*Montauk, New York was the site of suspicious experimentation shortly after World War two. It is now a park and campground. Has an awesome light house. Look it up. Pretty cool I think.

***

Nineteen's eyes fluttered open with Papa staring down at her, the easy half smile on his face. "Nineteen?" he said. "Welcome back."

Puzzled, she couldn't figure out what he was doing there. "You came back," she said, feeling groggy.

"Of course I did Nineteen. Did you think I abandoned you?"

"I wondered." By now Nineteen was also wondering about something else. How could she understand Papa if she were deaf? "I can hear you," she said, slowly. "How?"

"We corrected the defect." 

"That implies there was something wrong with me."

"You did not think so?"

"No. Why would I?"

"Nevertheless, you can hear."

"Where am I?"

"A safe location."

"Another lab?"

"No more questions. Rest is what you need." Papa walked toward the door, he paused, his hand on the door knob. "Good to have you back Nineteen."

Days passed before Nineteen saw Papa again. She was escorted through metallic dusty tunnels, dirt drifted down from above suggesting an underground location. she was no longer in Hawkins. Montauk? Maybe. If she wanted to hide someone, it would be here.

The testing room contained the usual two seats and a table. Nothing new there. Papa sat on one side of the table, she on the other. He had a set of flashcards. "Close your eyes."

"Why?"

"Just, close them." He smiled his winning smile, but Nineteen didn't trust him. He'd left her behind.

"Only if you tell why you left without me."

"I couldn't take you with me. There was no time."

"You forgot about me."

"That is not true."

"You did," Nineteen insisted. She couldn't understand why she pressed the point but his answer wasn't satisfactory enough for her. "You thought I was dead didn't you?"

He didn't answer her. Instead, he held up the cards. "Close your eyes."

"No." Nineteen turned around and faced the wall.

Papa sighed and left the room. He returned shortly with two white suited guards. "Nineteen, you will cooperate. Or I will put you in lock down."

"You can't tell me what to do."

Papa knelt down before her. "You are angry at me."

"I don't remember you."

"I am sorry. You are right. I should have taken you with me. Do you forgive me?"

Nineteen nodded, softened by his apology. "Yes, Papa."

"Now, shall we try again?"

Nineteen sat down and closed her eyes.

"Can you tell me what it is on this card?"

Nineteen tried but her mind stayed blank. Instead she saw the files of the Upside Down. Of One. Of the dead bodies lying on the floor. The camera had recorded it all. Papa might not know that but then again, he might. She'd left the computer on.

She could ask but decided against it. He might be angry at what she found out. Might be testing her, see how much she really knew. "I can't. I'm sorry."

He went through the entire stack. She guessed four out of thirty. "I'm sorry, I don't know them."

"That is perfectly fine. We are done for the day. How would you like some donuts?"

"Donuts? What are those?"

"Come with me and find out." He led her to a small room with several tables and chairs. He set them before her and said, "Help yourself."

Nineteen took one, frosted with chocolate and bit into it. The sweet taste and light dough filled her mouth with a sensation akin to seeing a sunrise for the first time. Only it was in her mouth. She recalled the sunrise that she saw outside of the cabin. The myriad colors of pinks, purples and oranges had awed her. "This is good. Thank you."

"You are welcome Nineteen."

She swallowed the rest of the donut, washing it down with milk. "What's my real name?" 

The innocent question startled Papa. She had learned about Terry Ives, Eleven's Mama. She now knew Eleven's real name to be Jane. Papa's jaw tightened at the question struggling to retain his anger. "Why would you ask such a question?"

Nineteen backpedaled. "Everyone has a name don't they? You have a name, other than Papa."

His face relaxed into a half smile. "Yes, I do. I'm sorry but your real name is Nineteen. You belong to me."

"Why a number?"

Papa thrust the chair. "No more questions. If you like, I can have someone bring you some books to read or crayons and paper to draw with."

"Okay. Thank you."

"You must return to your room now. I have some work to do."

Weeks then months went by without Nineteen seeing Papa. She continued to be tested by the scientists he had employed. They said little to her, following their boss' instructions not to engage with her. Nineteen did not know this right away but bits and pieces of conversations came her way and she figured it out.

She continued to listen, hoping to glean more information about her location. If she knew for sure, she could make a plan of escape. And where? Back to the Hawkins Labs? She didn't even know the state she had come from let alone the state she resided in now. For now, she just listened and obeyed the instructions given to her.

One day, some weeks later, she was taken to a room with padded walls, wooden flooring and ceiling. She was left there for hours or so it seemed. Bored with waiting, she tried finding a way out. 

She ripped at the padding finding solid wooden walls. The door was wooden as well. Why go through all this effort to lock her in? Wasn't she supposed to be training to enhance her powers? This room did the opposite of that. It dampened her powers. Without metal to touch she couldn't generate the electricity.

