"AND IT JUST Kept repeating?" Becky asked, peering across from the two girls. The three sat back at the table, Becky sat in front of them. She gave them El her undivided attention, barely glancing away from her. For a few moments however, she did, awkwardly looking at Sam's teetering eyes on her.
In front of the two of them were two sandwiches, two glasses; one of Milk and the other of juice. Sam picked at her sandwich's crust, peeling it off while looking between El and her supposed aunt.
"Repeat?" El furrowed her eyebrows.
"Like a circle? Just showing you the same image over and over?" Becky explained, with question in her eyes.
"She kept showing the girls in the room." El said. Sam looked at her, confused about the girls she kept seeing. Still, she continued peeling the bread.
"The rainbow room?" Becky asked. The image of the rainbow room flashed in Sam's mind, she remembered staring at it when they escaped the lab.
El nodded. Sam pursed her lips. "What did the girls look like?"
El glanced at Sam, before tilting her head slightly. "Different." El responded carefully.
"Different than you and Sam?" Becky glanced between the two girls. She quickly looked back at El after seeing Sam try to make a mustache with the bread she'd peeled. It was quick, but Becky caught it anyway. It reminded Sam of Hopper's mustache for a moment and she frowned.
El nodded, also catching Sam. "I think this is why mama wanted to talk."
"To show you the girls?"
El nodded once more and glanced at her mother before turning towards Becky. "I think she wants me to find them."
[][][]
Becky dropped various folders onto the ground, telling them that Terry Ives kept files on the other missing kids while she looked for Jane and Sams mother; Henrietta looked for Sam.
Becky pulled out two folders, handed one to Sam and one to El. Sam opened hers, and flipped through it. She stopped when she reached a girl. She had long jet black hair that reached past her shoulders, and pale skin with eyes that looked like similar to the shade of pine trees. She was frowning, staring at the camera with a fearful expression but Sam couldn't blame her.
Sam recognized her as 004, her failed experiment collab. It wasn't as bad as it seemed since they continued to pair them together, making them closer than the others. Sam used to feel better when she paired up with her versus the others. She was patient, while the others would grow angry with Sam. The only other person who did that with her was papa.
"Her?"
"Is that her?"
Becky and Sam both asked at the same time. El nodded and glanced down at the paper that Sam was holding. "Her, too."
[][][]
Sam sat with her knees up to her chest as she watched El intently. She glanced down at the paper she was holding, thoughts running wild. They were shut down, when El let out a sigh and pulled down her makeshift blindfold. Sam leaned closer but soon saw the defeated look in El's eyes and frowned.
"Did you find them?" Becky inquired, with Sam staring at the ground. El had immediately tried to find the two girls she saw in the void.
"No." El sighed after glancing at the picture of the two girls. Sam huffed, letting her legs fall down from her chest.
[][][]
Sam was shaken awake by El, whom didn't seem to care about how hard she was doing so. Sam had fallen asleep next to El, her arm was hanging over the bed, face down into the comfortable pillow and her hair was frizzy, and one side of it was up and sticking in any direction while the other was matted and flat. Sam sat up straight, and wiped her eyes clear. "What? What is it?" Sam asked, her tone whining.
She was a bit annoyed, but stopped once she saw the somewhat excited expression on El's face. She tilted her head at that, wondering what could've made her so happy when Sam could barely gather her thoughts from the her wonderful nap.
El smirked, "I found them."
That gave Sam a joint of energy.
"Becky! Becky, I found them." El said loudly, with Sam trailing behind her with a joyful smile tugging on her lips. The girls made it to the kitchen. They saw Becky out back, a phone to her ear and a cigarette and a picture in her hand. listening to Becky on the phone.
"I just— I didn't know who else to call. He gave me this number, and he came here looking for her, but he mentioned the other girl. I thought maybe he could help me." Becky paced slightly, staring at her photo in her hand.
The joyful smile that was pulling at Sams lips was wiped off as if she'd learned the worse news in the world. She stared at Becky's back as if she had took her breakfast and spit in it. Her stomach curled, as though she'd eaten something bad but she knew that wasn't it.
Not only had she easily trusted Becky, but she had been gullible enough to believe that she wanted to help them.
It apparently didn't matter who El was to her; niece or not, if she didn't believe her sister then why would she believe her sisters supposed daughter and the same crazy woman that had helped her sister; offspring?
"Yeah, Jim Hopper, he came here with some women named Joyce Byers? Well, that's a little hard to explain. Uh. . . there's another girl and I think she dragged her along with her. I just—I didn't know who to call." Becky rambled.
We need to go. Sam and El shared a glance.
Sams gaze hardened. Sam grabbed Becky's purse and opened it up as El went and grabbed their stuff. Sam grabbed all the paper money and even a few quarters. She saw El come back quickly and walked towards her. El held out a bag similar hers but black and smaller. Sam tugged it over her shoulder.
Sam nodded in appreciation and shoved all the money inside. El sadly stared at Becky once more before taking Sams hand and running towards the front door. With a jerk of her head, the front door opened and slammed against the wall behind.
They bolted, though the woods. The branches hitting Sam in the head every once in a while. She had a wild feeling pulsing through her body and she wasn't sure if she hated it. It wasn't until they were a safe distance away when Becky started calling out their names. "Jane! Jane! Rosetta!" She shouted.
Sam glanced at El who had a curious smile on her face. "Your name is Rosetta?" El's eyes widened a bit. Sam only grinned and then they took off again, not looking back.
[][][]
The girls got off the bus, Sam letting her eyes adjust since she had fallen asleep on the bus. El and Sam looked up in wonder and amazement. The buildings were tall and bright. The sky sparkled down at them, and so many people filled the sidewalk. It was strange, yet Sam found herself smiling.
They started walking, El had a small smile on her face as she did. Sam had the biggest grin, she hadn't seen the world beyond Hawkins before. Hawkins was stuffy, crowded by the same kind of people that couldn't be brave enough to think outside the box. But, here? Sam was sure she'd never see the same person twice.
They walked past officers, one staring down them as they passed. The girls slightly ducked their heads and their smiles faltered. They walked far from them and up to a building with no lights. Sam thought it seemed boring because of it but El disagreed.
As El was staring at the building, a man bumped into her shoulder and tripped over Sams foot. He only glanced back with a annoyed glare, "Watch it, kid." And kept it moving.
Sam narrowed her eyes in a glare. "Idiot."
El muttered, "Mouth-breather."
The girls smiled at each other and continued to walk. Sam only followed El—since she seemed to know where she was going. They ended up in a alley, with homeless and lower class citizens. Sam clutched onto El's hand as they walked through, something nervously swirling in her gut as the people stared at them.
A man laughed hysterically, "They're all dead!" He repeated. Sam squeezed her eyes shut and bolted, dragging El as she heard the man's laughter echoing all the way down the alley.
Sam panted as she followed El, she ran faster than she could. It wasn't until El finally stopped, staring at a door with red and orange mixed together in writing Sam couldn't understand.
"That it?" Sam asked, breathing heavily. El only nodded and started walking towards it.
Sam rolled her eyes and stood there for a moment, hands on her knees as tried to catch her breath. Sam let out a rather loud groan when she saw that El was not stopping anytime soon.
