CHAPTER ELEVEN
XI. the lost sisters
[ season 2, episode 7 ]
"Breathe. Sunflower. Rainbow. Three to the right. Four to the left. Four fifty."
Eleven had infiltrated her mother's mind. There, she saw the same events replaying over and over again ── on a constant loop. Her Aunt Becky murmuring the word breathe. A bunch of sunflowers sprouting from a clear vase. A door with a vibrant rainbow painted over it, two unfamiliar girls inside, one with red hair the other with brown. Codes. Vaults. The lab.
Everything that led to Terry's downfall.
"And it just kept repeating?" Eleven heard Becky Ives' voice inquire.
They were both sitting at the dining table now that Eleven had acquired all the information she needed to know about her mother's vegetative state. She showed no signs of ever coming around, or returning to normality, seemingly awake but stuck in a whirlwind of unattainable thoughts. Although, Terry had been able to slip fragments of the past into her daughter's supernatural mind ── information that was key to figuring out exactly who she was, and her purpose.
Becky leaned forward, continuing to press with the words, "Did it show you the same images over and over?"
"She kept showing the girls in the room." Eleven answered.
"The rainbow room?"
A hazy image of the painted door flashed through Eleven's mind. Her brain squeezed, and she nodded in response to Becky's question, feeling the familiar lurch of pain flickering through her mind.
"And what did the girls look like?"
More flashes.
Inside the rainbow room, there was a small girl with raven hair coiled into two plaits, no older than seven. She was playing with a toy, weaving it through her hands. And beside her sat another girl ── she looked a little younger, with dulled red hair cascading over her shoulders in unkempt waves, and vacant auburn eyes staring up at the ceiling.
Eleven couldn't think of ways to describe the strangers other than, "Different."
"Different than you?" Becky asked.
A nod of confirmation.
"I think this is why Mama wanted to talk." Eleven said hoarsely.
To any right mind, Becky appeared somewhat sceptical. "To show you the girls?"
Another nod.
Eleven slowly twisted her head to the side, watching her mother on the other side of the room. She was mumbling the same words under her breath repeatedly, clutching the arms of the inanimate rocking chair.
Eleven turned back to her Aunt. "I think she wants me to find them."
They moved into the back room that was used for storage to search through files. Becky opened the drawers of one filing cabinet, dumping numerous files on the floor between herself and her niece. She flicked through more, trying to find anything of importance.
"When Terry was looking for you," the woman murmured, "she kept these files of other missing kids. Kids she thought were like you."
Eleven ducked down and scooped up a recently dropped file. It contained a plethora of newspaper clippings, the faces of hundreds of missing kids staring up at her through scratchy grain and filter.
"Does anyone look familiar?"
She shook her head. Nothing yet.
Eleven continued flicking through the cropped papers, her eyes desperately searching for the faces so vivid in her mother's memory. And then she did, she found traces of their existence ── the girl with dark hair vanished from London many years ago. Heart thumping harder now, Eleven flicked through the clippings just a little more until she finally came across the second child ── red hair, innocent eyes, missing from Indiana.
Time to find them.
✧.｡. *.
When Eleven discovered her Aunt making a phone call to Hopper last night, she hastily packed her things and made a run for it. Hopper would destroy her only chances of locating the lost sisters, bringing her home without answers ── not only that, but she was also trying to avoid his existence like the plague.
That was how she ended up in Illinois.
The streets were bustling and lively, unlike anything Eleven had ever seen before. Hawkins was a typically desolate town, but this was entirely different. Every building was teeming with colour and vivacious light, towering up toward the stars, overwhelmed with people in suits and beautiful dresses. Music thrummed along the sidewalk, spilling from the bars dotted in every direction.
Eleven followed the crowd, searching for the place she knew the lost sisters were hiding.
