Secret love (mileven au)

El's secret

For as long as El could remember she felt different. She didn't quite know why she never understood what made her so different than everyone else but by the way people treated her it was clear to her that she was. She was once talking to her best friend, Max about being different and how she felt about it Max comforted her and told her. 

"It's not ourselves that make us different its other people leading us into thinking we are." 

El nodded like she understood but she didn't, she was sure there must be something wrong with her and no one would ever understand how she felt. 

One day she had enough of feeling like that she didn't know what to do she stared in her bathroom mirror for a few minutes and then started crying not peacefully crying but big heavy tears crying she had felt trapped. 

But fortunately for El after a lot of begging she convinced Hopper to let go into town and let hang out with the other kids her age on the sidewalk. Hopper didn't like her going very far though only a little into town where all the kids were, and he made her be strictly by 5pm if she was even a little late Hopper wouldn't let her go out for the rest of the week, so she made sure to be on time. 

When she first started hanging out with everyone else, they gave her nasty looks and some even bullied her leading her to feel even more different than she already had. They would often bully her by mocking her speaking ability unfortunately she didn't speak as well as the other kids her age as a result of being isolated for so long. Sometimes people would call her names to her or try and trip her other times people would laugh at her then whisper about it to their friends El didn't know which form of bullying felt worse. 

One day well El was being bullied by a group of boys on the sidewalk a girl with long red hair on a skateboard rushed over to defend her. She skateboarded in between them causing the boys bullying El to fall flat on their backs. 

"Leave her alone Losers!" She had yelled at them. 

El stared at her with admiration no one has ever done something like that for her before. 

"Sorry about those shitheads don't let them get to you anyways what's your name? I'm Max, well technically Maxine but everyone calls me Max so you can as well." 

El stared at her still a bit in shock that someone deafened her like that. 

"Oh my name? El"

"El? that's a nice name is it short for anything?" 

El thought about what Max asked about her name being short for anything she didn't think it was her whole life she just been called El nothing more nothing less. But now that she started to think about it, it was a kind of short name compared to the names everyone she met had. 

"No El is my full name." 

Max just smiled back at her from then on her and El were best friends almost inseparable.

One day when Max was over at El's house, she asked El if she wanted to go the mall with her. 

"I wish I could, but I'm not allowed to leave my house sorry." 

"Oh yeah I forgot about that why aren't you allowed to leave?"

El never knew of a specific reason of why she wasn't allowed to leave when she questioned Hopper rule of not being able to leave, he simply told her it was dangerous if she did and the conversation usually ended there. Not knowing quite how to Answer Max's question she simply replies with,

"Hopper's rule"

Max understood and they continued to hang out like usual. But Max's question got El thinking why didn't Hopper let her leave the house? Sure, he told her it was dangerous for her but what was so dangerous about it? It didn't seem dangerous for anyone else. 

After Max left her house that day El gathered up the courage to ask Hopper why it was dangerous for her to leave the house. 

"Hopper?" El said with a bit of fear in her voice. 

"Yes?" Hopper replied watching the TV and not Giving El his full attention. 

"Why can't I leave the house?"

Hopper sighed "El you know the rules its dangerous." Hopper replied still not looking up from the TV. 

"But why? Why is that the rule? Why is dangerous for me but not for anyone else?" El could feel herself getting angry she was talking to Hopper about something that had largely impacted her life for years and Hopper wasn't taking her seriously he didn't even seem to care.  

After El said this Hopper quickly shut off the Televison and locked eyes with El for a few moments he then sighed again and said "I guess it's time for you to know something I've been hiding you about yourself for years..."

Hopper got off of the couch and took a seat at the table he told El to sit at the seat across from him. 

El was a bit scared for what Hopper was going to tell her she had a gut feeling that it would life changing. 

"El... well, I guess I should call you Eleven for this conversation that is your full name after all." 

"Eleven? Thats my full name? Like the number? What a weird name! Why is that my name? Why haven't you told me about this before?" El was shocked but still annoyed that she hadn't known of this information before in all her 14 years of life. 

"I'll get to that it's important that you listen to this full story."  Hopper continued, "When you were a baby you were given to a lab your mother. She worked for this awful man and was practically brain dead. You were given to the lab there they treated you like an object not a human being in the slightest you stayed there until you were two. While you there and being tested on by the owner of the lab you earned a telekinesis skill you probably still have it. I found you there at the lab while searching you were a child only two years old alone and scared. I couldn't leave you there I took you home with me. The reason your name was Eleven was because they assigned every kid there a number and used it as their name, I shortened it to El When I adopted you, I didn't want you to have to go through life using the name Eleven. The reason you're barely allowed to leave the house is because the men that worked at the lab their still out there, they want to bring you back I can't risk it I can't risk losing you, you must stay safe." 

El got even more annoyed than she already was. "Look I'm not a baby and it's clear that whole story is bullshit tell me the real reason I'm not allowed to leave." 

Hopper raised his eyebrow at hearing El say the word "Bullshit" it was a word she picked up from spending so much time with Max. "El believe it or not the story is true do you have any memories from the lab?"

"No besides even if it was true who has memories from when they were two years old?" 

"I suppose you're right but if you still don't believe me try opening the door to your bedroom without touching it, With your telekinesis."

El looked at Hopper like he was nuts and she thought he was after he said that. She then rolled her eyes and tried to open the door without touching it. To her Suprise the door opened she hadn't touched or anything she just stuck out her hand and used her mind to open it. El opened her mouth in shock. How could she not know of her ability to do this? Well, she never tried but never even once thought she could possess such an ability. That must mean everything Hopper had said was true. 

"You were telling the truth...?"

"Indeed" Hopper replied "I couldn't make something like that up. But you must promise me one thing." 

"And what is that?" 

"Don't tell anyone about this we never know what information could get out and get you sent back to the lab you must keep your powers secret." 

El nodded "Promise"

From then on El's life would be changed forever she was no longer El but Eleven.