Chapter 4: What You Know
A/N
Hi everyone it's me the one and only the Mandalorian terminator coming to you with a brand new chapter! First I'd like to say thank you all so much to those that have read and left a review on this story. I'm grateful that you are enjoying it so much. Also I have some news I've decided to make this story a crossover with The Boys. It will still be about Mileven and the Party but one particularly chapter will explain all and you'll start to see the bigger picture emerge. ;) Sorry this chapter has taken a while I had so many ideas going around inside my head and wanted to keep the plot going after that reveal/cliff-hanger from last chapter. Weren't expecting that huh? Don't worry I have a few tricks up my shelves for you all. Hope you liked Mary/Ten you'll be learning more about her slowly. She's definitely a favourite. Thank you for your patience and please remember to read and review!
"So let's recap the night shall we? First we find out Troy and Stacey are married, then Troy punches Mike, then Max breaks Troy's nose, we find out kids are disappearing in Hawkins, I get served raw chicken, oh and to top the night off Sara is dating Troy's son! Wow one for the history books!" Dustin remarked as he, Suzie and Will sat in the back of Lucas and Max's rental car. Lucas had offered to drop them off at their places after the reunion.
In fact if he was honest he couldn't get out of there sooner especially after Sara had dropped that bomb about her boyfriend being Troy and Stacey's son."Don't make me regret driving you home." Lucas said.
"Oh come on you have to admit it was a pretty wild reunion." Dustin continued. His wife however had something else on her mind.
"Should we be...concerned by Jane's disappearance at all?" Suzie asked after a pause. "You said she was found in the bathroom crying?"
"Yeah something about that is bugging me. El's not the type to cry. There's definitely more to it." Max noted.
"Perhaps then we should observe her behaviour from now on?" Suzie suggested.
"Spy on her? Well I did see something before in the bathroom." Will pipped up.
Max, Dustin and Suzie's eyes were now on him. Lucas listened intently from the driver's seat.
"As we were leaving the bathroom, I saw some blood on the floor. You know like El's whenever she uses her powers? I didn't think much of it at the time but since we're talking about El's disappearance..."
"It could be connected." Lucas said.
"Intriguing information, William." Suzie replied deep in thought.
"It's just Will..."He started to correct her before Dustin interrupted.
"It could be another number from the Lab!" He said excitedly.
"But El's the only one we know of. And her sister from Chicago." Lucas pointed out.
"Maybe her? El did say she wanted revenge." Max suggested as the car pulled up out the front of the hotel Dustin and Suzie were staying at.
"Regardless we should definitely keep a closer eye out for anyone suspicious." Dustin announced. The rest of the Party nodded in agreement before saying goodbye to Dustin and Suzie as the pair left for their hotel room.
Once inside Dustin announced he would have a shower while Suzie went into their small shared bedroom to get ready for bed. She didn't even have a chance to scream. A strong hand reached around her, a palm clamping over her mouth. But she didn't have time to think about being scared either, before she fell to the ground images of her father berating her at a young age for getting a B- in Maths suddenly flooding through her mind. So vivid and real. Why was she suddenly seeing this? Her worst memory. Her fear of failure.
A soft voice suddenly whispered to her, "Hush now. Don't worry Mother knows best."
If the ride home in Lucas's car for the Party had been quiet and peaceful the Wheeler car ride was anything but.
"I've forgiven a LOT of the stunts you've pulled in the past Sara like the drinking and the partying but this? This is by far the dumbest thing you have ever done! Of all the boys to choose you had to pick him? Really?" Mike ranted on as he sat in the front seat concentrating on the road in front of him. He had insisted that El not strain herself by driving due to the incident in the bathroom. A sleepy El instead sat in the passage seat.
"I don't get what the big deal is." Sara replied as she slouched in the backseat.
"The big deal? I'll tell you what the big deal is. You are dating Troy's son!"
"So? I didn't even know who his dad was." Sara sighed as she rolled her eyes.
