𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐖𝐎 - rag-tag

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 "𝐖𝐄𝐋𝐋, 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐂𝐄𝐑𝐓𝐀𝐈𝐍𝐋𝐘 had... One hell of a year." One breathed out, her eyes had risen to her hairline as Eleven spilled everything she knew. From breaking free from the lab, stumbling in the dark woods beneath the moonlight until a group of kids had found her, a young boy by the name of Will Byers going missing, having to defeat a... Demogorgon - whatever that was. Then, of course, Eleven had gone on to explain that while she had truly believed she'd give her life to send the Demogorgon back to hell, she had made it and the policeman had found her.

 Hopper was his name, Jim Hopper. One had watched as the girl glanced away at the mention of his name, her fingers twiddling with one another. She had left him after a screaming match and had gone on her way to find her mother, only to stumble into their cold and damp warehouse with that picture of Kali in hand.

 "I'm impressed," One continued on, seeing the crestfallen look still painted upon Eleven's features. She missed her friends, even Hopper so very dearly, "You saved them all, you saved an entire town."

 Eleven almost flushed, "My friends helped me."

 "Mhm... So..." A coy grin enlightened on One's plump lips and her cheeks rose, causing her dimples to shine once more. She leaned forward, huffing momentarily as her wispy locks of raven hair tickled her neck, "This Mike... Is he a good friend?"

 Throughout the whole retelling of her story, Eleven's doe eyes had sparked and shone with a million twinkling stars whenever she had mentioned the boy; One had found this utterly adorable.

 Now Eleven did flush. A vibrant fushia coloured her cheeks and the very tips of her ears as she fiddled with the blanket One had tossed over her lap, "He's a good friend."

 "I hope I could meet him one day, maybe your other friends too?"

 Eleven perked up, eyes wide as she nodded vigorously, as she did her eyes drifted behind her new sister. There were markings scrawled all over the walls of the room One had led her to. It was a surprisingly clean part of the warehouse, considering everywhere else was damp from droplets of rain that had squeezed through cracks in the roof; there was still trash left behind from previous squatters and abandoned furniture that had already started to rot and fall apart.

 But this room hadn't a speck of dust in sight. There were old neon signs hung on the walls; one a cobalt blue and the other a sparkling pink, it bathed them in a mixture of their colours and a purple sheen had glossed their skin. There was also a smattering of paintings and drawings that had been carefully scribbled atop crumpled pieces of paper and haphazardly stuck to the cold walls. Some were tossed atop a desk, others piling high on a stool tucked away in the corner.

 It reminded Eleven of Will; the boy she'd helped save.

 Eleven leaned over, picking up the closest piece of abandoned paper. She handled it with care, delicately tracing the lines with her pointer finger; it was a drawing of Kali and Eleven had to take a second look just to truly make sure it had really been scrawled in pencil. It looked so real.

 Eleven's brows scrunched as she looked at the empty corner of the paper; a place where Will had always signed his drawings... But then, Eleven pondered, what would One sign it with? She hadn't heard a name since arriving.

 "What is your name?" The young girl questioned abruptly, neatly placing the drawing back from where she's plucked it.

 One, who had already gone about making herself comfortable on the makeshift bed, paused amid shuffling in her covers. A brief flash of pain erupted in her chest, and those burning sensations trailed over her skin once more; it never did get easier to think or talk about. But this was Jane, Eleven. Another girl with a number branded on her wrist and enough trauma to send her spiralling for years... This was her sister.

 So, One parted her lips as a line appeared on her forehead, "Eleven... I was born in the lab to two of the workers there. They had volunteered to offer me up as an experiment. A test subject. I'm pretty sure my mother passed away, actually, and so my father took charge when it came to the tests... Alongside..."

 "Papa?"

 "Yes, him." Her voice strained, "I never knew there were more of us - I'd always been told that I was the only one. I thought I was alone, and I was, really. But I survived it all; the isolation, the pain and punishment, and the escape. Even after I got out, things didn't get easier... But I'm here... I never picked a name, because that's what parents do, that's what guardians or people that love you do. I don't have that, and... I don't know," She shrugged, and the weight atop her aching shoulders made the action almost impossible, "It never felt right to pick my own name."

