1983 || Stranger Things

ғᴏʀᴛʏ-ᴛʜʀᴇᴇ | sᴇᴀʀᴄʜɪɴɢ

      "What else do you two see?" Max asked.

      Back on the beach, a woman appeared. She was unknown to El, but Julie recognized her. Seagulls were flying around her, and her hair was blowing in the wind.

      "A woman." El answered Max's question. "She's... pretty. Julie knows her." El said. "I think she's looking at us."

      The woman laughed, and just by the sound of it, Julie knew who exactly who it was. She'd never forget that joyous sound. "Mom." Julie whispered. "It's mom." In Hop's cabin, Max shared a look with Jonathan. It was rare that Julie ever mentioned her mother, so hearing the word spoken out loud was weird.

      The woman cheered loudly, and Julie looked over to the ocean, where two children, no older than seven were running in from the water with surfboards under their arms. One girl, and one boy. The girl was significantly smaller, and was strugging to carry the board that was bigger than her. Julie recognized the bronze necklace around her neck.

      The children dropped their surfboard, and ran up to Julie's mother. "You did it!" She cheered. Julie knew where she was. A memory. The little girl was her, and the little boy was Billy, but Julie was too stunned to say anything.

      "There's... a boy. And a girl." El announced.

      Young Billy and Julie stood in front of their mother. "Did you see that?" Young Billy asked.

      "Yeah, I saw that!" She said, kissing both kids on the head.

      "That was at least seven feet. Jules, how big did you think it was?" Young Billy asked young Julie, a permanent smile on his face.

      "I think, seven and a half feet!" Young Julie yelled happily, jumping up and down.

      "I don't know what it was, but it almost gave me a heart attack." Julie's mother said, wiping some of Julie's curls away from her wet face.

      "Ten more minutes?" Young Billy asked.

      "Please, please ten minutes, Mommy!" Young Julie begged, her green eyes shining.

      Julie's mother hesitated, glancing out at the ocean before back at the twins. "Yeah, okay, ten more minutes." She said, her happy demeanor slightly deflated. As a kid, Julie didn't know why her mom always looked so scared, but seeing it over ten years later, the reasons were so clear.

      "Okay." Young Billy said, grabbing young Julie's wrist and pulling her to where they dumped their surfboards.

      "But any longer than that, Dad's gonna be mad, okay?" Julie's mother reminded, causing tears to spring in Julie's eyes. El gripped her hand.

      "Okay!" Young Billy said once again, beginning to run back into the ocean.

      Young Julie stayed behind for a moment longer, looking at all the seagulls she hadn't noticed until now. "Mommy, look! Seagulls!" Julie pointed.

      Julie's mother laughed at her daughter, motioning for her to go back in the water. When young Julie joined young Billy, he was waiting for her in knee deep water.

      "Billy! Julie!" Julie's mother called to them. They turned to her. "Watch out for rip currents!" She yelled over the ocean.

      "We know." Young Julie answered, smiling next to young Billy. "Race?" She asked.

      Young Billy nodded. "You're on!"

      "It's Billy. And Julie." El said to the group on the outside.