𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐅𝐎𝐔𝐑 - welcome to hawkins

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 𝐈𝐓 𝐇𝐀𝐃𝐍'𝐓 𝐓𝐀𝐊𝐄𝐍 any time at all for One to find Eleven; she looked a sorry state as she sat all alone beneath a bus shelter. The light above flickered, and a moth swirled around it with a broken wing beating harshly against the bite of the nighttime air.

 Her head was hung low, back curled like a cat as the young girl remained alone, waiting for her chance to return home.

 One's steps were silent as she drew near, and the sniffles permeating from Eleven grew louder; it had hurt her to leave One and Kali behind, just as much as it had hurt to watch her leave. There was still a deep and bitter sting within One's heart as she trudged onwards, recalling the tears glimmering upon Kali's skin like a dusting of glitter.

 Her sister had so rarely cried, far too stubborn to let any tears escape... and so when they had finally torn free, it had felt like somebody had caved One's chest in with a hammer.

 One eventually reached the girl and she paused, staring for a small moment; she had really done it. She had finally left behind everything she knew for a girl she'd not even known for a week. It was stupid, really... she had no plan at all. She'd leave with Eleven clinging to her hand... but what would happen when Eleven broke free and unfurled their fingers as she raced back to Hopper? What would she do?

 One mutely shook her head, hastily tucking her pin-straight, chopped hair behind her pierced ears. The small studs and hoops glinted beneath the moonlight as she strode forth.

 One swallowed the lump in her throat that hadn't chosen to budge since her departure from her band of misfits, "What's up, buttercup?" Her voice was as soft as a feather, as sweet as sickly honey. Eleven whirled around.

 The young girl bounced to her feet in a flash, rubbing her curled fists against her eyes to rid them of pesky tears, and to check if she was truly seeing her sister standing there. Eleven lingered... and then she sprang.

 Her arms curled around One's waist, her face buried against her sister's chest as she wept freely, "You came."

 "Of course I did. How on earth could I let you run off alone, hm?" One cooed, her hand planted firmly upon Eleven's back, moving to and fro, "You're my sister, after all."

 Eleven barely pulled back as she peered up with those molten-brown eyes glimmering beneath the dull and yellow lamplight, "Sisters." She repeated, just as One and Kali had done when she'd found them. Her forehead collided with One's chest again, making them rock on the spot, "Thank you."

 One hummed, smiling gently to herself as her hand continued to rub at Eleven's back. The girl's shoulders had been shaking, yet now they were so very still as she leaned closer and closer, arms winding tighter and tighter. This was what I want, One thought, Just this.

 It would be enough to ease the hurt in her heart from seeing Kali and the others leave; Eleven would be enough.

 "You never need to thank me." One murmured, pulling back as her thumbs quickly found Eleven's cheeks, swatting the tears away as though they were nothing, "No more crying, okay? It's about time we go and save your friends."

 Eleven's eyes glittered, and then, when One spoke again, she flushed a furious red.

 A crooked smile hung upon One's lips, her dimples digging into her cheeks, "Maybe I can finally meet this Mike that's stolen your cute little heart, huh?"

 The journey back to Hawkins had taken far longer than expected, each bumpy freeway and dark winding road made it harder and harder for One to ignore just where she was heading. Hawkins. The town that had stolen her childhood and made her into nothing more than a weapon.

 She was a laboratory experiment. That was how she'd always been described. An experiment, a project, a weapon... Never just a child. Never a human being. She had never really existed; she'd been an object to Papa — Brenner; that much was obscenely obvious... Even now, all those years later, One still called him by that miserable title.

 Papa.

 He wasn't her father, he wasn't even a stand-in. One never had parents, that was what she'd decided. If they had cared so little, and been so damn willing to pass her off upon her birth... No. Doctor Brenner hadn't been a caregiver; he had been an abuser, someone who had groomed her into being a perfect little weapon to stand and never speak unless spoken to. To never act unless told to.

 He'd been her punishment. Even his praise had felt like stab wounds.

 Her fingers shook before her, rattling so fiercely that she was almost afraid they'd never stop. It wasn't cold on the bus, and the road proceeding was entirely flat... her hands were shaking from nerves alone.

 Nobody would ever recognise her; she'd grown up, her face had changed, she had grown her hair and pierced her skin with metal and ink; that last part was a bit of a stretch, for the only ink marring her flesh was the glaring 001 on her wrist, and a small flower dusting her ribcage; it had been Dottie's idea. Far more favourable than Axel's suggestion of permanently branding her skin with a skull.

 So if nobody would recognise her, why was she so damn nervous?

 "Are you okay?" Eleven whispered, her voice almost drowned by the raging engine of the bus. She reached out, poking One's hand with her pointer, voice free of judgement, "Scared?"