 Eleven had shrunk amidst One's confession; the pity that seized her thudding little heart was almost unbearable. Eleven had her friends back home - even if she hadn't seen them in some time, but she had Hopper too, no matter how angry they were at one another... Even Mama had done everything she could to get Eleven back, to protect her... One's parents had happily concocted her just to be an experiment.

 "I'm sorry," Eleven whispered and she copied her sister's earlier actions by reaching out to curl her warm fingers around One's. One reciprocated, squeezing gently.

 "It's not your fault, we both went through things..." One grinned in a lopsided manner, and once more did Eleven smile at the pretty sight, "The idiots downstairs call me Red."

 "What should I call you?"

 "Anything you like, and you? Eleven, El, or Jane?"

 "Anything."

 Later that very evening, One had managed to prowl around the warehouse and gather up any spare blankets and pillows for Eleven to cuddle up with; some of them might have had holes within the material, and some might perpetually smell like dust for the remainder of their life, but she had managed to gather them nonetheless and Eleven had been thankful.

 After such an arduous journey filled with events that no child should ever have to experience, Eleven's eyes had begun to droop. There was a growing blossom of blue around her eyes, her movements had grown sluggish and her words had begun to mingle within one another; she was utterly spent.

 So One had bundled the blankets high atop her new sister and watched with a soft and delicate gaze as Eleven slowly drifted off into a peaceful sleep. She'd only taken minutes before light snores slipped past her parted lips, and the girl tossed and turned, her curls sprawled over the old pillowcase.

 One felt oddly comforted at the sight; she had grown so used to Kali and her blunt ways, Axel and his rambunctious attitude than could endlessly irritate, yet entertain her all the same, even with Dottie and her eccentric ways... but Eleven was just a child who had been forced to become a weapon. She'd freed herself, but even then, she'd never stopped fighting.

 One knew how that felt; to never really stop the battle that had begun when they were children. Every night blossomed new nightmares from different angles, torturing One until she gasped herself awake, shaking and heaving as she did. Her demons had been left behind within that lab years ago, and yet somehow they followed One everywhere she went.

 She knew that they would never really go away, they were stuck to her like glue, but Eleven was still young, and evidently still hopeful for a life... Maybe One could save her, fight off her demons. She could do what could never be done for herself.

 One swiped her hands against her damp jeans, fingers swiftly finding their button to undo and she hastily tossed them aside the moment her legs were free of the sodden material; sitting atop the roof upon damp chairs hadn't been their best idea.

 Her clothes were traded for new ones; dark jeans were removed and in place were a light-washed pair of mom jeans with cuffs that stopped just atop her ankles. A black turtleneck covered her top half and while her leather jacket still clutched onto a dewdrop or two, she slid her arms inside the sleeves. The shoes she'd tossed to the side were forced back onto her feet, formerly white converse that had become a murky sort of... brown over time.

 One glanced into the mirror slumped against her wall, it had a jagged edge that threatened to slice her fingers whenever she moved it; her makeup had smudged further, black shadows around her eyes had migrated to the apples of her cheeks and so her fingers scrubbed it away. It didn't really work.

 A final look was tossed Eleven's way, and by the manner in which her chest rose and fell peacefully, she was still happily dozing away.

 One smiled at the scene before quietly departing the room. Her steps echoed down the metal steps and Kali was the first to look her way, soon followed by Axel, Dottie, Mick and Funshine; her small, rag-tag group of disappointments and societal outcasts.

 Kali waved her over, and One hopped down the final steps, landing on the ground with a stifled thud as she shoved her hands into her pockets, fiddling with a stray fraying edge.

 "She found me with only this," Kali continued speaking, trusting her sister to easily catch up on the conversation. Her hand slammed against the old table that was somewhat crooked, leaving behind the picture Eleven had carried with her. The picture of a little Kali.

 Mick blinked, and as ever One was uncertain there were any lights on upstairs, "What's that mean?"

