THE SCIENTISTS WERE PULLING BOXES OF ITEMS FROM THE WHEELER'S HOUSE. There were cars lined all down the road. Sar's stomach was churning just at the sight of them. Fear was running down her spine in a shiver. Her lips were dried and cracking.

Now that she knew Hopper and Joyce had figured out the secrets about Eleven, she'd told them everything About her, about the experiments, about all the way they were used in the Labs, all of it. There was no point in hiding it—and she needed allies. It seemed she'd told half the bloody town about her abilities. But now that that boy and his friend had seen Eleven, how long until the scientists found out? Not very bloody long, apparently. "I— I should be out there, with Eleven," Sar said. Her body was resting against the open car door as Nancy looked down at the scene below with binoculars. "She needs me." She felt like she might throw up as she watched the scientists below the hill rise. God, they were right there. She couldn't help her fingers digging into the car window as they hooked around the top of the door.

Hopper turned towards her. She hated how much she felt like she should know him. "A girl with psychic abilities needs your help?"

"We're... we're family," she said after a hovering moment. "And family— doesn't leave the other behind." Her voice choked up during the middle of that sentence. "I've already done it once before."

"Look kid, we'll find them." The chief was turned towards her, nodding. It didn't stop her from swallowing deeply, blinking slowly as she watched the scene. She exhaled a long breath through her lips.

Nancy pulled the binoculars away from her eyes. "I need to go down there."

"What?" Hopper and Sar said in unison.

"My mom... my dad are down there." She was shaking her head. "I have to go home." Nancy marched down towards the scene.

Hopper lurched forward to take hold of her wrist. "No, no. Hey."

"Let me go!" Nance exclaimed.

Hopper held firmly onto her arm. "The last thing in the world we need is them knowing you're mixed up in all of this."

"Mike, is over there—"

"They haven't found him." He pointed up at the sky, where a helicopter was circling the woods. "Not yet at least."

Nancy was blinking at the aircraft. "For Mike?" she exclaimed.

"For all of them," Sar said. She took another step back and clung onto the side of the car, staring over the hill rise. She was aware of both Jonathan and Joyce staring at her. She was afraid, there was no denying that. In fact, she was terrified. She was standing metres away from the people who'd taken her away as a child, locked her up, experimented on her as if she was some kind of lab rat for their own entertainment. They'd tried to make her into this... monster.

She'd been hiding from them for years, and now, God, she was about to face them. It was the one thing she feared most in the world, being back there. Sweat beaded on her forehead as her tongue darted out to wet her dry lips. Her hands were shaking. Nancy slid into the back seat and Hopper turned to Sar, "We're going after them, kid. We'll be fine, and the kids will be fine. And if we manage to catch up to those scientists—"

That seemed to wake her up. She stepped forward, looking into the front seats. "You don't understand." She was looking at the two adults with a sudden anger in her eyes. "You don't know what those people do to others. You don't..." goosebumps rose on her skin, "know what they are willing to do. If they find them... if they find Eleven or if they find me they will never let us go. Do you understand?" Her fingers curled around the top of the door frame so hard that her knuckles blazed white. "And I am not going back there." She stared them down. Sar forced a swallow. "So we need to find them before they do."

Hopper seemed to consider this, and Sar hated how she felt all of their eyes on her. Nancy and Jonathan were exchanging glances, as if they were worried she might break. Sar wanted to shoot them a glare but didn't dare let herself. Hopper nodded slowly. "Then let's go."

Sar walked around and slid into the seat behind Nancy. The girl's shoulder was comforting against her own, and it made her calm down slightly. She just wanted to lie down, and go to sleep against Nancy. She didn't want any of this to be real. She wanted to go back to her room in Chicago, with the glow-in-the-dark stars on the ceiling and the yellow wallpaper. Everything that reminded her of the person who she loved most. Why did she have to be here, with those scientists metres away? Why did this have to be real? But she couldn't stop thinking of the scientists who were just over that hill. They'd taken her life away.

The thought made both her blood boil and dread rise in her throat. It threatened to choke her—with tears or anger, she didn't know. She focused on her fingernails digging into the skin of her knees, and of the pain it brought. She'd opted for a skirt today. Perhaps not the most practical option, but it was yellow. How much she loved the colour yellow. Yellow was the colour of sunflowers and stars, canaries and sunrays. Of autumn leaves and night moths and hope, Lune had told her. Lune loved yellow.

Sar tucked the seatbelt over her. Hopper turned around in his seat. "Do you have any idea where he might have gone?" He was looking at Nancy.

She looked surprised at the question. She was shaking her head. "No— I don't—"

"I can find them," Sar cut in. She looked between the group. "I can do it."

•°•☆•°•

"HAVE I EVER TOLD YOU ABOUT HOW I LOVE THE COLOUR YELLOW, LITTLE BIRD?" Lune was sitting on the ground, legs crossed. Sar was in her lap with her back pressed to the older girl's chest. She was playing loosely with Lune's fingers.

They got little time together anymore. Lune was busy getting intel on the Russians, or dreamwalking for the scientists. And Sar was being forced to enter the minds of mice, or dogs, or birds. They hurt her a lot. She got headaches, and bruises, and nosebleeds and ear-bleeds. Being another thing messed her brain up enough anyway. But it was so hard on her tiny body. It had gotten so bad one time that blood had even come out from under her fingernails. She'd been in medical a week after that, and in quarantine. No one else could quite do what she did.

Sar's fingers tapped along her bare foot. "No, yuck. Why yellow? It's so bright and ugh."

"It's the colour of happiness," Lune reasoned with her. "Of hope. I bet stars are yellow, up close. We could touch all the stars if only we tried." She adjusted the little girl's position on her lap. "And it's the colour of flowers, and of the sun."

"We never get to see the sun." Sar was tilting back so her shaved head was resting against Lune's cheek. "I want to see the sun."

"We will someday. The more advanced children get moved into rooms with windows. Then you could see the sun, even through the barred windows."

Sar was pulling a face. "Yeah, but it's not the same. I want to be outside." She had her eyes turned up to the white roof, gazing at the harsh LED light. If she squinted hard enough, it almost, kind of looked like the sun. Sar turned her head back to look Lune in the eye. "Do you understand?" she asked carefully, as if Lune would think it was odd.

Lune put her arms around Sar, resting her head on the young girl's shoulder. "I understand," she assured. "I understand perfectly." Sar smiled at that. Lune carefully spun Sar around, so they were facing each other. Her hand came to rest caringly on Sar's head. "And you want me to tell you a secret?" she said in a hushed voice, as if there was anyone around to hear. The shitty cameras could only pick up the slightest sound. Lune leaned forward to whisper in Sar's ear as the girl nodded slowly. "We're going to get out of here, someday soon. I promised you that, Little Bird."

•°•☆•°•

Sorry about another short chapter. Next one will be longer!

OK but I'm all for strong, awesome Nancy and Sar BFFs. I'm honestly loving it. Also this chapter just gave me the feels with everything about Sar. Anyway, thanks for reading! Appreciate all of you so much!!