3-27 (A Stranger Things AU)

Chapter 8

For whatever reason, Pizza meant that even more people joined us and I couldn't move from my seat in fear of accidentally making eye contact with someone. It was only when we were all eating, did a hallowed silence fall over everyone and the mad rush and squabble of voices died down. The quieting effects of grease and carbs. The sound of the television trickled into the kitchen, the faint voices of some sort of American talk show. I pulled in a deep breath and stared at the pizza that had been put in-front of me. It was some sort of Chicago style concoction, absolutely dripping with grease. I knew the Americans butchered the Italian recipe but I didn't realise they managed to do it this badly. My stomach turned over at the sight of the grease bubbling on-top of the cheese. I was used to paper thin crust with vegetables and tomato paste back home. My lactose intolerance strictly monitored... Well... For the most part...

Sighing I danced around the box for a few minuets before giving up on forcing myself to eat and finally working up the courage to look around the room at each face. There were roughly 6 teenagers including Eleven and they all sat in a circle on the living room floor in-front of the television: A red haired tomboy of a girl, who sat leant up against a lanky boy who wore basketball shorts, a shorter curly haired kid, his cap abandoned on the rug, another boy with shaggy dark hair and freckles, tall and thin and pale, whispering into the ear of the final boy who sported an outdated bowl cut and shy demeanour. Squashed onto the sofa and arm chair behind them were the adults around my age, eating and watching the tv absently like their minds were all someplace else. On the sofa was the stoner boy with long dark luscious hair who had bought the pizza, seated next to a pale, thinner man who looked much like one of the teenagers on the floor, then a guy who rocked the punk/ mental head aesthetic, his legs stretched out over Steve's lap much to Steves annoyance and his mischievous joy. Robin sat back in the armchair, the lithe woman from before seated neatly in her lap.

It was only when Eleven moved that I realised I had been staring for so long that my eyes had dried out. I blinked rapidly, rubbing my fists into my arid eyeballs, willing them to become lubricated once more. Eleven reached over me to grab another slice of pizza and then sat down, pulling out the chair beside mine to face me. Hopper shot her a warning look, gruffly calling her name. El threw her hands up and rolled her eyes, promising this and that. I stared at her. She was young. 16 maybe. But they all were. They either survived the testing or they didn't. I was the oldest, except for one. The original experiment.

"Are you not gonna eat?" El asked me, glancing down at my fidgety hands worriedly.

"Oh uh... No I'm fine." I managed out.

"How can you not be hungry after travelling so far, being shot at, resurrecting and waking up in  a strange house?!" El laughed, shaking her head in disbelief. I couldn't help but muster a small laugh too. Her joy was infectious. I just shrugged my shoulders not wanting to accidentally say something weird or rude.

"Can I see your bullet wounds?" El suddenly asked me, her eyes wide, visible excitement quivering through her entire body.

"There's not much to see, but sure." I grinned, pulling my shirt out of my trousers waistband and exposing the three red welts that were spread across my fat abdomen.

"Thats so freaking cool!" She whispered, her fingers grazing over the patches, barely touching.

"You got telekinesis right?" I asked her. El's face darkened for a few seconds and then she nodded, stuffing the rest of the pizza into her mouth. "It's just I had access to the database and the American's were also uploading to the same drive." El threw me a questioning look.
"Um..." I grappled for words. "I am what you call an academic savant. I got my university degree by 16, I had just finished my PhD when I was transferred. I am in constant search for information and knowledge because of the way my brain is wired. It's called autism." I checked to make sure El was listening but I ought not to have because she was glued to her chair, staring at me with wide eyes. I guess she really did view me as her older sister, staring at me with that awe struck quality only younger siblings could emulate when in the presence of their elder. "So I often went through the code for the database and fixed bugs and holes to keep me occupied.  It also meant I got to read a lot of the top secret stuff."

"They sent you to school?!" El gasped. I laughed and shook my head.

"Not exactly. We had mandatory schooling where a teacher would teach us in a classroom inside the facility." I explained. "I did most of my schooling on an iPad." I admitted sheepishly at the end. El nodded her head, understanding.

"So are you staying here?" El asked me, excitement returning to her voice as she whipped her head to puppy dog eye her parents. Joyce groaned and closed her eyes against her, while Hopper shook his head and stared fixedly down at the plate before him. "But she has no where else to go!" El burst out, slamming her fist down on the table.

"Oh sweetie it's not like that." Joyce said softly. "You know how Steve, Robin and Nancy were looking for a roommate? Well we thought it would be the best for Lee to go stay with them. Be around people her own age, have her own space to process things?" El calmed, sinking back into her chair. She was silent for a few seconds but eventually nodded her head. She snatched my hands up into hers and forced me to look her dead in the eye.

"We will always be sisters and I will always be there for you."

"Always." I repeated, drawing my arms around the sweet precious girl in-front of me. So intense, so full of life, so fiery. I had surely died and been sent to heaven or I was the bearer of a great blessing for this was all my heart ever longed for. Family.