November 6th, 1970

Hawkins, Indiana

Hawkins National Laboratory

A young girl sat perched on the edge of her hospital bed, her legs shaking from the anxiety that coursed through her veins. With every sniffle, her shoulders would rise; resulting in the oversized hospital gown slipping down one shoulder before she would dejectedly tug it back into place. Her hands repeatedly scrunched the material of the gown in a poor attempt to relieve the uneasiness that ate away at her gut.

The sound of the door to her room being pushed open caused her to jump in her place, wide eyes landing on her mother who stood awkwardly halfway through the door. Even a child could piece together that this meant her mother wasn't allowed in the room.

"Everything alright, honey? Tell mama what's got you all worked up..." Her mother's soothing voice calmed her rapidly beating heart. "I'm scared..." She sniffles out, watching as Joyce's gaze awkwardly bounced between her and whoever lingered outside the door.

"Hey... It's okay. There's nothing to be afraid of, okay? They just need to run a few tests. It's nothing to be worried about." Her words did little to soothe the girl as she quickly shook her head at her mother's words.

"Something's wrong... here. I don't like this place..." She admitted, whispering the last part out of fear that the wrong person would hear her.

Joyce's eyes filled with worry but her face scrunched in contemplation of what to do.

Turning her head to face whoever stood outside, the girl listened as her mother whispered desperately to them.

"I can only give you a minute." The voice was soft yet firm, holding the regret he felt from keeping a mother from her child. "That's fine... Just give me a minute and she'll be ready."

The door pushed open fully to reveal her mother's pregnant form. Carefully approaching her daughter, she smiled down at her sadly. "Hey... There's my strong girl."

Shaking her head again, her anxious hands moved to play with the hem of the maroon shirt her mother wore, the material just barely concealing the bump that rested there. "I don't like it here... Where's Jon-" Her mother hushed quickly, forcefully placing a hand over her mouth before she could say her brother's name.

Staring up at her with wide, worried eyes, she watched as her mother slowly crouched down in front of her, placing her palms over the hands that pulled at her gown.

"It's okay... It's okay." She whispered to her daughter, bringing a gentle hand up to her cheek to wipe away her tears. "I know... I'm sorry, but you can't..." Her mother struggled to find the words before taking in a sharp breath. "They just need to check a few things, okay? Then we can all go home..." She promised with a thin smile.

Staying silent, she watched as her mother moved to stand up straight, quickly latching her hands back onto her mothers before releasing a whine in protest.

"Hey, hey... Don't worry, it's nothing bad. It's just-- just a game." Her mother's words caused the girl to frown in confusion. "Like a puzzle..." She added, sliding her hands over her daughter's reassuringly. "You like puzzles. Don't you, honey?" She questioned softly with a sad smile.

The young girl's eyes scanned around the room as she took a moment to think. "I guess so..." She mumbled softly.

"Well, this is just like that... You're just gonna help them solve some puzzles and play a few games, okay? And then we can go home." Her mother's rushed words were meant to soothe her but her attention was stolen by the door that clicked open behind the woman.

A man carefully entered the room, hands clasped in front of him while his sharp, blue eyes moved between the mother and child. "How are we feeling? Ready to begin?" His voice was soft but the gentle tone that masked his question did little to ease her nerves.

Joyce paused as she stood from her place, her daughter's hands slipping from her own. "She's just a little scared." She informed the orderly, a frown creasing over his features before approaching the girl.

"Can you tell me what troubles you?" He questioned the girl, now squatting in front of her like her mother once had.

The girl stayed silent, trembling slightly in her place on the hospital bed. "Bad feeling..." She whispered, her own blue eyes nervously locking with his. "Can you tell me where you feel it?"

Nodding slowly, she pushed a finger against her stomach. "You know, that's a common thing. Has Mama ever called it a gut feeling?" He questioned, tilting his head slightly to the side, earning another nod from the girl. "Is there a chance that this feeling could be wrong?"

