Chapter 31: Argument
The sky was gloomy, with leaden clouds hanging low, as if they might press down upon the low rooftops of Hawkins at any moment.
Hopper drove his police car, the tires crunching over the damp road surface with a gritty sound.
The vehicle screeched to a halt in front of the Byers' somewhat worn-out house.
Hopper took a deep breath, trying to calm his restless mood, but the furrows between his brows remained deep.
He strode up the creaking wooden porch steps, his thick palm slamming against the door with a dull yet forceful 'thud-thud' sound.
"Joyce! It's me, Hopper! Open the door!" His voice carried an undeniable urgency.
Inside, there was only silence, save for the mournful howl of the wind through the eaves.
Hopper listened intently but didn't hear the expected hurried footsteps or Joyce's response.
He frowned and raised his hand again, preparing to knock with greater force.
Just as his knuckles were about to fall again, the door clicked and was abruptly pulled open from inside.
Joyce Byers stood in the doorway, her hair slightly disheveled, her expression heavy with panic.
"Hopper!" Her voice was somewhat hoarse but equally urgent.
"You came at the right time. Oh my god, I... I also wanted to find you, I had to find you right away!"
Their eyes met, both seeing in the other's gaze the familiar vigilance and worry shrouded by a supernatural shadow.
At the other end of town, on a forest path, two extremely faint disturbances appeared, almost blending into the environment.
Andy was holding Eleven's hand as they walked along the winding dirt road towards Hawkins Middle School.
Eleven kept close to Andy's side, her pace faster than usual, her eyes shining with a mix of nervousness, anticipation, and the excitement of release after long suppression.
This was the first time in nearly a year that she had truly stepped out of Hopper's isolated cabin and into this external world, both familiar and strange to her.
The surrounding trees, the occasional flitting bird shadows, the faint sounds of distant vehicles—all felt novel to her. But stronger still was her longing to see Mike.
People tend to be especially nervous when doing something wrong; she kept glancing around nervously.
Despite Andy's assurances, she still felt an instinctive unease about being exposed in the open environment.
She tugged on Andy's hand, lowered her voice, and spoke with a hint of uncertainty.
"Andy, are you sure... they can't see us? The people on the road, and... the people at school?"
Andy squeezed her hand, giving a reassuring pressure.
He concentrated, maintaining the precise and stable psychic illusion covering both of them.
"Of course," he replied in a low, confident tone, his voice carrying a slight resonance from using his ability.
"I've been using the illusion to shield us from passersby all the way. To them, we're no different from thin air, or at most just the illusion of wind rustling through the grass. As long as we don't actively make loud noises or touch them, we won't be discovered."
They passed through the last stretch of woodland, and the familiar brick-red building of Hawkins Middle School came into view.
"Let's go," Andy motioned for Eleven to follow. "We can only watch them from a distance, Eleven. Remember, no getting close, no making a sound."
He earnestly warned her, well aware of the boundaries of this adventure.
Eleven nodded, but her gaze was already eagerly scanning the campus, searching for that familiar figure.
"Where are they?" she asked urgently, her voice kept extremely low.
Andy closed his eyes. A strand of extremely subtle psychic perception, like an intangible tentacle, quickly swept over several main buildings.
A few seconds later, he opened his eyes, but his expression turned somewhat odd, his eyebrows raised.
"Gymnasium," he said, but his tone carried obvious hesitation and a trace of... unbelievable absurdity. "But..."
"But what?" Eleven keenly caught the anomaly in his tone, turning her head to look at him in confusion.
Andy scratched his head, seemingly weighing his words. He finally chose a term he had recently learned from a TV show Hopper occasionally watched, which he thought was quite fitting.
"But... it seems Mike has 'cheated.'"
"Che... cheated?"
Eleven repeated the unfamiliar word, her blue eyes filled with pure confusion.
"Uh, 'cheated,'" Andy didn't know how to explain the complex concept of interpersonal emotional betrayal to Eleven in detail, so he could only summarize vaguely.
"Anyway... you'll understand when you see it."
