Zero: A Stranger Things Fanfiction

Chapter 003

"Jenna, you're telling us you know who she is?"

"No, I never said that." Jenna squeezed the knot in her back and rolled her shoulders, watching as Eleven, now back in her fort, fiddled around with Mike's walkie. "I'm saying I... might know where she came from. I guessed last night but I didn't want to say anything. If it wasn't true, you know."

Mike, Dustin, and Lucas stood before her, mouths slightly agape in suspense. She had seated herself cross legged on the couch, knee bouncing per usual.

"I've heard rumors about some kids with telekinetic abilities. Mind powers. With names like numbers and buzzed heads." The lie came to her lips so easily she almost believed it. "They keep them locked up somewhere, Hawkins Lab maybe. If one of them escaped, especially an important one, they'd do anything to find them. Bad things. I'm just saying. It would explain a lot."

"Holy mother of God," Dustin muttered, sparing a glance at El. Beside him, arms crossed and eyebrows raised, Lucas shook his head.

"Why wouldn't she just tell us who she is? Or where Will is?"

Jenna exhaled, mouth quirking in thought as Mike lowered himself down next to Jenna. His plaintive gaze held hers intently, leaving her to forgo Lucas's interrogations.

"So she's... an experiment?"

Jenna smiled sadly and gently ruffled Mike's fluffy dark hair. She shrugged, nodded. Then, she got to her feet, smoothly squeezing between Dustin and Lucas, and sank to her knees in front of Eleven.

"Don't worry," she said. El slowly placed the walkie on the floor, watching Jenna's expression with cautious curiosity. "We won't tell anyone about you. We promise. Right?" She turned around and gave the boys a suggestive look.

"Right!" Mike's enthusiastic reply was paired with a grudging nod of Lucas's head. Jenna was encouraged to see he didn't hold too much anger any more, just skepticism and cautiousness.

"We never would've upset you if we knew you had superpowers," Dustin exclaimed gleefully. Mike slapped his shoulder and he let out a small "OW" in response, mournfully rubbing his arm. Mike hastened forward and kneeled down next to Jenna, so intensely focused on Eleven that he bumped into Jenna on his way down.

"What Dustin is trying to say is that they were just scared earlier. That's all." He smiled placatingly.

"We just wanted to find our friend," Lucas explained, his voice the quietest Jenna had heard it in days. El cocked her head in confusion and gazed up at Lucas, puzzled.

"'Friend'?".

"Yeah, friend. Will?"

"What... is 'friend'?"

Lucas turned to Dustin with a flabbergasted look, then to Jenna, to Dustin again, and back to Eleven.

"Is she serious? Um, a friend-"

"Is someone that you'd do anything for," Mike cut in. Dustin, encouraged, decided to pipe up too.

"You lend them your cool stuff, like comic books and trading cards."

"And they never break a promise," Jenna continued softly, "especially when they know how important it is."

"And especially when there's spit!" Lucas declared triumphantly. Eleven stared at him like he lost his mind (which was fair), asking, "spit?"

"A spit swear means," he hawked into his hand and slapped Dustin's into it, "you never break your word. It's a bond." As Dustin gawked with horror at his now spit-filled hand, Mike leaned towards El tenderly.