Disclaimer: I don't own Stranger Things or any of its characters. I only own Lisa and her family. Don't steal! Read on and enjoy!

Chapter 1

Lisa relaxed as her sister diligently braided the blonde hair on the left side of her head. Her sister, Kali, had shaved the right side of her own hair years ago, along with adventurously dying it purple. But Lisa liked hers too much to color or cut it all off. Still, she wanted to match her sister in some way. They'd always had matching braids at the Lab. In darling pigtails woven by the nurses, under Papa's orders. Despite having escaped from the Lab together five years ago, they saw no reason to stop the tradition. Lisa's side braid had been a compromise, a way to match without shearing off her golden locks. To repurpose it into something meaningful, meant just for them. Papa had always dressed them the same as well, and some habits were hard to break. The medical gowns and horrid green dresses had shifted to dark pants, leather jackets, boots and haphazardly applied smoky makeup.

The journey home from Pittsburgh had been exhausting. If the abandoned warehouse the gang squatted in could really be called home. Lisa would never admit it out loud, because she loved Kali, but she often dreamt of settling into a real home. They'd tried once before, not long after escaping the Lab, but it didn't work out. Nothing ever seemed to, so it was easier to not get attached. At least that was Kali's reasoning when they'd moved on. Still, Lisa couldn't seem to let the dream go. After so many years on the run, a real home was what she felt they deserved. But there was work to be done before that could ever be a possibility and everyone in the ragtag gang of misfits had jobs to do.

Lisa always tracked their targets, given her easy ability to get information out of people. A person's entire life, all their secrets, could be an open book to her with a simple touch. As the muscle of the group, sometimes Funshine tagged along for her protection but she preferred to go alone. Not only could she take care of herself, going out to gather information alone also afforded her time to cruise. It was risky, but a girl had needs and the lime green bandana in her right pocket had seen to it that those needs were met the last few months. Axel and Dottie were the maniacs with sticky fingers and eyes for anything valuable, which usually kept everyone flush in cash. Kali and Mick were the real brains of the operation, planning their escape routes and always prepared with multiple exits. Neither were willing to leave things to chance. Pittsburgh had called for Plan C to get away, the tunnel, but it had gone off without a hitch. The van was recognizable, sure, but Axel could easily boost a new ride and change plates once it was time to move on. It wouldn't be the first time they'd done it, nor would it be the last. If they were ever caught, that was where Lisa's more lucrative gift came into play. It had only happened once and she'd managed to mind-trick the lone cop into not only releasing them but forgetting them entirely.

"All done," Kali announced. Before she could pull away, Lisa reached her arms up to wrap around her sisters neck as best she could. The other girl leaned in with a grin, hugging her tightly.

"Thank you." Kali chuckled.

"You know you don't have to thank me. I like braiding your hair." From downstairs, they heard the others talking. Neither could make out what they were saying, but their tones didn't sound good. Axel was being particularly loud and mouthy. Someone must have wandered into their territory.

"It's your turn." It happened occasionally and, when the others couldn't get a stranger to leave, Kali and Lisa took turns making them go. The last time some poor soul had ventured into their hideout, it had been Lisa who'd used her gifts to send them packing. Kali sighed and pulled away, annoyed that she had to deal with the mess. Their mohawked companion started shouting again and the blonde groaned, rolling her eyes. "We really need to teach Axel the sweet serenity of silence."

With a mischievous grin, her sister asked, "Shall I scare him?" Lisa chuckled lowly and nodded.

"Make him dance."

Kali had been away from her side for no more than a minute before the sound of Axel screaming reached her ears. He was pissed. It was always the same, complaining about how he told her to stay out of his head. Lisa just shook her head and chuckled, popping some bubblegum in her mouth. Axel's head was not a place either girl relished being in, but he had to be taught a lesson occasionally and nothing else worked. The others in their little gang required no such education. When Kali didn't immediately return to her side, Lisa rose to her feet. Pulling on her leather jacket, she wandered out of their shared room and leaned on the railing. The gang was off to the side, watching in confusion. A sentiment mirrored on Lisa's own face as her sister hugged some curly haired kid in overalls. What the fuck?

"Whose the kid?" she called down, annoyed. Kali was supposed to send the stranger away, not welcome them into their home. Besides, she was the only one who could hug her sister. Who the hell did this kid think they were? The pair separated and looked up at her. The kid's face was blank but Kali looked amused.

