Strange as IT Seems

Chapter 24: Opportunity

Her first full week in Hawkins was relatively uneventful for Mia. Classes were normal if a little boring and most of the students had stopped staring at her because she was new. She was now just another face in the crowd and that's the way she liked and wanted it.

"A few more months," she said to herself. "Then I can finally leave this life behind." It had been her mantra for years now, counting down the days, weeks, months, and years before she could escape, legally change her name, and let her father become a distant memory.

Homelife was okay, except for the window that could not be closed despite everyone's best efforts. It was a bit awkward, spending time with a family she barely knew. Bill usually just watched her from afar and sketched in his room; it was Georgie who made an effort to get to know his adopted cousin. Then again, most kids at that age have no hesitation when meeting new people. The six-year-old asked her to play trucks with him whenever she wasn't busy and she even helped him when practicing his reading. She was patient and prompted him whenever there was a word he struggled with. It was amazing that a kid could make her feel so welcome in a house of strangers.

It's Saturday morning and Mia just wants to go somewhere. Her aunt is playing piano in the foyer, her uncle is out back fixing up the garden, and Bill has already left to find his friends. She wants to explore the town a little bit, and maybe check out the mall she'd seen when her grandparents had driven her into town. She'd only been to malls a handful of times, mostly while in the big cities with her mom, but since they moved so much, it was hard to do anything remotely "normal."

She pulls on her jean jacket and is tying her shoes when Georgie walks up to her.

"Where are you going?" he asks.

"Just into town," she answers.

"Why?"

"I'm not really sure, but I would like to pick out a few things for my room if possible."

"Can I come with you?"

His strong trust in her is surprising, but also comforting.

"I... don't see why not. Make sure you ask your mom though,"

After some begging, Sharon allows her son to go, provided that he holds his cousin's hand when crossing the streets and that Mia brings a few groceries home afterwards. With his jacket on and his allowance money, Georgie Elmer Denbrough follows his cousin as they walk out of the cul-de-sac and towards the downtown area.

"Did you know there's a big radio in our basement here?" the kid asks.

"Really?"

"Uh-huh, I met someone named Dustin on it. He has an even bigger radio. He's friends with Billy."

"You need to be careful with that buddy, you don't know if a bad person is on the other end of the line."

"I know," he smiles. "Mommy and Daddy already told me about Stranger Danger."

"Good, because the last thing any of us want is to lose you to a bad person," she smiles, leaning forward and tickling him under the chin until he's in a fit of giggles. The developing kinship with the youngest Denbrough is another piece of life worth enjoying.

...

"Unlike anything she's been through before," Hopper is telling Joyce about what happened with Eleven.

"It was just a nightmare Jim, all kids have them," she says, trying to reassure him while stocking the shelves of the general store even though it was a slow day. Typical and expected due to the opening of Starcourt across town. Even when Mayor Kline was exposed to working with the Russians and using the mall as a front, you could not convince teenagers to support their local businesses; they wanted whatever was hip and popular, nothing else.