"Well let me bring you up to speed. Troy happens to be the same person who used to bully me endlessly what I was at Hawkins, ok. Hell he even forced me to jump off a cliff in order to save Uncle Dustin's life. Fortunately your mother was there and she saved me. But the point is Troy is a bastard who hates me. And you are dating his son?!" A clearly frustrated Mike retorted back tapping the steering wheel in anger.
"So because his father used to bully you when you were a kid, I can't date his son, a guy I actually like?" Sara groaned.
"You sure about that? That "Bruce" is really into?"
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"It's obvious that Troy is using his son to get to me by dating you. It's a conspiracy!" Mike declared.
"Right because this is all about you, Dad." Sara rolled her eyes. Her father was obviously using it as an excuse to try and sabotage her relationship.
"In this case it is. Trust me Sara this boy is using you." Mike retorted back.
"You don't even know him! What happened to "if he's cool then I'm cool"?" Sara shot back.
"That was before I knew he was Troy's son!" Mike replied as he drove up to Wheeler house.
After a few knocks on the door Karen answered. "Hello Michael how was the reunion – oh my god Mike what happened to your eye?!" She said immediately noticing her son's bruised and puffy eye.
Karen's hands hurriedly began to assess every inch of him in slight panic, cupping his cheek. "How could this happen? What did you do? Who did this to you? Michael are you listening to me?"
"I'm fine Mom trust me. Honestly you should've seen the other guy." Mike replied as he made his way inside followed by El, Sara, James and Eleanor.
Mike gestured Sara to sit while he carefully led El up the stairs to their shared bedroom while ignoring Karen's continued questions over his eye."Mike honestly I'm fine you don't have to fuss over me." El said as her husband gestured for her to lie down.
"You were on the floor screaming El. Clearly you were not fine." Mike said as he intensely stared at El trying to gauge her reaction.
El squirmed under Mike's gaze. She didn't want to lie to him but Mary was still very much an unknown and obviously had suffered trauma at the hands of Brenner. If she could reach her maybe she could through to her. "I told you the music gave me a headache so I went to the bathroom to get away from headache caused me to pass out and that's why you found me on the floor."
"Then why were you screaming? Why were you saying Brenner's name? How could you be passed out if you were crying?" Mike asked his gaze never leaving El.
"Must just have been instinct from my time at the lab to cry out to him." El said quickly hoping Mike would believe the lie.
Mike's gaze softened and he nodded as if in agreement. "Okay then fair enough. But at least stay in bed. Ease your headache." He gestured to the bed once more.
But El shock her head. "It's gone now. Look why don't we talk about Sara instead?" She asked hoping the conversation would change.
"What's there to discuss? I don't want her dating this guy. End of story."
"Mike, I agree it was a shock learning who he is related to but we should at least give him the benefit of doubt. If Sara says he's cool I'm inclined to believe her." El spoke slowly hoping to calm Mike down.
Mike separated his hands from her clearly frustrated. "Why do you always do this?"
"Do what?"
"You always take the kids side no matter what. You make me have to be the bad cop. When you first gave birth I told you I wanted to be an active father. My own dad was distant throughout my childhood and Hopper was too controlling. I didn't want to be like them. I told you I wanted to be a fun dad whose kids would come to me with their problems. Instead I have to be the strict one."
"You are fun. We both are. It's just sometimes you fit into the stricter role easier." El said as she took his hand in hers.
"So you're ok with Sara potentially inviting Troy's son over here?"
"Of course! We need to get to know him better." El argued.
"Have you forgotten Troy almost killed Dustin? Forced me to jump off a cliff? And now all of a sudden you want us to play happy families with his son? What's next we invite the Mind Flayer and Brenner over for dinner?!" Mike growled.
"Do I get a say in this?" Sara suddenly interrupted standing in the doorway.
"How long have you been standing there?" El asked.
"Long enough to hear you don't trust my judgement." Sara spat her arms crossed as she glared at her father. Classic Wheeler.
