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IT HAD BEEN THREE MONTHS SINCE THE MALL EVENTS, JOYCE DECIDING SHE SHOULD MOVIE OUT OF HAWKINS. Given that El had neither Sebastian or Hopper with her and she was all alone, Joyce suggested El goes to live with the Byers family. The events of the mall were all over the news, both Seb and Hopper showing up. The event was a scandal to other states, everyone steering away from Hawkins as 'Thirty people melted dead on spot', including Scarlett once the gate was closed. A headline in the paper was 'Chief of town dies with his son, 14.' El couldn't even look at the photo of Hopper, the newspaper having no photos of Sebastian. Everyone had started to catch on to the events over the recent years in Hawkins anyway.

The cover ups from the government, deaths that were never explained. This is why Robin and Steve were at Family Radio, trying to get new jobs. "The mall burnt down and killed a bunch of people," Robin spoke, Steve gulping at the memory. "We didn't get fired." She continued, the boy letting their resume's fall to the desk. He used to work at the arcade himself, just getting sick of the sweaty kids. "Oh, really? Never knew." He spoke sarcastically, Robin sighing. "Three favourite movies. Go." He demanded, pointing to Robin. "Uh, The Apartment, Hidden Fortress, Children of Paradise." She answered, remembering how she watched Hidden Fortress with Scarlett all the time. Her parents were horrified once they went up to Scarlett's room to find a melted version of herself, boarding up the room and giving Robin special treatment.

"You, go." The boy pointed to Steve, him stuck. "Favourite movies?" He asked, the boy scoffing. "Did I stutter?" He shot back, Steve trying to think of a movie. "Uh... Animal House, for sure." Robin scoffed at his answer. Animal House? Steve stammered for more movies, the boy clicking in his face. "Ah, ah, ah, eyes on me, Harrington." The boy spoke, recognising the popular high schooler. "Yeah, uh..." The two made awkward eye contact as Robin stared into space. "Star Wars." Steve shrugged, picking the obvious. "A New Hope?" The boy tested, Steve confused. "A new what?" He leant forward, the boy fed up. "Which Star Wars?" He asked, Steve scoffing. "The one with the teddy bears. Duh." Steve laughed, doing an Ewok impression which made Robin wince and hang her head down shamefully. "No?" He asked, the boy at the counter not impressed.

"Oh, the one that just came out. The movie that just came out. The one with the DeLorean and Alex P. Keaton and he's trying to bang his mom." Steve laughed at the end of his explanation, "The time..." Steve's voice went quiet, Robin looking up with a sigh. "Yeah," Steve spoke shyly this time. "Those are my top three. Classics." Steve spoke quicker, the boy pointing to Robin. "You start Monday." She lit up at this, finally getting a job. "You start never." He spat towards Steve, the boy nodding as he looked down. "Will you just, um... Will you give us a minute?" Robin asked Steve, him agitated. "Why?" He shot back, Robin looking to him. "Steve." The boy grabbed his resume sassily, making sure to snatch it off the desk as he walked away a little. Leaning forward, Robin smiled politely.

"All right, you have to understand, Keith, I know his taste is a bit pedestrian, but the dingus has other qualities." Robin stuck up for Steve, Keith not impressed. "He's a douchebag of the highest order, Robin." He shot back, Robin shrugging in agreement. "He was a bit of a prick to us in high school, I grant you that, but he remains... a total chick magnet." Robin compromised, Keith shrugging. "Yeah, okay, and this is relevant to me how?" He asked, Robin leaning forward. "Uh, Earth to Keith! The ladies will come in just to see him. They'll come in in droves. Droves, Keith." Robin explained clearly, Keith looking to Steve. "We sold so much ice cream, they had to get a second shipment from Michigan. Goddamn Michigan, Keith. And these ladies..." Robin inhaled sharply, Keith looking back to her.

"These ladies are hot. They're so very hot." Robin emphasized, Keith interested. "And there are too many of them for little Steve. He needs assistance. He needs your assistance, Keith." Robin spoke, Keith eating a cheese puff in thought. "What's in it for you? You got a thing for him or something?" He asked, hearing a curse. The two looked back to see Steve trying to pick up a cardboard cut out that he knocked over. "Goddamnit! This- Oh..." Steve stopped once he saw it was a woman in a red bikini, fixing it messily. "We're just, um... We're just friends." Robin turned back to Keith, him cringing. "Ah! Fast Times. Fast Times. Ever heard of it?" Steve called, making the two look back. "Top three for me, Keith." He laughed, scanning the cutout once more and nodding. Robin just laughed,

Keith not impressed.