 "I think what Kali is implying..." One skimmed a hand over the table bypassing Mick's pocket knife, and Dottie's half-eaten taffy. Her fingers plucked the paper, flourishing it, "... Is that Eleven found her with just a picture; she can locate people without even moving."

 Kali bobbed her head, brushing away her deep purple strands; the two of them had always managed to stay on the same wavelength, "Exactly, she can find people with just an image."

 "You telling me that Shirley's a human radar detector or some shit?" Axel scoffed.

 "Or some shit, yes."

 "Come on, no way."

 Kali's eyes rolled just as they consistently did within Axel's presence; it took a lot for her not to bring spiders to life in front of him once more. Still, Kali reigned herself in and shrugged her shoulders, "We'll find out soon enough," She twisted to face One, "We're doing one, tomorrow."

 One's brows curled together, a small divot appearing between them as her eyes followed her sister around the room. Now, One would like to think that she knew her sister well, but even family could hold secrets from one another, so One wasn't quite certain as to why Kali was so swiftly getting Eleven involved in their... Activities.

 To go around and pinpoint the people who had harmed them in any way, only to harm them back or even steal their lives... It had never really been something One had participated in. People could change, they could grow and they could develop as a person, that meant more to her than an apology for the crimes committed against her.

 Her heart seized, flashes of one of their 'missions' coming to the forefront of her mind. It made bile rise in the back of her throat, it caused guilt to bubble within her rushing blood.

 She didn't want that for Eleven, but Kali was relentless, and she was almost as stubborn as One herself.

 "They're still hot on our trail from the last time," Mick stated, her knees pulled close to her chest as a cigarette dangled from her fingers. Smoke crawled into the air, creating a haze around her, yet her hesitance was as clear as glass, "We can't expect them to easily forget that we killed their men. If they find us..."

 "So we give in to fear?" Kali exclaimed, her voice rattling the metal walls, "She's in pain. She needs this."

 But Kali was wrong. While it was evidently clear that Eleven was in pain, she didn't need to kill or chase down the people who'd harmed them to fill that hole. Eleven needed her friends, she needed Hopper - no matter if they were at odds. She was just a child, one that had been sheltered from the outside world, she knew so little. Her first steps shouldn't be to stand before her harm-doers. She needed time and peace, not violence and pain.

 Though who was One to decide that? She couldn't make the decision for Eleven.

 The moment Kali had rounded the corner and disappeared out of their sights, Axel threw his arms out, eyes trained on One, "Red? You agree with this?"

 "If Eleven wants to do this, then she can... If not, then it's off. I'll deal with Kali myself."

 Eleven had been tossing and turning in her sleep when One had returned to their room. Sheets and blankets had toppled to the ground in a heap, the covers atop the girl were twisted, coiling around her arms and legs like unrelenting snakes, and Eleven's chest was rising and falling erratically.

 One didn't want to spook her, nor force her out of a bout of sleep that the girl clearly needed, so she crept around the bed and carefully placed her calloused fingertips atop Eleven's hand. There was a cold sheen of sweat covering her skin, and the girl's coiled curls were slick against her forehead.

 She wasn't quite sure what had happened, for one moment One had been standing within her cold bedroom, her little sister in a fitful sleep... and the next, everything around her faded only to be replaced with an endless expanse of black. All that could be seen was Eleven staring ahead with wide eyes, and a single wooden desk with a flickering lamp and a radio that spat static.

 "El?" One breathed, almost jumping as her voice echoed almost endlessly, "Are you alright?"

 "How?" Eleven had jumped in place, toes splashing against the water flooded ground. Her voice was shaking, nothing more than a whisper fluttering around the void as she stared at her sister. Nobody had ever been able to see the things that she could, but Eleven couldn't deny the comfort of having someone by her side, "How are you... Here?"

 A beat passed before One replied, her eyes were far too busy squinting within the darkness, trying to find something more than the lonely desk and jittery radio. It made her skin crawl, and the air was suffocating, cold as it ghosted her cheeks, "I'm not... I don't entirely know where here is. Is this the -" One paused, recalling their earlier conversations, "- what your friend called The Void?"

