LXXXI

Henry has a plan—of course he does. And that is why he spends hours locked in his office, devouring book after book on anatomy, physics, and chemistry, with the firm intention of acquiring the necessary knowledge to carry it out.

Eleven is young. A teenager, barely more than a child. But him? He is in his best moment. However, the two of them will hardly meet in that moment in time: once Eleven is finally ready, the opposite may happen to him. He may find his health and, therefore, his body and abilities declining.

Henry is extremely adaptable, yes. But there are changes that he simply will not allow to happen.

It is during Eleven's birthday month when an unexpected—and unwanted—change comes his way.

"Have you thought about what you want as a birthday gift?" Henry asks her a few days before the discovery, when they are both sitting on the grass after a fairly light training session.

Eleven looks up at the sky. Henry smiles: it is an almost reflexive gesture of hers, looking at the clouds when thinking. He may have gotten into the habit of asking her thought-provoking questions just to see this particular occurrence.

"Hm… Maybe a new dress?"

This surprises him. "A dress? Wouldn't you rather get a new toy?"

Eleven laughs and shakes her head. "I'm not a little girl anymore. I prefer nice outfits."

This silences him. "Oh." What else could he answer? "Alright. Any color in particular, or would you prefer we choose it together…?"

The girl purses her lips into a thin line. He doesn't like the expression at all. "Actually… I was thinking of going with Max. There is a new mall," she explains. "And we would like to go shopping together."

It's a simple request, Henry knows that. A reasonable one.

"Alright, I'll give you the money you need," he finally tells her in the most reasonable tone he can muster to respond to Eleven's reasonable request. "No problem."

On her birthday, Eleven comes down the stairs wearing not a dress, but a black jumpsuit with various colorful motifs. After congratulating her, he asks her about it: "What's with that outfit?"

"It's your gift," she responds with a smile, and even spins in place once so he can admire it. "In the end I bought this jumpsuit."

"It looks very pretty on you," he compliments. "Now, are you hungry?"

While they both have breakfast—Eggos, of course, as the tradition imposed on her birthdays dictates—Henry gives her a surprise: "I have many things planned for today. First, we will take a trip to a nearby state park where I understand there are some very beautiful waterfalls and—"

"Uh… I have classes today," Eleven replies, staring at her plate.

Henry frowns. "And can't you just miss it? It's your birthday."

Eleven takes a deep breath and looks up. The grimace that distorts her features does not bode well. "The truth is… I forgot to tell you, but… I have plans. For today."

The sound of his fork crashing against the plate startles her.

"Excuse me?" Henry murmurs. "You have plans?"

"Eh… After school, I'm going with… Max and… Mike, Lucas, Dustin and Will… to the mall."

"But you'll be back to have dinner with me, right?"

It's back, the rictus. The lump that forms in his throat when he doesn't get an immediate response is extremely unpleasant.

"Actually… we want… We want to eat pizza there and… then have an ice cream…"

"Oh. I see."

It's Henry who looks down now, as if the bland Eggo in front of him were the most interesting thing in the world.

"Are you… upset?"

"No, not at all," he lies, offering her a smile. "We'll do something another day. Hope you have fun." He looks back at his plate. "Let's eat, it's getting cold."

If Eleven smiles or grimaces again, he doesn't know—he refuses to look at her.

He doesn't think he'll be able to hide his anger.