This vague explanation only deepened Eleven's confusion, but her desire to see Mike overwhelmed everything.
The two reached a consensus and continued carefully moving towards the gymnasium.
However, just as they were about to reach the heavy double wooden doors of the gym, with only a dozen or so steps left to their target, Andy's footsteps suddenly halted, and his expression changed drastically!
He gasped, letting out a low exclamation: "Holy shit!"
"What now?" Eleven was startled by his sudden reaction and quickly turned to ask, simultaneously looking around nervously, afraid the illusion had failed and they'd been discovered.
Andy's face turned unusually serious, even somewhat pale.
He raised a hand to press against his temple, his gaze sharp as he looked towards a certain direction deep within the campus.
"Will... something's happened to Will again!"
His voice was tense. "I feel the mental link between us, just like last night, has been forcibly severed!"
Eleven's heart immediately tightened.
Although she was currently filled with excitement about seeing Mike, Will was also her friend, someone Mike cherished, and someone Andy was concerned about and considered an anomaly.
"But, Mike..."
She hesitated, looking towards the gymnasium door so close at hand.
"Forget about him!"
Andy made a decisive decision, pulling Eleven's hand firmly, his tone leaving no room for doubt.
"Let's go find Will first. His situation might be more dangerous! And if they find out something's happened to Will later, they'll definitely come looking.
When more people show up, our chances of being discovered are higher, especially you. If you suddenly run into Mike, it'll be a huge problem!"
Reason ultimately overcame the strong desire.
Eleven bit her lower lip, took one last deep look at the gymnasium door as if she could see through the wooden boards, then nodded firmly and followed Andy as he turned and walked quickly in the direction where Andy sensed Will's mental signal had last disappeared and been forcibly severed.
Andy simultaneously adjusted the intensity of the illusion, ensuring it could still conceal both of them even in closer proximity and more complex environments.
They moved through the empty corridors. Just as they turned a corner and were about to enter another hallway, Andy suddenly slammed to a stop, his arm shooting out to firmly block Eleven behind him!
Caught off guard, Eleven almost bumped into his back.
Not far ahead, Dustin was walking hurriedly along the corridor with his back to them. He seemed to be holding something, head bowed, expression focused, muttering to himself.
The direction he was walking partially overlapped with the direction Andy and Eleven needed to go to find Will.
They were about to run head-on into him!
Andy reacted as fast as lightning. He pulled Eleven back quickly into the shadow of the corner, simultaneously activating the concealment effect of the psychic illusion and adding a strong psychological suggestion of "nothing is happening here."
He held his breath. Eleven also covered her mouth nervously. They pressed against the cold wall.
Dustin passed by the corner completely unaware, coming within just two or three meters of them at the closest point.
He even instinctively glanced towards this corner, but his gaze just swept over without focus, as if there were only ordinary wall shadows there, then he continued focusing on the thing in his hands and turned into the door marked 'Men's Restroom' beside him.
Only after Dustin's figure disappeared behind the door did Andy slowly let out a sigh of relief, though his brow remained furrowed.
He motioned for Eleven to follow. The two drifted like ghosts to the restroom door.
The door was slightly ajar. Inside came the sound of a dripping faucet and Dustin's hushed muttering, as if he were talking to something.
Andy carefully used telekinesis to push the door open a crack almost invisible. The two peered through the gap.
"What is that thing?"
After just one glance, Andy's face showed unconcealed disgust and disdain.
Dustin was standing by the sink, carefully holding a... living creature in his hands.
The thing looked like a slimy, four-legged slug magnified over a dozen times, its body constantly writhing and squealing.
Dustin wore a complex expression of both fear and excitement, softly comforting the disgusting creature.
Then, he actually carefully lifted this "slug" and placed it on top of his fluffy, curly hair, quickly pulling down his signature cap to hide the monster securely inside!
Just then, the restroom door creaked open again!
Mike, Lucas, and Max all rushed in together.
"Where's Dart?" Mike asked urgently as soon as he entered, his eyes scanning the empty restroom stalls.
Seeing Mike suddenly appear, and so close, Andy instantly glanced at Eleven beside him.
