Chapter Six: The Monster

chapter ten , She's Definitely Her Mother

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"She keeps all of this up. Been doing it for 12 years."

Joyce and Hopper look around the baby room.

"Terry, uh, pretends like Jane is real like she's gonna come home someday." Becky states. "Says she's special. Born with 'abilities'."

"Abilities?" Joyce inquires.

"You read any Stephen King?"

Hopper and Joyce look at each other, their jaws going slack. Becky laughs.

"You guys look scared, actually," Becky says. "I mean, it's all make-believe."

For Becky it was make-believe. But with everything Joyce has witnessed and all the mysterious things happening in this town lately; Hopper and Joyce weren't leaving any stones unturned.

Joyce clears her throat, trying to brush her shaken state off. "What...what kind of abilities?"

"Telepathy, telekinesis...you know, shit you can do with your mind," Becky explains. "That's why the big, bad man stole Jane away."

"Her baby's a weapon, off fighting the commies," Becky pronounces. "You know, the doctors all say it's a coping mechanism. You know, to deal with the guilt."

"Do you think there is any chance she could be telling the truth?" Joyce asks.

Becky raises her brows. Joyce slightly opens her mouth, "About--about having had the kid."

"There is no birth certificate, nothing from the hospital." Becky answers. "Doctors and nurses all confirm that she miscarried."

"Yeah, but that could've been covered up. Right?" Hopper questions.

Becky chuckles, "Like I said, you and Terry would've gotten along."

After Joyce and Hopper left the house, Hopper immediately had a next location he needed to go to. Hearing about Terry's daughter and how her life took a turn for the worse, made Hopper even more curious about the file he found about Gus' father.

"I don't get what's so important about this place, Hop." Joyce shakes her head.

Hopper slows the car down and looks at the house. "Me neither. That's what I'm here to find out." he gets out of the car and heads toward the house with Joyce.

Hopper stands on the porch with Joyce and he knocks on the door.

"Hopper, what is going on?" Joyce asks. "What does this have to do with Will?"

"Honestly? Probably nothing." Hopper answers.

Joyce's mouth hangs open, "Then why--"

The door swings open, revealing a tall man with brown hair and a brown beard with a mix of gray in it. Hopper squints his eyes, examining the man's paranoid-filled face. But what caught his eyes were the eyebags. Then Hopper noticed his Hazel-green eyes.

"Can I help you?"

Hopper nods his head, "You Aiden Mitchell?"

"Yeah, and you are?"

"Jim Hopper." The Chief of Police speaks. "And this is Joyce Byers."

"We wanted to learn more about your daughter."

Joyce looks at Hopper.

Aiden chuckles, "I--uh...I don't have a daughter--"

"Oh!" Hopper lets out a laugh and Joyce blinks.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Joyce whispers.

"You must not remember her, because you went by a different name back then." Hopper slightly tilts his head.

And just like that, all the color left from Aiden's face and his jaw goes slack. Aiden goes to slam the door, but Hopper keeps his foot in the entryway. Aiden runs over to his fireplace and goes to reach for the shotgun, hanging above it.

Hopper pulls his gun out of his waistband and aims it at the man.

"Hold it!"

Aiden freezes and his hands start to shake. He slowly looks over at the two. Hopper was aiming a gun at him while, Joyce was still standing on the porch; trying to understand what was happening.

"Hopper, can you please explain to me what's going on?" Joyce asks.

Hopper inhales, "Joyce. Meet Tristan Castillo."

Joyce pulls her brows together, her eyes shift to the man who was standing in front of the fireplace.

"Castillo? Like as in--"

"Yep...Gus' father." Hopper shakes his head. "I could've sworn you were supposed to be dead, but...you look very alive to me."

"Look, I don't want any trouble, all right?" Tristan exhales a shaky breath. "What do you...what do you want--"

"I want to know why you're not six feet underground!" Hopper stalks toward the man.

Joyce quickly enters the house and closes the door. "Maybe we should calm--"

"Did anyone follow you here?"

"You're talking about the Feds?" Joyce asks.

Tristan scoffs, "No, I'm talking about Hawkins Lab. Brenner."

Joyce and Hopper exchange a look.