But then she remembered the times when her powers were activated by sensing something sinister was near. She closed her eyes and concentrated on bringing up the electricity into her hands. 

Nothing. Not a single spark. Frustrated, she sat down. Danger lurked in Hawkins right now and she couldn't do anything to help her newfound sister Eleven. Papa had removed her from the fight. She should have never gone back to Hawkins Lab, she wouldn't be here right now.

A mistake she might live to regret for the rest of her life, however long or short Papa deemed it to be. The information from the computer flashed into her mind, she'd gleaned way more than anyone expected her to. She sifted through it now realizing that at the core of everything, it was all Papa's fault. If he hadn't taken in One, he wouldn't be Vecna now. 

And he had abandoned her. Why? What was so important that he would leave her behind? She still couldn't summon any conscious memories of her own. They were locked in her brain. The only knowledge of her past life was from the tapes and the files. Whenever Nineteen tried to access her own memories, she hit a mental wall. If she pushed too hard, she got a headache.

Anger built up inside, she kept repeating, "All Papa's fault." Her fists clenched as anger turned into rage. He was at the heart of all their problems. He took them as babies from their mothers, forced them to live an abnormal existence, forced them to call him Papa and for what? Power? Money? Fame? None of it made any sense. All he had ended up with was dead children, their blood on his hands.

Her thoughts whirled madly, anger rising, pushing past rage to fury. As her emotions escalated, she failed to notice the electricity in her hands. When she made a fist, it too increased in voltage. She slammed her fist on the wooden floor, it cracked, split, then made a human sized hole.

She jumped inside not knowing where she would land. It turned out to be a crawlspace running parallel to the underground lab. If she kept going, she should find a way out. She crawled for miles underground looking for an exit.

Her hands and knees dug into muddy dirt, the earthy scent filling her nose. At times it was quite squishy and she shut her mind to what else might be down here. She had no map, no way of knowing which direction would take her to the surface. She persisted, determined to get out.

It was dark in the tunnel, no light to see by, she had to go entirely by feel. Time passed. According to the countdown in her mind, she'd been crawling for ten minutes, hardly enough time. Nineteen pressed on, continuing to count the seconds until they became an hour. Was there no end to this place?

The space above her head gradually became higher, the tunnel itself widened. Encouraged, she kept going. Soon, she was able to stand on her feet and run. It must mean she was reaching the end of the tunnel, there had to be no other reason. Light permeated the darkness and her hopes rose. 

She ended up at a grate. Beyond that was the woods, dark due to night. The light had been the light of a full moon. She touched the grate. Metal. Good. Closing her eyes, she channeled all her energy into the grate. It grew red hot then exploded, flying toward the nearest tree setting it on fire. Nineteen ignored it and took off.

By the light of the moon, she made good time but she still had no sense of direction. She didn't know which was west. She kept running, looking over her shoulder once in a while but no one followed her. No one came after her. She'd been abandoned once again.

She went fast sapping her energy too fast but she wanted to put as much distance between the lab and herself. finally, she stopped in her tracks, exhausted, quite out of breath. She rested against a tree, energy spent. She needed nourishment to continue.

She heard a rushing, crashing sound and got up once more. It could mean water. Her mouth dry, she licked her cracked, sore lips and headed toward the sound. The ground sloped down, becoming so steep that she had to dig her heels to keep from slipping. She ended up at the bottom of a very steep bank. Water rushed by in a very strong river.

She dipped her hands into it, washing them first before taking a drink. She quenched her thirst then sat back, content. She curled up and went to sleep by the river, waking up at intervals through the night to drink more water. Her time alone in the Hawkins Lab had prepared her for hunger and thirst. She'd learned to survive on very little sustenance.

In the early morning hours, she walked along the river following it downstream. She found some bushes with berries on them. She tested them first, tasting one. A mixture of sweet and sour. She ate as much as she could and then took some to eat along on her journey. Further, downstream, she found hazelnuts and ate them as well, alternating between drinking the water and eating.

Eventually, the woods ended and she stood before a dirt road. Across the road was a cornfield. The corn was ripe so she stepped across the road and ate some raw. The kernels burst into her mouth with sweet juice. She ate till full then rested in the cornfield, the tall stalks providing shade and cover from anyone who might be trying to find her.

When night came, she got up, ate more corn then walked in between the stalks to another road. A truck came rushing past, headlights bearing down on her, she jumped back into the corn then peeked at the truck as it roared past. The plate on the back read New York. It meant nothing to her. 

She went right instead of left and presently found herself near a farmhouse. The lights were on and the scent of barbecued meat made her stomach growl. She cautiously approached the farmhouse hiding in the shadows. A barbecue stood outside, hamburgers cooking on the grill. Nineteen didn't hesitate, she took one, the cooked meat burning her hands but she was too hungry to care. A hand closed on her hand, a gruff voice spoke. "What are you doing here?"