Fates Intertwined

Chapter 5

Derry, 5/29/1988

Eleanor felt sore as she opened her eyes. What's going on? she wondered as she heard a car door open from beside her. She looked over to see her father get into the vehicle, seemingly annoyed. "Hmm?" she was able to mumble as she watched Hopper start the engine again.

He glanced at her for a second before returning his gaze to the road. "Oh, hey, kid," he said in a tired voice. "You go and rest for a few more minutes, we're almost there."

El gave him a confused look before it hit her. She jolted from her spot and looked out her side window. The sun was setting behind a series of unfamiliar stores. The streets were empty with the exception of a few cars parked on the sidelines. A small breeze blew the trees back as the car drove forward.

Oh, right. El sighed and leaned against her seat. A familiar uneasy feeling grew in her stomach as the car turned to a street of houses. I hope everyone in Hawkins is having fun, she thought gloomily. She decided call them the second she finished moving into her room.

The white vehicle slowly pulled up on a driveway. El turned her head away from the side window and came face to face with the building she'd be forced to call "home".

It was a small, two-floor house with curtains blocking the inside view. The roof's missing singles laid in the grass. The cracks on the wall's bricks were barely visible due to the overgrown weeds that spread throughout the front yard. The sun setting behind the building gave it less of a safe feeling and more of a threatening one.

Where did dad even find this place? El wondered, her jaw dropped. Is it even safe to live in? She felt her heart drop as the sound of the car's engines halted.

"Alright," Hopper started as he unbuckled himself. "it's time."

El looked back at him to check whether or not he was being serious, but he was already out of the car. She hurriedly removed her seatbelt and followed him to the trunk.

"Are you ready, kid?" he asked as he handed her her suitcase.

El shrugged. "As ready as I'll ever be," she replied in an wavering tone.

"Great," Hopper replied, not showing any attention to the nervous state of his daughter. He removed another suitcase and closed the trunk. "Let's see our new home." El internally cringed at his wording as she walked behind him to the house.

He put the key and turned. As soon as she heard a click, another breeze blew by. El suddenly felt her heart thump. There was a strange feeling in the air. It was like someone was watching her. She instantly turned around to face an empty road. Hopper looked back at his daughter in confusion. "You okay, kid?"

El turned to her father and stared straight at his worried eyes. A new uneasy feeling grew in her stomach. She forced on a smile. "Yeah," she lied, "just thought I saw something." Hopper nodded slowly and returned his gaze forward.

El smiled softly and glanced one more time behind her. Her shoulders relaxed at the empty road, but she still felt far from relieved. It's fine, she told herself. I'm just being paranoid. Everything's going to be fine. She continued repeating those thoughts in her head as her father pushed the wooden door open.

The house was extremely dark, and it took a minute before El's eyes adjusted. The furniture around the rooms was covered in gray sheets. El presumed they weren't always gray when she saw abundance of dust scattered along the floor. She took a deep breath to calm down, which she immediately regretted once the dust clanged onto her lungs.

While El was having a coughing fit, Hopper was facing forward grinning. "Home sweet home," he stated as he started heading up the stairs. El's watery eyes stared at him in disbelief. He's kidding, right?

Hopper turned back around and caught his daughter's gaze. "Relax, kid," he told her. "Our old home used to be exactly like this. We'll just have to work on it for a bit, 'kay?"

El had the urge to ask what his definition of "a bit" meant, but she knew it'd be better to not upset him. Especially since he was right about the fact that they'll have to fix the house together. The second he gets mad, the more mess they'll have to clean up later.

"Okay," El tried to reply with her scratchy voice. She took a minute to clear her throat. "O-Okay," she repeated, her lungs still burning.

Hopper nodded and turned back around. El started walking to join him when her back tightened. The feeling of someone watching behind her returned, and her paranoia increased rapidly. Relax, El. She closed her eyes and held her breath for a minute to slow down her heart rate.

When she looked back up she saw her father almost out of sight. She immediately bolted up the stairs to catch up to him.

El stayed close to him as they approached another wooden door. She looked up at Hopper. "Um," she began, "Is this my..."

"What do you think, kid?" he replied sarcastically. El rolled her eyes and glanced back at the entrance.

Hopper turned the knob and the door creaked open. He then flicked a switch, and the ceiling light blinked a few times before shining light across the room. El flinched at the sudden change of brightness, but she was thankful for not being in the dark anymore.

She examined her new bedroom, which was also filled with covered furniture and dust. It was smaller than the one she had at Hawkins, with a dark wooden floor and pale blue walls. There was a closet door on one side of the room and a small bed on the other. There was a wooden shelf right next to the bed, and El planned to put her books there. On the opposite side of the entrance door was a large window that viewed the neighboring house.

I guess it'd look good after getting rid of the dust. El decided. I should probably get darker curtains, though. Or maybe install blinds?

"I like it," El finally stated. Hopper grinned at her response.

"Good, because you didn't have much of a choice."

"Yeah, I got that, dad." El gave him a small smile.

He chuckled in return. "Well, leave your stuff on the bed, kid, and meet me back at the car to get the rest."

She nodded. "Understood." Hopper then turned around and walked towards a room right across the hall. El turned back to face her dusty new place.

She her thoughts shifted to her old room, with bright pink walls and white furniture that gleamed when the sun hit them just right. She and Max always had sleepovers in that room. They talked about the newest movies, how annoying the other girls at school were, and whatever happened during their day.

Max...

El's shoulders dropped as she rolled her suitcase right next to her new bed. The room began to look a lot sadder. El wondered if she would ever find someone who'd also have a sleepover with her. Someone who she'd be able to get along with and talk to about anything.

El sighed and sat on the bed, not giving any attention to the dust clouds that formed around her.

This is going to take some getting used to.

a/n - Wow, I actually posted! I hope this chapter was okay. I think I added too much detail. Oh well, it's too late to change anything now. Anyways, thank you for reading!