A/N: Hello, everyone! I hope you are all doing well and staying safe. I know I'm kind of deviating from my usual posting schedule, but I wanted to post the next chapter early.
I made a few small adjustments in this chapter since it is how I envisioned it. You will start to see more differences in upcoming chapters, so stay tuned.
Thanks for the reviews, favorites, and follows so far! I appreciate them.
Enjoy the read!
She laid there in the darkness, waiting for sleep. Ruth stared at the fabric of the Victorian couch, counting the threads. She made it to seven when a strangled sob leaves her lips. Ruth grimaces, tears streaming from her eyes now. The feel of her father's hand unpleasantly burned on her skin still. She tucked a hand in between her legs and squeezed her thighs. Maybe she can rub away the horrid touch. No, there is no soothing it away. Another sob quakes within her lungs and sniffles.
Why?
Ruth curls, bending herself to fit on the narrow couch. Her tears continue to fall. As she settled in a fetal position and hope for sleep to come, Ruth felt some water on her cheek. She gasps, snapping her eyes to the rotted ceiling. In the back of her mind, Ruth thought maybe Pennywise the Clown was watching from above, drooling, and in some gnarly form. He has been trying to scare her since they've met. She's not stupid to know Pennywise is only doing it to keep her away or for another reason entirely. She doesn't know what that could be, though. Her Crackerjack gifts are just Ruth being kind to someone. If she got in their good graces, it's just a bonus. She would like to gain a friendship with the shapeshifter, but Ruth doubts that would happen.
He wasn't there, of course. If he were, Pennywise wouldn't be able to scare her. Probably not ever. Ruth is not afraid of him or clowns or whatever form he takes. She's quite intrigued by him.
Ruth felt the drop again. She scans the ceiling, finding a leak. Another fell on her forehead, which Ruth groans then hugged herself. Another drop landed near her eye, forcing Ruth to shield her face with an arm, and whimpers a sob.
Why?
She laid in silence. The only exception is rolling thunder that shook the house and the padding of light rain. Ruth didn't mind it, though. The ambiance of an approaching storm and the noises of the settling house can lull her to sleep. With a rumble was a small creak. Ruth paid no mind to the sound as it could be the wind blowing a door open since she felt a breeze. No, it was not the wind.
Pennywise slowly stalked out from the shadows, watching Ruth intently. His eyes glowed gold as he silently approached like a snake in the grass. He grinned wildly with glee at the sight of the unaware Ruth lying awake still. Despite her kindness and sugary gifts, Pennywise has grown tired of her presence. He needs to scare her and feast on the irritant's flesh before his emotions get the better of him. Pennywise can feel small tendrils of attachment and needs to sever whatever this is with Ruth.
As he crept closer, something small and round caught his eye. Pennywise examined the object critically, and with a deep frown. It looked like a pearl and had tiny metal rods at the end. His chest tightened once he realized the small fake pearl earring is Ruth's. The last time he checked, Ruth wore diamond studs except these are new. With a faint touch, Pennywise learned the father gifted Ruth these for excellent grades and the mother took the girl to get her ears pierced.
His gut twisted from the sounds of weeping filled his ears. Pennywise listened to the sobs and watched the young girl violently shake. He sees Ruth cover her head, shielding herself from the constant drip of standing rainwater leaking above. That's not the cause of her distress, though. He continued forward to investigate just a few feet away from Ruth's trembling form. An unfamiliar scent wafts his nostrils when he sniffs the air. Pennywise doesn't smell fear, but a musky male's cologne and alcohol lingering on the child's body. His scowl vanished, and innards squirmed from a heaviness weighing on his shoulders. He slowly stood to tower over the small and fragile girl. Pennywise then notices the welts on her arms and legs, along with the few bruises caused by a heavy object.
A roll of thunder rumbles, and a flash of lightning illuminated the dark space. Pennywise caught a glimpse of the extent of Ruth's injuries. Not only does she have large red welts and bruises, adorning her exposed thighs are scratches. There is also a bloody bite mark. Pennywise gasps sharply, and chest constricts, his golden eyes snap at Ruth shielding herself.
In his mind, he can hear Ruth screaming, "Get your fucking hands off me!"
Pennywise blinks, his eyes glowing brighter as he got inside her head. He witnessed Ruth punching the male adult in the mouth and nose. His fingers curled tightly from watching the male assaulting and making a sexual advance on the child.
"Get the fuck off me!"
His ancient lips tightened, his nose flared, and brows knit close. Ruth's cry of pain echoed in his head from the male biting down on her thigh, breaking the skin. His furious gaze flick back to the bite mark. It was an attempt to force themselves on her. The sound of smacking and grunting from her punching and kicking at her attacker reverberated in his brain. The sound of him falling to the floor unconscious is gratifying to hear. Ruth's feet slapped against floorboards and pavement. Ruth had escaped. Her feet confirmed it as they are swollen and bloodied. Ruth's footprint toward the couch is a good indicator as well. Pennywise understood. She didn't have time to throw on shoes. Ruth had to leave the house.
