{ Melissa hadn’t had anyone to confide in for nearly 5 years, and the fact that she found this person in an American of all people made her want to laugh and weep like a crazy woman. }
Saturday afternoon maybe wasn’t the time most people would be cooped up in a library. Most kids were out enjoying the hot summer weather while school was out, or families were relaxing by the Hawkins public swimming pool. Cooper however had taken the quiet opportunity to hide away in the library. Hailing from New York and the northern regions of the country, he didn’t cope too well with the heat. So, an air conditioned library sounded somewhat ideal.
Now Cooper had plenty of reasons to come to Hawkins. Family were here, it seemed like a good town if you discredit the recent news stories about it. Though the main reason had been the circumstances around his Uncle’s death; he just couldn’t wrap his head around it.
The Newby family had been told Bob died of a heart attack. Something Cooper believed until another cause of death was delivered to him, followed by another. It seemed like this whole town knew a secret though they’d failed at all learning the facts to the same lie.
He refused to let himself get lost in it. He refused to go insane like the movies depict a person obsessive for the truth. So a little light research wouldn’t hurt right? He could just be researching the town, the past events, the history. It wouldn’t matter if just by chance he checked the dates around his Uncle’s death? Cooper couldn’t but feel suspicious about it. He’s heard rumours about Will Byers, the boy who came back from the dead. He was the son of Joyce Byers, the woman who’d dated his Uncle. It set off alarm bells that he couldn’t ignore. There was something that truly unsettled him about Joyce Byers. He just couldn’t work it out.
It had taken a moment to locate, though with the helpful description from a stranger-turned-friend he made it in once piece. Dropping his stuff off at a table, he wandered the isles for a moment, trying to figure where to start his journey into this giant mess.
Grabbing some newspaper clippings, he opened the book and flicked through the year to November 1983. Clippings about the missing boy, Byers, were placed throughout the month. News of them finding his body in the lake, then suddenly he came back from the dead.
It just didn’t make sense.
His head snapped quickly to the left to see the person hovering in his personal space. “Hey- sorry, uh just let me” he quickly apologised and moved the large A3 book from hogging all the table top. Even though most people were out in the sun, he’d still struggled to find a table that was quiet. The only free ones seemed to be the ones near the man muttering to himself while he read. He understood some people liked to read aloud but boy it could be irritating.
Grabbing his pen, he took out his notepad from the brown satchel hanging off the back of his chair and began jotting down a few notes while they were fresh in his mind.
Melissa took another pause to collect herself, still feeling a tad weepy at his kind gesture, and listened to him speak. She felt like she was having an out of body experience listening to him, coming to terms with making a… friend? Acquaintance? The only friends she ever had were in Russia, many, many years ago; she had to have still been a teenager, at least, until the government shipped her off to the Peninsula. Dr. Alexei and the other scientists, while polite enough with each other, were just there under their unfortunate circumstances. Melissa hadn’t had anyone to confide in for nearly 5 years, and the fact that she found this person in an American of all people made her want to laugh and weep like a crazy woman.
“Well, you are more of a newbie here, Newby,” She giggled at her own pun, looking back up at him in hopes of a reaction. She also hadn’t told a joke in God knew how long, if there was ever any humor in her life to begin with. She raised her eyebrows, tilting her head slightly. “You are from a big city?” An image of a big American city popped in her head at that, imagining the loudness of car horns & people yelling at each other in the streets, flashing advertisements that made you wince, and the fast-paced way of life she had always heard about in stories. “I have been to Moscow, but I didn’t care for how big it was,” she reminisced briefly, but shook the images out of her head before she could become sentimental.
“The library? It is a big red building, three stories, you can’t miss it,” She told him, glancing away briefly. “Movies and cinema, huh? What is your favorite movie then?” She bit her lip, smiling like a mad woman as she vividly remembered sneaking away from both the base & the library to watch Desperately Seeking Susan a few months ago. “Painting is my escape from life, like music is yours, I assume,” she replied softly, her smile fading slightly. “I’m not the next Picasso or anything, but I like to think I have some talent. Piano is not so bad either, my mother knew how to play but I could never get my fingers to use the right keys.” Her ears perked up at his ‘embarrassing, dorky’ talents, curious and eager to know more. What was the saying? “Don’t leave me hanging, мой друг (my friend,) you can’t not tell me once you mention it.”
Melissa thought back to his comment earlier, about how she seemed genuine to him, and her heart both dropped and fluttered. Again, it all came back to not having a friend, a comrade, in so long that talking to Cooper seemed so natural. How long had they known each other? Half an hour? It shouldn’t have made sense– she was normally much more guarded, especially when she had government documents resting in her bag (along with his Walkman) but it seemed like they had known each other for years. She couldn’t help but think that the universe had aligned for the two to meet, two aliens in a foreign planet.
If she had been born an American, free from the shackles of the USSR and the laboratory conducting unholy experiments beneath them, would it have changed the way she regarded her newfound friend?
“I feel like I have distracted you from your main mission,” Melissa quipped as she gestured to the mall entrance, trying not to dwell on her circumstances. “I hope you weren’t looking for something on sale, it will probably be gone by now.”
Cooper dramatically groaned in response to her comment before flashing a grin to make sure she knew he was messing around. “Like I haven’t heard that a million times,” he huffed softly before clicking his tongue. “That makes...” he paused, acting like he was taking his time to think. “A million and one,” he clicked his tongue before grinning again.
