moonlight || steve harrington

The Search

     "I bet they're deaf!" Dustin said as he clapped his hands in front of them as they both flinched. "Not deaf."

     "Alright, that's enough, alright! They're just scared and cold!" Mike said as thunder rumbled and he went over to his laundry basket to get some dry clothes. The thunder rumbled even more and 011 closed her eyes. 004 quickly grabbed her and pulled her into a hug, whispering that everything was going to be okay.

     "She said something!" Dustin exclaimed, but was quickly interrupted by Mike.

     "Here, these are clean," he handed 011 some clothes. "I'll have to get some of Nancy's stuff later for you, I don't think you'll fit into my stuff." the older girl nodded. 011 took off the tan jacket that was wrapped around her and was about to pull up her shirt.

     "No! No! No!" they all screamed. Mike was quick to pull her hands to her side and the others turned around as they were saying incoherent things.

     "See over there? T-that's the bathroom," he pointed to a room of to the side. "Privacy. Get it?" 011 grabbed the clothes that Mike had given to her and went over to the little room he had pointed at. He followed her and 004 sat on the couch still.

     The other boys stared at her amd it was making her very uncomfortable. "What?" she said as their eyes widened. Dustin smacked Lucas on the arm and he just smacked him back.

     "You can talk?" Dustin asked as she rolled her eyes. She had seen Mike do it whenever one of his friends said something that was dumb. Mike went back over to his friends and they all huddled around each other. "This is mental."

     "At least they can talk," Mike said.

     "She said 'no' & 'yes' while the older one just said 'what'. Your three year old sister talks more," Lucas remarked.

     "She tried to get naked," Dustin added as he grimaced.

     "There's something seriously wrong with her. The both of them, something wrong in the head," Lucas pointed to his head as he spoke.

     "She just went like-" Dustin started as he did the motion that 011 had done earlier and in the process he knocked off his hat.

     "I bet they escaped from Pennhurst," Lucas stated.

     "From where?" Mike asked as he rolled his eyes. Lucas went on to explain and as the boys bickered 004 got up from her spot on the couch silently. She looked around the basement and saw picture as well as a model of the solar system. She touched one of Saturn's rings before Mike called the girl, "hey, you like that?" he gestured towards the model.

     She nodded & went back to looking at it.

     "That's Saturn," he spoke again, "the one you're touching."

     "Saturn," she repeated.

     "Yeah, yeah Saturn." by the time she was done looking at the planet, 011 was out of the bathroom and the two kids were setting up for her to go to bed. She walked over to them and sat on the floor next to her sister. "Hey, um, I never asked your guys' names."

     011 pulled her sleeve up and showed Mike the tattoo on her arm.

     "Is that real?" he questioned as his eyes went wide and he went to go grab her arm to take a closer look, but she pulled it back. "Sorry, I've just... never seen a kid with a tattoo before," the boy smiled at her before asking another question, "what's it mean? Eleven?" she pointed to herself as he spoke. "That's your name?"

     She nodded as he continued to look at her.

     "Eleven. Okay, well mine name's Mike. short for Michael," he started as 004 watched the two talk, her lips pulled upwards at them, "maybe we can call you 'El'. Short for Eleven."  She nodded at Mike and he smiled at her once again. "What about you?" he turned to 004, "do you have a tattoo like El?"