( tw. mentions of suicide )

THEY'D HELD ONTO EACH OTHER FOR A LONG TIME AFTER THAT, SARA'S EYES SQUEEZED CLOSED AGAINST HER FATHER'S SHOULDER. She was shuddering. When they parted she had long tear streaks down her face. She wiped them away, quickly, shaking her head so her blonde hair tumbled over her shoulders. The rims of her eyes were bright pink.

Her father looked similar. His eyes were bloodshot, a hand sweeping over his mouth as he tried to compose himself. Hopper's shoulders were shaking slightly. Then he placed a hand on her face. "But... Sar. How are you alive?" His voice hovered on each word, as if he was afraid it was all a lie. "I saw you die. We all saw you die. The doctors... the nurses. Everyone."

Sar brought her fingers up to rest beneath her chin. "They had a kid to erase memories — for a little while anyway." That forlorn look appeared on her face again. "She would have done this. Helped to cover up our takings for them. She made us forget our pasts so we could be conditioned easier." Sar was shrugging her shoulders, lips pursed. "It was fucked up... but it had benefits for her. She didn't give a crap about us," she exhaled, almost bordering a soft laugh. "She was the only kid like that, though. The ones who weren't... we looked out for each other." Sar was smiling. "Like a little family. One by one, I lost virtually all of them." There were a few hidden tears now. "But now I have you." She was smiling at him, eyebrows furrowed in happiness. "Where's Mama?"

Hopper fell silent. In fact, everyone in the room did, stopping even their breaths from breaking through their lips. Nancy and Jonathan had walked back in just in time to witness the scene in front of them, eyebrows lowered. Hopper seemed to hover over his words for a moment, his daughter looking into his eyes. Then he dragged his gaze towards his clasped hands. "She, uh... She killed herself, kid."

The silence was devastating as a chill of ice ran down her spine. She dropped her eyes. "Are you sure?" she asked after a moment. Her voice was laced with a vulnerability they'd never heard before.

"I'm... I'm sure, kid. Unless... it was like... like yours. But..." The pain was easy to read across his expression. He pulled his hands up to cover his face as he exhaled. "She just went crazy. She insisted people had taken her child. If only I'd listened to her. But we saw you die, we all saw you die." He squeezed his eyes closed for a moment. "Then she became... so depressed. She ran away from home one day. We found her in a ditch later that night; a few empty bottles of pills, a bunch of baby photos of you next to her." Sar looked away at this, face crumpling. "She was a strong woman. But she couldn't take losing you." His hands came to rest around her shoulders. She didn't give him a smile at the action, instead eyes gazing off at the wall to their side. Her eyebrows were stitched together in that signature 'I'm thinking' look.

"Are you sure," Sar repeated slowly, eyes dragging up to meet his, "that she killed herself and it wasn't one of those scientists?" Hopper pulled his hands away at this in thought, the crease in his brows now hinted with a tad of furiosity, as if just now remembering what those people had done to his daughter — and now possibly his wife. "How was she the only one who knew?" Sar continued. "There was you, and everyone else in the town. How was she the only one who knew I had been taken?" She looked back down in thought. "Maybe she was like me. Maybe, because she wasn't a child who didn't understand her powers, she managed to resist the... memory tampering. She came after me. And they came after her."

Her father just looked angry. Vengeful, even, if that was possible. His hand were clenched beside his chair. She reached out and took one in her own. He gave her a look with upset eyes and cleared his throat. "Tell me more about this memory erasing thing. With that kid..."

Sar pulled her lips in and lay her cold hands in her lap. "Her name was Three. She was older than me. She had an affinity for forcing memories into people's heads, almost bordering into my abilities. They'd broken her so much she was basically their pet. She would have done this to everyone. Me, you, everyone who knew us... Four never remembered anything... nor Five, nor Seven... Three was too strong for any of us."

"She didn't last long." Her words trailed off bitterly. "They had to be more careful after that. Resorted to stealing newborn baby's from their drugged-up mother's arms. Many children came into the Rainbow Room, and then left just as quickly. Nine, Ten, Eleven, Twelve... A lot of children died. And a lot of mothers too."

He rubbed his hand across her cheek. "Well, you're safe now, kid. You're home." Home. It was such a delightful word. She'd never had a home, not really. And now she did.

Hopper turned to glance at Joyce, who was sitting on the chair with her fingers raised nervously to her lips. She was jolting her leg as she glanced around the room. He reached out to grab his hat and his jacket. "Where are you going?" Sar asked, voice

He slipped the brown jacket over his shoulders. "Stay here," he told her. "I have to go get Will. I'll come back straight away, Sar, I promise. But I have to get this kid home too."

She raised her eyebrows in angry disbelief. "You can't go after that thing!" she exclaimed. "It will kill you." She was shaking her head. "Are you kidding me? I just got my father back and now he's going to go on some suicide mission?" She snatched her leather jacket off the chair. "At least let me go with you."

He stepped forward at that, placing forceful hands on her shoulders. "Sara, you stay here, okay? You have to stay here." Her eyebrows were furrowed in annoyance, blue eyes narrowed and nose crinkled to show she was cross. "I can't lose you again," he said.

Her expression crumpled a bit then, looking more upset than anything. "And I can't lose you again, either, Dad. I spent my whole life without you. Locked up in some hell chamber." The tears that clung to her lashed blurred her vision. "I grew up thinking that I had no one. Or that... that my father wasn't looking for me." Her face was pinched. "And now I have you again. Finally, I have..." She was holding his hands, "I have you. Don't take that away from me."

