- Author's Note - Hello, loves! A HUGE thanks to Otakugirl1996, Avenger-Ally, chelsnichole12, MedievalWarriorPrincess, LoveFiction2017, and Ahlysab for reviewing!
Once again, I seem to be hearing from less of you, even though more than 200 people visited the last Chapter alone!
I'm sure part of it is because the IT fandom has kind of died down, but I'm hoping it'll be renewed once the movie comes out on DVD and all soon! I've already pre-ordered my copy.
If possible, I'm more dedicated to this story than I was when I first started it, with new ideas for it having come to me, so it really breaks my heart when I only hear from a couple of you. Which is why I can't stress this enough, PLEASE review as often as you can!
This Chapter we finally get to Mike! And we're introduced to. . . something else. ;) So, I hope you all enjoy, and please review if you do!
After dinner, which had been full of good food, great company, laughter, discussion, smiles, looks, and all around happiness, Belle and Bill offered to clean up, allowing the three adults to retire to the living room with drinks for further enjoyment.
Upon completing all of the necessary tasks, Bill went to join his namesake and their parents, while Belle opted to go upstairs, shower, then head into her room, where she got dressed in her sleeping attire, and took her nightly medications.
She knew she didn't need them. Perhaps a small bit of her had when she first returned to Derry, but now that she'd since had her fair share of encounters with the Clown, she was completely sure the pills weren't necessary.
Still, Belle took them. At the very least, she could use those that would help her sleep after the day she'd had.
Turning, she was just about to head back to her bed, climb under the covers, turn on the TV, which was mounted on the wall opposite her bed, while all of its necessary accessories were on a stand below it, and find something to watch, that would most likely mean connecting to Netflix, when her eyes fell upon the group of balloons still by her closet door, not deflated in the slightest, despite them being almost a week old.
Sighing, Belle reached out, grabbing them all by the white ribbons they were attached to, which had weights on the ends, with one hand, while the other swung open the entrance to her walk in closet.
Stepping inside, she took them all the way to the back, even moving aside the clothes that hung there, in order to make room for the things that seemed to be taunting her with their constant swaying, and refusal to lower, so that she'd have the excuse to throw them out.
Feeling relieved that at least the balloons were now out of sight, and therefor hopefully out of mind, Belle turned to leave the closet, but found her rich dark chocolate hued gaze drawn to something else, that of a pristine white lab coat hanging at the end of the long line of clothing. It had been a gift from her parents, while her friends had gotten her a Littmann stethoscope, which was currently tucked away on one of the shelves, when she'd first received early acceptance into Harvard.
Coming to a halt by where the item of clothing hung, she reached out to touch the nearest sleeve, rubbing the crisp cuff between her slender fingers, as her mind was filled with memories of the day she'd gotten it. She remembered how happy she'd been, how excited she was for her future.
But she wasn't that girl anymore. The girl who wanted to go to Harvard, to become a Doctor, was gone. She'd died with Georgie. And the girl she was now didn't have a clue what she desired once the Summer was over. All she could think about was killing the Clown. She'd yet to consider what she'd do with her life, were she to survive, that is, after it was all finally done with.
Releasing a gentle breath of sadness, Belle left the closet, shutting the door behind her, then padded silently over to her bed, which she climbed up onto, not noticing the figure standing in her open bedroom entrance, until it spoke.
"Hey," said Billy, drawing her gaze up to him, once more leaning against a side of the door frame, a beer clutched in one large hand.
"Hi," replied Belle, offering him the strongest soft smile she could muster.
"Penny for your thoughts?" Billy asked, pushing off of the entrance, then stepping into the room, and starting across it toward where she sat on her bed.
Belle laughed gently. "I'm afraid my thoughts are much more expensive tonight."
"Well, fortunately for you, my funds are limitless," answered Bill, speaking of his multi million dollar company, as he sat down beside her, and offered her his beer.
Belle smiled, taking the a little over half full labeled dark brown glass bottle from him, and tipping back a small drink from it, before handing it back to its owner. It wasn't as though she'd never drank before, though it was usually wine or champagne on a special occasion, such as the holidays. Plus she had, up until recently, been a High School student, so she'd drunk her fair share of beers, and could defiantly use one after the day she'd had.
