Amidst Our Broken World

Chapter 1 - The Lab

I listened to the hum of the van as we drove along the winding roads into the town of Hawkins, mindlessly staring out the window at the greenery.

There wasn't much to do on a road trip like this. My driver apparently didn't like listening to the radio because when I asked to turn it on, he turned down my suggestion curtly. It wasn't like you could install television screens in vehicles, so there was nothing to watch other than what was outside the windows. Randy also wasn't a great conversationist, so talking was out of the question as well.

I sighed as I wondered how much longer this trip would take. Hopefully Hawkins Lab wasn't all the way on the other side of the town.

"We're almost there," Randy's gruff voice interrupted my thoughts. It was like he had read my mind or something.

I nodded silently in acknowledgement.

We went through car park security and pulled into the parking lot.

Looking up at the building, my first thought was of how much the exterior resembled some sort of honeycomb, with its densely packed barriers that covered every side of the lab. Its colours were monotone, and there wasn't a window in sight.

I stepped out of the van, and grabbed one of my luggage carriers out of the back, while Randy helped me with the other one. Uncle Martin did say I didn't need to bring much, but I was sure it wouldn't hurt to be prepared.

We made our way through security, which was a lot more strict and thorough than I had expected, but it made sense since Uncle Martin wouldn't tell us, not even my mother, what kind of experiments they were conducting here.

"Y/N!" a familiar voice greeted me.

I glanced ahead to see the tall, white haired man in a lab coat walking swiftly towards me. Feeling my mouth automatically form into a smile, I called back, "Hi Uncle Martin!" 

It was hard not to have my spirits raised after seeing one of my favourite family members in so long. Even though I wasn't directed related to Uncle Martin, he still loved my mother very much and didn't care that I was only a foster niece, he loved me regardless. Every time I met him at a family gathering, he knew exactly what to talk about with me, what activities to do with me, and most importantly, what to teach me. It was him who had ignited my passion in animal psychological research anyway.

We met with a nice, wholesome hug, with me inhaling the sweet scent of the laundry detergent on his lab coat.

"It's been so long, Y/N," he said with that warm smile on his face.

"Yeah." I add awkwardly, "Thanks for letting me be here." Uncle Martin had offered me a sort of internship at the lab, so I could get some experience with the research field beforehand. According to my mom, a job at Hawkins Lab was extremely difficult to get, even for something as simple as being a janitor. I felt a little sheepish for having a familial advantage over other people who would've probably killed to be in my place.

"Of course." Uncle Martin reassured me, "You deserve to be here. You've worked hard to get into the university you go to, and I'd like for you, my precocious niece, to experience my work and hopefully get to share my visions for what we can achieve here, at Hawkins Lab.

"Perhaps one day, we'll even work together," he remarked with a hint of hope in his voice.

How cool would that be?! I thought to myself. I'd get my dream job, and  I'd get to work with my favourite person in the world.

Randy had left us during our little reunion and had also left my other luggage bag next to the one I had been holding.

Still thinking about the delightful future that Uncle Martin's words had painted in my head, I grabbed my things and continued to wear that silly grin on my face as we got into the elevator.

The soft chime of the elevator bell pulled me out of my thoughts when we reached the second floor.

I had barely composed myself before the elevator doors opened. I couldn't exactly hear nor process whatever Uncle Martin had uttered when we stepped out of the lift. 

I was too fixated on one thing and one thing only. The blonde guy who was standing in front of me.