"You know about Hawkins Lab? What they've been doing?" Joyce asks.

Tristan nods his head.

"And...how did you know he was alive?" Joyce looks at Hopper.

"I didn't," Hopper admits. He grabs the file from his jacket and sets it on the table. "I found this file in the Hawkins Lab area and it said that you died in battle."

Joyce grabs the file and looks through it.

"Yeah, so?" Tristan shrugs.

"There was nothing else," Hopper says. "Every file is specific. They explain how someone died, where they died, and when. The only ones that are never specific. Are the ones that actually have something to hide and this...this is a big something."

Tristan exhales a sharp breath and looks at Joyce. The woman slightly opens her mouth and winces, "Yeah, this is really obvious. I'm surprised no one noticed sooner."

Tristan looks back at Hopper, "Can you put the gun down now?"

"Why, so you can reach for yours?" Hopper chuckles and pulls the hammer back. "I don't think so."

"M-Maybe he'll be in more of an explaining mood when the gun is out of his face, huh?" Joyce touches Hopper's wrist and lowers the gun.

Tristan relaxes, he sits on the couch and places his hands over his face.

"Now...can you please explain to us why you left Gus?" Joyce asks. "And why you're not...dead?"

"I think it's pretty obvious why he's not dead, Joyce," Hopper grumbles, slipping his gun back into his waistband. "He's a deadbeat."

Tristan looks at Hopper with a glare.

"You don't know anything--"

"I know that that girl--your daughter has spent years being miserable and feeling alone because of her father's death!" Hopper's anger grows. "And you couldn't give her the decency of telling her what happened? You were scared of Hawkins Lab and you ran--"

"I didn't run from Hawkins Lab!" Tristan shouts.

Silence fills the room and Joyce looks back at Tristan. His jaw clenches and he looks at his hands. Just from the way he started bouncing his leg, it was obvious how much fear was in him.

Tristan looks back up, his eyes shaking.

"I ran from Gus."

☆

Fallon Price would always put herself in terrible situations. Usually, it was because she was trying to fit in with the 'popular kids'. And she would get herself into those kinds of situations if Gus wasn't there to steer her in the right direction. Gus never did that for herself, but that's what Fallon was for.

Both girls were idiots without each other. They were both each other's person. But without them being friends...

They could get themselves into the most troubling issues.

For example, finding a random kid and uncovering your past you have forgotten. Or, walking up to a theater and seeing your friends slut-shaming your other friend.

"Guys, what the fuck did you do?"

The group turns toward the mahogany-skinned girl.

"Oh, hey, Fallon. How's it going?" Carol tilts her head and smiles. "Pretty cool, huh?"

Fallon doesn't reply, she just keeps her eyes on the theater. She then snaps her eyes over to Steve.

"Did you tell them to do this, Steve?" Fallon squints her eyes.

Steve looks away from Fallon. She pulls her face back while her eyes widen. "Hey, I'm not one of your fucking lackeys you can just brush off!" she stands toe-to-toe with him. Steve looks back at the angry Price.

"What does it matter?" Steve scoffs.

"It's not like the words on that theater aren't the truth," Tommy pronounces.

Fallon shoves Steve into the wall and turns to Tommy. His jaw goes slack from the teenager having her threatening glare set on him.

"Nancy Wheeler is one of the nicest people in this town, all right?" Fallon scoffs. "So, what if you saw her with Jonathan last night? There has to be an explana--"

"Do you always have to see the good in people?"

Fallon turns back to Steve. "No, Harrington. I don't." she chuckles. "Because for years now. I have known you--the real you." she shoves a finger towards his chest. "The scared little boy who will never stand up for what's right."

Steve's jaw clenches as Fallon lets out a bitter laugh.

"But, you know what kills me?" Fallon tilts her head. "It's that Gus is the one who always sees the good in people. And last night, she gave you another chance and you tried to use her. You're a coward."

Guilt rises in Steve and Fallon could've sworn she got through to him. But then the doubt in his eyes quickly dissipates and he chuckles. "Of course, you would be defending Nancy."

Fallon pulls her brows together, "The hell's that supposed to mean?"

Steve tilts his head and raises a brow, "Do you really wanna have this conversation, right now?"

