"Here," Mike thrust clothes out towards both Null and Eleven. "These are clean. They should fit you fine," gesturing towards Null, "since you're about the same height as my sister but they might be a little big on you," he nodded at Eleven.
Eleven then started to take the oversized Bennys burgers shirt off in front of them.
"No! No! No!" The boys exclaimed, as Null guided Eleven towards the bathroom.
"Take your time, alright?" Null said softly. "I'll be here when you're done."
Eleven gave Null a tight smile, and Null turned back to the boys.
"Hey, why didn't you close the door for her?" Dustin asked.
Null groaned. "It's a long story."
"Well," Lucas said, expectantly.
"Okay you all seem fairly nerdy so let me say this in a way you'll understand." Null said, making the boys appear mildly offended, but she allowed them no time to defend themselves against the obvious. "You know how in movies where I don't know, some kid gets captured and held captive but then eventually escapes their captors and then some kind towns folk let said kid in and they the towns folk ask what they're running from or ask what happened to them?"
"Yeah?" Mike asked, as they were all following, but a little confused.
"Well then the previously captured kid usually says that they'd been kidnapped by bad people or whatever and that if they talked about it anymore it'd put this random Good Samaritan in danger as well as everyone they love." Null finished.
"What's that got to do with you?" Lucas asked.
Null groaned. "It means, me and eleven have escaped, but people are most likely looking for us as we speak. You guys are what? In middle school yet? Way too young for this type of stuff. I'm grateful for your hospitality, but we don't want to overstay our welcome."
"Seems fair," Lucas mused.
"No," Dustin scoffed. "Not fair. We can handle this type of stuff."
Null rolled her eyes. "This isn't a video game. This is real life, with real consequences. You don't know what you're dealing with. Every minute we spend with you is another minute we put you in harms way."
"Then leave," Lucas said, matter of factly.
"Lucas, stop," Mike urged. "Listen, just go to my mom. She'll know what to do. She can help you."
"No," Eleven said from behind them.
"No?" Mike asked incredulously.
"The people that are after us have been under the radar for years. Think about. We both were stolen from our families, along with everyone else there-" Null started.
"Everyone else?" Dustin questioned.
"And every complaint ever filed against them never actually stuck. Seriously, I've done my research in the 3 years I've been out. Dozens and dozens of lawsuits or filed police station complaints, and the place is still up and running." Null finished.
"Well if this place, whatever it is, has people who have already tried to speak out, wouldn't it be easy to just connect all the dots and make them pay for their crimes?" Mike asked.
"Did you listen to a word I just said?" Null was getting frustrated. "People have tried, and failed, and ended up with less than they started with. Seriously. People start out with getting their kids taken, but if they try to incite anything, they end up delusional, like institutionally insane delusional, and they lose all their credibility because people write them off as lunatics. This isn't a joke."
Just then, the TV they had on downstairs to drown out some of their commotion in case the parents were listening, erupted with a breaking news story.
"This just in," the reported started, just outside Benny's Burgers. "Three fatalities at Benny's Burgers in Hawkins. We still have no information on the cause of death, or the identity of the victims. Hawkins Police urges its residents to stay inside, and follow the city wide curfew-"
Dustin's gaze veered towards the Benny's Burgers shirt Eleven was wearing, draped over one of the chairs they weren't using, and back to Eleven and Null. "Was that why you guys were covered in blood?" He asked, anxiously.
"I told you, this is real trouble we're in," Null replied.
"Well, I hate to interrupt this, but I gotta get home. My mom's probably freaking out," Dustin said, practically rushing out the door.
"Me too," quickly added Lucas.
"Uh- okay. See you guys tomorrow." Mike said, and Null left Mike and Eleven so she could get changed. When she walked back out of the bathroom, El and Mike were sharing what looked like a bonding moment, unfortunately interrupted by Null.
"So what's the verdict?" Null asked, hesitant to leave but ashamed to stay.
"Well I think for tonight you guys can stay down here, and we'll try to come up with a plan tomorrow," Mike offered.
"Sounds wise, Michael. Sleeping on this decision," Null pondered, making Mike nod awkwardly.
"Um- night, El," Mike said, tenderly. "Night Null," he added hesitantly.
"Night, Mike," the sisters answered simultaneously.
The night was spent with tossing and turning for Null. Eleven, however, slept soundly. It made Null wonder how terrible her experience was in the lab, for her to be sleeping so soundly in just as difficult of a situation. Though, Null supposed, at least now El had someone in her corner. El had Null, which wasn't much, but to lab rats like El and Null, a little help was a lot.
"You hate it here, don't you?" Darcy asked.