“Yeah! I’m from Boston, MA. Moved to Portland in Maine, my Uncle always wanted to come up there and live with us. Then I’ve lived in New York too. I’m what you’d call a true city boy,” he flicked his collars up and put on a pout. “Y’know ‘ow it is, doll-face,” he flipped on a deep New York accent before chuckling to himself and shaking his head. It was clear when he felt comfortable around someone, he just turned into a major dork; it was embarrassing really.
“I’ve always wanted to go somewhere else, like London or Paris or something? It feels impossible but it’s be so cool to just go explore other places,” he spoke while readjusting his shirt collar (so he looked less of a prat) and give himself just a little more decency. “Moscow is cold.”
He tried to suppress his smile as she described the building, knowing internally he’d walk past that same building countless of times. It was like a spark had been set off in him when she asked his favourite movie, truly the hyper side to him was more than ready to released. “Oh man, where to start! The Goonies is like every kid’s dream. Pirate treasure, traps, bad guys. But then there’s this cool movie coming out called The Lost Boys and I am so there for it. The Breakfast Club, if you have not seen that movie, you’re not living! But- BUT! My favourite just has has has to be Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. That movie is everything. That is just me as a teenager. Oh that was such a good movie,” he rambled, beaming with excitement. “I could bore you about this for the rest of the day so I’m gonna shut up right now or I’m not gonna stop, okay?” he chuckled.
Nodding in response, he confirmed her inference on him. “Yeah music is a huge escape,” he agreed. “Well if you ever want to here some more nonsensical ramblings about art, I’d love to check out some of your work if you’re willing to let me,” he chirped before shaking his head at the question. “No, no. I can’t,” he smirked. “Alright, you get one dorky talent. I take after my uncle and I can rewire radios, build receivers out of bits of scrap and I know Morse code. Super dorky, please don’t make fun of me, I’ll never live it down,” he laughed softly.
His brain clicked to his intentions when she pointed them out. “Oh right! Yeah. Uh, my grandma sent me here. Told me to find something that looked less like- now this is her words- less like something the cat dragged in. Rude huh?” he smirked softly, not afraid to make fun of himself. “I didn’t think it looked too bad, apparently I’m wrong,” he looked down pulling at the pale blue shirt with dark blue pinstripes running down it. “Is this not the height of fashion right here?”
Melissa couldn’t help the shy smile that crept on her face at Cooper’s suggestion of keeping her company at the Independence Day celebrations, honored that a stranger (an American one, at that) would offer to escort her around, but the risk was too great for her to be running around the town on an American holiday when she should’ve been down in the lab, risking her life for the Soviets. Still, she kept the suggestion locked away in her brain, not wanting to turn him away on the offer completely. “I will have to see what goes on that day, but I’ll get back to you on that,” she offered, hoping it wouldn’t offend him. If circumstances had been different– if her life had been different– she just couldn’t risk it, not unless there was another way. “And just so you know, the USSR sent the first woman to space,” She sent him a playful wink, trying to lighten her own mood.
Her eyes trailed down to the cassette player, her eyebrows furrowing together when he popped the tape out and extended it towards her. She took it gingerly, her eyes snapping to meet his when she saw that he was also taking off his Walkman and headphones. “I– Cooper–” There was something so strangely wholesome about the man in front of her that made her want to weep, “You… trust me with this?” She asked, taking the Walkman in the same delicate manner she took the cassette and put it securely in her bag, setting a reminder for herself to hide it with the rest of her ‘contraband’ she wasn’t supposed to have. She beamed up at him, hoping to hide the emotion behind her eyes. “Спасибо огромное– Ahem, thank you. I will listen to this when I can, believe me.”
Melissa listened to him speak of his job, still brimming with emotions at his kind actions. “Well, I have only been here… 6 months now, I think, and I still do not know where everything is for such a small town,” She gestured towards Starcourt in front of them, grimacing slightly at the hated building. “This is new, I know that much. We could explore the town one day, perhaps? If I can get the time.” Looking down at her feet, she listened to him speak more about his job, smirking at his comment about no one listening to his station at one in the morning. If she was down in the lab, locked in their ‘break room’ she would be able to– there was never time to sleep for the Soviets.
Her lips turned down into a frown at his question about her job, keeping her head down as not to look at him. Maybe it was his wholesome nature or the fact that he almost felt like a… friend to her, but Melissa did not want to lie to him. Not to his face, at least. “I am a librarian, over at Hawkins library,” She told him, sounding exactly like how she had rehearsed it a million times before. “It’s not much, but I get a lot of time to myself to read.” She looked back up at him, whispering slightly. “Truth be told, I would rather be painting.”
He smiled brightly and nodded, “Alright, not a worry, let me know, I’ll be around.” Looking back at her, he narrowed his eyes and tilted his head with a growing smirk. “Touche. Alright, alright, fair point. I acknowledge that, point to Team Russia on that one,” the man grinned at her.
The reaction didn’t phase him as he shrugged and straightened the edges of his shirt. “Yeah, I mean- you seem nice enough. I haven’t smiled this much since I arrived. You seem genuine,” he admitted, unaware of how naive he could be. Or maybe it was that he could see the good in people, a good person in a bad situation. Your surroundings shouldn’t define you.