Once she reached that part of town, a sinking feeling settled in the pit of her stomach. Dread. It was much darker, and not because of the ink slowly pooling along the sky. The people residing there were . . . threatening. Intimidating. With narrowed eyes, they watched Eleven pass through, broken bottles clinking on the floor beneath her feet. Some pointed. Some jeered. Some laughed. Most glared. Eleven was extremely unsettled, the hairs on the back of her neck raising. But she had one thing on her mind, and she was determined to reach it.
There.
She found the warehouse, tucked away beneath an elongated gutter. The walls were smeared in elaborate graffiti ── which some would consider appealing if not for the ominous atmosphere smothering the environment. And there were voices, ebbing from the cracked open door like soft waves crashing upon the surface.
She walked inside, hands tucked into her jacket pockets. Immediately, Eleven saw a group of rather eccentric looking people gathered around a flaming trashcan. They were using the trembling flames to warm their hands, speaking in low murmurs.
"Hello?" she called out.
The man with spiked hair and a long trench coat looked up instantly. His lips peeled back into a malicious smirk, "Well, well . . . what do we have here?"
"What is she wearing?" scoffed the woman with voluminous curls. "What are those, overalls?"
Eleven's heart clenched with fear as the small clan began to chortle. Another woman ── with brightly coloured makeup, smeared eyeliner, and unkempt blonde hair ── leaned down patronisingly, meeting Eleven's small height.
"There aren't any cows to milk here, kid." she sneered. "Go on back to the farm now."
"I'm looking for my sisters." Eleven informed, trying to keep her voice level.
"Aw." the man cooed, glancing over at his friends in a successful attempt to deepen their snickering. "Shirley Temple lost her sisters. So sad."
Eleven stood her ground. "I saw them. Here." She dipped a hand into her bag, prying out the two newspaper clippings for further persuasion. The group bristled, but upon noticing the thing in her hand was no weapon, they visibly relaxed.
"Give me that shit."
The man with strange hair snatched the clippings from her hands, scrutinising the gritty papers with narrowed eyes. Something foreign crossed his face ── recognition, impatience. "Is that Kali?" he asked, shocked. When he turned the other clip of newspaper, further confliction blossomed in his expression, "And Ronnie?"
"Ronnie?" Eleven echoed. The name did not ring a bell of familiarity.
"How did you find us?"
Eleven took a hesitant step back.
"Who else knows you're here?" the man demanded.
"No one."
"So what, then?" He continued stepping closer to Eleven, trying his damn best to intimidate her. Scare her away. She clenched her jaw, determined to stand her ground. "Poof! You just show up like magic with those pictures?"
"Stay calm." one of the women said. "She's just a kid."
"A kid who could get us all killed!" the man snapped. He whipped back around to face Eleven, and her chest became seized by a magnitude fear when he flicked out a knife. "If I have to ask again, Shirley, you'll start losing things."
"Come on, Axe. Put down the knife."
"How did you find us?"
Despite the pointed edge of the knife edging dangerously close to her face, Eleven glared back at the eccentric man with fury glistening in her eyes, "I saw her."
"That's not an answer!"
He grabbed her jacket, reeling her into the danger. However, a moment before the knife could touch any segment of her flesh, the man was backing away, staring fearfully at something on his arm. To Eleven's eyes, there was nothing there. But to his eyes, a swarm of small spiders were scurrying along his skin, worming into the crevices of his jacket. He yelped, using his hand to brush away the creatures only he could see.
He jumped backward, swiping at his hair.
"You're a terrible dancer, Axel."
The voice came from the stairs. Watching the scene with mild amusement were two women ── one with dark hair swept over one shoulder, the other with red hair weaved into a plaited up-do. They descended the steps in unison, approaching the huddle. Clearly, these girls were very important members of the collective, because everyone else stepped back to grant them access into the area.
Axel pointed accusingly at the darker haired woman, "I told you, stay out of my head!"