"You don't recognize Jane? From the rainbow room?" Kali smirked. Lisa frowned. They only talked about that horrible place privately, never in front of the gang. Sure, they knew the basics of what they had endured; it was necessary because of their work. But they didn't need to know all the nightmarish details. Brow furrowed, she marched down the stairs. Blowing a bubble and snapping it obnoxiously, she stomped over to the pair. Kali held up the girl's wrist and Lisa paled at a sight neither had seen in years, her anger melting away. 011.

"Holy shit," Lisa gasped. Shoving up the sleeve of her jacket, she held out her wrist to show her apparent long lost sister her own number. 007.

"Sister," Jane murmured, almost reverently, before flinging herself at Lisa. The older girl held her awkwardly, patting her back while mouthing a few expletives at Kali.


"And this...memory your mother shared, that is your only memory of us?" Yes, Jane answered. The trio had moved their conversation to the roof. The gang had shuffled off to do their own things, sensing the sisters needed plenty of time alone. Overlooking the Chicago skyline by the light of the moon, the older girls gently questioned Jane about her life. "And how long have you been with this policeman?"

"Three hundred and twenty-seven days."

"And this cop, he thinks he can work out a deal to set you free?" Another yes. Apparently the cop told her she'd be free soon. But neither Kali or Lisa bought that. Well, Kali didn't. A small part of Lisa that she'd never dare voice aloud hoped that it was true, for Jane's sake. She was younger than them. Sheltered. Naive. There was no way she could hack the life she and Kali had been living since they'd escaped Hawkins. "He's stupid as fuck then," she stated instead, snapping her gum. "Or a liar. All cops are. You can't trust them, Jane."

"We'll always be monsters to them," Kali added, her sister nodding in agreement. "Do you understand?" Jane nodded, somewhat despondent. "Now let me guess. Your policeman, he also stops you from using your gifts?" Another nod. Lisa scoffed and shook her head, pissed off at the stranger. Who the hell did this cop think he was? "What you can do is incredible. It makes you very special, Jane," she assured her.

"Wait. Do you have a gift?" Both girls could understand what she was really asking: are you like me? Am I not the only freak?

"We both do, but they're different. I can make people see, or not see, whatever I choose." She then explained that's why Axel danced, because she made him see spiders crawling all over him. Axel hated spiders. It made Jane smile. "But it doesn't have to be scary." Kali slowly opened her palm and Lisa grinned at the sight of the iridescent butterfly fluttering in her palm. "This butterfly, it isn't real. I've just convinced your mind it is. Think of it as a kind of...magic." Jane reached out, trying to catch the illusion but failed. Her hand went straight through. When Kali snatched it and opened her palm again, Jane gasped in surprise. It was gone.

Staring hard at her sister, she questioned, "Are you real?"

"Yes, I'm real." Deciding to test if that was indeed true, Jane started poking her face. Unlike the butterfly, she could touch Kali. All three girls laughed as Kali poked her back, tickling her. When their laughter settled, Jane looked behind Kali at Lisa.

"What's your gift?" Kali glanced over her shoulder and smirked, which Lisa immediately returned. They really did love to show off.

"Oh, a little of this," she answered dramatically. Hopping to her feet, she held her hand in the air and wiggled her fingers for effect. Jane watched as a pack of cigarettes and a lighter gently floated out of her jacket pocket. As they drifted in the air, Jane's eyes widened and her jaw dropped. Her sister could move things, just like her! Lisa caught the objects with ease and lit a cigarette, much to Kali's disgust, but Jane didn't seem bothered. Neither could know she was familiar with the smell because of Hopper. Despite their fight and how abruptly she'd left, the smell wafting from Lisa's cigarette was somewhat comforting. "A little of that. Kali can make people see things, but I can make people do things."

Brow furrowed, Jane wondered, "Like what?"

"Anything I want. Go to sleep, give me their money, dance, forget my face," she explained with a shrug. Jane didn't need to know about the bad things she did with her powers. Like that time she made one of Papa's nurses walk into traffic a few months ago. "I have to have my hands on 'em, but I tell them what to do and they do it. They don't have a choice. Pretty bitchin', right?" Lisa smiled. Jane nodded, looking rather perplexed.

"She mostly uses it to keep herself stocked in cigarettes and gum," Kali added with a snicker of derision. Lisa gentled pushed her sister as she laughed.

"I didn't hear you complaining when I got us out of a big ass bill at Morton's!"