“Six months? I guess we’re both relatively new then, though I’m more of the newbie out of the two of us,” he smiled. “Yeah this is new, well for a little two. I’m from the big cities up North so I’ve seen a fair few Malls in my time,” he drew in a sharp breath, he wasn’t any more fond of them no matter how many he’d been in. The comment though quickly grasped his attention from the building and he found himself nodding, “Yeah, uh- yeah, yeah I’d like that,” he agreed before smiling slightly, trying not to look too much an idiot, even if he did sound like one.
“The library? I haven’t figured out where that is yet. Reading is alright, I guess I’m literacy’s biggest enemy, I prefer movies and cinema,” he grinned. “Painting? You paint? I can barely draw a stick figure,” he laughed to himself. “Like a little stick person,” he clarified. “I may not have the attention span for reading but I can appreciate some fine art,” he nodded confidently. “That’s pretty cool, I’m jealous. My Mom taught me piano from the age of three but besides a bunch of truly dorky things- that would certainly embarrass me- that’s the extent of my talents.”
He couldn’t place his finger on what made him so comfortable around her. This was the longest conversation he’d held with anyone in Hawkins. To everyone else he felt like a stranger, like he had something on his face and people couldn’t help but stare. He felt like an alien, something people were afraid to approach. He knew the town was small and everyone lived in each other’s pockets but it still didn’t make him feel like any less of an outsider. This seemed nice though, like she genuinely cared about what he had to say and who he was and he could reciprocate that.
Of course — the customer to finally gain her attention had been a child, that didn’t even get ice cream! Sometimes, her job liked to force an idea onto her that she despised kids, maybe not full out hated; but just a little of despising them. Robin, ready to go home and sleep for hours until she would eventually pull herself back out of bed for food, let her gaze drift to the clock, not even trying to hide the sigh which passed through her lips that she had two hours to go.
— if only she could get rid of the bell, it would make thing so much simpler.
Her attention pulled from her thoughts, as a voice brought her back to reality, gaze falling towards the male now at the front of the queue; or non-existent queue, since there was no one else behind him. Sight moving away from the male and to the folded paper, she had seen a few of them around, and for a moment, when she’d first seen that other places were hiring, she’d almost applied elsewhere. But nowhere would easier than serving ice cream, and as much as she may appear to hate it — at times. There were worse jobs she could’ve ended up with.
“I don’t think so,” Her voice trailed, thinking back to every conversation she’d previously had with her boss, and if there’d been any mention of wanting more employers.
“I could check with the owner, whenever he comes back? — you’d probably have to leave some way to contact you, or just, come back?” She suggested, giving a small shrug of the shoulders. “Are you sure, you’d even want to work here? — have you seen the uniform? or heard the bell?”
Raising his eyebrows, his expression then fell at her response. Clicking his tongue he nodded, “Not a worry,” he answered back formally; he was used to the rejection.
At the added information, he straightened up and listened to her before considering the options quickly in his head. “I’ll come back, just- ... if you get a chance, just mention that I’ve got some interest?” he asked cautiously, hoping she wouldn’t mind the small chore. “I’m Cooper Newby, I’m free all day, just looking for some work,” he said simply enough. He hated being a burden.
Her next string of words drew a chuckle from him. “Well, uh, the hat is a little dorky- no offence, but I don’t know if I could rock it as well as you seem to be,” he smiled, amused by the comment. “The bell I don’t mind so much, though that kid was really going to town on it.”
Tapping his fingers on the counter, he glanced quickly at the menu, mentally deciding if he wanted to order anything while he was here. “I’ve tried most places round town, they all say to try the Mall. Guess to Mall is taking over business. Plus ice cream isn’t too bad of a gig. There could be worse to do,” he shrugged softly. “Though you’re right, the arcade and cinema were my first places to go to. Sorry- you were third in line, it’s nothing personal,” he teased lightly.
Dustin didn’t realise how late it had become, but D&D sometimes became a late-night thing. Now that they were older, there was no curfew’s to be home by which meant they could stay up all night if they wanted.
He wheeled his bike out of the Byer’s household and set off down the street, heading home. He cut through the town and was about to turn off onto the road leading to his street, when something caught his eye.
He pulled up and wheeled his bike over to the stranger peering into the police station. “You know, you’d look less suspicious if you were peering into like, any other window. Plus, if Hopper catches you, he’ll totally run you out of town so…” He shrugged, his left foot resting on his pedal in case he needed to make a quick getaway. “What were you looking for?”
Cooper looked back at the other male and stepped back onto the pavement. The young man didn’t look too threatening and that put him at some ease. “Uh, Hopper actually,” Cooper answered. “He’s the chief right? I’m new so I was just looking around, trying to see if I could put a face to the name without making a fuss,” he shrugged his shoulders, pushing his hands into his pockets before finally lifting his eyes to meet the other’s. “It’s fine though, doesn’t matter.”
Drawing in a quick breath, he looked out at the rest of the empty street before back at the other. “I’m Cooper, Cooper Newby. I have family that live in Hawkins but I’ve just moved.”
The older man held his right hand out in a peace offering and to try and move the subject on. “I work up at the radio station, so I’m just on my way to work, took the scenic route.”
Brown eyes scanned over the bike as he noted the style. “Sweet ride, I had a Raleigh ‘69 Chopper when I was a kid. I had to have my Birthday and Christmas combined for it.”
A character questionnaire answered in-character by Cooper Newby.
What is your full name; if you have any nicknames, how did you get them?
