Trials of the Heart: A Story of Love and Loss

The Gate

Angela POV

Mike sprinted towards her and embraced her with great affection. Subsequently, we discovered that she could hear our voices, but she was not permitted to respond to us due to Hopper's restrictions. Following this, he decided to have a private conversation with Hopper. Both Lucas and Dustin also shared warm hugs with her before she approached me.

"Angel," she uttered as she hugged me tightly.

"Hello, button nose," I responded while gently rubbing her back for comfort.

She nestled her face into the crook of my neck, and I twirled around with her in my arms.

"I missed you," I confessed.

"I missed you, too," she replied, and we gradually released each other from the embrace.

"Promise not to leave again," I requested while brushing her hair aside. "You're looking great."

"Bitchin'," she declared with a proud smile on her face.

We all burst into laughter at her remark.

"Yeah, bitchin'," I agreed wholeheartedly.

"Eleven?" Max mustered the courage to utter, "Hey. Um, I'm Max." She extended her hand, and I endeavored to suppress my grin as I observed Max's nervousness. It was strangely endearing, "I've heard a lot about you," Eleven glanced beyond Max and towards me, and I offered her a reassuring gaze.

"Go on..." I silently mouthed, but Eleven disregarded my suggestion, choosing instead to stroll past Max, entirely ignoring her.

I cringed and shifted closer to Max, who was gazing at her spurned hand with a furrowed brow.

"Hey, it's alright. She will eventually like you; she just struggles with trusting people." I reassured her and wrapped an arm around her in a side hug.

"Like you?" She inquired, causing me to wince.

"Yes, like me," I confirmed, and she nodded in understanding.

Following our emotional reunion and embrace with El, our focus shifted towards finding a solution to the escalating problem. Consequently, we found ourselves gathered in the kitchen, where I was seated beside Max.

Hopper expressed his concerns, stating, "It's not like it was before. It's grown. A lot. And, I mean, that's considering we can get in there. The place is crawling with those dogs."

Feeling confident in my abilities, I offered, "I could get us inside,"

Steve immediately dismissed my suggestion, saying, "No way."

Hopper agreed with Steve and added, "You're a child, and I won't put you in danger,"

Feeling insulted by his remark, I retorted, "I am not a child."

Hopper emphasized his point by exclaiming, "You're 14!"

As I glanced at the table, I muttered quietly to myself, "I'm older than all of you combined,"

At this point, Dustin chimed in with a term he had coined: "Demo-dogs." 

My gaze landed on him, and I was thinking how was that important right now?