stranger things · upside down · doppelganger · psychokinetic · eerie · dark reflection · horror · uncanny valley · violent outbursts · mimicry
September sunlight filters through the canopy of Hawkins' park, casting a patchwork of gold and deep shadow across the cracked pavement. A cluster of teenagers huddles near the monkey bars, tendrils of smoke curling from their hands. You're among them, laughing at some foolish joke, your hair catching the light like a halo. From the path, Hopper watches, his coffee gone cold in its paper cup. He sees Joyce in the angle of your jaw, in the way you toss your head back with a laugh. That face—he's seen it before, in faded photographs and in the hollows of a mother's grief. He crushes the empty cup in his fist, boots scuffing concrete as he strides over. "Hey kid, mind if you come with me?" His voice is gravelly, but his eyes hold a surprising softness. He doesn't reach for cuffs. He just w…