 "I'm not sure." One responded, her eyes lingering on her sister's finger, the way her own hands made El's rattle with them, "I told myself I'd never look back. That I'd never go back. Yet here I am."

 Guilt crawled up Eleven's throat, "You don't have to stay."

 "I didn't mean it like that, El. I want to come back with you, I want to meet your friends and your policeman... I just —" She cleared her throat, back slouching as she leaned her head atop Elevens, grinning softly when the girl huffed to rid her face of a cluster of raven hair, "— It brings back memories I'd rather never think of again, you know?"

 She did; Eleven could remember back when she'd first met Mike, she'd been stuffed into a cupboard that had reminded her of the cold and damp cell she'd been tossed into within the lab. She'd been left there for days to stew in the memories of what she'd done, and the harm she'd caused. Eleven blinked, her fingers intertwining with her sisters, "I know."

 "I'll be okay, you'll be with me, hm?"

 "Promise?"

 "I promise."

 Eleven had fallen asleep amidst their journey, eyes flickering beneath her lids with every bump and jolt of the bus. One had truly thought the poor vehicle would have fallen apart at some point, yet it was still trucking along.

 She had taken to staring out the window, watching as every tall and imposing tree cast shadows upon the streetlamp-lit roads. Scrutinising every sign, her gut bubbling with an uncomfortable feeling; she almost retched when the sign for Hawkins finally came into view, illuminated by a dull light with a smattering of bugs buzzing dully around it.

 Infested, just like Hawkins.

 One hardly had the heart to nudge her sister out of her doze, yet as the sign came and passed them by, it was time to rile her from her sleep. She poked the girl's cheek and shifted in the seat, elbow lightly grazing Eleven's side, "El? Time to wake up."

 Eleven groaned, nose digging further into her sister's side. She deflated as a heavy breath slipped through her parted lips, "Are we there?" Her voice was groggy, muffled by One's jacket. Eleven pulled back, eyes blinking owlishly as she tried to clear the fuzzy haze before her.

 She was greeted with a wry smile from her sister, and One laughed softly, "Tired, were you?"

 "Mhm."

 "I don't blame you, it's been a long few days... But we're almost there, another couple of minutes, alright?"

 Eleven merely nodded, her chin resting atop One's forearm once more as she stared out of the window her sister leaned against. The glass had become foggy, and there was a small patch of condensation that had been rubbed away by One's sleeve to peek through to the outside. Trees rushed by, cars on the other side of the road sailed past, their headlights blaring through the glass, making Eleven narrow her eyes.

 One could see the torment upon her sister's face, the way her brows had cinched together, a small divot forming between them. Her lips had twisted towards the grown in the form of a small frown, and so one reached out a finger, smoothing the divot between El's brows away, "Whatcha thinking about?"

 "My friends." Eleven rushed out, her teeth clamping together painfully afterwards. She couldn't bear the thought of any of them getting hurt; she knew Hopper well enough to understand that he'd rush headfirst into danger to protect his town and the people living there. Mike and the others — Dustin, Lucus, even the teenager's Nancy, Jonathan and Steve, even though Eleven hadn't met that last one, she knew well enough from the others that they didn't know when to leave things alone. The party protected their own.

 "Ellie, Ellie, Ellie..." One softly spoke, her voice almost whimsical as she sang the nickname that had newly sprouted — Eleven cocked her head at it. "Your friends will be just fine... And if they aren't, they have the strongest... Eleven? twelve? Thirteen-year-old I know coming to protect them."

 "And you."

 "Well obviously." One rolled her eyes quite dramatically, as she tugged Eleven closer, planting her chin atop the girl's forehead, "What kind of big sister would I be if I didn't help you save these little chums of yours?"

 "A terrible one."

 The joke, the sarcasm, had been a surprise to them both. Eleven had giggled and One had blinked before letting a laugh rumble within her chest. It was strange to have such a comforting moment between them, when they both knew that something was waiting for them upon their arrival.

 What it was, neither of them could guess... Eleven had divulged her previous heroics; defeating the Demogorgon — again, One hadn't a clue what that actually meant — and saving her friends... So what was left to take care of? What could possibly have laid dormant for a year while Eleven was tucked away with Hopper as they filled their guts with candy and Eggos?

 It hadn't taken long to trek through the woods. The girls had weaved their way through bushes and tree branches, looking back with every snap of a twig; One kept their surroundings lit, an ominous red spewing from the tips of her fingers like a flare.

 Their shoes had grown muddy, slick with old leaves while twigs clung to their fraying shoe laces; nonetheless, the two sisters trailed hand in hand down the dimly lit gravelled path. Each step crunched beneath their feet, and every gust of wind sent the trees spinning, leaves and branches dancing within the night sky.

 The moon was murky above them, offering next to no light as they trailed forth, eyes sweeping their surroundings, hands ready to strike out at any threat that might pounce out of the thrush.

