Disclaimer: Yeah, I know, I already have a story-in-progress! But this has been bouncing around in my head for a really long time, and I just have to get it out. Let me say right out, there'll be hardly any romance in this story! It's more of an adventure. Okay, I only own Myra, Rena, and their Dad. No one else! Oh, and about the quote at the beginning, it's from the book 'Through the Looking Glass' or 'Alice in Wonderland'. It's always reminded me of Stand By Me, I don't know why. I thought it would be a nice start to this story. The last line is also, duh, the title of the story! This will mostly consist of Myra's POV, but some of it will switch over to Rena. Myra will still be telling the story, but it'll be about Rena. One more thing, alot of lines are basically taken from the book/movie. I just want to say that, so people can't say I'm copywriting. I'm not, okay? Alright, I think that's everything! Onward!

The time has come" The Walrus said,

"To talk of many things

Of shoes, and ships, and sealing wax

Of cabbages and kings

Why the Sea is boiling hot

And whether pigs have wings."

-Lewis Carroll - Through the Looking Glass

Once upon a time...I really can start my story with 'once upon a time', because, well, once upon a time, I thought I was some sort of little princess. My family wasn't rich, not by any means, but we did have money. My older sister, Rena(three years and fourth months my senior) and I never wanted for anything. For the first ten years of my life, I lived in bliss. Then, Mama left. She ran away with a Bible salesman. Ironic, huh? My Daddy was a lawyer, a damn good one. He was always away on business, so it was that often Rena and me were by ourselves. Actually, it was me by myself, because Rena, who dated Richard 'Eyeball' Chambers, normally ran off with her friends the minute Daddy left.

I had my friends too, of course. Most of my friends, like Rena's, were boys. My four best friends, Chris Chambers, Gordie Lachance, Vern Tessio, and Teddy DuChamp, were the ones I always ran to. They were like my brothers. We had a lot of good times. One particular time always sticks out in my mind, and it wasn't so good. It was the weekend of Ray Brower.

We normally didn't listen to the news, but the story of Ray Brower held our attention, because he was the same age as we were. He had gone out to pick blueberries a few days before, and hadn't been seen since. The entire Tri-County area was in a total uproar over it. My story starts on a very hot Friday morning. I lay in my bed, thanking God for air conditioning. We were one of the few families in Castle Rock who actually had it. I climbed slowly out of bed and got dressed.

I studied myself in the mirror as I pulled on a white tank top and a pair of ratty old denim shorts. I hated it because I had boobs. I knew it would've been weird if I didn't have some form of them, I was nearly thirteen for Christ sake, but I'd developed early. I got my first bra at age nine. Now, at twelve, I was already into a B cup, which probably doesn't sound to big to you, but when most of your friends are boys, it tends to be strange. Aside from my freak boobs, I was pretty much normal. I had long, strawberry blonde hair, green eyes, which would darken if I was angry or upset, my skin was tan from being outside all summer, and there were freckles on my face, back, shoulders, and arms. I was short for my age, barely 5-foot. I stared at my face in the mirror as I pulled my hair into a ponytail.

"Myra!" Rena called from downstairs. "Teddy's here!"

"Alright!" I shouted back. "I'm coming!"

Teddy was standing uncomfortably in my kitchen, trying not to gawk at my sister, who was wearing shorty shorts and a swimsuit top, humming to herself. Rena and I were practically identical, expect for the facts that she was few inches taller, her hair was a little longer, and her boobs were way bigger. This last one was not a thing that went unnoticed by my friends, who, I supposed, had many fantasies that included her. I figured that's what I would look like in about three years. I didn't know whether to dread this, or look forward to it.

"Hey, Teddy." I said. He looked at me, gratefully.

"Hey Myra." He said. "Ready to go?"

"Yep." We started to head out of the kitchen when my sister stopped us.

"Wait, Myra!" She turned around, and I saw a faint purple mark on her neck, the beginning of a hickey. 'Eyeball has to leave his mark.' I thought. "Shouldn't you have something to eat before you go?" She handed me an apple. "Take this with you."

"Thanks Sissy." That was my nickname for her, because when I learned to talk, I couldn't say 'Rena', so I said 'Sissy' instead. It just sort of stuck on.

"I'm going over to Ace's later, so if you come home, that's where I'll be." She said. I should have known. When Dad was away, that was where she spent most of her time. I knew she went with Eyeball, but that was where they all hung out.