Eleven's body had stiffened abruptly. Her eyes were wide open, unblinking, tightly locked on Mike.
The boy she had missed for countless days and nights, whose reunion she had pictured in her mind countless times, was now standing alive less than three meters away!
His voice, his appearance, the anxious look on his face... everything was so real.
Tears welled up in Eleven's eyes without warning, silently streaming down her pale cheeks.
She instinctively leaned forward slightly, her lips parting as if she wanted to call his name, but Andy stopped her in time with a look and a tighter squeeze of her hand.
Meanwhile, Mike seemed to sense something unusual as well.
He was opening each toilet stall door one by one, searching for the monster "Dart," but his movements suddenly paused.
An indescribable feeling, as if being watched by an extremely familiar yet almost imperceptibly faint gaze, came from his side and behind.
Almost instinctively, he sharply turned his head, his piercing gaze shooting straight towards the innermost corner of the restroom.
Because Andy and Eleven were standing in the farthest corner, and Dustin, in his attempt to conceal the anomaly under his cap, happened to be standing slightly ahead, between them and Mike.
So, when Mike's gaze swept over like a searchlight, Dustin's heart almost leapt out of his throat. He thought Mike had discovered the secret under his cap.
He trembled nervously, instinctively shifting his body, trying to block Mike's line of sight or adjust to a more natural posture.
This movement of his, however, had an unexpected effect.
His slight bodily displacement happened to make Eleven's figure, originally partially obscured by him under the illusion's cover, more fully "exposed" in the direction of Mike's line of sight!
Two kids, deeply missing each other and bound by fate, were now separated by only two meters in physical space. Eleven could clearly see every subtle expression on Mike's face.
Yet Mike remained completely unaware of her, so close at hand. Before him was only an empty corner and a visibly nervous Dustin.
"Wh... what's wrong? What did you find?"
Dustin stammered, his voice trembling with guilt as he stiffened even more, blocking the corner.
Mike's gaze lingered on that corner for what felt like an eternity.
He frowned, a flicker of confusion and an inexplicable... stirring in his eyes.
There was clearly nothing there, only a wall and a mop bucket.
But that feeling just a moment ago... He shook his head, attributing it to nerves from searching for Will and worrying about Dustin causing new trouble.
"Nothing," he finally said, a hint of barely perceptible disappointment in his voice as he looked away.
"Has anyone seen where Will went?"
Just as Mike and the others were still questioning Dustin in the bathroom, the screech of tires tearing across pavement echoed from outside Hawkins Middle School!
A blue-and-white police car screeched to a halt almost sideways at the school gate. The doors flew open, and Hopper and Joyce practically jumped out.
Joyce and Hopper charged straight into the school building.
Their goal was clear—find Will.
Hopper had already learned from Joyce that Will's camera had recorded a strange shadow.
After receiving the school's vague phone call, Joyce was frantic. Hopper happened to arrive, and they immediately decided to come straight to the school.
As they anxiously searched the first-floor corridor, they nearly collided with Dustin, who was hiding Dart under his hat and was a nervous wreck.
"Mrs. Byers? Sheriff Hopper?"
Seeing the two of them at school together, especially Joyce's near-breakdown state and Hopper's stern expression, Dustin was so shocked he almost jumped. He quickly pressed a hand to his hat.
"Dustin! What's going on? Where's Will?"
Before the words faded, from the other end of the hallway, Lucas burst through a door, his face a mix of excitement and panic at discovering a major clue. He yelled at the top of his lungs.
"The field! Quick!"
The shout was like a starting pistol.
Joyce reacted first, shooting off like an arrow in the direction Lucas pointed. Hopper followed close behind. Dustin hesitated for a second, then hurried after them.
The group, like a fire brigade, rushed down the hallway, burst through a side door, and sprinted toward the empty field.
On the field, Will Byers stood alone in the open space, as motionless as a statue, except for his rolled-back eyes.
And on the edge of the field, not far from Will, concealed under an exquisite layer of psychic illusion invisible to the naked eye, Andy and Eleven stood side by side, holding hands.