☆

"TURN AROUND... LOOK AT WHAT YOU SEE," MAX AND LUCAS SUNG TOGETHER, DUSTIN NOT IMPRESSED. They were all packing boxes, Max and Lucas teasing Dustin for the song with Suzie. "In her face, the mirror of your dreams." The two looked to Dustin, him smiling tightly. "Rhymes that keep their secrets, will unfold behind the clouds," The couple reached out towards Dustin dramatically. "Wait, did we get that verse right?" Max asked sarcastically, Lucas smiling. "It's 'unfold behind the clouds'?" She asked, Dustin nodding. "Yeah, but you're butchering it, so could you please stop?" He shot back, Lucas shrugging. "So then join in, Dusty-bun." Lucas blew air kisses at Dustin as he was teasing him, the boy packing things silently.

"Yeah, come on, Dusty-bun, why don't you join us?" Max asked, Dustin sitting up straight. "You guys are so funny, you should be on Carson." Dustin spoke emotionlessly, Max tilting her head. "Can't we just hear your rendition?" She asked quickly, Dustin sighing. "No." Max whined a little. "Please? Just one verse?" Max begged, Dustin still stubborn. "No. No way. It's reserved for Suzie's ears and Suzie's ears alone." Dustin insisted, Max and Lucas looking to one another. "Turn around," The two began again, Dustin squeezed his eyes shut. "Look at what you see," The two harmonized as Lucas danced suggestively towards Dustin. The latter put his middle finger up silently, Lucas clapping. "In their face," The couple continued, Wil walking past the room to see Dustin waving around his middle finger.

The teen held some books, a framed picture on top that he believed El would like. It was a picture that Seb had taken... of him trying to figure out how to use a camera. It was a joke photo that Will thought was so hilarious it needed to be framed. Seb's face looked very concentrated as his face took up most of the frame, Dustin behind him laughing. "Can you guys stop? Please?" Dustin asked, Will staring at the photo. He smiled lightly, feeling a tear fall as he saw how happy they were. And now Seb was gone and Will and El were moving states. Nothing was the same anymore. Joyce had insisted that an entire box had been dedicated to both Seb and Hopper, including things that they both liked and what reminded the others of them. Joyce had put Seb's burnt hat into the box, El finding the collar from the lab.

Will placed down the books that Seb read into the box, then picking up an extra pile of board games and putting them into the donation box. "Who, dude. That's the donation box." Mike reminded, Will nodding. "I know. I'll just use yours when I come back. I mean, if we still wanna play." Will shrugged, Mike doing the same. "Yeah, but what if you want to join another party?" Mike asked, not wanting Will to find new friends. "Not possible." The boy smiled, Mike chuckling as Will walked away. El was in another room, hanging up coat hangers before she saw a teddy bear on the top shelf. Trying to reach up to get it, the girl couldn't. She just stepped back sighed, staring at the bear. Holding her hand towards the bear, a weak frequency vibration sounded, El panting before her powers never occurred. "They'll come back." The girl turned to see Mike in the doorway.

"I know they will." He continued, El sighing. Her powers had been gone since the mall events, the girl watching Mike grab the bear for her. "Thanks." She smiled, hugging the bear as Mike gulped. "You packed your walkie, right?" He made sure, El nodding. "Yes." She smiled, Mike humming. "Because you know I'm gonna steal Cerebro from Dustin and call you so much, you're gonna have to turn it off, right?" Mike assured, the two chuckling together. "Did you talk to your mom?" El asked, Mike going quiet. "About Thanksgiving?" El asked, Mike nodding. "Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I got the okay. I'll be there." Mike spoke quickly, El smiling. "And then I was thinking maybe you could come up here for Christmas. And Will, too." He suggested, El's smile fading a little. "You can come before or after Christmas, or whatever Mrs. Byers wants, but I was thinking Christmas day could be super fun, because we'd all have cool new presents to play with and, uh..."

Mike realised he was ranting, El just smiling at the boy. "Sorry, that made me sound like a seven-year-old." Mike chuckled, El shrugging. "I like presents too." She comforted a little, Mike nodding. "Yeah, cool. Yeah. I like- I like presents, too." Mike spoke, El nodding. "Cool." She spoke simply, walking past Mike slowly. Her face cringed as she walked away, as did Mike's. "Mike?" She turned around, Mike doing the same and quickly making a smile overcome his face. "Yeah?" He asked, El sighing. "Remember that day... at the cabin, you were talking to Max?" El tried to remind him, Mike thinking. "Um... I don't think I follow." He spoke, El sighing again. "You talked about your- feelings, your heart." El reminded, Mike humming suddenly.

