DISCLAIMER: IT IS OWNED BY NEW LINE CINEMA AND WARNER BROS. STUDIOS! I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING EXCEPT FOR MY OC!

A/N: Sixth chapter complete! And just in time too! This one may be a little more fast paced and slightly rushed, but I felt like it came out good enough! I hope you enjoy it anyway!

robinmuffins: I'm glad they're starting to remember! I like how I did the flashbacks as well, and there will be some more in this chapter! :)

SuperSentai199: I know, poor Steph. :( And I like the clubhouse scene too!

Connie Hooper: It is really sad. And yes, Bill is so sweet to Steph! I'm so soft as well! *secretly blushes* :D

.2019: Thank you!

MissBeckyJolene: I'm glad you're enjoying this so far! Glad to see that you're hooked!

Guest: Thank you, that means a lot to me!

Special thanks to MissBeckyJolene, robinmuffins, SuperSentai199, Connie Hooper, .2019, and Guest for either leaving a review or favoriting/following the last chapter!

Now, without further ado, here is the sixth chapter!

Chapter Six

There was a comfortable silence where Steph felt like she was able to mourn the loss of Stan.

Steph had grieved several times in her life. When her mom died, she nearly gave up on life, and if Bill hadn't been there for her, she probably would've. When her father died, she wasn't even alive, but when Jamie had told her at a young age, she still respected and loved him regardless.

And now Stan.

Once he had been a boy that always gave Steph advice on things she was confused about relating to life problems. He was a person that always looked out for her and helped her, which always made her smile. He was generous, kind, and caring; Steph always adored his hugs and friendly nature. She was ashamed of herself for forgetting after she and Bill had moved away. This could not be her life right now… But it was.

"He was old before his time," Ben cut through the silence, and Steph smiled at this. She nodded to herself, staring into space as she heard the others speak.

"I wonder what he was like all grown up," Eddie reminisced, a sad expression on his face.

"Just like how he was as a kid…" Richie said solemnly, a small smile on his face. "The best…"

This made Steph sigh sadly, but she managed to keep the tears from flowing. Instead, she turned to the others, giving them a proud look. "A man with a good heart," she added, her lips twitching a little as she turned back around. She unknowingly played with a strand of her hair as she sat there, not moving, paying respect to Stan.

"Okay, Mike, what are we doing here?" Richie asked, making Steph face the man in question. She was a little surprised that he looked calmer than usual, but it made her secretly relieved.

"The ritual… to perform it… it requires a sacrifice," he answered Richie, and it was only a second before the latter spoke up again.

"A sacrifice? I nominate Eddie."

"Wait, what?!" Eddie squeaked, turning to the man with the glasses. Richie shrugged at this complaint.

"'Cause you're little, you can fit on a Barbecue," he replied with a straight face, gesturing to nothing, and both Eddie and Steph rolled their eyes.

"You really can't shut up for one second, can you, Rich?" Steph asked him dryly, shaking her head at him. He gave her an apologetic look in response.

"I'm 5'9, it's, like, the average height in most of the world," Eddie grumbled, walking over to sit by Steph and Bill. She herself was sitting on one of the chairs, fiddling with a loose string in the fabric as she looked back at Mike.

"It's not that kind of s-s-suh-sacrifice, guys," explained Bill shortly, before looking in the same direction Steph was. "Mike?" he inquired.

"The past is buried," Mike began, "but you're gonna have to dig it up. Piece by piece… these artifacts… that's why we're here. They are what you'll sacrifice, and since Stan isn't here to find his, I think we should all be here to find his artifact…"

Steph's heart sunk a little because Stan was brought up again, but she couldn't blame Mike. Even though Stan was dead, he was just as involved with this task as much as they themselves were. So, if that was the case, then Steph wasn't going to get too depressed over this right now. She glanced at Eddie, who had one of the showercaps on and a sad look on his face.

"I think Bill just did that," concluded Eddie, and the entire clubhouse fell silent.

A little while later, every single one of the remaining Losers climbed out of the hole, Richie helping Steph, much to her appreciation. She went to go sit by Bill on a nearby log, but for some reason, kept a questioning distance between her and him; she would never understand why she did this for the rest of her living days. She stared at the slowly drying grass for a small moment before glancing at Mike again.

