𝐈𝐓 𝐎𝐍𝐋𝐘 𝐆𝐄𝐓𝐒 𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐀𝐍𝐆𝐄𝐑 // 𝐌𝐀𝐗 𝐌𝐀𝐘𝐅𝐈𝐄𝐋𝐃

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐖𝐄𝐋𝐕𝐄 : 𝐒𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐒 𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐑, 𝐑𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓?

"what's the point of anything?"

★・・・・・・★

Amber stared numbly at her sister. Callie couldn't remember shit because of what Brenner had done to her. And, to top it all off, she didn't know if her friends were going to come and find her.

"Callie?" Amber said, barely above a whisper.

"I'm not Callie. I'm Fourteen."

"My God. You're not. You're Callie. Why can't you remember?"

"I have never been Callie. I don't know a Callie. Stop it, Sixteen. If Papa hears you, we will both get in trouble."

Amber wanted her sister to remember. She needed her to remember. She wanted more than anything to have her little sister back. So, she knew exactly how to make her remember. Force her too.

"I'm Amber. Amber Ralley Wilson. And you're Callie. Callie Marie Wilson. We had a sister named Kristen. Kristen Wilson. And- and we had a mom and dad, who you loved so much."

"Stop it."

"We lived in Hawkins, Indiana. You went to Hawkins Elementary. You had some amazing friends. You are friends with Holly Wheeler. Remember."

"Stop it. Please."

"No. I'm going to make you remember."

"How? I don't know you. I don't know anything of what you're talking about."

"That's a lie. I can see it in your face that you want to remember. And you can. Just listen to me!"

"No! I don't know anyone named Amber or Kristen! I'm not Callie!"

"You are! You're Callie! Cut the bullshit and remember! You live in Hawkins! The city where every strange thing happens. There are Demogorgons and Mind Flayers. Please, Callie. I need you to remember," Amber finished, her voice breaking a little bit.

"That's fake. I am not Callie. I'm Fourteen."

"No, the fuck you aren't! You're Callie! Fucking remember!" Amber yelled as she backed Callie into the wall.

Callie used her powers and managed to push Amber off of her. She used them again and chained her up to the wall.

"You're out of control. I need to get Papa to control you. Stay here, Sixteen," Callie said as she started walking out of the room.

"1982. Summer," Amber called out and Callie stopped walking. "We... We ran away from home. We ran away from home because we needed to get away. We hid at Mike's house for, like, 12 hours. When Mrs. Wheeler came home, she called Mom. Mom wasn't mad at us. She just hugged us and said-"

"'I love you.'"

"Exactly. You remember. Callie, please."

"I'm sorry, Amber. But I can't. I really, truly can't. But, hey. Like we said when we ran from home. Sisters forever, right?"

"Sisters forever."

And Callie went to go get Brenner.

-

A couple of hours later, it was around noon. Amber was still chained up. Callie had come back with Brenner and he made her calm down. Only because she got so uncomfortable with him.

Amber was wide awake, staring at the ground. But then she got an idea. Use her powers. Use her powers and get out. Exactly.

Amber started using them and they wrapped around the chains. She broke them off of the wall and did it. She got out. But now since everyone in the lab was asleep, she needed to escape. But quietly.

She left the room and quickly went to Callie's room. It had the number "014" printed on the door. She quietly opened the door and saw her little sister sleeping on her bed.

She felt guilty that she was going to leave her, but she needed to get out. Callie didn't care for her. She only cared for herself.

Amber quietly closed the door and started walking. Then it turned into a jog. Then she was full-on running. She wanted to get out of there. She needed to get out of there. She quietly opened some doors and saw even more halls. She heard some doors burst open and she turned around. She saw some guys. Then she saw Brenner.

"Get her. Get Sixteen," he said. "Now!" He yelled when they didn't go after her. They started chasing her as she found doors to the outside. She opened the doors with her powers so it wouldn't slow her down when she needed to run.

She got outside and just kept running. She couldn't have been that far from the Byers. She saw the men get closer to her. She accepted that her plan was failing, so she let it happen. But she wanted more than anything to be with Max right then and there. She squeezed her eyes shut and prayed and prayed it wouldn't be as bad. But when she opened them, she wasn't there.

Hell, she wasn't even in California.

She was standing in front of a door. But not any door.

It was Max's front door.

-

Max was wide awake. She was hoping Mrs. Byers would call anyone and tell her that they found Amber. But she didn't because they hadn't found Amber yet. She was hoping it would be soon though.

It's been almost a month since she went missing and she missed her more than anything. Billy was a close second, but he wasn't coming back. And there was a chance that Amber would.

She was lying in bed, staring at the ceiling, hugging the stuffed animal Amber had gotten her. She heard soft knocking on her front door but knew her mom would probably get it. But the knocking turned into banging and that turned into pounding. She got up and went to the door.

She opened it and saw someone she didn't expect to see.

"Amber?"

"Max."

But then, Amber woke up. Alone. In the lab. She didn't escape. She isn't with Max.

It was a dream.