Chapter Text
She was alone.
Thankfully, she was used to it. A place isn’t called “The Void” because it’s teeming with people. No, she enjoyed the silence, the absence of others. The world was too loud, and here she could focus.
But this was different; whereas her past experiences in the Void included her locating someone-whether it was for Papa or herself-she always found who she was looking for.
Until recently.
Since her trips to the Void last March, El found the darkness even lonelier, the silence more deafening. It seemed like no matter where she traveled and where she looked-and she had looked everywhere by, it seemed-nothing.
No Max.
And no Vecna.
She searched for the former much more than she searched for the latter, but for the last six months, whenever she closed her eyes and entered this darkness, neither could be found.
She knew he-Vecna-was still out there somewhere. Max, though…
She wasn’t so sure about Max.
Despite her intentions, El couldn’t help but feel responsible for Max’s current situation.
Everyone kept telling her that Max was a fighter, that it was just a matter of time before she woke up.
But some days, El wasn’t so sure.
How do you come back from being blinded, having every bone broken in your body, and having no brain activity? Eleven was a believer in many things-but a miracle of that magnitude seemed highly unlikely.
And when (or if) Max woke up, how would she react to knowing someone who was supposed to be her best friend was responsible for her current state? Would she be angry? Or would she understand that El only wanted to help her, that she couldn’t let Vecna win? That she would do anything she could to keep her friends safe?
As for him-Vecna-she knew he wasn’t through, that he’d be back. If she were able to find him, to stop him before things got worse-well, she’d do what she could.
“El?” A voice asked.
She whipped off her bandana, her eyes taking a second to adjust to the daylight coming into her room. Hopper stood in the doorway, a frown on his face. “Yes?” She asked.
“What the heck’re you doing, we’ve gotta go.”
Getting to her feet, El picked up her backpack from her bed, swiping away the blood from under her nose.
“Got everything?” Hopper asked.
“I think so,” she said, stealing a glance at herself in her mirror, remembering what today was-
The first day of school.
With everything that’d happened over the past six months, she hadn’t thought too much about this day. Between returning to Hawkins for good, getting things squared so Hopper could supposedly return from the dead and rejoin the police force, to just the general chaos going on in town right now, school has been the least of her concerns. But now it was here, the first day, and the butterflies in her stomach wouldn’t leave her alone. Thoughts of last year-her lack of fitting in at Lenora Hills High School-remained in her mind. She knew this year would be different; that she was back home now with her friends, and wouldn’t be as alone as she felt during freshman year.
“What were you doing in there?” Hopper asked as the two got outside.
“Nothing,” El answered.
Miles away, on Maple Street, Mike Wheeler scrambled to put his clothes on as he was running late-again. He could’ve sworn he’d set his alarm last night, but his current tardiness begged to differ.
…Mike? Come in… came a staticky voice.
“Dammit,” Mike said, throwing on a shirt as he grabbed his Supercomm from underneath his bed. Bringing it to his mouth, he asked, “What, Dustin?”
“Where are you? Will and I are outside and…”
“I’m on my way,” Mike replied. “Give me five minutes. Over and out.” Shutting off his walkie, Mike did a quick scan for his backpack but, not finding it, exited his bedroom.
“You’re going to be late,” his mother greeted him as he entered the kitchen.
“Yeah, Mom, I know.” Going into the fridge, he grabbed an Eggo waffle and popped it into the toaster before turning around. “Have you seen my backpack?” he asked.
His father, sitting at the table, said, “This is why we told you to get everything ready last night, son.”
“Yeah, thanks, Dad.”
“Where did you have it last?” Karen Wheeler asked.
“I don’t know, that’s why I’m asking,” Mike answered.
Holly Wheeler, sitting at the table and eating a bowl of cereal, said, “It’s down in the basement. On the couch.”
“You’re a lifesaver, Hol.”
He bounded down the stairs, scooped up his bag, then ran back upstairs, getting the Eggo just as it emerged.
“Let your father drive you,” Karen said to her son. “You’re going to be…”
“I’ll be fine,” he said, putting his backpack on and heading to the door. “Besides, Dustin and Will are already waiting for me. See you guys later.”
When he got outside, he shoved the waffle into his mouth as he climbed onto his bike. Pointing it towards the street, he descended down his driveway.
A minute later, he arrived at Dustin’s driveway, where both he and Will were waiting.
“You’re late,” Dustin reminded him.
“Yeah, you said that already,” Mike responded. “And I’m barely late.”