"Okay, Mike, where do we find our tokens?" she asked him, genuinely curious.

"Yeah, I gotta be honest," Richie added. "With all due respect, this is freaking stupid. Alright? Why do we need tokens, right? We already remember everything! Saving Bev and Steph, defeating It... I mean… we're all caught up…"

"I don't think we are, Rich," Steph disagreed, that same feeling creeping into her mind, looking at Mike, who nodded.

"She's right," he reasoned. "That's not everything. We fought, but what happened after that? Before the house on Neibolt… think…"

And Steph did just that, trying to remember what had happened after that inevitable fight between the Losers Club that day. But for some reason… nothing came to mind. It was almost like a roadblock shielding her from recalling those days. She was aware of what she had forgotten, even if she couldn't see it clearly. It was almost as if the days leading up to that were a trail of breadcrumbs, before it suddenly stopped.

"We c-c-c-c-can't remember, can we?" Bill asked in shock, sharing a look with Steph, and she nodded.

"See, there's more to our story, what happened that summer," Mike continued. "And those blank pages, like pages torn out of a book, that's what you need to find. We need to split up, you each need to find your artifact… alone… that's important… and when you do, meet me at the library tonight." For some reason, Steph didn't feel entirely comfortable with being by herself, hugging her arms to her chest in slight worry.

"Yeah, yeah… I gotta say…. Statistically speaking, looking at survival scenarios, we're gonna do much better as a group," Eddie said, instantly not liking the idea.

"Yeah," Richie agreed. "Splitting up would be dumb, man!"

Steph turned to him with an amused look on her face. "Who are you, the nerd character from Scream?" she asked him jokingly.

Richie gave her a puzzled look. "What's Scream?"

An appalled look formed on Steph's face as she heard those two words. "Oh, please!" she exclaimed. "Tell me you've at least heard of Scream!" At Richie's head shake, she scoffed. "Okay, if we make it out of this alive, I'm showing you that movie!"

"Sounds like a plan," Richie said cheerfully before turning back to Mike. "But still! We gotta go together, right? I mean… we were together that summer, right?"

"No," Bill answered easily, making Steph turn to him with a mildly surprised look on her face as he continued his reply. "Not that huh-huh-whole summer…"

Steph stared at the ground as she finally started to get snippets of what had happened that day, but not so clearly. But, second after second, everything started seeping back into her mind as she remembered what Bill had said…

Take.

Take it.

"Take it

back!"

Bill pushed Richie back; this enraged the latter, who ran forward and pushed him back. Bill made the shocking move of punching Richie in the face.

"Bill!" Bev shouted in a warning voice. Stan and Mike helped Richie to his feet and he jumped at Bill, but they restrained him. "You're just a bunch of losers! Buzz off!" he screamed. Ben, at the same time, was restraining Bill as he tried to hit Richie again.

"You're just a bunch of losers and you'll get yourselves killed trying to catch a freaking clown!" Richie screamed once more. The others held the two boys back as they began yelling at one another.

"STOP IT!"

The boys finally backed away, only to see Steph glaring at them, crying tears of fury. "I HAVE HAD IT!" she bellowed. "Is this what y'all are gonna do?! Fight over it?! We need to work it out... We need to…"

But she collapsed to her knees, finally giving up and sobbing quietly to herself. Bill instantly forgot about his anger, rushing over to her and gently pulling her off of the ground, hugging her to him.

"This is what It wants!" Beverly yelled in desperation. "It wants to divide us! We were all together when we hurt It! That's why we're still alive!"

"Yeah?" Richie scoffed. "Well, I plan to keep it that way!" He angrily walked past Bill and Steph, bumping the former as he did so; Stan and Ben followed him and went to go get their bikes. Steph began to cry even more, trying to get words out, but her voice betrayed her as she

spared a glance down that exact street, standing on the sidewalk.

A solemn look rested on Steph's face as she ran a hand through her blonde hair. The memory of the fight was still painful to think about now that she could recall it, not completely happy with how she had reacted to what happened that day. But she couldn't blame herself; it was just a simple disagreement that got way out of hand. Obviously someone would have to step in sooner or later.