Their expressions were extremely grave, their eyes locked on Will, and on the terrifying scene only they could "see" within Will's consciousness!
A mass of thick, ink-black, roiling and twisting shadow particles hovered before Will.
The shadow was not physical, yet it radiated a soul-chilling cold and malice. It was like a living storm, a greedy maw, madly transforming countless tiny black particles into visible black "currents," forcing them into Will's slightly parted mouth and nose!
Will's eyes were wide open, pupils dilated, filled with ultimate fear and confusion. His body trembled slightly, yet he was completely unable to resist, as if pinned in place by an invisible force, passively enduring this terrible "invasion."
"That's it..."
Andy hissed through clenched teeth—the immense threat he had sensed at the edge of Will's consciousness last night.
Seeing this, Eleven and Andy exchanged a glance. No words were needed; understanding was reached in an instant.
They simultaneously gripped each other's hands tightly, closed their eyes, and concentrated all their psychic power!
In that moment, an invisible yet immense force rippled out from the two of them!
Their telekinesis transformed into a violent, pure shockwave, slamming directly into the core of the shadow mass!
The rampaging black shadow clearly hadn't expected such a powerful and precise counterattack.
It emitted a silent, sharp psychic shriek only Andy and Eleven could perceive, churning even more violently as it tried to resist.
But against the combined, all-out, unreserved strike of the two, its resistance seemed utterly futile.
A large number of black particles rapidly melted and disintegrated like ice under sunlight, emitting a faint "sizzling" sound akin to energy annihilation.
Just as the shadow was largely dispersed, and Will's consciousness seemed to regain a flicker of clarity in a dazed moment...
His unfocused pupils faintly reflected the blurred silhouettes of two figures standing side by side, as if enveloped in a faint light.
The next moment, an even stronger force erupted completely!
The remaining shadow, like smoke scattered by a gale, shrieked and dissipated completely into the air. The control over Will vanished along with it.
"Urgh!" Will's body jolted violently, as if waking from a nightmare. He staggered back a step, his legs giving way, about to collapse to the ground.
And at that very moment, Joyce and the others finally reached the edge of the field.
"Will!" Joyce cried out, rushing forward first, tightly embracing her nearly exhausted son.
Lucas, Dustin, Max, and Mike, who had been standing guard nearby, also gathered around.
Hopper strode over, crouched down, and carefully examined Will's condition, his brow tightly furrowed.
However, while everyone's attention was focused on Will, in an unnoticed corner, Sheriff Hopper's gaze, like that of the most seasoned hunter, swept inconspicuously over a patch of empty ground beside where Will had been standing.
Just before Will woke and the shadow dissipated, the corner of Hopper's eye seemed to catch an extremely subtle anomaly.
On the edge of the field, less than two meters from Will, the air—or rather, the scene—had "flickered" for an extremely brief moment.
It was like the momentary static and distortion on an old TV screen with unstable signal. The area was small, lasting maybe only a few seconds, before it returned to the normal appearance of the field.
Hopper's heart gave a violent thump!
He quickly looked away, showing no outward sign of anything unusual, continuing to watch Will and Joyce with concern.
But his mind was racing. That wasn't an illusion. He recognized that kind of "flicker." Andy had hidden like that before.
He looked at Will, pale and shaken, being held tightly by his mother. Then, with a seemingly casual but razor-sharp glance, he looked again at that patch of now-"normal" empty ground.
A cold fury, mixed with lingering fear and extreme worry, began to gather and churn in his chest.
He had already guessed which two kids were there, and what they had done.
He took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the urge to confront them immediately.
Now wasn't the time. There were too many people here. It was too dangerous.
"Alright," Hopper stood up, his voice returning to its usual gruff, authoritative tone. He clapped his hands, drawing everyone's attention.
"That's it. We're going. Get out of here, now! Into the car, home! Everyone understand?"
His tone was urgent, brooking no argument. His gaze swept over the kids with particular severity, as if shooing away a flock of disobedient chicks.