 Their breathing was the only thing they could hear, it was deafening, and yet Eleven nodded nonetheless as she took a slow step closer to her sister, relishing in the warmth that radiated from her. Eleven's lips parted to speak, but before anything could exit her mouth, a different voice filled the silence.

 "It's me," One narrowed her eyes, ears trained on the voice; it was gruff and low like gravel scraping against gravel. It cracked once and Eleven flinched at the sound all the while recognition flooded her iris', "I know that I've been gone too long, and, uh... I just want you to know that it's not because of you. And it's not because of our fight."

 Ah, One thought, Hopper. This was the policeman Eleven had so readily told her about; she'd described him as a tall man, a little scared if you didn't have superpowers - One had chortled at that. He always wore that khaki uniform, he loved bacon - a lot - and, like Axel, he was a terrible dancer.

 There were tears within Eleven's eyes, and One simply couldn't stop her hand from reaching out and brushing against her sisters. Eleven caught it and threaded her fingers; the comfort it brought was enough to quell the tears. It was so plainly obvious that Eleven missed him dearly, even if she had huffed and crossed her arms in protest when One had mentioned such a fact earlier that night.

 "Something came up, and uh..." His tired voice continued, flitting around them as it mingled with the static from the radio, "I'll explain everything soon. I just... I just want you to know that I'm not -" He paused, and took a heavy inhale, "- I'm not mad at you. I - I'm just sorry."

 One felt as though she were intruding, that she shouldn't have been there while Eleven finally got to hear the apology she'd been craving all this time. But as One tried to part away, Eleven simply tightened her grip and curled closer, her head resting upon her sister's chest.

 A curl tickled One's nose, yet she didn't make to move again. Her chin found the top of El's head and her hand trailed down the girl's back, "You'll see him again."

 Kali had come to find them later that evening, and by the time she'd popped her head around the door, Eleven and One were free of the void and back within the safety of One's glowing bedroom. A blanket had been tossed over Eleven's shoulders and the young girl's fingers had been clawing at an old cushion, knuckles growing white.

 The guilt of Eleven and Hopper's final departure and hearing his sorrowful voice had been enough to shatter her heart... While One understood this, Kali merely took it as a sign to finally reveal to Eleven what it was that the lot of them did.

 One trailed behind her sisters, wary eyes glued to the very back of Kali's jacket. She trusted her sister, of course she did, but there was just a feeling in the very pit of her gut that led her to believe Kali's actions were not for Eleven.

 Kali... Well, she was obsessed with revenge - and One couldn't blame her, but if she was right, and Kali was simply luring Eleven in as a means of using her gifts to locate their former imprisoners, One wouldn't stand for it. How would it be any different from what they'd experienced at the laboratory? They were forced to harm and push their limits all to accomplish somebody else's wishes; it would be no different.

 Axel was the first to greet the trio, though as ever, his brows were furrowed in frustration. He waved about an old and empty Chinese food box, "We need more money, I can't keep eating this garbage."

 He flapped the box before One's face, and within a second she hastily slapped it away and spun on her heel to face Eleven, "You've met Axel, the positivity of the group and the absolute light of our lives."

 The group chuckled, all bar Axel, of course, who had resorted to rolling his eyes and throwing himself into an empty chair with a pout curling at his lips.

 Eleven teetered closer to One, "Spider hater?"

 A snort slipped from One, her teeth and dimples on full display as she grinned heartily. Eleven might have just been blunt, but One certainly couldn't deny that the girl was entertaining, "Yes, he's the spider hater. So you know what to do if you want him to dance."

 "He's a bad dancer."

 Axel threw his arms up, scowling at One as she padded by and patted his shoulder; it was so very easy to rile him up.

 Her feet carried her past Axel, and she soon stopped by a woman with the unruly blonde curls that sprouted to and fro like beautiful flower stems; they were hauled together by a large bow Dottie had managed to get her sticky fingers on, "This is Dottie, she's our newest member."

 Dottie wiggled her pink-painted fingers - the chipped nail polish never bothered her - while Kali hummed and took a seat by the table, throwing one leg over the other as she leaned back and surveyed the messy little group, "Like you, Jane, she left home."

