Mileven One-Shots

New Home

(TRIGGER WARNING: abuse)
(In this one, let's pretend Jonathan and Will have a good relationship with their father)

"El, honey wake up," Joyce whispered. El's eyes fluttered open and she flinched at the lamp that was on on her bedside.

"What's going on?" She asked, looking around tiredly.

"I'm taking Will and Jonathan to meet their dad at the airport. I'll be back in a little while," she said. El nodded and Joyce switched her lamp off as she pulled the covers back over her head. She was drifting back off to sleep as she heard Joyce and the boys leave, the front door shutting loudly. She listened to the car start and pull out of the driveway and fell back into a quiet, peaceful sleep.

•••••

The sound of sirens going past the house woke El right up. She ran to the living room and peeked out the window. Police, fire trucks, and ambulances zoomed by. Once it was quiet again, she sat down on the couch and chewed on her nails nervously. She needed to know what was going on. She switched on the tv to the local news. The "breaking news" banner popped up on the screen and El stood and watched intently.

"Good morning, my name is Anna Gray, reporting on the scene of a deadly car accident at the intersection of 5th and 3rd street. A semi overturned and the trailer fell on top of a car waiting in the turn lane beside it, killing all three passengers. The victims have been identified as local residents Joyce, Will, and Jonathan Byers. More details will be provided as they become available," the woman said. El fell backwards on the couch, not sure what to feel. She couldn't cry because she was so shocked. Yet she felt like sobbing. Only moments later, there was a knock on the door.

"C-come in," she choked. She looked up and saw police officers step inside. Oh how she wished one of them was Hopper. Joyce. Hopper. Will. Jonathan. And Mike was all the way Across the country from her. So she was, quite literally, alone.

"You don't have to tell me. I already saw," She said quietly, not looking at them.

"We're very sorry. We...we will have to take you into social services and find you a new home. If you'll pack a bag and come with us," the man said. El nodded and went to her room, packing clothes, socks, shoes, and some of her things in a suitcase. She sat in the back of the police car on the way to the station, the tears finally falling down her face. She wanted to call Mike. Surely he'd heard and would he mourn the loss of his best friend. She wanted to be with him. To comfort him. And she couldn't, which only broke her heart more.

She sat in the chairs at the station and cried, watching the police continually walk past her, some stopping to ask her if she wanted anything, others staring at her while they talked to each other. After what was probably several hours of sitting, one of the female cops came over and sat beside her, her partner standing in front of them.

"Good news, there's already a family who has decided to foster you. We've done a background check and all kinds of stuff, they're very good people. They'll be happy to have you," she said. El nodded. It wasn't like she had much of a choice.

"We'll be able to collect some of your things from your house at another time. But come on, they're excited to meet you," the woman said. El followed them into yet another car, where she cried and tapped her leg nervously on the way to her new home. They pulled up outside and the officers took her to the door.

"Good evening officers. Is this her? El?" The mother asked. A boy and a girl, a little older than El, stood behind her, her husband beside them.