---------------------------------------------
SEB TRUDGED OUT OF HIS BEDROOM THE NEXT DAY, RUBBING HIS EYES AS HOPPER FROZE. This wasn't normal for the boy. When he didn't talk to Hopper for the night, Hopper didn't see him come out of his room until he left. "Morning." El spoke as she walked past Seb to the bathroom, the boy nodding to her. "Morning, buddy." Hopper spoke carefully, his face scrunching up when he saw Seb's eyes red. "Did you not sleep or something?" He asked, Seb shaking his head as if it were nothing, walking past Hopper to grab water. "Why not?" Hopper continued, Seb filling a glass with water. "Studying." He spoke, Hopper's eyebrows raising. "Studying? You're not in school." Hopper spoke, Seb shrugging. "Word studying." He spoke, Hopper finally figuring it out. "Is that why my dictionaries and encyclopedias are gone?" He asked, Seb nodding and walking past him again, picking up the empty plate from his doorway and placing it in the sink.
"Okay," Hopper spoke, grabbing Seb arm as El was heard brushing her teeth. "New rule. You sleep every night, alright? No staying up to do your studying thing." Hopper spoke, Seb looking at the man. "We can even add that to the three main rules, the three..." He motioned for Seb to finish, the boy sighing. "Don't be stupid rules." They chorused, Hopper nodding and letting go of Seb's arm. "Not sleeping is stupid. That's what stupid people do." Hopper informed, Seb nodding as he drank his water. In all honesty, he looked unbothered by this conversation. His eyes were slowly closing and his shoulders were dropped. "Hey, you listening?" Hopper asked sternly, El coming back out of the bathroom. "I said you sleep when I knock on your door, okay?" Hopper spoke, Seb nodding. "Yes." He spoke softly, El awkwardly walking up to them. "Okay, now that's sorted, breakfast." Hopper sighed, Seb remembering how they even got here before Hopper took El in before him.
––––––☆––––––
EL WOKE UP FIRST, COUGHING UP LIQUID BEFORE SHAKILY STANDING UP. She looked around the classroom that didn't look like before. The room was blue with snow-like flakes floating around. The walls and floors were coated in a thick sludge, El seeing Sev laid down a bit away from her. "Seven." She spoke quickly, running to her brother and shaking him. The boy looked dead in all honesty. His complexion was near to the colour of the blue of the room and a few of his neck veins were bright red. "Seven!" El spoke again, starting to cry before Sev sat up suddenly, coughing up the same liquid. He didn't seem to notice El before she hugged him, the boy grunting. "Eleven." He spoke softly, croaking a bit as he hugged his sister back straight away, looking around the room. "We need to go." El spoke, getting up as Sev did the same.
The two walked through the school, the place looking rotted and abandoned. "Mike?" El questioned as she turned the corner, seeing no one and leading the way. El was whimpering when she couldn't find Mike anywhere, Sev spotting something as he was comforting her. "El..." He whispered, his sister following his train of light to see a red, pulsing hole in the wall. Both twins held hands before creeping up to it. They both looked through, Sev pulling El to the side of the wall when a torch shone through, a man looking through the other side. "Bravo, team, check in." The man's voice muffled, Sev putting a finger up to his lips, El nodding as she was still breathing heavily. The two waited until the torch finally left, El looking through it again. "Go." Sev spoke, El looking to him before pushing her hand through as a tester. Both twins grimaced when her hand came back through covered in slime.
El watched as her brother walked back, blinking as his eyes matched the colour of the red hole. His hands started to glow, the boy holding his arms out and slowly twisting his hands, the hole getting bigger so El could fit through. "Go." Sev repeated, El climbing through the hole as Sev watched if she was okay. She landed on the ground, grunting in disgust and nodding to her brother. Sev nodded back, the hole starting to close. "Seven!" El called, quick to hold her hand out and concentrate to make the hole stay open so Sev could fit. It didn't work. El cried out as the hole closed fully, leaving nothing but a slime covered El in the hallway of Hawkins Middle. "Seven!" She shouted, banging on the wall and trying to get through, Sev doing the same. "Eleven! El!" Sev yelled, punching the wall until he felt his knuckles bleed.
"Seven!" El sobbed, not wanting to be away from her brother before hearing voices get closer. She had no choice but to hide. To run away from Hawkins Middle and to find her brother. It was Sev's plan to find another one of those holes and climb through quickly. Both twins ran away from Hawkins Middle, both being careful. El stumbled across Mike's house, seeing the boy through the kitchen window as he was being questioned, his parents sat next to him. Mike seemed to feel her stare as he looked right back at her, confused when he didn't see Sev. The two made eye contact for a while before the man questioning him noticed, following his train of sight to see nothing there. Mike only stared out of the window more. Was that El? Where was Sev? Was that real? Sev was rushing through the streets of Hawkins, having no plan of where another one of those 'gates' were.