Suddenly, the lights above began to flicker incessantly. Shadows pooled across the floor, and Eleven looked up at the ceiling, watching the elongated bulbs tremble and blink restlessly as if they were in the harrowing presence of the Demogorgon. She turned back to the women growing closer, and she saw the redhead was holding her hands out, smirking triumphantly. And then ── so suddenly Eleven jumped backward in fright ── a serrated cord of light distended from the girl's outstretched hand, like a shard of lightning, coiling around Axel's leg and throwing him onto his backside.
He gasped with pain, pressing his forehead to the ground.
"Threatening little girls doesn't fly here, Axel." the redhead reminded, playfully tipping her head to the side. "It would do you well to remember that."
"She knows about you two!" Axel defended, pointing at Eleven accusingly.
"She had this." the makeup-coated woman handed the dark-haired woman the newspaper clippings.
The redhead made a small sound of confusion, brows cinching together. Her companion raised the papers, looking to Eleven curiously, "Where did you get this?"
"Mama."
"Your mother gave this to you?"
Eleven nodded, "In her dream circle."
"Dream circle." Axel repeated, thoroughly unconvinced. "I think she's a schizo or something."
"Shut your mouth, Axe." the girl with fiery hair snapped viciously.
With a scowl, Axel wordlessly reached down to pick up his knife. However, the bladed weapon quickly zipped out of reach before he even had a chance to retrieve it. Eleven snatched it between her hands, folding it back. She had used her powers in the presence of strangers, but she was very well aware that if these girls were indeed who she had been searching for, it wouldn't be much of a surprise to see another supernatural talent.
"I saw you. Both. In the rainbow room." Eleven informed.
The dark haired woman circled Eleven with interest, "What is your name?"
"Jane."
The woman wasted no time in reaching forward and raising Eleven's sleeve. Printed into her skin was the marking tattoo from the lab, the inked number eleven visible. She clasped her hands around the brunette's wrist, revealing a tattoo with the number eight. And the redhead stepped forward, jerking her arm into the lineup. There, printed onto her wrist, was the number nine.
"Huh. Look at that." the redhead murmured.
Eleven smiled in relief, "Sisters."
"Sisters." echoed the brunette.
With only a moment of hesitation, the trio pulled one another into a lingering embrace. The lost sisters had been found.
But at what cost?
✧.｡. *.
Next day, they had forged a plan.
Kali discovered the depth of Eleven's talents, focusing solely on the girl's ability to find people through photos and mind power only. Of course, the groups dangerous quests to destroy the people who had made Kali and Ronnie's lives hell in the laboratory were easier if they were to have Eleven by their side, aiding them. Using her, in a sense.
Now, picking a victim from the wall. That was the hard part.
Kali pointed up at the board. A plethora of photos were stuck to the surface, each containing the faces of people who had wronged them. Some were crossed out, scribbled over, circled in red marker. The worst of the worst had been given a telling stamp. Sighing, Ronnie leaned against the wall, crossing her arms over chest as she watched Eleven scan the posters warily.
"These are the bad men, as you call them." said Kali. "The one's we believe are still alive. Do you know any?"
It took a moment for Eleven to search through the crowd. After a few seconds, she reached forward and plucked a newspaper segment from the bottom of the board. Her expression warped into a scowl, anger bleeding through to the surface.
"He hurt Mama." she justified.
Ronnie clicked her tongue from the corner of the compact room, "Ray Caroll. Interesting choice."
"He did more than hurt your mother." Kali added calculatedly. She recalled a memory from the past, during her captivity in the laboratory. Ray Caroll teased her with an electrical stick, forcing her into playing along with Papa's sadistic games. "The bad men like Ray, they know about us. It's made them hard to track. But maybe not anymore."
Certainly not anymore.
Eleven found Ray Caroll in record time. With a bandana around her eyes, the low hum of static churning in the background, the young girl located him some place not too far from their warehouse. Alone. Vulnerable. A perfect position for a perfect ploy.
