Stranger Things Season 3

Chapter Two: Independence Day

After she had wiped her tears away, sitting there quietly on the couch hugging an orange cushion tightly to her chest, a quiet knock on the door was heard, her ears pricked up like an animal and El soon went over to investigate. She took a deep breath and tried to contain her excitement as she was in absolute joy to open the door and see who she had been missing in her heart. A boy with dark ebony shaggy hair and warm brown eyes was soon standing there in the front doorway with a purple and blue Christmas present tied off with a sparkly red ribbon, "Merry Christmas El." Mike came over to visit and keep her company while also giving her a special Christmas gift. The two reunited so happily, they hugged and they even kissed on the couch more than once. El soon opened her present, so eager and thrilled to get a super com like her other friends, "Thank You!" In his room, Hopper was still looking for some batteries and decided to take the ones out from his bedside table clock, just as he came across an old picture frame of his old wife Diane and his deceased daughter Sara. Feeling reminiscent he took his time to look at the photo once more.

He then heard noises, the sound of laughing and giggling coming from outside of the room, and soon came back only yelling very loudly, "WHEELER!" Both Mike and El scared from his loud booming voice, stopped giggling as Hopper continued, "What the hell are you doing here!????" Mike tried to explain without arguing, but it didn't matter, they had been caught. Hopper only kicked him out of their house in a deadpan voice, "Get out and stay out!" He even locked the door with all the locks making sure the boy teenager didn't come back again.

El feeling quickly annoyed with Hopper then started to ignore it by playing with her new gift, clicking the different buttons to try to get the super com to work, desperate to reconnect. Hopper then noticed that her smile was glowing, Mike's amazing gift had made her happy once again. Hopper could only feel a tinge of embarrassment as it hit him like a ton of bricks, finally realizing that he had been doing it all wrong. He had still been treating El like his old daughter Sara, he bought the silly game because Sara used to love playing it. But El wasn't Sara, he knew that now. Speak & Spell! What was I thinking, the kid is nearly a teenager, not a toddler, some father I am! Hopper then pushed his own thoughts aside and moved on from his mistake as he sat back down on the couch and helped El set up the new gadget with the batteries he still had in his hand, he promised to try and be better a father to her from now on for both of their sakes.

[Present Time]

Hawkins, Indiana, 4th July 1985:
At Hopper's Cabin, the place still had the rustic touch with few animal features like a duck statue and a deer head on the wall, but it looks much homier because it had been all spruced up with vibrant colours everywhere. It had been a long process and the Hopper's had been busy in the past year, working together to do up their new home, including El's bedroom, now coated in mint green walls matching the lounge room. Her room still had the timber flooring but also now consisted of things young girls would need in their daily life, like new; clothes, home decor such as a mirror and a hairbrush to brush her new styled hair with, El had most of these possessions in the colour green, green had been discovered to be her favourite colour.
Her new dad even built her a dresser painted in white for her room. In his kitchen, Hopper is now making a traditional cooked breakfast for El, who is outside in the woods training her powers, as she is growing up, her powers appear to be growing stronger and making her feel more exhausted after using them.

Joyce and Will Byers soon arrive at Hopper's place and knock on the front door, Hopper stops frying his pan of crispy bacon and eggs and then goes over to answer the door, noticing that the Byers are there and welcomes them in. Joyce demands Hopper if he's absolutely sure they closed the Gate last year because she mentions that Will thinks 'the monster' is back!? Will then hears a loud *thud* noise coming from outside and goes off to investigate it with the adults following close behind him. Will comes across a girl levitating sticks and stones in the air in a circle formation, he is amazed at the sight, "Whoa, cool!" The young girl turns around and says, "Will?" before collapsing and fainting from exhaustion onto the ground!