It had started just like every other morning: Hopper and Jane getting up early in the morning to make the biggest Eggo meals they possibly could.
Halfway through breakfast, Hopper got up to catch the phone as it nearly rang off the wall.
"Hello?"
A pause.
"Yeah. Of course. Be right there." He hung up. "Gotta go, kid. There's an emergency. You okay by yourself?"
The curly-haired girl nodded.
"Good. See you when I get home," Hopper rushed out the door and got to the car, not even bothering to light a cigarette as he usually did on the way there.
He must really be in a hurry, Jane thought, noticing he wasn't following his typical routine. She proceeded to wrap up the rest of the meal for leftovers, when she noticed...there was a little bit of coffee left in Hopper's mug. He never let her have any. One day, she asked him why, he simply replied he didn't want her "bouncing off the walls" all day and night. But really, there wasn't that much left...perhaps he wouldn't notice if she took just a sip.
Her eyes bulged as the hot black liquid slipped past her lips. She nearly spit it out, but accidentally ended up swallowing instead. After standing there in shock, expecting some surge of energy to take her right away...nothing happened. Jane shrugged, wondering what Hopper was so worried about, and how grown-ups could put up with such a foul-tasting liquid. Putting the empty dishes in the sink, she decided to step outside for fresh air.
Maybe she'd go a bit farther than the front yard, and just maybe into the forest. Hopper never had to know. But something was...off about her legs: she didn't want to stop running. Leaning forward as athletes did when they ran, she grinned as she dashed through the forest. Her heart raced and adrenaline pumped through her veins, she could swear she was going as fast as a car, maybe even faster! She couldn't remember the last time she felt so alive, and actually enjoyed it!
"WOO-HOO!" Jane cheered, scaring some of the birds that lived in the trees. She knew today was going to be the start of a great day!