Chicago, Mike had decided, could suck it.
He'd been there for an hour and he already wanted to go back to Hawkins. Granted, they weren't in the nicest part of town, but he hated the noise and the smell and everything about it. Miss Morrison—or Kat, as she'd insisted he call her—was walking ahead like she owned the goddamn place, Will sticking beside her. Hopper was elsewhere in the city, trying to find out some information on a guy named Sam Owens. Mike, on the other hand, was hanging back with Jane. None of the three kids felt safe in what seemed to be the slums of the city.
"Mouth-breather," Jane muttered as a guy started yelling at her from across the street. She clung closer to Mike and Will looked around frantically.
"This was a terrible idea," he muttered. "Why did we have to come?"
"To be Janey's support system," Kat replied. "Besides, it's the only way I could get her to come."
"Kitty, Kitty, Kitty," sneered a voice nearby.
She stopped and glared as a man with his hair in a bleach-blonde mohawk came out of an alley. He smirked at her, chewing gum at the same time.
"Well, Kitty, I must say I never expected to see you here again—not after that massive blow-up last time. Come all this way to see me?"
"Nah. I had no intention of seeing your ugly ass. I hoped to run into Mick or Fun."
"You know this guy?" whispered Will.
"Axel, where's Kali?" It was as if Will hadn't spoken. Then the guy (Axel, Mike assumed) caught sight of the kids.
"What's going on, Kitty? Who's the brats?"
"This is Mike, Will, and… Jane."
The name 'Jane' seemed to change Axel's demeanor. He blinked and set down the bat he'd been carrying, staring straight at the high schooler.
"You listened to her."
"About what?" Mike asked, speaking for the first time.
"Kali told Kitty to never come back unless she brought Jane with her. Guess it's time."
"Take us to the hideout," Kat groaned. Axel shrugged and grabbed his bat.
"Gotta warn ya—we have a new member now. Dottie. She don't get her name because she's into patterns, either." Kat nodded and followed him.
Having no other choice, the kids did the same.
They went through an alley where several bums were sleeping in tents. A few greeted Axel as they passed, but most ignored or didn't notice the group. An abandoned warehouse loomed at the end and Mike noted the numbers 8, 1, and 11 spray-painted on the side. He had no idea what any of it meant, but it didn't seem good. Axel opened the door and held it for Kat, who rolled her eyes before going inside. Will, Mike, and Jane.
"Well, if it ain't Kitty Kat!" a woman said, strutting up. "Come back to sharpen your claws?"
"Sorry, Mick. Not today. I listened to Kali—remember what she told me about next time I come back?"
Mick's eyes landed on Jane and widened. She then turned to the stairs.
"KALI! YOUR SISTER'S HERE!"
"I told her not to come back!" a voice said at the top. Footsteps came down—heavy footsteps against the metal. A girl with wild purple hair appeared at the end and narrowed her eyes at Kat.
"Kali," Kat stated.
"Kat." The tension was thick. "What the hell are you doing here? Come crawling back?"
"I did what you said." Jane stepped forward and Mike swallowed nervously. "I brought our little sister."
Kali's eyes landed on Jane and widened. She opened and closed her mouth before rushing forward to hug her. Mike swore he could see tears running down her face and shifted uncomfortably. This was one of Jane's sisters—the only one she had that wasn't related to her. She'd explained back at his house, when she proposed him coming to Chicago with her, what the deal was.
"They're going to help us put Brenner away. They know more than I do and it can help."
"Jane," Kali croaked, stepping back. "You look beautiful."
"Thank you."
"How did you get her away from Brenner, Kat?"
"I didn't." Kat gestured to Will. "This guy gave her a hand."
"All I did was bring her home and ask if she could stay with my family," Will explained. "My mom pressed charges against Brenner and my stepdad arrested him."
"What's your name?" Kali's dark eyes were on him now.
"Will. Will Hopper."
"So we have Kat… and Jane and Will Hopper."
"Morrison," Kat corrected. "Kat Morrison."
"You'll always be Kitty with the claws to me," Axel chuckled.
Mike couldn't help but feel out of place. Everyone here was connected—by circumstance, by blood, by family lines that weren't visible. He had no real connections to anybody here. One date with Jane didn't make her his girlfriend. Kat was a teacher who encouraged him as a creator. Will was his best friend, but even then, Jane knew things about Will that Mike didn't. And he didn't know anybody in Kali's gang. His stomach twisted; he was the guy from a small town in the big city with people who seemed to fit in.
