She returned to the room with the metal wheel and light bulbs. She now had an inkling behind its purpose. At first, she only could turn on the light bulbs solely by touch. Gradually, as she practiced, she was able to do it remotely.

She stepped away from the wheel a few centimeters at a time, testing her range. The more she practiced, the more sparks wove from her fingers. The one side effect to all this practice was the energy drain in her body.

It meant, crackers alone were not enough. The juice helped, supplying sugar and salt but the small boxes yielded very little juice. Soon, it was gone and Nineteen was left feeling hungry and thirsty again. Determined not to let the hunger go too far, she went back to the stairwell with the idea of using her newfound powers to get the locked doors to function.

It worked on the first try. Level nine held offices, a library and conference room. Level eight contained more hospital beds, surgical equipment, medicines of all types. It even contained a break room with vending machines. She eyed the food contained within.

With her palm on the vending machine, a short zap, and the machine showed credits up to one hundred dollars. She had plenty of credits to choose as much as she wanted. She took some chips, cookies and a can of soda to start. The added calories and carbohydrates did the trick, restoring her energy to full strength.

The soda had the effect of making her feel jittery. Hyper, she raced down the stairs eager to see the other closed off levels. Level seven was nothing more than empty rooms filled with dust. Level six was dark. No matter how much of her own power she tried to infuse into it, the lights simply wouldn't turn on. She decided to enter anyway.

A peculiar odor assaulted her nose. Sweet decay of death. Someone or something had died on this level. No amount of cleaning products masked the odor effectively.

Compelled to explore despite the lingering odor, she went halfway, stomach tightening with each step. Dread filled her, heightening her senses attuned to every sound, every brush of dust on the walls. She trembled, legs weak, stomach churning.

In the half light of a single fluorescent bulb, she swore what she thought to be were bits of paper floating. The further she traversed down the hallway, the thicker the paper bits became. They swirled around her, danced even. If it weren't for fear gripping her, she would have had fun with the bits of paper.

She reached out, touching one, only to discover it was not paper at all but something else. It clung to her fingers, molded to the tips as if alive. She shook her hand, attempting to dislodge them. The tiny flakes held fast.

She pulled at the sticky flake like substance with her other hand. It would not come off. It clung like the grime on the walls, had the odor of death that hung in the air. It permeated all around her, clinging now to her head and skin.

Why had she come down this way? She hadn't listened to her instincts, ignored them really, ventured into an unsafe level. Was this substance the cause of death? Had it been conjured up in a lab and dispensed accidentally? If so, she was in great danger.

Nineteen swiftly turned around and clamored back up to the safer levels, stomach churning. The food and soda clambered up her esophagus and burned her throat on the way out.

Coughing, she reached in the middle of the hallway. Feeling sick, she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. She sought the bathroom before more could appear head meeting toilet on her way into the stall.

It had taken so little for her to get sick. Proof, the substance was indeed deadly She imagined to be dying now, not realizing that such rich food on empty stomach might be the culprit.

A hot shower helped a little. She scrubbed the sticky substance off, opting to leave the gown on the floor in search of another. Naked, she roamed back to her room and found, to her surprise a sweatshirt and pants. She could've sworn they hadn't been there when she left her room this morning.

"Hello?" She said, voice quavering.

Puzzled, she put on the clothing, feeling warmer. Nineteen stuck her head out into the hallway. She checked left then right. No one in sight. Not possible that she should have missed the clothing. Someone must be here. She shivered from both fear and excitement. It meant she was not alone. But was the unknown person an enemy or friend? She didn't know.

She wandered into the rainbow room's doors and cautiously peeked inside. Everything was as she left it. She had put away anything she touched or played with before seeking out the other levels.

Carefully, she explored the room, comforting herself with the knowledge she was truly alone. A comfort and a fear at the same time. She wanted company, craved it but after the level of which she smelled death, she wasn't too keen on meeting anyone else.

Odd how her mind worked, her emotions shifted the patterns of thought so swiftly. She came to the chess game walked past it, halted, feet planted on the colors green and blue on the floor.