"It isn't about your judgement honey. Your father is just concerned about this boy. But I'm sure once we meet him properly everything will be shorted." El said diplomatically attempting to calm the situation.
"You have never trusted me." Sara continued pointing her finger at Mike. "You have Mom, James and Eleanor all wrapped around your finger but not me. And you can't stand it can you? Not controlling me. So instead you try to coddle me like I'm some sort of child. Well I'm not! I can make my own decisions without you! And I can certainly date whoever the hell I want!"
Mike scoffed. "Is that what you think? That I'm some sort of control freak? Let me tell you something who do you think pays for your credit card, your computer? Why do you think you attend such a wealthy school in New York? Huh? ME! Do you know how many checks I've had to write to that school? And yet I never not once hear a "thank you dad". You want to know what your problem is. You're spoiled! And a brat! I have clearly made things too easy and comfortable for you."
"No my problem is YOU! You think you can control everything about me who I date. But you CAN'T!"
"Really let's see about that. You're grounded for a month! I'm taking your phone, your computer. Oh and guess what when we get back to New York? You're changing schools."
After looking stunned at the reply she received, Sara's anger quickly came back.
"You can't do that. You can't control me! I don't need you holding my hand for the rest of my life! I don't even know why I keep putting up with I'm done with it! And I'm done with you!"
"You wouldn't last a week without me!" A confident Mike replied.
"Fuck you dad! I hate you!"
Mike looked genuinely speechless. "You….you don't mean that." He said in a voice so softly that it was barely hearable. El had never seen Mike look so hurt before.
"Yes I do! I don't need you anymore! I never have!" And with that Sara turned and made a beeline straight to her room leaving a stunned Mike standing.
El immediately followed after her daughter. "Sara please! We're not trying to control you just concerned by your choice of boy! Please honey talk to me—" Before her mom could finish Sara slammed her door shut, immediately sank to her knees and cried. And as she cried she failed to notice the bedroom light flicking on and off….
The rest of the evening was quiet. Sara refused to leave her room. Mike would remain quiet throughout the night clearly the words I hate you had affected him.
While in bed El tossed and turned trying in vain to sleep. Maybe Mike had been right and they shouldn't have returned to Hawkins. It was almost as if the town itself was desperate to tear apart the family El had worked so hard to build for herself.
Finally fed up with her lack of sleep, El silently crept out of the shared room careful not to wake her husband or children and in-laws as she made her way down the stairs to the kitchen hoping a midnight snack might calm her nerves.
"Having trouble sleeping, dearie?" A voice softly called out to her.
Shocked El turned from the fridge to see Mary sitting on the lounge waving politely at her. What the hell was she doing here? How did she even get inside the house? These questions were racing through El's mind as she carefully approached her.
"Hey Eleven. So good to see you. I thought you were never going to come out. I was hoping you and I could have a proper talk like sisters after the busy night I've had so far." Mary said.
"How did you get in?" Was all El could ask.
"Oh that. Your mother in law needs better locks." Mary said in a tone more fitting to discussing the weather.
"Now can we talk?" She asked beckoning El to come closer.
"First what did you do to me? Back at the reunion?" El asked clearly unsure of Mary and her presence.
"That was fear, Eleven. Pure and simple fear. You see despite everything, you're still afraid of Papa and the hide it well but my powers brought it to the surface." Mary explained.
"So that's your power? Fear?" El asked.
Mary nodded. "Fear is all-consuming. Fear attracts the fearful, the strong, the weak, the innocent, the corrupt. Fear. Fear is my alley." (1)
"You can make a person see their worst fear?"
"Oh I can do much more than that, Eleven. I can even physically transform into a person's fear but that does drain a lot of my battery. So I tend not to. Having a person experience their worst fears in front of their own eyes is more fun anyway."
"You said you were from the Lab but I never met you."
"Like I said before I was one of the originals. Papa's favourite. I even saw combat."
"You did? Where?"
