jane “011” hopper

the harringtons were hosting a neighborhood barbecue, and steve only agreed to hang out if he could invite whoever he wanted. of course, that included kids, including eleven. it had taken a lot of convincing from hopper, but he had come up with a surprisingly simple, but genius idea in his opinion. since the 'upper' class of hawkins was all about gimmicks, meaning a lot of people would be wearing obnoxious face paints and accessories for the holiday, he suggested that eleven wear a mask. specifically, it was a masquerade mask, decorated with the american flag and gemstones, including feathers that would cover most of her face. he even asked his new sister to help style her hair, so she looked like she could be any number of hawkin's teen girls. it was a bit much, but it was the best way to keep eleven safe while also letting her join in on the fun.

El looked at Steve with her eyes shining bright in the sun, as it shone between the white clouds. The day felt so fun and exciting. She had never seen fireworks before and maybe hoped to see some. She had heard about them in school, how America was free, and she too related to that. She was free from all the things that came with being in the lab and surviving. She fought so hard, probably as hard as the soldiers did back when they were fighting for America to be free.

Her eyes could be seen through the mask; it was a perfect way to hide who she was from people. Steve always had the best ideas and was always looking out for her more than she realized.

“I’d like a hamburger, please,” she said softly with a smile, slightly tilting up her mask to breathe in some air. “Also, it’s really hot with this thing on…” she said again in almost a whisper.

She was having a good time, but something about it reminded her of something; the echoes were always around. In every corner, they always lurked, just waiting for something to go wrong. She grabbed the plate as her thoughts went back to seeing the fireworks—a distraction. A very good distraction was what she needed, so she held onto what she felt was safe to think about.

She felt the tears fall for a while, until she couldn’t feel them anymore. She wiped her eyes. She heard the rustle of trees snapping and looked around, but couldn’t see anyone. El sat there, turning back around as she held her knees, placing her head on top of them. For a moment, she thought about it—why was she even out here, knowing that someone, or Hopper, might be looking for her by now? Everyone treated El differently, like she was made of glass or didn’t have a good understanding of things. But she knew more than she let on. She was smart and understood how the world worked, in her own way. Her ears caught another snap of branches, and she turned her head. A man was standing there. Her breath shortened slightly, but she heard him ask if she was alright. For a second, she thought it was Hopper, but the man was too lean to be him. The night seemed to swallow them whole, leaving just the two of them. The only light came from the moon, barely illuminating her small figure. What was she going to tell this man anyway? Was she really going to spill her guts about her breakup with Mike, or the fact that Vecna wasn’t the only villain? How could she explain the echoes, the loud noises, all the things messing with her mind? On top of that, how could she explain her powers? This guy probably didn’t know anything about what had been going on—or maybe he had some idea. El slowly stood up, brushing leaves and dirt from her pants as she placed her hands at her sides. “I—” a beat, “I’m okay. Just really sad. A lot going on…” she said softly, standing there and looking in the man’s direction. How could she even explain why she was out here in the first place? How the dark forest reminded her of that tank chamber she spent so much time in, when she was in the void. How the sounds of the lab filled her ears, how the lights would flicker, and the aura in the room felt dark and filled with disdain. How El tried to do what Papa wanted, but it was just too much for her young body at the time. Remembering it now hurt, but she pushed it away like everything else.

"Uh, well, I'm Wayne Munson. Eddie's uncle, if you know him." It was a risk since his nephew did have a more infamous reputation, but if she knew him or the kids that hung around, then she might be more inclined to trust him.

“Yeah, I do. I am just catching some air, is all. Heartbreak hurts…” El said softly as tears fell from her eyes, and she wiped them away. She sniffled, wiping her nose as well, her eyes remaining wet. She didn’t know much about Wayne, just that he was Eddie’s uncle and worked late nights. He was a nice man and meant no harm to anyone.

