The woods were a lonely place for these children. They walked them for what it seemed like eternity and never got tired of walking. They never gotten tired of surviving.

Vee's green eyes scanned around the area they'd last been. It was the afternoon-close to dark. Evening was approaching the siblings of power and they knew they had to find somewhere safe to sleep. El gave a look at her brother again, looking specifically at his eyes. The green, sage like, color seemed to take over everything he had from before. Though, they seemed normal for him. The immediate change must've happened when they were running or when he used his gifts-but they never changed before? So why now?

El didn't know, and Vee didn't know anything more either despite it being his eyes. The night before he cried over the abnormality he was given-by someone or something. Maybe a disease? Papa mentioned them. But Vee didn't know what they were. But now, he just dealt with it. That's all he could do. He couldn't cry, not over this, not anymore. No more tears could be shed. His brown eyes were gone-now he had his green and pink ones.

And now he had to deal with it.

The two had been walking for a while, hunger was apparent in their stomachs. They hadn't eaten in some days ever since the whole thievery of that man, who they hadn't seen at all after the event, and had been starving.

But it seemed the siblings knew of a place that kept food-a small black box. Placed in the middle of nowhere, but they just so happened to be in the middle of nowhere this time of night. Obviously, it was hard trying to remember where the box was each time, especially when they moved around a lot, but usually they made it back relatively fast. Depending on where they where.

But Vee suddenly sensed something-someone familiar. Someone they knew.

El gripped Vee's hand, tightly, and hid behind they tree that was tucked behind the box. Hopper. They saw him park suddenly, near the tree line that would lead outside on the road. The big man got out his truck slowly and walked even slower through the woods-making his way towards the tiny box.

El's heart beater faster, and Vee could feel everything she was feeling. The pain, nervousness, curiosity, and the overwhelming sense of being tired. Tired of walking around this hell, being trapped in these woods. He could feel everything, unlike before. It seemed something sparked in him in that moment. Something he had never felt before. He felt El's emotions as if it was his own-and they glanced at each other.

Maybe? El thought, loud enough for him to hear.

Vee thought, he thought for more than a minute. More than five minutes. He thought, long and hard. Before he nodded. Yes.

They both took deep breaths, blood trickling down his nostrils, and as Hopper was about to walk away. They both appeared, from the darkness. El with a giant hat and coat while Vee had on hilariously oversized boots and bright green eyes. Blood was under his nose. Dirt dispatched across their faces.

Hopper turned around eventually, looking at them with a huff. And maybe even sympathy. They had definitely changed.

They'd changed from last year.

𓄇

Hopper led the two children towards the cabin-unlocking the door swiftly. He kicked his feet at the door, knocking all the snow off them, and they both repeated him. It seemed respectful so they tried to do the same. Vee glanced around everywhere, it was dirty and unkept inside, dust hanged off corners along with cobwebs. Spiders sneaked the the darkness on their webs and the smell of just dust hit his nostrils. He scrunched his nose up. Very dusty.

Hopper started to speak, "My granddad used to live here. Long time ago."

Vee wondered around a bit, staying away from the spider webs though. He hated spiders. El guided him away from the cobwebs, grabbing his hand.

"I mainly use it for storage now," Hopper shut the door. "Lord of history here."

Vee noticed a certain box had an aura of blue, but hints of gold, around it titled: SARA. Before he could get a good look, Hopper grabbed the box placing it elsewhere. El hadn't noticed what the box was and had been surveying around for anything hidden of the sorts. Vee usually did this but it seemed his actions have been rubbing off on his sister.

"So, uh...what do you two think?"

Vee and El turned to the man. "It's a work and progress. You know, it's, uh . . . it takes a little imagination, but, once we fix it up, it's gonna be nice." Hopper explained, the two stared. Very undecided.

Vee gave the man a side eye, glancing at the spider webs. The dust. Not that bad. Better than . . . outside. He tried to think to himself but El seemed to hear and respond as if he was talking to her. Trust?

Not yet.

"Real nice. This is your home now, guys." Hopper gave a welcoming smile towards the two children. Scared, cold, and frightened children.

Vee turned to face him now, as El already had been. Her lips turned up into a smile, "Home."

Vee just held El's hand tightly, he'd never had a home. He wanted to trust that this place, dirty or not, could be his home. But did good things ever last? Did homes ever last? All he could do is hope, that maybe it would be but-at the same time. The trust with Hopper wasn't there, so the home he promised wasn't all the way a home to Vee. At least, not yet.

Hopper searched through one of the boxes, "Yeah, yeah. All right, this . . . " he turned to them with a playful grin holding a large circular thing. "This is music."

He placed the vinyl, Vee would come to learn, on the player and it started to play. Music was something familiar to Vee, something he trained with. But the song wasn't used for training, no, it was used for them to learn. And apparently . . . see Hopper dance?

As Hopper danced slowly, his moves making El furrow her brows in confusion. While Vee just looked at the man with embarrassment painted all over his face.

Hopper clapped, "All right, let's get to work!"

𓄇

After a long day of learning how to clean, trip wires, and Don't Be Stupid Rules. The two had finally started to settle in their beds for the night. Well, they shared a bed for tonight but Hopper told them that they would be able to get another soon. Though, the siblings seemed to be content with the sharing.

El laid down with the giant grey cover over her and Vee's body as they looked into each other's eyes. Laid on their sides with her body facing the wall that the bed was placed against. Vee was a bit uneasy in darkness of the room but luckily a lamp was on their nightstand, causing a golden stain to appear on their faces.

"Okay?" El asked, concerned for Vee. "Your eyes . . . They are . . . okay?"

Vee pursed his lips. He hadn't never thought they were going to talk about the change but he hadn't expected her to let it go so suddenly. She was worried about her friend-her brother. And he would be too.

He just . . . didn't know how to feel. About the change.

On one hand, they didn't hurt. They hadn't caused any problems, yet, and he didn't even feel them change. On the another hand, he was stripped of what was normal about him. Insecurity filled him up like a tall glass of water and he didn't even want to look at himself anymore. He was already as different as they came. He had gifts, he didn't know many words and he was . . . different than other boys.

Very different.

Vee shrugged, "Don't know. Hope it goes away . . . soon."

El frowned, she could tell he was sad about it. For what reason? She didn't really understand but she tried what Mike told her. "Pretty."

"They're pretty. Really pretty," El tried to cheer him up. "Like them."

Vee let his eyes become glossy, but he didn't let the tears fall. He smiled, "Thanks."

He frowned again though, remembering what he had to tell her. "El?"

"Yes."

"I can't use heat anymore." He admitted, his throat going a bit dry at his confession. "Can not . . . make things pop or . . . burn. It hurts. It's hard."

"I can barely feel." He told her, explaining to her that he couldn't feel her emotions as well as before. El frowned and looked a bit shocked but just pulled him in with a hug.

"You're still . . . special." El tried to comfort, rubbing her hand in Vee's messy, now cleaned, curls as he laid in her chest. "Special to me."

Vee nodded, his tears now coming out. He was losing his gifts, but he didn't know why? And why was he sad about it? He thought he'd been celebrating the way he was slowly losing his gifts but . . . he'd gotten attached to them. The way people reacted and gushed when he used them. So maybe, they became apart of him.

Eventually, he fell asleep in his sister's arms. The moon peeking through their makeshift window as El found herself going to sleep.

Neither of them noticed a orange glow coming from Vee's body.