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Chapter 2: A House is not a Home

"So, what else do you know about this town you'll be moving to?" Nathan asked just as he was about to take a long sip from his soda, his cheeks thinning into his mouth and creating a loud slurping noise from the straw which made more than a few of the other customers there shift their attention from their food to the table Cassie and Nathan sat at.

Cassie sighed and threw some fries into her mouth, but not nearly enough for her to start choking like Nathan had done more than once during the last hour. As always, she never ceased to be impressed by how he failed to gain any weight despite his consistent eating habits. Genes, probably. His mother was a stick-thin athlete who spent every afternoon jogging around town three to five times a day and his father was just blessed with automatic bodily fat-burning despite sitting on his ass the entire day whilst watching Saturday Night Live on the TV. A lazy ass, in other words, much like her own old man.

Thinking back at the question Nathan had just asked her, she started pondering about what she had been told about her parents, and be that as it may, it wasn't much of interest. "It's called Derry, for some reason," she explained and waved her hand dismissively. "It's not a loud place, quite quiet, apparently. Should I get to know anything else I'll call your sorry ass." She chuckled at the last sentence and quickly grabbed the soda bottle away from him as his face was beginning to grow purple from the lack of oxygen. As soon as the straw was out of his mouth, he gasped for air and coughed a couple of times as if he had been held beneath water.

Seriously, Cassie thought and shook her head, an idiot.

"Thanks," he said and grabbed his half-eaten cheeseburger and looked at it as if he had just been denied sustenance for a lifetime. "Thought I was gonna die there,"

"Nathan, you're a moron, you know that?" She asked rhetorically and crossed both of her arms on top of the table, leaning down on them as she watched him begin to wolf down the meal with little pause. "Your priorities aren't really good."

"Bhaweber," he answered indifferently with his mouth stuffed with meat and buns, having already consumed over half of what remained of the burger in one bite. When he finally swallowed, he took a deep breath and prepared to finish the last part following that same pattern. "But you only live once."

"True," she agreed and grabbed her own bottle of soda, taking a sip of it from the straw, but on the contrary of Nathan's loud and obnoxious one, hers was a subtle and small one which barely released any noise.

"Or maybe some of us have lived or will live more than once?" He suggested curiously as he tossed the remainder of the burger down the dustbin next to them, placing a finger beneath his chin as he began to wonder.

Cassie struggled not to let out more than a single laugh at his curiosity. "You believe in reincarnation, Nathan? I never took you for the religious type."

"It's got nothing to do with religion," he corrected. "I was just thinking about what are the odds of actually being able to best death? That you're able to see the world from more than one perspective."

"You're not really beating death if you cannot recall your last life, you know?" She said as she sat up again and started to deliberately consider the idea along with him. "You're just entering another world while exiting the previous one. Technically you die, but you are born again with a new identity and a new name. If reincarnation exists, then how come neither of us is able to recall who we were? It seems the same as a regular death to me." She shrugged her shoulders. "But what's really bugging me is how we entered this deep and spiritual subject when we were initially talking about how big of a moron you are."

"Hey, you wound my pride!" He exclaimed and feigned being hurt.

Cassie scanned her eyes around the entire shop, from everything from the creepy Donald McDonald, which she had made her quest to avoid, to the other people enjoying their meal like themselves. "Funny, I don't spot it anywhere." She was on the verge of breaking out in laughter upon seeing his expression after she had made that remark. Nathan never ceased to make any situation become comedic. He was like a clown himself, somewhat.

After a little while of talking nonsense and eating again, they exited McDonald's and went around time, spending their time like they wanted it. Cassie wanted to enjoy what little time she had left with her best friend because she doubted that getting new friends would be simple once they moved away. She never had a knack of forcing bonds with others, Nathan being the sole exception of that rule because he had at least tried, and she understood that the chances of her becoming acquainted with no one would stand superior to those of getting ordinary friends.

Most girls were all Barbie and annoying, worrying about nothing but their own vain selves, whilst boys didn't easily accept female companions unless they became friends with benefits, which she most certainly would not. The only reason delinquents were considered optional was because at least they knew how to really have fun, even if it involved pissing people off. Heck, people had more than a few times assumed that she herself was one, her parents included. Good to see that her elders had faith in her.