"Okay." I replied, as Teddy and I headed out the screen door.

"God, your sister's a fox!" Was the first thing Teddy said as we started down the street. I turned to him.

"Well, you sure looked nervous back there! Why didn't you say anything to her?" I asked, raising my left eyebrow.

"What, and have Eyeball Chambers kick my ass for hitting on his girl? No thanks."

"Then shut up about it."

He shrugged. "Sooooorry. Someone's sure got her claws out this morning. What crawled up your ass and died, Myra?"

"You!" I said, stalking away from him. This is mostly what Teddy and my conversations consisted of, fights. We never seemed to get along anymore. I studied Teddy from the corner of my eye as he caught up to me. He wasn't bad looking, I guess. Dirty blonde hair, pretty brown eyes, hidden by thick, black glasses.

His hair was shaggy, due to the fact that his left ear was nearly burnt off. That was his Dad's fault. Mr. DuChamp had been doing strange things for nearly a year, like shooting cats and lighting fires in people's mailboxes, when he held Teddy's ear to the stove burner. Now, he was up at Togus, a section 8. None of us ever mentioned this, because Teddy was very proud of his old man. Mr. DuChamp had been part of WW2, and had stormed Normandy, a story Teddy went over with us many time. My Dad had also been in the war, but he wasn't trying to kill Rena and me. I, of course, never said this out loud. Teddy and I fought alot, but I'd never say anything to hurt him like that. I mean, we'd grown up together! His house was just around the corner from mine.

"Hey Myra?" Teddy said, tentatively from beside me.

"What?"

"Um, I'm sorry I made you mad." He looked at the ground as he said this. Teddy wasn't normally the type of guy to apologize, but he always did to me.

I smiled at him, still muching my apple. "Oh, it's okay DuChamp. Just don't let it happen again!"

He grinned. "Alright." We walked the rest of the way to the treehouse, talking about dumb things. Teddy opened the trapdoor. "We're the first ones!"

"Great." I climbed up behind him. "What're we gonna do till the other guys get here?"

He held up a pack of cards. "Three penny scat?"

I rolled my eyes. I hated that stupid card game. "How 'bout not?" I picked up the book I'd been reading. I had left it in the treehoue by mistake the night before. It was a battered copy of 'Alice in Wonderland'. It was one of my favorites, and was battered because I'd read it many, many times. "I'm going to read. Turn on the radio."

Teddy rolled his eyes. "All you do is read. You're as bad as Gordie."

Gordie Lachance was probably the smartest guy in our group. He read alot of books and wrote fantastic stories. He was, in my opinion, the cutest of them all. His hair was light brown, and he had huge doe eyes. I guess I had a crush on him, though I'd never admit it. I was closer to Gordie than anyone else, possibly because our Dad's were good friends. Gordie told me that I was the only one of his friends his parents didn't complain about. About three weeks before, Gordie had kissed me on the cheek, and told me I was his girl. I wasn't entirely sure what this meant, but I got a funny feeling in my gut everytime I thought about him, or that kiss.

"Shut up, Teddy. You're just jealous because you can barely read." I replied, settling back into the old hammock we had put up two summers ago. Teddy rolled his eyes again, and switched on the radio. Sixteen Candles, by The Crest, was playing.
Sixteen Candles

Makes a lovely light

But not as bright, as your eyes tonight

Blow out the candles, make your wish come true

And I'll be wishing that you love me, too

I hummed along to the song, getting caught up in my book. I was just at the part when Alice meet's the Cheshire Cat, when Chris Chambers sounded the secret knock, and climbed through the trapdoor.

"Hey guys." He said. "Alice in Wonderland again, Myra? This is the thousand time you've read isn't it?"

Chris was the toughest guy in our gang, and he was our leader. Chris came from a really bad family. His Dad was a drunk, who the rest of us hated. Sometimes, Chris would turn up with bruises and blackeyes. His older brother, Eyeball(Rena's boyfriend, remember?)beat up on him alot too. Rena, who thought Chris was "just the cutest little thing!" often chewed Eyeball's ass for hitting on Chris. I think maybe Rena had just started to get through to him, because Chris had said that Eyeball was being nicer to him. Chris was really nice, and he was one of my very best friends. I felt that I could trust Chris with anything.

I giggled at Chris, sounding much more girly than usual. "Leave me alone!"