––––––☆––––––
SEV DIDN'T KNOW HOW LONG IT HAD BEEN. Days? weeks? Months? He didn't know. The boy was growing hungrier and hungrier, the berries he was finding not doing anything to help. Of course they weren't safe to eat, nothing in the Upside Down was. But at least it helped fill his stomach up. The collar was still latched around Sev's neck, it scratching his neck when he moved it a certain way. Thank God it couldn't work anymore as the remote was on Dr Brenner when he was attacked so no one could make the collar work again. The boy thought this as he stumbled down a long road, leaving a dead body behind along with low rumbling. The dead body was a Demogorgon which had tried to eat him, Sev fighting it off with his powers. Using those felt strange in the Upside Down, Sev sighing. He was exhausted. He wondered if El was alright.
Had she found somewhere safe? Was she safe? Sev hoped for positive answers as he stopped in his tracks. This house seemed familiar. It was Will's house. Sev perked up, hoping to contact the family like Will had spoken to his Mom whilst he was stuck in the Upside Down. His legs quickened their pace, the young boy reaching the garden before seeing a small structure. Castle Byers it read, Sev walking closer to the structure and reaching for the curtain type door- "Hello?" Sev stopped in his place, seeing a boy at the doorway. He looked terrified. Sev stayed quiet, Will staring at the other boy before him. Was he here the whole time? Will didn't want another kid to go through what he went through. "Who are you?" The boy trembled, Sev tilting his head at him. "Will?" He asked softly, Will's face scrunching up.
"How do you know my name?" He asked quickly, Sev surrendering.
"I-" Sev cut himself off when he saw Will looking up at something. Seeing how Will's face slowly contorted into one of pure fear, Sev slowly turned around too, seeing a large spider type monster tower over them. Will was frozen in his doorway as Sev stumbled backwards, seeing the monster crawl over to them slowly, Will calling for Sev. This was one of Will's 'episodes', meaning he couldn't be affected by whatever he saw. But, Sev could. He was in Will's 'episode' so he was in danger of getting hurt or killed, right? "Watch out!-" Sev looked to see Will suddenly gone, nothing but a closed door. Sev looked back to see the monster still coming towards him, the boy's neck craning. He felt his collar scratch the same part of his neck, ignoring it as the monster roared.
This is what the large rumbling was. Sev wasted no time in raising his hands, the monster screeching as red tendrils shot up to wherever Sev deemed the monster's mouth to be. Feeling a sharp pain in his left hand, Sev winced, letting go of the tendrils and looking to his hand, seeing a red glowing hole. His eyes widened. What was happening?- The monster's body crackled with electricity. Red electricity. On of the monster's legs shook the ground right beside him, Sev looking to his left to see black smoke, quick to run the opposite direction.
Will stood in the doorway, wondering what the hell just happened. Who was that kid? Why was he there? Was there more people like Will that were there? Missing? Presumed dead?
Sev looked back, thankfully not seeing the large monster anywhere as he walked slowly. What was that thing? What did it do to Sev? He didn't just give that thing his power, did he? Looking down to his hand, his eyes widened. The hole was closing up. It wasn't a painful one, just as if someone had erased a part of a drawing of Sev hand. The hole had slowly vanished. His breath quickened as he walked forward mindlessly, staring at his hand. The hole was expanding when he gave the monster his power, what would happen if he gave the monster all of his power- Interrupted by one foul step, Sev fell down a small hole in the ground. The boy yelled until he didn't feel sludge anymore, only feeling soft soil. Squeezing his hand, the soil felt fine, as if not poisoned by sludge that laid all over the Upside Down. Walking forward slowly, the boy's shoes stopped making noises,
He was walking on soil.
Looking up, Sev blinked, making his eyes and hands glow as he held one of his hands up to the 'roof' of the somewhat tunnel. A large red tendril shot up, piercing the ground as soil rained down on Sev. Unfortunately, the sludge that had already coated Sev acted like a glue, making the soil coat the boy also. Spitting out some of the soil, he felt cold air hit his face. Fresh, cold air. Gripping onto a side of the hole he created, he smiled feeling normal grass. Groaning, the boy lifted himself up, taking deep breathes once his whole body was above ground. Standing up fully, he looked down at the hole he had created and walked backwards lightly, not wanting to be anywhere near it. Until he felt his foot step through something on the ground. Grimacing, he saw that he had stepped into a large orange object, seeing loads more around him.