"I'm not going to die, Sara," he told her, and the name felt right hearing it out loud again. "You won't lose me. But I have to go know, or Will isn't going get out of that place." He put a hand on her head. "Have some faith in me, kid. I'm going to be alright." He nodded to her. "You stay here, Sar. With them. Don't you dare get yourself in danger." He bent down to look her in the eyes, hand affectionately rubbing her head. "Promise me."

She bit down hard on her lip and pulled in her eyebrows. "I promise," she whispered. She wanted to go with him. She never wanted to let her father out of her sight, let alone have him go back into that horrific place. He smiled then, leaning forward and kissing her forehead. They wrapped their arms around each other again, for a long time. She didn't want to cry again so instead she lay her head on her father's shoulder. When they pulled back, Sara wiped her nose on the back of her sleeve, dropping her arm by her side. Her father walked back to join Joyce. "You better not bloody die," she told him. "That would really piss me off."

Hopper placed his hat on his head. "I don't plan on it, kid." He pointed an accusing finger at her, keys dangling loosely in his hand. "Stay safe," he commanded. "Don't do anything stupid."

She just gave him that slight smile and the crinkle of her eyes. He kept the finger pointed at her until he left the hall. Sar put her hands on her hips as she grinned after him. Then she turned back to look at the remainder of their group. The kids had gone back to sit on the bleachers, completely tired out. Dustin was leaning against the seat behind, head turned towards the ceiling. The bath was still filled with idle water. Sar pulled her lips together and turned towards the corridors.

Jonathan and Nancy had retired to the trophy room behind the gym. She could see their feet from the open doorway as the both of them sat on the ground. Nancy had a hand raised to cradle her head. Sar swallowed softly. The poor girl. She so desperately hoped they'd find Barbara, for both the girls' sakes. Sara walked over to the pair. Jonathan looked up at her timidly, while Nancy just let her eyes graze over the girl. Sar gave Nancy a weak smile, eyes crinkled sympathetically. She sunk down beside her, hanging her wrists over her raised knees. Her head rested back against the cool brick wall. The three of them sat there in silence for a few moments, Sar staring at the wall opposing them.

"We have to go back to your house," Nancy whispered, turning her eyes towards Jonathan. Her voice was barely audible above the silence. She sounded so broken.

Sar looked over at her slowly, eyes soft. "What?" Jonathan asked her.

Nancy nodded, lifting her hands off her knees. "We need to set up our plan. Your mom, and your dad," she turned to Sar, "are just walking in there like bait. That thing is still in there," she muttered. "And we can't just sit here and let it get them, too."

Sar stood up. She'd be damned if she let anything take her father away from her now. "I'm in. Let's go." She held her jacket loosely in her hand.

"I thought your father said not to get yourself in trouble," Jonathan said.

Sar pulled a face. "Yeah, and he's an idiot. He's going to get himself killed by that monster. I'm not letting it take the last family I have. If we lure it away, then they can get to Will. And maybe, they can find Barb." Her gaze was directed towards Nancy. "Nance is right. We have to help them."

Nancy rose to her feet at that. Her arm was protectively wrapped around her waist before she dropped them to her sides in what seemed like a sign of confidence. "I want to finish what we started. I want to kill it," Nancy said.

Sar raised an eyebrow, pulling on her still-wet sneakers. "Then let's get on with it." The girl turned towards the glass door leading to the road. She raised a hand to Jonathan, towards the direction of the carpark. "Your car, you can drive."

Jonathan raised an eyebrow. "Considerate of you," he said, pulling the keys from inside his jacket. She just mimicked his expression.

"Let's get going," Nancy said. Her voice was still hoarse but she was sounding more confident now. She pulled a revolver out of the pocket of her brown jacket and rubbed her thumb over the metal. "I'm ready."

They slipped out the back door, out of sight of the kids. Sar lingered by the doorway for a moment, shooting one last fleeting look at towards them. El was leaning on Mike's shoulder, the blanket still wrapped around her. Mike would protect her, Sar thought. And she would protect them. They won't need protecting, anyway. No one's going to find them here. She was shaking her head to herself, before she turned to follow Nancy out the door. They'll be fine.

Jonathan was already starting the car and Sara slid into the back of the worn-down seats. She slipped her jacket over her arms and pulled her hair back in a braid. "Got the stuff the back?" she asked as they pulled up at the Byers' house.

Jonathan nodded, gesturing towards the boot. "All there."

"Good," she said, stepping out of the car. She flicked the cap of her lighter in her fingers. She didn't smoke, but she always liked to keep one on her. Burning things could be fun, too. She slammed one of her hands alertingly on the side of Jonathan's car, pointing at the two teenagers who were standing opposite from her. "I just need to grab something from my place first. Go get the plan ready, okay?" Sar told them. 

•°•☆•°•

Ooh, so surprise with Sar's mum! I know in the show she was alive, but I thought there needed to be some more insight on what happened, and I knew from the start Diane wasn't going to be alive.

Hoped you enjoyed this chapter! Sorry it's up a bit later than usual, Wattpad has been having more "technical issues" all day (which is really frickin annoying as it means I can't upload or read anything on here - couldn't even access My Works). 

I reached 1k and I can't believe it! It's only been a few months since this was first posted! Thank you so much guys, I honestly appreciate all of you so much! It means so much to me that you read this story. Feel free to DM me if you ever want to talk, and I hope you're all well! Thank you so much for the 1k reads, I honestly can't thank you enough, it's so amazing to me. XXXX