"Where else? Vietnam of course. Deployed in 1970, even had my hair shaved off to look like a man. President Nixon and Papa believed I could be their secret weapon to bring "peace with honour" to Vietnam. And I found I rather enjoyed killing. You see, in their final moments people show you how they really are."(2)
"And the Vietcong I killed they were brave. God I hated them. I mean I respected their commitment to the cause of "liberating" their country even in the face of death but I still hated them. They were animals. So I slaughtered them like animals." (3) Mary chuckled at the thought as if she were remembering a memory.
"But then we were pulled out. When I got back home in '72 instead of being welcomed as the conquering hero I discover Papa had a new favourite. You were still just a small child yet Papa was already fawning over you! And in the end my service in Vietnam was all for nothing! Saigon fell to the Communists. I was deemed a failure as a result and taken away from the lab.I begged and pleaded with Papa that I would be good. But it fell on deaf ears. Locked up in a psychiatry facility where I would spent the rest of the Cold War there. Questioned, poked and prodded at."
El felt her skin crawling under her pyjamas. She then noticed Mary's left hand was shaking slightly. "Um what's wrong with your hand?"
Mary looked down and noticed her now-shaking hand. "Oh I'd rather you hadn't seen that." She looked almost embarrassed. "It's really only a side effect of the drugs. While in the psychiatry facility I was given large amounts of LSD to the point where I actually became addicted to it. Isn't that funny?"
El didn't laugh or say anything.
Mary seemed to notice this and scowled briefly before her mouth turned into another unnerving smile. "Oh by the way you might want to check on your son….it's James isn't it?"
Dread immediately filled El as she bolted up the stairs. Please be ok please be ok! She thought as she entered his room and screamed.
James lay in bed his throat slit and blood draped over his bedsheets. His body was still.
"Noooooooo! James! Sweetie!" El practically screamed.
"Mom? What's wrong?"
James rose from his slumber looking at his mother with a mixture of confusion and annoyance for having been woken up. There was no blood on his bedsheets or a slit throat. Everything was normal.
"I…..Nothing everything's fine. Just…go back to sleep ok sweetie?" She learned and kissed his forehead. "I love you Mom." James said.
"I love you too James." El smiled as she shut his door, the sweetness from her son now replaced with anger.
"What the hell did you just do?!" She almost shouted at Mary who was still sitting on the lounge as if nothing had happened but with that same unsettling smile plastered on her face.
"Hahahaahh! You should have seen your face Eleven! So terrified! Relax James is fine. It was all in your mind. Your fear that I had hurt your son manifested in front of your eyes thanks to my powers. Although I easily could have hurt him. I mean I was in his room watching him sleep for 5 minutes and neither you nor your husband had a clue."
"Why?!"
"To show you what I can do. You see eleven, you're living in a fantasy world. I mean look around. You have everything! The husband, the house, your children worship you. Yet it's all a lie." Mary stated.
"What do you mean a lie?"
"In 1995, the countries of Southeast Asia spent $435 billion on military expenditure- Not because the people demanded it, you understand; how many peasants do you know who've started wars? Mao Tse-tung spouted a lot of nonsense, but he sure got one thing right: 'all (political) power comes out the barrel of a gun.' You don't believe me, do you? You live in a democracy. You vote for your leaders- So tell me - what happens if you want to disobey them? Say you don't like the President. You object to paying taxes to support him, his family, his pets, his bodyguards and his friends he wangled jobs for. What do you do? Or say you don't like your taxes being used to subsidize foreign arms sales for slaughter in the third world. How can you stop it? Vote for somebody else, whose policy is the same? Don't vote? The government pretends to be there to serve you. In reality, it's there to tell you what to do- If you refuse to obey, you'll be investigated-arrested-criminalized. Your assets will be seized and given to the state. You will be jailed. And that's the 'free' America - - Imagine what it's like in Iraq. Democracy... Hah! There's a laugh. They pretend that it works - pretend that the voice of the people, spoken through its elected representatives will be heard. Trash! The world is run by elites - bankers, the military, and government agencies. Criminals all. The system's conditioned us — hypnotized nearly everybody into accepting that life has to be the way it is. We're hypnotized into believing war is natural — famine is natural — crime is natural... but they're not. They're products of the system and its all-consuming greed! People have become robots — zombies — too busy scrambling for day-to-day existence to be able to see they're really victims. It's up to us to open their eyes. From cradle to grave, we're taught — indoctrinated! — that happiness depends on always getting more. Buy — throw away — buy more! Doesn't matter if we destroy the planet on the way! Politicians say they can fix the world's problems. Just give them more power. Religions say do more of what they order and you'll be happy — but only after you're dead! They've been making the same hollow promises for thousands of years, and we, the people — the sheep — have listened. A sham democracy that acts as a front for the elite's ambitions... And you eleven are a prime example of this indoctrination. A homemaker. Hah! How the great subject 11 has fallen."