“I have a place to go, I just forgot how to get there,” she said again. She had been doing so much running in the fog that she wasn’t looking at the direction she was going. The heartbreak she felt was agonizing to her, like a pain she thought would never heal, and maybe Wayne knew that all too well—not because he was older than her, but because he knew what to do and say.

Yeah, she could have gone to Hopper, but would he even understand? She was young and had her whole life ahead of her. She couldn’t let one boy stop her from that, but pain had a funny way of coming back when you didn’t want it to.

Once again, Lucas was out on one of his jogging rounds near Lovers Lake. Lately, he’d been running into people all the time while out jogging, ending up in the most unexpected situations. And today was no different. As he rounded a bend in the dirt path, he spotted someone in the distance. It wasn’t unusual to see other people running or walking out here, but as Lucas got closer, he could clearly tell this wasn’t just anyone, it was actually one of his best friends.

He’d only recently talked to both Mike and Will about how he hadn’t seen El in way too long. And now here she was, completely by chance, near Lovers Lake. Maybe it was a sign they really needed to catch up. Or maybe it was just luck. Either way, Lucas was happy to see her.

El was at Lover Lake to see if the echoes would be out here, since Lover Lake was a watergate into the Upside Down at one point. She wondered if the echoes would linger in places where the Upside Down was, or where there had been openings. It had been a while since she had been there, and a while since she had seen her friends all together in one place.

Since Eddie and Billy came back, she’d been wondering about something. As she was sitting on a rock, looking out into the water, she skipped some rocks across the surface with each flick. She flicked the last rock in her hand as it skimmed across the water, her eyes watching it for a second.

That was when she heard someone say “hey” and her name. She turned around, stood up, and saw Lucas. She started to smile—finally, someone to talk to about the echoes. She would ask Ollie, but Ollie hadn’t been around lately for some reason, so she had decided to do this herself. But now, since Lucas was there, she wasn’t alone.

At the same time, she knew he was still recovering from when Max was taken—when Max was in her coma for that long while.

So with this, she wanted to be respectful and not overcrowd him with all these things. Sure, Max was alright, but she probably had enough trauma as it was. Ever since the echoes, she had been seeing her friends—not all together, but hardly at all. It made her feel lonely at times, but she knew that they all needed time, and that was what she was going to give them.

Things were weird when Mike and she broke up, but it never changed the friendship, not at all.

(open roleplay)

Location: Forest

Time: 12:45 a.m.

When: March, 25, 1987

It all started when Eleven was sleeping peacefully. It was a good sleep—dark, but not the kind she had faced when she was younger in the tank chamber, where she had been held for long periods of time. For her, the past was never far away—not from her, or from anyone in Hawkins. Sometimes luck wasn’t around, and chaos was the only thing left to face; even surviving became the main goal. She opened her eyes suddenly, gasping for air as her hands clutched her chest tightly, trying to ground herself. As she did, the lights flickered, and the door in front of her slammed shut with her mind. The noise made her flinch. Blood began to drip slowly onto her sheets. Her eyes fixed on it as she moved her hand from her chest, wiping the blood away with the back of her hand. Eleven forced herself to breathe slowly, in and out, steady and soft. As she did, the lights stopped flickering. She got out of bed and walked to the door. When she opened it and stepped into the hallway, the house was silent. It was the middle of the night, and no one else was awake. At least, she thought so. She decided to leave—just to clear her head. The only way she knew how was to go for a walk. Somewhere not too far. Somewhere no one could see her or ask questions. It had been days since her breakup with Mike, and she was taking it… as well as she could. Of course she was sad, but it was something that had been a long time coming, and her mind was still trying to make sense of it. She wondered if Mike would ever forgive her, or if he would simply pretend that what they had never existed. And what they had was something no one could replace. Was it for the best? She opened the front door and stepped out into the night. The cool air filled her lungs and chilled her skin. For a moment, it felt like everything she was feeling might fade away—if only temporarily. As she walked, she pulled a hoodie over her head, just in case. Her mind drifted back to Mike for a moment. Her shoes hit the pavement with each step as she moved down the street. Her eyes caught sight of a small patch of forest, and she made her way toward it. Twigs snapped beneath her feet as she pushed through the trees, eventually reaching a small clearing. She sat in the middle of it, burying her head in her hands, trying not to cry—trying not to let the thoughts and memories consume her, the way they had consumed her friend, Ollie. The darkness seemed to close in around her as she sat there alone, breathing, trying to hold herself together. There were so many things she didn’t know, things she had never been taught. She had never really been taught how to live—only how to survive. To endure whatever the lab had done to her. To maybe understand why she was so important. It had been a while since everything with Vecna and the echoes had happened, but it still felt like too much. She didn’t know what to do. The sounds of the night filled the air as she sniffled, and tears began to fall from her eyes.