With that, he looked at no one else, not even waiting for Joyce to fully help Will up. He turned and strode away, head held high, without looking back, toward where the police car was parked. His back seemed unusually tense and suppressed.
The group walked to the school gate in a heavy atmosphere.
Joyce half-carried, half-supported Will into the car and left. Dustin, Mike, and the others stood worriedly by the vehicle. Hopper briefly told them to hurry home and not linger outside.
Then, without a word, Hopper walked around to the back of the car. First, he opened the other rear passenger door, casually tossing his brown sheriff's hat onto the empty seat as if at random.
Next, as if suddenly remembering something, he frowned, walked to the rear of the car, and with a "click," opened the trunk.
The trunk was somewhat messy, containing some tools, a spare tire, and a few coils of rope.
Hopper, with his back to everyone, bent over, pretending to rummage inside. He fiddled with a few things, as if checking if something was secure or looking for a lost item.
His movements seemed somewhat absent-minded, but his ears were pricked, all his senses focused on the car's interior behind him.
A few seconds later, he felt an extremely faint, almost imperceptible dip and rebound from the car's body—a slight movement, as if something not too heavy had quietly landed in the rear seat area.
Then, about a second or two later, came another equally slight jolt.
Hopper's movements paused for half a second.
He didn't turn around, still maintaining his posture of inspecting the trunk. But he lowered his voice, asking the air in a tone almost only he could hear: "Everyone in?"
As soon as he finished speaking, a clear, familiar voice, carrying a hint of task-completed relief yet directly echoing in his mind, responded: "Yep."
It was Andy's telepathic message.
Hopper's body relaxed almost imperceptibly, but was immediately replaced by deeper anger.
He straightened up quickly, his eyes scanning the area around the school gate like lightning.
The kids had already dispersed. No one else was paying attention.
Without further hesitation, he efficiently slammed the trunk shut with a "thud," then quickly walked around to the side and closed the rear passenger door.
Then he opened the driver's door, got in, started the engine, shifted gears, and pressed the accelerator in one fluid motion. The police car growled and sped away from Hawkins Middle School, leaving the field where the bizarre event had just occurred far behind.
The drive was silent, filled only with the roar of the engine and the sound of tires on the road.
The atmosphere inside the car was stifling. Through the rearview mirror, Hopper could see the back seat was empty.
The vehicle raced along the winding forest road, finally making a sharp turn and stopping in front of Hopper's remote cabin deep in the woods.
The engine cut off, and the silence of the mountains and forest instantly enveloped them.
Hopper got out first. He slammed the car door shut with force, the loud noise startling a few crows from nearby trees.
He didn't enter the house immediately. Instead, he walked to the cabin door, took out his key, unlocked it, then stood sideways by the doorway, his gaze icy as he looked toward the direction of the police car's back seat.
A few seconds later, the air seemed to ripple like water.
Immediately after, the figures of Andy and Eleven appeared out of thin air on the empty ground beside the car, as if stepping out from behind an invisible curtain.
Andy looked somewhat tired, but his eyes were still bright.
Seeing the two suddenly materialize, Hopper showed no surprise on his face, as if he had expected them to get out here all along.
Only after entering the house did the muscles in his face twitch slightly, his chest beginning to rise and fall noticeably. The anger he had suppressed the entire way, like a volcano about to erupt, could no longer be contained in his deep-set eyes.
"You!" His voice was low and hoarse, brimming with thunderous fury. "How dare you! How dare you just run off on your own like this!"
He strode forward, his tall figure exuding an intense, oppressive aura.
Instinctively, Andy moved to shield Eleven behind him. Facing Hopper's wrath, he tried to explain, his voice much quieter than usual.
"No one saw us, Hopper. I used my ability to shield us from everyone. From the moment we left the cabin until we returned, I can guarantee it."
"'You can guarantee it'?!" Hopper's voice suddenly rose sharply.
"Are you absolutely sure no one saw you? Anyone! Even an accidental glance, a feeling that something was off that made someone look back!"
"I'm sure." Andy shrugged, trying to downplay the seriousness of the situation with the gesture.
