Jopper OS (English Vers.)

Heartbreaking reminiscences (part 1)

Context :

- All the events of S1, S2 and S3 have taken place, except Hopper's disappearance.

- For this, we imagine that the machine hasn't malfunctioned. He was then able to reach the safe space and trigger the explosion with Joyce.

- In this Two Shot, the idea that Joyce can move away won't be tackled.

- Let's also note the fact that as Hopper is alive, Eleven still lives with him. Enjoy the read...

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Omniscient POV

Hawkins... summer was nearing its end, but the parks and the community pool were filled with bursts of laughter; before autumn came to stifle everything under its coat of crimson leaves, waiting for the next year. The same thing could very well have happened to Starcourt Mall, if a mistake in the buildingof the roof had not caused a collapse near the central dome. A regretful incident that had, luckily enough, taken place at night.

Thankfully, there were no human fatalities. But the place would have to stay closed for a while; at least for as long as it would take to put it back into its original state. Saying that the Hawkins Post had had a good cover story was a euphemism. In a small and quiet town such as this one, people were going to talk about what happened for at least amonth.

In a small house resembling so many others, a very ordinary woman was smoking a totally ordinary cigarette, elbows on her porch. But no matter how alike we look to millions of people, there is inevitably something that distinguishes us from the others. Then, the question is not "in what way is she like everyone else ?" but more "what is it that makes her an extraordinarily unique person ?". The first answer I could give you, the most visible to people who know her story, is the following : She knows.

She knows that summer is not only smiles and sun. That the mall was not the victim of any architectural malfunctions. That Hawkins was not an ordinary city, that it deserves its own novels and TV shows so all of its stories can be told. That this house, whose floor she walked on every day, had not witnessed happy days only.That it was the same for her. And that each thing, even her cigarette stub, was part of an immense whole, of a world in peril... of a dimension that had to be protected against strange things. And what do we know about this woman ? Who seems to be knowing so many things ?

Well... first and foremost, her name is Joyce Byers. Her name looks very much like a cruel irony, as "joy" is not the term I would have used to describe her daily life. But what was her life made of exactly ? Three years ago, she was raising her two sons alone after a painful divorce, and she had lost her youngest, Will, in the strangest of circumstances. No traditional methods could help find him, and her searches led her to discovering a hidden world, parallel to hers: the Upside Down. Darkness seemed to be gnawing at everything in there, and you had the striking impression that the light of day had never managed to break through the gates.

After days spent wandering and fleeing the monster who was threatening him, the boy was finally saved by his mother and Jim Hopper, the chief of police. But the story did not stop there: despite all the risks taken by everyone to stop these creatures that were now looking to take over the world, these monsters came back, eachtime finding a way, and each time more powerful. And even though two weeks ago, their group of fighters had once again pushed them away, Joyce could not help but be afraid that everything would start again.

Is that really a life you could describe as being full of joy ?

Her divorce had broken her.Hopper was there to pick up her shattered pieces. She had known him since they were young, and the friendship she shared with him was unbreakable. The years and the terrible things they both went through only contributed to strengthening their bond.The disappearance of her son had made her old demons rear back their ugly head. Those same demons she had thought were long gone but were actually buried deep inside her. It was Hopper who had, once again, with great difficulty, believed her. He had accepted that the world they were living in was like a rope-walker whose rope was dangerously close to breaking, and that it was up to them to prevent the Upside Down forces from making it snap.It was him who risked everything to save Will.

Then she had started a new life with another man. Bob. But he died a hero. Killed by the monsters who infiltrated the lab. And if the chief had not intervened, she would have died in there too. However, for the past few months, their relationship had become more complex. She did notknow when exactly, but the friendship they had been building for all these years, th efriendship that had allowed them to support each other no matter what... was slowly breaking.

It was slowly breaking but only to make room for something even bigger, that she could not fully understand yet. And for now, it was a source of worry.Why did they constantly have to fight ?Everytime she worried like that, she was telling herself she was not being rational. That whatever thoughts she had about these fights should never make her forget her main preoccupation: keeping her children safe. What sort of mother was she ? A mother who had not been able to protect them against these other worldly perils. And what sort of mother was she for being certain that these three years of suffering were not the last ones ?She had always had support. She had never really proved anything yet. But now, should the threat come back again, she was ready to put herself on the frontline.

Alone if she had to. And she would safeguard the future. Their future.