Cooper James Newby. Uh, my grandfather’s name was James and apparently my Mom got Cooper from a book. Most people call me Coop and my friends in college called me CJ or Newby, kind of a frat thing. I prefer Coop mostly, or Cooper. If I hear Cooper James then I know I’m in trouble, that’s usually something my Mom uses on me.;
When were you born? Have you always lived in Hawkins? What would you call home?
I was born on the 18th January 1962 in Boston Massachusetts. At the age of five I moved to Portland, Maine and spent the rest of my childhood there. I visited Hawkins a lot as my grandparents and Uncle lived there. We’d often come to Hawkins for Christmas but my Uncle would sometimes make the drive up to Maine. He and my Mom were rather close and he helped out a lot. I don’t know what I’d call home, I guess I’m still trying to settle and find it.
Describe yourself; hair colour, eye colour?
Physical description? Dark brown hair, brown eyes, strong jawline, fluffy hair. Uh, this is a little weird, I don’t like talking about myself like this. Personality is also tricky, I guess ambitious, kind, trusting, cheeky. I try and be good, do what’s best and all that but I can’t help being me. I love to wind people up. If they’ve given me good reason to then I’ll find every way possible to irritate them. Most people don’t see that side if we’re just doing pleasantries.
Do you have any distinguishing facial features?
I have a scar in my eyebrow where I face planted the floor after falling out of a tree. It’s healed but if you look close enough you can see a sort of diagonal line in my eyebrow; I think it’s my right, your left. Besides from that, I guess I have prominent cheek bones and jaw lines. I don’t know, let’s move on, this whole topic is just unpleasant.
Who are your friends and family? Who are the people you are or wish you are closest to?
Okay, let’s start from the bottom. There’s me, my Mom is Pamela Newby. Then if we go to my Uncle Bob and my Grandma and Grandpa. I have a friend in Boston that I’ve been friends with all my life, a handful of good friends in Maine and some college pals. Hawkins, I don’t really know many people as the time I did spend here was with family. I’m, I mean I was definitely closest to my Uncle Bob, he was always on my side against my Mom and then I am fairly close to my Mom, even though we’re apart now. I would like to find my father, I’ve never asked for his name and sometimes I wonder if I should. I don’t know, it’s a question I’m not sure I want answering. Kinda like the movies, getting your hopes up for disappointment?
Where do you go when you’re angry?
Anywhere away from what made me angry. I’m a classic case of storming out of the house when angry. I need to just leave or escape whatever is causing that distress. I like knowing where my exits are, just walk away from it all. That usually helps or I get quite heated. I have a hot-head, quite a quick temper. I’m not afraid to get into a fight so it’s best I just go.
Biggest fear? Have you told this to anyone?
Bugs and dirt. I mean, I don’t mind getting muddy and being outdoors, if I am expecting it. There’s nothing worse that getting muddy when you don’t want to be. I wouldn’t say it’s a fear just something I actively avoid. I need to wash my hands if I feel unclean. Bugs I can’t stand, they’re disgusting and tiny and just in your face all the time. Spiders are the worst. My friends know I’m scared of ‘stupid shit’ as they like to put it. They’ve seen me freak out over a fly enough times. Like, dude, just get out of my grill; leave me in my own personal space.
Do you have any secrets?
Anyone who says they don’t are clearly lying. Everyone has secrets. What makes you think I’m going to tell you them? They’re called secrets for a reason, dummy.
Have you ever been in love? Or had a broken heart?
Um, yes. My Uncle always used to say it’s part of growing up.
It’s a Sunday afternoon, what are you doing?
Sunday? Movie day. That’s always been a movie day for me. My Mom used to take me when I was young. Or even like a jazz bar. It would be a day for entertainment. Theatre is also something I’ve loved watching as a kid. So yeah, I’m usually watching movies.
Do you have a strong childhood memory?
I would have to go with the Moon Landing. Damn that was the coolest shit ever for a seven year old, space nerd. I watched it on the television with my family and I was obsessed with rockets. We went to the local bar because we couldn’t afford a television. It was certainly something to witness. I’m envious, I’d love to be an astronaut. The radio communication between the astronauts and Huston were partly what sparked my interest in radio.
Whats your ideal night out? Where are you going? With who?
Oof, good question. Okay... ready? Going to see Queen in concert with my best-friend, Ellie. The one from Boston? Oh man that would be a trip. It’d have to be London too. Apparently nothing is as good as a band in their hometown. Plus, it’s London, man!
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Completing university and surviving three years of independent living. Besides from that it’d probably be the piano recital I did in seventh grade. I worked forever on that song.
What is your idea of perfect happiness?
Wife, kids, dog.....maybe a cat? I don’t know, it’d just be nice to settle down.
Most treasured possession?
My father’s pocket watch. It’s always been in the family and my mother gifted it to me when I was twelve. Kind of always kept it and it’s been through a lot. I’d be besides myself if I lost it.
What/who is it that you most dislike?
I really dislike idiocy in people. That’s what I like to call it anyway. When people mistreat others or disrespect others for no reason. If you want to be a bully, then I have no time for you. I’d rather call you an idiot and hope that you’re just uneducated enough to make stupid remarks and comments like that, rather than it be intentional. I just can’t tolerate it.
