Eli got up before his usual time. Nothing startled him - no shouting down the hall, no System beep beneath his nerves. Just blinked awake, aware in a fuzzy, unfamiliar way.
His body felt a bit stiff from the self-defense class with Hopper last night - not sore, just strange, like waking up parts he never used much. Sitting up slow, he reached both arms forward while running through what they'd done. Instead of sharp commands, Hopper spoke calm and clear - feet flat on floor, knees loose, hands ready without locking up, balance held close to center. All moves tight, nothing flashy.
Eli got up, practiced the pose once more in the hushed space - nobody around, nothing on the line. Pure stillness. Breath moving slow.
Downstairs, a faint clatter of pots echoed alongside the quiet buzz of the ceiling light. Marcy was moving around - she'd been awake awhile. Pulling on his clothes, he headed downstairs. Her back was turned until she reached for something on the countertop; that's when she saw him.
"Mornin'," she muttered, slightly caught off guard. "Huh, you're awake before sunrise."
"Yeah. Just woke up."
She didn't push it further. Instead, she faced the stove again, giving him space to sit down without asking what was on his mind. From the counter, the radio hummed quietly, a calm voice listing search teams, locals helping out, or that kid from the Byers family who'd vanished. None of this told Eli something new, yet actually hearing it somehow pinned everything down - like now it couldn't just disappear.
Marcy lowered the volume. "You don't need to worry," she said. "Hopper's on it. They'll find him."
Eli gave a quick nod - his throat felt tight, like words might slip out wrong. Still, he stayed quiet, figuring silence was safer.
He chewed without rushing, the hot meal calming him more than he thought possible. While eating, he moved slightly on the seat, repositioning his feet carefully - just like Hopper taught - feet flat, body even, posture firm. Seemed restless, yet it eased something inside his ribcage.
As they got ready to leave, Marcy said she'd drive him - Eli just waved it off.
"I can walk."
She paused for just a second, then gave a quick nod. "Fine - just stay on the paths."
The cold air bit - crisp, clear. Clouds sagged overhead, dull silver, like the day held its breath. Hands tucked deep, Eli moved without hurry or pause. Each footfall mattered - the way concrete answered back. No sprinting. No slowing down either. One step after another, that's all.
Hawkins Middle felt calm when he showed up. Groups of kids hung near the entrance, adults with papers kept watch, voices chatting about regular stuff floated around. Nobody seemed close to stumbling into anything weird. As Eli slipped past everyone without a glance, he stuck to Marcy's directions leading straight to the main room.
The secretary grinned - gave him the timetable, locker code, along with a useless map. "Glad you're here at Hawkins," she added, upbeat.
He gave a nod, said thanks in a low voice - then kept going.
Lessons felt easy. When teachers had him introduce himself, he stayed brief - no extra words. Other students glanced over, just checking him out, nothing mean about it. Come lunchtime, he took a seat by himself, not due to choice but habit - he liked to watch before jumping in. He studied how people grouped up, where they sat, how loud things got. He spotted Mike, Lucas - Dustin huddled close, talking loud, acting like nothing changed. Not a single thing seemed off, even though everything should've been different by now.
He stayed back. Yet he chose not to step in.
After class finished, Marcy came by to get him rather than let him go home on foot. She mentioned Hopper wanted her to stay near him for a bit - until stuff settled down locally. He didn't push back.
Back in his room, he put the bag down - then suddenly found himself slipping into the stance Hopper had shown him. This round, he tossed in little repeats. Move ahead ten times, but then go backward just as many. Shift left, then right. Lift hands and hold them during a lazy count. Start over. Take a breath.
Nothing heavy. Not anything loud or flashy either. A calm pattern instead - something slow that helped him think clearly.
The System stayed silent, yet a soft sense of okay settled under his chest - just like that small thump he got whenever things leaned toward living, moving forward, or following the calm route he'd chosen on his own.
It wasn't a lot. Yet it gave him a place to start.