Soon enough, Eleven was suited up in their characteristic attire ── leather jacket, heavy combat boots, slicked hair. All that remained was the dramatic makeup, which Ronnie had been given full control over, despite her obvious lack of wearing too much on her own complexion.
"You suit eyeliner." Ronnie informed bleakly. She smeared the black pencil along Eleven's lower lash-line, humming contentedly beneath her breath.
"Thank you." Eleven said meekly.
There was a brief silence. Ronnie sniffed, screwing the lid back on the eyeliner pencil. She was curious about Eleven ── it was hard not to be. They were sisters, bound by the same traumatic childhood, sharing similar attributes. But they also knew nothing about one another in another sense, other than the fact they were vengeful and gifted. And that Eleven's given name was Jane.
"So, you come from Hawkins?" Ronnie inquired, shattering the forming silence. She handed Eleven a mirror in the meantime, smiling at the sight of the girl admiring herself in the reflective glass.
"Yes."
"Me too." Ronnie admitted, her voice noticeably more quiet on this occasion.
Eleven's interest had been swiftly piqued, and she carefully placed the mirror down on the dressing cabinet. "You come from . . . Hawkins?"
"I think so." The redhead glanced at her fingernails, grimacing at the chipped electric-orange nail polish. She wasn't sure why she was cracking open her shell to a stranger all so quickly, only that it was fairly easy to shed the hard layer with Eleven, "I don't know much about my past, other than the fact my Dad really loved taking me to the park, and that my Mom wasn't really my Mom."
Eleven's brows furrowed. She seemed to be considering Ronnie's words with internal confliction, rolling the statement through her mind as if trying to shove it through a thick layer of mist and dew. Eventually, she locked eyes with the friendly redhead and spoke her next words in a soft voice, "My Dad isn't really my Dad."
There was a sadness in her chocolate eyes that made Ronnie indistinctly uncomfortable. She didn't know how to comfort people ── it was her only flaw.
"Well," Clearing her throat sharply, Ronnie ultimately decided to place her hand on Eleven's shoulder in a tender manner. It was something Kali would do. "Looks like we've got more in common than numbers."
Eleven smiled softly.
Together, they joined the rest of the group. Unsurprisingly, they were approving of Eleven's brand new look. She was like the missing piece to their obscured jigsaw puzzle, and even Axel couldn't deny how fitting she was to their charades.
Ronnie jumped into the back of the van, nodding her head along to the electric guitar solo blaring through the speakers. She always had a certain fondness for music that didn't involve lyrics ── only using the power of instruments and talent, the emotions they could inflict upon the listener. Everyone else called her strange, which wasn't new.
Around midday, they reached the small gas store perched on the side of the road.
Intention? To steal.
"Hey, your bathroom is leaking." Kali informed the cashier upon their arrival.
He glanced at the door on the opposing side of the store, groaning in frustration. Ronnie couldn't see anything, but she knew Kali had performed impressive tricks on the mind to make the man see exactly what she needed him to see. Excessive water spillage, blocked drains. A distraction.
That gave them a minute to raid the shelves. Maybe less.
Ronnie kept it simple, opting for the snacks in the isle farthest to the left. She used her arm to swipe a bucket load of packaged chips and popcorn into her bag ── food for the journey. The others were a little more intense with their pickings, making a beeline for the beer and the more expensive selections amongst the clutters. Axel, for example, had thrown open the cash register and was rifling through the mound of dollars bills with determination glimmering in his eyes.
The store worker decided to burst out of the bathroom at that moment, distracted by the noise. Ronnie's heart lurched when he pulled out a gun and pointed it at Axel, his chest trembling with nervousness.
"Hey! Put that back of I'll blow your head off." the man demanded shakily. "You hear me, freak?"
