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CHAPTER THREE: ALMOST HOME

The house was everything she remembered it to be.

The years that had passed by had never changed her memories of it. It had been a permanent fixture for much of her life that it wasn't hard for her to recreate in her mind. She still remembered the scent of the roses placed next to the front door, the creak of the swinging chair on the porch, the smell of her mother's cooking filtering through the house as soon as she opened the door. Every little tiny detail that usually would go unnoticed, it became the only thing that made her get through the turmoil of the last two decades. And even though it had been a long time ago since she had been taken, it was still difficult for her to truly process all the emotions that overwhelmed her. The worry, the panic, the hope that had dwindled away.

It had all been too much for her. The testing, the injections, the overwhelming pain. It was confusing; why had she been taken and used in such a way. She hadn't known where she was or how close she had been to home, and for a long time, she wondered if she would ever be able to escape. The questions she would ask them would be left unanswered, her worry dismissed, her tears ignored. And as each day slowly ticked away, she began to wonder how much would she be able to take. Communication between scientist and test subjects was scarce. And over time, they soon realised the results regarding her abilities were astonishing.

She was stronger than they had originally anticipated her to be, excelling at every test they put forward for her to complete.

"Home," Eleven's voice filled the air around her.

Caroline kept her tearful eyes upon the vision of her childhood home she had recreated. As Caroline froze time for just a split second, she created, in her hand, the childhood home she never forgot. Eleven watched in awe as a miniature house twirled around and hovered above her palm.

"It's a ten-minute walk from here," Caroline explained.

"How long… has it been?" asked Eleven.

"I'm not sure," Caroline answered honestly. She closed her palm and the vision of the house in her palm disintegrated into thin air. Time resumed. She motioned towards the waitress and when she approached them, Caroline spoke. "Hi… you don't have today's newspaper, do you?"

"We do, indeed," the waitress replied. "I'll go get you one."

"Thank you," Caroline said appreciatively. As the waitress returned with a newspaper, Caroline thanked her once again. Once the waitress slipped out the back, Caroline examined the newspaper intensely.

The date printed on the newspaper read November 5th, 1983.

"No…" Caroline whispered. "It can't be… it just can't…"

"What?" Eleven asked.

"The last day I was here was November third nineteen sixty three…" Caroline said. "That was twenty years ago…"

"But…" Eleven began. "How old are you?"

"I don't know," Caroline said, and after a moment, she touched her face.

"What happened?"

"I had spent the evening with my friend, Jim… and he had driven me home, and we had kissed… and there had been a rush of light coming from all directions, and then nothing… just nothing," Caroline explained, her voice becoming breathless and upset. "He had driven away and then there were lights all around me. I can remember screaming for Jim. But he had already gone at that point…"

"Sorry," Eleven whispered sadly, reaching out for her.

"I was eighteen then," Caroline whispered. She moved her hand quickly towards the cutlery on the table, and holding a knife in front of her, she observed her reflection closely. Her skin was smooth of any creases or lines, her eyes had once been bright but were now bruised with tiredness, her hair once styled had been tied back tightly. "No… this can't be right…"

Confusion caused her brow to furrow, as her mind raced over the missing years. Though the years had passed her by, she had not aged a day.

Hawkins Lab, Hawkins

"If you don't abide by our rules, you know what it will mean for you, don't you?"

She kept her attention on the blank wall in front of her and remained silent. Dr Brenner sighed with frustration, his mind racing as to what his next step would be. He stood against the wall, his back supported by the sturdiness, arms folded. The girl in front of him refused to look at him and he could tell by how adamant she was by her refusing to acknowledge him and he knew that he wasn't able to get through to her.

"Please… just talk to me," he pleaded. "I'll have no choice but to send you down there and I know that's the last thing you want."

It was at that moment that she looked at him, and as he stared at her, he was able to see the fear in her eyes. Her whole demeanour betrayed her, but her voice was strong. "Do it."

Dr Brenner looked aghast by her reaction. "I know this isn't what you want. And it doesn't have to be like this."

"I refuse," she said sternly. She stared at him intensely and he moved towards the door.

"I'm sorry, One. Maybe this time will teach you to follow our orders," Dr Brenner responded. "This is your third refusal. You know what this means now."

She moved her fearful gaze away from and gave a short curt nod. "A lifetime of punishment."

"You know you're smart, but that mouth of yours is getting you into serious trouble," Dr Brenner said, anger clipping his voice. "One last chance…"

She glanced at him once more but this time with a smirk etched across her face. "I'm ready to head down now."

Anger coursed through his veins and her felt it overwhelm him in that moment. He grabbed her harshly by the arm and dragged her out of the room, down the corridor, and towards the entrance way to the underground. She struggled against him, feeling as her bare legs give out beneath her as he pulled and hauled her down endless corridors. People wearing white coats came out of the rooms to see what the commotion was, and once they saw them pass them by, they re-entered their rooms once more, shutting the door behind them.