Sam followed her, running again to catch up with her. They entered the room that the door led to. Sam was quietly walking behind El, cautiously stepping places as to not alert anyone that they were there yet.
"You should do stand up, Axe. There's a spot a few blocks away." A voice said. There were four people standing around the fire, attempting to get warm. Before Sam could warn El, she had called out to them.
"Hello?"
All heads turned towards them, causing Sams breath to hitch in her throat. "Well, well.. what do we have here?" The teen with the Mohawk smiled at them. But it wasn't a Dustin smile, suggestive and kind, it was a bad men smile; sneaky.
A dark skinned woman with a large Afro, scoffed at them. Sam turned her attention away from her to the woman with the multiple colors in her hair. "What are they wearing?"
Sam glared. Why did it matter? It hadn't looked like she had been able to shop for clothes in years. At least, to Sam, she wore something that fit together.
"What are those, overalls?" The dark skinned woman asked. But she knew well enough.
"And— flannel?" Another woman asked as if saying the word disgusted her.
Sam didn't get a good look at her, although she already thought the girl was mean. "There aren't any cows to milk here, kid." The one with the colorful hair commented. She looked amused as she looked Sam up and down. "Did you get dressed with your daddy's clothes or what?"
"Looks like she got mauled by a bear too, what's going on with your hair?" The two girls snickered together as they stared at Sam's hair that was sticking all over the place.
Sam narrowed her eyes at them as the only thing she wanted was to grab the girl by the throat.
"Go on back to the farm now." The messy haired woman teased, nodding toward the way they came.
"We're looking for our sisters." El informed, ignoring their ignorance. Sam, on the other hand, couldn't hear anything but that.
"Aw. . . Shirley Temple lost her sisters. So sad," The Mohawk man mocked before bending down to Sam's height, "But you've got another one right here."
Sam turned her head slowly towards him, his smirk slowly growing larger at her menacingly glare.
"I saw them. Here." El stated, grabbing ahold onto Sams arm to stop her from any sudden movement. El went to pull out the photos but the dark skinned man interrupted.
"Uh-uh. Hand out of pocket. Slow." He instructed, staring at her hands intently.
Sam stared at him weirdly, what was wrong with them? Why were they acting like they were criminals and not like two teens were looking for their sisters?
El did as told. "Give me that shit." The Mohawk snatched it from El's light grip. Sam stared up at him with pride. They had proof. The Mohawk silently scoffed as the dark skinned girl who had a Afro took the photos from him.
"Is that Kali and Lexi?" She asked and then she looked at a woman behind the Mohawk man.
"No way." Came the mystery girl response.
"Kali?" El glanced at Sam. "And Lexi?"
Without answering their question, the Mohawk man glared at them and asked, "How did you two find us?" Sam and El just stared at him. "Who else knows you're here?" He asked, his gaze switching from between the two girls.
"No one." Sam answered after a beat. She could hear him. His panicked thoughts were clouding over her own. It was annoying.
"So, what then? Poof! You girls just show up like magic with those pictures?" He impatiently asked.
"Calm down, dude. They're just kids." The mystery woman said, hidden by the man with a bald head but one braid hidden in the back.
"Kids who could get us all killed," The Mohawk Man barked at her over his shoulder.
He drew out a knife, "If I have to ask again, Shirley, you'll start losing things," he lifted the knife up to El's face. In one swift movement, El was behind Sam and Sams was tilted downward. "Starting with those pretty little locks of yours. Yeah?" He started walking closer.
Sams pupils dilated and she didn't step back when he started walking closer. She was scared, yes, but she knew if worse came to worse, they'd be the ones on the floor, dead. Not her and especially not El. "Shut up."
"Come on, Axe. Put down the knife." The woman with the Afro tried to convince him.
He ignored her, "How did you find us?" He demanded, shouting in Sam's face. The panicked thoughts started to turn angry as they filled her mind. There were too many of them to make sense of it. Sam scrunched her face up at the upcoming headache.
"My sister saw them." Sam said through gritted teeth.
Someone shouted. "Axe!"
Axe grabbed her arm as the knife hovered over her face. "That's not an answer." He glared.
Sam's iris's turned macabre quickly, and she pushed his arm away and shoved him backwards. Her skills were for naught, and they still needed to find their sisters, but she wouldn't let him be mean to them. "Don't touch me." She spat, petulantly.
Before anything else could happen, Axe stared down at his hand in fear. "Jesus. Jesus Christ!" He cried. He dropped the knife and started moving around as if he had squirrels in his pants. "Get off! Shit! Shit!"
Sams eyes went back to normal as she stared at him curiously. His mind went blank, but there was one thing she heard, louder than the others; spiders.
"You're a terrible dancer, Axel." Came a voice from the stairs.
El and Sams attention was diverted to the stairs. A woman was leaning against it. She had a purple streak in her jet black hair with one side of it shaved, dark eye shadow over her dark brown eyes as she stood there, staring at them. Axel didn't seem amused. "I told you, stay out of my head." He angrily told her.
"So, we're threatening little girls now, are we?" The girl known as Kali questioned but in a mocking tone. She edged closer to them.
"They know about us." The mystery woman stepped out and handed Kali the pictures.
Sam stared at her, observing her features. Sam recognized the jet black hair. It had been cut short, falling just below her ears with bangs cascading in the front. There was a small amount of eyeliner around the edge her eyes and a smudge of red lipstick. She didn't spare Sam a glance but Sam was slowly having a realization.
Below the little makeup, Sam recognized her. Four.
"They had that." The same girl said. El stepped out from behind Sam and walked closer to Kali. Sam followed slowly, looking at the others around them.
"Where did you get this?" Kali asked El, briefly looking at Sam. She was glaring at Axel, who seemed to be glaring right back at her.
El took the photos back before answering softly, "Mama."
"Your mother gave this to you?" Kali quirked an eyebrow at El.
"In her dream circle." El told her. Sam nodded.
"Dream circle. I think she's a schizo or something. And the other one is just psycho." Axel muttered.
"Says they're looking for their sisters." The girl with the Afro reminded him. But he kept walking towards his knife, scoffing.
"Yeah. Like I said, schizo." He continued before going to pick up his knife. Sam held out her hand and the knife floated toward her instead. "Jesus!" Axel stared at her in shock.
Kali straightens herself at the action. Sam diverts her gaze back to Kali as she hands El the knife. El folded back to its original state, "I saw you two," The pocket knife clicked shut. "In the rainbow room."
Sam saw the mystery woman finally look at Sam and Sam knew that she was right. She was staring at 004. The one that she had collaborated with. She stopped seeing Four long before she escaped with El. What had happened to her?
Probably escaped, Sam thought as the woman looked at her. Lexi's mouth went agape as she stared at Sam. She reached forward and pulled Sam into a hug. Sam snuggled her head in her chest, savoring the warmth of her hug. She smelled like something light, but sweet, and new.
Lexi pressed her chin down onto Sams head. She had her eyes closed, and a airy laugh escaping her lips. "Seven." She whispered.
"I know my real name." Sam looked up at her, excited.