Fallon's jaw goes slack and her hands drop to her side. "Screw you--"

"Wait--Steve's got a point here." Tommy tosses the can up in the air and catches it. "Maybe we should add Fallon's name on the theater."

Carol purses her lips, pretending to think hard. "Hmm, what do you have in mind, Tommy?"

"Eh, I don't know...how about 'Guest Starring: Fallon the Dyke--"

"Fuck you!"

Tommy, Carol, and Nicole start to laugh. "Someone's defensive!"

"Wait, wait, wait!" Carol taps Tommy's arm. "Is this why you stopped being friends with that freak?" she throws her head back and laughs.

Fallon's eyes start to burn with tears and Steve's eyes soften.

"Oh, My God!" Carol cackles. "Were you in love with Guster?"

"Shut up..." Fallon forces out.

"Wow, Fallon Price. Former Queen Bee, now...freak number 3. Your parents would be so proud--"

"Shut up! I'm not in love with her and I'm not a freak!"

Carol and Tommy look at each other, the same thought popping into their heads. "Then prove it."

Fallon clenches her jaw and folds her arms. Everything in her mind and body screamed at her to not do anything stupid. She didn't have anything to prove to them.

I don't need their approval.

Fallon looks at the ground and inhales. "Wh-what did you have in mind?" she looks back at the couple.

A thought pops into Steve's head. Gus was right. Fallon and I really are alike.

Carol smirks, "How about you give your ex-best friend a call?"

...

Joyce and Hopper sit across from Tristan.

"You both know that Gus  lost her mom in an accident." he looks down at his coffee.

"Was that even true?" Hopper asks.

Joyce nudges him and Hopper closes his mouth. He didn't mean to be blunt, he just couldn't help but feel angry that Tristan abandoned Gus.

"She did die in a car crash," Tristan confirms with a nod. "But...it wasn't an accident."

Hopper pulls his brows together and slightly leans forward. Tristan swallows the lump that quickly started to form in his throat. He hasn't talked about his wife in years. But he has thought about her nonstop, and it still hurt him just as much as the day she died.

"What are you talking about?" Joyce asks.

Tristan's lower lip starts to quiver, thinking back to the letter his wife left her the night she died. "My wife, Alejandra, she was a part of this research thing with hallucinogenic--"

"Drugs, yeah. We know about that." Hopper says. "She was pregnant while testing the drugs, right?"

Tristan nods his head, "But her mind wasn't the same afterward. She was still present, but there would be times when she would space out or lose her trail of thought." he inhales. "And after she had Gus, she was healthy."

"Everything was...perfect."

Hopper and Joyce look at each other. Terry's baby was taken from her right when she was in the hospital.

"They let you take Gus home?" Joyce asks.

"They thought she wasn't special," Tristan explains. "And they thought that for two years. Until there were small things that started happening."

Hopper tenses, "What things?"

"Earthquakes."

Tristan looks at Joyce and Hopper's expressions. "You probably think I'm crazy. Me thinking that earthquakes are some major thing. But in Indiana, it's not rare, but it's not very common either. But when they happen every time she cried..." he shudders.

"So, she didn't have telekinesis or anything?" Hopper asks.

Tristan shakes his head, "Not that I know of."

"I guess the people at the Lab were watching us the entire time we had Gus. Just...waiting for something to happen and, I didn't believe it when Alejandra said she thought we were being watched. But when I finally did believe her it was too late."

"Wh-what happened?" Joyce asks.

"They came to our door..." Tristan starts. "...Dr. Brenner, he offered us $100,000 to take her. He said that's all. And I..." he shakes his head. "...I agreed."

A scoff leaves Hopper's mouth.

"But, Alejandra couldn't go through with it. She didn't want to go through with it." Tristan continues. "She was always the best part of me."

"That was obvious." Hopper murmurs.

"Alejandra, she left a note, took Gus, and left."

"How did they know where Alejandra was?" Joyce asks.

Tristan's throat tightens.

Hopper glances at the man, he wasn't even surprised at this point. "You told them didn't you?"

"They promised they wouldn't hurt her," Tristan whispers. "Th-they promised."