Who do I dislike? I can’t really say that I dislike anyone. Y’know, your general douchebags, people who are arrogant assholes, the usual. I guess I do have a bad taste in my mouth about Joyce Byers, I just- I don’t know. My Uncle was so devoted to her and then suddenly he’s just gone of a heart attack and I’m at his funeral. I just, something doesn’t feel right.
Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
How much time do you have? Haha! I run my mouth off a lot of times. I suppose my most used word would be ‘dude’ though in the right company I’m terrible for swearing. I swear far too much and often get told off by my mother for it. I just ramble too much. Sorry in advance!
If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
Ouch, tough question. It’s always the last question. I guess I’d like to give less of a damn about other people. Maybe without them I’d be on to bigger and better things. I’d take more risks, I’d care more about myself and my prospects. That damn Newby gene has me pinned.
Her ears perked up at his mention of Independence Day, curiosity getting the better of her. A fun holiday? Did American’s make their celebrations fun? She couldn’t help but imagine the celebrations similar to the Soviet Union’s; All the citizens standing in an orderly fashion, forcing smiles on their faces as military men marched by, guns in hand, ready for someone to step out of line. Except in her imagination, everything was still Americanized– bright colors, loud noises, fast-paced action. She didn’t know how things worked outside of Russia, and something inside of her longed to find out. Too risky to try it, she thought, smiling sadly. “You all may have won the space race, but the Russians always have a trick up their sleeves,” she told him, glancing over to see his reaction. She was mostly kidding… mostly.
Melissa watched as he put the headphones to the device around his neck, interested as he explained to her how to create this ‘mixtape.’ If she hadn’t had such an awful encounter earlier that day, she would’ve felt stupid to have him explain something so simple– but she had been sheltered her whole life, used to being surrounded by dull colors like grey and brown, and once she had somehow managed to become a scientist, all she was used for was her head. The simple task of creating a tape recording of various musical groups was something completely new to her. Cooper seemed genuinely interested in what she had to say– there was no smacking her around like a rag doll, yelling in her face to get her to understand– and for that, she was grateful. “These mixtapes… do you have more of them?” She asked, desperate to ask him if he would share one with her. Pausing to listen to him, she smiled widely at his rambling, not finding it annoying in the slightest. It was a good change from the silence throughout the lab. “Into The Groove is very good, but Lucky Star is even better, I think. She’s very catchy, but I think the minimal clothing helps her a little bit.”
She was conflicted. She did not wish to enter the mall, not when one of their guards may be roaming around as a security guard for the mall, but that was the whole point of Cooper being here in the first place. It was silly, but she almost didn’t want to leave him when she was having such a nice time being normal. In her rambling of thoughts, she accidentally began to tune him out as he spoke of his coming back to Hawkins– that was, until he uttered the name Bob Newby, a memory of reading up on some of the mysterious deaths in Hawkins popping into her head. Melissa didn’t even think of Cooper’s last name being tied into the story of Hawkin’s, and she suddenly felt a great deal of guilt on her shoulders. From what she had gathered, these monsters that killed Bob and many others all seemed to be linked to the portal that she and the others were trying to open, the one that had been closed all those years ago…
Did he know? Did he know how his uncle died, or was he fed lies to spare the sense of disbelief?
“Do you enjoy it here so far?” She asked, trying to force the guilt out of her mind, “I would if I were offered a job like that. It suits you, I think, considering your passion for music.” She offered him another smile, picking up on how excited he seemed to have such a job. “At least, that’s what I’m gathering from you. What do you do there? Play whatever you want and take requests?”
Cooper shrugged as he saw she was lost in her thoughts for a moment. “I mean, if you want company checking it out then I don’t mind showing you around. That’s if you think you can handle the sheer awesomeness of an American holiday,” he teased lightly. Though her comment had him grinning, maybe it shouldn’t have been, but he enjoyed the playfully rivalry. “Sure, you’re just bitter you guys didn’t get to the moon first. It’s okay, don’t worry, you’ll catch up.”
At the request he looked down and opened the cassette player, taking out the tape and holding it out to her. “You can borrow that one if you want. It has a range of songs on there, you can see what you like, see what you don’t like. Though- do you have-” he stopped and took the headphones from his neck and the Walkman from his waist. “Here,” he slotted the cassette back into the small device and firmly held it out to her. “You can just- you can just give it me back if you see me around town. It’s a small place, I’m sure I’ll bump into you again,” he smiled softly.
The comment about Madonna caught him in a smirk and he felt a slight blush hit his cheeks. “I mean, I can see that,” he shrugged bashfully and raised his eyebrows.
“Well, I used to come here when I was a kid, most Christmases so yeah I do like it. Though there’s still a lot of it that I haven’t seen yet. My childhood exclusively went from my Grandparents to the Radio Shack to the Cinema,” he grinned. “Yeah, yeah I like music,” he admitted with a nod. “Well I have my first show soon, basically considering it’ll be starting at one in the morning and no-one with any sanity will be awake to listen, I figured I’d just play some of my favourite songs. Y’know? In the future, I don’t know, it’s flexible... What do you do?”
Melissa couldn’t help but crack a small smile at his joke; he had no idea how true that was. She couldn’t complain about being stuck in America either, considering it had been her idea to move the experiments here. There was no telling how much longer the Red army would be here for, and Melissa intended to enjoy America’s freedoms for as long as she could It was nothing like the propaganda films made it out to be, that was for sure. “Trust me, Americans have a lot of freedoms that we–uh, the Russians don’t have,” She said longingly, hoping he hadn’t noticed the small slip-up. “You are thankful, I hope?”