Steph began walking down the street once again, this time alone and with nobody by her side, unlike that emotional day in 1989. But she wasn't entirely upset this time, just a little paranoid and curious about remembering more of her past. As she took a long look at the houses, she came to the conclusion that things had definitely changed since she and Bill had moved away. Maybe it was a good thing, maybe it was a bad thing, she had no idea. If she could speak the truth, she would honestly never know.

Besides the different layout of the houses and the shrubbery dug up from the sidewalks, the trees still remained the same, and they were just as gorgeous as they once were. A ghost of a smile graced Steph's lips as she saw this, taking one step after the other.

A small breeze passed by, causing her to rub her hands up and down her arms as she walked. The street, although different, was entirely too familiar to her, since it was where she experienced one of the most emotional days of her life there.

Steph suddenly had the urge to return to where she had lived quite a bit of her life. She didn't know why, she was even hesitant to, but she heard a voice speak to her distantly. It sounded as if it were coming from a mile away, but she could still hear it.

(maybe this could help me yes it could I might get my token from there)

Before Steph knew it, she was on Kansas Street, where she had resided all those years ago. It was inevitable that she would come across her old home soon, and she couldn't bear the emotions it would bring her when she saw it again. She took deep breaths, a technique she always used to calm herself down in tense or emotional situations. She could do this… she had to… she… she

(you can do this Steph it's just your old house you'll like the memories you need to get your token after some exploring)

needed to.

She figured she could explore her old home when she arrived there. Yes, yes that sounded good. That was if anyone lived there at all.

That was proven to be true when Steph arrived at the front lawn. She gasped as she took in the house's appearance. Tears did not brim the corners of her eyes, instead a grin overtaking her facial features as she

sat on the front porch swing, rocking back and forth, her guitar resting in her lap.

The instrument was an ordinary brown, wooden, acoustic guitar. But Steph felt as if it were one of her best friends as she ran her long, slim fingers over the strings that went from thin to thick. She sighed as she checked her father's old watch. It was 2:46 PM, and she was patiently waiting for Beverly and Bill to show up.

It had been nearly three weeks since the Losers had their fight and had split up. To be honest, Steph wouldn't be surprised if they would be apart for good. But she at least still had Beverly and Bill by her side, which somewhat made her feel better about the whole situation.

It was July 23rd, Steph's thirteenth birthday, and she was wearing a mustard yellow, short-sleeved dress that reached her shins past her knobby knees. Her hair was curled, no longer frizzy for at least that day, and she had no makeup on; she didn't need any and she didn't want to wear any. Jamie, who was inside and preparing an early dinner for her and her friends, didn't really mind this and was fine with whatever her only daughter wanted.

Steph sat forward on her porch swing after she had waved at her neighbor, Emily Snell, who had always been polite to her. Emily was seventeen, a graduate of Derry High, and she would be going to the University of Maine the following month. After that day, Steph would never see her again.

She moved her guitar to where her left hand was gripping the score, the other resting over the five strings. She took a deep breath and started strumming.

Although she refused to admit it, Steph was an amazing guitar player, and one of her best friends would find this out in a matter of minutes. The sweet refrain of the acoustic guitar spoke a musical language to Steph's soul, and it gave her more confidence to play the instrument she had learned to play on her own. The strumming sound had a soothing quality that she craved, causing her to play more beautifully.

This was her idea of how to spend her next several minutes before the others showed up. It was a sweet idea.

And she finally started singing, her voice coming out at the right time and on the right vocals.

"'Oh, I'll twine with my mingles and waving black hair,'" she voiced. Her voice was smooth and clear, but sort of powerful. It was breathtaking, rolling over the hills in beautiful waves as she felt the emotions in the lyrics.

As she continued to strum the strings and sing the song, she failed to notice someone standing in her front yard with a bewildered and amazed expression on her face.

She was lost in the song and musical notes, strumming just like June Carter had when she performed the song years ago. It sounded just like how the famous singer sang it, and it was perfect.

"'He's gone and neglected his pale wildwood flower…'" she finished, playing the final chords before lifting her head up, and she raised her eyebrows, clearly embarrassed.

Beverly was standing there with a grin on her face as she clapped happily, and her smile was one that sent a rush of warmth through Steph as she smiled back. But her small smile was a sheepish and shy one while she gently set her guitar on the porch. Beverly walked up the front porch steps and sat down beside her, still grinning at her.

