wall of water and Eleven was the only one who could guide him through. Shadows curved and twisted, but she remained the centerpiece of absolutely everything that was shining and shimmering, cutting through the confusion.

Mike’s voice rose in a crescendo, his throat threatening to close up, ❛ El! El! EL! ❜

" TH-THAT'S my sk-sketchbook ." entering his room after going down the stairs to get them something to eat, he had been surprised to find her poring over the little black book. he set down the plates of food crossing over to her. " h-h-have not d-drawn in a while a-act-actually ." with gentle hands he took it from her. then again what was the harm in letting her see the past? he flipped it open to one of the first pages. a scene from the porch many nights ago. " m-m-my yung-younger b-brother ch-ch-chasing f-f-fireflies ." that page was quickly turned replaced in time with another. bev. red still smeared from rain water. " my friend b-b-beverly, i l-liked her a lot b-but she m-moved. & then s-so d-did i ." another page. one that did not match his style. bill smiled. " th-that was dr-drawn by my b-best friend ruh-richie, he tr-tried to d-dr-draw our f-friends ." maybe that was enough. made him miss home. with that he closed the book. " i culd-could d-draw yuh-you if yuh-you wuld-would like ?"