"not a monster"
in which a small town in indiana can only be saved by two weirdos with superpowers, a group of nerdy boys, a bag of snickers, and some bikes.
(in rewrites)
season 1 ✅
season 2 ✅
season 3 ✅
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October 9, 1985 11:24 The Byers Residence
Ten stared down at the drawing in her hands. It was the one she had drawn last year, of her, El, Mike, Will, Dustin, Joyce, and Lucas all holding hands and smiling, there was one other person though...Hopper. The girl smiled as she looked at how she had drawn his body bigger than the other's him holding onto Teddy's hand with another stick figure that used to be a blank space.
Mama.
She had added her in, with her blonde hair and blue eyes and big smile. While adding Lisa she had also added two more people, Ron over by Lucas, with his crooked glasses and all and standing by Joyce's stick figure was...
Billy.
At the sound of someone clearing their throat Teddy quickly folded the piece of paper back up, sticking it in her back pocket before turning to face Joyce who was standing in the doorway.
"Hey, Sweetie." Joyce looked down at the youngest girl, "You, all finished packing?" She motioned to all the boxes around the room, the only thing that wasn't packed up were the two twin beds.
Ten nodded, her ponytail bouncing, "Yeah, uh, Ellie is helping Will pack up his comics." She watched as the woman in front of her nodded, "Hey, is it okay if I go see my mom? Ya know, to say goodbye?"
The woman nodded, knowing that it was important for Teddy to see her mother before they left, "Of course, yeah, yeah. Do you need a ride?"
Teddy shook her head, standing from where she had been crouched beside her bed, "I'm okay. I'll bike...I could use the fresh air anyways."
Joyce bit her lip, "Yeah, okay, just be back before dark?" She wrapped the girl in a hug, placing a quick kiss to the top of her head.
"I won't be long." The girl said, scooting past the woman and through the house, glancing at the bare walls and all the boxes stacked around. The moving truck wasn't set to arrive until the next morning.
As she passed through the living room she couldn't help but notice a box labeled Christmas with a bunch of colorful string lights poking out causing a small smile to appear on Teddy's face as she went out the front door, grabbing her bike from the yard and heading off down the path.
As she passed by the trees and the houses Teddy couldn't help but think that this would be the last bike ride she ever took in Hawkins. Sure she would be back for the summer but this was the last time she would be biking through the place she lived.
Hawkins was all she had ever known, and now she was leaving it and all her friends behind.
She knew that she would still have El, and Joyce, and Will, and Jonathan when he came back from school on the weekends. And she would still see the rest of the party on breaks but it felt so strange, like she was leaving the place she was supposed to be.
She biked up a hill, pausing as she cast a glance down at the charred remains of Starcourt Mall. After it had burned down in the battle there were plans of tearing it down, but they never carried them out. Teddy didn't know if she was pleased or not with this, she hardly wanted to remember where her brother and father had died but she couldn't bear to loose the last place she had seen them.
She supposed it didn't matter anymore as she wouldn't be here to see it. She cast one last glance at the mall, before she peddled again, heading into town and stopping at a familiar apartment complex.
She slid her bike into the rack before making her way inside, quick to make her way up the four flights of stairs until she arrived at the correct floor, walking down the hall to apartment 410 where the door was already cracked open, a stack of books wedged in between the door and the doorframe.
She hopped over the books, making her way into the familiar living room. Casting a smile towards the photo of herself, her mom, and Ron she had taken on her polaroid that had been framed and hung on the wall.
"Jodie, hey." Teddy turned to see Ron, a lazy smile on his face and a cup of coffee in his hands, "I thought you might be coming over."
The girl nodded up at the man who had helped her all those years ago, "I couldn't leave without saying goodbye." The man nodded, a faraway look in his eyes through his glasses.
Ron had offered to let Ten stay with him and Lisa, saying that the girl could have his room and he could sleep on the couch but the girl had declined. She knew that her mother would want her to stay with El, and that they would be safe under the care of Joyce.
"Jodie." Teddy looked towards the couch to see her mom, a bright smile on her face and her big blue eyes that could now only remind her of Billy.
The teen sent her mom a smile, walking over to her and pulling her into a hug, "Hey, Mama. I just, uh," She cast a glance over at Ron who stood leaning against the doorframe, a sad smile on his face, "I just wanted to see you before I left."
Lisa nodded, though her brain was a little bit broken she understood that her daughter had to leave, had to have a chance at a normal life outside of Hawkins.
"I, uh," Teddy quickly pulled a small piece of paper from her pocket, "I have something for you." She then sat next to the woman, revealing a picture of a boy with long blonde hair, a bright smile, and sparkly blue eyes.
Lisa smiled, looking at the boy with a fondness though she didn't know who he was, "He's very handsome. Is he your friend?"
Teddy nodded, feeling tears well up in her eye as she looked down at the picture of her brother, the one their mother couldn't remember, "Yeah, uh, yeah. His name is Billy, he's a, a really good guy."m
The woman hummed, looking over the picture before turning to her daughter noticing a tear fall down her cheek that she was quick to wipe away, "You're sad."
Ten nodded, letting her mother wrap her arms around her and pull her close, breathing in the scent of her laundry detergent, "Yeah, it's just, um. It's hard to say goodbye, ya know?"
Lisa nodded, she too had felt the pain of having to say goodbye, she then slowly took the picture from the crying girl, wrapping an arm around her and holding her close, "It's sad...saying goodbye. So, maybe try saying hello instead."
Teddy let out a watery smile, "That's a good idea, Mama." She then looked down at the photo, into the boy's bright blue eyes that matched their mother's and her own,"
