Chapter 1: A Nice Girl
It was weak. Very weak. In fact, when It's inhuman eyes gleamed among the darkness underneath the streets of Derry as the evil entity had awakened yet again, It felt numb. Beaten-up. Famished.
And all that was a result of It's last encounter with the Lucky Seven, also known as the Losers Club. The fearlessness of those kids has drained Pennywise and every other creature It could become off of its powers and left it crawling on the ground beneath their feet. And so the Losers believed they defeated the monster... But It lived, and despite all the damage It took, the undying hunger for human fear and flesh was still there.
Only this time It would have to approach Its first victim differently. Because It's powers were limited, a more devious act was required... Perhaps similar to the one which deprived little poor Georgie of his arm.
And the perfect opportunity was just ahead...
She was sitting on the Kissing Bridge, legs dandling over the metal barrier, hands on both her sides steadying her posture, and she was all alone. The only sound around her was of the water stream below. The water level was very low here recently, so the river could be easily crossed.
Spring has just begun and the lazy afternoon sun was lightening her delicate, sad face. Probably everyone in Derry was currently having fun at the annual festival, made to celebrate the day Derry has officially become a town. A lot's changed since then, but this tradition didn't.
On her way here she saw a group of her 'friends' hanging out. They were laughing and throwing popcorn at each other. The multi-flavoured popcorn, which has become the festival's specialty. You could buy almost any taste you like; sweet, salty, spicy, caramel... even vanilla, which was her personal favorite.
With eyes closed, the girl couldn't help but wonder why was she sitting there, abandoned by all while her classmates were having fun on their own.
She sighed. Things couldn't possibly get any worse, could they?
And then she felt it. The sweet smell of... cotton candy? Yes, it did seem like it but wherever it came from, there was just something wrong about it. The scent wasn't just sweet but much more intense, as if it consisted of joy itself.
Her eyes snapped open, and she saw a big, red balloon, attached to a long white string, floating just before her face. Her mouth gave a little gasp of surprise but what startled her the most was the person holding it.
A tall stranger observed her from below with a stare as piercing as the nib of a blade, his shoes and ankles soaked, his hand outstretched towards her, offering her the blood-red balloon. He was standing there, in the middle of the river, completely motionless and if not the casualness of his clothes, the shocked girl would think it looked almost sinister.
How did he get there? Wouldn't she hear him getting near? He couldn't just appear there out of thin air, right?
Suddenly, the man's sharp features softened, and he tilted his head as his mouth curled into what was probably the widest smile she's ever seen. And when his bright, green eyes glanced over her just as if they weren't throwing daggers at her barely seconds ago, she began to notice how gorgeous he really was.
He surely was older than her, probably in his twenties, his perfectly shaped body so tall he could reach her if he would come only a few steps closer...
The girl loosened her shoulders a bit. She realized her whole body had gone completely stiff.
"What are you doing down there?" She asked still slightly unsure.
"Isn't it obvious?" The tone of his voice seemed quite amused, but she could only think of how it made her hands quiver on the metal bars. "I'm offering you a balloon."
"Why?" Her eyes narrowed on his figure suspiciously. This was a strange situation after all...
"You look like a nice girl. A nice girl... sitting here all alone... I thought I could cheer you up." That big, warm smile never left the stranger's lips, and she did really want to believe him. She wanted nothing more at the moment.
"But I don't even know you." The doubts filled her head. This can be just a joke. A silly prank someone wants to pull on you, nothing more. People don't just walk around and give balloons to strangers. She thought to herself. No one has ever approached you this way before. No one. Then why would he? What's in it for him?
"Oh how rude of me not to introduce myself!" He exclaimed in a rather theatrical way. "Do forgive me, I'm Robert. Robert Gray." His actions were so over-the-top, but it made her smile. "Aand you are..?"
"Madeline." She said with a hint of joy in her eyes.