She glanced briefly towards her left, knowing that the loading dock for the mall was right around the corner, and with it, Grigori and his goons posing as security for all of the new deliveries. Melissa knew she would need to go back sooner rather than later, but the man in front of her was a nice distraction from her miserable reality. Looking back at Cooper, she stuffed the remaining papers into the bag tucked under her arm, offering him a more genuine smile as he began to speak again.
“A… variety cassette tape?” She sounded it out slowly, interested. Of course they had cassette recorders and tapes in Russia, she wasn’t stupid, but she had never seen the type that he carried around– a portable device just to listen to music! Queen, Bon Jovi, Billy Joel– she didn’t know anything about the things he listed off, but he seemed very passionate about them and his variety mixtape. For her, there was only one artist she was fascinated enough with to learn about. “Do you have any Madonna songs on that thing?” She asked, eyebrows quirked up in interest.
Looking up at him, she couldn’t help but be captivated by his easy-going attitude. It was such a breath of fresh air compared to the hardened soldiers and high-strung scientists she was always surrounded by, day after day, hour after hour. Cooper seemed to have no malicious intent towards her, something that was foreign to her, and she had no idea how to feel about this strangely delightful man in front of her.
He held out his hand to her, waiting for her to shake it in greeting, and she found herself frozen again. He was introducing himself? Like… a colleague? Associate? A thousand thoughts filled her mind once again, ranging from suspicion and mistrust to curiosity and– amusement?
Melissa gripped his hand, shaking it gently. “I am Melissa Nicks–” she thought carefully for a second, a shy smile appearing on her lips, “–but you can call me Milly.” Letting go of his hand, she eyed their surroundings carefully for any recognizable faces before carrying on. “What brought you to Hawkins, Cooper? The mysteries or the cornfields?”
Cooper smiled at her before narrowing his eyes slightly, he’d caught the slip-up but he had no reason to judge or be concerned. Maybe he was being idiotic but he didn’t worry himself over it. “Thankful? Yes, well, it is Independence Day soon. I’m sure Hawkins will be bustling with celebrations, you should check it out if you can, it’s always a fun holiday. Though you’re right, I suppose it pays to be American.... and we won the space race,” he grinned from ear to ear. He’d been seven when Apollo 11 launched and Cooper had been tightly wrapped up in the events, it was something he was able to nerd out about with no encouragement.
He shifted on the spot and glanced at the motion of putting the papers in her bag. Fiddling with the Walkman, he sat it back on his belt and let the headphones sit around his neck. “Yeah, like, basically it’s a blank tape and I put different songs on it. A mixtape,” he shrugged trying to think how he could explain it better. Glancing down at the item in question, brown eyes shot back up at the question. “Hell yeah, Madonna is a great artist. I know I have at least one on here. I like Into The Grove best,” he rambled. Always with the chatter. Sometimes he didn’t realise just how much he spoke. It was clear when he was passionate about things as he wouldn’t shush.
His smile couldn’t help but widen when she gripped his hand and shook it. “Well it’s a pleasure to meet you, Milly,” he chirped in response. His gaze followed her as he looked at the crowded shoppers in the mall. To some extent he was relieved he’d bumped into her, anything to avoid heading into that hustle and bustle. The question once again caught his attention.
“Cornfields? No I think the infrastructure and layout of the roads is what drew me in most. Gotta love a good bit of concrete,” he joked before shaking his head. “No- uh, my family, my Uncle used to live here. Bob Newby. He passed not to long ago and I’ve always lived up North with my Mom, so I thought I’d come check out my roots sort-of-speak. Y’know? See where I’m from,” he pushed his hands in his pockets, a lot quieter in energy as he spoke of his family.
“I mean- that and I got offered a job at the local radio station. Couldn’t turn that down.”
Melissa watched with blurry eyes as the man helped to collect some of her notes, thankful that he didn’t stop to look at what was written on any of them– not that he could’ve read them in the language it was written in. She was also thankful for his babbling, although it was mostly incoherent to her as her brain struggled to catch up with the language, it was a nice distraction from the hurricane of emotions running through her.
“You are alright, it was my fault,” she told him, her voice croaking slightly. “Thank you, thank you.” She bent down to help him, some of the papers he had already given her crunching in her trembling hands. It was almost funny; he had no idea how important– how earth-shattering– the government documents resting in his hands were. It was almost enough to forget that her neck was nearly crushed by Grigori an hour ago.
“I–” pausing, she looked to him with wide eyes, not realizing that he had heard her speak in her native tongue. “Um, yes. I… my family, they were immigrants from Russia,” she lied quickly, hoping her American accent was tight enough to hold up through her panic.
Melissa took the last of the papers from him, hugging them tightly (and securely) to her chest as she looked away from him, her eyes resting on the small blue device by his feet that looked curiously like a recorder. There was even sound coming from it? Eager to keep the subject off of herself and her life’s work, she nodded to the Walkman at his feet. “You listen to recordings of people casually?” She asked.
Cooper smiled at her as he rounded up the last few stray papers. “It’s not a problem, like I said, I’m sure I’m partly responsible,” he handed them to her, straightened up and rubbed the back of his neck out of a nervous habit. He was a bundle of nerves still trying to find his feet in Hawkins.