"Rough day?" Billy inquired next, taking his beer from her hand when she extended it to him, then lifting it to accept a new swig of it himself.
"Yes," Belle laughed softly, as she began absently fiddling with some of the long lush curls of hers resting in her lap. "You could say that."
"You want to talk about it?" asked Billy, leaning back on her bed, so that he was propped up on his elbow on his side, facing her, his drink now held loosely between both hands.
Belle followed him with her eyes, unable to help the feeling of warmth and contentment that washed over her in his presence. He had that affect on her. Plus, she wasn't blind. He was an extremely attractive man, always being called "pretty" in some way, and even had the nickname of "The Beaut", plus he could out charm Prince Charming. Then there was the fact that he was very intelligent, not everyone can build a successful private Military company from the ground up, especially an orphan, as he was, and he was a caring soul.
She'd be lying if she said, despite him being a fair bit older than her, and one of her parents' best friends, she never saw him that way. Even when she was with Patrick before. And, if she were continuing to be honest with herself, she also knew her Mom and Dad would prefer her with someone like Billy, though maybe not actually him, than her current boyfriend. She was also aware that she should be with another, but she was holding onto Patrick, or, at least, was trying to.
Maneuvering on her bed, Belle put her back to her pillows, and crossed her legs Indian style in front of her, so that she was looking at Billy stretched out across the center of her bed, his dark head on the hand he had propped with his elbow.
"I think I'm losing my boyfriend," she admitted with a sad, soft little sigh.
Billy knew all about Patrick, or, at least, the recent activities between he and Belle, since her parents had filled him in today. To be honest, the teenager wasn't his favorite topic of conversation, but, if she needed him to listen to her discuss him, he would happily do so. "You just got him back. Why do you think you're losing him?"
Belle flicked a glance over at her room's windows, which she noticed were locked, and had the curtains drawn. Her Mom must've done that while she'd been gone earlier, since she instinctively at least left the window unlocked for Patrick.
"Because I think holding onto him would be bad for both of us," Belle said, returning her gaze to Billy, while choosing to leave off the reasons about Patrick involving the Clown, and Its sadistic hold on the town of Derry, specifically the people in it. "We're so different. And that was fine before, when we were just kids, when we didn't have life outside of High School to think about, but, now. . ." She trailed off.
"So, you don't see him following you to Harvard?" inquired Billy, with a slight quirk of a dark brow.
Belle sighed, slumping back against her pillows. "Truthfully, I don't even see myself going to Harvard anymore."
"Why?" Billy asked, his brow now furrowing, while he pushed himself up into a sitting position to better give her his full attention.
"I'm not that girl anymore," Belle admitted, with a shrug of her slender shoulders. "The girl that wanted to go to Harvard, to become a Doctor, she died with her little brother. It's impossible for me to see a "traditional" life in my future, because my life is far from normal anymore."
"Then what do you want to do?" said Billy, going back to quirking a brow, as he lifted his beer to his lips for a sip. He had a vague idea of what Belle was talking about. When he'd visited her in England, they'd spent a fair share of time together, and had become closer than they'd ever been, even growing near to being more than just friends, or whatever kind of family they were with him being like a brother to her parents, but nothing had happened, though he knew from their talks during that time that the story of what had happened to Georgie didn't depict the real events of his death.
"I don't know," Belle replied, offering him a soft smile, before she breathed a gentle sigh. "I'll be 18 soon, and I'll gain control of my money. So, I guess, technically, I can do whatever I want. I get more modeling and ballet offers every day. People are now even becoming interested in my photography. I could travel the World, live where I please, do what I please. Be free, for the first time in my life."
She knew she wouldn't be going anywhere until she'd dealt with the Clown once and for all, which she hoped she'd survive. She was not leaving Derry until the people she loved were safe from It, and she also realized she'd have to come back to visit, but the idea of simply traveling the World was suddenly very pleasing to her. Though that wasn't a situation she saw Patrick in, and that thought caused the joy to die from her beautiful face, something Billy noticed.
"Well, you know you're always welcome in New York with me," he said, maintaining his hold on his beer, while he used the other arm to move himself up along the bed, until he was settled beside her against the pillows, his long legs outstretched in front of him, crossed at the ankles, and Belle send him a fresh soft smile at his words.
