Today was the day, where it all went wrong. Like most mornings Violet walked into the rainbow room, the children all greeting her as she smiled.

The smile never lasted long, the second those little eyeballs left her gaze she let the smile drop. Peter sat across from Eleven, playing a game of chess.

His eyes lingering on Violet every few seconds, his way of telling her everything was working out perfectly. Eleven looked so scared as he told her the other children were going to kill her.

Of course if all went well, it wouldn't happen. Eleven grabbed the card from Peter sliding it into her sock as he smiled at her.

His eyes were so bright today, like part of him knew the entire outcome of this. If it was dead bodies and lots and lots of agony, Violet would surely never let him go thought with it.

If she could see his future she'd stop him, and they'd flee together the second Eleven appeared.

Violet hummed to herself as she neared a child handing them a red chip that had fallen on the floor. "You have to be careful three, someone could've fallen and hurt themselves".

The boy huffed at her, his tallness overpowering her as he ripped the chip out of her grasp. The suddenness of it making her flinch.

She felt the sting on her palm seconds after the boy walked off. She looked at her hand a tiny scratch appearing and dots of blood lining it.

Her eyes locked with Peters who looked furious at the wound on her flesh. She pushed it close to her chest as she walked out of the room.

Her entire body felt like it was on fire as she walked into her room. She sat down holding herself as she let out a heavy breath, slamming her eyes shut as she screamed loudly.

She ached to be free of this life, her door opened and she ran towards Peter. He grabbed hold of her hand looking at the wound.

"We'll be free of this place tonight" he smiled at her "when it's the children's bedtime wait in the storage closet for me, I'll get you and we can leave".

She nodded as she hugged him "just be careful Peter, I'm worried something will happen". He shushed her looking down at her.

"Nothing will happen, promise me you'll wait for me" she smiled "of course I'll wait for you".

He kissed her before moving back smiling at her brightly as he left the room. She couldn't help but smile at the thought of finally being free.

—

Violet stopped walking turning around at the sudden sound of bikes. She watched as Steve and the others all drove down the road.

Holding tightly onto bike handles as they all paddled fast towards Eddie's trailer. Violet looked at the house before her, only a walk away.

She let out a slow breath before walking away going towards Eddie's home. She could hear the loudness of them all talking.

Surely they discovered the gate hidden away inside Eddie's home. "Ladies first" Nancy Wheeler grabbed the sheet tightly.

"See you on the other side" as she climbed upwards her entire body grew cold as she screamed finding herself falling in a darkness.

Her entire body ached as she slammed down roughly onto the floor. She gasped loudly at the sight of Violet who walked towards her.

She turned around to run but Violet stood in front of her her fingers turning long as she gripped her face roughly. Nancy screamed at the pain of it.

Her eyes rolled into the back of her head and she let out a weak breath as she found herself inside a small storage closet.

She looked forward seeing Violet and in front of her Eleven stood looking scared as she waited. It was silent until the sound of screams entered the air.

Violet gasped as she looked at Eleven "stay here, don't come out unless I come for you". The little girl nodded and Nancy frowned.

Violet ran down the hallway in a fast manner ignoring the bodies lingering the floors as she pushed open two doors.

The room she walked in was covered in blood. Some of the children laid upon the floor, eyes missing and there bones bent at awkward angles.

"Peter?" a child rose into the air, there bones breaking and there eyeballs caving in. Nancy walked toward the duo watching everything.

The child fall upon the floor, the man turned around smiling at Violet as she looked at him.

"Do not be afraid" he walked towards her "I'm not afraid of you Peter, I was just surprised that your powers are back... how did you?".

She looked at his neck, the wound fresh. "Eleven" he pressed his finger against the side of her neck. The device inside of it moving slightly.

"I can free you" she pinched her eyes closed at the pain in her neck, the device tearing itself out of her flesh harshly. It smashed along the floor and she gripped her neck wincing at the sting of it.

Peter smirked, "join me" he reached his hand towards her and she grabbed hold of it. He lifted her sleeve up the bold numbers smiling at him.

Nancy walked toward her seeing the numbers 002. Violet smiled "of course I'll join you Peter" she kissed him and he wrapped his arms around her.

The door opened and Eleven walked inside gasping "no!" Peter screamed out in frustration when Violet was thrown across the room.

Her body slamming roughly into a table. She let out a weak breath as blood left her lips, her entire body aching as she listened to the sounds of screaming.

She couldn't bring herself to look, not when she knew who the screams belonged to. Nancy kneeled down watching as Violet cried.

She looked forward her eyes watching as Peter disappeared into thin air. Eleven let out a heavy breath as she stood there.

Violet stood up angrily gripping the girls shoulders roughly "what did you do! Where is he!". Eleven looked so confused "bring him back!".

Eleven didn't say anything making Violet scream out angrily. "Bring him back Eleven!" the door opened and papa ran inside.

Violet let out a sneer as she sent him flying out of the room forcing the doors shut behind him. She gripped Eleven by the throat lifting her into the air.

"Bring Peter back!" Eleven cried out as she looked at Violet the doors burst open and Violet screamed out when two guards grabbed hold of her.

"No! Let me go!" a needle jabbed into her neck making her cry out "Peter! I need to find Peter!".