Axel slowly raised his hands in surrender, understandably opposed to being downed by a gun-wielding store clerk. He glanced to Ronnie for assistance, and she wasted no time in darting out of the isle, clenching her hands into angered fists. Kali was already ahead of her, calmly ordering for the man to put the gun down, being rational about the situation. He refused to back off ── which was not a beneficial choice for him to make, since Ronnie was known for possessing such a short temper.
The ceiling lights ahead began to flicker before anyone knew what was happening. Involuntarily, Ronnie's eyes closed as she gathered every molecule of energy vibrating and teeming within the small room, alluring them into her own bare hands. The surge of electrically charged power rushed through her system like boiling water, gushing into the redhead's blood and crackling down her spine, branching off into her veins. She felt complete. Unable to breathe. Her ears rang.
Ronnie opened her eyes, and the familiar burning sensation settled deep into her bones, scorching her from the inside out. She had to be quick ── before the pain became unbearable.
She splayed her hand open. Luminescent light seeped through the narrow cracks lining her palm, melding together to form a shard of magnifying lighting that she kept in an orderly position between both hands; a ball of blinding light. She aimed for the weapon, and the ball warped into a thin bolt of serrated light that darted across the store in the blink of an eye, coiling around the gun. She used every ounce of energy in her body to snap the weapon completely out of the cashier's reach, tugging it through the air toward herself. The movement was so fast that the man barely noticed.
And then, before he could come to terms with what happened, Eleven threw her arm upward and used telekinetic force to slam him into the back wall.
Unconscious.
In unison, Ronnie and Eleven wiped their bleeding noses.
It seemed they had far more in common than backstories, childhood memories, and numbers. They had unintelligible emotions stirring beneath the surface.
Emotions that could only be combatted through temptation and ruthlessness.
Power.
✧.｡. *.
The victim of the night was unaware of the vengeful group prowling his doorstep.
They wore masks to conceal their identities ── staying one step ahead of the authorities. Eleven used her powers to unlock the door, and Ronnie sapped the energy from the blaring television, submerging the small house beneath an unsettling silence. Knowing their victim was likely to be distracted, they finally made their move.
"Hello, Ray." Kali greeted.
The man turned away from the dark television. He tried to bolt out of the front door, but Funshine ( the group's security guard ) swerved into the way. He then forced Ray into the chair, giving him absolutely no escape from the darkening storm swirling overhead.
Ronnie, Eleven, and Kali stepped in front of the retired laboratory worker as the others raided the home. He looked terrified, and rightly so ── especially when the three girls removed their masks to reveal deadly expressions clouded by visceral anger and resentment.
"Do you remember us?" Kali inquired.
Ray shook his head. That was enough. Kali surged forward and knocked him onto his knees in front of them.
"Please!" Ray lifted his hands in surrender. Ronnie never liked it when the victims begged. She felt guilty. "Please."
"You hurt Mama." Eleven said darkly.
She threw Ray across the length of the room using telekinesis, grunting with exertion. The force in which he hit the wall dented and cracked the dull-yellow plaster, showing exactly how much rage Eleven had kept buried inside. Kali was her mentor ── for good and for worse. She had taught her how to unleash her powers to the maximum, but she hadn't taught her where there were limits. Kali didn't see the limits. Ronnie did, and she knew it was paramount for someone chasing revenge to see them too, or else they were destined to become clouded by wrath and overcome with guilt, carrying out revenge to seek solace. It was a fate she didn't want to see someone else meet.
Ray tried to plead, "I just did what he told me to do. He said she was sick!"
"You had a choice, Ray." Kali challenged sinisterly. "And you chose to follow a man you knew was evil."
Ronnie took a step back as Eleven raised her hand, bending her fingers into a claw. Ray began lifting from the ground, gasping for air.
"Wait! No, wait!" he yelled desperately. Eleven showed him temporary mercy and allowed him to drop back to the floor. "I can help. I can help you find him."
"Find who?"
"Brenner! I can take you to him."
Tears glistened in Eleven's eyes, "Papa is gone."
