ᵖᵃʳᵗ ¹⁶ - ᴛʜᴇ sᴜɴ ᴡɪʟʟ ʙᴇ sʜɪɴɪɴɢ
❛ ɪ ᴅᴏɴ'ᴛ ᴋɴᴏᴡ ᴡʜᴇʀᴇ ᴍʏ ʜᴏᴍᴇ ɪs... ❜
'Welcome to Illinois'
The sign sounded mocking, Ven didn't like this. They had just made it to where they were supposed to, wherever that was.
He had seen the sign a while ago, the words caught up in his head as he stared at the sky.
The stars were gone now, they had made it to the city where the pollution and light hid them away, his heart saddened by it.
He and El made it off the bus, her eyes drowned with wonder as she scanned the crowd of people bustling and the flashing lights and the tall buildings.
His eyes were sad and longing, he was on guard, feeling danger all around him, his headphones snugly on his ears blasting music since there were too many people for his liking.
His hand was clutched in El's as she dragged him along, making sure neither got lost from the other.
Eleven became more comfortable in her surroundings which Seven was the polar opposite.
The two grunted when a man dressed in a fancy suit knocked into them making the man give them a dirty look "Watch it."
El stared at the mans retreating figure, grumbling. "Mouthbreather."
The two walked for a few minutes, the sparkly lights and tall buildings becoming abandoned ones and loud factories.
It was quiet though, which gave Ven enough time to take off his headphones and rest his brain from constant lyrics and melodies invading.
It was only them walking around, so though they were the only ones it still made him weary. The only sound being the hissing of pipes, the squeaking of animals--mainly rats-- and their footsteps on the oily streets.
The boy wanted to stop when he heard thoughts and actual voices but El just led him towards an alley, where the sounds were coming from.
When they began walking through the alley, it was filled with homeless people who didn't look at them, then there were the people handing bags of stuff to others who glared at the kids.
Ven tugged El towards him, sighing in relief when their thoughts left his head and they made it out letting go of the girl.
They continued on El's path, the boy feeling tired of walking though he didn't say anything.
El stopped, looking ahead making Ven follow her sight, seeing the large abandoned factory, covered in graffiti.
Ven gave a disapproving look at his sister though she rolled her eyes and grabbed his hand, making him run with her.
She slowly opened the door, leading them into the lowly lit building.
It was dark when they entered though they could see the flickering of orange in the distance.
El being El, walked towards the light, Ven behind her after brief hesitance.
Mumbling and loud joyous laughs echoed as they entered the room, seeing a group of people around a large metal can with a fire inside of it.
"Hello?" El called out.
Ven furrowed his brows, staring at her like she was crazy, his mind cursing at her, though he focused on blocking out their thoughts.
"Well, well...What do we have here?" A taunting voice of a man with a large mohawk said, coming close to the kids, squinting at them with anger.
"And what is she wearing?" The girl with the big bow in her hair looked at El's outfit in disgust.
Like you could do better with that ugly ass bow, Ven scowled.
"We're looking for our sister," Eleven stated, ignoring the comment about her overalls and flannel.
Seven scrunched his face at the mention of the mysterious girl, wanting to correct El though he knew it wasn't the time.
"Aw... Shirley Temple lost her sister. So sad." the mohawk dude, said making a mocking pout.
"I saw her. Here." The girl goes to take out the picture from her bag her hand already in but was stopped by a large man.
"Uh-uh. Hand out of pocket. Slow."
The siblings fought the urge to roll their eyes, El slowly taking her hand out, clutching the picture.
Seven glared as it was snatched out of Eleven's hands, looking at the guy with the mohawk who stared at the paper with astonished eyes.
"Is that Kali?" The person with the afro took the picture looking at it with furrowed brows.
"Kali?" Ven voiced for the first time, looking at them confused.
"How'd you find us? Who else knows you're here?" mohawk man snarled, glaring at the two though Ven just glared back.
"No one." Ven nudged El behind him.
"So what then? Poof! You just show up like magic with that picture?"
"Stay calm, they're just kids." The person with the afro demanded.
They seem like the only likable person here, Ven thought.
"A kid who could get us killed" Mohawk exclaimed.
"Bound to happen by the way you act." Seven said before he could process it.
The man stepped closer to Ven making El pull him back as the man pulled out a switchblade, aiming it at Ven.
All the adults began shouting at the man to put the knife down.
"Axel put it down!"
'Axel' looked down at his hand with fear in his eyes making Ven furrow his brows, spiders flashing in the boy's vision, crawling up Axel's arm.
Seven exited Axel's head, biting his lip to stop his laugh as Axel began screaming and shaking, trying to get the imaginary spiders off of him.
"You're a terrible dancer, Axel." a voice commented, making all the people look up towards the staircase.
A girl with darker skin and long black but puffy hair, and brown eyes with black smudged around them was seen, a smug smirk on her face.
"I told you! Stay out of my head!" Axel yelled.
This is her, Ven thought, his eyes connecting with 'Kali'.
"So we're threatening children now, are we?" She asked, walking down the stairs and stood close to the group.
"They know about you."
"The girl had this." the girl with the bow said while handing Kali the picture of her younger self.
"Where'd you get this?" Kali question, hostility in her voice.
Seven rolled his eyes, placing his headphones back on his ears, listening to a random song he didn't bother paying attention to.
The boy watched as Axel went to grab the fallen knife that lied on the ground but before the man could reach it, El used her powers making the knife fly into her hand, making Axel shout by the vein in his neck popping out.