Something was out of place. Turning around, she studied the chess game again. She had sworn to have put all the pieces back into their proper positions. But one piece was out, the black pawn.

On impulse, she took the white pawn and set it in front of the black one. Shock crashed through her when a seemingly invisible hand moved another black pawn. She stumbled backward, a guttural scream erupted from her mouth and crashed into the low table with the metal balls.

A cut from the sharp edge opened in the back of her calf muscle. Blood flowed freely marring the white floor with red. She clasped the cut with her hand. Power flowed freely into her leg, a zap of electric warmth that jolted her insides. The wound healed, muscle and skin knitting back together with astonishing rapidity.

Another power? Both separate or one and the same? She hobbled out of the rainbow room, leg sore from contact with the table. In the bathroom, she noted the pant leg was torn but her leg was not. Gazing at herself in the mirror, she gasped.

Her eyes, a brilliant green, like emeralds were even now fading to a lighter shade. "What is going on here?"

First the chess pieces and now this. Terribly afraid, she went back to the room with the vending machines, took some water and snacks. She stopped in her room long enough to retrieve her blanket then took the stairs to the room with all the machines.

She needed to know what was on those tapes. The ones with the number Nineteen on them. As this room had locks, she barricaded herself inside. After an hour of fiddling with the machines, she finally figured out that the one with the wide slot was a receptacle for the tapes.

Starting with the first one, she applied enough power to get it working and settled onto the chair to watch. The picture, grainy at first then evened out. Everything was in black and white making the walls, floors and even the kid on tape appear monotone. Washed out.

On the monitor, the small room was empty at first then a kid of maybe eight years of age walked in. Nineteen squinted, trying to determine the gender, but it was difficult as the kid's hair was cut like hers.

He or she sat in the lone chair. An orderly, dressed in white, placed three rubber balls on the floor each one equidistant from the other. Another one placed a cap of wires on the kid's head then nodded to someone off screen. The man with white hair wore a gray suit and polished black shoes. He looked to belong in a high powered business meeting not in a building like this.

He whispered some instructions to the kid who nodded. The man stepped away and the kid focused on the three rubber balls. Soon, the one on the right lifted in the air, the one on the left did the same. With brow furrowed the kid concentrated on getting the third ball up with its companions. It took some time but the kid got it to levitate for a fraction of a second before all three tumbled to the floor.

The kid turned and faced the camera. He or she got close to it, then pointed directly at the camera, electricity shooting out. It spread through the monitors shutting them down momentarily.  Nineteen jumped out of her seat, gasping loudly. What just happened? How could a kid being videotaped even do that? 

The date on the tape, suggested months or even years ago when it was filmed. The monitors came back to life when she touched them. But she hesitated in putting another tape in. They were her only company in such a vast empty place full of creepy rooms and scary shadows. The sticky substance for starters. The chess piece that had been moved all suggested she was not alone.

But how could she leave? There was nowhere to go. Decision made, she slipped in another tape and watched it. This one began with a knock on the door of the number Nineteen. Finally! She settled in to watch, eagerly looking for the kid to come out. 

It was the same kid who had zapped the consoles. The camera lingered on the number nineteen as if telling her something. Was she really Nineteen, the kid on the screen? If so, much time had passed since she had woken up. And there were only ten tapes as opposed to the hundreds focused on the kids.

She observed what she believed to be herself, carefully. The nineteen on screen had a darker skin tone much like hers. Not black and not white either. A warm brown. The kid's nose and mouth were similar too. Also the knobby elbows and knees. And a slender neck. Everything suggested to the Nineteen watching that she and the kid on the screen were one and the same.

Plus, there was the spark of electricity. Something she had recently learned she could do. But what about the freaky moment when her younger self pointed at the camera and caused the monitors in her very presence to blink out? Ghosts. There are ghosts in this building.

*

No quote from me.

This time it is your turn. I want you to tell me what your favorite scene in Stranger Things.

Watch out for the next chapter. Joyce and Hopper make an appearance.