He then heard her desperate cries for help as the girl ran down the street. She even called out for him, which more so saddened him than anything else. No one bothered to glance out their windows. Not his fault by any means. The girl already has a bad rep about her being the bastard daughter of the town's whore. The scars on her heart revealed she is continuously bullied by her peers, even the bunch from the alleyway. The torment she goes through with her mother is another. The woman physically and emotionally abuses her child. She's even neglectful in feeding Ruth, letting her fend for herself. It's no wonder Ruth is petite and frail.
Ruth is unloved and alone in this world. No one cared. She has nowhere to go that feels safe. Except, it lies here where nightmares of his creation reside.
Within a blink, his eyes dimmed. Pennywise remained to watch Ruth, listening to her sobs and sniffles. When he first saw the child, he knew Ruth was a victim of child abuse. To discover the child is molested and sexually abused made his innards unpleasantly squirm. From the sounds of Ruth's cries, she has been dealing with the mistreatment for a long time now. For some reason, Ruth's despair repulsed him to the core.
Rainwater dripped on her again, causing Ruth to curl tighter and shudders a sob.
"Why?" Ruth faintly mumbles.
Pennywise frowns. The gold in his eyes disappear, replaced with innocent bright blues which eyed her guiltily and sighed heavily. He knew once his eyes landed on the stud earrings that something will come of her. Pennywise had hoped his gut was wrong. This could have been prevented if he had snatched Ruth when he had the chance and brought her here where it was safe.
He watched her still, unable to find it in his evil heart to scare Ruth anymore. IT could, if he genuinely wanted to, that is. He can end it instantly for her, so she wouldn't have to deal with the loneliness or the abuse. She will be free. Except, he couldn't. Pennywise the Clown, the evil ancient interdimensional being, can not find it in his heart to frighten off poor Ruth now. He'll let her be and have the dark Neibolt house Ruth's haven. It will protect her from the world, and maybe he will, too.
Another drop landed on her covered head, making her shiver. Pennywise glances at the ceiling. He uses his power to cover the hole, stopping the unforgiving drip. He leaves the couches side for Ruth to sleep. He squats far, watching the girl still with a disgusted frown.
Why?
He sat there in the dark, observing Ruth's chest slowly rising and falling. She would occasionally shake, either from shivering or a sob. Typically, a child wouldn't affect him like this. He's heard of sexually abused children, but to meet one and see the infliction upon them is another. Ruth's innocence is tarnished by a parent's incurable sickness.
What's even more frustrating for Pennywise about the girl is her lack of fear. Children should be frightened by the nightmares they conjure from drivel nonsense such as films, specific phobias, everyday objects, or even animals. Ruth, however, is deprived of that primal instinct. The girl is fearless, and IT is powerless because of her. He can't scare the child, not when there is nothing left for Ruth to be afraid of anymore.
Even if he continued trying, his shapeshifting abilities would be quickly recognized. Pennywise has already used her father to induce fear, but not her wretched mother. He morphed as a gigantic bird eater spider once, which failed miserably. The knot on his bulbous noggin throbs occasionally. Pennywise even shifted as a freaking naked mole-rat! He may have startled her, but Ruth mostly shivered in disgust. She's not scared of them. They just make her skin crawl. The girl dared to refer to him as a male's anatomy part only with teeth and scrawny legs.
Pennywise trembled in disgust at the thought.
Irritating child. I'm confident the damn turtle would console the girl's wretchedness from her soul. Why couldn't that enormous reptile crash land here instead? Pennywise's thoughts trailed off.
His ears perked and features scrunched from a small, melodious voice. Pennywise noticed Ruth adjusting herself, curling tighter into a ball. From the darkness and rumble of thunder, her voice disturbs the silence again.
"Hello darkness, my old friend, I've come to talk with you again." Ruth whispers.
Pennywise slowly blinks, his head cocked slightly.
"Because a vision softly creeping, Left its seeds while I was sleeping."
He stares, uncertain of what to think of these lyrics flowing from her lips. He hesitated at first, but Pennywise slowly returns to the couch, listening.
"And the vision that was planted in my brain," Ruth continued. Her tears beginning to cease.
What is she doing?
"Still remains, within the sound of silence."
Her voice is fluted yet haunting that it's hypnotic. Whatever she is doing, it drew an intrigued Pennywise closer to Ruth's side. Never has a child made him curious.
"In restless dreams, I walked alone, narrow streets of cobblestone."
It dawned on Pennywise that Ruth is singing.
She's singing a song he's familiar with. The lyrics seemed fitting as he interprets the message as people's inability to communicate on a more emotional level. Apparently, Ruth can't articulate her upbringings clearly. Well, no one has given her the time or the opportunity to speak of them. The boys, who have become a close niche, could have opened their arms to her. Except, Pennywise knows for a fact that they have shunned her. He's witnessed their alienation from her.
Hypocrites.
Ruth desperately needs a friend during this dark downward spiral of hers, and no one is willing to lend an ear or a shoulder.
"Nath the halo of a street lamp," her voice begun to slow, growing tired.
His frown deepens. Pennywise realized now Ruth is singing herself to sleep.
How many times have you sung yourself to sleep, Freckles? Pennywise questioned.
