A Deal With God

Chapter 9: The Red Leaf

October 29th, 1984

"Kids! Breakfast!" Joyce called out loudly as she set a platter of pancakes and a stack of plates on the dining room table. She made her way over to the fridge, retrieving the syrup, some extra butter, and the jar of strawberry jam. She paused for a moment to watch the fridge light fading in and out rhythmically. With condiments in hand, she pushed the refrigerator door closed with her knee.

When Will had been released from the hospital last year, one of the first things he did upon arriving home was replace his artwork of Dungeons & Dragons ideas on the fridge with a drawing he had completed while he was being kept for observation. Almost a year later, it was still one of his best works and had retained its prime position. Taking inspiration from different comic book covers, he had framed his subject in the center. It showed a teenaged girl with dark brown hair flowing past her shoulders, dressed in an all-black, form-fitting outfit, orbs of electricity around both of her fists, and one knee up like she was flying. In the absence of a gold Crayon, Will had to use a yellow one for her eyes in the drawing, but overall, he had done an excellent job at replicating her features at the time. She had the faintest of smirks, which could certainly make those not in the know wonder if he had conceptualised a hero or a villain.

"Good morning," the model of the drawing greeted while sliding into the kitchen in her slippers. She was already dressed for the day, wearing a black turtle neck, a burgundy corduroy mini skirt, and black tights. A black ribbon held her hair back and her cheeks were still flushed from her run in the forest earlier, a little smile brightening up her whole face. She was the stark opposite of Jonathon and Will who had to drag themselves into the dining room, the younger boy still in his pyjamas.

Nearly a year ago, the girl in question had agreed to stay in Hawkins. The problem that followed immediately after that agreement was what exactly to do with her. When Hopper brought Joyce back to the hospital to wait for Will to wake, they still had no viable plan apart from keeping Quinn hidden at his cabin for the time being.

When Will woke up that evening, one of the first things he had (very worriedly) asked was "where's Quinn?" Joyce had already been considering taking the girl in, but it was the concern both of her sons expressed about her future that reinforced the idea. The house had an extra room that they'd been using as storage. After cleaning it out and giving it a fresh coat of paint, it could very well be a bedroom for a second teenager. A teenager Joyce owed infinite gratitude to for ultimately saving her younger son.

"I think...I want to take her in," Joyce announced to Hopper the next day when he stopped by to touch base. As he had suspected, on his way out of the hospital the previous night, a black car pulled up to him and an agent stepped out, wordlessly opening the passenger door for him. He knew better to resist, so he slid into the backseat and was taken back to the Lab. It had already been completely turned over, a different branch of the military taking over security detail and a whole new team of scientists already setting up to control the situation with the Gate. He had been questioned for several hours. One subject came up repeatedly: the whereabouts of Eleven. There wasn't a single query about Five or any other numbers for that matter. We might actually get away with it, Hopper thought to himself in the black car that drove him back to the hospital where his truck was still parked.

"Are you sure about this, Joyce?" He asked her skeptically even though he had also been considering keeping her if they couldn't come up with anything better. Without needing to know the specifics, Joyce was sure that Quinn was the reason she had her son back. Since the boys were already on board, offering the girl a chance at an ordinary life felt like the least Joyce could do.

"What's everyone up to today?" Joyce asked as she picked up her coffee cup. With each bite, both her boys had slowly started to come back to life so she thought now would be a decent time to start a conversation before Jonathon and Quinn left for school.