 "You mean the loony bin," Axel muttered, his lips planted against a slit in his can. He chugged the drink and the moment he tossed the empty container to the ground, he was met by many a blank stare. He cleared his throat and picked the can up, placing it gently on the table before crossing his arms as though nothing had happened.

 One stared a second longer, a heavy sigh slipping from the very tip of her tongue as she planted her hand on Eleven's shoulders, steering her around the table. She flourished a hand, wiggling her fingers, "This is Mick," The woman waved at them, her dark skin positively shining beneath the swinging lamp above them, her afro bobbed, whisps swaying like ocean waves, "She's our eyes, ears and protector."

 Finally, One grew closer to their biggest and burliest member, Funshine. Now while Funshine looked incredibly intimidating, what with his tall stature, broad shoulders, built muscles and narrowed eyes... He was an absolute gem.

 He swung his arm around One's shoulders, squeezing the girl gently as his body practically swallowed her, and he grinned when One spoke once more, "Funshine here is our warrior," She bumped his side, "Don't let his size scare you, he's an absolute teddy bear."

 Eleven hesitantly approached, shoes thudding as her light steps paused before the man. She had to crane her neck just to meet his eyes. Eleven's lips quirked when Funshine offered her his hand, "Nice to meet you, Miss Jane."

 One watched the scene unfold with a slight smile; Funshine had always been such a gentle man, from the very moment they'd met him. He was nothing if not a gentleman, opening each door for herself, Kali, Mick and Dottie, always checking them over once a fight had concluded, swiftly appearing with bandages and alcohol to patch them up. He might have been their warrior, but he was their protector too.

 Eleven had slipped her hand into his and once they had shaken once, Eleven twisted his arm to the side, trying to catch a glimpse of a tattoo on his wrist. She saw nothing and frowned, casting her gaze to One.

 "Ah," One breathed, arms folded over her chest, "They don't have numbers, they aren't like the three of us. They don't have gifts like ours... but their situations are similar." Eleven's frown didn't disappear and so One trailed onwards, "We're outcasts, and so are they."

 "Outcasts?"

 "Freaks." Axel clarified with a disinterested wave of his boney hand.

 Dottie gaped at him, hastily smacking his arm, "Speak for yourself."

 "He is." One grinned and Dottie couldn't contain her shrill laughter; a witch, Axel had once called her.... It was eerily accurate.

 Kali shifted in her seat, her gaze still stoic as she glared down at her black nail polish, "Society left them behind, hurt them... Discarded them."

 One felt her body slump, if only ever so slightly. They had all been abandoned and left to fend for themselves. They were people who had to fight to survive, all whilst others were handed peace on a plate. It wasn't fair. But it was a life they had grown used to, no matter how much it still stung.

 Funshine cleared his throat, and all eyes slid to his enormous frame, "We were dead. All of us." He paused momentarily, and a heartfelt smile overtook his stern features. He looked so docile as he stared One and Kali down with utter fondness, "These two saved us. Here," He pointed a finger to his head, "And here." His hand splayed out over where his heart thudded behind his ribs.

 The others all bobbed their heads, even Axel looked appreciative as he swung his long, lanky legs over the side of his chair.

 "Don't get all mushy on us now, Fun." Kali drawled, tapping a finger against her knee. Even with her almost nonchalant tone, each member of their rag-tag team knew that Funhsine's words meant more to her than they'd ever know.

 "No, not mushy" He retorted, reaching one hand towards the purple-haired girl as the other clasped One's hand. He squeezed them both, "True."

 Mick perked up, eyes straying from the notebook she clutched within her hand. She bit the very bottom of her already chewed-up pencil, "So now we help them."

 "This life, kid, you roll over or you fight back" Axel added, leaning forwards as he stared Eleven down. "We're all fighters here"

 They were right, One and Kali had quite literally fought for their lives, they both dreaded to think what would have happened to them if their escape plan had failed. Their skin would likely be brunt, their wrists bound until their flesh was raw and bloody... But that didn't happen. They stood and they fought, just as Axel, Mick, Funshine and Dottie had. They were the same.

