Somewhere Only We Know (mileven)

Chapter One: Beginning Anew

El knew that she shouldn't be there.

That didn't stop her though.

Quite frankly enough, she was sure this was a horrible idea and maybe even the worse one she's ever had. She knew she shouldn't be back, not now, and probably not ever. El was sure that everyone had moved on from her and honestly, could she blame them? She left out of her own free will. No one, other than the military who were hot on her trail then, had forced her to leave. None of them had wanted her to leave, but she did it for their protection. She didn't want them to keep risking their lives hiding her, and so to protect them she had to.

It had been almost three years since she had last seen everyone. After Vecna's defeat, she laid low for about a year, but clearly, that didn't stop any of their attempts at looking for her. In the end, leaving was the best option. Or at least it was in El's mind.

But now, she was back. And she guessed this was also out of her own free will. That, or her selfishness.

To be clear though, no one was in danger anymore. Not from the upside, and not from her. Or they wouldn't be if she took their deal. As she thought more and more about it, it wasn't a bad deal. It was probably the last chance she had at a normal life. She just wasn't sure if that was what she wanted. I mean, of course, she wanted to live normally...but like that...? She just wasn't so sure as of yet.

And maybe, just maybe, that was why she decided to come back. Her life always felt so complete in Hawkins. Of course, there were bad memories, but this place was also the start of her very best memories. It had her favorite memories. Not just that, but it also had her favorite people.

She wasn't so sure how accepting they'd be of her. Although she left for their cause, it was sudden and out of the blue. No one had wanted her to have that option, but what else was there for her to do? In the end, her actions felt somewhat justified but not anymore. In the end, this was her home. This had always been her home regardless of everything.

Self-consciously, her feet led in the direction of Hopper's house. She didn't understand why she was so scared and she defiantly didn't understand why she didn't want to go there. Somewhere, deep in the back of her mind, she felt unneeded, unwanted. Truly, now that all evil was gone, what was her purpose? Maybe it was a stupid, silly little thought that wanted to play games with her, but she just couldn't shake the feeling.

Still, her feet led the way. Even if no one wanted her here, she wanted to at the very least hear it from them first. El left Hawkins with so much unfinished business with practically everyone. There were no goodbyes and definitely no clues.

It was selfish to be back, sure, but all she wants to know is how everyone feels before she makes such a major decision in her life. Was it selfish to want at the very least a little reassurance? Guidance maybe? She didn't know anymore and it hurt. Growing up meant making your decisions, and albeit being very independent, it was still so difficult. She still felt deemed a child, even if she was eighteen.

Eventually, she stopped walking. Now, here she was, in front of the door. Her nerves were in an array now. This was it, this was the place. When she had looked for Hopper he was here and now she stood at his front doorstep, reluctantly deciding whether or not to knock or not. She drew her hand to the door, faltering just a bit before finally doing it. As El did, she suddenly felt so stupid. It was nearly midnight. Was he even awake at this time?

She can hear shuffling, and then footsteps coming down the stairs. El quickly readies herself, even though no amount of time could ready her for this. The door unlocks and opens, and hazel eyes meet her brown ones. She can see the look of shock on his face as he gets a better look at her, and honestly, she's pretty shocked to see him too.