"I'm really glad you're here, Billy," responded Belle. "I've missed you."
"Yeah?" answered Billy, with a fresh quirk of his dark brow. "I've missed you too, Belle."
"How long are you going to stay?" Belle asked, even as she dreaded hearing the answer. Even if it was a month from now, she already hated thinking about him leaving.
"How long do you want me to?" Billy replied with, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips.
"Forever," Belle said, after a brief pause, before she offered him a sweet grin of her own. "Does forever work for you?"
Billy returned her smile with one of his own, then laid his bearded cheek against the top of her dark silky head, when she leaned over to rest it on his nearest shoulder, and the two sat like that for a moment, before he spoke up once more.
"If you're not too tired," he said, going on when she lifted her gaze to meet his, which was sparkling, as he nodded at her mounted TV. "You think you can take me?"
"Sure," Belle replied with a soft smile, knowing he was talking about the two of them battling each other in a video game, specifically Call of Duty. She had a really nice gaming set up, along with everything else, in her room, since she had two brothers, though now was down to one, and a Dad, who all loved to play, and, truthfully, she did too. Even her Mom would partake. "Bring it on, Soldier."
Chuckling softly, Billy handed her his beer, then climbed off of the bed, in order to fetch the game, then turn on the set up, and Belle watched him with a soft smile, while taking another sip from his drink.
Belle and Billy ended up falling asleep in the former's bed, after a lengthy Call of Duty session, while watching a show on Netflix about a group of children that take on Supernatural entities.
When Belle woke up in the morning to get ready, since Bonnie was coming to pick her up at 10:00am, Billy wasn't in the bed with her. He was an Early Bird, both from his time in the Military, and now from being the CEO of his multi million dollar company.
Climbing from bed, Belle got dressed, put some stuff into her backpack, then went downstairs to get something to eat, before she brushed her teeth, and finished up preparing for the day.
Bonnie arrived just as Belle did so, and, after being introduced to Billy, the two girls bid everybody, "Goodbye.", then got into Bonnie's silver Toyota Prius, and headed off.
"I invited Alec and Emma to meet us at the farm," Bonnie spoke up, after the girls had stopped at Starbucks for their morning beverages. "I hope that's okay."
"Of course," replied Belle, even as she realized she'd completely forgotten that Alec, Emma's boyfriend, had arrived home for the Summer over the weekend.
"It's all right if you forgot, Ellie," said Bonnie, as though reading her best friend's mind. "You've had a lot going on."
"I didn't forget," Belle answered, smiling softly, while her rich dark chocolate hued eyes sparkled with mirth. "I just haven't thought about it. There's a difference."
"Sure," responded Bonnie, and the two laughed, before she went on. "So, how are things going with Patrick?"
Belle's happiness quickly died from her beautiful face at that, which her friend, despite concentrating on the road as she drove, noticed.
"I'm sorry, sweetie," apologized Bonnie. "I figured you two were on the way to getting back together, after surviving that bear attack."
"We are. I mean, we did. It's just. . . " Belle paused. Even though she was almost positive that Bonnie would forget, the same as everyone else, even Patrick, which was the current problem, or solution, she wasn't sure which yet, she still didn't want to risk telling her friend the truth, so she merely offered her the strongest smile she could muster, while she finished her statement simply. "It's complicated."
"I'm sorry, Ellie," Bonnie repeated with a genuine, gentle sigh of sadness. She may not be Patrick's biggest fan, none of Belle's friends really were, but, before they broke up, he had made her happy, which was all those that loved her could ask for. Quirking a brow over a sparkling emerald orb, Bonnie went on. "Does the complication have anything to do with your parents' gorgeous millionaire friend?"
"Billy?" asked Belle, a bit incredulously, as she flicked a glance over at her friend. "What? No. I told you, he only got here yesterday."
"I'm just teasing you," giggled Bonnie, before she spared a look at her friend, wiggling her eyebrows playfully, while she went on. "But, seriously, that boy is gorgeous."
Belle emitted a sound that was a soft laugh mixed with a scoff. Bonnie had been a smiling, happy mess when she met Billy at her house.