"And?" Lexi asked, pulling away from Sam slightly. Sam noticed she was just as pretty up close as she was far away.
"It's Rosetta." She smiled.
Lexi nodded with a proud smirk, "I like that. Rosetta. Kind of like the flower?" Lexi raised her eyebrow.
Sam nodded, "My mom liked roses." The small smile that was on her lips started to dissipate, thinking of her mother.
Lexi saw this and quickly tried to distract her. "Well, mines is Alexis. But, they call me Lexi." Lexi pretended to be in thought. "Though, they said my mom only named me that after she found out I was a girl, so she had to change it last minute."
Sam chuckled at that, and Lexi smiled. By the time the two girls departed completely, El and Kali had stopped hugging. Kali and Sam looked at each other as did El and Lexi.
[][][]
After the four girls met and reunited, they separated. Kali with El and Sam with Lexi. Kali and El went outside while Lexi took Sam to her room. It was as big as the cabins kitchen and living room. It was painted a few shades darker than red itself, with small penguins sloppily drawn on the wall. The bed was towards the opposite side of the room, and the black sheets matched the decor of the room. There wasn't many things inside, but the paintings drawn on the walls were all in black paint.
A dresser, as messy as it was, was covered in many drops of paint and combined shapes and sizes. There were baskets on the dresser, shoes and even fancy shiny things. Jewelry, Sam stared at them for moment. One of them was a gold, shimmery necklace that had a diamond hanging at the end. She sat it down before she dropped it and possibly broke it.
There were all kinds of strange knickknacks on Lexi's bed. But, Sam pushed them aside and flopped down on Lexi's bed next, sighing happily as she smelled the familiar scent of lavender. She sat up on her elbows once Lexi slide her door closed. "Bed smells nice." Sam complimented.
Lexi shook her head. "It's just Lavender."
"F-Flower too?" Sam followed every movement Lexi made as she kicked off her shoes and shrugged off her jean jacket. She let the jacket land anywhere and the shoes hit her dresser suddenly from the aggressive kicks. Sam chuckled.
"Uh, yeah, actually. Oh, speaking of flowers. My roses!" Lexi chirped and speed walked toward her window seal. It was a small window with blue flowers drawn on the edges of it. Also drawn on the corners of the window were body parts that Sam turned her head away from, the tips of her ears aflame.
Lexi picked up a small styrofoam cup of roses and walked toward Sam, "See? These are roses," she gestured. They were small, newly planted. "Pretty nice, aren't they?" Lexi proudly grinned down at them.
Sam nodded, with a big smile plastered on her face. "So," Lexi said louder than she was seconds ago, "Where've you been staying? And who's flannel is that?"
Sam pressed her lips in a thin line, as she leaned back in both her hands. "I stay with Hopper. He's with the police. We stay in cabin." Sam started. "This is his. I took it." Sam smiled to herself.
"Wait." Lexi said, closing her eyes briefly, and pausing in her actions. When she waited too long to continue, Sam confusedly stared up at Lexi, "What?"
"You live with a police officer, that works with the same kind of police officers that would report you to the lab if they found you again? Those police officers?" Lexi pursed her lips. Her eyes dubious as she spoke.
Sam shook her head. Then, she nodded. But, quickly shook her head again. "Stop it. I'm confused."
Lexi sighed, plopping down next to Sam on her bed. "You're confused because it doesn't sound right. At all. Are you sure you can trust him? How long have you and Jane been staying with him?"
Three hundred and thirty-seven days. El's voice echoed in her head.
"Three hundred and thirty-seven days. We trust him for long time. He can be trusted." Sam kicked off her shoes in a similar way Lexi had done with her own, letting them clatter to the ground. She folded her hands in her lap as she picked with the blue scrunchie on her wrist.
Lexi still looked hesitant. "I'm glad you and El are with us now. You trust me?"
Sam nodded quickly. Though, in the back of her mind, she thought about Becky. That hadn't turned out too well. But, this was different. Lexi was like her. She wouldn't do anything to compromise them.
"Good." Lexi grinned. "How'd you meet this police man?"
[][][]
Sam spilled everything. Everything including, what went down the year before and what had happened for her and El to be with them now. It was easy to talk to Lexi. When she started talking, it was kind of hard to stop. Lexi listened intently and whenever she had a certain look on her face, Sam wanted to stop. But, Lexi reassured her she was still listening and Sam continued.
She did try to leave out the important things that were private, as in; everyone but Lucas. She accidentally voiced almost every thought and memory that came to mind about him. It was slightly embarrassing but Lexi laughed at her, and told her it was fine. She left out certain names, and the description of Mike's house.
She was happy to be with Lexi, but she still wanted to keep them safe. From anyone. Even if that meant keeping them safe from Lexi.
And it wasn't until Lexi asked, "Are you and Lucas like a toxic couple?" That Sam had felt the blood rushing to her ears. She knew the word couple but didn't like the word 'toxic'. It sounded bad. And Sam thought nothing was bad about Lucas. He was simply a boy that was mean to them because he wanted to find his friend. He wasn't a bad person.
So, what was it? Was it her? Was she bad?
The questions went unanswered as it was time for bed, and she cuddled up to the shared pillow with El. Lexi was on one side of the bed with Sam and Kali was with El. Sam also seemed more comfortable with Lexi than Kali, but Sam brushed it off. She was still her sister, nonetheless. El trusted her, so, Sam could too. Sam still couldn't shake off the dark aura Kali had. As though something had changed suddenly.
"Sam," Lexi called, causing Sam to drift out of her thoughts. "I just wanted to let you know, that I'm glad you're here. With me." Lexi smiled through her tearful gaze.
"Why. . . are you crying? Are you okay?" Sam asked, her sudden concern making Lexi laugh softly.
"No, no. ." She wiped her eyes. "I'm just glad you're here. Glad that we can fight together now."
"Me too." Sam smiled back at her.
"You know, this could be your new safe place." Lexi said. Sam furrowed her brows. "I mean, yeah, it'll take work but, it'll be worth it. You'll stay with me? Here? Home?" Lexi asked hopefully.
Sam opened her mouth to speak but Kali had nodded her head for Lexi to follow her out and that was the end of that conversation. Sam turned over after waving to both Kali and Lexi.
"So, this is..." El started, staring up at the ceiling.
"Home?" Sam asked. Although she already knew the answer. El nodded.
Sam shook her head, "I don't know."
El looks down at her, a sad expression displayed as she did. Sam turned over once again and closed her eyes, feeling El's eyes burn the back of her head.
"Is. . . Home with me?" Came El's small question. A beat passed before Sam answered, but finally she did. "Always." Sam sat up, looking at el with a goofy grin. El snorted.
"Idiot." El hit her with her pillow.
Sam threw her pillow at her, "Mouth-breather!" She exclaimed with a laugh as she did so.
[][][]
Sam didn't know why, or how, but she woke up in the void. She tried to get out, waking herself up and screaming until she couldn't feel her lungs anymore but nothing happened. She felt trapped. She felt alone.
A hand grasped her shoulder and the only thought that ran through Sams mind was danger. "No!" Sam yelled, her voice rasp and dry as she did.
