Gone Girl // IT Fanfiction

Thirteen: A Memory of Summer

a/n: this chapter contains sexual assault, so please skip over the italicized text to avoid reading that scene.

He was no longer a creature metres taller than herself, or a thing with long limbs and claws for hands. He looked like Him. He was wearing the same clothes as the last time she had seen him, those jeans and button up lightweight shirt. His hair was like it was just before it happened; light brown and swept back off his face. It had become tousled after it was done, falling forward over his face in thick strands, his face that she could now see. Sharp cheekbones that gave hers a run for its money, strong jaw, the scar on the side of his cheek, the plump lips that had known the taste of her skin. Kit shook her head, taking one step back with every step He took forward until her back was pressed against the wall of the sewers. She could barely breathe, her legs trembling as she stared at him, her face stained with tears. He seemed to notice this. He smiled.

"A memory of Summer?" He whispered, and suddenly it was almost three years earlier on an Italian beachside. Kit could see the dawn sky, hear the rolling waves, see Him-

"Ciao." Cathy looked up towards the man who had spoken, surprised to see that she wasn't the only one awake at this time of the morning.

"Ciao," she replied, wincing slightly at how crude her accent made the Italian word sound.

"Vieni qui spesso?"

"Um... I don't understand," Cathy admitted, tilting her head to the side. To her surprise, the man understood what she was saying.

"You're American?" He pointed out, his accent not Italian. In fact, Cathy couldn't quite pinpoint what accent the man was talking in. It definitely wasn't American or British, but she believed it to be from somewhere in Europe.

"Yeah, I'm from Maine."

"Holiday?"

"Yeah."

"Where's your family?" The man asked, looking around. It was still only them.

"They're back at the hotel. I wanted to explore," Cathy explained.

"A young girl like you exploring an unfamiliar country like this by yourself? Is that safe?" He asked. Cathy laughed, rolling her eyes and putting both hands on her hips.

"I'm not a child," she stated, making the man chuckle. He liked her fire and the way she popped a hip out while folding her arms across her chest, eyebrows drawn together.  "And anyway, I can see the hotel from here," she continued, nodding in one general direction, her blue eyes flashing from the distance back to him. "I just wanted to see the sunrise."

"You like sunrises?"

"Yeah. They're pretty."

"Well, I know an area around the beach that would be a great place to watch the sunrise from. The light reflects off the rock pools, and inside they've got all these starfish and crabs and other little sea creatures," he told her, looking down the beach. Cathy took a step forward, a grin on her face. So far her parents hadn't let her or Richie explore the beach yet. "There's more to see and do in the town," they had told them, and while Cathy appreciated the museums and art galleries they got to see, she loved the beach too. Plus, she hadn't seen a rock pool in many years, not since the family last went to a beach back in America, and that had been years ago when Richie had just started school.

"Where is it?"

The man smiled and started walking down the empty beach. Curious to see the rock pools and caves, Cathy followed, walking in step with the man. While they walked she asked him questions about why he was in Italy (College studies), where he was from (Sweden), and why he was up so early ("I like watching the sunrise too"). Cathy couldn't help but be intrigued by him. He reminded her of the older kids in her town who had gone off to college and come back so much more interesting and way prettier than when they left. Or perhaps Han Solo, with those smoldering eyes and handsome features. He could be a movie star, Cathy thought with a giggle. Like Harrison Ford. With that thought, Cathy couldn't help but become a little distracted in her head, unaware of the green eyes that were scanning the beach. Noticing that there was nobody around, he relaxed and let himself look at the younger girl who believed herself to be older than what she was. She didn't notice, though. She was still thinking about Harrison Ford.