Eleven was holding a broomstick and was sweeping the floor of the cabin. Hopper had started giving her chores so that she wouldn't watch TV the entire time he was at work.
Her usual chores consisted of making her bed and washing the dirty dishes from breakfast and last night's dinner. It wasn't much but it gave a little structure to her mostly lonesome days in the cabin. Besides those he usually gave her another chore that was different per day.
Today she had to swipe the floor clean, hence the broomstick in her hands. While cleaning the floor in the common she came across a blue band. It was laying on the floorboards under Hopper's bed. At first she wanted to throw it away, but it somehow looked familiar. So she decided to put it on the kitchen counter and continued swiping the floor.
When the clock neared two o clock she was finished. She put the broomstick back in its position and headed into the kitchen. She was hungry from all the work. Hopper had made her a sandwich which she could eat in for lunch, but the yellow box in the freezer was calling out there.
Not being able to resist the urge she took the sandwich, but not before taking out one of the waffles in the yellow box. She took the bottle of orange juice as well. Now with her lunch ready she sat down on the couch and started eating.
She turned on the TV with a flick. They were showing a movie she has not yet seen. But the flying house falling down had her instantly hooked, not caring how much missed.
The movie was about a little girl who was in a weird place, she wanted to go home. On the road the girl met goofy friends like a man made out of tin, and a lion. Eleven wondered how a lion could speak, let alone a person made of hay, she would ask Hopper when he got home.
The witch had scared her, but Eleven was interested in how she was flying on a broomstick. She looked away when the witch melted, it reminded her too much of what she did at the school to the bad men.
Eleven was happy for the girl when she finally got home. She especially loved the singing throughout the movie. When the credits rolled she looked over at the broomstick and wondered. She got up and took ahold of the broomstick and sat on it. With her mind she tried to move it up, which it did partially but not much.
After multiple failed attempts she decided to first try to make the stick fly on its own. She laid it down on the floor and held her hand above it, she looked at it intensely before it flew up from the ground into her hand. This is fun she thought.
She dropped the broomstick on the floor and stepped away, helt up her hand and it rises from the ground.
With the broomstick hovering at her waist level she started to move it around the cabin, making it fly. In her excitement she accidently hit one of the animals heads in the wall, causing it to drop to the floor. She quickly moved it back to its position, hoping Hopper wouldn't find out.
Once again she was sitting on the broomstick, however this time she thought she needed a boost. So she was standing on top of the kitchen counter looked at the floor.
Holding the broom up with her powers she jumped off the counter. She was able to hold herself in the air for a second or two before crashing down hard on the floor, hitting her head hard. Because both her hands were grasping the broomstick
Laying on the floor she felt tears spring in her eyes. The fall to the ground had hurt a lot. She sat back up and felt the area on her forehead that she hit. It felt sore, and like a little bult was forming.
The broomstick she was using had broken in half. Worried that Hopper would get angry at her she flicked the pieces up in the air to hide them in the roof.
She started to feel very tired and sat back down on the couch. It wasn't until she sat down that she felt a trickle of blood falling down from her nose. She looked at her shirt and sighed at the blood droplets covering it.
She got up to change it when she heard the secret knock. She looked at the clock, it was already 6. Not wanting to use her powers she walked over to the door and opened it manually.
Hopper took one glance at her and she saw his happy smile turn into worry.
"What happened to you?" he asked.
Eleven shifted uneasy on the palms of her feet, looking down at the floor.
"Playing," she said in a quiet voice.
"Pretty wild I assume?"
She nodded.
"Does your head hurt?"
She shrugged. "Is ok."
"Are you sure, you looked pretty banged up."
"It's ok," she repeated. Stepping aside so that Hopper can fully enter the cabin.
When he stepped further into the house he felt something crunch under his feet. He looked down and saw wooden splinters.
"What did i tell you about doing your chores? No chores, no Eggos."
Eleven let out a huff. "Happened after," she said.
"Get the broomstick, and clean it up. Then i might let it go."
She looked uneasy at the roof where the two pieces of the broomstick where hanging. Not being able to hold in her guilt of breaking it she started to sob.
"I'm sorry, " she started, "I- I broke it. Didn't mean to."
Not being able to be angry at the distress kid, he pulled her into a hug. He himself wasn't that much of a hugger himself, but it just felt right. "Its okay kid, i can try and repair it… where is it?"
With a clunk the wooden pieces fell down from the roof on the floor.
He let go of her and went to pick up the pieces. "How did you manage this?"
"Playing, like movie."
He looked over at the TV that was currently showing a Tide commercial. Useful for getting those blood stains out he thought. Turing back to Eleven with her blood covered t-shirt.
"What movie?"
"One with tin man, and talking lion. Was playing like witch. Hurt myself when i tried to fly."
"Wizard of Oz?"
She nodded. "I jumped and fell. Broke broom."
"Where did you jump off from?"
She pointed towards the counter.
He looked over. "What! Are you cra-"
He stopped when he noticed the blue band lying on it, with a few steps he was near it and picked it up.
"Where did you get this?" he asked while turning towards her. A few tears had sprung up in his eyes.
"Under bed," she said confused. Unsure why Hopper was acting like that.
"Thank you. I've been looking for it for five days."
He again embraced her in a hug. Albeit now it was a little tighter.
"What is it?" she asked while in the unexpected embrace.
"it's a hair band. Girls put it in their hair to keep it out of their face."
"You're not a girl?" she asked, confused. "And mine is too short, " she added.
"It belonged someone close to me, " he said.
"Oh. Okay," she said. Letting go of the hug.
"Im hungry," she said while walking towards the kitchen.
"So am I kid," he said. He had put the hair band back on his arm and followed her into the kitchen to prepare the food.
Eleven usually helped him prepare dinner. However today Hopper recommended her to take a shower and put on a clean t shirt. As she was sweaty from all the playing and exhausting her powers.
When she was done the food was ready and they both seated themselves at the table and dug in to the TV meal.
Eleven looked down at her food, she was still curious if lions could talk.
"Can lions talk?" she asked.
Hopper stifled his laugh. "No kid, those things just happen in movies."