Chief Jim Hopper came in through the police station. "Flo," he called by way of greeting.

"Chief," she called. The secretary waved a small envelope in her hand. "I have something for you."

Hopper picked it up, staring at the return address. His hands began to shake.

"Everything all right?" Florence asked, filing her nails.

"Yeah, yeah," Hopper said, staring the envelope, turning back towards the hall.

He made his way to his office and shut the door. He rummaged through his desk, reaching for his letter opener, and paused. Eyes shifting. He stood up and closed the blinds. Couldn't be too careful. Hopper then returned to his seat and began to open the letter. There were five papers enclosed, each folded in thirds.

Hopper paused again. There was a bit of perspiration collecting on the back of his neck. He went back out into the hall, opened the office fridge, and freed a beer from a six-pack. Then, clutching the beer, he went back to his desk, sat down, and smoothed out the first paper. He cleared his throat, and began to read:

Hawkins Board of Education

Academic Achievement Assessment

Jane Hopper – age 13

Reading - 37%
Writing - 20%
Math - 32%
Science - 41%

Score Breakdown:

READING
Vocabulary – 30%
Reading Comprehension – 45%

WRITING
Grammar – 20%
Analysis – 20%

MATH
Systems of Equations – 21%
Problem solving – 32%
Data Analysis – 35%
Algebra – 20%

SCIENCE
Data Representation– 70%
Research Summaries -23%

As compared to other students:

Reading – 4th grade level
Writing –2nd grade level
Math – 3rd grade level
Science – 4th grade level

Hopper set the papers down with a sigh and popped open the beer. He took a swig, and then another.

What were they going to do? Start the kid off in third grade? Second grade? El was turning fourteen at the end of the year. Hopper had promised her something like a normal life. And dammit, he was going to give that to her. Hopper picked up the papers – and crumpled them. He threw them in the trash. He reached for his phone, and waited.

She picked up on the third ring. He cleared his throat. "Mrs. Wheeler? This is Chief Hopper, Chief of Police. I need to ask you a favor..."