๑ 12 ๑
After their day spent at the lake, Mike had taken El back to the cabin, her Papa thankfully nowhere in sight when they got there. He bid her a quick farewell, delivering a soft kiss to her cheek before he went on his way, wanting to get out of there while the coast was still clear.
He couldn't understand how they still remained to be so lucky when it came to their sneaking around, but he was certainly grateful for it. Sure, they might've slipped up with Dustin, but Mike knew that they could trust him to keep what he'd learned a secret.
That little incident aside, it had been a pretty great day. Mike truly had the best time with El, as he always did when she was around.
In fact, he had such a great time, that he spent the rest of his weekend thinking about it, thinking about her... how that beautiful smile of hers was quite literally stuck on her face that whole day, how she really seemed to enjoy herself swimming around in the water, which was by far the most important thing. No matter where they were or what they were doing, all that truly mattered to him was that El had a good time, along with her safety of course.
He just hoped that Monday would be even more fun for her, doing whatever it was that they managed to get into. There was still so much he wanted to show her, so much he wanted to help her experience with the little taste of freedom that he was able to give her.
Unfortunately though, he didn't get the chance because once Monday morning arrived, he never got a call from her. A part of him wanted to worry that she hadn't called because she was in trouble, but he knew that wasn't likely. There was no way her questionable guardian could've known that she left, so Mike assumed that she just couldn't see him today.
It was a major bummer, especially after realizing the extent of his feelings for her, but there was nothing either of them could do about it. If El felt that it wasn't safe enough to see him, then it wasn't safe and no way would he risk that just because he was incredibly desperate to see her.
So, he did his best not to let that disappointment get to him and hoped for tomorrow. Tomorrow he could see her again and it would be great.
As for now, he figured since he was already up, he might as well go to school. The idea didn't sound too appealing, but it wouldn't be smart to skip every single day. His dad would eventually get fed up with writing him excuses and force him to go, so giving the man a break from aiding in his imperfect attendance might put that off for a little while.
Once he'd gotten dressed and scarfed down a light breakfast, Mike left for school, thinking of nothing but El the whole drive there. It seemed to have worked in his favor, putting him in a much better mood.
It wasn't long before his mood was ruined though, seeing as he had a test in his first period, a test that he didn't know a thing about due to his many absences. If it were any other class, he could possibly wing it, but Math had never been his strongest subject.
He gave up as soon as he'd scrubbed his name down at the top, bubbling in his best guesses, already feeling the disappointment of the awful grade that was to come out of this.
He could only hope that El was doing better than he was.
•
El was miserable, absolutely miserable.
Papa had woken her bright and early, letting her know she was going to the lab with him for the day. It wasn't exactly the news she wanted to hear, but she knew there was nothing she could do to change his mind, especially with all his big plans lately.
So, she hopped right out of bed and got herself ready for what would no doubt be a tiring day.
After a quick breakfast and an awfully difficult car ride, El found herself seated at a table in one of the many familiar white tiled rooms at the lab.
As she sat there, waiting for the man at her side to finish up their routine checkup, it didn't take long for her to be reminded of all the reasons she wasn't fond of the place. The room made her feel so uncomfortable with its dim lighting and nearly bare walls, much like the walls of her own bedroom at the cabin. The smell of the entire facility made her head hurt, sometimes to the point where it pounded so hard she felt as if it were going to explode.
Then there was all men around her, in nearly identical white clothing, who constantly watched her every move. Their eyes were on her today especially, since they'd be attempting many things for the first time. There was no chance any of them would miss a second of it.
She would try her best to get through it all, though she really had no choice in the matter. She would have to get through it, just like she always does.
"You seem to be in excellent condition, Eleven." One of the younger scientists told her, once he'd finished up. He scribbled a few things down on the paper attached to his clipboard, then looked down at her with a tight lipped smile. "Let me inform Dr. Brenner that we're all done here and we'll begin."
The man then made his way across the room, where he started talking to the silver haired man. They were only a few feet away, so their words were a little hard to hear, but El was able to make out some of it, like the mention of Russians? A message? Weapons?
She wasn't entirely sure what they were talking about, but that was nothing new. It had always been so strange to her, how she never knew what was going on in that place or what she was really even doing there.
Mike had questioned certain things about her involvement with the lab a few times before, but she couldn't really give him an answer. Besides, she didn't think it was all that important, since this was something she had been doing her whole life. Now though, El was starting to think that maybe she should start questioning it too.
What was Papa trying to do here? Why did he want her to do these things? Why did he want her to find people or far away places? What if doing all these things hurt her, just as Mike had mentioned? These things Papa often had her do were far more complicated than simply unlocking a door. Using a great deal of her power at once was scary to think about. And really, how safe could it be?
"Eleven, we're ready to begin." A man nearly identical to the one from before informed her, as he placed a small black and white photograph down on the table. "You know what to do."
Shaking away all the questions that had filled her mind, she nodded in understanding and her eyes shut. She began to slip away into the darkness, a darkness that Papa had officially labeled as 'the void.'