"I saw you, in the rainbow room," El said, closing the switchblade and handing it over to Kali who watched with a raised brow.
Kali gazed at the girl, with a smirk. "What is your name?"
"Jane." El swallowed thickly.
Kali slowly grabbed the girl's wrist, El let the girl pull her sleeve up revealing her '011' tattoo.
Kali lifted her wrist letting the girl lift her sleeve revealing her '008' one.
The two gazed into the eyes of each other, sharing a small smile before Kali's vision trailed towards the boy El came with.
"What about him?"
Eleven followed her line of sight, a grin falling on her face as she sees Seven scowling at Axel with his arms crossed and his headphones on his ears.
"My brother, Oli. Seven."
──
The next day arrived, slower than what Ven wanted but whatever, he just wanted to avoid these people and stick to himself.
But he couldn't because Kali wanted to introduce everyone to each other, formally.
El was walking alongside Kali, with Ven behind them. Kali could sense that the boy didn't trust her yet, but she remembered him, she knew what he was like or at least how he was.
"We need more money, Kal. I can't keep eating this garbage." Axel said, throwing a box of food away as the three walk into the room.
"This is Axel. You've become very acquainted with him haven't you." Kali smirked in amusement, reminding Ven of how Axel pulled a knife out on him.
"The spider hater?" Eleven tried to confirm while Kali nodded.
Kali's friends laugh at the jab while Axel scowled, glaring at Ven when he snorted.
"This is Dottie, our newest. Like you, she just left home." Kali motioned to the girl with the big bow, sitting at a table with two others.
"You mean from the loony bin," Axel commented.
"Mick, our eyes, our protector." Kali continued, ignoring the side comments from Axel as she nudged El forward.
Mick, the person with the afro, looked up from writing at the sound of their name, their eyes connecting with Ven's the two sharing a tight smile.
"That's Funshine, our warrior," Kali stated, pointing to the large, dark-skinned man.
Funshine walked towards them, looking El up and down as she fiercely glared at him, just as Kali whispered, though everyone could hear.
"Don't let his size frighten you, he is a teddy bear."
"Nice to meet you, Miss Jane." Funshine smiled, putting his hand out for a handshake.
El took his hand slowly, turning it to see his wrist with curious eyes.
"If you're looking for a number, you won't find one," Kali stated, sitting down in the empty chair around the table, kicking her boot-clad feet onto the table, picking at the black nail polish on her fingers.
"They're not like us." El furrowed her brows.
"No, not in that way. But like us, they're outcasts." Kali looked at her group fondly while turning back to the girl.
Ven rolled his eyes, walking away from the group, going up to the roof where Kali and El talked last night.
The boy sat on the cushion that was on the ground, looking up at the sunny sky, blue and full of clouds.
He didn't know how long he was there, admiring the blue sky, music playing in his ears, an unknown feeling in his chest.
For you, there'll be no more crying
Seven squinted his eyes when he saw El and Kali's group minus one outside near an abandoned train cart.
For you, the sun will be shining. And I feel that when I'm with you.
He shook his head not thinking of it, turning back to the blue sky until it was nighttime.
It's alright, I know it's right. To you, I'll give the world.
Surely the group would be too busy with El to notice, he didn't care though --he'd like to think-- he wants to be by himself.
To you, I'll never be cold. 'Cause I feel that when I'm with you.
He pulled his headphones off, growing uncomfortable with the song playing, though didn't bother to change it.
"You alright, kid?"
Seven looked over his shoulder to see Mick walking towards him.
He watched as they sat down next to him, their legs dangling off the building as they too stared at the sky.
"You okay?"
He snapped out of his thoughts, looking at Mick who was staring with concern somewhere deep in their eyes.
"Y-yeah."
"You don't like it here, do you?" They questioned.
"Not really," Ven answered shortly.
"No, I get it. Even though I ran away I still get homesick sometimes."
Seven's eyes scanned Mick's face though they didn't meet the boy's eyes, just staring ahead. "Homesick?"
"Miss your home?"
Ven took a deep breath turning away to look at his cassette player. "I don't know where my home is...but I know it's not here."
Mick scrunched their face, "Really? So you don't live somewhere, or feel safe with anyone other than Jane?"
Jane...Seven didn't feel comfortable with saying her name, she was Eleven, El, Ellie... not Jane.
He thought of Mick's words.
He never really felt safe, he was always on guard, waiting for something to happen. Even living in the cabin, though no one found them, he still didn't feel safe. He never felt safe anywhere.
Thinking on it, he felt safe when Hopper found them that night in the snow, and that night he read El and Ven to sleep as they slept on the same bed cause it was their first night in a warm place in a while.
He felt safe all those times Mike and Dustin, and Lucas 'protected' them or helped.
He felt safe when Nancy was worried about him after the upside-down.
He felt safe...when Lucas held his hand as the badmen were after them.
"Ahh, you found something." Mick teased, nudging the boy with their elbow.
"I want to go back."
"Why don't you?"
Seven looked out towards the group on the ground, the train cart closer to them while the group cheered, though Mick and he missed it.
"She likes it here."
Mick sighed, biting the inside of their cheek before scrambling up. "Well, until you figure that out, I have to go do something for Kali."
Ven nodded, watching them walk inside before he sighed and continued his admiration for the sky.
──
authors note|
omg for once I don't have writers block, lol.
hope you guys are good, I am at least. I wish my room had a heater cuz I sleep by the window and I always freezing my ass off lol.
i love you all.