"We'd better keep him away from Caroline," Bonnie continued. "She doesn't know how to take, 'No.' for an answer when it comes to men. Unless it's Henry Bowers."
"What?" Belle exclaimed, turning her head to look at her friend, disbelief etched across her beautiful face. "Henry went after Caroline?"
Bonnie nodded, laughing softly. "It was kind of funny to watch. And, you know, Belch still has a thing for her."
Belle rolled her eyes, while she relaxed back in her seat. "I'm sure Caroline will hook an up and coming professional football player before the first week at College is over."
"Oh, I have no doubt," Bonnie giggled. "Poor bastards at Stanford don't know what's coming."
Belle laughed softly once more, before gazing questioningly at her friend, since she was the only one who'd yet to pick a College when she left for England. "Have you decided where you're going?"
"I'll probably join Alec and Emma at the University of Maine," sighed Bonnie. "Truthfully, I haven't given College a whole lot of thought this year. Gran will be all alone, and I won't be able to see Mike as much."
"Bonnie, you have to get out of this town," Belle said somewhat urgently. She felt like she was the Captain of a sinking ship, and was getting as many people as she could off of the boat before it was too late. The ship, of course, being Derry, and the sinking was being caused by the Clown.
"What's so wrong with this town?" asked Bonnie, laughing softly.
Belle didn't respond right away. She just sighed, and took a sip from her drink.
"Belle?" Bonnie said, her expression turning slightly concerned, as she flicked a glance at her friend from the road. "What is it, sweetie? Come on. Talk to me. I feel like there's so much you're not telling me. That you're not telling anyone."
"I'm okay, Bonnie," Belle lies, offering her friend the strongest reassuring smile she could. "Like I said, it's just taking me a bit longer than I expected to settle back into my life here. That's all."
Bonnie smiled softly, freeing a hand from the steering wheel in order to reach over, and grasp her friend's own nearest limb. "Well, we have all Summer, and we're not even a week in. So, you have time."
Belle sent her a renewed smile, grasping her hand in return, before she turned her head to gaze out the passenger side window, as the sights of Derry going by, as they drove through the town.
After doing some shopping, which truly wasn't saying much, it was a small town, after all, and they'd been buying things there for most of their lives, Belle and Bonnie headed outside of Derry to the Hanlon farm to meet up with Alec and Emma, and visit Leroy and Mike.
As soon as the two girls crossed over the town line, signaling they were officially out of Derry, Belle felt like a massive, heavy, thick cloud had been lifted off of her. It'd been there since she'd arrived back in town a few days prior, and was now gone for the first time since then, causing her to take in a deep breath of relief and joy, then release it, as a bright smile lit up her beautiful face, and she happily took in the views outside of Derry had to offer, most of which were either large lushly forested areas, or massive fields of grazing animals and/or growing food.
When Belle and Bonnie arrived at the Hanlon farm, they found Alec and Emma waiting for them.
The pair were leaning back against the front of Charlie's, Emma's Dad, 1963 Chevrolet truck, which was a faded bright orange in color, and they both smiled when they saw their friends pulling in.
Bonnie parked her car a few feet from the other one, then killed the engine, and climbed out of the driver's seat, while Belle did the same on the passenger side.
"There she is!" Alec exclaimed, pushing off from the hood of the truck, while offering Belle a bright smile.
"Hey, sweetie!" called Emma, moving from where she'd been with her boyfriend, though more slowly, allowing him to get to their best friend first, as he hadn't seen her since the Summer before.
"Hi, Alec," replied Belle, smiling in return, as she moved to meet him, soon lifting her slender arms to hug him, while his own long lean limbs wrapped around her in return, and he turned his head to press a kiss to the side of hers. "Happy to be home?"
Alec flicked a glance over at Emma, when she came up beside him, his smile brightening, before he returned his eyes to Belle. "Couldn't be happier."
Belle laughed softly, before she and Emma embraced, and Bonnie did so with Alec.
"How are you?" Emma inquired, her dark blond brow furrowing, while she gazed questioningly and in concern at Belle, when they pulled apart. "How's Patrick?"
Bonnie made a slashing motion across her neck, when she and Alec separated from their own hug, causing Emma to quickly fall quiet, but Belle laughed, as she saw her friend's actions out of the corner of her eye.