Trying to lift his foot out of the object with no avail, Sev shook his foot. This resulted in him falling backwards as the object was surprisingly heavy. "Ow..." He trailed off, grunting as he sat back up. He then looked at the pumpkins. Not knowing what they were, he decided to take a piece, examine it and deciding it looked like a large apple. This resulted in Sev taking one of the pumpkins after biting into it and liking the taste.
Was it actual food or not? Sev wouldn't know.
––––––☆––––––
BY THIS TIME, HOPPER HAD FOUND EL AND TOOK HER IN, QUESTIONING HER ABOUT SEV. "Where's the other one?" He asked. "Gone." She cried back, the two finding a home in a cabin and it staying like that for a few months before the day Hopper got called to look at a pumpkin field, a man stating that his neighbour has ruined a couple of them and stole one out of spite. Hopper used this as an emergency situation to get a man off of his back. That man was stating that there was Russian twins wandering around Hawkins and that aliens existed, Hopper 'not believing him'.
––––––☆––––––
HOPPER SHOWED UP TO THE PUMPKIN FIELD, A VERY ANGRY FARMER WAITING. "Took you long enough." He spat, Hopper scoffing. "At least I'm here. Now, what's wrong?" Hopper asked, the farmer leading him to where a couple pumpkins were smashed and one empty spot. "See! He ruined my pumpkins!" The farmer complained, Hopper nodding tiredly. "Okay, what time do you think this happened?" He asked, the farmer shrugging. "Last night, I guess. He must've used underground tunnels or something because there's no foot marks leading here." The farmer informed, Hopper turning to him. "What?" He asked, the farmer scowling at him. "I said, there's no footprints. See? They're only here and then they disappear." Hopper looked to see what he was talking about.
He was right, there wasn't anymore footprints leading to nor from the pumpkins.
"Hm, I'll investigate, Sir." Hopper spoke bored, the farmer nodding before trudging away. "Okay..." Hopper let out, his head whipping to the side when he heard a crunch. "Hello?" Hopper called out sternly, Sev flinching. Hopper held his gun out, pointing it towards the noise. Sev stayed quiet, holding the stolen pumpkin to himself. It had only been a day and he was being hunted down already. Did they have El? Was El okay?- "I heard you. Show yourself and this won't get worse." Hopper called, Sev still hiding. "Alright then." Hopper spoke, deciding to go and search the area. Sev panicked when he heard the man's footsteps coming closer, blinking as his eyes went red, his hands doing the same. Hopper heard breathing, moving to the front of a bush he guessed the culprit was behind. "If you don't come out, I'll shoot." Hopper spoke, Sev staying completely still as he heard the man's footsteps on the other side of the bush.
Hopper stood shocked when he decided to shoot over the bush, the bullet stopping as a red essence circled it. "Hey!-" Hopper ducked when the bullet shot back towards him, the man deciding to stay still before Sev stood up. The boy had his hands out, his palms bright red before his red eyes landed on a surrendering Hopper. "Chief?" He asked softly, Hopper still startled.
"No way." He whispered.
––––––☆––––––
THAT NIGHT, HOPPER IMMEDIATELY BROUGHT SEV TO THE CABIN, KNOWING EL WOULD BE RELIEVED. Sev watched curiously as the man did the certain knock, the door unlocking. "You're late-" "I know, I know. I have someone here." Hopper spoke, El looking up curiously before her face dropped, as did Sev's. "Eleven?" "Seven?" They both asked simultaneously, before scrambling to one another. Hopper watched with a slight smile as the twins hugged tightly, El not caring about the wet mud that got on her jumper. "I thought you were gone." El whispered, Sev rubbing her head. "Me too." He replied, Hopper shutting the door and locking it. "Welcome to your new home, kid." Hopper spoke, Patting Sev's head before waiting for them to finish their reunion. "Okay, no more hugging. He's dirty and needs a shower." Hopper declared, Sev confused as to what a shower was as El scanned over her now dirty clothes.
"And you need to change your clothes."
––––––☆––––––
AND THAT BRINGS US HERE, A COUPLE MONTHS LATER, HALLOWEEN TO BE EXACT. Sev had gotten his own room, 'new' clothes, and a hang of the rules in the cabin.
And a new costume by his sister.
---------------------------------------------
[2639 words!]
Hope you enjoyed!!
Byeeee!