__________
-UNKEPT-
PROMISES
When Valentina was younger, she was taken to a strange looking building. Although she never questioned it considering her parents would just tell her that it's to see her doctor. However, somehow on the way there, she'd always fall asleep, and ended up waking up to be in a room.
White walls, one window, and one door. With some kind of equipment on the table in front of her. And she'd also be strapped down, frantically looking around for her any sign of her parents.
One memory she promised herself to never forget was when she heard a voice from behind the door.
"I'm going in right now. I'll be careful this time."
The door opened, in came a redhead with a clipboard in hand.
"Hello Ms. Alma, how are we doing this evening?" the doctor asked.
Not knowing who she was, Valentina was scared, but she answered anyway. "Where's my mom and dad?"
The redhead smiled. "It's okay sweetie, they're on the other side of the window. My name is Dr. Andrews, but you can call me Andy."
"What am I doing here?" Valentina asked, taking one more look around the room.
"I'll just be asking you some questions, you know about your abil-visions, your visions."
"How do you know about those?" Valentina was cautious now. The doctor in front of her seemed to know something personal about her, something she hadn't told anyone.
"Shit," Dr. Andrews or Andy, was screwed. She knew what was waiting for her when the door burst open.
"Take her," Dr. Brenner ordered. The orderlies did what they were told.
One of them, with blonde hair, went to Valentina, to try and console her scared state. "Andy is not going to bother you anymore. I'm Peter, I'll take you to your parents now."
Carefully unstrapping the restraints then holding out his hand for Valentina to take.
She looked at his outreached hand, then at him, taking his hand, the two walked out of the room.
Her parents were waiting outside after being escorted when the situation with Andy was happening. Speaking of which, she was still heard from down the hall. "No! You can't fire me. She deserves to know the truth! She's just a little kid."
Shrugging her shoulders, Valentina couldn't exactly comprehend those words quite yet, she ignored it.
"Valentina! Peter, I'll take it from here," Dr. Brenner appeared once more.
With a nod, Peter walked away, but not before taking one last glance at Valentina and smiling.
Dr. Brenner took ahold of Valentina's hand, walking her to the entrance of the Hawkins Laboratory.
"What did Andy mean that I deserve to know the truth?" little Valentina asked Dr. Brenner.
"It means that you are perfectly healthy."
Shrugging her shoulders again, she responded, "Okay."
Boy would she regret ever asking him that question.
"Andy?"
Steve furrowed his eyebrows, thinking about how everyone out in front of him were displaying different reactions. "How do you guys know each other?"
Taking her eyes off Dr. Andrews, Valentina was now fixated on Steve. "S-She used to be my doctor like forever ago."
Both of her parents were now worried that their daughter would find out everything.
Christina opened her mouth, but no words came out.
Ignoring the burning gazes on her, Andy moved forward to Valentina's bed. "How are we doing this evening?" Deja vu.
Smiling at Dr. Andrews, Valentina thought back to her memory. "Great."
Andy smiling in return, she brought better news. "That's good to hear, with the looks of your last x-ray, you've healed pretty quickly, so you will be able to leave later this evening after a couple more check ups."
The last part of the her sentence, directed towards her parents. Andy still hasn't forgiven the two, meanwhile, she could never blame Valentina.
There was a long pause in the room.
"So, can I go get chips from the vending machine now, or?" Marco spoke for the first time.
Christina nodded, and nudged Armando to him money.
With the clearing of her throat, Valentina had gained everyone's attention.
Marco groaned. "What? Oh, you want chips?"
Waving him off, he laughed walking out of the hospital room.
"Can I talk to Dr. Andrews? Solos?" her glare pointed at her parents. (Alone)
"I-I don't kno-"
Slapping his chest, Christina held a tightened smile. "Of course."
The two walked out hesitantly, leaving Steve behind.
"Do you want me to stay?"
"Uh," she weighed out the pros and cons of letting him stay, not knowing the person she would become after trying to get the truth out of Andy. "Yes, please."
Steve nodded his head, sitting down on the chair by her side.
Not quite sure what to do with herself, Andy stood awkwardly.
Being the first to speak up, Valentina was in words, blunt. "I want to know the truth."
Coughing on her saliva, Andy tried to play it off, "What truth? I wasn't lying when I said you can go home today."
"You know what I'm talking about Andy," there was a look of desperation in Valentina's eyes, she knew she had been lied to about her visions, but she never was told how she gets them.
A deep sigh escaped Andy's mouth.
"What I'm about to say, cannot leave this room. I need you two to promise me."
"I promise," Valentina replied. Steve nodded.
Continuing on, Andy went on the explain. "Almost a decade ago your parents were about to go broke. They were on the brink of losing their house. But then Christina found out she was pregnant with you. She was scared, real scared, not knowing how they'd pull it off. Raising a child and also going poor."
Tears started forming in Andy's eyes.
"Your dad and mom were both fired due to budget cuts. And he promised your mom that he'd find a job in no time. One day he bumped into Dr. Brenner and he was offered a job. But then he was refused to be hired if he didn't compromise." Compromise? Compromise what?
"The compromise was that your parents would let Dr. Brenner run an experiment on you. He had this idea of giving kids powers and then use them to help fight the Russians. You were just a baby, a little baby. I made an oath to never tell the "experiments" their truth, you know how they got their powers or even why, but I was getting tired it, of everything. I hope you can forgive me one day for not telling you sooner," Andy confessed.
Valentina didn't know how to respond. She was left speechless. Her parents basically gave up her being normal for money. She went through months of suffering, not knowing what was real, what was fake. Could it just be a coincidence that it all started happening when everything in Hawkins started going to shit?
"Holy shit," another voice was heard by the door.
All three heads turned to see Marco and the rest of the group.
Running her hands through her hair, Andy was anxious. "Great, now I'm going to get fired, again."
"They sold my soul to the devil. You know it's funny how I did my film assignment on Hawkins Laboratory and then experimenting on kids, turns out I'm one of them." Valentina's eyes spaced out.
Looking at her strangely, Robin wondered, "Is she okay?"
A few seconds later, laughter was heard in the room. Valentina was laughing, laughing the trauma away. "My parents used me, in the worst way possible."
"Yeah she definitely isn't."
Nancy scoffed. "Obviously not."
Marco slowly walked towards his sister holding two bags of chips. Tossing one at Valentina.
"I got you chips anyway."
Still laughing, Valentina opened the bag of chips and stuffed her mouth.
Her laughter fading, now looking at Max. "I'm sorry."
"For what?" Max furrowed her eyebrows.
"You're Vecna's next victim and all the attention is on me. We should be helping you."
"Seriously?" Nancy challenged.
"Chill!" Dustin exclaimed.
"I'm sorry, it was the only thing I could think of right now."
"Give her the benefit of the doubt, she's traumatized guys," Steve stood up for her.
"Aw, Steve standing up for Mrs. Harrington."
"Shut up!"
"You're married?"
"Look what you started Robin!"
An apologetic expression plastered on her face. "Sorry."
- uhm... i don't know how to feel about this chapter, could it have been better? yeah, but i mean poor andy tbh
- also can we acknowledge i released two chapters within a week, like wot?
- i hope y'all enjoyed this chapter, cause well let's just say our favorite redhead is about to be running up that hill next chapter (that was corny or cheesy... what's the difference, idk)