In the morning, golden sunlight streams through the glass windows, and magpies chirp and sing on the branches of the maple trees outside the window.

The little girl at the table is pricking up her ears and inhaling the spaghetti in a storm.

Hope and Dean, who had just returned from the police station, stood at the door to discuss,

"Dean, I'll hand it over to you at 11 a.m., I have to go back to the police station to make a show and cooperate with the state government to search the house."

"So last night the lab was in serious condition?" Dean asked, pretending not to know,

Hope narrowed, "Ninety-eight security personnel have died, and 36 researchers are missing. Police cars and ambulances went dozens of times. ”

"And there's no going on in that town?"

"That's not true, the staff in the laboratory are all outsiders, and they eat and live in the building on weekdays, and have zero communication with the townspeople. This incident had little impact on the locals, and at most it increased the after-dinner conversation. ”

Dean asked, "Is Dr. Martin Brenner still here?" ”

"He and a group of researchers left in a helicopter, and their whereabouts are unknown." Hope shook his head solemnly, "Then the state government and Grissom Air Force Base cordoned off the lab and the surrounding area. The staff they sent were all wearing epidemic prevention suits, and there must be some secrets hidden in the laboratory. ”

"Maybe that's one of the purposes of the Sulian's attack." Dean thought of the crack.

"You're going out?" The little girl who eavesdropped her fork and interrupted the discussion, she had a good rest last night, her white little face was full of energy, her big eyes were black and bright, although her demeanor was still restrained, but it was not like yesterday when the whole person was tense and almost fainted.

"Hope is going out, I'll be at home with you in the morning."

"Can you take me out for a walk later?" 11Put your hands on your breasts,

"Your dad is looking for you everywhere, it's too conspicuous during the day, and we'll go out to see the moon at night."

11 turned to look at the golden sun outside the window, and poked the noodles on the plate with some reluctance, but nodded out of fear for his father,

"Don't worry, it's not going to be boring at home," Dean pointed to the TV in the living room, "You can watch enough cartoons today." ”

"What is a cartoon?" 11 blinked his innocent eyes,

"Do the researchers in the lab have rocks in their chests, and why are they so ruthless that they forbid children to watch television? This is crime, abuse! Hope scolded, and then restrained his anger and stretched out his hand, "Come on, 11, take a look at Alice in Wonderland." ”

11 Looking at the rough, calloused palm in front of him, three times the size of himself, he hesitated for a second, did not stretch out his hand, but jumped out of the chair and walked to him,

Hope smiled awkwardly, led her to the couch across from the TV, and taught her how to use the remote control.

He then touched her head and returned to the town center police station.

And Dean looked at 11, who was intoxicated by the cartoon, and wondered how to further improve the progress of the "caged bird"-

Just hide 11 for a month, and the progress of the event is 100% at most.

But he couldn't be satisfied with that, he wanted to achieve 200 percent completion like the last Joshua incident - and then pick 11 powerful superpowers from the list of rewards!

"Coax 11 to be happy, fulfill her wishes, and train her again, can I get additional event progress?"

"You can try."

11 watched the cartoon intently, staring at the screen with both eyes throughout the whole process, except for occasionally tightening his brows to show a trace of doubt, his expression almost did not change, and he didn't laugh when he saw the laughter in the cartoon.

"11, if you don't understand anything, you can ask me."

Dean couldn't help but speak.

"Yes."

"If you think it's funny, you can laugh."

"Ahh

"You're going to have your hair long, just like Alice, do you want to be a princess?"

"What is a princess?" 11 Raise up his head in doubt,

"It's similar to you, but the princess lives in the castle, and you used to live in the laboratory."

Dean had been trying to get closer to the little girl all morning and help her open up, but progress had been slow.

She has been hurt a lot, so she has built a strong psychological defense line for herself.

But Dean wasn't in a hurry.

……

In the afternoon, Hope returned to his ancestral home to change shifts and happily became a part-time dad.

Dean drove back to town, first went home to say hello to his uncle, announcing that he had something to do lately and would not be home in the evening.

Paqui was keenly aware of the slightest problem, and looked at him suspiciously,

"It had nothing to do with you kid about Hawkins Lab last night, right?"

"I don't even know where the lab is, what's wrong with it?" Dean asked innocently,

"Listen to my boss, he was attacked."

Dean said angrily, "Can you please stop treating me for a terrorist!" ”

Paqui stared at him for several seconds, saw that his face did not change, sighed and lit a cigarette,

"It's better if it's not you. Dean, I don't want you to risk going to Lena and the Light now, and I'm sure they are too. You should live a healthy and happy life now, marry a wife as soon as possible, and help the family inherit the lineage! ”

"You are not married to Teacher Kelly Chen, how dare I get ahead?" Dean snatched the cigarette from Paqui's hand and snuffed it out, "Don't say anything, let's go, take my aunt down early!" ”

Dean drove away, looking at Paqui's slightly worried back in the window, and secretly decided not to let him get involved in his parents' affairs.

When it comes to the supernatural, it's too dangerous for him.

…

Small supermarket in town.