 So was Eleven who glanced around at them all, eyes finally settling on her sisters, "Fight who?

 It hadn't taken Eleven long to understand the arrangement.

 There were pictures of all kinds of men and women stuck to the wall, each of their faces were stern, with long and deep lines digging into their skin. Even their eyes, the windows to the soul, had nothing in them. Utterly blank slates. It made their skin crawl.

 One had been propped atop the table, fingers mindlessly twirling her shoelaces as Kali pointed her finger to and fro, growing irritated at the faces on the wall staring back at her. What they did was terrible, there were no if's and's or but's about it. Revenge or not, One and her companions were not good people.

 Seeking out the people who had fled the laboratory or those who had chosen to part ways with their former... career, only to wrap their fingers around their necks, only to aim a gun at the centre of their heads... Nobody could be good after that. Perhaps their actions were justified, but they were not good.

 The excuse had always been 'we're stopping them from hurting anybody else.' but that wasn't always the case. Some of them had started new lives and had children and families of their own, hell some taught at schools or volunteered to help the elderly; they changed, but Kali and the crew didn't care.

 Axel, upon seeing the ghastly shade of white that had overtaken Eleven's formerly flushed cheeks, just couldn't help himself. He'd whistled and shaken his head, mohawk standing as still as a thick pine tree, "We can't all be fighters."

 Eleven had not liked that.

 She piped up, hastily hoping to her feet as she proclaimed killing some of the men back within the lab... But even with her hard tone and curled fingers rattling by her side, One hadn't been convinced that it didn't haunt her. Eleven felt remorse.

 Kali had grabbed ahold of that branch and used it to tug Eleven closer. She played to the young girl's fears. "We hurt them before they can hurt us."

 None of them wanted to feel that pain again, but One knew those words well enough, and she knew what they meant when they fell from Kali's lips. Her thirst for revenge just couldn't be satisfied; no matter how many bodies they piled up, and no matter how much blood stained their powerful fingertips.

 Eleven, like One had done so long ago, had followed without question.

 The three sisters found themselves outside, there was a cluster of metal crates painted with all kinds of colourful graffiti surrounding them, creaking and groaning as hurried gusts of wind passed them by. A few of the crates were dismantled and crushed, metal sticking out here and there with threatening, jagged edges. It reminded One of her own training sessions.

 "You can do it, Red!" Kali had cheered, she'd been watching intently, purple hair fluttering around her as One took the stage. One had parted her legs, standing shoulder-width apart as a hand hovered before her, a glistening ball of crimson clinging to her fingers. The others had been there too, cheering as loudly as their lungs and throats would allow.

 One had nodded to herself, and focused on the energy within her palm. She stretched it, her eyes landing on the pristine metal box before her. Her fingers had curled inwards, nails digging into her palms and they had likely drawn blood. As her skin split and her fingers tightened, the energy within her hand covered the crate, glossing over it like a protective blanket... but then, as One jolted her wrist, the crate was torn in two. The sound was vile, screeching like a raging toddler, and sparks littered the ground like a haywire firework.

 She didn't stop there, even if she had felt blood seep from her nose.

 Her left hand rose, and each of them looked as though a delicate dancer had posed herself on a stage. Nails had parted from her flesh, each one twitching lightly in the air, and then she brought her hands together, a resounding CRACK echoing out as the two metal shards slammed together. One panted heavily and she could feel the sweat beading on her forehead, the droplets of blood tumbling from her lip and towards the ground.

 Her clasped hands tightened, and the two pieces of metal curled together. Seconds ticked by, and by the time One buckled, her knees colliding with the ground, she'd forced the crate to form a small metal ball. Its edges were smooth, utterly pristine.

 One was brought back to reality upon Kali speaking once more, her sister pointed at the old abandoned train, completely bypassing the crates that lay around them. It seemed that she wanted to skip a few steps, "I want you to draw it to us."

 One watched on as Eleven glanced over her shoulder, eyes meeting Kali's narrowed gaze. She hesitated before turning back and swallowing a deep breath. Her hand rose into the air, it visibly trembled and the young girl couldn't help but scowl at her fingers, willing them to stop.

