25
Finding Home Again
September 23th
El
El looked out the window as they drove. The sun high in the sky now as the afternoon hit.
Iowa wasn't much to see but maybe that's why Mrs Byers had picked it, it kinda looked like Hawkins but wasn't, it didn't hold the same memories, didn't share the same horrors. Just the same never ending fields, diners and shops, everything feeling small.
"Are you excited to see the new house?" Joyce asked looking over at her from where she sat in the passenger seat.
"Yeah," El said, looking over at her with a smile, "But why didn't you want the boys to come with?"
"I thought it would be good to have a girls trip," Joyce answered.
"Oh," was all El said as she watched more of the world pass them by. After a few minutes of silence the older woman reached over and turned on the radio and the song Walking on Sunshine ran through the car.
"Oh I love this song," Joyce said and turned up the volume and to El's surprise started singing along.
"Now every time I go for the mailbox, gotta hold myself down
'Cause I just can't wait 'til you write me you're coming around
I'm walking on sunshine!
I'm walking on sunshine!
I'm walking on sunshine!"
El couldn't help a smile and she knew that's what Mrs. Byers had been after and it had worked, her mood had been lifted, it was just hard given how everything seemed to be setting in now, a new house...meant a new life.
Suddenly they turned onto another street and into a neighborhood. El looked out the window at the houses that would be their neighbors.
They looked quite different from their home now, a lot like Mike's neighborhood with houses that had two stories, green lawns and gardens in front of the windows with colorful flowers. A large park sat on the other side of the houses with families playing with their kids. Everything seemed like it was out of a movie, unreal with how picture perfect it looked.
"What do you think so far?" Joyce asked her.
"It's different," El said as they pulled into a driveway.
They both got out and as El closed her door she found their new home.
It was a two-story house, the outside a light gray color with white outlining it and also had the same green lawn and flower beds as the others.
"Come on let's check out the inside," Joyce said going up to the white front door, keys in hand.
El followed after her as Mrs. Byers unlocked the door and opened it for them.
"You first," Joyce said, holding the door open for her. El went in and felt her eyes go wide.
The living room was bigger than Hoppers whole cabin put together. She stepped further in and found the floor was dark wood and the wallpaper a light green. There was even a fireplace at the end of the room.
"It's so big," El said looking around herself.
"I know, I almost thought it was too big of a house. But the guy I talked to at the government said I could pick anyone I wanted and they're the ones paying after all and we'll have lots of room for when everyone comes to visit."
El nodded as she walked around more and as she stepped around a corner she found the kitchen next, Joyce right behind her.
Again it was something out of a tv show with how large it was. The wallpaper was a bright yellow, the counters a cream white and the flooring white title.
"We finally have a big enough kitchen to have everyone over for thanksgiving," Joyce said looking around herself.
"Everyone's going to be coming over for Thanksgiving?" El asked.
Mrs Byers nodded, "Me and Mrs Wheeler have already talked about it Mike and everyone are coming for Thanksgiving and to stay over around Christmas break."
El smiled then at the thought of her friends coming here, she knew they would be apart but not forever.
"Hey do you want to be the first one to pick your bedroom," Joyce asked.
El's eyes lit up at her question, " Can I really?"
"Hell yeah you can, " Joyce said.
El looked towards the staircase in the living room a moment before she took off up them, Mrs Byers smiling after her.
El reached the second floor and saw there were four doors. She went over to the first one and pushed it open. She found a middle-sized room with light blue wallpaper and wooden floors. She went over to the window and opened it to see the green backyard, a fence lining the yard. El closed them, this room felt more like Wills.
She went to the next and found it was the same size but it was a deep blue, again it didn't seem like her, she closed the door and turned for the next one.
This time when she opened the door she found the perfect room, at least to her it was. This one was a little smaller but that didn't bother her, it actually reminded her of the cabin. The walls in this one was a soft purple, there was room for everything that had been in her old bedroom if not more, she could even have a bookshelf now.
"You like this one?"
El turned and found Mrs Byers standing in the doorway watching her with a small smile.
"Yeah," El said, " I really like the color."
"Me too," Mrs Byers said, coming into the room further, looking around before she looked back at El and let out a breath. "I know this house doesn't really feel like a home yet, I know it's new and empty and not anything like we've had before, but it's a new start for all of us away from Hawkins, away from the lab, away from the ghosts, away from the bad memories."
El looked down but knew she was right, Hawkins was the only place she had ever known and for 12 years it had been only bad things.
"I'm excited to move here," El said finally and it was true, "I'm excited to see what comes next."
Mrs. Byers gave her a happy smile before she spoke, "Come here I want to do something."
El followed after her back into the hallway and over to a bathroom door.
"Stand in front of the door frame," Mrs. Byers said, taking out a black marker from her bag.
El wondered what she wanted to do but did as she was told anyway and stepped in front of the white door frame.
Mrs Byers moved to stand in front of her and El heard the sounds of the marker over her head, after a moment the older women stepped back.
"There now it's starting to look more like a home than just a house."
El turned to look at what she meant and saw a line in the white wood, her age, and name next to it. "What's that for?" El asked.
"It's to mark how tall you are right now so in a few months we can look back and see how much taller you've gotten," Joyce answered.
El smiled at it wondering how much taller she would get.
"I've got one more surprise for you," Joyce said, "But we have to go somewhere to see it."
El looked up at her confused, what else was there?
She followed Joyce down the stairs and out to the car before they got back in and started to drive somewhere else. But she didn't have to wonder long as they pulled into the parking lot of a pet shop.
El felt her eyes got wide with excitement as she looked to Mrs. Byers and found the other woman already looking at her with a smile.
"Well, what are you waiting for? let's go in."
She didn't have to be told twice as she opened the door and basically ran into the store, Mrs. Byers having to jog after her.
A bell rang out as she pushed open the door and was met with a smiling older man.
"How can I help you today?" He asked as Joyce followed after El. "We're just looking today," she answered.
El went over to each cage looking into see the cat or dog inside. They were all cute but there was one that stood out to her the second she met their eyes. It was a white cat, almost the twin of the one she had been asked to kill so long ago now, but the eyes were different. One yellow, one a light blue.
"What's her name?" El asked, turning to look at the man.
"Oh that's Daisy, she's a sweetheart but her eyes scare a lot of people off I'm afraid."
El looked at the cat once more before looking up at Mrs. Byers. "Can we get her?"
" Well I wanted to wait until the boys were here to all agree on one… " she looked back at the store owner. "Can we put her on hold? We're moving here in a few weeks."
"Sure it's a small fine though."
"That's fine," Joyce said watching as El put a finger in the cage. Daisy smelled it a second before she rubbed her face against it happily. The sound of purring filling the quiet.
Joyce went over and signed a few papers before she and El hopped back in the car to start their long drive back.
El watched as the world passed her in a blur once more. She knew that this move was going to hurt, hurt a lot. Hurt leaving her only friends behind besides Will. Hurt at leaving the only home she had ever known. But maybe, just maybe she would be able to call this place home too.
AN
As always thanks for reading, it means a lot to me. If you want to review and give me your thoughts and or any criticism on what I could do better please feel free, it always helps. Only one more chapter now. Stay safe everyone :D