"No, he is alive."
"Do not lie to us, Ray." Kali demanded calmly.
"I'm not lying!" the man whimpered, his face screwing up as he began to sob in defeat. His words began to escape him in clipped breaths, unable to control himself in the face of an unwavering threat. "I swear. He trusts me. I'll take you to him."
Kali looked angered now, "If he's alive, Jane will find him. Just as she found you."
Ronnie clenched her jaw. This wasn't going the way she expected ── this man felt wrong for what he had done. He was trying to escape the traumas of his past, just as much as she was. As Kali was. As Eleven. She felt wrong.
"Do it, Jane."
"Wait ──"
Eleven threw her arm out in front of her. Her fingers acted like a claw, drawing invisible strings around Ray's throat. He spluttered and coughed, begging the world for air. Oxygen. Eleven was choking him, watching him slowly ebb away into a bad memory from the past. Looking into his eyes, reminding him of the terrible deeds he had committed wrongfully. Giving him no chances.
Ronnie averted her gaze, running it along the glass-littered floor. She could hear Ray gasping for breath, what little oxygen he had left escaping him rapidly.
And then something fortunate happened. Eleven stopped.
"What's wrong?" Kali asked eagerly. She noticed Eleven was absent, and her inquiries became more intense. "What's wrong?"
"We've got a problem."
Axel and Dottie made themselves known with the ominous statement. Ronnie stepped over Ray's crumpled, breathing body, walking toward her companions. They were both unnaturally pale.
"Kids in the apartment." Dottie alerted.
Ronnie's heart sank. Ray was a father. Giving children trauma after what they had gone through was almost hypocritical. They had to stop.
"Let's go, Kali." Ronnie ordered, clutching the doorframe to maintain her composure. The woman continued feeding Eleven with painful reminders from the past, giving her a reason to end Ray's struggle. "Kali! That's enough. He's learned his lesson."
"No. We finish it." Kali insisted with a venomous twinge in her eyes. "Jane, now!"
Eleven stared at the man writhing on the ground. He was begging for his life, murmuring the same word, please, over and over again. Ronnie glanced up at the lights, prepared to delve into the electricity if the situation became too precarious to deal with. But with one look at Eleven, she noticed the girl wasn't prepared to go through with Kali's plan.
So, Kali raised the gun.
She flicked the safety off, no sign of hesitation. However, just before she could squeeze the trigger and end Ray's life, Eleven jerked her chin upward and used mind power to knock the gun from Kali's grasp.
Police sires wailed in the distance.
"We need to leave. Now, Kali!" Ronnie seethed. She was no longer under control ── every fibre in her being had been doused in gasoline and set alight. Anger became her most prominent emotion once again, which was often the case.
They raced outside and piled into the dilapidated wagon, their only form of a getaway vehicle.
Once safely inside, Kali immediately turned to Eleven, "If you wanted to show mercy, that is your choice. But don't you ever take away mine. Ever. Do you understand?"
Eleven nodded.
From the opposing seat, Ronnie shot her overwhelmed friend a glare. "That wasn't easy, Kali. She isn't you."
"And she isn't you, either." Kali retorted, sinking further into the seat, agitated by the events of the night.
Ronnie's glare deepened at that response, but an expression more resemblant to sympathy and attempted persuasion overcame her features. She lowered her voice, "There were kids. Kids, Kal."
"That does not take away from the man he is. Nothing changes."
"Maybe not," Ronnie said, her words thick and heavy with buried emotions. She leaned on her knees, unable to catch Kali's eye seeing as the woman was staring stubbornly out of the window. "But it can change us. We will be no better than those people."
Kali refused to speak.
The rest of the journey was uncomfortably silent. But Eleven's mind had never been so loud.
✧.｡. *.
Later that evening, Ronnie was rudely awoken from her slumber by someone shaking her vigorously.
Through bleary eyes, she could see a plume of blonde hair. Vibrant makeup. Dottie.
