"I like the new look." Diane smiled once her eyes rested on her daughter. Sarah sheepishly returned the smile as she joined her mother by her side.
Diane's assistant had led Sarah to a hallway that stretched on forever. To her left, a row of large rectangular windows reached from the floor to the ceiling fifteen feet above them. The light pouring in filled the space with a warm glow that made Sarah's pale skin shine. And to her right, a crimson wall the same color as her room followed the endless hallway, with stone pillars rising from the floor every twenty feet. Between the pillars, large, intricate landscapes hung in golden frames with breath-taking scenes of waterfalls, mountains, islands, and forests. These paintings were different from the ones Sarah had seen in her room, however. As she passed them, she noticed a translucent opal sheen that rippled across the canvas and made the painting underneath look like it was moving.
Diane caught Sarah's confused gaze and began to explain. "These paintings aren't paintings, but rooms."
Sarah's head quickly jerked from the painting of a golden savannah she had been studying to look at Diane. "Rooms?"
"Yes," Diane smiled. "They were created by a Helian named Adam and I often use them to meet with others since they transcend the boundaries of time and space."
Just then, they passed by a landscape that looked very familiar to Sarah. Multi-colored flowers swayed in a lazy breeze, stretching up towards a hidden sun. "That's where we met," Sarah realized. Diane nodded her head. A memory of something that James had told her before their fight suddenly flashed at the forefront of Sarah's mind. "Wait, did the person who created these also create the Upside Down?"
"No," Diane answered. "These paintings are not quite as complex as a whole world. If you wander too far within them, they begin to blur and fade into nothingness."
"Then who created the Upside Down?" Sarah asked.
A pearly smile erupted on Diane's face. "You always were a very inquisitive child. Unfortunately, I can't give you all the answers right now, but they will come with time. In the meanwhile, would you like to meet the Helian who created these?"
Sarah's eyes found their way back to the framed field of flowers before she nodded her head yes. She followed Diane down the rest of the hallway, where it eventually met a corner and they turned to meet another similar stretch of space. For the size of the building, the walk seemed to pass more quickly than Sarah had anticipated, and soon they were standing before two large, white doors.
The doors swept open to reveal an expansive room with a wooden desk sitting in the middle. The desk was nearly the size of a dining table, with golden accents lining the edges and a variety of colorful glass sculptures situated on top. There didn't appear to be any other furniture in the room, aside from a golden chair with dark purple cushions sitting behind the desk. More paintings decorated the white walls surrounding them.
Having run out of objects to study, Sarah's eyes found the only other thing left in the room: a man. He was peering down at a stack of papers in his hands with his back faced to them, but once he heard their footsteps echoing around the space, he turned to meet them. Upon seeing his face, Sarah was hit with a wave of déjà vu.
The man had dark, curly hair that was tamed beneath a large amount of product and dark eyes to match. His thin lips were pressed into a smile that showcased the dimples on his cheeks.
"Adam," Diane greeted the man warmly. "There's somebody I'd like you to meet. This is my daughter, Sarah. Sarah, this is my right-hand man, Adam."
"It's nice to meet you," Adam said, extending a hand towards Sarah.
Sarah reluctantly reached out to shake it with a look of suspicion on her face. Even his voice, which bore a British accent, sounded familiar. "Do I know you?" Sarah asked slowly.
A chuckle erupted from Adam's throat. "No," he answered, his intense gaze penetrating her own. "But I believe you knew my son, James."
"Hop?" Joyce's voice echoed around the house after the front door creaked open. She pulled her head out of the fridge to call back over her shoulder, "Is that you?"
When she didn't hear a response, she stood up straight and turned towards the doorway to the kitchen where she found Hopper standing silently. A smile creased his cheeks but a pool of tears sat beneath both of his eyes. Joyce moved closer to him and placed a hand on his damp cheek. "Is something wrong?" she asked.
"She's back," Hopper choked, holding back tears. "She's alive."
"Who?" Joyce asked in confusion. Her dark brown eyes searched his light blue eyes for an answer, but she was unable to find one. "Who's back? Who's alive?"
Instead of answering, Hopper stepped aside and held a hand out towards the living room to guide Joyce. Joyce slowly entered the living room, her eyes glued to Hopper's face the entire time as she continued to seek out answers. Her gaze was only broken by a familiar voice.
"Hello Joyce."
Joyce's face lit up when her eyes settled on Sarah, and she immediately rushed across the living room to embrace her in a hug. After holding her tight for a few minutes, she then pulled back to look up into Sarah's eyes and a smile split her face in two before it dropped back into a confused frown.