His question was met with silence as the girl's gaze fell to her lap. "Usually there's a reason..." She mumbled out. "But?" He questioned, sensing that she wasn't finished with her sentence. "But... sometimes it's wrong." She agreed.

~~~

"I'm going to ask you a few questions, okay? It'll help to warm you up." The orderly explained as he took a seat in front of the girl.

The pair sat in a sterile white room, the walls bare aside for a single mirror that rested beside them. The man laced his hands together, resting them on the table in front of an open notebook, an uncapped black pen laying between the pages.

"Okay..." She whispered, eyes darting from between her lap and the man in front of her, missing the glance he shot at the mirror beside them before proceeding. "Well, let's start off easy. Do you know why you and your brother are here today?"

Nodding her head from side to side, she grimaced slightly. "Mama said you needed to run tests." She answered slowly, earning a small smile from the man. "Mhm... You and your brother will be tested separately but don't worry your head, okay? It'll be over before you know it."

Watching as the girl stayed silent, only staring down at the edge of the table, the man pulled the notebook closer to him. "Can you tell me about your brother?"

"...He's always saying he's older than me. Does a few seconds really count?" She whined with a furrowed brow. Chuckling lightly at her words, the man shook his head. "No, they don't count... Do the two of you get along?"

She nodded like his question was a dumb one. "He's my best friend..." she mumbled. "And what about your other friends? Do you have other friends?"

A sigh fell from her lips as she awkwardly looked from the mirror and back to the man. "I don't... like most people."

Quirking a brow at the girl, he nodded for her to continue. "Why is that?"

"I'm... weird." She emphasized the word awkwardly. "I told Mama and Papa that I tried to talk to the other kids... It wasn't a lie. But they laughed at me before I could say anything... Because of my clothes, or my hair... I-Is that why Papa left?" She babbled, the man nodding along with her words as he scribbled down his short notes.

"Why would you think that?" He pressed.

"They had been fighting a lot... Mama says stress is bad for the baby, so I told Papa to stop yelling... He gets mean after a few sodas." She told him softly, pulling at her fingers as she spoke.

"He's never mean to my brother... He doesn't think I deserve special treatment because I'm a girl... I have no... Value." The word seemed foreign as it fell from her lips, simply parroting what she'd heard multiple times. "Mama told me to pray for the baby to be a boy... I feel like that'll only make things worse."

"How does it make you feel when your Papa yells at you?" She furrowed her brow at the question but took a moment to think it over.

Placing her hands on the table awkwardly, she shrugs slightly. "I don't remember." She said, drawing invisible figures on the white table.

"No? Not a thing... Curious." He mumbled, not believing the girl before leaning over the table to offer her a kind smile. "It'll be our little secret, just between us." He told her softly.

She nodded before looking at the reflective surface beside them, "I can feel them watching..." She let out a hushed whisper before switching her gaze back onto the orderly, "Why are they watching?"

"How about... You write it down, huh?" He questioned, avoiding the question before tearing a piece of paper out of the book. "Then, they can't hear you..." He whispered back.

Nodding slowly, she dragged the paper towards her before grasping the pen he held out.

Quickly scribbling down the word, her handwriting shaky and messy, before folding the paper over the word and slid it back.

"Is that... Wrong?" She questioned sadly as the man's blue eyes read over the single word. "It's perfectly natural." His words soothed her.

"Do we get to play now?" She questioned with a shy smile. "Not until after the first few tests, then you'll be given time to rest and play before the last one. Is that okay?"

Hesitantly nodding, she shrugged slightly. "I guess..." She mumbled glumly, watching as the man stood from his chair before mimicking his action.

"Perfect, because I believe you're ready to begin." His lips held a pleased smile as he held his hand out to the girl, watching as she slowly took it before following him out of the room, failing to notice the open note he left on the surface of the table next to the open notebook.