 It took a moment, but soon enough the train began to creak and groan, relenting against Eleven's power. It moved, if only briefly, but it was enough for Eleven to drop her hands to her knees in exhaustion while blood gathered by her lip, "I can't." She panted, "I can't do it."

 One approached and the gravel dusting the ground crunched like autumn leaves. Her hand found Eleven's chin, tilting it ever so slightly so that the girl was peering up at her. Eleven's lips were wobbling and so One wiped away the blood atop her lip, brushed back the curls that dusted Eleven's lashes, and help her to her full height, "You can."

 "Last night you told us you once lifted a van," Kali recalled, watching intently as Eleven heaved for breath.

 "Yes." Eleven conceded for it was true. But back then there had been something different swirling at the pit of her stomach, something that had spurred her on and filled her with endless power. Eleven couldn't find that something.

 "The bad men were trying to take you away again, and that made you angry." stuffed her hands in her pockets upon Eleven's nod of confirmation, "Good. So, find that anger, focus on that, not the train, not the weight."

 Anger. Kali always relied on it to boost her power and revive her strength; One did not. She focused on fear. The fear of being hurt again, of being abandoned and never having a family that loved her... Mostly, though, it was the fear of her loved ones being harmed. That painful thought pulsated through her body and it was like she could feel every ounce of energy she possessed.

 One spoke up, for while anger might have helped Kali, Eleven had people back home she had fought tooth and nail for, she didn't want to see them hurt; fear would work. She knew it, "Imagine someone trying to hurt your friends, imagine..." One swallowed, "Imagine Papa is standing in front of you. You would do whatever you could to save them."

 "Save them" Eleven repeated, though her voice could hardly be heard through her whisper. Newfound confidence flooded her blood, her ones felt as though they were rattling, begging for her to move. She pictured Papa standing behind Mike.

 Her eyes slipped shut and she squared her shoulders. A divot appeared between her furrowed brows as she picture Dustin and his gappy smile, Lucus with his slingshot back when he'd tried to defeat the Demogorgon, Will and his scared face when he'd been trapped in the upside-down... Her eyes snapped open, her hand high once more.

 One felt a smile tug at her lips, watching her new little sister take charge.

 "You can do this El," One was a hair away from her little sister, providing her not only with words of reassurance but her warmth, her energy, "I know you can, you saved yourself, your friends and you found us, your sisters. You can do this."

 Eleven's eyes flickered towards One for the final time before she brought her focus to the old and dilapidated train. Her chest rose and fell, fast and faster, and then she screamed as she imagined Papa standing behind her friends. Blood trickled from her nose, dribbling over her lips, but Eleven didn't care. The train rattled once... then twice, and then it was dragged forwards. Sparks erupted, glittering in the air before toppling back to the concrete.

 Before Eleven could crumble, One was there with arms wide open, catching her with ease, "I told you," She whispered and her self-assured grin made Eleven laugh even amidst her fatigue, "I knew you could do it."

 Kali had left it to Eleven to pick the next 'bad man' that would receive his punishment. One had seen it coming, obviously; it had been the easiest way to rile the young girl up, but even so, One just couldn't bring herself to even remotely understand what Kali was doing.

 Yes, she could use Eleven as a means to find their abusers, yes Eleven possessed powers that could punish them... But it was obvious that Kali genuinely cared for their newest addition. It was conflicting, to use her for one thing, even when Kali looked at her with the fondness that she did.

 Eleven had pried Ray Caroll's portrait from the wall and the paper had crumpled beneath her harsh clutch. Eleven had seethed at the mere sight of the rotund man; he'd been the one to hurt her mother.

 "He did more than hurt your mother," Kali stated, and One easily recalled Kali formally telling her of what the man had done to the occupants of the rainbow room. He shocked them into submission with an electrified baton held between his harsh fingers. Hell, after staring at his photograph for a moment or so, One herself could recall receiving a permanent burn from him.