After hanging out with Nathan until 10 pm, one hour past her curfew, Cassie bid him goodbye and returned home to meet a very red, very angry, Claudia waiting on the porch with both her arms crossed over her bulgy chest. Cassie might have considered looking apologetic had it not been for how utterly ridiculous her mother looked like wearing that apron which said 'Mama Bear Cooks'. That alone caused her to laugh as she approached the entrance door, not even looking at her mother's infuriated expression from her peripheral vision as she grabbed the doorknob.

"It's ten, young lady," Claudia said surprisingly low. Cassie had almost expected to lose half of her hearing for a second there.

"Good to see you learned the time, mother dear," Cassie replied with a smirk, twisting the knob and walking inside, spotting her father from outside the living room watching the television on the couch, a can of beer firmly attached to his hand. She scoffed to herself and went up the stairs, not even bothering to wait for her mother's scorning. She had already endured more than enough to last her a hundred years.

"Where are you going, young lady?" Called her mother from down the stairs just as Cassie reached the second floor.

"My room. If I could go elsewhere, I would've,"

"How many times have I told you to listen to what I'm saying?"

"Not nearly enough for me to actually consider it," answered Cassie and looked down the stairs to meet her mother's eyes, anger versus equanimity. "Seeing it as we're forced to leave, I wanted to enjoy myself a little more than usual."

"What that's supposed to mean?" Her mother demanded, a slight hint of confusion in her tone, then her eyes widened considerably as she gathered her own mental conclusion of what her daughter was implying. "Did you go drinking?"

"Since when do I drink?" Cassie asked and quirked an eyebrow, genuinely shocked but at the same time not really at her mother's own interpretation of the situation. Her mother often insinuated such, as did her father, but he was too lazy of an ass to give a damn about her. What genuinely shocked her there was how her mother could even think of marrying such a swine. Then again, she was gullible to the core, a pattern Cassie made sure would not be inherited by genes.

Before her mother could get the time to spit out something else, Cassie turned her back and marched towards her room, effectively shutting the door this time despite the fact that the doorknob was slightly messed up and tended to not go properly into the frame unless she pushed it in twice.

Her walls were covered in posters of several bands which she found to her liking, including AC/DC and New Kids in the Block. There was nothing there even indicating that she was a girl. Had anyone even seen her room whenever she wasn't there they would have undoubtedly assumed she was a guy. Grabbing her Walkman from the top of her dresser and putting the headphones on her, Cassie slammed herself down on her bed and listened to 'You Got It' by New Kids on the Block. Right now all she wanted to do was take a moment to recall how effed up the world was. It possibly couldn't get any worse, could it?

The week passed her by sooner than expected and when the day they were supposed to leave eventually arrived, Cassie unleashed her wrath through busting random things at the junkyard with a baseball bat along with Nathan, who had been all too compliant to join. Although it had been short, it had been gratifying to get out all of the anger. When it was time for her and her parents to leave, she hugged Nathan tightly and pecked him on the cheek. "Don't do too much stupid shit without me, Alright?" She requested as she pulled away from him, waiting for her parents to put the last of their suitcases in the taxi on the way to the airport.

Nathan laughed and roughed her hair again, earning himself a mild glare in return, but he didn't mind. He would miss it from her. "Sure, and remember that there are no scary clowns in Maine, and if there are then I'll give you fifty bucks and save your ass." He reached his arm to her, which she firmly accepted.

"No knight in shining armor, but fifty bucks is a deal."

Then she placed herself in the back of the taxi as her parents' were finished packing their stuff and they were on their way. Cassie watched as Nathan's figure gradually got smaller and smaller as the distance between them increased, and the home which she once had grown up in disappeared from sight. It had never been of any sentimental value to her, but she was gonna miss the place more than she initially thought she would. There weren't many people in Asheville except Nathan she would miss, but it had been her home. Now it was gone.

