"The Demogorgon, it got me."
With the disappearance of her younger brother Will, Eleanor Byers discovers just how far she will go for her friends and family. Trading her issues with bullies and love life for battling monsters and saving her broth...
A young Nell was being walked down an empty hall of the hospital, holding the hand of an orderly in a pristine white uniform who led her to a room designated with a rainbow sticker beside the door.
"Do we get to play now?" Nell questioned the man, staring up at him with wide eyes as he pushed the door open.
The room was empty, spare for a few toys that lay in a neat line on the floor.
"Of course, take your pick." The man's voice was gentle, far from the harsh tone of the doctor.
Releasing the girl's hand, the man watched as she approached the toys, taking a moment to study and analyze her options before settling on an open box, inside rested the jagged pieces of a puzzle.
"Where's the picture?" She questioned, all the puzzles she'd done came with a picture that helped her to sort out the pieces."It adds to the challenge, silly." He remarked simply from his place beside the door, earning a shrug in response from the girl as she moved to sit cross-legged on the ground, pulling awkwardly at her hospital gown.
Nell distracted herself with the multiple pieces, separating the border from the others while the man slowly approached her, taking a seat in front of her, mimicking her poster.
"How are you feeling?" He questioned, blue eyes scanning her features as she focused on the puzzle in front of her.
"You said that shot wouldn't make me sleepy... You lied." She mumbled, still holding a grudge against the man that had been assigned as her caretaker while at the hospital.
"I had no choice but to lie, little one. We wouldn't have been able to run our tests without it." It was the truth, it was a vital part of the testing and she had already put up a fuss with everything that came before, fighting against something as simple as listening to her heartbeat.
"Still hurts..." She whispered, obviously still affected by what had happened. She was after all a sensitive child. "Can you tell me where it hurts?" He questioned, curious to see what the young girl's answer would be.
Slowly raising a hand, the girl placed a finger where her heart rested inside her chest, eyes still trained on the pieces in front of her. "It's like a bruise..." She mumbled out, "You don't forget the pain, even after it fades." She whispers.
"And where did you hear that from?" He questioned softly.
Looking up at the man with a furrowed brow, she tilted her head slightly to the side. "Hear?" She questioned. "Where'd you get the saying from, silly." He elaborated, seeming to forget he was talking to a child. "No one?" She questioned, confused as to why it would matter.
The man grins to himself as he lets her words sink in. "You promise?" He questioned, before holding his pinkie out to her, "Promise you're not lying?"
She looks at his finger in confusion as the man carefully placed a hand on top of hers before pulling it towards his own. "It's like an oath of honesty... between friends."
"Friends?" She questioned with a raised brow. "I never had a... No one ever wants to be my friend." She mumbled, scowling slightly at the memory of the other kids her age.
"Well, that isn't nice. You're lovely." He scoffed out.
Smiling up at the man, Nell quickly linked her finger with his as the sound of the door opening reached their ears.
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