After they'd exhausted themselves, swapping stories about what had been happening in their lives, with a lot of editing from the older girls, they made their way back inside. Lisa leaned against the doorway as Kali passed a pillow and blankets to Jane. Their baby sister had assumed something was wrong, because of the looks of their faces. But that couldn't have been further from the truth. Teary eyed, Kali assured her that nothing was wrong. It was just that she felt whole now that Jane was with them. It was like a piece of them had been missing and now it wasn't. Jane felt the same. Kali looked back at Lisa a moment, coming to a decision on her own. When she looked back at Jane, she said that she thought her mother sent her to Chicago for a reason.

"I think she somehow knew that we belong together. I think this is your home."

"Home?" Jane reached out, taking her sister's hand, and Kali smiled.

"Yes. Home." Eventually, Kali tucked Jane in for the night. Although Jane refused to go to sleep until she had at least one more hug from both of her newfound sisters. Quite the needy thing, Lisa thought. As they left her alone, the blonde had her arms crossed and was biting her lower lip pensively. "What's wrong?" Kali asked, immediately picking up on her sister's queues. Glancing over her shoulder, Lisa realized they were too close to Jane's new room. Grabbing her sister's arm, she led her down the hall to their room and closed the door. "Now will you tell me? What has you so spooked?"

"I'm happy to know she's alive. That we aren't the only ones who made it out," Lisa began. She had to make it clear that she was happy to know that Jane was alive and well, because she truly was. But the entire situation was troubling, and Lisa couldn't shake the feeling that Jane's appearance in their lives would have damning consequences. "But we don't even know if we can trust her. I think I should make her go."

"No." Lisa grit her teeth and clenched her fists.

"She's been staying with a cop, Kal!" she exclaimed. "For all we know, he could be working for the Lab. This could all be a set-up!"

"If that were true, they would have killed the others and taken us by now." The blonde shook her head and began to pace around the room, desperately wanting to hit something. Kali approached and gently turned her sister to face her. She placed her hands on her cheeks and pressed their foreheads together, murmuring for her to take a breath. The calming effect was immediate, it always was. "I think we can use her. Jane can find people without moving, with nothing but an image," she whispered. It was true. That was how Jane had found them, from a newspaper clipping in her mothers files. Lisa had to admit that she was jealous; Kali had a last name, Prasad, and family in London that had been looking for her years ago. Maybe they still were, who could say. But Jane had come bearing no such news for Lisa and that left a bitterness in the pit of her stomach. Pulling back, she held her sisters hands and stated, "I want to do one. Tomorrow." And just like that, all calm fled Lisa's body as she snatched her hands away.

"No way, it's too soon! We're way too hot right now! We always wait at least a month to do another. And we need to a new ride! What's the point of making rules if we don't stick to 'em?" she snapped angrily. "And you saw her. She's not like us, Kal. She's not ready for this."

"You heard what she told us, the things she's done. She's more than ready," her sister argued. "She's in pain. She needs this."

"She is a scared kid," the blonde snapped back objectively, "who just ran away from home for the first time!"

"We are home!" Lisa grit her teeth and tried not to roll her eyes.

Both of them felt like their lives were utterly destroyed by Papa and the Lab. They and all their siblings had been stolen from what their lives should have been. Who were their real parents? Did they have true-born siblings? Who would they have been had it not been for Papa abducting them? They'd probably never know. Lisa wondered from time to time but it was another subject she never dared to speak on. Kali had her single-minded focus on their revenge and, while Lisa was devoted to their cause, she often thought about what life would be like after. Once every bastard who'd ever hurt them was dead, what would they do then? Who would they become when they'd finished meting out their justice?

But Jane was with them now, just as lost and alone as they'd once been, and she was looking for answers. The young girl was so naive, she was feeding so easily into whatever Kali told her. Her sister could be inspirational when she wanted to be, but she could also be so damn headstrong and blind. It drove Lisa up the wall some days, but she loved her. She loved her so much and unconditionally. She couldn't help it. Kali was her sister, her only family. Who did she have if she didn't have Kali? Who would she be without her? Those were things Lisa never wanted to learn.

"If you're wrong? If they find us? They'll unleash hell." Pulling her sister in for a hug, she squeezed and tearfully said, "I don't wanna lose you."

"We don't live in fear," Kali recited, squeezing her tight. It was a motto they'd sworn years ago. Back in their room, separated from all of their siblings. Back when Papa made them fight each other, to harvest the best of their abilities for his own gain. Then they swore it again, once they were free. "We can't and neither can she." Lisa relented, but very reluctantly.

"Fine. But you're telling the others."