"I'm happy with how my life is.I love Mike and my children. I'm not indoctrinated as you claim." El rebutted.
"Oh but you are. You just can't see it! Mike Wheeler has essentially brainwashed you ever since he found you. It sickens need to open your eyes eleven! Your so-called family is holding you back! You must break your chains. And then you and I will be sisters." (4) Mary almost seemed to plead.
"Mike and my friends are the reason I'm even standing here.I am my own person not subject 11. Now leave." El replied firmly.
Mary groaned loudly. "Honestly what did Papa see in you? Why were you so special? Why did he abandon me for you?" She made her way to the front door before turning to face El. "I do hope you come to your senses. Oh and I must say your younger daughter is such a peaceful sleeper. Its Eleanor isn't it?"
El kept a determined face as she closed the door silently on Mary. But the threat replayed itself in her mind as she returned to sleep.
Mike started to stir, finally feeling himself being released bit by bit from a pleasant slumber. He groggily began to slowly open his eyes as he awoke. "Morning." A pleasant voice suddenly called out to him.
Mike looked up to see El standing in front of him coffee in one hand, her hair still messy from waking up.
"Morning. Is that for me?" He asked groggily pointing to the coffee.
"Of course." El handed the coffee to Mike. "Breakfast is also downstairs waiting for you."
"Thank you. Sometimes I don't know what I did to deserve you, El." Mike said as he took the coffee and kissed El's forehead.
"I think your good looks had something to do with it." El seemed to pause. "Pretty sure it was that."
"Just the looks? Nothing else?" Mike asked with a smile.
El seemed to think for a second. "And also your nerdy little brain of course. I think that was 20% the reason and the looks maybe 50%." She said playfully before leaning in and kissing his lips.
"I like the sound of that." Mike said in-between kisses. "How's Sara?" He suddenly asked seriously.
"I don't know. She still hasn't come out of her room." El replied noticing Mike's hurt look from last night had returned.
"Hey you know she didn't mean what she said last night. She was just lashing out." She said reassuringly.
"It doesn't make me feel any better."
"I'm going to check in on her now." El said as she left the bedroom to where Sara's room was. "Sara? Breakfast is ready."
Silence.
Knocking this time El tried again.
Still silence.
Finally with a flick of her head the door swung open. "Sara?" The room was empty. The closet doors were left open and the bed neatly made. But the thing that caught El's attention most was the bedroom window was wide open. Oh no, She thought as she made her way to the window. "MIKE! It's Sara!"
"What?" He asked as he come to the room. Noticing his wife's face full of worry he immediately thought the worst.
"Her clothes are gone so is her phone. She's taken off."
"No." His voice was barely a whisper. He hoped he had misheard his wife, that Sara was just downstairs enjoying breakfast with her siblings and Karen and Ted.
But he knew that was wrong.
Sara had run away.
Fuck you dad! I hate you!
The words repeated in Sara's mind as she made her way through the local Hawkins Park, a black duffle bag slung over her shoulder.
She didn't mind to say those words to her father but she was so tired of being treated the same. Of being watched all the time. Being controlled while James and Eleanor seemed to get off easily. And now when she finally found a boy that actually cared about her, her thoughts, her opinions instead of seeing her brown hair, blue eyes, and bright smile and assuming she was some of ditzy girl, her father had some axe to grind because of some ancient history with Bruce's father.