"We thought..." Joyce had to pause to collect herself. "We thought you were...you were..."
"I know," Sarah answered for her. She wiped away the fresh tears that were slicking her cheeks. "I'm sorry."
"Wh-what happened?" Joyce asked.
Sarah opened her mouth to answer when somebody else's voice filled the room. She turned her head to find a boy standing in the doorway next to Hopper. He looked to be in his mid-twenties with short brown hair that hung just above his eyebrows and intense hazel eyes. He was wearing a black t-shirt with an album cover by The Clash plastered across the front and gray sweatpants.
"What's going on?" he asked.
Sarah stepped away from Joyce, who had now let go, to get a closer look. This boy looked so familiar, but she couldn't place why...
"Will!" Joyce called out.
"Will?" Sarah asked with a cautious smile. She looked at the boy differently, now picturing the timid 15-year old with a bowl cut standing beside him. His face had stretched out a bit, and there was some bulk to his mass that hadn't been present on the scrawny boy she once knew.
Will cocked his head to the side as he tried to place the identity of the woman who stood before him. Her straight, blonde hair hung just above her shoulders and her bright blue eyes glowed even in the minimal lighting. Her rounded nose sat perfectly in the middle of her face and dimples hung off the ends of her brilliant smile. After scanning the joyous looks on Hopper's and Joyce's faces, the answer suddenly clicked. "Oh my god..."
"Hi," Sarah smiled, meeting Will halfway across the living room to give him a hug.
"We've got to tell the rest of the party!" Will shouted after their hug ended.
"Where is the rest of the party?" Sarah asked. She suddenly realized that there were still many reunions yet to come and this thought spread a smile across her face.
"Lucas and Max moved to Chicago for college and they're still living there while Lucas finishes med school," Will began to answer. "Dustin is in Indianapolis working as an electrician, and Mike completed an engineering degree in Virginia but he moved back home last year to look for a job."
"Lucas and Max are still together?" Sarah asked in surprise.
"Yeah," Will answered. "They've had a few breaks over the years, but they're pretty happy now. We think they might get engaged soon."
"Wow," Sarah said with an impressed smile as she absorbed the information. She tried to picture Lucas and Max all grown up and married, but she could still only see them as teenagers. Her thoughts jumped from one couple to the next. "El and Mike?"
A somber silence filled the room as Hopper, Joyce, and Will looked between each other trying to determine who would answer the question.
"El and Mike broke up a couple years after you left," Hopper answered at last. "El wanted to go to school out west and Mike wanted to go to school out east. They tried long-distance for a little while, but it didn't work out. It was a pretty rough break-up."
"Oh." Sarah's smile slipped from her face. "I'm sorry to hear that."
"They're doing okay now, though," Hopper added. "El might even have a new boyfriend soon based on what she's been telling me about one of her coworkers."
"And how do you feel about that?" Sarah asked with a raised brow.
"I already don't like him," Hopper answered with a half-joking grin.
"Of course you don't," Sarah laughed. "You didn't like Mike, you didn't like..." Sarah's train of thought suddenly stopped once she realized that there was still one more member of the party that she hadn't inquired about. "Oh my god, Steve! Where is Steve?"
Joyce and Hopper shared a glance and Joyce opened her mouth to answer, but Hopper cut her off. "He's still in Hawkins! He took over his dad's business and opened a new office downtown, Harrington Real Estate."
"Really?" Sarah's face lit up with a large smile that made her cheeks glow and her bright, blue eyes grow brighter. "Is he--is he there right now?"
"Uh, yeah, I believe so," Hopper answered, checking his watch.
An awkward silence ensued as the four stood around staring at each other. Sarah's eyes glanced around the room and her heels clicked together in random patterns. She had something she wanted to say but she didn't know how to say it, and Hopper picked up on it.
"Go," Hopper sighed with a smile when he couldn't stand the silence any longer.
"Thanks, dad!" Sarah rushed to hug Hopper and kiss him on the cheek before she turned to face a wall. She traced the paint until she found a nick, and focused her attention on downtown Hawkins. A portal emerged before her, and before she could disappear inside it, she turned back to say, "I'll be back later! I promise!"
The trio waved good-bye to Sarah until she was out of sight. Once the portal had snapped shut, Joyce turned to Hopper with crossed arms and a knowing look.
"What?" Hopper asked defensively.
"You should have told her," Joyce answered.
"You saw how happy she was, I didn't want to spoil that after I just got her back!"
The look on Joyce's face softened after she contemplated his words. She wrapped her arms around his and rested her head on his shoulder. "I guess you're right," she said with a sigh. "I just hope she takes the news well."
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