Hopper's voice came out low, rough, and unmistakably his—gruff but softer than most people ever got to hear. "Kid." Slowly, he stepped closer, hands slightly raised like he was approaching a spooked animal. "Easy. It’s just me. Saw the front door open when I drove by the house. Figured you might be out here trying to freeze your butt off instead of sleeping like a normal person." Stopping a few feet away, he crouched down on one knee so he wasn’t towering over her. The old leather of his jacket creaked in the quiet. He didn't look at her directly, giving her the privacy to wipe her face, instead staring out into the dark of the woods. "Bad dream again?" he asked, voice dropping even lower. "Or is it the other thing? The Mike thing?" Hopper rubbed a hand over his jaw, exhaling a long cloud of breath.

El almost lunged at him as she turned around, facing him—her father figure. The light was shining hard into her eyes as she lifted her hand to shield them. He watched as he walked closer; she was scared, just filled with raw emotion and heartbreak. All El could do was choke out the words of how she was feeling. “My heart hurts…” she said through tears as they spilled down her face—wet and messy. The small streetlight a few feet above her flickered. She was just like her friend Ollie—how the echoes were always there, clouding things and making them react. Her emotions were the one thing that seemed to trigger the echoes in some way, shape, or form. She felt the vibration of the ground as Hopper got out of his car, walking toward her again. She didn’t shoo him away; instead, she let him in for once. El had a habit of not saying how she felt about things that upset her because she thought it was best to keep it all inside. It was all she knew, and it was the way she ended up coping. Heartbreak felt like a knife going into her heart repeatedly, nonstop. Could anyone really understand? Was she even capable of love and what it had to offer? Would her version of love not be quite what love truly is? She shivered at the thought and stood up from the ground.

As she was now standing, holding her arms around herself and shaking slightly, she turned to the lamplight a few feet away, raised her hand, and crushed the bulb with her mind as she screamed—letting all the pain and sadness go with one single scream and one single motion of her mind. She stopped as she started to breathe again. Blood dripped down her nose as she wiped it away. She was now at Hopper’s side, her eyes looking at him with all the light in them gone. She still had tears in her eyes as she gripped Hopper, hugging him close. “Am I capable of love…?” she said softly, choking out the words as they made her throat dry and her body weak. She loved Mike more than anything, but it just didn’t work out, as most things go. She had to save him and his friends from what Vecna did and what the echoes had started. It was all too much for one small girl to handle. What would happen if she let it take her, consume her even? Would Hopper and everyone still be there for her? Would they drag her out if she got lost in the void?

(open roleplay)

Location: Forest

Time: 12:45 a.m.