Well that had been the last straw. She had packed as much as she could into the duffle bag and as quietly as she could climbed out the window. Her aunt Nancy had told her stories about how when she was a teenage she would sneak out of the house by climbing out her window to meet up with Jonathan. Sara had decided to follow her aunt's example.
Part of her had debated about whether or not to leave a note behind explaining her actions. But in the end she had decided not to. Her parents weren't stupid. They would know straight away why she had run away.
As she sat down on an empty park bench she took the time to look around at the large gathering of small children running around playing with their parents. How lucky they are, Sara thought bitterly.
A shadow suddenly came over her. "Is this seat taken?" A female voice asked.
Sara shock her head and an older women sat down next to her. "Would you like a jelly baby?" She asked holding up a small brown paper bag filled with the sweets. (5)
"No thank you." Sara said politely as she could. Her parents had of course taught her to beware of strangers.
The older woman shrugged and ate one herself. "Let me guess: boy trouble?" She said while chewing the sweet.
"The opposite actually. Father Trouble."
The older woman nodded. "Ah yes fathers can always be protective of their daughters."
"Try overprotective." Sara replied.
"It's in their nature. Especially concerning boys." The older woman said.
Sara scoffed. "You got that right." She paused. "I shouldn't really be talking to you. You are a stranger after all."
"I suppose your right. Unless of course I were to know your name. Then we wouldn't be strangers anymore."
Should she? The woman seemed friendly enough. Plus maybe it would be good to vent out her frustrations.
"Sara."
The woman smiled. "Pleasure to meet you Sara. I'm Mary."
"I can't believe Sara run away! And in the middle of the night! Is she out of her mind?" Mike said as he paced up and down the living room.
"She's certainly takes after Nancy that's for sure." Ted commented.
Mike ignored his father's comment. "She didn't even leave a note! What if something happens to her? I can't..."
El tried to calm him down. "I'm sure she's safe. I'm going to go out and look for her. You stay here in case she comes back."
"No I want to look for her as well."
"Mike if you do find Sara I doubt she would want to come back with you. It would be better if I look for her instead. She'll listen to me."
"I should be out there with you. I'd feel useless just sitting here."
El looked Mike squarely in the eye. "You're not useless."
Karen nodded. "She's right Michael. The best we can do is stay here in case Sara returns home."
Mike nodded. His mother and El were right. "Fine. Just please let me know the second you find her." He said.
"Of course." After giving Mike a light kiss, El turned to James and Eleanor who were probably even more worried than Mike was. "Is Sara going to come back?" A worried James asked, being the youngest the news of his oldest sister running away had hit him hard. Eleanor in solidarity with her brother hugged him tightly.
"Of course she will, sweetie. I promise." El said before kissing his forehead and leaving.
Mike turned and started ringing Lucas. After a few rings he answered.
"Mike where have you been? I've been trying to call you all morning!"
"Sorry my phone was off. Listen Sara's run away. I need you, Will and Dustin to keep an eye out if you see –"
"Never mind that. You need to get to the hospital straight away." Lucas cut in.
"The hospital? Why?"
Mike could only gasp as Lucas told him what had happened.
El began by stopping people on the sidewalk, showing them a picture of Sara and asking if anyone had seen her. One by one they all had said no. It was frustrating. Normally El would have gone into The Void to find her daughter but she had been unable to find her there. (6) Which was very strange considering El could find anyone she wanted using The Void yet somehow not her own daughter.
As she reached the local Hawkins Park she took a seat at a lone bench and watched the mothers play with their children.
Was Mike right? Did she side with the children too much? El knew she could certainly be tough on them when she needed to but now that she thought back it did seem that it was Mike who always seemed to tell them off.
She sighed. No one said parenting was was learning that all the time. She certainly knew what it was like to rile against control. She herself had disobeyed Hopper's rules to go see Mike and later on to reunite with her own long lost mother.