“Come on, before we miss first period,” Will suggested, and the three boys headed towards the school.
As they biked, Mike glanced around them. “Any word from Lucas?”
“He didn’t answer his Supercomm,” Dustin said with a shrug.
Mike sighed, not needing any more of an explanation.
“You think he’ll come to school?” Will asked.
“He’ll be there,” Mike said.
As he headed towards his first day of sophomore year, Mike couldn’t help but think about how, a year ago, things couldn’t have been more different.
The Byers-El included-had been in California.
Nancy had been a senior; now, she and Jonathan were both attending Hawkins Community College. It hadn’t been his sister’s first choice, but it’d been a deal with Jonathan that after a year, they’d move to Boston for Emerson College.
Things with Dustin were pretty much the same, except now, instead of being just a new member of Hellfire Club, he was leading it.
As for Lucas and Max, things were obviously different.
The group’s Zoomer still lay comatose at Hawkins Hospital. Lucas, meanwhile, seemed like a shell of his former self; he’d rarely left Max’s side over the summer, determined that Max would show some sign of improvement, some sign of life.
They all believed Max would come out of this-she was definitely a fighter-but Lucas was all but obsessed, to the point where some of the Party were worried about him. If worse came to worst, would he be able to move on?
“Oh, shit.” Dustin’s voice pulled him from his thoughts.
Mike turned to ask what was wrong, when he heard the thundering above them. Glancing up, Mike saw the helicopter flying overhead, heading towards downtown Hawkins. The three boys stopped biking, watching the helicopter get smaller as it flew away.
“Seriously, how do we even still have school?” Dustin asked, pedaling off. “The town is, like, going to hell, and we’re still expected to learn algebra.”
“Do you think something’s wrong?” Will asked, anxiously looking in the direction of downtown Hawkins.
“I doubt it,” Mike answered. “Just part of the new normal.”
When they finally arrived at school, the boys parked their bikes. Instead of heading inside, though, they stood near the entrance, awaiting one of their friends.
As if on cue, they heard the familiar rumble of Hopper’s police car coming around the corner. Eventually, it came to a stop in front of the school. With Mike leading the way, the boys made their way over.
The chief was saying something to El as she gathered her things; though Mike saw her nodding her head, she didn’t seem to be listening. She eventually got out of the car just as the boys arrived.
“I’ll be home by five,” Hopper told El as she climbed out of the car. Before she shut the door, he asked, “Hey? What’s the rule?”
“Don’t be stupid,” she answered.
He nodded. “Have a good day, kid.”
She closed the door, turning to her friends and hugging Mike. Her hand slipped into his as he asked, “You ready?”
El nodded, giving a wave to Hopper before he drove away.
As they entered the building, El was immediately overwhelmed with memories of Lenora Hills High School: the smell of a hundred or so students, the sounds of so many talking, and someone speaking on the PA system. And just the crowds; she instinctively drew herself closer to Mike as they walked down the hallway.
Sensing her tense up, Mike quietly told her, “Everything’s gonna be okay.”
“Promise?” She asked.
“Promise,” he said back.
The group found their lockers; thankfully, they were all in the same hallway. They unpacked a few things from their backpacks, keeping what they needed. As they got ready to head to their individual classes, Dustin spied Lucas rushing their way.
“You do realize today’s the first day, right?” Dustin asked their late friend.
“No, Dustin, I forgot,” Lucas sarcastically answered, spinning his locker combo hurriedly. “I forgot to set an alarm. Or I did, but Erica messed with it. I don’t know…”
Quickly grabbing what he needed, Lucas joined his friends, and the group made their way down the hall.
“My class is here,” Will said, nodding at an upcoming classroom.
“Me, too,” Dustin said, checking his schedule. “Oh, man, it’s Ms. Turkleton…” Nevertheless, he and Will walked inside.
Lucas’s class was down a different hallway, so he said a quick goodbye to Mike and El before sprinting down the hall.
Mike and El continued down the opposite hallway together. “You have reading first, right?” Mike asked her.
“Yes,” El answered quietly.
“And then…”
“Geography and gym.” Looking up at her boyfriend, she asked, “I’ll see you in math?”
Mike nodded. “Yep. Fifth period. But you’ll see me before then, at lunch. I’ll meet you outside of the cafeteria, okay?”
El nodded, letting out a breath as they arrived at her classroom.