It was El, only El. "Sam. Stop. Thought you were hurt." El glared.
"You make me think I was alone." Sam whispered. El apologized and hugged Sam. They stood there for second, before they heard him. "It's me." He said.
The two girls turned, and saw the radio and the lamp, where they'd usually be now. "I know that I've been gone too long, and, uh.." He trailed off. Sam pursed her lips as she and El started towards the radio.
"I just want you to know that it's not because of you two. And it's not because of our fight."
Sam realized that she had been barefoot as she walked towards the radio with El. "Something came up, and, uh, I'll explain everything soon. I just, um.."
Sam and El were now in front of the radio, listening to him. "I want you girls to know that I'm not—
I'm not mad at either of you. I..I'm just sorry."
Sam stared down at the radio. She wasn't where he thought she was. Neither of them. But at least they were together. That had to count for something. Right?
A hand grabbed El's shoulder and something grabbed Sams ankle causing them to jerk awake with a alerted expression.
It was just Lexi and Kali.
"It's okay. It's only us." Kali reassures them, mostly Sam since she had started to look around frantically.
"Sam, really, it's just us." Lexi smiled.
They sat up, and Kali asked, "Bad dream?"
At this Lexi frowned at Sam but said nothing. "What time is it?" Sam asked, disregarding her concern with curious eyes towards the window.
"It's late." Kali said bluntly but with a smile.
"You two slept well. Come. It's time you girls meet our friends. Properly this time." Lexi grinned and pulled Sam out of bed, much to her protest.
[][][]
El and Sam had been taken down the stairs and toward the kitchen, where everyone seemed to be.
Sam frowned when she saw Axel. She didn't like him. "We need more money, Kal. I can't keep eating this garbage." He complained.
"This is axel." Lexi smirked at him. He rolled his eyes at her voice but snuck a glance towards her loose fitted dress.
"The spider hater?"
"The idiot?"
Axel ignored the laughs that boomed from the others at Sams comment and sent her a sarcastic smile, "In the flesh." He mumbled, walking away.
"Yes, the spider hating idiot." Kali smiled at Sam, to which she got one back.
The woman with the rainbow hair smiled and waved, "This is Dottie, our newest. Like you two, she just left home." Kali introduced.
Sam nodded at Dottie, not fully trusting any of them. "You mean the looney bin." Axel snorted.
Kali disregarded his comment and introduced, "Mick, our eyes, our protector."
The woman with the Afro sent them a tight lipped lopsided grin.
"This is funshine, our warrior." Kali continued, Sam averted her gaze towards the big man.
He reminded her of Benny for a moment, big aura—to help—and strong build. He walked towards El and Sam, only Sam stayed back while El walked closer. "Don't let his size frighten you. Funs a teddy bear." Kali smiled.
Like Hopper, Sam thought with a small smile. "Nice to meet you, miss Jane." He said smoothly with a small smile. Jane only looked at his wrist, to find no numbers. "If you're looking for a number, you won't find one." Kali answered El's unasked question.
Kali walked away and sat in a chair. Sam and El towered over her slightly, "They're not like us." El realized.
"No, not in that way. But like us, they're outcasts." Kali reasoned.
"Outcasts?" Sam asked.
"Freaks." Axel explained to her, and she glanced at him.
"Speak for yourself." Lexi mumbled from beside him. Axel stole a piece of broccoli from her white container and Lexi punched his shoulder. Axel pretended like it didn't hurt and smirked down at her. Lexi rolled her eyes.
"Society left them behind, hurt them, discarded them." Kali listed.
"We were dead, all of us." Funshine told the two girls. "Kali and Lexi saved us. Here," He pointed to his head. "And here." He then pointed to his heart.
Kali playfully rolled her eyes. "That's kind of corny, isn't it?" Lexi joked.
Funshine shook his head, "No, not corny. True."
"Now we help them." Muck claimed, glancing at Lexi and Kali. Sam stared at all of them, as a realization hit her.
"In this life, kid, you roll over or you fight back." Axel stated.
"We're all fighters here." Mick added.
"Fight who?" Sam asked, her chin up as she stared at each of them.
[][][]
IDs were dropped onto the table. Everyone except Sam and El were on one side, staring at the girls. "Everyone you two see here was in some way responsible for what happened to us."
El picked up a ID, "You hurt the bad men?"
"No, we just give 'em a pat on the back." Dottie sarcastically said. Lexi hit Dottie's shoulder, and Sam smirked at that.
"You kill them?" Sam asked, with a raised eyebrow. Memories of her killing filled her mind, as she stared at them.
"They're criminals, Rose. We just make them pay for their crimes." Lexi shrugged, placing her hands in her pockets. She blew out a bubble with her gum, the sides of said bubble imbrued with red from her lipstick. The bubble popped and Dottie giggled.
"Damn, Shirley. What's the matter? You look like you've seen a ghost." Axel joked, smirking causally. Sam's gaze flickered up to him.
"We can't all be fighters, I guess." Dottie sighed, seemingly uninterested in the two girls in front of her.
El was quick to end that accusation. "We're fighters." El and Sam shared a look. "We've killed."
"These men you two killed, did they deserve it?"
"They hurt us." Sam narrowed her eyes. The more she talked about it, the more the memories came flooding back.
"And they still want to hurt us. We're just making the first move." Kali reasoned. "Come."
[][][]
Kali walked with Sam and El. "I was just like you two once. I kept my anger inside. I tried to hide from it, but then that pain festered." Kali told them.
"Festered?" El asked and they stopped.
"It spread." Kali defined. "Until finally I confronted my pain, and I began to heal." Kali said and started walking again. Sam glanced at El and hurried to catch up with Kali.
[][][]
They walked in front of a train part, it was quite far away. But in walking distance. "Do you see that train?" Kali asked. El answered verbally while Sam nodded.
"El, I want you to draw it to us." Kali instructed before turning to Sam. "Lexi told me that you can control mental? Well, I need every piece of mental that you can find, on that train. Like a magnet." Kali blinked. "Got it?"
Sam nodded and Kali gave her a small smile. Sam tried to return it but there was that feeling again. What's wrong with me? She ignored it with the shake of her head and focused on the task at hand. There was nothing wrong with Kali. Sam was sure she was just nervous.
Without a word, the two girls held out their hands. Sam closed her eyes, before reopening them. When she did, El didn't move the train part an inch and Sam only had a steel pole on the the wall of the train.
Sam stopped, her heart beat increased a little. She threw her head back and let out a sigh of breath. "I can't." El said as Sam shook her head.
"Last night you told me you and Sam lifted a van once." Kali reminded.
Sam tried to catch her breath while El nodded. "Yes."
"The bad men were trying to take you both away again, and that made you two angry." Kali told her which El nodded to again.
Kali continued, "Good. So, find that anger, focus on that, not the train, not it's weight. Not the amount of objects or how many."
The two girls turned back towards the train. Sam lifted her hand up again, Kali's voice echoing as she did.
"I want you girls to find something from your life. Something that angers you."
Sam saw the split second of her memory of Lucas calling her a monster. Her heart ached for a moment.
"Now channel it." Kali demanded.
The train started moving as bins and silver pieces started slamming toward the train little by little.