~~~

She thought that they would be returning to her hospital room, but rather the man led her to a different room in the hospital, extremely similar to the previous room, though this one lacked a mirror and table. In its place rested a bundle of lights that had been wrapped between two poles, pulled along either side in order to create a zigzagging effect.

A chair sat a few feet from the lights, a utility cart resting beside it, the machine connecting to a cap made up of wires.

The girl's hand tightened on the man's hand as her eyes landed on the appliance. "There's nothing to worry about... It's really just a silly hat." He whispered the last bit to her, earning a small laugh that she fought to contain.

Picking the cap up, he placed it on the cart beside another machine before pulling the girl's hair back into a slick ponytail. "This is going to make it easier for us to pick up on any strange waves your brain releases." He informed her as he carefully leaned forward to grab the cap before sliding it onto her head.

Adjusting the electrodes firmly onto her scalp, he moved in front of her before crouching down to her level to repeat the action.

"How is that?" He questioned, standing tall in his place once again. "Too snug?" He elaborated, watching the girl raise a hand to pull at one of the wires.

Snatching her hand into his, he shook his head disapprovingly. "Ah- No touching, A." His words caused her to frown as he released her hand.

"That isn't my name... It isn't even a real name, silly." She laughed lightly at the thought of a letter being a name. "My names-" The man stopped her quickly, placing a finger over his puckered lips.

"Don't... We don't have names here." He whispered to her while her eyes trailed down to the badge that was clipped to his hip. "You do though?" She mumbled sadly, tracing her finger over the name.

Shaking his head at her words, he kneeled back down. "It's not my real name... for security purposes, A. Subjects aren't meant to know our real names." He informed her as if he was reading it off of a script.

"I thought this was supposed to be fun... Mama said we were gonna play games..." She whined out, fidgeting anxiously in her spot as her eyes bounced around the cold room.

"We are. A. We just have to run a few tests first." She rolled her eyes at his words, growing annoyed with the adult. "Can you stop calling me that, please? I don't like it... I- I won't tell anyone that you know it, I swear."

She wanted a sense of normalcy. Everything in the hospital had her on edge and nothing was helping to ease her off of it.

He stayed quiet for a moment, lips pressed into a firm line. "What do you like to go by?" He questioned softly, his voice coming out in a hushed whisper. "Nellie." She whispered her name back to the man with a giddy grin.

"These tests, Nellie... Are fairly simple, all right? And they'll be over before you know it." He informed her once again, watching as her smile faded.

"Will- Will you stay with me?" She questioned softly. "I'm not used to being alone... I've never been alone." She whispered sadly.

Since they were born Jonathan and Eleanor had been attached at the hip. The two struggled with making friends, just too shy, their Mom would say. But they had each other so they never paid mind to anyone else.

"Don't worry. I won't be going anywhere." He assured her with a smile. "Okay..." She mumbled, awkwardly playing with the hem of her gown. "Can- can you tell me your name? You can lie... I just don't want to feel so... alone." She whispered, staring up at him with doe eyes.

He looked down at the name that was printed on his badge and contemplated which name he should give her.