Sensing her nerves, Mike took her hands as he faced her. “Hey. You’re gonna do great, okay? You have Mr. Carrey for reading; he’s like one of the coolest teachers here. You like geography, and gym is…” He shrugged. “Gym. It’ll be an easy day.”
El nodded, her eyes meeting his. “Okay.” Raising up, she brought her lips to his in a soft kiss. “I love you.”
“I love you, too,” he told her. “See you at lunch.”
——
Twenty minutes ago-
“Let’s go over it again,” Hopper said, turning onto the main road.
“I remember,” El said. “I’m not going to forget.”
“Humor me, okay?” Hopper asked. “Please. For the sake of your old dad.”
El sighed, laying her head against the headrest. “Don’t call attention to myself,” she recited.
“Alright, so far so good. What else?”
“Tell them I was at another school last year, but don’t tell them where. And only if they ask.”
Her dad nodded. “Last one?”
“If I see any of them…the bad men…get out quickly and quietly.”
Hopper nodded, satisfied. “See? Was that so hard?”
“What about…him?” El asked nervously.
“Him?”
“One; Vecna.”
“What about him?”
“What if he finds me? At the school?”
“You haul ass out of there, kid.”
Now, with Hopper’s talk still running through her mind, El entered the classroom. Finding an empty seat in the front row near a window she sat down, putting her backpack on the floor between her feet. The teacher, Mr. Carrey, was walking around the room, handing out a paper to students and introducing himself. El took out her notebook and a pencil, her gaze drifting outside as she waited. She could see the parking lot; behind that, the tops of the homes of Hawkins. And far beyond that, in the distance, she could see the plumes of red and black smoke reaching towards the sky.
It was a constant reminder, she felt, of how much Hawkins had fallen.
The town had been literally ripped apart, causing the nonstop black and red smoke that was now “normal.” It didn’t stop there, she knew. There was a surge in government officials in the small town. The epicenter of the Gate opening (near downtown Hawkins) had been converted into a military outpost, as were other spots around town. It was all too familiar to see helicopters flying overhead or army vehicles driving around the outskirts of town.
And, of course, the huge crack that appeared in the middle of the city. Downtown, which had been one of Hawkins’ busiest areas, was now nearly empty save for the soldiers.
People who couldn’t handle it soon fled, off to greener pastures. For those who stayed behind, they had no other choice but to move on with their lives and adjust to this new reality.
A part of El felt she could be doing something; the military, she knew, wouldn’t be able to do anything if Vecna decided to show up. But what could she do?
She replayed her trip to the Void this morning-no Max, no Vecna. As each day passed, El knew the chances of Vecna returning grew, while the chances for Max to wake up seemed less and less likely. What if…
“Hello,” a voice said, pulling her from her thoughts. El looked up to see Mr. Carrey warmly smiling at her.
“Hi,” she answered softly.
“Could I get your name?”
“Jane,” she said. “Jane Hopper.”
“Nice to meet you, Jane Hopper,” he said. “Welcome to American Literature 101.”
At the Hawkins Police Department, a few hours later, Jim Hopper sat at his desk, debating what needed his attention first. After a morning spent disbanding protesters at City Hall-angry residents who believed the mayor wasn’t telling them the truth-he had been hoping the rest of the day would be simple.
Not so much.
Jim remembered when he’d first taken this job, the most exciting things would be chasing down graffiti-spraying teens or saving owls from old women’s hair (or was it the other way around?). Now, as he glanced over the calls Flo had documented for him this morning, he couldn’t help but miss those days.
There was the weekly complaint from Eugene; this time, though, instead of blaming Merrill Wright for wrecking things on his farm, he was blaming it on the toxic air from the rift.
He’s probably true, Hopper thought.
Then there was a complaint from Julie Crest, upset about the helicopters flying at night, upsetting her sleep.
Tell me about it, he thought.
There was the call from Mason McClusky, who claimed he’d seen an alien in his backyard, no doubt coming from that hole in downtown Hawkins.
Hopper sighed. Was it too early to retire?
When he’d retaken the police chief job-Powell had been more than ready to relinquish it-he knew things in the small town were going to get worse, but this was ridiculous. He would kill (not literally, of course) for a call to come over the wire that one of those dumb Jacobs boys was knocking over mailboxes again.
His phone rang, and Hopper picked it up. “Yeah, Flo?”
“Your lunch is here,” his secretary told him.
Shit. Hopper stood. “Uh, any chance you could hold it up there for a minute?” He attempted to clear his desktop, but it was too late.