"Hey, Dean—" Joyce tugged her hair, still looking haggard and emaciated, dressed in a slightly scruffy denim jacket, with dark circles under her eyes and a faint smell of tobacco in her mouth.

"Hi Joyce, Jonathan, Will, Dustin... What are you going to do here? Dean looked around and saw several familiar figures huddled at the counter to check out, wearing colorful swimsuits and swim trunks with swim rings.

"It's too hot, let's go to the river to cool off, can we?" Jonathan put his arm around Dean's shoulders enthusiastically, his expression was a little more cheerful than before, and it was clear that Dean's courage shooting technique had worked for him.

Dean smiled, and before he could answer, Dustin, whose cheeks were a little rounderer, walked past behind Will and looked at him with admiration and gratitude,

"Dude... Thanks to your help, I've started treatment again, and the doctor said that I will have teeth in about a year, let's go swimming, and I want to talk to you about 'psychic magic' again. ”

"Come on." Will and Mike put their shoulders on their shoulders and shyly helped,

"If you don't like swimming, we're going to go to the school audio-visual club to listen to the FM radio later, and then ride a bike around the lake..."

"I can offer free bikes here." Joyce smiled and assisted the group of children,

"I'm flattered by your enthusiasm, but unfortunately, I have an out-of-town friend who has come and has to go shopping with her, next time."

Dean refused again and touched his chin again,

The bike is great for kids.

……

Dean buys a bunch of toffee, cookies, drinks, fruit, and four seasons pizza... Fill half the trunk with Joyce's 10% discount.

Then I drove to the next town, hundreds of kilometers away, and bought a children's version of a lightning red bicycle.

In the evening, get off at the ancestral house.

Dean saw a ladder outside the house, and Hope was standing on it with a hammer pointed at the ceiling of the hallway.

"What are you doing?" Dean lifted the 20kg snack bag with his left hand and put the children's bicycle in the corner of the yard with his right hand.

"There was always a set of surveillance equipment in the house that I didn't have time to install," Hope said, "and since 11 is here, I'm just going to install it today to add a little security to the house." ”

Dean shook his head, he didn't expect this,

"What about 11?"

"Watching TV, she's completely stuck in it. No child can resist the temptation of a television. ”

Hope slammed the nail into the plank.

When Dean entered the house, he saw 11 sitting on the sofa in the living room with his legs curled up, holding a bag of potato chips in his arms, stuffing potato chips into his mouth like an automatic feeding machine with his right hand, staring at Alice's cartoon in Wonderland without blinking.

A green caterpillar on the screen is spitting out the phrase "Who are you" with a smoke ring, and she finally laughs.

Laughing and laughing, a pile of potato chips in his hand shook off, staining his jeans.

Di An, who was standing behind her and observing, sighed secretly, this little sloppy has the talent of an otaku,

"Is it pretty?"

"It's beautiful... Ah, Dean, you're back. ”

"Sit still, keep looking at you, I've bought something."

Dean was stunned by the little girl's gaze and threw a large bag of dazzling snacks at her feet.

"Eat as much as you want."

……

After the snacks, in the evening, Hope and Dean prepared a hearty barbecue.

11 Feeling that the two days were too perfect to be real, not only did she leave the cage-like "home", but she said goodbye to her father, who repeatedly deceived her, and kept claiming that it was for her good and for her sake, but kept ordering her to participate in all kinds of painful experiments, and said goodbye to the group of adults who looked at her with creepy eyes all day long.

I also saw the outside world, maple trees, meadows, the sun, and the moon.

She moved to a strange new home, where the air was full of freedom and sweetness, where Dean and Hope, who never forced her or commanded him.

Here are the funny cartoons that make her laugh out loud, and she laughs more today than in the last nine years combined.

In addition, she had chocolate, pizza, pasta, barbecue that she had never tasted before... All kinds of food.

A new and wonderful world unfolds before your eyes.

She couldn't help but be happy, but she couldn't express it, so she could only lie on the chair on the terrace, blowing the cool evening breeze of the night, and caressing her little belly filled with barbecued meat.

The oily little face at the corners of his mouth was slightly red by the charcoal fire of the oven, and his expression was in a trance.

“11… Eat more, it's time for a girl your age to grow her body, so you need to eat more meat. With a wave of his hand, Hope sandwiched a half-palm-sized piece of oily beef tenderloin with honey, peppers, onions, and other scents onto 11's plate.

"No," 11 shook his head, "I can't eat." ”

"Eat more, you're too thin now, you know."

"Alright, Hope, do you want her to be a chubby chick in one night?"

Dean thought of the puppies that his grandmother fed,

"Take your time, go, 11, go out for a spin... By the way, try the gift I have for you. ”

……

Hope cleans up the mess after the barbecue.

Dean carried the bicycle and led the nervous and excited 11 to the backyard of the house.

The sun had set, and the night was falling.

The moonlight illuminates this wide green lawn and maple trees.

11 spread her hands, took a deep breath in the moonlight, and ran in small steps, her red T-shirt lining her like a flame scurrying against the grass.

"Do you like it here?"

She nodded heavily.