"Dig deeper. Your whole life you've been lied to..."
"Do we have mothers?" El asked. "They're not around anymore." Hopper spoke sadly.
The train started moving toward them faster and metal from behind them started coming at the train quickly. The sound of the metal made Sam flinch from the way it pierced through her ears like an echo.
"Imprisoned."
Sam was shoved into the cell, hitting the cold hard floor. Before she could blink the door was slammed shut and locked.
"Don't walk away from me!"
"Grow the hell up!" Came hopper's angry voice. Sam and El screamed, her throat going raw at the ear piercing scream.
The train was making its way faster. As it approached, it looked like it could've been an actual magnet, the way even small things were clinging to it. Faintly, Sam could hear Dottie exclaiming something about a ring, but she ignored it.
"The bad men took away your homes, your mothers.."
Heneriatta was struggling trying to scream for her child that was being taken from her as a pill was shoved down her throat.
"Rosie, Riles, girls..." Sams mother cooed as she tried to approach her children.
"They took everything from you."
Sam was kicking and pulling as she was dragged down the hall, "Papa! No!"
"They stole your life, Jane. They killed your mother, Rose!" Sam's stomach churned painfully, and it felt like thorns were prodding at the inside of her stomach. Memories of being pushed around, thrown away like garbage, beaten like she was nobody flashed in her head and that seemingly was enough for her. She didn't want to remember anymore.
Sam grunted, unaware of El's scream because of her own ears ringing. Her hand shook with anger, feeling the drop of blood running down her nose. Before they knew it, the train was in front of them and the orange colored train was sheeted with silver and rust.
Sams chest heaved as she put her hands on her knees, and without a doubt, all the mental dropped to the ground off. If it wasn't for the cheering and claps, her eyes wouldn't have opened. She peeked and turned her head toward the group of teens and adults behind them. Lexi clapped as she hollered loudly because of her excitement, "Yeah, Rosie!"
Sam's heart burned at the nickname she was given from her mother but smiled nonetheless. She felt proud. She did it. She turned to Kali, who kneeled down to their height, considering El was on the ground. "So, how do you two feel?" Sam let out an airy laugh as El said good. She felt drowsy and her bones ached. But, proud.
[][][]
But not proud enough to kill. Kali had showed them men that they believed were still alive and El picked one. Sam remembered him. She briefly could picture his face, striking her down when she'd done something bad. Or pinning her down in the seat as he stuck a needle in her arm that made her ache all over.
El tracked him down, and Dottie told them the address. Funshine told them how many hours away they were from it—which Sam didn't understand.
"We don't even have a new ride." Mick complained, rolling her eyes.
"So we swap the plates. We still have some, right?" Lexi asked Axel and he nodded.
"It's risky." Mick went on, sharing a heated glance with Lexi.
"Where's the fun if there's no risk?" Kali smirked.
"We want to give our sisters a memorable first day, right?" Lexi asked, looking around with a smile.
"I'm in. For Miss Rose." Funshine smiled a typically warm smile, but it held a slight sadness, making Sam to send him a confused tilt of her head.
"Yeah, sure. Why not? Mick?" Axel asked, taking a sip of his beer.
It took a moment but Mick threw her arms up with a wide smile, "Screw it!"
The plan was set in motion, both Sam and El got up but quickly got confused, not knowing where to go or what to do. Thankfully, both Lexi and Kali took them to Dottie's room.
Quickly clothes were thrown at Sam and her hair was brushed back. Her hair was longer than expected and It was a bit longer than past her ears. It was dyed a bit. Red stripes mixed with black and all of pushed to the back except a few stray curls that fell into her face.
Black eye shadow was put around her eyes with red lipstick plastered on her lips. Her pants were black, along with her leather jacket but her shirt was red with black wording; BADASS'S LIVE TILL WE DIE, on it. With her favorite black low top converse, revealing her long black and red striped socks.
The two girls were shown to the rest of the group, a smile upon everyone's faces. "Bitchin'." Kali smirked. El repeated her word with a small smirk.
"Hot." Lexi nodded with am impressed smirk. Sam nodded with one tugging at hers as well. Hot. El and Sam shared a look of happiness.
The group walked to their infamous van, pulling off the cover. They started riding, with Mick blowing smoke into Axel's face and him bobbing his head harshly to the music. Sam thought he looked ridiculous but quickly found herself tapping her feat to the music.
Dottie and Lexi wore a wig and were banging on the van floor and drums as they shook their heads. Sam was laughing hysterically as they did so.
Which ended up with her getting a clown mask and El getting a baby one. They danced all the way to the gas station. To which they had to stop. They got out, Sam stopping behind El who stopped behind Kali and Lexi.
"What are we doing?" Asked El.
"Oh, nothing. We just need a few things." Replied Lexi with a smirk.
They walked in, Sam trying to keep her face hidden away from the cameras she spotted.
"Hey, your bathroom is leaking." Kali lied. The man looked and cursed to himself and got up, stepping over the non-existent leaking water and walked into the bathroom: closing the door.
"Okay, contestants, you have a minute and a half, let's begin your super market sweep!" Axel granted.
Sam and El departed but met down the froze isle. Sam picked up a banana but instantly dropped it when she saw pudding. For a moment, she remembered Dustin piling lots of pudding in his arms. She smiled and opened up the door.
"Hey! Put that back, or I'll blow your head off." The man that Kali had tricked voice made Sam tense.
Sam quietly hide in the isle behind the man. "You hear me, freak?"
Sam glared. "Put the gun down." Kali raised her hands as she walked out. His eyes widened. The mans frantic response was to warn them to stay back, pointing the gun at each of them he saw.
"Darrel, your money is insured. We're only stealing from the war criminal billionaires who own this place." Kali tried to reason. Although, was there way to reason with a stranger to why you're stealing from them?
"You won't even loose a dime." Kali continued. But the man wasn't having it, he edged closer to Kali, gun pointed directly at her.
The man came closer, causing Sam to slowly inch closer to them. Kali tried to talk him out of it more but he wasn't falling for it. Eventually El burst from the isles and let out a shout. The man was thrown back and while he was his gun came flew toward Sam's hands.
Sam smirked as they crowded around the unconscious male. "Damn, Shirley."
Sirens could be heard from afar, causing them to frantically leave out of the store. "Mick! We gotta go Mick!" Axel shouted as he held the door open for them all. Sam smiled as she entered the van, feeling the thrill and both anxiousness as she heard the sirens.
[][][]
They arrived at the man that El picked out to be one of the lab workers that hurt them. Mick turned, "We should case the place, stick to the routine. We have time."
"We also have her," Kali nodded to El, "Can you look?"
Sam frowned, she was already unsure but now she felt weird. Hesitant. She was hesitating.
El nodded and closed her eyes for a few minutes before quickly opening them. Her brown eyes met Kali's first. "He's watching television."
"Is he alone?" Mick asked.
"I saw him. No one else." El claimed firmly.
Kali nodded, along with Lexi. "Good enough for me." Lexi shrugged. Kali told them to go, and soon masks were on and they were on their way, Kali and Mick exchanged minimum words as the vans door closed.