"It's okay, Bonnie," Belle reassured, flicking a glance at her dark haired friend, before turning her gaze onto the blond one. "Patrick's fine."
"You got back together with that lunatic?" Alec asked, a bright smile still on his handsome face, which quickly faded when Bonnie and Emma sent him shocked, warning looks, and his girlfriend accompanied hers with a swat to his torso.
"Alec!" Emma exclaimed, her eyes wide, as she looked up at him.
"What?" Alec inquired, shrugging out with his arms, while his smirk returned. "It's what he is. You girls just don't see it 'cause he's good looking."
Bonnie rolled her eyes, while Emma scoffed. Belle, however, did truthfully feel a bit uncomfortable. "Um, how about we just don't talk about Patrick anymore today. Okay? Let's have fun."
"You got it," said Emma, lifting a hand to stroke her friend's nearest arm.
"Sounds good to me," added on Bonnie, with a nod of her dark silky head.
"The less I hear about him, the better," spoke Alec, causing both Bonnie and Emma to roll their eyes, as well as scoff, while Belle just sent everyone a soft smile of gratitude, and, thankfully, a few seconds later, the four looked over to see Mike running toward them, his handsome young face alit with a bright smile.
"Bonnie!" he exclaimed, heading straight for his cousin, whom he soon threw his arms around, causing her to hug him back, her beautiful visage glowing with joy, as she did so.
"Hey, little man!" Bonnie said, soon bowing her head to press a kiss to the top of his head.
"I'm so glad you're here," replied Mike, pulling back in order to look up at her, before his eyes turned onto the others, and his bright smile returned with he saw Belle. "Hey, Belle!"
"Hi, love," Belle answered, laughing sweetly, while offering the teenager her arms, which he immediately stepped into, lifting his own limbs to wrap around her waist. "Wow, you're getting big! You're almost as tall as me now."
"Which isn't actually saying much," said Alec, who now stood with a limb slung around Emma's slender shoulders, and his girlfriend once more sent him a look, then gave him a swat across his stomach.
"Ha ha," Belle replied flatly, as she narrowed her brow at her friend, while Mike went over to embrace Emma.
"Come on," Mike said with a fresh smile, upon releasing his hold on the blond, then gesturing the four to follow him, which they did, across the front yard, which had the main house on one side, and a forest line on the other, while the actual farm area was several yards from it, to the left, across a bit of an open field, and up a small hill. "Grandpa's in the barn."
"Grandpa!" Mike called, as he led Belle, Bonnie, Alec, and Emma into the barn, where Leroy was with a couple other workers. "Look who's here!"
"Hey!" Leroy replied, handing a piece of equipment he'd been inspecting to one of his employees, before moving over to the group, pulling a rag from the back pocket of his pants, in order to wipe his hands on it. He hugged Bonnie, who was his Granddaughter, first, then Emma, and shook Alec's hand, before his gaze turned onto Belle, whom he smiled softly at, before offering her his arms, which she happily went into, returning his smile, as she did so. "How you doing, honey?"
"I'm good," answered Belle, even as she wondered how many times she's said that recently, lifting a hand to tuck a stray long chocolate curl behind her ear, when she and the older man pulled apart. "How are you? How are things going here?" She flicked a glance around the farm, while she spoke.
"Well, truth be told, things could be better," Leroy sighed in response. "We've got some kind of problem Wolf in the area. It's been killing our sheep during the night. We found another two this morning."
"I'm sorry, Leroy," Belle answered, her brow furrowing in concern.
"Ah, ain't nothing we won't recover from once we hunt the bastard down," said Leroy, waving a hand in the air, before flicking a glance back at his workers. "Some of the boys and I are gonna go out looking for it today, so, you guys stay in the house until we get back." He quirked a brow, as he pointed a warning finger at the group, namely Mike. "You got me?"
"Yes, Sir," both Mike and Bonnie replied, while Emma and Alec nodded.
"Could you use another hand?" Belle inquired. "I know my way around a firearm."
Leroy's brow quirked once more, while her friends and Mike gazed at her in surprise and disbelief.
Alec laughed. "What? Since when, Ellie?"
"My Dad started to teach me," Belle explained, flicking a glance over at her friend. "And my Uncle continued when I was staying with him in England."