“Knock knock,” came Joyce Byers’ voice from the doorway, a plastic bag in her hand.
“Hey Joyce,” Hopper said; despite his inability to clean his messy desk, he couldn’t help but smile at the woman in his office.
“Been busy, I see,” she said, sitting in the chair facing his desk.
The big man sighed. “You have no idea.” With a sweep of his hands, he scooped up the papers on his desk, putting them into a messy pile near his phone.
Putting the plastic bag on the desk between them, Joyce leaned over the desk, meeting Hopper midway for a kiss. Sitting back down, she asked, “How was school this morning?”
“About what you’d expect,” Hopper said, opening the plastic bag. Pulling out a salad, he frowned at Joyce. “Really?”
Joyce rolled her eyes. “That’s for me, Hop. I know you better than that.” Reaching into the bag, she gave him the meatball sandwich she’d bought.
After taking a bite, Hopper said, “She was doing that thing again this morning…”
“Who?”
“El. You know, that thing with the bandana or whatever.”
Joyce nodded. “Probably looking for you know who.”
“I guess. I want her to focus on school, you know? Not that…thing, wherever he is. Try to be normal.”
Joyce shrugged. “Normal’s long gone, Hop. You know that.”
“Hmph. How’s Will?”
“You know, the same,” she answered, taking a sip of her Coke. “Quiet, withdrawn. He absolutely refused to let me drive him to school this morning.” They ate quietly for a moment before Joyce asked, “So any news about what’s going on downtown?”
Hopper huffed. “Your guess is as good as mine. I doubt it’s anything big, or we would’ve seen more than a helicopter.”
Joyce nodded in agreement, but said, “When is this ever going to end, Hop? I miss our boring little town. There were people who’d never even heard of Hawkins; now we’re all over the news…I’m just ready for this to be over, you know?”
“Hey,” Jim said, reaching across the table and putting his hand atop hers. “I know. I’m ready for all of this to be done, too. Believe me, I’m with you. We’ve just gotta hang on a little longer.”
She squeezed his hand in return. “I sure hope so.”
When school ended for the day, the Party each had different places to head to. Dustin and Will were going to the Henderson home to plan the first Hellfire Club meeting. Lucas was on his way to Hawkins Memorial Hospital, looking to spend some time with Max before heading home.
As for Mike and El, once they’d said goodbye to their friends, they’d hopped on Mike’s bike, riding to the cabin.
With both of them now too tall to comfortably share the seat, El instead stood on the back, her hands grasping Mike’s shoulders for balance as they rode first through Hawkins, then into the woods as they approached the cabin.
The two spent the ride making small talk about their days; El’s day had been considerably better than her first day at Lenora Hills High had been, but things still didn’t feel right. Mike’s day had gone fairly well; the only hiccup was having Mrs. Givens, a teacher he hadn’t particularly liked last year, again this year.
Arriving at the cabin in good time, the pair climbed off the bike before making their way inside. Mike took a seat at the table as El got them some sodas from the fridge.
“What’s wrong, El?” Mike asked as El came to the table.
She looked confused. “Wrong?”
Mike knew of the two of them, he was the more talkative one. Even though her vocabulary and speech had come a long way since they’d first met, Mike knew he could be a chatterbox. Still, El had seemed withdrawn and quiet on their ride here, and Mike was curious why.
“Is everything okay?” he asked. “You seem off.”
El sighed, slowly turning the can of Coke on the table. “Something doesn’t feel right,” she finally said.
“Like what?” he asked.
“It’s been six months,” she explained. “I thought things would be…better.”
“In town?” He asked, stealing a glance outside. Even here, miles from downtown Hawkins, the nonstop curls of black and red smoke could be seen.
“With everything,” she said. “The Gate is still open. Max is still…gone,” she said sadly. “And I don’t know where…he is. I thought by now, something would’ve happened. I thought I could have fixed all of this.”
Mike nodded. Slowly, he reached across the table and placed his hand atop hers. “This isn’t on you, El. None of this is.”
El’s eyes were watering. “But…”
“But nothing,” he added. “This is all because of him; Vecna. All of it. He’s the monster. And…I don’t know, maybe he’s hurt, maybe he’s dead, or maybe he’s just biding his time, but we’re going to stop him. We’ll end this. And we’ll get on with our lives, and it’ll be like this stuff never happened. And Max,” Mike huffed, running a hand through his hair. “She’s going to wake up; she’s going to get back to normal. She has to.”