Her eyes shut and she was dragged out of the room. Nancy ran through the doors finding herself now inside a small room.

Violet hummed to herself as blood stained her flesh, her hands shaking as she hovered over Eleven. She let out a breath "I wanna see Peter, please tell me you know where he is".

Eleven looked so scared as she looked up at Violet "don't make me hurt you Eleven!". She cried as she gripped Elevens face.

"Peter?" Elevens voice was quiet but Violet heard it, something inside her snapped and she sent Eleven flying into the wall.

"Fine I'll make you tell me where he is" Eleven cried out in agony as Violet walked towards her.

She let out a small laugh "you know where he is, you're just not telling me, why aren't you telling me!". Violet groaned when she felt something warm hit her.

She let out a panicked breath as looked at her hands, watching as they disappeared. She screamed loudly when she felt a tug in the back of her skull.

Eleven screamed loudly her little hands reaching forward making Violet close her eyes. She fell to her knees holding herself tightly as she felt the world around her disappear.

"Now you see why I want my life back" Nancy jumped when she found herself back inside a dark void. Violet stood in front of her.

"I didn't want this, I was going to get Peter back and we were gonna run away somewhere safe. But when I finally got to him, it was too late. This place had changed him".

Violet smiled sadly "it changed me with time, he wanted me to leave at first when he discovered he could open gates. I refused.. I couldn't leave him in this place alone".

Violet walked towards Nancy "I love Peter so much, but I can't take this pain anymore and I know he can't either".

She smiled sadly "we were happy for the first few months here, where we could make ourselves appear normal. But we got weak and the act of it all faded away".

She sighed "Peter couldn't handle the thought of never being himself, so he sent me to the real world where I used the rest of the power he held to appear normal, he wanted me to be a spy..".

Violet sat down "but I know he just wanted me to be happy, because if it ever came down to it. I'd be the only one out of us both to be normal again".

She laughed lightly "I didn't see it at first, until I begged him to let me come home. He just kept saying I need to wait.. but I couldn't take it anymore so I let Max find out the truth".

Nancy kneeled down "I want to help you Violet, how do I help you?". Violet look up at Nancy "you can't help me, I'm too far gone Nancy".

Violet reached into her pocket "but I can help you" Nancy grabbed hold of a locket. "I used to look at it for hours, Peter gave it to me when we first meant".

Nancy opened it "his real name is Henry Creel, he always used to tell me he hated that name, Peter was the name he wanted me to call him".

Inside the locket was a small picture of a boy and beside it was one of Violet. "We used to always play when were little, I didn't even know he was Henry until we meant at the lab".

Nancy looked at Violet "he has powers like you?" Violet pulled her sleeve up "we're alike, he always told me that. One and Two, we were always together, helping one another".

Violet looked scared for a moment "but I can't take it anymore, I'm tired Nancy".

Tears slipped down Violets eyes "if you kill me, Peter will get weaker, you'll be able to stop him from hurting anyone else. And me and him can finally rest and be happy".

Violet smiled at Nancy as she gripped her hands "you're my best friend Nancy, that part was real for me which is why I asked you to do this".

Violet closed her eyes "when you wake up, I'll be waiting for you, once you kill me, leave the upside down, do not come back until you're ready".

Nancy nodded and she gasped as she found herself back in the real world. Steve looked at her with worry as she looked around.

The trailer door open and Violet walked inside holding onto a knife. Nancy looked at Steve "get with the others, I'll meet you".

He went to protest but Violet used her powers to send him flying through the gate.

Nancy let out a nervous breath as Violet grabbed hold of her hand putting the knife into it.

"Tell then I'm sorry for everything" Nancy nodded ignoring the yells from above them.

Violet smiled at Nancy as she wrapped her arms around her moving forward. The blade of the knife jabbed into her chest harshly.

She let out a weak breath as she gripped Nancy's body blood falling out of her lips harshly.

"Be careful" her eyes closed and Nancy let out a sudden breath of fear at the sound of screaming.

Violet fell towards the ground blood staining her flesh as Nancy quickly climbed the sheet. When she slammed down onto the mattress the gate closed.

—

Peter held onto Violet tightly "I'm going to kill all of them Violet, and I'll bring you back".

He placed her down onto a table "I won't let them get away with this". He gripped Violets hand, a loud gasp entered the air.

Violets eyes opened and Peter smiled softly at her as he gripped her body. She let out a sob as she leaned into him "it was the only way".

He looked down at her "what did you do Violet?" she let out a heavy breath as she closed her eyes.

"What did you do! Violet!" she let out a weak breath "Violet! What did you do!".

Peter gasped when Violet disappeared, "Violet!".

—

Deep in the woods of Hawkins a red glow entered the air. Violet crawled out of the gate she forced open and let out a heavy breath.

She pushed her hair away from her face as she stood up wiping the dirt off her forehead as she walked down the road.

A car drove past her stopping at the sight of her they rolled there window down looking at her.

"What the hell took you so long". She got into the passenger seat laughing lightly "I got held up".

The boy smiled at her as he started the car driving off down the road. Her eyes looked at his wrist, the bold numbers smiling back at her.

003

to be continued: July 1st, 2022