Hey Jude | A STRANGER THINGS Story

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

In January of 1984, Judy Hopper's world seemed to flip upside down once again. Just one week after New Years, still on her winter break from tenth grade, the snow was falling so heavy that Judy hadn't moved an inch from the couch the entire day. Hopper had gone off to work early in the morning like usual.

She figured some woman had come into his life because for the last two months he'd come home later than normal and he'd leave earlier in the morning. He'd also be out of the house most Sundays. Of course being the town's police chief was a full time job, but Sunday's used to be his day off, given that most everyone was too busy with church. Besides the resident drug dealers, obviously.

It had to be a woman making him this way. It was the only reason. And it didn't bother Judy, not one bit. She always enjoyed her alone time and though things had changed for Hopper and Judy, they didn't change too much. The two of them talked more, he started eating actual meals that she'd cooked. The small things were different, like something had shifted in Hopper, and Judy welcomed those small changes. At least, while she could before the big wave of change came plunging over her.

So, on the strikingly cold and snowy day, Hopper came home early from work, surprising Judy in her bundles of blankets.

"Hey, kid," he said, after pushing the door closed against the windy outside, snow plummeting off of his shoulders and hat.

"Hey," Judy replied, staring back into the tv that displayed MTV.

"You remember that old cabin your Grandad had?" It was such an odd question for him to ask so Judy just had to turn and look at him, with one eyebrow raised. He looked nervous to talk once she actually looked at him.

They hadn't spoken about his father since he passed away eight years ago. Judy didn't have to be an adult to see how hard of a man he was and how much hate he had for his son, who never seemed to be enough. So, why would Hopper be bringing him up right now?

"I wanna show you something," Hopper said without even leaving Judy time to think.

Bundled up again, but this time in a layered stack of sweaters and her heavy winter coat, Judy rode along with her father out into the woods. The woods she hadn't come near since November. The monster was gone, thanks to the small girl, Eleven, but it still haunted her. In her dreams, biking towards Dustin's house to babysit... somehow it was everywhere. Following her.

Coming up to the cabin, she'd spend a week in every fall when her grandfather was still alive, it looked almost like nothing under all the snow, but the lights were on. A warm orange color shown through the white, inviting and warm.

Strange, Judy thought.

She watched Hopper through the windshield as he walked closer to the cabin, pausing to look back at her for a second. She got out of the car with a furrowed brow. Walking next to her father, he said, "Watch your step." And lifted his feet over a less than visible wire close to the ground.

"What's happening right now, dad?" Judy asked as the fear in her mind started to make its way to her gut. Nothing about this was routine or normal. She thought her father had completely shut this cabin out of his mind, and for good reason. And a wire? What was the wire for?

All and none of Judy's questions were answered as she stepped into the cabin behind her father, who stepped to the side to let her see what he'd done. What he and Eleven had done.

Judy didn't even notice the girl in the sweater and overalls, standing awkwardly in the middle of the cabin. She was too busy looking at how lively the place looked. There was no dust, no smell of time, just warmth.

But then she finally saw. Eleven. Alive and well.

Neither Judy or El could say anything; one having a small vocabulary and the other having no words for the thoughts rolling in her mind. So, they just stared. Even as Hopper spoke up, "We've been fixing it up for a few weeks now."

Fixing it up? Judy questioned in her mind. Hopper and El, the girl who disappeared, fixed up the old cabin? The girl with special mind powers, that Dustin and his friends had been searching for everyday, was here? Being taken care of by her father, of all people? That's what he was doing all this time?

"You gave her my favorite sweater, dad." Was all Judy could spit out, piecing together that the things that had slowly gone missing from her room were now in the cabin. Of course, none of this was El's fault. Judy knew that much, but Hopper? What was his excuse?

Her voice was so monotone that it almost frightened the large man standing behind her. And she hadn't moved her eyes a single centimeter from the girl in front of her the entire time. "That's my favorite sweater."

Eleven stayed quiet, cowering under the intense gaze of the older girl in front of her. Judy couldn't do anything but turn on her heels. She didn't sigh or blink or kick and scream or fight. She just... walked away.

It was like her eyes had been frozen wide open. She couldn't close them, she was too shocked, too confused. She couldn't control anything, not even her breathing. Stepping onto the porch, her lungs began to freeze as well, sucking in and pushing out the cold air that surrounded her.

"Judy?" Hopper called as he walked onto the porch as well, sounding like a scared little boy. He knew she'd be pissed. Of course, he knew, but he had his reasons and he would stand by them.

"You were raising some other kid... for months?" Judy didn't face him, and her voice was now seething with anger.

"It's not that simple."

"I think it is." Everything was suddenly very clear to Judy. She knew her father more than he'd ever care to admit. She had all the time in the world to sit and observe him like he was some secret lab experiment. "I mean, you lost Sara so this is your second chance, right?"

"Hey-" he tried to deny it.

"I'm your daughter too. I was your daughter first!" She yelled right into his face, stomping her foot and poking her finger into the coat that covered his broad chest. "Where were you? Were you here, when I needed you with me?"

"She needs someone- '' Hopper's sympathetic tone towards El sent Judy further into her rage.

"I need you! I've always needed you and you couldn't even look me in the eye! How did you think I would feel after you gave up on me for years just to suddenly be strong enough to take care of some other kid. I couldn't give two flying shits what super powers she has or if the government was hunting her down, I was here first. You left me! You gave up on me!"

Judy could spare Hopper no time to defend himself before stomping down the front steps and trekking through the snow.

"Where are you going, Judy? We have to talk about this!" Hopper yelled as she walked further into the woods.

"Just leave me alone!"