"May I say that you have the most beautiful singing voice?" she complimented. Steph giggled bashfully as she nodded her head. "Sure you can," she replied, hugging her best friend.

"Happy birthday, little Loser," Beverly said, chuckling with happiness, and Steph smiled.

"Thank you."

Steph examined the house in the present, taking in its appearance.

The house was what held most of her sanity during her teenage years; that was until her mother had died and she had lived with Bill ever since. She finally remembered every square inch, the pale grey paint that covered the outside, she could see the small touches of blue that bordered the grey. She saw the white door. Oh, how she loved going up to that door and unlocking it with her house key everyday after getting home from school. Obviously, the white paint was now fresher than she had last seen it, and she didn't mind one bit. The calling of those past years had finally brought her home, and she was a little happy.

Steph walked up the front porch steps and stood in front of the door. Now, all she had to do was open that door and tell the owner that she had used to live there and then she could leave. That was it. But for some reason, she was very nervous. Nervous as to how the house owner would react to her standing on his or her porch, almost walking away.

No, you can't do that to yourself! Be brave, she screamed in her mind.

Finally, after what seemed like twenty seconds, she raised her hand and shakily pressed the doorbell button.

The doorbell must have gotten a new battery recently, since the sound it cried out was much harsher than Steph had imagined it would be. Ching! Chong! it rang, echoing in her ears. At that moment, she nearly sprinted off the porch and away from the house forever, but she instead remained frozen to the ground. She didn't know what to do, but she could feel a force making her stay and wait to see what would happen. So she did just that.

The door opened, and Steph saw a woman around her mid-fifties open the door. She noticed a surprised expression etching itself into the woman's face as she looked Steph over. "Hello," she greeted politely. "How may I help you?"

Steph couldn't help but smile at the woman's kind voice, nodding in response. "Yes, um… I came to Derry last night for a reunion with my friends and… I remembered that I once lived here and I thought I would see if anyone took my place…" she explained, leaving out some details.

"Oh, you once lived here?" the woman asked, a sweet smile on her face now. Steph's head bobbed up and down.

"Yes, I did… when I was a teenager… until my mother died, then I went to go live with my now husband," she answered.

"I'm so sorry, miss…" She then gave Steph a questioning look, and she knew why immediately.

"Denbrough," she finished. "That's all I really wanted to come here for. I'm sorry for bothering you, but I'll go now…"

The woman shook her head. "No, I was once in your shoes," she replied. "I just so happened to visit one of my old homes one time, and I would be ashamed if I didn't allow you to at least take a look around."

Steph's eyes widened at the offer, and she shook her head immediately. "No, you don't have to do that, I was just stopping by."

"It's the least I could do, Mrs. Denbrough," the woman convinced her further.

Finally, Steph relented and nodded. "Okay, sure. Thank you," she said shyly. She entered the house tentatively, almost as if she were afraid to ruin any inch of the place.

From the blistering sun outside, the air conditioning of the woman's house was a blessing to the skin. There was a natural softness and warmth to the house as Steph walked into the living room, just like it once was. She refused to look at the woman for a second, feeling intrusive, but not wanting to be rude.

"I'm sorry," she apologized, "but I never got your name."

"Mrs. Prescott," she told her with a warm smile. "Is it just like you remember?"

Steph shrugged a little as her eyes fell to the floor in front of the coffee table. "Not just like it, but…"

She paused, another memory hitting her mind. A timid smile formed on her face, the color pink softly brushing her cheeks as she

hugged Bill back just as tightly, her cheeks a flaming red as their arms wrapped around each other. She rested her chin on his shoulder as they started to gently sway back and forth. Steph began to smile softly at what they were doing, but it was never a full smile.

They swayed for almost half an hour, just lost in the different songs that kept playing… and in each other…

Steph giggled a little as she shook her head slightly. "It kind of feels the same," she finished. She turned to Mrs. Prescott with a smile. "Lots of good memories here…"

Mrs. Prescott smiled. "Well, I can imagine," she said, clasping her hands together. "You must've had a happy childhood."

If only she really knew, thought Steph solemnly as she looked around the kitchen that was connected to the living room. When her eyes landed on the entry hall, her heart stopped. Her hands balled into fists, and she didn't know why at first. She would figure out why in a few hours.

