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Seven

Warm tears streamed down Allison's face as she ran across the yard, frantically waving her arms to get Hopper's attention. His truck came to an abrupt stop in front of her and he jumped out, looking panicked.

"Eleven's gone!", she cried, her entire body trembling in fear and from the cold.

"Yeah, I know. We got a call that someone had spotted her, but by the time I got there, she was gone. I thought she might be back here by now.", he responded breathlessly, slamming his hand down on the hood on the truck in frustration.

"This is my fault. If I had just stayed home, this wouldn't have happened!", Allison collapsed into Hopper's arms as she began to sob. He hesitated for a moment, before repeatedly patting her on the back in an attempt to soothe her.

"There. There. It's not your fault. Let's get inside before you freeze to death.", he tried to keep his voice steady as he turned her around and directed her back to the warmth of the cabin. When they got inside Allison sat down on the couch, while Hopper began to pace back and forth, appearing deep in thought.

Allison closed her eyes and put all of her focus into finding Eleven, but was met with resistance. There was something blocking her and no matter how hard she tried she couldn't get through it. While her mind fought to locate Eleven, it began to take its toll on her body.

Hopper stopped pacing and turned towards the couch, where Allison sat whimpering, and bleeding heavily from her nose. He rushed over, grabbed her by the shoulders, and shook until her eyes popped open.

"I...I can't find her...", she stammered, staring up at Hopper whose face was etched with concern.

"What does that mean? Has something bad happened? Is she hurt?", he began to bombard her with questions, that she didn't have the answers to.

"I don't know. It just seems like she doesn't want to be found.", Allison whispered, her bottom lip beginning to quiver.

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The sun had set hours earlier, and Eleven had yet to return to the cabin. Allison had spent the evening curled up on her bed, while Hopper continued to search the surrounding area. 

Suddenly, the front door slammed shut and she listened as two sets of footsteps stormed across the cabin towards Eleven's room. Hopper was the first to speak, interrogating Eleven about where she had been.

 It didn't take long for a full-blown argument to erupt. As Eleven and Hopper screamed at each other, Allison got off her bed and crept out into the main part of the cabin, just in time to watch Hopper rip the cord out of the back of the television. 

"No! You are like Papa!", Eleven shouted, running towards the television with tears in her eyes. 

"Really? I'm like the psychotic son of a bitch?", Hopper's voice cracked, and Allison could see the pained expression on his face. "You wanna go back in the lab? One phone call and I can make that happen.", it was clear that he was bluffing, but it didn't make the words sting any less.

"I hate you!"

"Yeah. I'm not too fond of you either, you know why? Cause you're a brat!  You know what that means? How about you let that be your word of the day. Brat. Why don't we look it up?", Hopper grabbed the dictionary from nearby and tossed it towards Eleven, but she stopped in mid-air, throwing it back towards him.

Allison went to intervene, but not before Eleven had the chance to send the couch gliding across the floor, straight into Hopper's legs. He began to chase after her as she flung the furniture in every direction, blocking his path. Allison focused all of her attention on making sure that he didn't get hurt, but was unable to stop Eleven from locking herself in her bedroom.

Hopper pounded his fists against the wooden door, while Eleven screamed on the other side. As a result, every window in the cabin shattered, sending shards of glass flying through the air. Allison held out her arms protectively, sending the projectiles away from both her and Hopper.

When the dust had finally settled, he turned away from the door to face her, his eyes filled with a combination of gratitude and defeat. Without a word Allison wiped the blood away from her nose and went to her room to rest, exhausted from the events of the day.

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The next morning, Allison sat at the kitchen table alone, while Hopper finished boarding up the windows. Once he was finished he went straight to Eleven's bedroom door and knocked firmly.

"Hey, kid? Listen...about last night...I...", he stumbled over his words, before coming to a pause.

I'm sorry. Sorry. Just say it. 

"I want this place cleaned up before I get back and maybe I'll consider fixing the tv. You hear me?", his tone turned harsh and angry as he walked away from the door.

"It's not that hard to apologize.", Allison muttered, loud enough for Hopper to hear her. He stopped and glared in her direction, before continuing out the front door with a loud huff. A moment later his truck roared to life and spun out of the driveway. "He's gone!", she called out, alerting Eleven to his departure.

She watched as Eleven's bedroom door creaked open and she stepped out, assessing the damage she had done to the cabin.

Mess. 

"Yeah, it's a pretty big mess. You should probably get started.", Allison suggested, standing up from her seat at the table. "About what happened yesterday at breakfast. I'm really sorry.", she apologized quickly, cautiously tiptoed across the broken glass on the floor. She shot Eleven one last look, before entering her bedroom and closing the door behind her.

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"Mama! Mama!", Eleven's shrill screams startled Allison several hours later, prompting her to jump out of bed and run to the living room. She found Eleven with a bandana over her eyes, sitting next to a radio and a box labeled Hawkin's Lab. As Eleven tore the bandana off her head, she locked eyes with Allison.

Did you know about me?  Did you know about Mama? Did you know? Did you know?!

"Yes and no! Just let me explain!", Allison uttered, trying to silence Eleven's thoughts. "I knew we were taken by Brenner and that your real name was Jane, but I didn't know your mother was still alive, I swear."

"You told me you only learned your name.", Eleven whispered, slowly climbing to her feet.

"I knew that if I told you, you'd want to know more. I was afraid of what you might do to get those answers.", she explained, reaching out for her sister.

"You lied-", Eleven recoiled away from Allison, her eyes full of betrayal.

"I didn't lie! I just wanted to keep you from getting hurt. That's what sisters are for-"

"You aren't my sister!"

"El, don't say that.", Allison tried to hide the overwhelming sadness in her voice, while Eleven began to wander around the cabin, collecting her belongings. "Where are you going?"

"To Mama.", she stated matter of factly, putting on her coat and boots. As she opened the front door and stepped out onto the porch, Allison chased after her. "Don't follow.", Eleven warned, walking away from the cabin.

Allison tried to stop her, by grabbing hold of her wrist but instead, found herself suspended in the air, her feet hovering inches above the ground. Her eyes pleaded for Eleven to put her down, not wanting to use her powers against her again. Eleven responded with a small shake of her head and then flung Allison backward against the cabin wall, the force plunging Allison into darkness.