But now she was a mother herself and finding Sara was of the upmost importance.
"You look like a Sheppard that's lost her flock, dearie. Perhaps I can help."
El looked up to see Mary standing next to her, a brown paper bag in one hand. This was the last person El wanted to see.
"Want a jelly baby?" Mary offered.
El shock her head.
"Well if you won't I will." She said as she tossed two of the sweats into her mouth.
"What do you want?" El asked getting to the point.
"I must say I've had so much fun watching your little family tear itself appppppart." Mary said with a smirk so unpleasant, practically singing the extended "apart".
"Although I wasn't expecting Sara to run away. That was a surprising move in the game."
"Game? Is that what you think this is? This is my daughter you're talking about!" El all but shouted.
"Yes. It is a game. And right now I'm winning at the moment. Although I must say hats off to you. You certainly taught Sara well. Beware of strangers indeed."
"You saw her didn't you? What did you do to her? If you hurt her I swear–" El immediately raised her hand in a as James would put it "force choke" position and watched with satisfaction as Mary's hands started tightening around her neck.
"Get a grip eleven." Mary managed to say as she struggled to breathe."I didn't do anything to her. We chattered and then she left. I swear!"
Satisfied with the answer El released Mary from the choke. She laughed while coughing at the same time. "I wondered what you'd be like when you lost your temper. You don't disappoint."
"Where did Sara go?" El was in no mood for games.
"Nope I'm not saying. Until you sit down and listen to what I have to say, dearie." Mary replied.
"Tell me or I'll snap your neck." El said in a low threatening voice.
But Mary seemed unfazed. "Ooooh now there's the Eleven we all know. The girl who can kill with a twitch of her head."
Realising the only way to get answers was to do as Mary had asked, El resumed her seat never Mary much to her delight.
"See? How hard was that? Now about Sara. I tried to get her to open up but she refused and then left. Clearly an intelligence girl. You should be proud of her."
"I am."
"Clearly Mike isn't. By the way why didn't you tell him about our meeting at the reunion or the fact that I broke into your house?"
"Because your my problem not anyone else's. Despite how crazy you are."
"Don't call me that!" Mary suddenly snapped. A crack in the armour. "I'm not crazy! Everyone else said I was but I'm not! Okay?!"
Mary took a few deep breaths before finally calming down."A father's fear of his daughter growing up is a powerful emotion. All I had to do was lightly push them to the surface. Mike and Sara's anger did the rest."
"That was you?"
Mary nodded."I'm not going to turn down free fruit. Sara's mind was an open book, but also it's one with the best bits already underlined. There's so much fear and insecurity inside her. I've learnt that children can be so ungrateful. Especially when they're pushed." Mary mused.
"What would you know about children? You're not a mother–" El paused. Something clicked her mind. She remembered during dinner at the reunion the Part had filled her in about several runaways and homeless children going missing in Hawkins lately. And then when Mary had first introduced herself as "Mother".
"Your kidnapping the children aren't you?"
"Kidnapping is such a strong word. I prefer the term "liberating". I give the forgotten a chance to be reborn. If it wasn't for me they would still be sleeping in gutters or be in abusive households. I'm saving them for this cruel world."
"It doesn't make it right."
"You of all people should know what it's like to be by yourself, scared and alone. Unlike you there was no Mike Wheeler to find me. Unlike you who had everything handed to her I had to struggle and fight for everything."
"So did I." El defended.
Mary laughed high-pitched and cold. "Really? No one gave me a warm bed to sleep in or read me stories or cooked Egos for me to eat. No instead I was questioned and given LSD, electrocuted for failing to answer a question. The only stories I read were Alice in Wonderland and the Wizard of Oz. They were my escape, my fantasy. You found love and friendship. I've...never had those. You think you've suffered? You haven't. Not like I have. Unlike you, I've learnt two of many hard lessons in this life."Mary said, her voice for the first time ever showing some display of genuine sadness to another even if Mary wasn't aware of it, "It isn't what one wants in this world that one gets.
