Valerie Archer was in hell, at least she liked to think this was about what hell felt like. The girl was sat in the mess that was Byer's residence, a piece of cinnamon gum in her mouth.
It had long lost any flavor it once had and was now a ball of unpleasant mush but she couldn't care less as she silently sat on a chair from Joyce's kitchen table, her leg shaking relentlessly as she sat in silence.
Finally after what had felt like a few hours too many Hopper's breaks sounded in the driveway, washing over her instantly. The group of six rushed out the door, Nancy and Charlie being the first to reach a loved one and hold them tight.
Mike's brows furrowed as his sister's arms wrapped around him, unable to recall the last time it had happened. "I was so worried about you," Nancy said as she held Mike at arm's length. "Yeah, uh, me too," he replied unconvincingly. Nancy's eyes averted from her little brother, falling on the small girl with a buzzcut.
"Is that my dress?"
"It's a long story. This is Eleven." Mike motioned a thumb over his shoulder. "Then let's tell it inside," Hopper instructed, nodding for the mass of tiny people to get out of the cold. As everyone circled up in the living room, soft introductions were made.
Rachel approached Eleven, taking in the girl's appearance. She couldn't believe her father had done such monstrous things, except he had done the same if not worse to Rachel many years ago.
The woman slid up her sleeve, revealing the three zeros etched into her skin to the young girl. Eleven looked down at the number before revealing her own. "Same." She spoke. "Yeah, we're the same." Rachel smiled softly. "Holy shit. You're from the lab?" Mike questioned.
"The man who runs the lab, Brenner. I'm his daughter." Rachel admitted, feeling as though there was no point in hiding it anymore.
✦
"Okay, so in this example, we're the acrobat. Will and Barbara, and that monster, they're this flea. And this is the Upside Down, where Will is hiding. Mr. Clarke said the only way to get there is through a rip of time and space."
"A gate, that we tracked to Hawkins Lab."
"With our compasses." Dustin adjusted his hat, taking over in the explanation. "Okay, so the gate has a really strong electromagnetic field, and that can change the directions of a compass needle."
Hopper's eyes narrowed, memories burrowing out of repression. "Is this gate underground? Near a large water tank?"
"Yes." Eleven nodded. Dustin's lips parted slightly. "How do you know all that?" He questioned the two adults. "He's see it." Mike answered for the two. "Is there any way that you could, that you could reach Will? That you could talk to him in this-"
"The Upside Down," Val finished for Joyce. "Down, yeah," Joyce softly agreed. Nancy leaned forward as Eleven nodded. "And my friend Barbara. Can you find her, too?" She questioned. "I need a picture of her."
In a flurry of preparation, they moved swiftly to the kitchen where Eleven was given a patched together black and white of Barb just moments before she was taken by the Demogorgon and the radio was set to static.
The others watched closely as El's eyes closed, waiting desperately for something to happen. Valerie felt a shiver go down her spine before the lights flickered overhead, and it only took a moment for Eleven's eyes to fly back open, her mouth shaking as she formed the words. "I'm sorry."
"What? What's wrong? What happened?" Joyce puzzled, holding Jonathan's hand. "I can't find them," Eleven whispered as she bit back tears. She excused herself quietly, darting off into the bathroom.
"Look," Mike said as the bathroom door shut down the hall. Whenever she uses her powers, she gets weak." He explained before Dustin continued. "The more energy she uses, the more tired she gets."
"Like, she flipped the van earlier," added Lucas. "It was awesome, but she's drained. Like a bad battery." The three boys explained. "Well, can either of you do it?" Joyce questioned, making all eyes fall in Rachel and Valerie.
"Mom doesn't have her powers anymore, she used them all up the night she escaped the lab." Valerie explained for the woman. "And you?" Mike questioned.
"I'm not like El, I can't just talk to people in the upside down. She's like a radio. She can see on both sides. But I can't see or hear what's going on in the upside down without actually being in the upside down. That means whatever happens to me in the upside down," Valerie trailed off.
"It's too dangerous for Val." Charlie spoke up as he wrapped his arm around her lower back. Joyce blew out a soft breath. "Well, How do we make her better?" Mike shrugged lightly. "We don't. We just have to wait and try again."
"Well, how long?" Nancy scoffed. "I don't know." Mike admitted before turning to look at Valerie, who just shrugged. She had never timed it, she had never needed to. "The bath." Eleven sounded as she reappeared in the kitchen, water still dotting her pale face.
"I can find them, in the bath."
Rachel perked up from the corner. "Sensory deprivation tank, Salt bath." She explained. "How are we supposed to make one of those?" Lucas asked the woman, who simply shrugged. "I'm a quantum physicist, salt baths are a little below my pay grade."
The boys knew exactly the person that was intelligent and poor enough to know the answer, so after a quick phone call to Mr. Clarke, the group hauled ass to the middle school with a plan in mind and a kiddie pool in tow.
The ever growing group split into four groups to get everything done in a timely manner, it was less than an hour before all of them regrouped in the gymnasium with the hopes that they had added enough salt to the now filled kiddie pool.
After many a test, they had managed to successfully build a DIY sensory deprivation tank. Stacked with towels at the ready, Mike rolled the radio dial to static and turned the volume to the highest setting as Eleven shed her jacket and socks. El handed her watch back to Mike before taking the duct taped goggles and sliding them on.
With Joyce and Rachel's help, Eleven stepped into the pool and slowly sat herself down as the world blurred out around her. The water resisted against her, rising her to the surface as she laid out flat.
And then Valerie felt a tingle make it's way up her spine, settling on the back of her neck.
✦✦✦
YOU ARE READING
Play// Stranger Things
Fanfiction"Don't hide away, come out and play" ⤷ ❝ In which sixteen year old Valerie Archer had never known anything but running, and small-town Hawkins was a place with so much to run from but nowhere to go. ❞ ... A stranger things fan fiction