"Ignore her." Teddy said. "Three penny scat, Chris?"

"Sure."

I snorted. Boys.

There was a second secret knock, and up came Gordie. He waved at me, and immediately got in on the game.

"Hey, how do you know a Frenchmen's been in your backyard?" Chris asked out of the blue.

"Watch it, I'm French." Teddy, told him.

"Shut the fuck up, Teddy. Go on, Chris." I said, looking up from my book. I loved Chris' French jokes. Rena said it must be the English in me.

"The garbage can's are empty and your dog's pregnant." Chris answered. Gordie and I laughed.

Teddy looked over his cards. "Didn't I just say I was French?"

"Nobody cares about your Nationality, Theodore, so hush it." I interjected.

"I knock." Chris said quickly, before Teddy had a chance to retort. Chris made the best peace, and could sense when Teddy and I were about to get into it.

"Shit." Teddy said, sending me a dark look.

"Twenty-nine." Chris said. Teddy held up his cards.

"Twenty-two."

"Piss up a rope!" Gordie threw his cards down. He never was good at that game.

"Gordie's out! Oh, Gordie just bit the bag and stepped out the door! Ehh, Ehh, Ehh!" Teddy taunted, laughing. His laugh sounded like fingernails on a chalkboard

Chris rolled his eyes. "Just deal, man."

Gordie came and sat by me on the hammock. He smiled at me, and his cheeks got a little pink. I suspected, he too, was remembering the kiss. He picked up a gory comic book, the ones I refused to read. They gave me nightmares.

"Hey." He said, quietly. I smiled and tried not to blush.

"Hey."

Teddy interrupted our little blushfest. "I knock."

"You four-eyed pile of shit." Chris said.

"A pile of shit has a thousand eyes!" Teddy retorted. We all burst out laughing. Teddy looked confused. "What? What's funny? Come on, man. I've got thirty, what've you got?"

Chris smirked. "Sixteen."

Teddy scrunched his nose. "Oh, keep smiling. You're down to your ride, pal."

Somebody started to try the secret knock, but it was all wrong. "That's not the secret knock!" Gordie called.

"I forget the secret knock! Let me in!" Vern Tessio's voice came through the floorboards.

Vern, while not the sharpest tool in the shed, was very sweet. He was a pudgy(okay, fat) boy, but, I really liked him. Not like I felt about Gordie, but Vern was very...sweet. That's the only word I can describe him with. Sweet.

The rest of us looked at each other. "Vern." We all said.

"Come on you guys, open up!" Chris opened the trapdoor, and Vern scrambled through. "Oh man, you guys are not gonna believe this. This is so boss. Oh man, wait'll you hear this, wait'll you hear this. You won't believe it. It's unbelievable. Let me catch my breath. I ran all the way from my house."

Chris, Gordie, Teddy, and I glanced at one another, then burst into song. "I ran all the way home. Ohhh Oh, Just to say I'm sorry, sorry oh oh... why can't I say it..."

"Come on, guys, listen to me. Guys, come on!" Vern said, but failing to shut us up. "Okay, forget it. I don't have to tell you nothing."

Chris held up his hands. "Alright, guys, alright." He looked at Vern. "What is it, man?"

Vern grinned. "Okay, great, you won't believe this sincerely..."

The four of us burst into song again. "I ran all the way home!"

Vern frowned. "Screw you guys."

Chris smirked. "Okay, what is it."

Vern grinned. "Can you guys camp out tonight? I mean if you tell your folks, we're gonna tent on my back field?"

"Yeah." The four of us said.

" I think so. Except, my dad's kind of on a mean streak. You know, he's been drinking a lot lately." Chris said, shrugging.

"You got to man, sincerely! You won't believe this! Can you, Gordie?"

"Yeah, probably." Gordie answered.

Vern grinned again. "What about you, Myra?"

I nodded, not taking my eyes off my page. "Yeah. My Dad's out of town till Tuesday. Rena's not home enough to care where I am."

"So, what're pissin' and moanin' about, Verno?" Teddy asked, studying his cards.

"I knock." Chris said.

" What!" Teddy exclaimed. "You liar! You ain't got no pat hand! You didn't deal yourself no pat hand!"

Chris smirked again. He sure was smirking alot that day, wasn't he? "Make your draw, shit heap."

Vern glanced around at us. "You guys wanna go see a dead body?" He asked.