"If you don't mind," she said civilly, "I'm going to take a look at my old room. You know, just to see how it looks now."

Mrs. Prescott waved a hand nonchalantly. "By all means, go ahead! I'm sure you've got all day, feel free to." Steph gave her an appreciative smile as she nodded before turning and walking up the stairs. Her left hand trailed up the railing as she put one foot in front of the other. It felt the same, almost as if she were just getting home from school in '89. She reached the second floor, staring in the direction of the end of the hallway.

Her heart was thumping with nostalgia as she took a deep breath, taking gentle steps towards her old bedroom door. Before she knew it, she had reached it, her hand outstretched towards the golden doorknob. Her fingers wrapped around the cold metal and she couldn't help but chuckle a little.

After a few seconds, she finally opened the door and stepped back into her childhood.

Although the room was almost completely different now, she could still feel her teenage years inside of it. The pale blue walls were now white, but she liked it better that way, as it lit the room up way better. A small twin bed sat in the middle of the room, just like her old bed, and the comforters were pulled over it neatly. A desk sat in the corner and there was a bookshelf lined against the wall.

Steph smiled at the sight of the room. It looked lovely. She walked further inside, stepping over to the bed and sitting on it, running her hand feather-like over the velvet blanket. Then she felt an urge to pull out her wallet, and she did. She opened it, glancing at her license and a picture of her and Bill from their wedding before digging further through it.

She strangely found a slip of paper inside, and she plucked it out, unfolding it. It looked very old but surprisingly intact as she read the words. And while she did this, her heart raced in happiness. This was what was written on the paper:

Steph,

I don't think I'm going to handle spending a day without you ever again. I can't help but smile when I think about you. Falling in love with you was the greatest thing that ever happened to me, and I'm so happy that I have you in my life.

You looked like an angel today. You always do. I love you so much, my princess.

— Bill

Steph bit her lip as she fought the happy tears forming in her eyes. She felt her heart fluttering in her chest, just like it had the night after her and Bill's first date. It had happened after everything that summer, replacing that with a time of peace and joy. It made her gleeful just thinking about it as she stared at the faded ink that she could still see.

She folded the note back up and stuffed it in her wallet before glancing around the room again. She saw that the curtains were a baby blue color, and it was dazzling, reminding her of her teenage years again. She stood up and stared at the bed, suddenly recalling a nightmare she had had the night after the Losers' fight. It was a terrifying dream that she couldn't remember until just now, and she didn't even want to think about it now.

It was one of the nights that Bill had snuck over to stay with her. Her mother was still gone and would be for another day afterwards, but she kind of didn't mind this. She was happy that she wasn't alone, grateful towards Bill since he had the courage to sneak out of the house because his parents really didn't care anymore.

They had both fallen asleep in Steph's bed, holding hands just like the night before. But at some point during the night, they lost their grip. Steph was turned on her right side, hugging a part of the blankets to her body just in case she got cold. She slept soundly, at least she was for the time being. She did toss several times as if her bed were floating on a stormy sea. It took forever until she finally forced her eyes shut.

She somehow felt movement in her sleep, and only assumed that Bill had shifted a little in the bed. She sighed, burying her face into her pillow slightly. What she didn't know was that it was a pair of claws cutting into her bedsheets.

Steph was currently dreaming about the first battle with It at Neibolt. Although she couldn't remember the specifics of the nightmare, she was able to vividly point out Its hand turning into werewolf claws. The clown was trying to kill her and her friends, and she had blocked them from the monster with her arms. It suddenly lunged at her, and just as the claws were millimeters from her skin…

…she jolted awake as if prodded by an electric wire. She twisted around and stared wide-eyed at nothing. All that was in front of her was the wall. She was safe and in her bed, Bill sound asleep as he was before. She sighed to herself, pulling the blanket off of her so she could go get some water.

She froze as she saw something peculiar in the bedsheet. She ran her fingers over it, and realized that it was cut into ribbons along its entire length.

"Son of a gun," she murmured, jumping out of bed, her breath caught in her throat. She ran over to Bill's side and started shaking him. "Bill, wake up! Wake up, something's wrong!" she whispered harshly. But he didn't wake up. He was still breathing, so Steph didn't know why he wouldn't open his eyes. Then there was a giggle that emanated from downstairs.

