Lucky Number Seven (FLASHBACK)

Chapter 1

Seven's POV

Two years. It's been two years since I left that place... since I escaped. I almost thought it was impossible. I never thought I'd get out of there.

I had lived there since I could remember. It was the only place I'd ever known. It was my prison.

My name is Seven. I was never given another name. I even have a tattoo on my arm "007." I was nothing more than an experiment. I was special. I had a camouflage and invisibility ability. I was very intelligent. More importantly, I could heal wounds. I was the medic in the lab.

That's what I did for 15 long years. I was a lab rat and a medic. I learned about the outside world through what I could get my hands on. In 15 years, I knew enough to be dangerous.

I had a handler in the lab, Casey. She was the one that looked after me. She stayed with me. Wherever I went in the lab, she went. She was surprisingly kind. She was one of the only people in the lab that was kind to me.

She smiled when she saw me. She spoke kindly. She always told me good morning when she first came in and good night when I was going to bed. When I was young, she'd bring me a piece of candy if they were running tests on me that day. I even got to the point that I called her "mom."

They used my powers all the time. Like most of the experiments, my nose bled every time I used them. Of course, I learned the hard way what happens when they were overused. If I overextended myself, I could hurt myself. They would overuse my powers, and I'd get the migraine to end all migraines. It hurt, and that's an understatement. They told me it could cause permanent damage if taken too far.

I honestly felt quite lucky. I know that Brenner worked with several of the other experiments. I was very happy to have Casey instead of him. Dr. Brenner was a monster. He started this. I worked with him probably once a week. When he walked into the room, I always felt a chill run down my spine. I know he spent most of his time with one experiment. I felt bad for her. I saw her a couple of times.

After years of studying patterns, guard changes and passwords, I knew how to get out. I can't say for sure, but I think Casey might have helped me some. I noticed a door cracked here and there. I also noticed that she was nowhere to be seen although she usually stuck by me all the time. All I know is, when I rounded a corner, I watched Brenner pull a gun on her. I never saw it happen, but I heard the shot... Casey sacrificed herself for me.

I ran from the lab. I make sure I lay low. I rarely use my powers. I learned what I needed to fit in. I go to school. I live under an alias, not that I can tell people my name is Seven. I call myself Casey in the memory of the woman who actually cared. I adapted.

Now, I'm 17. I attend Hawkins High School. I have a car. I have a home. I live with a guy who was willing to take me in, Scott Clarke. He was willing to take me in without asking a bunch of questions. Of course, really he was just willing to give me a place to stay and a guy to claim to be my dad. He was my cover. He doesn't exactly pay attention to what I do. Sure, he takes care of me, but we don't have a real father-daughter thing going on.

So yeah, I'm Casey Clarke now. I keep to myself mostly. I've met a few of the kids in Scott's AV Club. They think I'm alright. I can understand them, so they like me. Other than that, no one really knows I exist, and that's ok. The less attention I draw, the better.