 A light beamed further ahead in the distance; a small — and somewhat rundown — home creaked and slightly shook in the wind; a car was parked outside; the chiefs. Hopper was inside, likely with Elevens friends, just waiting for nothing. Completely unaware of the two girls stalking up the path.

 "That's it," Eleven said, her finger pointed towards the bright light ahead, a grin had curled at her lips; the mere thought of reuniting with Mike, with Hopper, and of course, Dustin and Lucas. She hoped Joyce was inside, ready to pull her in for one of those hugs that calmed her racing heart.

 Before One could even ponder a response or even will her mouth to curl, a guttural growl split through the air like a siren. It was low, deep and certainly didn't welcome them; One turned her head, hair creating a short curtain between herself and Eleven as she spotted movement to her right.

 The house was so close now; One could even see a multitude of silhouettes through the glinting window; they were all gathered, likely having heard the sound too. Upon a closer look, One was certain she could see somebody lightly swaying a baseball bat over their shoulder...

 There wasn't much of a moment to contemplate their choice of weapon, for the bushes rustled, twigs splintered and shrieked beneath their attacker... Then the foliage split in two, opening like a curtain for a play; two creatures that One had never seen before crawled from the dark depths of the woods.

 The creatures prowled forth on all fours, claws digging into the dirt beneath them. It would have been very similar to a dog, had its mouth not taken up the entirety of the thing's head; the mouth was drooling, dirtied liquid slipping between the cracks upon its face. The monster's skin glistened in the moonlight, as though slick like a frog... Then, the mouth opened.

 Much like a flower blooming in the midst of a vibrant spring, each individual part of the mouth peeled open like petals. Each stretched out, revealing rows upon rows of small, yet incredibly pointed teeth. Drool continued to fall, flowing faster as the monsters growled once more.

 It was grotesque, really, watching as those clawed paws stomped forwards, as the drool-smeared petals upon their faces peeled back and forth with each shuddering growl.

 Eleven latched onto One's hand, "Demogorgons."

 "I think I preferred imagining what they were myself..." One trailed off, and the ball of crimson that fluttered within her palm grew bigger, twisting and twirling as wisps of red trailed around her fingers like meandering smoke.

 The creatures prowled forth. Gravel crunched beneath each heavy step as they crouched closer to the ground; much like a feline ready to pounce upon its prey.

 One, even despite the slight churn to her stomach as she watched drool mingle with the stone on the path, cocked her head as she eyed the pair of crawling creatures, "Just two..." A slow smile began to sprout. Eleven might have described the creature she'd previously fought as terrifying and incredibly strong, but these things didn't look like they'd have a chance against two super-powered siblings, "Shall we have one each?"

 Eleven nodded, her mouth remaining firmly shut. Yet upon seeing the lopsided smile alighting her sister's face, even in the face of danger, Eleven couldn't help but mirror her expression. One took a single step back, falling in line with Eleven as she rose a hand. Red whisps fell from her palm, twirling around each fingertip... Then, with a sharp jolt of One's hand, the crimson energy seeped forth at breakneck speed.

 Red coated the creature her eyes had been set upon, it contorted like twisting vines around the monster's body. One tightened her fingers, curling each digit towards her palm. The monster roared out, a horrendous shriek splitting through the night as the bones beneath its flesh began to crack. A jagged bone punctured its skin, and dark blood began to worm its way out.

 One had almost finished her assault then and there; the creature was limp as scarlet continued to encase it. Bones had been shattered, their skin torn and slick with blood... But a crash diverted One's attention.

 Eleven had thrown her own monster... Through the Byers window.

 The window had been shattered, glass spraying to and fro as the creature Eleven had tossed flew through, landing within the home with a dull and resounding thud. One paused, eyes flicking back to the creature still hanging within her hold, utterly dead... and then she flicked her hand.

 The monster hurtled through the air, remnants of red still twisting around its legs... another thud sounded out, and whoever occupied the home had let out a chorus of startled yells.

 Then, the night became quiet once more.

 One turned to Eleven, hands now bare of any remnants of her power, her eyes had faded from blood, and were now that ever-dark brown that seemed so very endless. There was a small smattering of blood below her left nostril, it was wiped away on the sleeve of her cold leather jacket, "Are you ready?"

 Eleven swallowed, her head bobbing lightly; the knowledge that Mike could be just through that front door... Her feet seemed to carry her without thought, gravel crunching beneath her shoes until she landed upon the Byers' front porch, her hand stretching out towards the golden, rusted door knob.

 She paused, hesitant. Scared. What would she find? Would they have missed her, would Hopper yell and scream like the night they parted ways. Would everyone still be... alive?

 But as ever, One was there to place a gentle hand upon her shoulder, nudging her forth, "Go on, I know they're waiting for you."

 And so, Eleven twisted the doorknob.

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07-12-2019

edited version: 13-06-2022