"And force and might make right."
"You look too shocked to hear that, but you honestly shouldn't be. After all, force and might making right are the ultimate truths of nature. After all, the spider kills the fly, the bird kills the spider, the wild cat kills the bird, the wolf kills the wild cat, the…well, you get the idea. It's one great chain of murder, all along the line. I'm simply teaching the children this at an early age."
"So what you're a mother to all these children..." El asked.
Mary shrugged. "Mother means different things to different people. I tend to their needs. As I can tend to yours."
"No thanks." El said as she finally stood up from the bench she and Mary were sitting on.
"Suit yourself. But this so-called "happy family" of yours won't last. It'll come crashing down around you."
"Is that a threat?" El questioned.
"Simply an observation, Eleven. The only way to make change happen is to tear down the old to make way for the new. Because you have no interest in changing a world that suits you so well. (7)
"I use to believe firmly in the Cold War that Communism was evil and America would stand against it. But then Vietnam fell and I began to question everything. Watergate and the resignation of Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, Iran-Contra and the fall of the Berlin Wall, George H.W Bush and the "New World Order", Bill Clinton and the Lewinsky Scandal, 9/11 and the so-called "War On Terror" I saw it all. The same lies repeated over and over and yet people buy it. It's the definition of insanity. You're all puppets...tangled in strings. But not me. I had strings but now I'm free. Now there are no strings on me."(8)
Before she could continue, a phone rang. Mary groaned loudly. "I'm so sorry about that." She said to El as she quickly answered it. "WHAT! I'm very busy right now!"
Her rage softened a bit. "Now? Fine I'll be there." Hanging up the call, Mary looked apologetically at El.
"Unfortunately I have to go for a bit. Consider our game on pause until I get back."
El rose to her feet. "I'm done with your psychobabble. Where did my daughter go?!"
"Fine! Jeeze! Something about her boyfriend's house. There! You happy?"
Before El could answer her phone was now ringing. A smile spread over Mary. "Oh you might want to get that, dearie. Trust me it's important."
"Hello?"
"El!"
"Mike? What is it? What's wrong?"
"You need to get over to the hospital right away! It's Suzie. She's been hurt."
El turned to face Mary who was couldn't stop laughing. "What did you do?"
"I told you I had a busy night." Mary said her laughter ringing in El's eyes.
Once again, I must say that I'm so sorry for the really long wait. Some parts of this chapter (especially the talks Mary has with El) took me so long to write. I hope it was worth the wait. I'm interested in particular to see the reviews for this chapter!
So, a few words about Mary. As you have likely guessed, Mary/Ten is a far darker character than you were initially led to believe (even though I'm sure most of you saw that coming a mile away). There are models for this character ranging from: the Joker (both from The Dark Knight and Batman: The Animated Series), Pennywise (especially the fear aspect), Captain America (that will be revealed later), Peter Pan, Alice from Alice In Wonderland, the Master/Missy from Doctor Who and finally Kylo Ren from Star Wars.
Mary/Ten is defiantly jealous and resentful of Eleven and is sort of the dark mirror of Eleven. Unlike El she knew found love or friends but I think deep down Mary does genuinely want El to be her sister. Whether or not remands to be seen.
I know this is going to make these endnotes super long but there are some things that I must explain:
(1)This is a quote from Darth Maul said during a trailer for Episode 1: The Phantom Menace
(2)This is a quote said by the Joker in The Dark Knight when explaining why he uses knifes
(3)A quote said by Anakin Skywalker when explaining why he killed the Tuskin Raiders who kidnapped and killed his mother in Episode II: Attack of the Clones
(4)Break your chains is from the Sith Code from Star Wars
(5) Another iconic quote said by the Doctor particularly the Fourth Doctor
(6) Hmmmm why can't El see Sara in the void? Spoilers!
(7) A quote from the Netflix Movie Enola Holmes starring Millie Bobby Brown
(8)The song "I've Got No Strings from Walt Disney's animated film Pinocchio