Freckles & Curls | MILEVEN AU

three - nothing is stranger

song - Wonder by Lauren Aquilina 

~"So I'll remain
Within your reign
Until my thoughts can travel somewhere new
My mind is blind to everything but you
And I wonder if you wonder about me too"~

Sometimes she would dream of him, his eyes lighting up her dark nights, pushing the nightmares away with his freckles and dark hair. She would imagine herself back in the lab, needles ready to pierce into her milky skin until she called his name, his face appearing in seconds like the moon in the night sky, like her own savior. He would ramble on about science and different types of metal bonding until her world felt like it was no longer falling apart, his voice smooth and comforting to chase the bad dreams away. She had no need for the small dream-catcher that hung above her bed, his imaginary presence enough to keep the bad memories out of her head, instead filling it with memories that they could perhaps have one day. He would take her by the hand, teaching her constellations while she counted his freckles, giggling as she realized that they were like her own personal starry night sky. Mike would smile softly at her, his dark eyes so light and shimmering in the darkness of her mind, eventually fading away as she woke up with a small frown on her face. 

"Bad dream?" her father would ask in a sympathetic voice. 

Jane would shake her head. "No, a really good dream."

He didn't understand that her tears were not caused by the memory of the needles pressing against her veins, of the strange feelings coursing through her body through whatever drug they had forced into her system. The tears were not created because of the life that she had left behind, the memories that would not leave her alone at night. Instead she was crying over what she could never have, a normal future with someone that made her feel more at home than she had felt in years. She could never have Mike completely, never tell him everything and feel him kiss away her tears, his lips chasing away every dark thought in seconds. The very thought of having to continue staying away from him broke her heart. 

The only other person that Jane could trust was Joyce, a kind lady that was once a friend of her fathers. She worked at Melvalds, a store in the middle of Hawkins town center that sold all different kind of supplies to keep Jane occupied when her father was working late. Joyce would often sneak her magazines to take home, her eyes absorbing all of the new information about school and clothes, things that she could never fully understand. She could tell that Hopper wanted to tell Joyce everything, knowing that he trusted her more than anyone, but he knew that if he told her, Jane would argue that he had broken one of their rules. Joyce greeted her with a smile as she entered the store, her chin automatically resting on her hand as she blinked up at Joyce, sighing softly with boredom. 

"Your Dad working late, sweetheart?" she smiled knowingly. 

Jane nodded with a small sigh. "Yeah. Is it okay if I stay here for a while?"

Joyce squeezed her hand. "Of course it is, you can help me with the shelves. I need to put some new products out, it will kill time until your Dad picks you up."

She followed the kind lady patiently, wringing her hands together nervously. They spent a while putting the products on the shelves, Joyce nodded in approval every so often. Jane liked being helpful, her eyes lighting up every time she was praised, used to punishments more than rewards. She could remember being doused in water or locked in small rooms for punishments, the dark thoughts making her chin wobble involuntarily. But she shook it off as quickly as she could, reminding herself that her Papa was not a part of her life anymore, that she had everything that she had ever wanted. Well, almost everything. 

When she suddenly tripped over the box of cat food, everything in her world slowed to a stop as an unfamiliar pair of shoes stopped in front of her.