"Madeline." Robert repeated, distinguishing the last syllable almost inaudibly. The smile became a slightly mocking, one-sided grin. "Now won't you be a nice girl and just... take it." The man waved the floating thing suggestively in front of her once more.
Madeline's small hand reached for the string but hesitated halfway. She had a bad feeling about this. But at the same time, what harm could come out of it? It was just a balloon.
"Come on." A light laugh escaped Robert's mouth. "Take it."
He wanted it to look like a casual gesture but his every move had a dark, violent undertone and had she acknowledged it, had she seen 'his' true form, she'd be running away from him in fright. But Madeline couldn't see the creature hiding under this unbelievably captivating glamour.
She took it.
The girl held the string delicately and then gave Robert a shy smile.
"So..." He began, intentionally locking his eyes with hers as he took one step towards the bridge, then another one. "Everyone is at the festival. Aren't you going?"
"Nah. Not this time I guess."
"That's good. There are many other fun things to do around here, you know." His voice sounded somewhat huskier, almost a whisper. A weird feeling crept up Madeline's spine like electricity. She wasn't able to break the eye contact with her interlocutor. And he was getting closer.
"Like what?" The question came out sounding like a squeal. She cleared her throat. It suddenly felt hard to swallow.
Robert said nothing. The only answer she got was the devious flicker in his eyes, and in that moment she was almost sure she saw a glint of yellow in them.
Lost in his hypnotizing gaze, the girl didn't notice as his hand rested on the metal bar just above her ankle. She should go. Right now. Run as far away from the man standing below her as she could. The only problem was...
Madeline just wasn't. Able. To. Move.
He'd made his way to her slowly, like a predator trying not to startle its prey.
In the distance, the sun began to set, reflecting inside the balloon floating above It and the girl, which made the color even more lively. Soon enough the sky would be lightened up with red, long smudges.
It would take only one abrupt pull. A couple of seconds. He would drag her down in the twinkling of an eye, and then the water could become red as well. And It would make her float. Her or the remains of her.
Now that Madeline knew something wasn't right and the feeling of unease and fear began to rise in her, It knew that was just a glimpse of the pure terror It could make her feel.
And just what she was feeling right now was more than enough to almost make Robert Gray forget himself. It had to use all its willpower not to tear her apart right then and there.
His long fingers wandered up, caressing her skin as his hand slowly closed around the girl's leg in a light grip. Madeline was caught in a confusing, half-conscious state; her heart was pounding uncontrollably, she knew something bad was about to happen, she was aware of Robert's touch as well as of the goosebumps all over her body, but the only thing she could see was the greenness of his irises and the bottomless, dark hole of his pupils, in which she'd been hopelessly trapped. She couldn't control it.
She couldn't do anything.
Anything but just what he wanted her to.
And then a loud, sudden sound filled the air. But it wasn't a scream. The red balloon popped.
The hypnotizing daze was gone as quickly as the balloon and Madeline collapsed backwards, releasing herself from It's grasp. Her elbows rubbed roughly against the ground before her back hit the asphalt with a loud thud. Everything went silent for a while but just mere seconds after the unexpected 'pop' a cheerful voice called from the distance.
"Boom! Headshot." Then a series of giggles.
Madeline picked herself up, wincing in pain, fresh blood covering the grazes on her forearms. She had to wipe her eyes to fully regain her vision, and then she quickly looked around.
It was a child. A little boy, now running down the road, still laughing, with a small, plastic pistol in his hand. He must've bought it at the festival. She thought. He just wanted to try his new toy out...
Still a little dizzy, the girl crawled back to the barrier and peeked over the edge of the bridge. He was gone.
Now there were only the red remains of the balloon, floating in the water like spilled blood. It could've been blood.
Madeline sighed deeply in relief and when she finally walked away moments later, the white string was still coiled around her fingers.
A/N: Hi everyone! This is my very first attempt on writing a fanfic so please review kindly ^.^ Also, English is not my native language, therefore I am sorry for any spellings or grammar mistakes.