 "The bad men like Ray, they know about us." Kali continued, her eyes drifting over both of her sisters. "It's made them hard to track. But maybe not anymore" Her sights settled upon Eleven.

 One Understood the tone permeating Kali's voice; the hinting of using their newfound sister's power, and even though all One wanted was to spend some time with her new sister, perhaps point her in the right direction... She too couldn't discount the fact that she was certainly curious about what Eleven could do.

 So, she heaved herself to her feet and fetched an old radio, turning the dial until all that could be heard was the irritating crackle of static, "This how you need it, El?"

 "Yes."

 One bobbed her head and padded over to the seat where Eleven was perched. She tied an old bandana she'd fetched around Eleven's eyes, blocking out all light and all sight. Her sister fell silent, her hands eerily still atop her lap... The static grew louder and louder, and One had the urge to slam her hands over her ears just to block it out.

 The article in Eleven's hands was torn in two, Ray Carolls face split into perfect halves. Eleven pulled the bandana from her face, a droplet of blood leaking from her nose. Doe eyes found her raven-haired sister and she nodded just once; Eleven had found him.

 One had seated herself cross-legged on the floor next to Eleven, doodling in her notebook as the group conversed. The was led covering her fingertips and pencil shavings were clinging to the material of her jeans. Eleven tried plucking them out.

 "Gramercy Apartments. Washington and Bethel." Dottie read from the telephone directory, testing each word on her tongue like a new flavour. "That's gotta be it, right?" She asked as Kali took the book from her hands.

 "Lilburn. Where is that?"

 "About an hour east" Funshine supplied.

 The group squabbled over whether or not they should truly proceed onwards with the 'mission'. As ever, One noticed that gleam in Kali's eyes. The stubbornness. She knew it well, for she spied it in the mirror every morning; Kali wouldn't give in. One knew that Kali would walk to Ray Caroll if it meant making a mark.

 Mick, ever the reasonable one, was determined that their efforts would prove to be far too soon after their last little heist; they'd almost been caught as the police tailed them with gleaming lights and shrieking sirens. Eventually, however, Mick too had given in, for Kali had suggested switching their number plates.

 "We want to give our sister a memorable first day, don't we?" Kali called out, a coy grin stretching her lips while a hand tapped at her knee. Her brow had risen and she knew she'd gain support from Axel who while somewhat cautious, couldn't resist a bit of fun.

 "Sure, why not?" Axel predictably provided while Funshine offered Eleven a soft smile that looked so very out of place on him.

 "I'm in, for Miss Jane"

 Mick sunk her teeth into her bottom lip, her hands drumming on her thighs before she finally tossed them into the air, "Screw it, sure! Red?"

 One peeked up from her notebook and Eleven hastily glanced over to catch a glimpse of what she'd been scribbling; in grey pencil was a small sketch of a young girl. She appeared to be maybe five or six years old. Eleven gaped at the drawing, once again it looked so incredibly real, each line carefully carved away her features. There was a glistening shine within the girl's eyes... they were watering, no, they were filled with tears.

 She looked utterly terrified. Dew drops were tumbling down her sketched cheeks, gathering on a quivering chin. Her hands were reaching out, and Eleven had almost thought the little girl's hands would seize her.

 El snapped out of her staring match with the picture, her attention back on her sister.

 "I'll stay behind, keep an eye on the place" One muttered softly, and upon watching Eleven's eyes falter ever so slightly, she stood and pointed a led-smeared finger at her youngest sister, "But you. Don't you go showing me up okay?"

 Her eye clamped shut in a silly wink and it made Eleven giggle; it was enough for One to smile in turn.

 She might not have agreed with Kali, she might not have agreed with their little revenge trip at all, but who was she to stop Eleven. If she wanted revenge, then she'd get it... But if she changed her mind, she could always come back and simply sit on the sidelines with One.

 After a brief silence in which One grinned down at her littlest sister, admiring her rounded cheeks and those adorable little curls bouncing atop her head, she grabbed ahold of Eleven's hand and heaved her to her feet, "If you're gonna go... You've gotta look the part."

 Dottie gasped, "Makeover."

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23-11-2019

edited version: 06-06-2022