Wicked Town - Book 1 (Hopper x Daughter OC) (Stranger Things Season 1)

The Vanishing of Will Byers

"Dad?" Dannie asked as she walked out of her room. "Dad?" she asked again as she found him lying on the couch, beer cans all over the coffee table.

"Last night, hundreds of homes in East Hawkins were affected, leaving many residents in the dark," the news reporter on the playing tv said. "The cause of the outrage is still unknown. We reached out to Roane County Water and Electric and a spokesperson says that they are confident power will be restored to all remaining homes within the next several hours." It turned to commercial as a dog outside barked, making Hopper snort and sigh as he rolled over and looked at his watch.

"Morning, sleepy head," she smiled at him, handing him a cigarette before he went outside, smoking it as they fell into their morning routine. She showered as he smoked and then walked out of the bathroom, him walking in before she got dressed in her room. She went into the kitchen as he walked out of the bathroom and got dressed as she made toast, putting some peanut butter on it and handing it to him before he kissed the top of her head, walking out the door. She walked around the trailer, quickly picking up the beer and smoked cigarettes, throwing them away before turning off the tv and walking to school. "Good morning," she leant into his ear, making him jump.

"Jeez. You scared the crap out of me," Jonathan turned around, closing his locker.

"Well, it's no fun unless you scream."

"Ha ha," he rolled his eyes.

"Come on, you love me."

"Love is a strong word."

"You put up with me at least, so I'll call that love."

"When I took you in, I didn't think I would be getting myself into all this," he said as they walked down the hallway.

"All this," she pointed at herself, "can leave if you want, but how boring would your life be without it?"

"Let's just get to class, Dannie."

"See, you do like me," she smirked.

***

"Will! Will Byers! Will!" the search party called as they walked through the woods.

"He's a good student."

"What?" Hopper asked.

"Will. He's a good student. Great one actually. I don't think we've met. Scott Clarke," he introduced himself. "Teacher, Hawkins Middle, Earth and Biology."

"I always had a distaste for science."

"Well, maybe you had a bad teacher."

"Yeah, Ms. Ratliff was a piece of work."

"Ratliff?" he chucked. "You bet. She's still kicking around, believe it or not."

"Oh, I believe it. Mummies never die, so they tell me. Sarah, my daughter, galaxies, the universe, whatnot... She always understood all that stuff. I always figured there was enough going on down here, I never needed to look elsewhere. My oldest, Daniela, she's big into science too. You know, technology and stuff. I can never keep up with her."

"Your daughters, what grades are they in? Maybe I'll get them in my class."

"No, Sarah, uh... She lives with her mom in the city. And Daniela's at Hawkins High now. Thanks for coming out, Teach. We really appreciate it," he walked away.

"She died a few years back," a lady walked up to Mr. Clarke.

"Sorry?"

"His kid. The younger one," she clarified.

***

"How many of these are we making?" Dannie asked as they made the missing flyers for Will.

"As many as we can."

"Okay."

"What time do you need to be home?" he asked after a little bit.

"My dad's out all night, so..."

"Is it like that a lot?"

"Yeah," she sighed. "You know, he's busy with work and stuff and usually comes home after I go to bed." "My mom's like that too sometimes. Tries to take as many shifts as possible." She gave a tight lipped smile. "Yeah. Extra shifts. I doubt she goes out and drinks though," she mumbled the last part to himself. Jonathan sighed and pretended not to hear her, continuing to make the flyers.

First chapter! Just to let you guys know, these chapters will be a little shorter than my other books just based on Dannie's involvement with the story. Hope you like it!