"I turned my collar to the cold," she yawns lightly. "And damp. When my eyes were stabbed by the flash of a neon light, that split the night."
Ruth yawns again, sighing shortly after. She curls deeper into the uncomfortable couch, hugging herself for some warmth.
"And touched the sound," Ruth's hypnotic voice trails off, finally falling asleep with a light sigh.
"Of silence," Pennywise finished for her.
Why would he? Pennywise hasn't a clue. He sat with his back to her. An oddly familiar pang grew in his stomach and weighed on his massive shoulders now. Pennywise even felt a long-forgotten emotion he hasn't felt in eons. He stares at the wall absently, feeling distressed. He groans then silently stood to his feet. With a frustrated yet pained glance over his shoulder at Ruth, the tall being leaves her side again. His lumbering form storms in the shadows and disappears.
A gray morning dawned when Ruth awoke. Her eyes open to see the same muted fabric. Despite the unusually good nights' sleep, Ruth remained alarmed by her surroundings. She remembers coming to the Neibolt house and falling asleep here. Ruth even recalls singing to herself for the umpteenth time. She has been doing it a lot lately, especially after her encounters with Jonathan. She uncurls herself with a stretch and a sigh when Ruth finally noticed something encased her in warmth.
Ruth sniffs, smelling must and earth. A combination that is neither horrid nor pleasant. She glances down to find a dirty blanket tucked around her. Thankfully there are no dried bodily fluids or blood on it. Ruth then scans her eyes in the light grayness, finding that everything looked the same still. The clown is nowhere to be seen, which is disappointing. She felt him close by last night but didn't stay with her to provide Ruth some form of comfort. Or maybe he did but didn't sense him since Ruth was probably fast asleep by then.
She sighs heavily, wondering what to do now.
"Maybe, I've over invited myself here," she thought out loud.
With a frown, she heaves one more heavy sigh from her lungs then quickly stood.
The last thing Ruth expected was stepping on a body that growled unpleasantly. Startled, Ruth screams and falls back on the couch. It takes a tumble from impact, the added hard shove throws her to the dusted floor. She lands with a grunt. Ruth glances to her right to figure what she had stepped on, only to find Pennywise lunging for her. She moves to avoid him, except he is still able to grab her arm. He snarls, exposing rows of teeth that made Ruth gap. Despite the bubbling fear, Ruth maneuvers to kick a foot square onto his open maw. She kicks him hard, snapping his jaw shut, and forced him backward with a release of her arm. His tall frame falls straight back and crashes onto the overturned couch.
Pennywise's legs stick straight in the air, his enormous shoes creating a beacon of his stunned self. She couldn't see it, but Pennywise laid with his long limbs outstretched to the side. His supposed frightening features have softened, and eyes wide. He can't comprehend what transpired. All Pennywise knows is that his large pompom's on his toes are in his line of sight. He laid there, staring at the obnoxious accessories and rotted ceiling.
The silence in the room is awkward and tense. Neither Ruth nor the clown uttered a sound. That is until Pennywise disturbed it with one word.
"Ow."
Ruth, on the other hand, stared angrily at first. Him trying to scare her off is getting on Ruth's last nerves. After a moment of calming down from the startle, she took in the scene in front of her. The sight of Pennywise's long legs sticking straight in the air made Ruth press her lips. Even the added "ow" made her silently snicker. A small slip of a giggle leaves her lips. She slaps a hand over her mouth, shuddering violently.
Pennywise must have heard her small squeak since his feet twitched. There was even a menacing growl.
Shit, he heard me!
She knew what will happen if he caught her from laughing at him. He will use his teeth for sure. Ruth stood quickly to escape, only to cry out and fall on her ass. She sharply hisses, pulling her feet close to inspect them. The bottoms of her feet have small lacerations from running on pavement barefoot. They're swollen still as well.
Ruth groans, leaning her head against the wall. "Fuck."
She heavily sighs and closed her eyes, waiting for the stinging to subside. "I guess that's what I get for laughing at you."
When Pennywise didn't say anything in return, Ruth glances at the couch. His feet are no longer in sight, except he is on the other side of the furniture. He's glaring at her and pouting like a child. She searches his angered gaze on her, thinking. After a moment, Ruth disturbs the tension.
"I'm sorry for laughing," she whispers.
Pennywise didn't reply back, just scuffed with a sneer.
Ruth interpreted it as, "Sure you are."
"What exactly are you?"
He doesn't say anything still, only glares.
Instead of sitting in silence, Ruth presses further.
"I know you're a shapeshifter, Pennywise. It would explain all of your previous forms. But what are you? Are you anything like the creature from The Thing?"
Pennywise remained quiet. Well, probably forced himself to since his lips lightly twitched from being compared to a movie monster. Also, he's not in the mood to be bombarded with questions about his existence. Instead, he slowly shrinks in the dark recesses of the house. Leaving Ruth in constant wonder.
She eyed the spot where he disappeared with a curve of her lips. Ruth is quick to put the pieces together. The dingy blanket, the leaky roof fixed, and his large body near the couch, Pennywise, stayed with her last night.
"Maybe you're not so bad after all," Ruth whispered to herself and smiled.