"Stop… stop…" she cried but they fell upon deaf ears.

"This is what you wanted so this is what you're getting!" he shouted at her. "Why do you make this so difficult for yourself?!"

Tears stung her eyes as friction burns began to form on her legs and feet. She had endured so much, and yet, this, was worse than everything she had ever had to face. The lack of control, the feeling of being dragged to the Upside Down, the fact that no one was stopping him.

They came to the double doors, and he stopped then. He placed his fingerprint against the machine and with a buzzing sound, the doors opened for him. The scientists within the room watched with trepidation as, without a word, he dragged the young girl towards the showers. The showers led them to main area to get to the entrance of the Upside Down. It disinfected people going in and out, stripping them of any chemicals before they entered and after they came back. To have any scent be airborne and attached to clothing, it attracted the monsters almost instantly.

Dr Brenner threw her into the showers, and even though she had been in them for many times, this time was different. The liquid that was sprayed upon her was not water, but rather a chemical. She had heard the stories milling around the compound, the torture endured by many. She had been in the Upside Down before, but mostly for tests to be completed. This whole thing was new to her.

As the chemicals and liquids stopped spraying upon her, the door to the main area opened.

"You may now step inside," Dr Brenner's voice came over the monitor. "Your punishment begins here. Be careful of the monsters."

"You're the monster!" she screamed at him before the root-like tendrils and membranes covering the entrance swallowed her up.

Dr Brenner turned to the scientists standing around, still silent and confused. "Keep her in there until I say so. Got that?"

As they nodded quickly in response, Dr Brenner left.

The Upside Down had always been something she feared.

The screeching of the monsters had unnerved her more than she had wanted to admit. The tests she would be made to do always had one thing that was certain; a way out. She would be in a suit to protect her from the tendrils and membranes and the monsters. But this time, she wore nothing but a medical gown.

And it was then that she realised that she was truly alone. Her punishment was to survive, and she had no help or support if things took a turn for the worse.

But the monsters weren't the ones to be feared in the darkness, she was.

"I need you to follow my instructions carefully, okay?" Caroline said outside the store.

They had paid for their breakfast and had left shortly afterwards, newspaper in their possession. The urge to go home was high, but she knew they would be looking for her and that they would head to the last place she was seen, and the place she would most likely head to. And so, she had planned for them to stay at a motel for the night. The money she had taken from the house would only go so far, and Caroline understood she needed to be careful.

"We're going to act normal, okay? We're going to walk in there, and we're going to pick a few things. You pick out what you want, I'll take care of the rest," Caroline said, her voice shaky. Eleven nodded in response, and they entered the store together.

A playful jingle was playing over the sound system, and as Caroline glanced around at the customers and saw the jaded expressions upon their faces, she could tell the jingle was not something they were enjoying. They made their way down the freezer aisle confidently, where Eleven made her way straight towards the boxes of waffles.

"You liked them then, huh?" Caroline asked with a smile, to which Eleven nodded enthusiastically.

The young girl reached up for them on her tip toes. As the young girl was busy stocking up on waffles, Caroline moved towards the top of the aisle where the bags of beef jerky were stocked. Glancing around her and making sure there was no one in sight, she slipped one into the pocket of her jacket. She pocketed a few more quickly, cautious that she didn't catch anyone's attention.

"You got all that you wanted?" Caroline called out to Eleven.

"I like them," Eleven said with a smile.

"They are delicious," Caroline replied.

"Delicious," Eleven repeated with difficulty.

"Let's pay for these," Caroline said, but before they could move, a security guard came out from the side of her. Eleven was way in front of her, excitedly carrying a bundle of boxed waffles.

"I'm going to have to get you to turn out those pockets," he said. Caroline felt her anxiety prickle the back of her neck.

"I haven't done anything," she urged.

"Turn out your pockets now," he said sternly.

"I'm really sorry about this," Caroline said, her voice void of emotion. "But I have not stolen anything."

"You know, we don't like thieves," the security guard said. "We're going to have to call the police. Let them teach you a lesson and put you on the right path, girl."

"I'm homeless," Caroline said. "I have no money. I haven't eaten in days. Please."

"Too late for all that now," he said.

Caroline turned her attention upon Eleven who was stood watching with widened eyes. When she heard Caroline's voice fill her head, she knew she needed to get out of there safely.

"Run!" she said telepathically, and Eleven understood the order loud and clear. As more security guards surrounded Caroline, she knew that she could use her powers, but she didn't want to hurt anyone. Hurting people was something she wasn't about to do. The checkout guy notified them that the police had been called, and Eleven slipped out of the store unnoticed, the boxes of waffles clutched tightly to her chest.