"I don't know, honey," sighed Leroy, taking off his baseball cap in order to rub his head. "I don't want anything to happen to you. You've been through so much already."
Belle bit back a sigh. She was so tired of people treating her like she was some porcelin doll, as though any little thing could break her. "I promise I can handle myself."
"She has handed Henry Bowers' his own ass twice now that she's been back in town," Bonnie pointed out, sending her friend a smile and a wink.
"Really?" inquired Lerouy, his face etched with surprise, before a deep chuckle rumbled up from his chest, when all three girls nodded, since the Hanlon family had a long, nasty history with the Bowers family, most likely due to the latter's ignorant racism. "Well, in that case, we'd be happy to have you come with us, Ellie."
Despite agreeing to let Belle come on the hunt, and arming her with a rifle, Leroy still insisted on one of his farm's workers going with her, when the group broke off once in the woods in order to cover more ground at a faster pace. It was an older man of Native American origin named Tommy.
Belle had no intention of shooting and/or killing a wolf, if there was indeed one out here. She came with the hope that she could scare it off. She loved animals, and she didn't want to see any die. So, if she could prevent the Wolf's, she would, even with her current chaperone accompanying her.
"It's nice to finally meet you, Belle," said Tommy, as the two made their way through the woods, himself carrying a shotgun. "I've heard a lot about you, mainly from Mike and Leroy, but Bonnie speaks highly of you when she visits."
"Thank you, Tommy," Belle replied, with a soft smile. "I defiantly miss Mike. He used to come over to our house all the time when he lived in Derry."
"It's defiantly been hard on the boy," spoke Tommy. "First losing his parents, then having to move out here. Farm life isn't for everyone."
"How long have you been working here, Tommy?" Belle asked, flicking a glance over at the man.
"Oh, I'd say I've been here about ten years," answered Tommy.
"Wow," Belle exclaimed. "What brought you to Maine? You're not originally from here, are you?"
"No," Tommy chuckled. "No, I'm from out West. I was born and raised on a Reservation. But, once my family died, my wife and my boy, I just. . . needed a change of scenery, you know." He did his best to offer the girl a soft smile, but the action didn't quite meet his brown eyes, which were very obviously sad, and heavy with the burden of having lost his family.
"I'm so sorry, Tommy," Belle said, her heart aching at the idea of the man being forced to part from his wife and child. "May I ask what happened to them?"
"Car accident," replied Tommy, flicking an absent glance at the ground. "We'd been at my wife's family's for a Christmas party. I'd had a few too many to drink, but I still insisted I was all right to drive." Sighing softly, he lifted his eyes to look ahead of them, then went on. "The next thing I knew, we'd gone off the road, and hit a tree. My son, he was, uh. . . He was killed on impact, but my wife, she'd. . . She'd gone through the windshield. I found her in a ditch. I called for help, but she was gone by the time it arrived. Died in my arms."
Belle came to a halt, moving one hand from the rifle in her grasp, in order to reach over, and grasp the Native American man's nearest arm, when he too stopped. She didn't know what to say. She always hated people saying they were sorry when something happened to you. Not only wasn't it their fault, but she knew they actually meant they were just glad it hadn't happened to them.
"Oh, don't mind me, Belle," said Tommy, offering the young girl a bit of a stronger smile than the one he'd given her before. "Just the ramblings of an old, lonely man, that's all."
Belle watched sadly as he continued on past her at that, and she soon followed behind him, the two walking in silence for several moments, clutching their guns at the ready, eyes scanning the woods, which was quiet, aside from the usual chirping of the birds, and other animal noises.
Suddenly, even the normal sounds of the forest were gone, and it was as if Belle and Tommy had walked straight into the vacuum of space. Belle felt like she'd inexplicably gone deaf, but realized she hadn't, when she was able to hear the man beside her.
"I saw something over there," he whispered, and she looked over at him, seeing he'd lifted a hand from his shotgun in order to point to the left. "Cover me?"
Belle nodded, tightening her hold on her rifle, then watching once more, as Tommy made his way from her. She was just about to follow after him, albeit back a few feet, when she caught sight of something out of the corner of her eye.