“Really? That’s rad. Though now you’re stuck in America with the Americans,” he joked lightly. “We’re not that bad, though I guess you could say I’m biased right?”
Now he wasn’t an idiot, the Russians weren’t the most well liked in the US of A, though he’d been raised to accept everyone, no matter what path they’d walked in life. Kindness first, judge later. Maybe he was an idiot for it, though Cooper didn’t want to base his own personal beliefs on what some man in power thought of a group of people. Not everyone conformed to stereotypes.
He noticed how her posture seemed to be, defensive, fearful to some extent. She looked a little flustered though he couldn’t be sure if that was due to him bumping into her. His expression sank from a smile to a touch of concern. That was until he heard the words leave her mouth.
Confusion struck his face at her question before he followed her gaze. “Oh,” he uttered out and reached down to collect the item he’d forgotten about too easily. “Recordings of people? No- no it’s music. Like... Queen, Bon Jovi uhhh I might even have some Billy Joel on here,” he rattled off. “It’s cassette tape, I mixed some songs on it myself, why have an album when you can have variety huh?” he smiled brightly before hitting the pause button. “I’m Cooper. Cooper Newby. It’s nice to meet you, I’m new to Hawkins,” he held his hand out politely.
an hour until his shift began, Billy stuck close to the location of the pool, knowing fine well he couldn’t risk being late, not with the current wages he was getting. Which just meant showing up incredibly early. But, it’d all be worth it when he could finally get himself and anyone else he actually cared about out of this shit-hole.
pulling a cigarette to his lips and taking a long drag, before watching the smoke fade off into the air around him, completely oblivious to anything around him as he attempted to just zone out for this next hour. Perhaps he’d have his usual crowd already waiting for him inside, it did feel fantastic, having all eyes on him, it was an interesting form of validation for the male, but a one he appreciated nonetheless.
Late, again and his first week; Cooper really needed to find his alarm clock amongst the boxes piled high in his apartment. Moving had been a trip and a half so unpacking was the last thing he wanted to do, no matter how much his grandparents nagged. It was difficult, he felt too old to be babied by family but too young to have any idea about how to navigate as an adult.
It was an awkward spot to say the least. Away from home, living on his own in a new town. He’d done it before when he moved to New York after college, but Hawkins was different.
Wandering down a street, he glanced behind him at the passing sign then ahead. He was positive he had absolutely no idea where he was going. Figuring he’d taken a wrong turn back on the main street, he was doing his best to get back to something familiar. Hawkins wasn’t a big town, though it felt big when you were the newbie with no idea where things were.
Rounding a corner, he stopped steady as he almost walked into a broad shouldered man. The smell of cigarettes lingered in the air and his eyes darted to the culprit of the smell. “Sorry,” he quickly said naturally. He was polite, he was well mannered and caring for others. Then again, you would be if you’d had Bob Newby in your life, the man was a beam of sunshine.
Walking past him briefly, he halted once more and turned back to him. “You don’t know the way back to the main street do you?” he queried. “Say, you look like Brian May from Queen. Well, less fuzzy I guess. Also that was a compliment, please don’t take offence. It’s a nice mullet.”
Hopper dragged a hand down his face as he leaned back in his chair, sighing deeply as he looked down at the stacks of files sitting in front of him. Some of them were detailed reports of the missing persons, some the paranoid recountings of loved ones acting concernedly strange.
It had been three years. He had watched El close the gate with his own eyes and things had been quiet since then. Every fiber of him wanted to believe that is was a normal…well, normal was the wrong word for it. Solvable, maybe. That these cases were solvable, had a less crazy explanation. But as he looked through the different cases, it was hard to consider that anything other than the Upside Down was the culprit.
He glanced up at the clock, blowing out his cheeks. It was late; and it was hard to process this stuff even when he was wide awake in the mornings. He stood up, grabbing his coat in the process and walked out of the station, keeping his head down as he made his way to his truck. He stepped in and got settled, starting up the truck before looking up to see the light in his office that he’d left on. He groaned, turning his truck off in the process. He didn’t want to hear it from Florence in the morning for running up the energy bill.
With a heavy sigh, he got out of the truck and started making his way back towards the building, stopping short as he saw a young man standing on the pavement, looking up at his office.
His eyes narrowed as the man started rambling, causing him to shift his weight equally between his feet. “Looking at what, exactly?” He asked, looking at him with suspicious eyes.
“Nothing sir,” he blurted out. He’d been raised to respect his elders so the formality didn’t falter on his tongue. Though he realised his answer probably hadn’t helped his cause.
His chest tightened and he tried to get the flurry of thoughts in his head to calm down. Breathe, Cooper. Lifting his gaze again, he saw the other man and drew in a shaky breath. “I was just- I was just looking around the place. I’m new here, I just moved to town,” he explained.
Brown eyes shot to the floor once more as he felt a little more confident in his stance. “I work at the radio station up town, I have some time before I’m due at work and I was just looking around,” the younger man spoke between a few stutters and pauses.
the constant ringing of the bell was beginning to give the girl a headache, forehead pressed against the glass of the closed window, hoping that whoever it is; constantly ringing the bell at the counter would just ― disappear. But that was wishful thinking, and Robin knew it was. Chances were, it was just a kid wanting ice cream, and this is what she had signed up for when the girl had taken on the job.