"Then if you want to continue to stay, remember, if an adult approaches you in the future, go home and hide immediately, tell me or Hope." Dean solemnly admonished,

"It's because... Are they going to send me back to my father's house? ”

"Yes, when you grow up a little bit, or have the ability to protect yourself, this hiding situation can be improved."

11And he rolled on his stomach in the grass, and buried his face in the grass, and breathed in the smell of the earth.

"That encountered... Someone as big as me, I'm going to hide too? ”

"The little ones you mean? It's best to dodge, don't hide and don't reveal your identity, don't let people see this tattoo. Dean grabbed her left wrist and lifted her sleeve to glance at the serial number, "So I have a new name for you, Jane, J, A, N, E, Jane." ”

"Jane?" The little girl's faint eyebrows were tangled together, and she inexplicably felt that the name was very familiar, and then nodded, kneeling on the grass and looking up at him like a little rabbit, "I remember, I will be called Jane, Jane in the future..."

"Good, 11, remember the name."

"My name is Jane..."

"Perfect, come over now, I'll teach you how to ride a bike..."

……

Dean carried Jane to the red children's bike, with her feet on either side.

"Grab the handlebars, kick the ground, and ride forward..."

"Ahh

Just two steps out, Jane screamed and fell forward.

"Get up Jane, don't grab the handle, just put it on it gently, that's the brake, understand? If you squeeze the wheels and the wheels don't turn, you can't slide. Go on. ”

"Yes."

Jane managed to slide ten meters this time, then lost her balance and widened her eyes in horror, forced her foot brakes, and then popped.

Grass clippings flying.

The body flies out of the bike.

Small cheeks and big grass are in close contact.

But this time he didn't wait for Dean to speak.

She gritted her teeth and got up on her own.

Dean was taken aback for a moment and continued to instruct.

Turn with your feet on the ground.

Then slide on one foot......

He slowly saw some of Jane's qualities,

Because he has been locked up in the laboratory for a long time, his body lacks exercise, his limbs are extremely uncoordinated, and his balance is poor.

But she also has advantages, but at a young age, she has experienced small black houses, electric shocks, sensory deprivation sink experiments, and her willpower is stronger than her peers, and there is a big stubbornness in her small body.

……

She pushes the bike, slides, falls, gets up again...

The cycle repeated, several bruises appeared on his cheeks and arms, his panting became heavy, and sweat squeezed his forehead.

But the whole time he gritted his teeth and did not complain.

Two and a half hours later.

finally

At one point, she slid her right foot on the ground and then kicked the pedal regularly with both feet.

She got the balance right!

Glide a twenty-meter straight line along the grass, then turn a corner and ride in the opposite direction to get the teacher with his hands around his chest in the distance.

She rode on her bike, feeling the coolness of the air rushing across her skin, her eyes welling up with excitement and a smile.

A sense of exhilaration, excitement and excitement that I had never experienced before, came naturally.

……

Dean noticed her smile and nodded in satisfaction.

At this moment, the progress of the event skyrocketed by five percent, jumping to thirty-seven percent.

"If it works, the progress will definitely exceed 100 percent."

That's a good start.

Taught her to ride a bike and made her feel happy.

Then it is logical to train and study her superpowers in the future.

Don't be treated like another dad by her.

But now—

Dean pulled out a picture of Lena and Light from his bosom and looked at it in the moonlight.

……

"Dean, I made it!"

Jane braked the bicycle in front of him, shook off the beads of sweat on her forehead, and her face was full of joy,

"Well done, you're smarter than I expected."

Jane nodded, following his gaze curiously, "What are you looking at?" ”

"A picture of my parents." Dean pretended to be sad, "When I was a kid, they taught me to ride a bike like that, so I remembered them." ”

The dusty memories in Jane's mind surged for a moment, and her expression was in a trance, "What's wrong with them?" ”

"They disappeared years ago, and only this picture was left for me." Dean looked at Jane, his eyes flashing with an inexplicable look, and said with emotion, "I wish I could find them, even if someone could give me a little bit of news about them." ”

Jane's fists clenched and loosened, her face hanging down and not speaking, her eyes struggling.

Seeing this, Dean knew that she was currently more reluctant to use superpowers, so she patted the other party's head,

"Shhhh Hurt. ”

"Don't hurt yourself in the future, stop and rest when you can't stand it," Dean picked her up on the bike and pushed her away, "You have to express your feelings, don't hide everything, understand?" ”

"Yes." Jane nodded.

On the other side, the sheriff who had finished packing up the dishes staggered over from the guardrail, rubbed his hands, swept his eyes over the two, and said again, "Actually, I won the Hawkins Town Lake Cycling Championship, do you have the honor to be a teacher at 11?" ”

Dean looked at the cautious anticipation in his eyes and very generously pushed the bicycle carrying the 11 to him.

Hope smiled with relief and looked at the little girl expectantly, "Sit tight, 11?" ”

"Well, my name is Jane now!"

"Let's go, Jane!" The sheriff pushed the little girl around the yard.

"Haha!"

In the moonlight rang out Hope's long-lost laugh, and he laughed like a child.

(End of chapter)