When: March, 25, 1987

It all started when Eleven was sleeping peacefully. It was a good sleep—dark, but not the kind she had faced when she was younger in the tank chamber, where she had been held for long periods of time. For her, the past was never far away—not from her, or from anyone in Hawkins. Sometimes luck wasn’t around, and chaos was the only thing left to face; even surviving became the main goal. She opened her eyes suddenly, gasping for air as her hands clutched her chest tightly, trying to ground herself. As she did, the lights flickered, and the door in front of her slammed shut with her mind. The noise made her flinch. Blood began to drip slowly onto her sheets. Her eyes fixed on it as she moved her hand from her chest, wiping the blood away with the back of her hand. Eleven forced herself to breathe slowly, in and out, steady and soft. As she did, the lights stopped flickering. She got out of bed and walked to the door. When she opened it and stepped into the hallway, the house was silent. It was the middle of the night, and no one else was awake. At least, she thought so. She decided to leave—just to clear her head. The only way she knew how was to go for a walk. Somewhere not too far. Somewhere no one could see her or ask questions. It had been days since her breakup with Mike, and she was taking it… as well as she could. Of course she was sad, but it was something that had been a long time coming, and her mind was still trying to make sense of it. She wondered if Mike would ever forgive her, or if he would simply pretend that what they had never existed. And what they had was something no one could replace. Was it for the best? She opened the front door and stepped out into the night. The cool air filled her lungs and chilled her skin. For a moment, it felt like everything she was feeling might fade away—if only temporarily. As she walked, she pulled a hoodie over her head, just in case. Her mind drifted back to Mike for a moment. Her shoes hit the pavement with each step as she moved down the street. Her eyes caught sight of a small patch of forest, and she made her way toward it. Twigs snapped beneath her feet as she pushed through the trees, eventually reaching a small clearing. She sat in the middle of it, burying her head in her hands, trying not to cry—trying not to let the thoughts and memories consume her, the way they had consumed her friend, Ollie. The darkness seemed to close in around her as she sat there alone, breathing, trying to hold herself together. There were so many things she didn’t know, things she had never been taught. She had never really been taught how to live—only how to survive. To endure whatever the lab had done to her. To maybe understand why she was so important. It had been a while since everything with Vecna and the echoes had happened, but it still felt like too much. She didn’t know what to do. The sounds of the night filled the air as she sniffled, and tears began to fall from her eyes.

Sighing, he trudged through the forest, wishing he had brought a beer with him, but he also did not want to get a ticket for public intoxication. He had been cut a few breaks when Eddie was still believed to be dead, but that card was maxed out since the kid was back. He was beyond grateful his nephew was alive, but that meant he had to get back to normalcy, whatever that looked like for the Munsons now.

He paused when he heard soft sounds that didn't belong in the forest. It took him a second to realize it was the sound of crying, and he was quick to investigate the source.

She felt the tears fall for a while, until she couldn’t feel them anymore. She wiped her eyes. She heard the rustle of trees snapping and looked around, but couldn’t see anyone. El sat there, turning back around as she held her knees, placing her head on top of them. For a moment, she thought about it—why was she even out here, knowing that someone, or Hopper, might be looking for her by now? Everyone treated El differently, like she was made of glass or didn’t have a good understanding of things. But she knew more than she let on. She was smart and understood how the world worked, in her own way. Her ears caught another snap of branches, and she turned her head. A man was standing there. Her breath shortened slightly, but she heard him ask if she was alright. For a second, she thought it was Hopper, but the man was too lean to be him. The night seemed to swallow them whole, leaving just the two of them. The only light came from the moon, barely illuminating her small figure. What was she going to tell this man anyway? Was she really going to spill her guts about her breakup with Mike, or the fact that Vecna wasn’t the only villain? How could she explain the echoes, the loud noises, all the things messing with her mind? On top of that, how could she explain her powers? This guy probably didn’t know anything about what had been going on—or maybe he had some idea. El slowly stood up, brushing leaves and dirt from her pants as she placed her hands at her sides. “I—” a beat, “I’m okay. Just really sad. A lot going on…” she said softly, standing there and looking in the man’s direction. How could she even explain why she was out here in the first place? How the dark forest reminded her of that tank chamber she spent so much time in, when she was in the void. How the sounds of the lab filled her ears, how the lights would flicker, and the aura in the room felt dark and filled with disdain. How El tried to do what Papa wanted, but it was just too much for her young body at the time. Remembering it now hurt, but she pushed it away like everything else.