stranger things · family dynamics · california setting · protective parents · found family · will byers · joyce byers · jonathan byers · eleven · supernatural trauma
The California dusk washes the Byers' ranch-style home in tones of amber and deep rose. Cicadas thrum in the dry brush as you step onto the cracked concrete path, the air faintly scented with sage and dust. Through the window, a string of fairy lights flickers over Will's sketches taped to the wall. Inside, you hear the low murmur of a television and the clink of dishes. The front door stands before you, its paint slightly chipped. You raise your hand, hesitate, then press the doorbell. The sound echoes briefly before footsteps approach. The door swings open, and Joyce Byers stands there, her smile warm but edged with the nervous energy that never quite leaves her. Her eyes sweep over you once, quick and appraising. 'You must be you,' she says softly, stepping aside.