PROLOGUE

HAWKINS, INDIANA.

The metal wires groaned under the weight of the people in the cage. There was a breeze rushing up through the miles of cavernous tunnels that ran underneath the town of Hawkins, Indiana. Police Chief Hopper pushed all thoughts of the supporting wires snapping, leaving him and the child beside him to fall to their deaths, out of his mind forcefully.

Hopper snuck a look at Eleven and snorted. She could probably survive the fall. Fly away or something like that… he thought to himself as he stared at the young girl. A feeling of paternal concern flooded through him as he remembered what they had come down here to do. After having his biological daughter taken away from him in a cruel twist of fate, Hopper had never dreamed that he would once again be filling the role of father, especially not to remarkable child who had the ability to snap a grown man's neck with a jerk of her head.

The cage stopped its descent, and Hopper pulled his eyes up to look at their enemy. Even being in the vicinity of the gaping wound, that was the cause of so much pain and death, made his skin crawl and his instincts scream at him to flee. He had to work to supress the urge to scoop his tiny companion up in his arms and climb back the way they came.

"I can do this." Eleven said, sensing in the Police Chief his warring emotions. Although she had spoken to calm Hopper, she found that her words had an effect on her too. I can do this. She repeated to herself silently, letting the mantra fill her head until it was her only thought.

"I know you can, kid. Give 'em hell." Hopper responded, pulling the safety latch on the assault rifle and aiming it down the cavern. Nothing that came up that tunnel would lay one finger, claw, hoof, or hook on Eleven whilst Jim was around.

Eleven raised her hand in front of her, taking a slow, steadying breath. She was the reason that the world had this hole in it, the reason that the monsters had managed to gain such a dramatic foothold in this plane of existence, and she would be the one to stop it.

She could feel her telekinetic energies reaching out beyond her physical being. She aimed them towards the tear in the wall, the gateway through which the monsters had emerged, and she slowly began to pull the edges together.

In the back of her mind she could hear the growls and barking of the Demodogs that had been alerted to the presence of the people hanging precariously in the metal cage, but she couldn't worry about that now. She knew Hopper was more than capable of protecting her back, and she had bigger fish to fry. Eleven gritted her teeth, she could feel the blood pulsing through her veins as her muscles screamed in protest at the exertion. She pulled harder and harder, forcing the two sides of the Gate together meter by meter.

I can do this.

A gunshot rang out, the sound echoing around the chasm. Another shot, followed by another. They were under attack, and Eleven couldn't help unless she sealed the Gate for good.

She exerted more force, more than she had used in a very long time, but it wasn't enough. She could feel the resistance from the wound ripping apart seam by seam and it felt like she was going to be overpowered. The hideous titan that waited beyond the veil had been drawn to the event and Eleven felt her blood run cold.

I can do this! She almost screamed at herself. In that moment her life flashed before her eyes. The very few years that she had been on this planet had been fraught with pain, torment, hopelessness, abandonment… but not anymore. She had something to live for now. People to fight for.

She hadn't realised that she was screaming until the sound was already out. In that scream, she released all of her pent-up rage and frustrations about her life, all the things she had been clinging to as a survival mechanism. Eleven felt herself lift from the ground, but she was lost in the throes of her powers. She had never channelled this much before. She felt like a God amongst men. Faces of those who had harmed her flashed in her mind, with Brenner's face featuring the most.

She unleashed her power directly at the Gate, not caring about anything other than sealing it forever. In moments, it was done.

The wound had closed, trapping the monstrosities that lurked in the Upside Down forever. She tumbled to the floor but was caught in Hopper's strong arms before she made contact.

"You did it, kid! You did it!" He exclaimed, hugging her to his chest.

"I did it…" she whispered back.

SURREY, ENGLAND

Evie awoke with a start. Her heart racing, she realised she was panting and covered in sweat. However, that wasn't the main issue. She shot out of bed and ran to the bathroom, flicking on the light and running the cold tap. Without hesitating, she thrust her arm under the icy water and breathed a sigh of relief.

The burning sensation was so strong, it radiated through her entire body, but Evie knew the origin. Once she had eased the pain enough to think straight, she pulled her arm away and lifted it towards the light to inspect it. Everything seemed to be normal. Her eyes lingered on the tattoo that had been given to her before she was even old enough to talk and her teeth clamped together.

001

It didn't matter where she had run to, she would always carry that brand.

It took a few moments for her brain to start functioning properly. Her tattoo still hurt, but she now knew the meaning. It was a signal. A beacon, calling her back to the place she had vowed never to return.

For a brief moment, she thought about just ignoring it and returning to the life she had built in England, but truthfully, she knew she couldn't.

If she had felt it, then the others must have done too.