"My illusion was stable. Unless it was someone like you... or like Will, who are inherently sensitive to their surroundings, or someone observing a specific spot very closely for a long time, they might notice an extremely subtle flaw. Ordinary passersby wouldn't even give us a second glance."
This seemingly casual gesture and explanation acted like fuel on the fire. Hopper's anger erupted completely.
"Andy! Eleven doesn't understand the complexity and danger of the outside world! She doesn't understand the consequences of being discovered! Do you not understand either?!"
Hopper's roar shook the cabin. He pointed at Andy, his finger trembling with rage.
"Do you think your ability is all-powerful? Do you think you'll be this lucky every time?! Do you have any idea the danger you'd bring to all of us if you were discovered, even just once?!"
He took another step forward, his gaze piercing as if trying to see right through Andy. "There could be people watching everywhere in Hawkins now! There are leftover Lab informants, other people interested in this whole mess, and Dr. Owens isn't completely trustworthy either!"
"If you were discovered, especially if Eleven was recognized, even just once—if just one nosy neighbor saw and reported a strange kid—those men in suits and sunglasses would swarm here like sharks smelling blood!"
"They'd tear this whole area apart! Everything we've so carefully built, this fragile, pretend-normal peaceful life, would be shattered in an instant!"
"All of us—me, you, Eleven, Joyce, Will, Mike and the others—would be dragged back into that nightmare! And this time, there might be no one left to pull us out!"
"We just went out for a bit!"
Eleven, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke up in rebuttal. Her voice was soft but filled with the hurt and indignation of being scolded.
"I didn't do anything bad. I just wanted to see Mike! Andy helped me. We were careful!"
"'Just went out for a bit'?!"
Hopper whirled around to face Eleven, his anger now mixed with an indescribable pain and fear.
"Can you promise you'll never want to go out again?! This time it was to see Mike, but what about next time? And the time after that?!"
Hopper knew all too well that once a rule was broken once, there would be a second time, a third time, countless times!
"Someday, Andy, your ability will fail, you'll make a mistake! Or you'll run into one of those freaky things like what was near Will today that can interfere with your abilities!"
"Just one slip-up! Just one!"
"And they'll find you again, capture you, lock you back up in those blindingly white rooms, and use you for those damn experiments! And I..."
His voice suddenly dropped, filled with endless dread and sorrow. "...I would lose my child again. Forever."
Those final words hit Eleven like a hammer to the heart. They hit Andy the same way.
Eleven froze. She saw Hopper's red-rimmed eyes, the pain in them was so raw and intense.
Hopper scrubbed a hand roughly over his face, trying to regain his composure, but disappointment and anger still ruled him.
"I only asked you to follow three rules! I even... I even risked agreeing to let Andy move nearby to be with you, thinking he could understand better, guide you better, make you feel less alone! But you couldn't even follow these three basic rules meant for your own safety!"
He turned abruptly, no longer looking at them, and strode over to the old black-and-white television in the cabin as if it were the current vessel for his rage.
"You have to face the consequences for your actions!" he said, his back to them, his voice cold and hard.
"You're grounded! For a week! A whole week, you don't leave this cabin! And you can't see Andy! And no TV!"
"NO!" Eleven finally screamed, tears welling up and spilling over.
The punishment of being grounded and not being allowed to see Andy was harder for her to bear than any scolding.
"Hopper, isn't that a bit too harsh?"
Andy couldn't help but step forward, trying to defend Eleven, and himself.
"We didn't cause any actual danger or harm. We just went out for a bit, and we made sure no one could see us. My ability is more than enough for that."
Hopper spun around sharply, directing all his firepower at Andy. His eyes were filled with the disappointment of betrayal.
"And you! Andy! You too! For a week, you are not to set foot in this cabin, you are not to come looking for Eleven! Did you think you were exempt from this?"
"No!" Andy raised his voice too, the unfairness and anger rising in him at Hopper's harsh punishment for Eleven and his own involvement.
"I just took Eleven out for a bit! We just went to the school, looked from a distance! I made sure we got there and back safely! No one could have seen us! Why won't you just believe that I can protect her, protect us?!"
