𝐠𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐨𝐮𝐬

x. IT'S NOT REAL

CHAPTER TEN:
IT'S NOT REAL

THE GROUP all stood, looking at the missing photo of Edward Corcoran, a thirteen year old who had just went missing. "They say they found part of his hand all chewed up by the stanem pipe." Stan says as Timothy and Beverly look over at Richie who was playing one of the marching band member's instrument, quite terribly.

"He asked to burrow a pencil once," Ben said as Bill walked over, making Timothy look over and watch as he raised the paper to the missing paper of Betty Rimpsom. "It's like she's been f-f-forgotten because Corcoran's missing.." He says, looking to his friends then Timothy before letting the paper down. "Is it ever gonna end?" Stan says before looking over at Richie, the instrument was snatched back from him, "what the fuck, dude?!"

"What are you guys talking about?" Eddie said, holding two cones of ice cream as Richie walked over, "what they always talk about." He says as he grabbed one of the cones from Eddie. "I actually think it will end." Ben said making them look at him. "For a little while at least." He adds.

"What do you mean?" Beverly asked.

"So, I was going over all my Derry research, and I charted out all the big events, the Ironworks explosion in 1908, the Bradley gang in '35, and the Blackspot in '62, and now kids being.." Ben paused and Timothy looked at Bill right away. "I've realized this stuff seems to happen every-" "27 years." Ben and Bill now said at the same time.

And eventually, all the teenagers sat in a circle, Beverly sat with Elise, Stan and Mike on the bench, Bill was sitting on Silver with Timothy on the seat, and Eddie was sitting on his bike, Ben was on the end of the bench, next to Mike, Richie and David were sitting on Richie's bike together. "Okay, so let me get this straight. It comes out from wherever and eats kids for like a year, and then what? It goes into hibernation?" Eddie asked.

"Maybe it's like.. what do you call it? Cicadas. The bugs that come out once every seventeen years." Stan says and Timothy looks down, that did make sense. "My grandpa thinks this town is cursed. He says that all the bad things that happen in this town are because of one thing. An evil thing that feeds off the people of Derry." Mike said and the clown was what came to Timothy's mind.

"But it can't be one thing. We all saw something different." Stan says as he looks at them all. "Maybe. Or maybe it knows what scares us most and that's what we see." Mike says and Timothy looked at Bill who looked back at him right away. "I saw a leper. He was like a walking infection.." Eddie said and Timothy looks at him. "And I saw spiders.." Timothy lied and Bill looked at him right away. "Elise saw her dad, David saw Liv.. A girl that.." Timothy continued only to pause when he realized they didn't know about her and David looked down.

"But you didn't because it's not real. None of this is. Not Eddie's leper, not Bill seeing Georgie, or you seeing spiders, or David seeing that girl, or Elise seeing her dad. Or the woman I keep seeing," Stan is stammering as he looked down. "Is she hot?" Richie said from beside David who looked at him right away, elbowing him gently.

"No, Richie! She's not hot!" Stan said and Richie looked down disappointed at that before looking back up. "Her face is all messed up. None of this makes any sense! They're all like bad dream." Stan said and Timothy looks down, rubbing the back of his neck, all he could think of was his room shrinking down to his size and how his lungs felt.

"I don't think so, I know the different between a bad dream and real life, okay?" Mike said and David looks at him. "What did you see?" He asked, nodding his head towards Mike. "Yes.. You guys know that burnt down house on Harris Avenue? I was inside when it burnt down. Before I was rescued, my mom and dad were trapped in the next room over from me, they were pushing and pounding on the door. Trying to get to me.. But it was too hot. When the firemen finally found them.. The skin on their hands had been melted down to the bone. We're all afraid of something.." Mike said before looking up.

"You got that right." Richie said, looking behind him and David. "Why, Rich? What are you afraid of?" Eddie asked and Richie looks back. "Clowns.." He says and David looks at him.

"So.. Dave, who's Liv and why are you afraid of her?" Mike asked David and the blonde boy looked down, taken back by that. Usually he lost all breath in his lungs whenever someone brought her up, "Dave, you don't have to-" Elise started but David cut her off by starting to speak.

"She was a teenager who use to babysit me.. I was eleven and she was sixteen, she use to come over after schools when my mom was off on shifts that would last for hours.. During the day, we would have fun, play games and she'd make me my favourite, mac and cheese.. And then at night, she was different.. Whenever I was in bed, I couldn't sleep and she'd come into my room, she'd read me a story and when she did, she would.." David paused, looking down and letting out a deep breath.

"David," Timothy said, standing up. "Did she like.. touch you, Dave?" Eddie asked and David just kept looking down. "I didn't even know.. I never knew until I was thirteen, when I learned about sex and stuff.. I told my parents and they didn't believe me.." David said, putting his hands over his face. Timothy walked over, grabbing his shoulder. "David, you d-don't have to s-say more.." Bill said.

Timothy knew deep down opening up like this was hard for the boy to do, especially with the way he is, so he hugged him. Bill looks down when he did, almost all of them did except for Mike who was staring. He felt sympathy for David, he actually thought he was just some stuck up rich kid but he can see now David was more than that.

David was a survivor.

Timothy pulled David much closer and the boy sighs, "sorry.. It's fine, I-I just.. I keep thinking about it and.. you know.. That shit fucks you up for life.." David said as he looks up, his eyes looked red and no one spoke again, until Richie did.

"Sorry, it's probably rude and.. I know she's like a predator and everything, but was she at least hot?" He says and David would usually take offence but instead he chuckled and shoved Richie lightly but not too hard to make him fall.

"Shut up, Tozier.." He chuckled lightly as Timothy pulled back, sitting back down on Bill's bike again. Richie only smiled slightly at that, knowing he made David laugh after looking so sad over Olivia. "So.. You only saw spiders?" Stan asked Timothy who only nodded, looking down. "Why did you see your dad?" Stan asked and David looks up. "You guys are asking too much-" "No, Dave, they're our friends, they deserve to know." Elise said, cutting off David before leaning over, sighing.

That statement made Timothy guilty.

"My dad died when I was younger, probably like ten. I discovered the body, he was.. he overdosed on drugs. And since then, I was scared of death, how it can happen so suddenly.. And I saw him, he told me I'd float too, he told me I was gonna join him soon, and he had glowing eyes.." She says as Beverly leaned over, putting her arm around her shoulders. "Then I saw the clown.." She says.

"This is fun, sharing stories of our experiences with.. It.. But I have to go. My mom will kill me if I'm not home with Parker and my dad, they're probably gonna be going home soon and I should find them before that." Timothy said, standing up. "Um, I'll s-see y-you?" Bill said and Timothy nods, smiling down at him before walking away.

authors note i kinda feel bad for elise making her have a single mother and a deceased dad who overdosed on drugs, and for david on making him a kid who was molested by a gross ass hoe.