Joyce watches Tristan cry and she presses her lips into a firm line. She looks at Hopper and he rolls his eyes. Her mouth hangs open and she hits his leg, telling him to have some sympathy.

"Tristan..." Joyce starts. "...I'm sorry, but we need to hear the whole story."

Tristan wipes at his eyes and nods. "They took Gus, but they still left me the money as...I don't know compensation."

Hopper bites his tongue and rubs his pointer finger against his lip. "What, so your wife was worth $100,000 to you?"

"Hopper--"

"They murdered my wife and took my kid!" Tristan snaps. "And if I didn't take that money they would've killed me too!"

"You told them about the letter and where Alejandra was headed and you were already ready to give Gus up for that money." Hopper raises his hands. "Don't start getting snappy now."

"You don't think I feel bad?--I feel like shit!" Tristan shouts. "And I sure as hell don't need some random stranger trying to make me feel like it too."

Silence settles into the house and Joyce inhales. "Okay...now can we please get back on track...?"

Tristan rips his eyes off of Hopper and looks back at his hands, ashamed of the rest of the story. "There would be times where...Dr. Brenner would show me videos of Gus' progress and it was obvious she was dangerous...she was a killer."

Hopper's chest tightens. He couldn't believe what he was hearing right now. I mean, was Gus short-tempered? Yes. Was she violent? Of course. But a killer? It was hard to comprehend.

"And Dr. Brenner was having trouble keeping her under control." Tristan states. "With each new test subject that showed up, she grew more jealous. She thought she was getting replaced, until one day she just snapped. She almost brought the whole building down and almost killed one of the kids."

Tristan rubs his hands against his jeans. "Brenner called me, and he wanted me to take her back. He hoped that she would mellow out when she lived with me. But, I couldn't be living in the same house as her, knowing all the things she did. All the things she could do."

"So, I..." Tristan trails off. He wipes his beard and looks at the wall.

"What did you do?" Joyce asks.

Hopper squints his eyes.

"I begged Dr. Brenner to make her forget about her time in Hawkins Lab." Tristan shakes his head.

"And how the hell did--"

"Electroshock therapy," Tristan speaks.

It was like everything went cold in Hopper's body. And as everything went cold in Hopper's body, Joyce felt everything boil in hers.

"And he...gave me $200,000 to take her--"

"You son of a bitch."

Tristan looks at Joyce. He expected the man to call him out once again, but not her.

Hopper raises his brows, "You read my mind."

"That is your daughter!" Joyce shouts.

Tristan nods his head, "I know that...and I couldn't...I couldn't even look at her after. Every time she would twitch, it would hurt her so much and I just..." he places his face in his hands.

Simultaneously, Joyce and Hopper think about the twitch in Gus' right hand. They always wondered why it would hurt when it was triggered. Now they knew.

"You couldn't handle the guilt so you tossed her in foster care." Hopper shakes his head.

"I knew someone else out there could do better." Tristan lifts his head up and looks at Hopper. "And I was right."

Hopper pulls his brows together, "I didn't even say that I took her in."

"But I could see it," Tristan says. "The anger the two of you felt this whole time. That's the look of two parents. And she's lucky to have you guys."

Hopper and Joyce look at each other.

"We're not together." Joyce chuckles.

Tristan blinks, "Oh, my bad."

Hopper shakes his head, "Do you regret it...giving her up?"

Tristan exhales a soft breath, "Honestly...no."

Joyce scoffs, "At least he was honest."

"Doesn't mean it wasn't a dick answer." Hopper huffs.

"I just think that if I were to keep her. A part of me would've resented it and I would never fully love her. I didn't want Gus to go through that. Not after everything I did to her." Tristan wipes at his eyes.

Joyce presses her lips into a line, "She has your eyes, y'know? Hazel green."

Tristan chuckles, "If she has my eyes, then she must have Alejandra's personality."

"Was your wife an activist?" Hopper asks.

"Yep."

"Stubborn?" Joyce adds.

"Every second of the day."

"Hot-headed?"

"Oh yeah."

"Protective?"

Tristan smirks, "Definitely and selfless."

Joyce and Hopper look at each other.

Hopper then looks back at Tristan, "She's definitely her mother."

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author's note.

Joyce and Hopper being protective the parents they are!

Words: 3135