Eleven wiped her eyes with her free hand. “Do you really believe all of that?” She asked.
Mike frowned, confused. “Of course I do; why wouldn’t I? We’ve got you, a freaking superhero. And we’ve got the rest of the Party. We’ve always figured out a way to stop this stuff, and we always will. And Max…” Mike chuckled. “She’s the most stubborn person I’ve ever met; there’s no way she’s going to let Vecna be the end of her.”
El chuckled, her hand squeezing his as she laughed. “I love you,” she told him.
“I love you, too,” he told her.
Miles away at Hawkins Memorial Hospital, Lucas made his way down the hall towards Max’s room. He nodded and smiled at some of the staff, those who recognized him from his frequent visits. Finally arriving at her room, he entered and wasn’t surprised to see Francine, Max’s nurse, standing at the end of the bed.
“Back so soon?” Francine asked Lucas as he came in, putting his backpack on the floor by his usual seat. “Isn’t it a school night?”
“Well, yeah,” he admitted, digging through his bag. “But it didn’t feel right, not coming to see her. Besides,” he said, pulling out a book, “The library finally had a copy of her favorite book.” He held up a copy of Pet Sematary.
Francine glanced at the cover and smirked. “I don’t know how you can read those scary books,” she said, picking up Max’s chart. “Seems like real life is scary enough as it is. And besides,” she said, halfway out of the room, “Why would you want to read a book where they spelled the name wrong on the cover!”
“It’s supposed to…never mind,” Lucas said, taking a seat in his chair. Quieter, he said, “Hey, Max. I brought your book. You missed the first day of school.” He chuckled. “You’d have been pissed, Mrs. Eckhart is teaching geometry again. Dodged a bullet there,” he joked. Turning somber, he said, “I really missed you today. Seeing everyone together, without you, it’s…it’s hard. I can tell El really misses you; everyone does, but…” He gripped her hand, struggling to fight back tears. “Wake up, Max. Please? I don’t…”
“I thought you were going to wait for me,” came a voice from the doorway. Lucas looked up to see his sister, Erica, standing there.
“What?” He asked, letting go of Max’s hand.
“ ‘Three-thirty, meet me in front of the school’ is what you said, unless I’m thinking of another brother of mine.”
“I’m sorry, I forgot,” Lucas said. “I had a lot on my mind.”
“Like I don’t?” She asked, stepping inside.
Lucas nodded. To be honest, he appreciated Erica’s occasional visits with him to see Max. The Party came too, obviously, but he liked seeing that his sister cared about his sort-of girlfriend.
“Where’s my chair?” Erica asked.
“What?”
“The chair that I usually sit at; where is it?”
Now that she pointed it out, there were typically two chairs in here, and one was missing. “Someone must have taken it,” he offered.
She sighed. “Figures.” She stepped out of the room, off to find a chair.
Lucas lay back in his own chair, rubbing his face as he closed his eyes.
“Lucas?” came a weak voice.
He shot up. He’d recognize that voice anywhere, weak or not-
It was Max.
He spun to look at her; she seemed the same, but her mouth was moving.
“Help me,” she spoke.
“Max? I’m right here,” he said, standing. “I’m right…Erica! Nurse!” To Max, he said, “I’ll be right back.” Sprinting to the doorway, he called out, “Help! I think she’s awake!”
“Who’s awake?” Erica, coming down the hall with a chair under her arm, asked.
“It’s Max,” he said as Francine came, walking quickly down the hall. “She’s awake, she’s talking.”
The three went into the room, the Sinclair kids at the end of the bed, and Francine went to Max’s side.
“Maxine?” She asked. “Sweetie, are you awake?”
No response.
Francine looked over at Lucas. “Are you sure…”
“I’m sure,” he answered. “Max, say it again.”
Still, there was no response.
Francine shook her head. “Her vitals are still normal, but…she’s still in a coma.” Glancing again at Lucas, she said, “Must’ve been the wind.”
Patting Lucas’s shoulder, she left the room.
“You want to tell me what that was all about?” Erica asked.
Lucas didn’t respond right away, his eyes fixed on Max. Finally, he said, “She spoke, Erica. I know she did.”
His sister gave him a look.
“Stop,” he told her.
“What?”
“Stop looking at me like I’m crazy. Why would I make this up?”
“Beats me,” she responded. “I don’t think you’re crazy. Maybe a little optimistic, but not crazy.”
“Just…leave me alone,” he said, sitting down in his chair. Still, he kept his eyes on Max.