She watched as all the buildings passed her by as the car drove out of town and towards the nearest regional airport, which was just little over a half hour away from the center of Asheville. The trip to Maine was, mildly said, a hellish one. There was first a three-hour flight from Asheville Regional Airport to John F. Kennedy International Airport, then a three-hour stop until the next flight, which took approximately little over ten hours in total to get from John F. to Northern Maine Regional Airport. As if she could not be any more tired, they had to take another one-hour bus from the airport to little town of Derry, which she soon found to be an underwhelming experience.

Maybe she was just too tired to even give a damn, but something about the town seemed off. Sure, they did not arrive at their new home until nearly four in the morning, she was tired as hell, she could barely bear her mother's constant bitching due to her own tiredness, and quite honestly, all she really wanted to do was go to sleep and pretend like she was going to actually like the place. Truth be told, she didn't.

The house they had bought was a two-story house with a basement, which she found disturbing as hell, but not scary. It was probably because of the fact that the place was old, nothing more. Surprisingly, her room wasn't as small as the one back in North Carolina used to be. This one was bigger, had a large window which provided her with a view of the rest of neighborhood, and had gray, flower-patterned walls. Whoever owned the room prior to her must've really had a bland sense of fashion, but Cassie didn't mind at all. In fact, she was glad that whoever owned it didn't paint everything pink and induce her with nausea.

After packing out all of her stuff, everything from her clothes to her personal belongings such as her stereo and books, her posters were up on the walls and her bed had sheets put on it, she grabbed her Walkman and went downstairs with the intentions of walking a bit around the neighbourhood and grow a little familiar with her environment. However, just as she had opened the door and was out on the porch, the sound of her mother's semi-heavy footsteps behind her caused her to pause with exasperation. This was a natural occurrence whenever she was going outside.

"Where are you going, young lady?" Claudia asked demandingly. Cassie bit the bottom of her lip and struggled not to come with a snide remark to her mother, but the temptation was succeeding just barely.

"I'm going to get to know this lovely neighborhood of ours," she answered innocently, looking over her shoulder to meet her mother's suspicious eyes. "Is that against the rules you have established around me?" Needless to say, her mother did not find her remark amusing at all, but something flickered in her face for a second, something Cassie was vaguely able to detect. Agreement?

"Oh, well, Alright then," Claudia replied, mildly understanding. Cassie had to blink a couple of times to verify whether what she had just heard was something her imagination had processed for her personal amusement. Her mother did not just seriously—

"Just don't go too far," Claudia requested benevolently, sounding actually motherly for once and further surprising Cassie.

Apparently, she did.

"Sure, mom," Cassie replied awkwardly and started walking to the main road outside the house. "See you later." She did not stay there long enough to hear her mother reply before the door shut behind her. As soon as she reached the road and began walking down to the left side of the neighborhood, she could feel the sun heating her exposed arms and her hair deliberately began to warm up. That was one of the disadvantages of having black hair, and a reason she tended to hate the summer.

Holding her hand up as to shield her face from the illuminating ball of light in the skies, Cassie cursed herself for not bringing her cap with her. It was almost hilarious how the weather appeared to stand superior to the heat she experienced in Asheville, almost abnormally so. Had she known it would be that hot she would've just gone in her underwear, but it was probably not best to advertise her as a promiscuous girl already on the first day in a new town.

After walking for a bit and avoiding the year beneath the shadows of the trees she passed, she didn't think of much else until as a voice called out to her from one of the houses she just passed.

"Who the fuck are you?!"

As soon as she heard that voice, Cassie abruptly halted in her steps and looked to the side. A boy with abnormally large glasses, front buck teeth, and wearing a T-shirt which said 'Freese's' stood in the shadow of one the porch of the houses, waving his arm frantically in her way as if a desperate attempt to get her attention. She debated mentally with herself whether it would be best to just leave in an instant or actually try to gain some acquaintances in town, though her choices could be deemed questionable if she resorted to a foul-mouthed, nerdy-looking kid for friendships.

As she was about to make her decision, the boy jumped over the fence of the porch and started approaching her. "Heard we're getting some fresh meat into town, but didn't expect it so soon." He said.

"'Fresh meat?'" Cassie furrowed her eyebrows at the boy and crossed her arms firmly over her chest. "Just who the fuck are you?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "That's what I'm asking you."

