Home Strangerthingau

Chapter 20

Planning

"It wasn't her body. It was a fake." Hopper explained while everyone passed around the photo of El.

No one had really processed what they were seeing. They had no reaction, they were just in shock.

"Holy shit!" Dustin exclaimed when he was handed the photo.

"So," Jonathan spoke in a shaky voice. "What you're saying is that... El's alive."

"Yeah. At least I think so." Hopper nodded his head.

Mike's heart stopped beating for a few seconds. El is alive. He told himself. A smile broke out on his face as he sighed in relief. "Oh my god." Mike muttered under his breath.

"So, if we're right about this." Nancy spoke with tears starting to form in her eyes. "El was taken by Brenner and-and..." she trailed off not wanting to finish the sentence.

"She might still be with him." Hopper concluded.

People looked at one another worriedly, but also with happiness. They were happy to finally have some answers and know that El was alive. Nancy and Jonathan hugged while Joyce started silently crying tears of relief. The group had one big group hug because for the first time in over a year, they felt like they were all on the same page.

"What are we going to do?" Joyce spoke up wiping some of her tears away. "She's been with them for too long."

"Well, we need to figure out where exactly Brenner is, because Chicago is a pretty big place." Hopper thought out loud.

"How are we going to do that?" Mike questioned.

Hopper turned to him with a stern look on his face. "We aren't doing anything. This is a me and Joyce project."

"What?" Everyone else in the room basically yelled, including Joyce.

"It's too dangerous for you guys to do anything, plus you five have school tomorrow." Hopper explained.

"Me and Nancy can come with, we don't have school." Jonathan said looking at Nancy to make sure she wanted to help. Nancy just nodded her head at what he was saying.

"Yeah and we're out of school too." Robin said pointing between herself and Steve. "We can help."

"Mom, you can pull me out of school, right?" Will said looking at his mother with a pleading look.

"No, no!" Hopper said quickly before Joyce had the chance to respond. "You don't need to be involved in this."

"We became involved in this when we pulled a fake body from the lake." Max snapped at him.

"Even before that." Mike pointed out.

Hopper sighed and rubbed his now aching head.

"You realize we're not going to stop until we get what we want." Dustin added with a stern look on his face.

Nancy cleared her throat which made everyone look at her to start speaking. "I can tell my mom that Mike needs a break from the town and he and I are leaving for a day or two." Nancy said looking at Hopper. "That will get him out of school because she understands that he has bad days and since the anniversary she has been really nice lately."

"My mom is the exact same way." Dustin said feeling his heart beat quicken with hope.

"It might take some convincing, but I'm sure I can do it too." Max nodded at Dustin.

"Same here." Lucas added.

"Mom?" Will looked at his mother still with his pleading eyes.

"Joyce." Hopper looked at her also, but with an are you seriously thinking about this look.

"Please! She's my sister I want to help!"

Everyone looked at Joyce waiting for her response. Finally, after a few seconds, she sighed and turned to Hopper.

"I know you want to keep the kids safe." She started to explain. "But you can't forget that she was apart of their friend group and they always do whatever they can to help."

Hopper was taken aback. "Wait, Joyce-"

"We know if we say no to them right now, they will find a way to help sooner or later. I would rather have them by my side so I know their safe than not know where they are sneaking around."

"But-"

"Hopper." Dustin interrupted. "Just face it you're not going to win this one."

"And we are spending more time fighting about this than we are thinking of a plan to save her." Will explained.

Hopper looked around the room before narrowing his eyes at the kids. "You sure you can do this and have no one know where we're going?"

"Yes." They said in unison.

"Okay." Hopper sighed. "Chicago here we come."

After coming up with a plan, everyone went their ways to tell people they were going to be gone before meeting up at Will's house again.

Mike and Nancy went to their place and Mike stayed quiet while Nancy explained to their mother why they would be leaving. As expected, Karen was convinced pretty easily and even said to take their time.

Dustin was almost the same way, except he needed to call her at night to tell her he was okay.

Max and Robin went to Max's house and had a fifteen minute debate between her parents on why she should go. Finally, they agreed but only gave her two days before she had to come back.

Lucas and Steve went to Lucas's and after finding out that it would be Steve and Robin taking care of him, they allowed it.

Eventually, one by one, everyone came back with a backpack full for clothes and supplies they might need. Once they were all there, they packed up in Hopper's and Joyce's cars—the kids being in Joyce's and the older teens with Hopper—and started their long journey to get El back home.

We're going to save you El. Joyce thought. I promise.

Authors note
I can't wait to write the next chapter. 😊