My Number One (001/Henry Creel/Vecna x Reader)

Reminiscing

My heart dropped. How much of our plan had she heard?

Well, to be honest, our plan was strong that, no matter how much she heard, there was nothing she could do about it. We had Demodogs and a Demogorgon on our side, and Henry had said that he was in the process of making something even better. Plus, Eleven wasn't going to be able to protect her friends, or the rest of the world, now that she was trapped in this basement.

"Twelve?" I heard Henry call from upstairs.

"Yes?" I shouted back, and then I turned to Eleven. "If I were you, I'd keep your mouth shut. He'll give no second thought to killing you if he finds out you're down here," I whispered to her. She obeyed.

"Are you finished preparing this meat?"

"No, leave it there. I'm coming now."

As I locked the basement door and went back upstairs, I thought about how well the Eleven situation had fallen into place. Now Eleven couldn't be a threat to our plan (and neither could her friends—they were nothing without her), and we didn't even have to seek her out ourselves—she had come to us. Not to mention the fact that, in this basement, she couldn't call for help, because it would only be putting her life at risk. Her best chance at living was to sit tight and stay quiet, just the way I wanted her to.

*

The following morning, I grew a little bored, and decided to practice listening into the Rightside Up, and what better place to do it than back at Hawkins? So I took a trip there on a Demodog...more specifically, though, a trip to Mike and Nancy's house.

I made my way down to the basement where Mike, Dustin, and Lucas had taken me and Eleven after they'd found us when we'd first escaped from the lab. Seeing Mike's basement, even being in the Upside Down version, brought back memories. I was even reminded of that first day I'd been alone after escaping the lab, where I'd walked during the beautiful sunrise to town from Mike's basement after he'd kicked me out but kept Eleven with him.

I remembered the woman in the estate agency telling me that I was homeless and wouldn't be able to afford any of their houses. At the time, I didn't even understand what she was talking about, but looking back, I felt bittersweet.

The bitterness reminded me of why I now wanted to go ahead with Henry's plan so badly: the way the world worked was cruel. I was ridiculed for not being able to afford a home, even though it was of no fault of my own—I had been locked up for years of my life, with no family or support. It wasn't as if I would have even been able to build my own shelter either, because I wouldn't have even been able to buy a plot of land.

But, the sweetness...the sweetness was just the memory of my first experience in society. It was bliss to me. I appreciated every step I took on the way to that town. I even appreciated having a carefree, safe, human interaction with the estate agent, despite how rude she was to me. It was just the fact that unlike at the laboratory, I didn't have to fear every word that I spoke, or fear every sentence that was spoken to me.

But then, the bitterness came again. I shouldn't have had to appreciate not being afraid to talk. I shouldn't have had to appreciate taking a step on the street. That should have been normal. But, then again, that wasn't society's fault, it was the lab's. If society found out what the lab had done to us, I was sure the people would be appalled.

Then, with such fondness, I remembered Walter and the strip club and brothel. Speaking to Walter, I had felt warmth—I had found him so lovely, offering me a job and a place to stay. It had given me such hope for the world. I almost missed my naivety. Not truly, though—I resented the lab for causing me to be so clueless at the ripe age of eighteen—but, in that one moment, I did feel a pang of longing for that innocence I once had. I had been cruising through life, taking every opportunity I received. The strip club was so wondrous to me at the time. I had never seen a building so grand, and I had never seen such a large crowd of people watching the dancers on stage. I didn't understand what it was all about, but I enjoyed the curiosity so much. It had felt as if there was so much to life that I was yet to discover, understand, and experience...and what I had felt was right—there was.

After spending so much time in Henry's library and reading books, I understood much more about life by this point, and the more I learned about the world, the more I loathed it.

Snapping out of my reminisce, I considered the fact that there was a chance no one would be in Mike's basement, but I listened anyway.

It was more difficult than I'd expected. I had to give Eleven props for doing this to spy on my conversations. Of course, Henry was a master at it too, but that did my surprise me—he'd put his mind to anything which might give him advantages or power over other people.

I closed my eyes and concentrated. I'd done it once before when I was with Henry. Perhaps I felt more at ease with him, or maybe he made me put more trust in myself.

Only a moment later, I heard voices. Voices I recognised so easily that I could almost envision the people who they belonged to as they spoke.