The void was unlike anything El had ever seen, it was like standing in a room with no beginning or end and it frightened her. She only ever visited the void while at the lab and it only became easier for her to do as the years passed. All she had to do now was close her eyes and focus hard enough, then she would be able to find anything, wherever it was out there in the world.
After a moment, El opened her eyes, now finding herself in that dark place she had been in so many times before. She slowly walked through the thin layer of water beneath her, before spotting a lone figure off in the distance.
"Eleven?" Papa's voice suddenly echoed around her. "Can you hear me?"
"Yes. I found him."
"Already? Excellent, what is he doing?"
El observed the man as she walked closer, noticing that his mouth was moving. The sound of his voice grew louder as the seconds passed, but she didn't know what any of the words meant. The way he was speaking sounded like nothing she had ever heard before.
"He's talking to someone... I can't understand what he's saying."
"That's okay, I'm not worried about what he's saying."
"What do I do, Papa?"
"I want you to try to kill him."
"What?" She breathed, truly shocked over the task that his stern voice had instructed her to do. They'd gone over everything that would take place today, but this was never mentioned to her, not once.
"Kill the man, Eleven. I know you can do it. Just snap his neck and the job will be done."
"No." El frantically shook her head, watching as the man now just a few feet away from her continued to have a conversation with someone she wasn't able to see.
"Do it."
"No!"
"Eleven..."
"No! I won't do it!" She screamed at the top of her lungs, bringing herself out of the void in an instant.
Her eyes shot open and she found herself looking directly at Papa. She made her refusal known once more with firm shake of her head, because there was absolutely no way she would kill someone. Really, she wasn't certain if she even could through the void. She'd never tried before and that wasn't changing anytime soon.
Papa looked furious, as she expected him to be, but he surprisingly didn't act on that anger. Instead, he took a moment to compose himself, huffing out a heavy breath before walking right out of the room.
El sat still, nervously awaiting what would happen next since she hadn't done what was asked of her, but they just continued on with the next task, as if nothing had happened. Papa's irritation with her didn't go anywhere though. She could sense those feelings throughout the day, with the forceful way he would grip her arm as they walked down the halls or the stern looks he would giver her every so often. He didn't say much to her either, only spatting instructions toward her when it was necessary.
She thought maybe he would have calmed down by the time they left for the day, but his cold behavior stuck around until dinner time.
The two were seated at the kitchen table, having been surrounded by silence for so long that El was beginning to feel even more uneasy. She wanted to say something, anything to put her even the slightest bit at ease, but she kept quiet, nervously moving the food on her plate around with her fork.
"Eat your peas, Eleanor." Papa demanded sharply, those being the first words spoken between them since they were at the lab.
"But you know I don't like peas, Papa?"
"Yes I know, and you know I don't like when you disobey me." He hissed, suddenly slamming his fists on the table.
El flinched as the table shook, the dishes rattling along with it. She had seen Papa get mad many times before, so this was nothing new... still a bit scary though.
"The way you behaved at the lab today was unacceptable. I told you exactly what to do and you were supposed to do it. Instead, you chose to act like a child. Do you know how that makes me look? Like a fool! So, I truly don't care what you like or dislike. Eat your damn peas."
Fearing what would happen if she didn't obey him, El ate her food, hoping to get through the rest of dinner without those mushy green peas coming back up. She wasn't sure what it was about them, but she had never liked those things.
One would think that since he had actually made dinner tonight, they could get away from what their frozen meals always entail. Sadly, even with the home cooked meal, he still made her those disgusting little peas.
"Eleanor?" Papa spoke after another few moments of heavy silence, thankfully seeming calmer now. "You're sunburnt. I didn't notice that before."
El's hands went to her face, suddenly remembering the redness that had tinted her cheeks. She noticed it this morning in the mirror and while she was well aware of what a sunburn was, she kind of expected it to go away by now. Clearly, that hadn't happened and now she had to think of something to say, because telling him that she went swimming in a lake with two boys, one being a boy that she really likes, wouldn't end very well.
"Well, I did do my reading by the window yesterday, so it must be from the sun coming in." She explained, the lie rolling off her tongue so easily, even she believed it.
Papa nodded his head slowly, thoroughly taking in her response before he spoke again. "And what were you reading?"
"The Great Gatsby."
"Ah, that's a good read. Have you finished?"
"No, not yet. I've only just started it."
"I'll be taking that away then, as your punishment for your behavior today." He informed her smugly, before standing from the table, signaling he was done with the conversation.
El frowned, looking as disappointed as she possibly could. His punishment didn't affect her one bit though, considering she wasn't even reading that book. Honestly, she hadn't been reading anything lately, Mike had been the one reading to her, but if she wanted to stay out of trouble, she knew she had to keep up the act.
"I'm truly sorry, Papa."
"You should be. Now, finish your dinner and then go get ready for bed, you won't be watching any television tonight either."
With a quick nod, El began shoveling in the rest of the food on her plate, her mind filling with thoughts of how grateful she was that he bought her lies. At least, she desperately hoped that he had.
Aside from what happened at the lab, things were going pretty great for her. She was so incredibly happy, constantly filled with such exhilarating feelings, feelings she had never felt in all her eighteen years of life.
She would hate more than anything for that happiness to be snatched away from her.