0 0 1 ━ [ 𝘚𝘵𝘦𝘷𝘦 𝘏𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘵𝘰𝘯 ]

𝙲𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝟻: 𝙾𝚗𝚎

"Again," Dr. Brenner instructed.

Sarah hesitated before focusing on the smudge. She concentrated hard and did exactly what she had done the last 17 times, but a portal didn't appear.

"Again."

Sarah looked to Dr. Brenner, her eyes pleading with him to let her rest. They had been doing this every day since she had awoken in this nightmarish place.

"Again." Dr. Brenner leaned forward so that his dark eyes were only inches from her own. She could see a terrified little girl in the reflection. Was that her?

"Please Papa," she cried.

Dr. Brenner continued to stare into her eyes as he motioned for the guards at the door. Sarah began to breathe harder as they walked towards her. She tried one last time to beg for mercy, but the two sets of rough hands that latched onto her arms gave her Dr. Brenner's answer.

"No! No! NO!" Sarah kicked and screamed as the guards lifted her from the chair and carried her to the hallway. Dr. Brenner didn't move. He didn't even flinch as she was escorted back to her room, crying and flailing the whole way.

"Papa! PAPA!" Sarah shouted. She couldn't think about anything but him. He had to stop this, to save her. He was the only one who could. Everything around her became blurry as she continued to scream for him.

And then she saw him. Not in the hallway or her cell-like room that they were fast approaching, but in the portal that opened before her. Framed by a whirling circle of light the size of a basketball was Dr. Brenner's surprised face.

The guards were also shocked, and loosened their grip just enough for Sarah to pull one of her arms free and reach through the portal for Dr. Brenner. A large tear plummeted down Sarah's cheek as Dr. Brenner slowly put his hand to hers. "Papa," Sarah whispered.

"One," Dr. Brenner smiled.

The girl awoke to the smell and sound of sizzling bacon. The first sight she saw as her eyelids fluttered open were two big brown eyes staring back at her. She nearly hurtled off the couch in surprise.

Eleven's face was inches from hers, a huge smile plastered on her face. "Good morning!"

"Good...morning..." the girl said, slowly pushing herself off the couch.

"Breakfast?" Hopper asked, venturing into the living room with the pan of bacon. A loud growl from the girl's stomach answered for her.

The three sat together at the cramped table, Hopper and Eleven watching as their guest mowed down her plate.

"Hungry?" Eleven asked after the girl had begun to pick at the crumbs. The girl nodded vigorously.

"So..." Hopper began, scraping his fork against his plate. "What's your name?"

The girl stopped staring at her plate long enough to look up at Hopper. She studied him for a moment before speaking. "One."

"Your name is One?" Hopper asked. The girl nodded, not caring to elaborate. "Do you have another name? Like a nickname or a name you went by before...well..." Hopper cleared his throat uncomfortably.

One just stared at him. Her gaze made Hopper feel uncomfortable and he looked away, giving up on getting an answer. "Well, One, it's nice to meet you. My name is Jim and you've already met my daughter, El."

"Hello," Eleven smiled as Hopper gestured to her. "Where did you come from?" Eleven asked next. One slowly swallowed her last bite, looking down before she could meet Eleven's eyes. She didn't answer.

After a few awkward moments of silence, One pushed the plate ahead of her to signify that she was done. "Can I...shower?" she asked hesitantly.

"Of course," Hopper said, surprised. For some reason he was caught off guard by the normality of the question. Nothing about this situation was normal. But then again, nothing about most of his life was normal; his adopted daughter had superpowers and they were constantly terrorized by monsters from another dimension for Christ's sake.

Hopper directed One towards the bathroom, grabbing her a fresh towel from the cabinet and shutting the door for her. She stood watching him with those unnerving blue eyes as the space between the door got smaller and smaller. What was it about her eyes?

Hopper rejoined Eleven at the table, staring back at the bathroom door every few seconds like it was going to open and reveal an empty room. Like One was a figment of his imagination. The sound of rushing water as the shower turned on reminded him that she was very real.

"So what are we going to do about her?" Hopper asked Eleven, clearing the plates from the table and depositing them in the sink. "It's clear that she's not going to talk to us..."

"She needs time," Eleven answered.

"What do you think happened to her? I mean...other than the experimenting and...stuff." Hopper once again found it difficult to address the terrible things Dr. Brenner had inflicted on Eleven and the other kids he abducted.

"Don't know..." Eleven contemplated. "She was somewhere...else."

"What do you mean, 'somewhere else'?"

"Papa—Dr. Brenner..." Eleven caught herself when she saw Hopper flinch. Old habits. "is gone. But she looks like she was in danger."

"What kind of danger?" Hopper asked, but Eleven didn't get a chance to answer when the water shut off and the bathroom door creaked open.

The girl standing in the doorway did not look like the girl who had crashed on their couch. Without all the ash and blood, One was a whole new person. Well, almost a new person. Water dripped from One's dyed red tips onto her battered jacket.

"You need new clothes," Hopper pointed out. One looked down at her outfit and frowned. Shreds of her pale skin were visible through the slashes in her shirt and jeans.

Eleven ran over to the phone and quickly dialed Max's number. Eleven smiled as she pressed the phone to her ear and listened to the rings. "Shopping!"

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