Shifting her gaze to the right, a soft smile lit up her beautiful face when, from behind a nearby tree, one maybe 6 feet from her, she gazed upon what looked like the hind leg of a Wolf, and a big one.
Flicking a glance back at Tommy, whom she now realized must've simply heard a squirrel or something, she shouldered her rifle, then turned, and began slowly walking toward the tree, swooping down a bit in order to appear as unthreatening as possible to the animal.
"Hello, darling," Belle spoke in her sweet, soft Australian accented voice. "What are you doing back there? Come on out. It's all right. I won't hurt you."
She saw the leg move, in that the muscles and tendons in it twitched, and the sight caused her smile to brighten.
"That's right," Belle continued encouragingly, lifting one of her slender hands, as she would to greet any other dog. "Come on, love. Let me see you."
She was not prepared for what was actually behind the tree, because it was most defiantly not any canine she'd ever seen before.
From behind the tall oak, stepped out not a Wolf, but a. . . thing. It was absolutely massive, easily more than seven feet tall. It almost looked like a contorted coyote and even a deer mixed with a German Shepherd. It had a pair of huge antlers sticking out of its head, a long snout that had the lips of its muzzle pulled back, revealing a full set of sickeningly long, sharp, jagged fangs.
Its body was long, thin, almost emaciated, and twisted, like the trunk of a tree that's been warped by weather and age. It stood on two hind legs, and what would be its front paws were long skinny arms, with massive hands that had unnaturally curled claws on them, sharp enough to shred flesh with one swipe.
But, despite everything, the most disturbing part of the creature were its eyes. It didn't have those of any animal, but those of a Human.
Belle felt her blood run cold, and every inch of her body froze in place, while her heart stuttered to a halt, as she felt an overwhelming sense of dread wash over her like a wave on the beach.
She gazed up at the thing in complete and utter shock and horror, not even flinching when it emitted a low growl, then took a step toward her, continuing to walk on its hind legs, like no animal could. The closest comparison was, again, that of a Human, though it was like the creature hadn't yet mastered the little nuances of acting like a person.
Belle tried to take a step back, but her legs were wobbling from fear, and they collapsed beneath her, causing her to hit the ground, where her hands splayed on the leaf, stick, and dirt covered forest floor, as she continued to gaze up at the thing, which, for whatever reason, she simply knew was not the Clown in yet another different form. This was something else entirely.
"Belle!" came a voice, that of Tommy's, when he spotted her on the ground, gazing at something in terror.
Rushing back to her, his eyes soon fell upon what she was seeing, and the sight caused him to skid to a halt. It was then that the creature emitted an unGodly-like sound, some sort of scream, but it was guttural, as though its lungs were filled with water, or blood.
Tommy's eyes widened in sheer shock, he too now frozen in place. When the thing took a long, menacing step toward him, its lips curling back to freshly expose teeth Belle now saw were visibly stained with somewhat fresh blood, he began speaking.
She had no clue what Tommy was saying, as he was speaking in what she guessed was his Native language, but she could tell, by the manner in which he spoke, he seemed to be attempting to ward off the creature with his words, and, soon enough, the thing did just that.
It took a step back, as though being made to do so by an invisible force, its lips relaxing to cover its fangs, and it flicked a last look at Belle with its Human eyes, before disappearing back into the treeline. She could hear it turn, then take off at a running pace, once more on two legs.
Tommy rushed to Belle's side, grabbing her by her upper arm, then using the hold to haul her up to her feet.
"Are you all right?" he asked, gazing worriedly into her beautiful face.
"What. . . What was that?" Belle inquired, finally tearing her wide, terrified gaze from where the creature had been, in order to look over at the man.
"Come on," Tommy said, swinging his shotgun, which had been clutched in his hands the entire time, up onto his shoulder, then wrapping an arm around her, using the hold to urge her to turn around, before guiding her forward. "Let's get back to the farm."
Belle blindly went with him, her mind still a whirl with thoughts of what had just happened, and what that thing had been.
"Tommy, what was that?" Belle asked once more, after the two had been walking for a few moments, the man's gaze constantly sweeping the woods, as they did so, while he'd tense at every little sound they heard.
"What makes you think I know?" Tommy inquired, flicking a quick glance at her, before once more returning his still slightly widened eyes to the forest.