Before Ronnie could utter a singular word in protest, Dottie pressed a hand to her mouth, smothering any chances of overzealous words giving away their position. She pointed over the bannister looking out into the deeper warehouse. Ronnie's breath hitched in her throat when she saw a flood of armed officers piling into the area ── searching for them.
They ran to the top floor. Fortunately, Kali's abilities came in lucky, because the moment the officers breached the staircase, Kali forced the entirety of the group to be seen as invisible.
Ronnie held her breath as one armed cop passed her by so closely she could smell the sweat clinging to his skin.
And then they were free to flee.
Kali led them outside, into the back alley. Police cars were already parked outside, and the moment they saw the culprits, the officers began to fire. Axel raised his gun, squeezing the trigger, shooting bullets into the crowd of armed cops. The group ran toward the parked up wagon, bullets clanging off the side of the metal, one barely missing Ronnie's eye.
"Come on!" she yelled. "Behind there!
Simultaneously, they all ducked behind the wagon, using it as a shield from the incessant gunfire. Ronnie crouched beside Eleven, bracing one arm over her like a bridge ── trying to keep the young girl safe from the raining debris.
Axel's gun clicked. Empty. He desperately looked to Kali, "Do something!"
A trickle of blood oozed from her nostril, and suddenly the gunfire ceased. Ronnie wasn't sure what sights her friend had conjured up on this occasion, but she didn't care. They were free to make a move ── to escape the jaws of authority once again.
Funshine threw open the wagon door. Everyone began to pile inside . . . all except for Eleven.
"Jane, get in!" Kali ordered.
Ronnie watched as Eleven shook her head in defiance, swallowing her growing emotion at the inevitable parting, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry, but I have to go back. My friends are in danger."
"This isn't time for a talk. We got to go right now!" Axel interjected.
Kali's illusion was beginning to crumble. They didn't have much time.
"Your mother sent you here for a reason, remember?" Kali reminded hastily. "We belong together. There's nothing for you back there. They cannot save you, Jane."
"No." the girl shook her head. "But I can save them."
She turned. Walked.
Ronnie's chest felt constricted. Her heart thrummed against her ribcage uncontrollably, and she almost couldn't believe what she was about to do. She didn't think about how much it was going to hurt in the long run ── what she was going to be leaving behind. But . . . a new change was exactly what Ronnie needed. And if Eleven was headed back to Hawkins, maybe she had a chance to pick up the pieces she involuntarily left behind when Brenner snatched her away from a normal childhood for testing and confinement.
It was time to chase a new beginning.
"Eleven!" Ronnie yelled. She slid out of the wagon, alerting the young girl to her looming presence. She couldn't help but frown in utmost confusion. "You're not going alone."
Kali's mouth dropped open in shock, her limbs rendered immobile. The others couldn't comprehend the redhead's unprecedented choice. It baffled them.
"There's nothing left for me here." Ronnie admitted sorrowfully. She grabbed Kali's hand in her own, squeezing it as tight as she could. "Something else has been calling my name for a long time. Something different. And it's finally my time to chase it."
Kali's fingers interlaced with Ronnie's. Her eyes welled with tears, "Are you sure? We may never meet again."
That was a risk she was willing to take. So, Ronnie nodded, "I'm sure. I have to do this."
She and Kali embraced at the same moment gunshots began to tremble across the night sky. It was time to part ── a time they had never discussed before. Kali did not expect it, but she could not stop her friend from leaving to chase a future she was determined to reach. Ronnie deserved happiness.
She was not going to find it with them.
And so Ronnie followed Eleven, back to Hawkins, Indiana. Back home. Back to the place she knew was lying in wait, full of answers. Back to the place she was born. Back to a past identity.
Back to Veronica Hayes.
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───
i dislike this episode but writing
it was so important to Ronnie's
story! say hello to Veronica!
Steph chapter next!!