"You still don't get it!" Hopper's voice was nearly a roar. He pointed at Andy, then at Eleven.
"Yes, you can hide! Your ability is more versatile, better at concealment and creating illusions. If you were alone, maybe you could handle yourself against those people hunting you, escape whenever you needed!"
"But Eleven can't! Her ability is stronger, but it's also more obvious!"
"More importantly, their main target, from the very beginning until now, has always been her!"
"The legacy of those Lab maniacs—what they most want to control, to study—is El!"
"You taking her out is like waving the most obvious target in front of the enemy! That in itself is the greatest danger! Your so-called 'safety' is based on not encountering truly professional tracking and detection! It's luck!"
He was breathing heavily, his disappointment palpable.
"I've been... I've been looking after you both! I've provided you with shelter, food, protection! I've done everything I can to help you adapt to this world, to find a way to live in it, to live like normal people!"
"I thought you, Andy, understood the rules and dangers of the outside world better than Eleven. I thought you were more mature, that you understood why we have to hide, why we have to endure!"
"I chose to believe you could follow these rules, that you could be an example and a restraint for Eleven!"
"And all I needed you to do was one thing: stay here with Eleven, lay low, hide, wait for the heat to die down, or wait until we find a more permanent, safer solution! And you couldn't even manage that one basic thing!"
"'You believed in me'?"
Listening to Hopper's words, Andy only felt a deep sense of irony. Some long-suppressed emotions were ignited.
He shook his head, tears also glistening in his eyes. "No, Hopper. You've never trusted me. Not once."
"Yes, I did!" Hopper bellowed.
"If you had!" Andy met his gaze unflinchingly, his voice trembling.
"If you really trusted me, you wouldn't have kept me confined to the basement, you wouldn't have demanded I live almost as isolated as Eleven!"
"You wouldn't look at me with that suspicion and wariness every time I suggested going out for some air, or using my ability to do something!"
"Your so-called trust is only because I'm a bit easier to control than Eleven! It's only because you had no other choice!"
Those words cut Hopper deeply, fueling his anger further.
"If I didn't trust you, I wouldn't have let you live on the edge of that abandoned property where there might be Lab informants! I wouldn't have turned a blind eye to you constantly coming to see Eleven! I wouldn't have... I wouldn't have chosen to tell you part of the truth when you asked about things, instead of keeping it completely from you!"
"That's because I could have used my ability to find Eleven anyway! And the things I wanted to know, you might not have been able to hide them completely!" Andy retorted sharply.
"What?" Hopper laughed bitterly, his face full of sarcasm.
"You think you're strong enough now, is that it? You think your ability is powerful enough to go head-to-head with those fully armed Lab researchers and agents with all their unknown methods?"
"You think you can protect Eleven, that you can take on the whole world?!"
This near-humiliating interrogation finally snapped the last thread of Andy's composure.
He jerked his head up. Tears finally fell, but the look in his eyes as he stared at Hopper was no longer anger. It was something cold, with a piercing, endless sadness.
Slowly, word by word, he spoke the secret he had glimpsed, the one he had buried deep in his heart, not even daring to confirm it with Hopper:
"Anything?" He shook his head, his voice as soft as a whisper. "Even about Katherine?"
Time seemed to freeze in that moment.
The anger, disappointment, agitation... all expression on Hopper's face instantly froze, then shattered and fell away like a broken mask.
His pupils contracted sharply. His lips parted slightly, but no sound came out.
Andy's tears flowed silently. Seeing Hopper's reaction, the last shred of hope in his heart died.
He no longer needed Hopper's answer. Hopper's expression said it all.
"What?" Hopper's voice was bone-dry, barely recognizable as speech.
Andy raised his hand and lightly tapped his own temple. The gesture was full of helplessness and sorrow.
"I saw... I 'read' it."
His voice was choked, each word seeming to be dug from the deepest, most painful part of his heart. "In the Lab records. My mom, Katherine... she's already dead. You knew. You just didn't tell me..."
"...because you were afraid I'd go looking for her on my own."
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