Null smiled, embarrassed. "I've had worse. I just feel like I'm out of place."
"Were you in your element at the lab?" Darcy questioned, doubtfully.
"No... I don't think I've ever had a place that fits me," Null admitted.
"Give it time," Darcy advised. "Plus, you've only been here a little while. Once you learn the language and how the world works, I'm sure you'll come around just fine."
"I hope so," Alex added, coming up from behind them. "I'm sick of covering for her."
"Alexandar!" Darcy scolded. "She may be a wanted person, but she's a person. We can't be the people that just throw her back to the wolves."
"Oh I know," Alex agreed. "Take the hard way out, your life's motto."
Null had frowned at that. She felt like a burden with Alex.
"I will take the hard way out if it's worthwhile, Alex. I suggest you learn to do the same." Darcy finalized, taking Null's elbow and walking away from Alex and his negativity together.
The basement door opened, startling Null awake. She hadn't even realized she'd fallen asleep. She rubbed her neck, tilting it to each side to crack it, for she fell asleep in one of the chair's, in an attempt to stay alert in case an emergency struck. What good that did.
"I brought breakfast," Mike bounded down the steps, holding out two eggos.
Eleven chomped at it hungrily, and Null looked at in unconvinced, knowing it wouldn't fill her up.
"I'm going to school, but I should be back around 3:30, before my parents get home. You can go upstairs if both cars in the driveway are gone," he said, before leaving with a brief goodbye.
Another 30 minutes passed, and the house was finally silent.
"Thank god," Null said, dragging Eleven behind her upstairs. Null scrounged through the cupboards for more snacks that could fill the both of them up, replenishing them. She then went into her history of Hawkins Lab and Brenner with Eleven.
"Why are you here now?" Eleven asked, finally.
"Because I saw you, watching me," Null said.
"I didn't mean to. I was supposed to-" El tried to explain.
"I'm sure you didn't. I guess just seeing you reawakened some desperate need to see the lab burn to the ground of something. But I'm glad I came back," Null concluded.
"Me too," El smiled.
As Null was cleaning up their mess, she leaned on the kitchen counter, facing Eleven. "So, it's about lunch time, and I was thinking of taking a stroll around town. You know, to get a lay of the land."
Eleven looked uncomfortable, but asked, "Can I come?"
Null thought for a moment, weighing the options. There were three that she could choose from. Go out with Eleven, invisibly, stay inside with El, or leave without El, leaving her to fend for herself. "Sure," Null decided, as it was best to keep Eleven close, and to know what they'd be working with.
They eventually ended up at the high school. Null decided to make herself visible once she was onto school property, to blend in, maybe talk to some to hear what stories have gotten out about Benny's. She kept Eleven invisible, of course.
As she walked through the doors, she saw a boy pinning up a sheet of paper, with a group of 4 people watching him, mocking him.
She went up to him, naturally. "Hi."
The boy jumped a little, clearly not expecting company, at least not from his left side. "Hi?"
"I'm Null," she introduced.
"Jonathan," he replied, still visibly confused.
She looked past him to the 'missing' poster he was hanging up. "Will Byers," she said, to which Eleven's eyes met hers with recognition. "Oh how terrible...do you know him?"
"I wouldn't be hanging these up if I didn't," Jonathan snapped.
"I- uh- fair point," Null stammered. "Though in my defense, I'm new here. I'm just trying to kind of figure things out."
Jonathan gave Null a once over, and after apparently deciding that he indeed hadn't seen her before, he apologized. "Sorry, I- it's just been a rough week. Will's my brother."
"Oh my god," Null reached out to touch his arm, a poor attempt at comforting him. "I'm so sorry." She looked more closely at the poster. "Search party... is that open to everyone?"
He looked visibly off-put by her offer. "Uh- yeah."
"Would you mind if I asked to tag along with you, then? It doesn't seem safe to go alone, plus since I'm new-"
"You don't know anyone else," Jonathan finished. "Y-yeah that's fine."
"Alright...then do you mind meeting back here, tonight?"
"Sure, see you then." He nodded, looking at his feet, before walking away.
Him leaving cleared the way to see a group of four people. A blonde girl and her boyfriend, evident by the way his hands were on her, and then a brunette boy and girl, the girl looking familiar, somehow.
Null winked at the brunette boy with floppy hair before turning on her heels and walking out. Once she was in the clear, she made herself invisible again.
"Why'd you do that?" El asked.
"What's the name Will mean to you?" Null ignored her question.
"I think I know where he is," she admitted.
"Which is where?"
Eleven simply gave Null a look, implying that wherever it was, it wasn't good.