― yet, as the bell seemed to ring loudly, buzzing against her ears; causing a groan to pass through her lips, Robin pushed herself up as she opened the window, a smile gracing against her lips which was nothing but fake, something she had perfected over her time working her.
“What can I get’cha?” Asked the female, sliding herself over the counter and onto the other side of the window, the quiet thud of her feet hitting the tiled floor, brushing her hair from her hair as she finally let her gaze fall onto the customer.
“And I thought New York was bad...” he trailed off looking at some papers the once belonged in a now torn envelope. The fees for his apartment weren’t as bad as the over priced bullshit he put up with in New York, but when pockets felt light, any number didn’t fill you with hope.
The mall seemed the place to be and he’d been sent by the Radio Station to scope out the opinions on the place for another presenter to talk about. Great, he was doing all the work just for someone else to have the content to discuss live on air. Then again, he couldn’t imagine that many people would be willing to listen to him ramble about the great American shopping experience at half one in the morning. They probably slept like normal human beings.
Still, with an underpaying internship, money was still tight. Cooper was no stranger to working multiple jobs so with the mall now the heart of business in Hawkins, it seemed right to try there.
He watched as a small child was dragged away by their mother after finding amusement in repeatedly tapping the bell. He’s considered stepping in and removing the bell, but Cooper thought making a child cry probably wasn’t the best call here. Nonetheless, a face appeared behind the counter and he smiled brightly. “Hi, uh, I was wondering do you have any vacancies?”
Reaching into his back pocket, he took out a neatly folded insert from the Hawkins Post. “It said the Mall was now hiring and I’ve asked around a few places. I like ice cream? Chocolate fudge if I have to pick,” he said nervously, trying to search for some hope before she answered.
The problem with starting your segment on the radio at 1am was that you had a lot of time to kill beforehand. When all the shops were shut and the locals bars weren’t a place you wanted to get in a habit of being seeing in, he hadn’t much choice other than stay home or walk the streets.
He’d had dinner with his grandparents and decided to go for a walk in the cool summer air as he made his way to the radio station. One of the drawbacks with living in Hawkins was the heat, New York stayed relatively cool, at least it was a comfortable temperature for him. Cool nights were ideal for Cooper, somewhere to just take a breath and pause for a moment.
The youngest Newby was starting to learn some of the groundings to his new town. He had located the cinema in a heartbeat and he knew the route from his grandparents to his Uncle’s store. Well, what used to be his Uncle Bob’s store. The rest seemed a pleasant adventure.
Passing the Sheriff's Station, Cooper couldn’t help but pause. He’d heard plenty of things about the resident Chief Hopper, rumours that he was inadequate for the position, that he hadn’t acted properly with all the missing people and incidents going on. It drew Cooper’s mind into a flurry of suspicion about the law body of the town. Were they as law abiding as you’d hope?
He’d stepped off the sidewalk and peered over at the window with the light on inside. Footsteps behind him made his mouth turn dry and he felt like a child caught in the cookie jar.
“I wasn’t doing anything- I can explain- I was just... just looking.”
Shifting on the spot, guilty eyes shot to the cemented sidewalk before darting up.
The rapid beating of Melissa’s heart was not slowing down any time soon– she felt like she was being suffocated, like a frog in a cooking pot while someone slowly turned the heat up. Everything was wrong, it was all wrong. They were so close to opening the gate, each day was a step in the right direction as it appeared to open inch by inch, but today… today she had miscalculated, all the scientists had, but she had taken the blame for it to spare Dr. Alexei from the same fate as Dr. Peyankov. It had resulted in being slammed to the ground and choked by the boogeyman himself, but it had been worth it. Alexei was much more important to the cause– her, not so much.
Now she paced outside the entrance to Starcourt, tightly clutching her folder full of notes and escape plans as she tried to catch her breath. This was all too much for her to handle. I could just run now, she thought, if I went to the government and informed them of the situation, maybe I could still be alive by the end of the year.
Melissa was so caught up in her whirlwind of thoughts that she didn’t see the person passing by her, accidentally bumping into them and sending her notes flying everywhere. Her heart seized in her chest as she watched them scatter. “Извините, это была ошибка. Я исправлю это.” She said quickly, too lost in her panic to switch languages, “I’ll fix it, I’ll fix it.”
“Go to that new mall and see if you can get some clothes, you look like the cat dragged you in.”
It hadn’t been the kindest thing his grandmother had said to him in the twenty-five years of existence, though maybe she did have a point. Moving away from crowded spaces was the idea of making the trip from New York to Hawkins. Walking into a bustling mall was the last thing he truly wanted. Though, good impressions seemed to last, or so he was repeatedly told.
Stepping off the bus, he made his way over to the entrance. A blue Walkman sat on his waist and headphones were snug over his ears. If he had to see the crowds, then maybe he didn’t have to listen to them. Instead the sound of Starship’s ‘We Built This City’ drowned out the noise.
Now it wasn’t uncommon for Cooper to be a clumsy sod, so it wasn’t a surprise when he bumped into another body that knocked the Walkman to the ground. Seeing a flurry of papers rain down across the floor in front of him, he felt his stomach drop with guilt. “Oh god, I’m so sorry-” he began to ramble and dropped to begin picking them up. With the orange ear buds cascaded to the floor, he caught the foreign tongue. “Is that..... Russian? yo hablo español but not-... not Russian,” he continued to babble, offering the papers he’d collected so far to the frantic woman.
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