'39 [Stanley Uris]

17: Every Breath You Take

As Andi arrives at the Denbrough household, she parks her bike and hurry's up the steps of the porch. Then, she rings the doorbell with a pleasant smile.

Mrs. Denbrough answers the door, smiling at the girl.

"Oh, hello, Andi!" She greets, opening the door to talk to her properly. "You just missed Bill, if that's what you're here for!"

"No ma'am, I'm here for Georgie," she responds politely. "I promised him I'd visit today."

"Oh, well he's a bit sick right now, but you can go on upstairs," she nods, letting the girl in.

Andi's blood runs cold as those words leave the woman's mouth. Why is he sick? How is he sick? Is she just being paranoid, or could the clown have got to him? No. That can't be.

As she enters Georgie's room, she nearly trips over a lego formed turtle.

Georgie peaks out of his covers at the sound of her mumbling the word, "shit".

"Bad wordddd," he sings, grabbing the girls attention. "And you're late."

"Sorry, kid," she chuckles. "I had stuff to do, and I woke up late. I'm here though, aren't I?"

"Yeah, I guess," he shrugs. "Still late though."

She rolls her eyes.

"So, you're sick?" She hums, observing his pale face and runny nose. "How did that happen?"

"My cat sneezed on me," he nods. "Yup, I'm pretty sure that's how it happened."

Andi laughs, moving to sit on the bed beside the younger boy. He scoots over, making more room for her while wiping at his itchy nose. Then, he hugs on her arm a bit.

"Have you seen the clown again, lately?" She quietly asks.

"Yeah," he responds. "I didn't talk to him though. Like I promised."

Andi still feels nervous.

"Good. What was he doing? Did he say anything to you?" She questions.

"He was just watching," Georgie shrugs. "He didn't try to come towards me or anything. He didn't say anything either, but he looked weird."

"Weird?"

"Yeah, like I was annoying him, which is weird because I'm not annoying," He insists.

"Yeah, he's just a jerk," Andi agrees.

The two sit together for a while, playing with his stuffed animals and engaging in tickle fights. At one point, Mrs. Denbrough went to peak into Georgie's room only to see Andi softly reading a short book to her son, and him falling slowly into a slumber.

It made her appreciate the girl in a motherly sense, and learn to trust her more than she already did.

Nearly an hour and a half later, Andi finds herself sneaking quietly out of the little boy's room and down the stairs. Before she can make it out he front door, a voice stops her.

"Thank you," Mrs. Denbrough smiles. "You really gave him a good time today. He needed it."

"It was nothing, really," she insists.

"Bill is riding his bike around with the others, you say hi to them for me," she waves.

"Will do," Andi nods before exiting the house and rushing to grab her bike.