"Dottie and Funshine should be back soon," Kali told Kat and Jane, leading them to a spot where an inwardly-charred barrel sat. "Then we'll eat."
"We're not here to visit," Kat sighed. "We're here because we need your help."
"Why? Last time you were here, it was because you needed my help, and we didn't get close to where you needed us to go."
"But this time, we're putting Brenner where he belongs—prison for the rest of his life. We need you to come to Hawkins with us to testify against him." Kali sighed and seemed to be considering it.
"Kal, you can't honestly be thinking of doing this," said Mick.
"If it means getting revenge on the man who stole my childhood, then yes. I'm considering it."
"He's working at our school now," Mike blurted and Kali seemed to notice him for the first time.
"Who's this?"
"Mike," Jane replied, walking over and slipping her hand into his. He gripped it tightly with a smile. "My boyfriend."
Axel let out a whistle.
"Jesus, Kal! Your baby sis is already a heartbreaker. God knows Kitty's the same way."
Kat put her hands to her mouth as if she was blowing a kiss, then flipped him off with both hands. Axel snickered and tossed his bat into the corner.
"Let it never be said that Kitty doesn't have claws."
"Kitty's back?" a deep voice said. A man who could only be described as a fucking mountain entered the warehouse. Right behind him was a woman with wild blonde hair dyed various colors.
"Funshine," Kat greeted him. He swept her into a hug.
"Where you been?"
"Hawkins."
Kali took a deep breath and nodded.
"I'll go."
"Really?" Axel looked confused.
"If… if we have a chance at being normal… of putting Brenner away for the rest of his life… then I'm going to take it. I'll go to Hawkins and testify."
"Great. Now we have to go," Kat sighed. "We've gotta meet Hopper at the car."
"Who's Hopper?"
"Dad," Jane told her older sister.
"We'll miss ya," Mick informed Kali.
"I'll be back. This shouldn't take too long."
"Less than a year, at least," Will added. "Took six months last time, and he still got out."
"Well, let's just make sure he doesn't get out again, then."
Hopper took a drag from his cigarette.
Kat should've been back with the kids and this other girl by now.
He'd had a feeling, from the time he found out Jane's story, that she hadn't been the first victim of Brenner's abuse. The way he acted and covered up his atrocities was that of a professional, somebody who'd been at it a long time. Kat's story had confirmed that fear, and now a new girl with a similar tale? Oh, Hopper was going to have fun putting this perverted bastard away. Not to mention that it would provide closure for everyone involved, including Terry Ives. Becky had started sobbing tears of joy over the phone at the mere notion that her sister was going to be avenged.
Then there was Sam Owens. A man who knew a hell of a lot about psychology who had also been in contact with Kat. Apparently, she'd met him when her 'parents' (the people Brenner had sold her to) wanted to find out how to 'fix' their new daughter and had sought out Owens as a result. Even after they'd decided that Kat was fine and dandy, she'd kept in touch with the doctor when she needed help or when nightmares about her father became too much for her to bear and she needed to be talked down from doing something drastic and final to end it.
Owens had been very helpful once he found out that Hopper knew Kat. In fact, he'd offered to be Jane's therapist to help her cope, should she need it. Hopper had agreed to consider it before walking to the car.
There was a rap at the window and he looked up to see Kat.
"Where the hell have you been?" he asked, unlocking the doors. Mike, Jane, and Will slid into the backseat while Kat and the new girl—Kali—took the front. Hopper started the car.
"My apologies, Mr. Hopper," Kali told him. "I was being a little stubborn."
"Well, it's nice to meet you."
"Thank you for taking care of Jane." Kali had an earnest look that Hopper sighed at.
"I'm her dad. It's what I do."
He pulled out of his parking spot and started down the road back towards Hawkins. In the backseat, he could hear his daughter and the Wheeler kid talking quietly. Mike's hand was on top of Jane's and both were smiling as they talked. Will was drawing something in one of his sketchbooks. Kat told Kali things about Hawkins that the other girl needed to know in order to keep things quiet. Hopper felt a sense of relief, that perhaps once they got back to town and he arrested Brenner, things would go back to normal and they could put all this behind them.
But the week of February 17, 1985 would prove to be one that nobody involved would ever forget.