"Steph! Steph, help me, please!"

She instantly grabbed her baseball bat, raising it over her shoulder as she opened the bedroom door. She tip-toed into the hallway, making sure to be as quiet as possible. She actually didn't make any noise, appearing at the foot of the stairs, her heart sinking slowly to her stomach. Twenty feet away, advancing slowly from the kitchen, was someone that she wasn't expecting to see. Someone that nearly made her drop the wooden weapon gripped in her hands.

"Steph, you have to help me before he gets me!"

It was little Georgie slowly approaching her in a yellow raincoat. She froze for the longest three seconds of her life, before she finally started backing away. Steph immediately knew that it was not Bill's little brother; he was acting beyond weird in front of her. But it made her ask the question: Why was Georgie appearing to her when Bill had clearly stated that he only appeared to him when It was around? Why her all of a sudden?

But, even though she didn't know the real answer to those questions, she knew that she had to get out of there and fast. She shook her head, a warning glare in her eyes.

"Don't come any closer," she whispered severely. Her voice didn't tremble, but was rather emotionless as her right foot found the first step.

All of a sudden, 'Georgie' came at Steph in lightning speed, his left arm transformed into a giant claw as he dived at her. She shrieked, grabbing the arm and surprisingly holding it back with the little strength she had. She screamed for Bill to help her, but she didn't see him at all. She was furiously seething as she heaved in breaths, not knowing if she exhaled at all.

"Get the heck away from me!" she roared, trying to push him back.

"He's coming to get you, Steph," 'Georgie' cackled, his voice no longer human, turning back into the raspy voice of the clown. Steph grit her teeth as she tried to hold the creature back, screeching, "You're not real!"

"Do you know what time it is, Steph?"

"This isn't real! You're not freaking real!" she choked out, her voice now giving up on its own merit as she closed her eyes for a long moment. She was still struggling against It, but after a while, everything fell silent and she was finally able to breathe again. She sighed out of consolation, her arms losing its grip on nothing now. So, she opened her eyes again.

She wished she didn't.

"TIME TO FLOAT!" the clown bellowed at her, and she screamed.

Steph snapped out of her daze, shivering a little at the memory… the nightmare that had haunted her for several weeks afterwards.

She squeezed her eyes shut, reassuring herself as she recalled that Bill had comforted her after she awoke from the dream. She sighed, running a hand through her hair, but suddenly realized that something was in her other hand; her right one. It was sleek and metal against her skin as she lifted her hand up to see what it was. She gasped slightly, as it was something that she hadn't seen in over twenty years, because it brought back too many painful memories to count. And that was when she realized…

This was her token!

A confident smile grew on her face as she stuffed the item in her pocket before rushing to her bedroom door. She opened it, taking one last look at the room before turning back around and leaving…

She walked away from the room that held most of her childhood forever.

She jogged down the stairs and gave Mrs. Prescott a polite smile when she entered the living room to see her sitting on the couch and watching The Office on the television. "Thank you for letting me tour around here again, Mrs. Prescott. I think I'm going to take my leave," she said sweetly.

"Okay, Mrs. Denbrough," she replied with a friendly smile. "I hope you have a good rest of the day!"

"You too, ma'am." Steph then walked out the front door, closing it gently behind her. She stepped down the front porch steps and walked away, and would never see her old house again.

She shoved her hands in her jean pockets, her feet hitting the sidewalk briskly, almost as if she were on a skateboard. Not that she had ever been on one before, because she hadn't. It just felt that way to her for some reason. She had a way of walking that made her seem to be in a hurry. Her steps weren't long, but they were rapid. She didn't seem to focus on that, her mind in a sedative state.

She didn't even seem to realize where she was going until she looked up at the intersection of two roads. Steph's breathing stopped for a long time when she realized that she was on Jackson Street, the very same place where he had died…

Georgie…

And she was standing ten feet away from the very same storm drain that he had been dragged into. Dragged to his grotesque death. Her hands clenched into fists as she stared at it, and she knew that she had to get away from it as fast as possible. So she did just that, speed walking in the opposite direction of the drain of horrors.