[][][]
El unlocked the door. And the television was turned off. They all stepped in to find him trying to turn it back on. "Hello, Ray." Kali greeted mysteriously.
Ray flinched and looked their way, with shock all over his face. "Jesus Christ!" He tried to run but he was stopped by Funshine, and at the time, he didn't seem very fun. "Sit down. Please." Funshine said darkly.
Funshine was all in Ray's face causing him to back up slowly. "I said sit." Funshine grabbed Rays shoulders and forced him back into the chair.
"Please, just take what you want." Ray begged and Sam tilted her head sideways.
"Oh, we will." Axel promised, bending down slightly. Then Dottie did too, "Where's your wallet?" The man was frightened to sayin the least, that he wanted to run away or better yet, close his eyes and hope it was a dream.
Too bad for him.
"Bedroom. My bedroom. My jeans." Ray stammered. "Come on." Dottie tapped axel and led him to the room that she believed held the mans wallet.
Sam, Kali, El and Lexi stood in front of the man. Sam took off her mask, as did the others. "Do you remember us?" Lexi asked, face stone cold.
Ray shook his head. The lights flickered and Sam figures that Kali must have showed him their little selves because of how terrified he seemed after the lights went back to normal. His face paled as he stared up at Kali.
Sam was angry that he didn't remember, because she did. They all did. But he couldn't. He was gifted the loss of the horrible memories of him torturing them until theirs finger nails bled. He was lucky. They weren't.
Kali decked him in the head, causing him to do a 180 and fall off the chair and onto the floor. He begged, but Sam couldn't stand his eyes begging for mercy as she stared into them with a glare full of disgust.
"You hurt mama." El disregarded his cries and her face showed hatred. She exclaimed and he flew against the wall. The man grunted as he fell down to the ground. He groaned as he attempted to sit up, "Wait." He spoke short breathed.
"Listen..I just did what he told me to do." Ray cried. "He said she was sick."
"We all have choices, Ray." Lexi spat. She hated it. She hated him and Brenner and anyone who had anything to do with that lab. They were the sick ones. Her fists tightened at her side.
"And you chose to follow a man you knew was evil." Kali finished for Lexi. El held out her hand, holding him in place as Sam drive a knife to his neck. "No, wait! No, wait! Wait!" Ray begged, holding out his hand. "I can help. I can help you find him." Ray claimed, fear still washed over his face. In the corner where Kali decked him, there was blood pooling from the wound.
Sam only held the knife closer, her hand shaking with anticipation to hurt the man who hurt her. "Find who?"
"Brenner!"
Sams whole body ached, her heart clenched and her focus broke. The knife that was held to his neck dropped and everyone's voices was blurred after that. Sam stepped back, in small steps. She felt her vision swirl and the weight of her head become heavier.
Monster.
She had barged into this mans house, expecting nothing less than a murder for the papers. That's what Papa had made do. That's what he trained her to do. If she killed him, she would have done exactly what he wanted her to do. Even in death, she was still his subject.
She was going to kill him because of her own selfish reasons. She was going to kill him because he hurt her. But, she'd been trained to kill for less. Did he even matter? Was killing him worth it?
Sam looked up, feeling her heart sink at her thoughts. She saw a photo, framed, a photo of two girls and him, smiling. Happy.
She didn't need his death on her conscience. It would haunt her forever, and she didn't think he should matter more than the dirt on her shoes.
Sam was beginning to feel like a monster. All these conflicting emotions building in her chest made it harder to breathe. Two girls without a father. Like Sam was without her mother. It hurt. And it hurt worst to know that someone had the nerve to take that away.
"El, stop." Sam whispered. By the time she had gotten to her senses, El was choking the man, sliding him across the floor.
"Not too fast." Kali said darkly. "He wasn't so generous with your mother."
Sams mouth was agape, she couldn't believe it. They didn't realize it. That they weren't doing what was right. They were just making things worse. They were doing exactly what papa had wanted to do. To kill.
"El, stop." Sam repeated, standing up straight and speaking up louder.
"Rose, Shut it." Lexi whispered, holding up her index finger to the girl. "After we're done."
"El, stop it! This is bad." Sam exclaimed, turning El around. El had realization across her face and Sam had known El saw the photo. El's eyes glittered as she stared into Sam's frantic ones. "We are not bad." Sam whispered, trying to reassure El. Or herself.
The man started coughing, as the lack of oxygen returned. "What's wrong?" Kali furrowed her eyebrows. But got no answer, just a glare from Sam.
Axel appeared, saying, "We got a problem." And Dottie following behind, "Kids in the apartment."
Sam gulped. Why was the room so hot? Sam brushed the curls from her face, huffing at the increased heat in the room.
"Did he show your mothers mercy? No." Kali stared directly at El. She wasn't going to let her back down. And it annoyed Sam.
"Kali, shut up." Sam's eyes darkened, stepping closer to Kali while pulling El away.
"Rose, what the hell are you doing?" Lexi shoved Sam's shoulder so she was facing her now. Her eyes held confusion while her face displayed anger. "He hurt us. He hurt you. Now, you're defending him? What, are you gonna go live with him to? Have him lock you up—" Lexi was cut short, as Sam smacked her hand down from her shoulder.
"Shut up." Sam tilted her head at Lexi, briefly glancing at Kali before her gaze landed back on Lexi.
Lexi sucked in a breath of air as the words resonated in her mind. She blinked for a minute, knowing that it had come from Sam but she hadn't said anything aloud. Her eyes were brown for a moment, until her iris's darkened and Sam wore a certain glint in her eye, as if daring Lexi to touch her. Lexi gaped at Sam, before her eyes hardened. "Stay the hell out of my head."
Sam shook her head, but her eyes held tears. "Shut up." She told her again but her eyes returned to normal. She stared at Lexi's cold expression with softening eyes and a certain ache in her chest. What's wrong with me?
Sensing her eyes, Lexi tried to reach out again.
"Rose—"
The sound of glass breaking broke them out of their trance. Before Sam knew it, they were rushed out of the building and back in the van.
Sams tears had escaped, she tried wiping them but they kept coming. El—who was beside her— grabbed her hand and squeezed it. Sam only leaned her head on the window, staring up at the sky.
[][][]
El was in the chair and Sam was on the bed, holding her flannel. She missed it, the feeling of home. She missed the cabin. She missed her pancakes. She missed the waffle/pancake decker extravaganza. She missed Hopper. She missed Lucas. Oh god, she missed Lucas more than she missed her pancakes.
A knock came from the door frame, "May I sit?" Came Kali's question. El shrugged. Sam looked over and saw Lexi walk in with her. Kali sat down and Sam stood up, right next to El.
Lexi sat where Sam was, sighing, realizing her and Sam weren't on speaking terms. "We were just like you two once, you know that?" Kali started, and Sam rolled her eyes. "But that's why we're hard on you both, because we see in you two our past mistakes." Lexi stared at Sam remorsefully.
El shook her head, "They were kids."
Kali shook her head, Lexi nodding after her. "Does that excuse that mans sins? Were we not also children?"
El looked away, annoyed. "I remember the day me and Lexi came into the rainbow room and you two were gone." Kali started. "So, when our gifts were strong enough, we used them to escape. And we ran. We ran away as far as we could."
