What is friend? - Eleven to Mike Wheeler, 1983. Everyone believes El is dead. But she once promised Mike he'd never lose her again. And friends don't lie. November 1989. As the anniversary of Will's disappearance and El's supposed death approaches, the Party has never been more scattered. Some remain in Hawkins. Others as far away as possible. But moving on from Hawkins is impossible. The survivors of the Upside Down keep circling back to El. As if she's unfinished. Seeking closure on the girl who once asked: "What is friend?" While the main kids grapple with the loss of their mage, and the older teens struggle to remain close, one truth becomes clear: El is the only thing keeping them together. Secrets draw them to Tricataracta - a place known for its trilogy of waterfalls. A place Will can't stop painting. Before they know it, the Party is preparing for one last adventure. And this time, it's not El saving them. They're saving El. "Though nothing can keep us together ... for ever and ever."

Everyone believes Eleven died saving the world. They saw the light. They felt the shockwave. They accepted the sacrifice. Mostly. But survival does not always look like victory. This story begins in the quiet aftermath, in the places no one is watching anymore. Underground tunnels. An empty cabin. A girl who is alive, exhausted, and choosing to disappear because living is the only option she has left. Purple Rain is a slow, intimate continuation of Stranger Things that focuses not on monsters or battles, but on what happens when the fight is over and the scars remain. It follows Eleven as she escapes unseen, learns to exist without the constant pull of the Upside Down, and waits in the fragile space between danger and safety. This is a story about restraint. About grief. About trusting the right people at the right time. About survival that is quiet instead of heroic. There are no grand speeches here. No easy answers. Just the soft, painful work of staying alive when the world thinks you are gone.