"You can call me Henry..." He stated in a hushed voice, earning a shy grin from the girl. "It'll be our little secret." She whispered, cupping a hand beside her mouth as the door behind her opened to reveal the doctor.

~~~

It had been time for her to rest, the first two tests left her drained and Henry said that it was normal but she could tell that the doctor wasn't pleased. His frown would deepen every time she failed to do as he requested.

She thought the tests were silly. Maybe they really were playing a game this whole time and she just didn't understand the rules. Either way, she was losing and she hated the look on the doctor's face, much like the one she'd seen on her father's. Disappointment.

She couldn't turn the lights on with her mind and she couldn't make objects float. She didn't understand why he'd ask to test her on something so strange. Eleanor was young but she knew that what he asked of her was impossible.

She stirred in her sleep, slowly tilting away from the fingers that had grazed past her forehead to push back her hair. "Welcome back, sleepyhead." The orderly whispered softly as she wiped the sleep away from her eyes before struggling to push herself up onto her forearms to meet the man's gaze with one of confusion. "I fell asleep?" She mumbled, it felt like she had just closed her eyes, her head seeming to have just fallen into the stiff pillow they provided her.

Offering her a reassuring nod, Henry stood from his place on her bed to move across the room to continue whatever notes he was taking on her while she was in the hospital. "Snuck you as much time as I could." He informed her, watching as she shifted in her place and moved to sit on the edge of the bed, eyes tracing from the plain white ceiling and onto her sock-clad feet as she swung them in front of her. "Is the doctor mad at me?" She whispered sadly.

Her words caused the orderly to pause what he was doing, shifting his blue eyes away from the paper and onto the girl as she sat timidly in her place on the bed. "He's mad at just about everyone these days." His words did little to calm her nerves.

"I promise I'm trying to do as he says it's just... I can't do it..." She admitted hastily in the hopes of getting the man to be on her side, in the hopes of getting him to understand that she was struggling with what they asked of her. "Don't say that..." He whispered to her, quickly approaching her before kneeling by her bedside, mimicking his action from earlier in the day.

Taking a moment to think carefully over his next few words, Henry offered Nellie a slight smile. "You know, you remind me of someone I used to know really well. Can you guess who that is?" He questioned gently, pulling her hand into his, careful not to scare her.

Eleanor only stayed silent, eyes still trained on her feet as her pace began to slow before offering the man a small shrug in response to his question. He tilted his head forward, boring his eyes into hers as he waited for her to piece it together.

"You?" She questioned softly with a furrowed brow, while the man slowly nodded before explaining himself. "Like you... when I was little, I struggled with everything. No matter how hard I focused, I couldn't do what was asked of me. But one day, I finally figured it out." He explained to her, offering her that small sliver of hope that she needed. Nodding for him to continue, she questioned him further with wide eyes. "How?"

"I found my strength in a memory. One that made me sad... But also angry. And I have a feeling that you have a memory like that too." His soft tone shifted as he spoke, a slight edge now hidden in his voice as he peered into her eyes. "I can't... I'm not strong enough." She mumbled after a moment, shifting her gaze onto her lap in the hopes of escaping his prying eyes.

Slipping his hand off of hers, he watched as she proceeded to scrunch the material of the hospital gown she wore to relieve her stress. "Well, we can fix that. Can't we?" He questioned her before carefully reaching into the front pocket of his shirt. "Do you want to know what helped me keep focus?" He pushed with a smile that her gut told her should make her feel uneasy but she quickly pushed the feeling down before eagerly nodding for the man to continue.

"This..." He mumbled under his breath, clasping a hand around a small object that he hid in his palm. "I've had it since I was a boy, it reminded me of what I used to be, my weakness. So, I found strength in it." Pulling her hand towards him, he carefully tucked something cold into the palm of her hand before pulling his hands away from her as she opened her hand to look down at the item. It was a ring, a simple thin band of metal that was much too small for him to wear but too big for her.

Watching as she traced her eyes over the piece of jewelry before carefully twisting it in her palm, the orderly allowed his smile to falter slightly. "Can you be strong, Nellie?"

~~~

Warm tears filled her lower lash line as the needle pricked her upper arm, watching as Henry injected the pale yellow liquid into her arm before carefully pulling the syringe away from her arm. "See? That wasn't so bad, was it?" He questioned softly with a faint grin watching as she chewed the inside of her cheek to alleviate her anxiety. "Guess not..." She mumbled before rubbing away the soreness that began to grow over her arm.

She had fought against the injection for the past few minutes, the nurses had given up on her and handed the needle to Henry in the hopes of getting her to behave. Needles didn't scare her, it was the liquid that they contained that scared her, it didn't help that they refused to tell her the purpose of the medicine. "Don't worry, it won't put you to sleep." Henry had reassured her, finally gaining her trust.