"And it was there, far away, that we found a place to hide. A family. A home. Just like you guys and your policeman. But they couldn't help us." Kali's gaze switched between both Sam and El as Lexi talked.
"So, eventually, we lost them too. So we decided to play the part. To stop hiding. To use our gifts against those who hurt us." Kali looked up at them.
"You two are now faced with the same choice, Jane. Rose." Lexi told them. Sam stared at Lexi. She didn't know what to do. She didn't like it here, she couldn't stand what they almost did to that man. She was better than that. But she wanted to stay with Lexi. She liked being with Lexi, it made her feel like she had someone to look up to. And in a way, she did, but the downside was that Lexi didn't know anything other than this life.
All she wanted to do was kill, but Sam knew she had to be destined for better things. She had to.
Kali and the others was Lexi's home. And Sam was starting to understand that. Unfortunately for Lexi, Sam was beginning to understand what kind of home they'd built for themselves wasn't a home at all. It was their own prison. Their own deathbed. And Sam didn't want that kind of life.
"Go back into hiding and hope they don't find you two. Fight, and face them again."
Sam only wanted to be safe. She didn't want confrontation. She didn't want revenge. She wanted her friends. She didn't want to be locked away again, but she didn't like all the running away they were doing. It was obvious what they were doing was bad, and she couldn't help but think that this never would've happened if she'd just stayed.
"Face who?" El monotoned.
"The man who calls himself our father." Kali answered. Sam snapped her head towards Kali, and narrowed her eyes on the older girl. Sam clenched her fists to calm herself.
"Papa is dead." El stated strongly. Sam pressed her lips against each other tightly together in order to keep herself from calling Kali an idiot.
"That man tonight disagreed."
Sams blood ran cold. Her body seemingly froze and all she could do was slowly turn her head towards the cause of the voice. El turned around, facing the man who'd given them an unforgettable childhood. Brenner was standing there, blue suit and all white hair. All the same. And the same cold, dead eyes. Nothing had changed, only the clothes he wore and the guards that weren't surrounding him.
"You're not real." El stood, next to Sam who was alarmed. She was afraid that he'd do a nod and men would drag her to a cell and lock her up for days on end. She gripped tightly onto the shirt in her hand to remember that she wasn't alone. To remember that everything that happened last year was real. That he was dead.
"All this time? And you two haven't looked for me? Why?" Brenner asked, not moving, but El began backing away while Sam stood still. "Because you thought I was dead? Or because you were afraid of what you might find?"
Neither girls answered his questions but demanded clearance of his presence. "Go away." El was the first to say it, braver than she believed she was.
"You have to confront your pain." He walked closer and Sam quickly walked closer to El and pulled her back a bit. "You have a wound, Eleven, Seven, terrible wounds." Brenner spoke carefully.
Tears were on the brink of falling out of Sam's eyes. "And it's festering."
Sams lips curled up, she tried to hold back her cries as she stared at the man ahead of her. Her skin crawled just hearing his voice. Looking at him made her eyes water. It was like looking back in a mirror. All she saw was herself. Subject seven, in a hospital gown, shaved head and her eyes dull yet full of pain from the experiments and the treatment she'd faced as a kid.
El backed into the chair while Brenner towered over both of them. "Do you remember what that means? Festering?" Brenner asked softly, kneeling down to El and Sams height. Sam felt like she'd shrunk, curled up beside El.
Sam instantly swore that no matter what happened, she wouldn't let anything happen to El. She'd done so much for Sam, and the least she could do was try and protect El from her past. Because as long as El was okay, Sam was okay.
"It means to rot. And it will grow." Brenner stated sternly, keeping his eyes on the girls. "Spread." His voice was like nails on a chalkboard, scratching and scratching until her ears bled.
"Get out of my head." El demanded, shaking her head. She finally got the courage to move again, only this time with her eyes shut and a small shake of her head. She was trying to ignore him. She was trying her best to ignore him.
"And eventually, it will kill you." Brenner voice echoed throughout the room, crawling into Sam's head and rotting there with a sick smile on its face. Waiting, and waiting for her to explode.
"Get out of my head!" El yelled as tears sprouted from her eyes. The lights flickered as she screamed and Sam flinched. Memories flooded her mind and she became overwhelmed with such hatred and sadness that she couldn't focus. She couldn't breathe without him standing over her shoulder. She hated him. And she wished that he was dead. That he was in a terrible place where he couldn't reach her or El. Or anyone she cared about anymore. Ever again.
Sam opened her eyes and they were pitch black, entirely covering her sclera's. She lifted her hand and the largest knife from the kitchen downstairs immediately flew towards Kali's neck. Kali lifted her arms up, but remained calm. Her eyes flickered to Sam but before she could say anything, Lexi's comforting words filled her ears.
"It's okay, Rose," Lexi hummed, slowly trying to inch her way in front of Sam's eyes. She feared for her life at the deadly expression on her face. It was like she was a different person from the innocent, and vulnerable girl she'd seen just seconds ago. "It's okay. He's gone, okay? He's gone."
Lexi stood in front of Kali, her eyes wide and staring straight into Sam's unrecognizable ones. The color in her eyes slowly went away as Sam's eyes filled with tears. Before Lexi could register what had just happened, Sam crumbled. The dangerous girl she'd just seen fell and fallen into the abyss.
Sam finally let her a sob escape her, and it wasn't until then did Lexi notice that El was crying too. She frowned at Sam kneeling down and curling herself into a ball next to El. She watched as El interlocked her hands with Sam, a thing that Lexi wanted to do right now. Lexi guessed it was a comforting thing, and she felt bad that it wasn't her that was comforting Sam.
Kali walked in front of them and kneeled down, "This isn't a prison, Jane. Rose. You're both always free to return to the policeman." Sam only let her eyes close, not daring to look Kali in the face. "Or stay, and avenge your mothers." Kali added firmly. Sams heart clenched at the thought of her mother.
"Let's heal our wounds together." Kali smiled before standing and walking out. Lexi went to put her hand on Sams shoulder, hopeful to her not being upset with her but Sam jerked away and clutched onto El's for dear life. It was working, Lexi noticed. El's cries were silenced into little whimpers while Sam let the tears quietly slide down her face. It was a comfort thing.
Lexi sighed as her eyes longed for someone to need her like the twos sisters needed each other. One could hope.
[][][]
Sam sat next to El, her hand in hers as they held the flannel. Their eyes were closed.
El was going into the void as Sam sighed. Eventually she was in, as well as El. Sam smiled at who she saw but frowned at what it was.
Hopper brushed his hands over his head, stressed obviously. He was wearing scrubs and their was a beeping machine in front of him. Sam frowned at it, and stared. She wanted to touch it but she knew it'd just vanish.
"That's where I was. It's a damn graveyard." Hopper said, but it gave Sam and El little information about where he was. Well, to Sam.
Lucas's scream interrupted Sams thoughts and made her heart beat quicken. She turned around instantly, fear spreading across her face.
She saw him, green bandanna and all, holding onto a seat. He was breathing heavily, and held his arm out in front of him. "They can't get in! They can't!" Came his high pitched voice.
