December 22, 1984
"So what do we need to get?" El asked Hopper, looking around Melvald's General Store taking it all in as best she could. It was the first place she and him had gone out together after the snowball. The air still cold and filled with snow, but hints of spring were laced within it. He had told her after coming back from a meeting with Dr. Owens that she would be able to start going out of the cabin, the first had been the dance and now this.
It would be slow of course, going here and there every now and then and it would be a year or so before she got to go to a real school. After all people would have questions, but she had a cover story.
Hopper had told her to tell anyone who asked that he had taken her in after his sister died, leaving her no one in the world but him in the way of family. She was just happy to be going out and seeing the town, be able to see Mike and the others.
"We just need to get some groceries, but if you see anything you want just ask," Hopper said grabbing a cart and started down one of the aisles with canned goods.
El followed after him, her hands in the pockets of Mike's red hoodie he had given her a few days ago when they had been walking home and she hadn't given it back since it still smelled like him, his clean clothing smell that always made her smile.
Hopper stopped and threw a few cans of vegetables into the basket before moving on to grab his favorite chips and salsa.
El looked at the shelves reading the labels as they turned into another aisle but stopped as whispering found her ears.
She turned around and found an older woman shooting her a look but she wasn't talking, just looking at her like she was from the moon.
El would get used to that in the coming months, but for now, she wasn't a fan.
She focused on the rack of postcards the woman was standing next to and a second later it started to spin. Slowly at first and then faster and faster until the woman looked away from her and let out a little cry of surprise as a card hit her in the face.
El turned away, wiping at her nose, a dot of red coming away and found Hopper grabbing a box of something called capri sun and put it in the cart.
"Why do people stare?" El asked as they stopped at the freezer and Hopper started filling the basket with the tv dinners they always had.
"Who was staring?" Hopper asked looking back at her, worry in his eyes now.
"A woman," she answered not sure why he was so concerned, it would take her a long time to understand that he was scared that Dr. Owens would want her back, take her from him.
"Stay here," he said and started towards the checkout where Mrs. Byers stood helping a line of people.
She did as she was told, but only for a moment, then she heard it again. That whisper. She turned towards where it sounded like it was coming from and started for it. The aisle was in the very back of the store, the light from the windows didn't reach making it dimmer than the rest of the store, the air colder.
The sound got clearer as she reached the back and found an aisle filled with electronics.
Tv's, games, walkie-talkies, phones with curled cords in all colors and radios. El walked down the aisle, the sound of people in the distance now as she ran her fingers down the cold shelf until she found what was making the whispering.
El stopped and looked at the peach-colored radio, it was new and clean, fresh out of the box. She pressed a button marked "open" and the window like thing in the front popped out making her take a step back in surprise.
She pushed it back in carefully and it closed with a snap. Later on, Mike would tell her it was for cassette tapes. Something used for recording songs from the radio and you could play it back over and over again. He would even make her one with his favorite songs on it.
She played with the dial a moment until it landed on Shot Through The Heart by someone named Bon Jovi.
"Didn't somebody somewhere say
You're gonna take a fall?
I gave you everything.
Now here's the curtain call And I'm shot through the heart
As I lay there alone
In the dark."
A smile crossed her lips as she kept going but it fell seconds later as she heard footsteps.
She turned just in time to find Hopper turning the corner in a jog, looking angry. But also a little pale, almost like he was scared. "There you are," he said taking her by the shoulders, "Why didn't you stay where I told you too!"
El felt shock go through her at his hard words and grip, she hadn't thought she was doing anything wrong but he clearly did. "I-I I'm sorry," she said, surprise in her voice and it must have been clear on her face as well.
He shook his head and rubbed at his face. "Don't be sorry, just...just please don't leave without me knowing next time okay?"
She nodded quickly and he let out a breath.
"What did you come over here for anyway?"
"I heard a sound and found the radio on," El answered pointing to where it still played
. "Standing there, just a live wire
With nowhere left to turn.
You were gonna set the world on fire,
But you'll never learn"
He went over to it and pressed a few buttons like she had seeming just as interested.
"Can I have?" El asked quietly, looking up at him.
He looked down at her and chewed on his lip a moment before he spoke. "Do you promise not to do that again, scare me like that?"
She nodded, smiling like crazy.
"Alright then." He said grabbing her peach radio and put it in the cart.