𝑠𝑢𝑏𝑗𝑒𝑐𝑡 𝑠𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑛, 𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨

→ 𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙘𝙠 𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩, 𝙛𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙠

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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.

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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.