She was confused and scared as she was not too long ago. "Lucas? What's wrong?" She asked, not expecting but hoping for a reply. Something to tell her what was wrong. Lucas jerked back, like he was banged into or something was shaking. Sam didn't know and she hated it.
"Lucas!" Sam yelled. She forgot where she was and went to touch him but he started to dissolve, Sam frantically tried to grab out to anything. But nothing was there.
"Lucas!" She yelled, tears brimming in her eyes. She called but got no answer. She looked at where she came from but El wasn't there anymore. She was alone, again. No Lucas. No hopper. Not even Lexi. She was completely alone.
"El!" She screamed, and started running but she couldn't find her. Her eyes searched frantically for the dark haired girl but she couldn't seem to find her anywhere. Her feeet splashed against the water, the only sound besides her screams echoing.
Bang.
Sam faintly heard the sound and began slowing down. She shouldn't have left El's side. But what was wrong with Lucas? Why had he been screaming? Why was he so terrified? Sam felt the need to find him. She needed to go to him. He was in danger.
Bang.
Sam turned to look over shoulder, hoping to find the cause of the sound. Or maybe even someone. She was frozen in fear. She was surrounded by nothing and she'd never felt so alone.
Bang.
Sams eyes shot open, back into the real world and back into Kali's room. Sam got up in a instant and looked out the window and down the stairs. El running along with her. Men with guns burst in, and Sam only recognized them as police. A hang grasp Sams shoulder, causing her to turn around. It was Kali, with a frantic look on her face. "Let's go." She demanded and got ahold of both girls hands.
They ran out of the room and onto other stairs, some police saw them and shouted something but they kept on. "The hells going on?" Axel asked, when the three girls entered the room.
"They found us!" Kali told them and Axel lifted up his gun. "No, no, no. Shhh." Kali told him, putting her hands on his and lifting the gun down. El clung to Axel while Sam and Lexi prepared themselves. They all stopped moving as Kali faced them.
The men with guns and flashlights walked in slowly, scoping out the place. Some men just had flashlights. Some men walked right pass Axel and El, apparently not seeing them. Sam would've smiled of joy but she stopped herself. They were still in danger.
It was when all the men went one way did Kali signal for them to run. They ran down the stairs, and out the door. Sam felt that same thrill again but knew it wasn't the time. In fact, she never wanted to feel that thrill again. She didn't even think it was a thrill anymore but adrenaline.
Some of the police were outside, and Axel shot some down to distract them while everyone else ran. They started run faster, Sam held hands tightly with El as they ran. Gunshots started hitting the van, making them all sit down on one side.
Axel got up and started shooting at them some but eventually had to get back up. "Do something, Kal. Do something!" Axel shouted, realizing they weren't gonna win this battle fairly.
Kali lifted up her fist, while Sam closed her eyes. She needed to breathe, to calm down. Her heart was racing and she was jumping at every bullet that hit the van. Suddenly the bullets stopped, causing her to let out a breath.
Sam stood and saw the man looking up at something but was quickly interrupted by the van door opening. As every one piled in, El and Sam stayed out. Sam remembered seeing Lucas 's fearful expression. He needed her. She needed to help him.
Lexi and Kali turned, gesturing for the them to get in. "Jane, get in." Kali instructed.
Lexi nodded, "Yeah, come on, Rose." Her beautiful brown eyes pleaded with Sam's but Sam narrowed her eyes on her. She hadn't forgiven her for what she'd done, and she knew she wouldn't anytime soon. But she knew she was going to miss her.
"I'm sorry. We're sorry, but we have to go back." El claimed, glancing at sam.
"Our friends are in danger." Sam shook her head with her tears sprouting from her eyes again. She hated this. But she had too. "They need us."
"This isn't time for a talk. We got to go right now!" Axel exclaimed, looking back and forth from the girls to the cops.
"Your mother sent you here for a reason, remember?" Kali reminded.
"And you came with her for a reason. You didn't have to, but you did." Lexi added, trying her best to convince Sam. She wanted her to come with. She needed to know that Sam was with her on this.
"We all belong together." Kali tried once again but the girls didn't budge.
"There's nothing for you two back there. They cannot save you, either of you." Kali stared at them, tears filling her eyes when her attempts weren't working.
El shook her head. "No. But we can save them." El declared shakily.
"Rose, no! You can't! We need each other, you and I." Lexi cried out, holding out her hand. Sam looked back at Lexi then at El who had stopped to look at Sam. She looked at her with sad glint her eye, knowing she couldn't stop Sam from deciding but wishing for her to.
"I can't leave them. Or her." Sam grasped El's hand tightly, sending her a small reassuring smile. El returned it, the two girls too sad to speak to one another. "We'll see each other again, okay?" Sam promised, smiling to Lexi before turning and running away with El in hand.
"Rose, wait—Rose! Jane!" Kali yelled as Lexi stumbled on her behind, tears quickly surfacing in her eyes. Axel bent down and hugged her sideways, rocking back and forth as she curled up into a ball and the tears began to overflow.
Sam heard Lexi's cries, but she kept running. She had too. Lexi had found her home. Sam had to go save hers.
[][][]
Sam had her head leaned on El's shoulder as El did the same thing with her head on the window. Sams tears were dried up and she had now softened her expression from a glare to a light skeptic stare.
"You all right, sweeties?" A frail, middle aged, woman asked. She was black, with a beautiful round face and she sounded sweet as sugar.
Sam turned her way and sent her an soft smile, "Yes. Why?"
"You two were looking a little forlorn there." The lady explained before moving a seat over. Sams eyes closed, wanting to listen to the woman seemed important but sleep seemed to be demanding its time.
"You two are awfully young to be traveling alone, aren't you?" The woman asked, but Sam only yawned. With no answer from El and the yawn from Sam, the woman smiled, "Well, you two are quite the chatterboxes."
"So, where are you two headed?" The woman asked. El didn't answer so the lady put her head out a bit so she could see Els face. "To your parents, I hope." The woman smiled softly.
"We're going to our friends." El told her, finally speaking. Sam smiled sleepily, at the thought of her friends. "We're going home." El smiled, still not looking at the lady. Sam's smile faltered as the peaceful feeling of sleep consumed her.
[][][]
Sam and El stood in front of the Byers home, but shocked to see critters about to burst through the door. Sam took out her knife and threw it, nailing it mid growl, directly in its open mouth.
El sent one through the window and the other to the tree, both dead. They walked quickly to the door, Sams heart beating out of her chest.
El unlocked the first lock, then the second. Sam pushes the door open, and they walked in.
Guns that were pointed at them lowered almost instantly and Sam scanned the crowd. Lucas stepped forward, staring at Sam in shock. Sam stared at him, the only thing she heard was her heart pounding against her chest.
Lucas held a relieved yet shocked expression plastered on his face and that made Sams heart jump, making her realize she was were she belonged; she was home.
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REWRITTEN - 7/17/22
[ if you scrolled to the bottom or skimmed to the bottom; I fixed a few mistakes. The gist; Lexi's face claim changed, and I changed a few things about Sam and Lexi's relationship. ]