She scoffed. "You always approach new people on the streets like that?"

He laughed and gestures to himself proudly. "That's how the cool kids here in Derry are."

"Oh?" She looked from left to right around her with exaggeratedly wide eyes. "I can't see any. Can you point me in their direction then I'll be on my way."

He snorted and gave her an unimpressed look. "You're hilarious."

"Best in the business," she admitted proudly and patter her own shoulder, actually finding herself enjoying the little talk with the nameless boy.

"Richie Tozier," the boy introduced himself.

"Cassie Hayes," she introduced herself in return.

"Cassie? Short for Cassidy, or Casey, or—"

"Cassandra," she admitted sourly, not enjoying it when people were referring to her by her full name. "Though I wouldn't recommend using it."

He seemed confused. "Why?"

She decided to play the same game with an equally powerful asset to win the talk. "So people call you Richard Tozier on a daily basis? Seems like a mouthful to me."

Seemingly understanding, he nodded in agreement. "Point taken."

"So, Richie, anything you know of in town that I should steer clear of?" She asked him, thinking that some advice would do her good in an alien town such as Derry.

"Yeah, stay away from Henry Bowers," he said in almost an instant, sounding almost mildly frantic about it before composing himself again with a cough. "Just my advice."

"Henry Bowers?"

"Local mullet-wearing asshole," he grumbled, and for the first time since she arrived, Cassie struggled not to burst out laughing. Despite his foul-mouth, the guy knew how to use words properly, cursing or otherwise.

"A mullet-wearing asshole? That's a new one. I'll remember that," she said amused and nodded approvingly his way. "Who's actually this Bowers guy?"

"A bully, to say the least. Causes trouble for anyone. The same goes for his bitches Victor Criss, Patrick Hockstetter, and Belch Huggins."

"Delinquents?" She inquired, to which he nodded. "I'll be sure to make them sorry if they piss me off. Thanks for the advice, dude."

"Dude?" He asked with obvious disbelief. "I didn't know the vocabulary of a girl extended that far. It must be destin—"

Before he could finish, she held her arm up to interrupt his melodramatic speech, facepalming with her free hand. "Don't go that far, Tozier,"

So Cassie spent some time speaking to her new weird neighbor and was actually enjoying the talks she had with the obviously foul-mouthed guy. They even went as far as to have a swearing contest about who could say the worst words the fastest, to which it became a draw. He would provide her with information about the basic about Derry, about how nonchalant and 'asshole-ly' mostly everyone was, and who he recommended she tried not to associate with. Even though she rarely listened to what people said about other people, there was something lingering on Tozier's face whenever he mentioned the so-called Bowers Gang, something that made her consider heeding his advice. He also mentioned a house at 29 Neibolt Street which was rumored to be haunted. Things seemed to get more interesting on second thoughts in town. Maybe she would enjoy it?

His mother eventually called him back inside for some reasons and he was forced to leave, and they went their separate ways. At least she knew that the afternoon had not been wasteful, and Cassie was actually feeling quite optimistic about her chances of surviving there. As long as she minded her own business and ignored trouble then she would be fine, according to the Trashmouth.

Cassie spent the rest of the afternoon walking around the neighborhood, encountering many people but few of them that looked welcoming. Not that she minded them. If they yelled something at her she would turn around and raise her middle finger back at them in return. It pissed them off, but it was funny as hell.

However, only when she realized that she had reached the road which led to the house Tozier had warned her about did she pause for a bit with her aimless wandering. It wasn't really late, but she could tell that the sun would begin to set in not too long and her mother would never let her outlive it if she arrived home late again. For some reason, Neibolt Street seemed deserted and empty, unlike the other houses she had passed, but temptation wanted her to go further towards it. She sometimes cursed her yearn for a thrill.

"Had Nathan been here we would've gone there without a doubt," she murmured to herself, standing still on the road where she could see the black, burnt house at the end of the street. It genuinely looked like something out of a horror movie, not necessarily a ghost house but a place where it was expected that bad things would occur.

Cassie rubbed her forehead and began debating with herself. Go there or go home? Go to a creepy-ass house and get potentially the thrill of her life or return home where her mother would be waiting?

"The house it is, then,"