To Catch a Falling Star (Steve Harrington)

(1.2) Unspoken

The man was kind, he gave us new shirts, and he gave us a bucket of food, something strange that I had never seen before. Circular stacks of brown, and sticks of yellow, they were yummy.  We sat at a table, Eleven to my right, the man sat with us and asked us many questions. I didn't understand most of it, and as I went to eat more of the yellow sticks he took it from me. From both of us.

"I'll give it back don't worry, and you can have as much as you'd like. Maybe even some ice cream, but first you gotta answer a few of my questions. We got a deal?" The man looked me in the eyes, switching between Eleven and I. "My name is Benny, Benny Hammond."

He holds out his hand to me, and I flinch back, fear filling me for a second.

"No, no, no, I'm not gonna hurt you. You go like this-" He grabs Elevens hand, putting it in his own and shaking it up and down. "Nice to meet ya, and you are?"

He does the same to me, freezing when he notices something different about our two hands. Benny holds my hand in his, using his other to trace white lines that scar the fronts and backs of my hands, and the lines of dry blood that sat on my wrists. He look sad, but instead he looked at the tattoo. "Three Zero's?"

I pull my hands back, holding them against my chest. Benny points at Eleven. "Eleven?"

"What's that mean?"

"No." Eleven snaps, looking harshly at the man.

"Well I'll be damned, she speaks." He pauses, and pushes the bucket back towards the two of us.

"Eleven." She touches her shoulder and speaks again. "Eleven."

"Alright. Eleven." He smiles at her, shaking her hand once again. "And you?"

He looks at me. "Zero." I speak, looking at the table in front of me.

"Huh?"

"Zero." I look up at him as I speak.

"What?" Benny looks confused, he leans forward, turning his head to the side.

"Zero." I say, annoyed.

"You aren't saying anything. Speak kid." He leans forward, his eyes narrowing.

I start to shout, repeating my name over and over and standing to my feet in a hurry. I could feel my wings fluttering under the oversize shirt I was wearing. My hands smacked onto the table, echoing through the diner.

Benny looks sad, and so does Eleven. I sit down, suddenly tired and worried.

"You can't speak kid." Benny's voice was soft when he spoke. I squint at him, before looking at Eleven, she nods sadly before turning back to Benny.

"Zero." She touches my shoulder lightly, and the man nods. He gets up quickly, muttering the word sorry again. He disappears behind a door, and muttering sounds from the other side. Eleven continues to eat the brown sticks, but I am to distracted by the realization that the man gave me. I lift a hand to my throat, my fingers brushing along the blemish-less skin of my neck. I feel it suddenly, a lump, a long scar crosses across the front of my throat.

Eleven and I sat there for a long time, long after she had finished the brown sticks, long after the man came back. He left multiple times in the hours it took to change from light to dark, and the final time that he came back he came with two cups of a solid. One pink, one brown, and two small spoons.

"This is ice cream. Here." He hands us each a tub, and a spoon. I have the brown and Eleven has the pink, it was good tasting. Benny laughs as we eat it quickly, I smile back. "Hey, a smile looks good on you kid." He turns to Eleven, before smiling brightly at her, "A smile."

She smiles at Benny, before turning at me and smiling again. A knock sounds on the door, and I tense up, looking at the door to the building.

"Whoa, whoa, hey it's okay. Just stay put alright?" I nod, continuing to eat the ice cream that he gave us. Benny walks out the door, and begins to talk to someone. I loose interest in trying to listen, and turn to my ice cream as the man called. He told me it was called Chocolate, and I like this thing called Chocolate.

Shots rang out, and suddenly I was terrified, I was back in the lab with the men in white coats and I was afraid. But Eleven was quick to act, she grabbed my hand, pulling me after her. She slams through the back door, the same we came through, and we run towards the trees but two men stand in our way.

"Don't let them escape!" A voice echoes from inside the building, a voice that I recognize, a voice that shakes me to my core. I freeze, pulling Eleven to a stop too. 

Eleven raises her hand, turning to deal with the two armed men, while I cover her back, facing the building. Shouts sound from behind me, but I do not turn, I lift one hand up, pointing it at the door that we came from. I close my eyes and concentrate on the cold, and when I open them I feel it envelope me. White leaves my hand, freezing the door closed. I feel blood leaking from my nose, I swipe it away with my left hand, grabbing Eleven with my right and running off towards the trees.

I crash through branches, feeling them swipe and scratch my skin as I run. I don't stop for a long time, not until the light is entirely gone and rain has started to fall. I could hear voices again, but these were lighter, younger ones. Eleven walked towards them, and when I pulled her to a stop, she turned to me with a light smile.

"Trust them." She nods, and lets go of my hand moving towards the voices. I follow behind, less trusting. Just as she sees them she freezes and I stop in the shadows.

The children look confused, I could just barely make out their faces through the pouring rain. Eleven walked closer, accepting the ones hand that was held out to her. She let them pull her to the road, and as I walked forward to follow my footing was gone.

I slid down, further and further before darkness enveloped the world.