026

6.1K 226 13
                                    

THE WOMEN EMBRACED in the parking lot like two people who had been separated for years, and not just a few days

Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.


THE WOMEN EMBRACED in the parking lot like two people who had been separated for years, and not just a few days. Eleven buried her face in Ana's stomach, and Ana held Eleven tightly as though she would disappear again should her hold loosen. She even dropped a kiss to the younger girl's head in a show of affection. Eleven had been missed in her time away, and her absence had been felt.

The sound of clapping eventually broke the two out of their moment, though. The crowd was pleased to see mother and daughter reunited after witnessing the stress the older woman had experienced. While it had been a means to an end, the attention was causing more of a problem then than anything, so Ana rushed the two back to her truck.

On the ride back to Will Byers' house, Eleven filled Ana in on her time away. She had met her birth mother, but the woman was virtually lost to the world, trapped in a loop of her own memories. Then, after finding out about another child with powers, Eleven had traveled to Chicago and met up with a girl named Kali who could make people see what she wanted using her mind. Kali had been troubled, though, and her life was one of crime, which Elven wasn't built for, so she returned to Hawkins to help her friends with the threat now plaguing the city.

It wasn't fair that someone so young should have to deal with so much, but the world wasn't done asking too much of Eleven, which became apparent upon their arrival at the Byers'.

Pulling up the drive, Ana's headlights illuminated a group of demo-dogs descending upon the house.

"Eleven, you got this?" Ana asked, keeping the wheel steady in their approach.

Eleven's nose began to bleed as she made quick work of disabling the monsters trying to surprise, trying to attack their friends within the home. She even knocked one through the front window for good measure.

Parking the vehicle and exiting, Ana let the girl reach the front door first. No one inside the house was prepared for what was on the other side, and, by God, was a shit storm bound to follow.

Eleven unlocked the latches securing the entrance with her powers, then, pushed the door open slowly before hesitantly stepping inside.

Everyone was crowded in the living room, waiting nervously. Nancy and Hopper had rifles at the ready, Steve was wielding his modified baseball bat, Lucas held tension on his wrist rocket, Mike was holding...a candle base of some kind, and the rest stood apprehensively behind.

All weapons were lowered upon Eleven's emergence, however, but bewildered expressions were abound. The only person who didn't appear shocked was Mike. No, his appearance was one of jubilation.

After a moment of stunned silence passed, Mike and Eleven ran forward and held each other as tears fell from both of their eyes. Eventually, though, the conversation turned towards her year-long absence, and that's where the landmines laid.

"Why didn't you tell me you were there? That you were okay?" Mike questioned, upset but still overjoyed.

Ana knew the answer, but she wasn't going to be the one to fess up. No, that responsibility fell to Hopper and Hopper alone. "Because I wouldn't let her," the older male admitted, and while his frown was firm, his eyes held a measure or remorse.

STRANGER THINGS HAVE HAPPENED_JIM HOPPERWhere stories live. Discover now