"Well, you knew what to do in the face of it," replied Belle. "I don't know what you were saying, but, whatever it was, made it back off."
Tommy sighed softly, his body relaxing a bit. "We're not supposed to talk about them. It's said that just talking about them attracts their attention,"
"I believe we've already attracted their attention," Belle said. "So, what do we have to lose?"
"Our lives!" Tommy exclaimed, which brought her to a halt, while he soon sighed softly, and turned to face her. "My people," he continued, speaking of Native Americans. "We call it. . . " He then spoke a word in the same language he'd used earlier, before switching back to English. "The closest thing it translates to in English is 'Skinwalker'."
"A Skinwalker?" Belle repeated, her brow furrowing in confusion, though she now knew for sure that the thing had not been the Clown, as the Clown always took the form of things people feared, and she'd had no idea what it was until now. Plus, they weren't in Derry. "What's a Skinwalker?"
"You just saw it," said Tommy, nodding back in the direction they'd come from, as he lifted a hand to her back, urging her to continue with him, which she did.
"I know that," sighed Belle. "But I still don't know what it is."
"According to stories, they used to be Shaman, Medicine Men, but they. . . abused their powers, so to speak," Tommy went on. "They were meant to help people. Instead, they used the gifts given to them for selfish reasons. As punishment, in death, they weren't allowed to join our ancestors, live peacefully for eternity. They were turned into Skinwalkers, forever doomed to wonder the Earth a twisted, contorted version of themselves. They can take other forms, usually those of animals or people. When they're animals, they'll never have a tail. That's how you can tell. And they never look completely. . . right. No matter what shape they take, they'll always look. . . wrong. Seem. . . off. They'll never be able to perfectly imitate something, including sounds and voices. They can repeat things they've heard, but only the exact same way every time. It'll sound distorted, like a recording, and they'll use these things to lure people in."
"To kill them," Belle added on simply. "Do they eat them too?"
It was Tommy's turn to come to a halt, then shift to stare at her incredulously, stunned that a teenage girl was not only asking him that, but doing so in such a calm manner. Nonetheless, he gently shook his head.
"No one truly knows," he said. "The dead can't talk, honey."
Silence fell over the pair, and Tommy tilted his head back, in order to look up at the sky, which was noticeably darkening, through the forest ceiling. A few seconds after he did so, a soft rumble of thunder was heard.
"A storm's coming," he spoke after a moment. "We'd better get back to the house."
Tommy lifted a hand to Belle's back once more, and the pair began walking again.
"When we get there, I'll say a prayer," said Tommy, and his next few words were spoken in his Native language, causing Belle to send him a questioning look, so he translated to English, as before. "'So the evil will forget our faces'."
Belle didn't respond. She merely remained silent, as she allowed the man to lead the way. Her mind was still a whirl, now thanks to the information he'd provided about the creature she'd seen.
According to Tommy, it was a Native American legend. So, what was it doing in Maine? Most Native American territory was out West, like where Tommy had lived up until losing his family.
Again, Belle just knew it hadn't been the Clown. But what if it was here because of the Clown? They were just outside of town, and Tommy had said the Skinwalkers using to be men, ones who abused their powers, and therefore were punished for it. What if it was guarding?
It hadn't seemed all too vicious toward them. It could've easily attacked and killed them both, but, instead, it seemed to just be trying to frighten them. Leroy said a wolf had been killing sheep, and Belle had seen blood on the creature, which, in a way, resembled a large dog, especially if it could take different forms, as Tommy told her. Why eat sheep when there was a house full of people it could lure out and consume?
What if the Skinwalker was a Guardian of sorts? Keeping the Clown within the confines of Derry, and yet, at the same time, forcing people to remain in the town too, to be Its food supply.
- Author's Note - All right, loves! There you have it! If you've never heard of Skinwalkers before, they are a very real Native American legend, and, honestly, if Pennywise were to ever come after me, one of the forms It could take to scare me would be a Skinwalker. The stories I've heard of them are truly horrifying! Feel free to look them up, if you'd like.
I've also added a picture of Emma's boyfriend, Alec, to my profile.
And, again, I hope you enjoyed, and, as always, please don't forget to review! :)