"Oh. Oh, yeah, that. Man, that was so long ago. Um..." El looked to him expectedly, Mike scratching the back of his head. "That was really heat of the moment stuff, and we were arguing and..." Mike spoke, El looking down as her smile faded. "I don't really remember... What did I say, exactly?" Mike asked, El gulping. "Mike..." The girl walked closer, Mike terrified. "I love you, too." She spoke, kissing Mike before walking away. Mike stared at her confused before sighing. Joyce had taken the box for Seb and Hopper, folding up the latter's work uniform. Her face scrunched up when she felt some paper, getting it out of the pocket of Hopper's shirt. Unfolding it, she clicked her tongue at the familiar memory. When Hopper went to her for advice on how to make Seb's mental health better and to get Mike and El apart.

Reading it, El walked into the room, holding the teddy bear. "Donation box?" She asked, Joyce turning to her. "Yeah, sure." She smiled, El seeing the paper. "What's that?" She asked, Joyce looking back down at it. "It's... the speech Hop wrote for you and Mike." Joyce spoke, El confused. "Speech?" She asked, never knowing he wrote them a speech. "Yeah. You know, the heart-to-heart. How Seb was upset too." Joyce tried to remind her, El staying silent. "He never talked to you, did he?" Joyce asked, El shaking her head. The woman scoffed, El stepping forward. "Can I read?" She asked simply, Joyce nodding. She stepped out of the room to give El some privacy, taking the teddy bear to the donation box herself. El led of the floor as she read,

There's something I've been wanting to talk to you both about. I'm sure if Sebastian was here too, he'd agree with me. I know this is a difficult conversation, but I care about you both very much. And I know you, El, care about Mike very much. And that's why it is important that we set these boundaries moving forward, so we can build an environment where we all feel comfortable, trusted, open and content to share our feelings.

The truth is, for so long, I'd forgotten what those even were. Feelings. I've been stuck in one place, in a cave, you might say. A deep, dark cave. And then, I left some Eggos out in the woods, and you came into my life. And then I found your brother in a pumpkin, and you both came into my life, El giggled a little through the tears, and for the first time in a long time, I started to feel things again. I started to feel happy. But, lately, I guess I've been feeling... distant from you. I don't know if you've noticed, but your brother has been feeling the same. To be honest, I'd be kind of impressed if you never noticed because he's more miserable than he usually is. It's like you're pulling away from us or something. I miss playing board games every night, making triple-decker Eggo extravaganzas at sunrise with pancakes for your brother.

I miss watching westerns together before we all doze off. When I'd constantly have to remind your brother to go to sleep at night. But I know you're getting older, you both are. Growing. Changing. And I guess, if I'm being really honest, that's what scares me. I don't want things to change. So, I think maybe that's why I came in here, to try to maybe stop that change. To turn back the clock. To make things go back to how they were. But I know that's naïve. It's just not how life works. It's moving. Always moving, whether you like it or not. And yeah, sometimes it's painful. Sometimes it's sad. And sometimes it's surprising. Happy. But you know what? Keep on growing up, kid. Don't let me stop you. Don't let your brother stop you. Even if he doesn't know how to try and change you in the first place.

Make mistakes, learn from 'em, and when life hurts you, because it will, remember the hurt. The hurt is good. It means you're out of that cave. But, please, if you don't mind, for the sake of your poor old dad, and your clingy brother at this point,

keep the door open three inches.

☆

TWO RUSSIAN GUARDS OPENED THE DOOR TO THE JAIL CELLS, THE FRONT MAN GOING TO OPEN A DOOR. "No. Not the American." The man behind him reminded, the one in front nodding. They were in Kamchatka, Russia, given their base in Hawkins was raided and destroyed. Realising his mistake, the guard walked to the cell next to it, unlocking the door. "No, no, I'm begging you... No! Don't!" A man begged in the cell, the two men ignoring him as they dragged him down the corridor and down a lot of stairs. A bulkier couple of doors lay at the bottom of the staircase, the man yelling as he was pulled closer towards it. "Don't do it!" The man begged, grunting once he was pulled down them all. "Please! No!" He begged once more, being thrown onto a cell floor covered in shallow water.

He clawed onto the gate as they locked it shut, the prisoner terrified. "Don't leave me in here!" He yelled, following a soldier around the metal cell cage as he started to spin a wheel. The wheel triggered another wheel to spin, the prisoner going silent in curiosity. A metal door was lifted up, the metal hinge squeaks being the only noise. The prisoner leant back against the cell wall as nothing came from the metal door. A snarling started, a Demogorgon slowly emerging from the door which made the prisoner whimper. The alien snarled and squealed as it slowly walked towards the prisoner, sniffing the area. Sensing the prisoner was terrified and not a threat whatsoever, the Demogorgon stood up fully, chittering as it stood up to be twice the prisoner's height. The prisoner screamed out of fear, the Demogorgon roaring as loud as it could,

making Seb's eyes shoot open from next door.

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cool cool cool cool finally done until May 27th!!

I'm glad I just finished this all and got it over so I can focus on my exams lol

[2770 words!]

Hope you enjoyed!!

Byee!