About five minutes later, she found herself at a nearby park that she had used to play in as a kid. She saw numerous children ranging from 5 to 13 either chasing each other, sliding down the slides, or practically flying back and forward on the swings. A nostalgic feeling rose from inside her as she thought, If only I could've had a real childhood like that. It made her sulk slightly thinking about it. If her life had been perfectly normal, maybe the events from 27 years ago would've never happened at all.

She saw one of the parents, who looked like a single mother, or perhaps a widow; Steph didn't know. She had mid-length brunette hair that was perfectly straight, and for some reason, Steph had the crazy idea that it looked like her deceased mother from when she herself was a teenager.

(this is weird you need to run and run now)

The blonde-haired woman stood there, staring at the other woman that seemed to be a little older than her. She didn't know why she felt fear ignite inside of her, but she knew that something was wrong almost instantly. She had stopped being an idiot a long time ago, so she was suspicious right away.

The mysterious woman turned and locked eyes with Steph for a moment that seemed like an eternity. She could see her blue eyes frozen on her own gaze, and her heart shattered into millions of pieces when she recognized her.

It was her mother! But wait…. Her mother was dead, she had died almost 25 years ago. Steph felt tears in her eyes once more, tears of pain and despair, but she blinked them away almost as soon as they had showed up. She backed away from the park as her mother kept her stare pierced into her soul. She turned away, unable to look at her, knowing that it was not Jamie standing there. She was being fooled, and she knew it.

"Don't you miss your mommy, Steph?!"

She twisted around to see the clown standing there, that stupid looking smile on his face as he glared at her. She didn't back down or cower in horror when she saw It, instead standing her ground, refusing to be afraid. She wasn't going to show any fear to It, she wouldn't allow it. She couldn't!

"You wish you could bring poor little Mama back, don't you?!" It taunted her, giggling a little before its expression turned into a mock sad one. "I bet you hate the fact that she's in her closed casket… rotting away, no more flesh, just a dried up skeleton! Do you want me to bring her back for you?"

Steph's face morphed into a shocked manner as she stared at the entity. What did It mean by bringing her back?!

"Yes, you would like it if I did that, wouldn't you? Or maybe we can play a fun little game! How about Truth or Dare? That's a fun game, isn't it?" It continued, that demonic grin back on its face.

The woman shook her head, finally starting to back away, her heart going a million miles an hour, her hands shaking as she squeezed her eyes shut. "This isn't happening," she muttered to herself. "You're just seeing things… It isn't real."

"Oh, I got another game we could play! How about Would You Rather? I think you would want to play that instead! Let's see… would you rather me bring your mommy dearest back… or kill little Billy Boy?" It mocked her.

Steph couldn't breathe anymore, her eyes widening until she couldn't open them further. "No," she whispered. "Don't you freaking dare! I won't let you touch him!"

"Oh, so kill Billy it is! I will abide by your wishes!"

"No, you won't, you monster!" Steph cried out, trembling from head to toe now. "I'll kill you if you lay a finger on him!"

It ignored her. "Would you rather… me spare Billy Boy or kill all of your friends?! I think I know what you would really want, Steph…"

"Buzz off! You're not real! I believe in a lot of things, but I don't believe in you, so get the heck out of here!" she yelled at the top of her lungs, putting her hands over her face.

All of a sudden, when she removed them, It lunged at her and she screamed, turning around and running in the complete opposite direction. She could feel her lungs burning with desperation as her feet hit the grass, pavement, and sidewalks. She was slowly running out of breath, but she didn't give a crap at the very moment. All she cared about was putting as much distance as possible between her and that freaking monster.

She didn't stop sprinting until she got back to the townhouse.

A/N: Well, shit just got real... again... Uh-oh!

I was contemplating on whether or not to have the Pennywise scene in this chapter, but decided to at the last minute when I thought of this scene!

Did you like the small memories that Steph had? I did, especially the original ones I wrote!

Was the second nightmare scene great? I was inspired to write that because of Wes Craven's New Nightmare! Sorry, I'm a Freddy Kruger fan!

Was the Pennywise scene messed up? I felt it was, but it added more to Steph's character!

Now, be hyping up the next chapter that will be coming out on Wednesday! I hope you enjoyed this one, and I'm sure you loved it! I love you guys to death! Have a great day, and until next time!

- Hermione Romanoff