That Summer had certainly been one for the history books. Children all across town began to randomly disappear without a trace leaving families, especially parents in utter hysteria.

Lia knew better though. She knew more about the town then anyone and knew that the children disappearing was just the next step in a long line of horrible circumstances that had been happening for as long as the town its self had even existed.

And it all happened every twenty-seven years.

In her own personal troubles her father had moved out of the house opting to now live with his girlfriend while sending Lia and her mother money every week. Lia knew her parents would never get a divorce so she figured the new way of things would just be her mother being a shell of herself and her father never being around while Lia was left to her own devices, all alone, and on her own.

Bringing the cigarette to her lips she took a deep inhale, life as of late had utterly gone to shit and now it was really all just about trying to survive day to day. Lia had been having to keep a facade up with Henry knowing she couldn't tell him the truth or it would put the poor young man in more danger then he was already in due to unforeseen circumstances and his own stupid choices. Lia had to keep him safe even if eventually it meant cutting all ties with the one person who actually saw her and didn't just see through her.

She sighed heavily in annoyance, the lit cigarette dangling loosely between her pouty lips before suddenly being snatched swiftly causing her head to snap side ways with a crack.

"Thought I told you to stop this shit?" Henry growled tossing the smoking stick to the ground and hatefully crushing it with his boot.

Lia scuffed "That's rich coming from you Bowers."

The young man frowned at the use of his last name coming from her while he really looked at his friend. She looked edgy and tired to say the least. Her hair was loose and messy hanging in thick, wild curls that fell down to the curves of her waist. Her clothes consisted of an old baggy Guns N Roses band t-shirt and an old pair of ripped up light colored denim jeans, her feet had her signature combat boots untied and dirty. Her eyes were skillfully smudged with a mix of deep grey and black shadows giving her a slept in smoky look with thick eyeliner all the way across her bottom lash line and waterline making her lilac eyes appear even more shocking.

Henry was concerned when he noticed her usually bright eyes appeared dull and dim like they had a light inside of them that someone had turned down. Way down.

It made his stomach turn.

"What's going on with you Phia? You haven't been the same all summer. You avoided me for a week, you come back and shits all sideways and now you seem like you're hiding shit. Not to mention, you look fucking exhausted." Henry drilled

Lia looked at him knowing he was genuinely trying to show concern for her due to his use of her childhood nickname and his choice of words trying to get her to open up to him. The red head knew she couldn't do that though, she couldn't tell him the truth, If she did she might as well slit his throat herself. She couldn't loose him though. Her heart knew this much so she took an unnoticeable deep breath and lied through her fucking teeth.

"Just shit at home man. Mom is getting worse, she strolls around the house like a damn robot her face always blank and shit. Dad doesn't even make any effort to communicate he just puts money in mom's bank account every pay day and that's it. He won't even talk to us." Lia semi lied using her real life domestic problems as a cover for why she's been the way she is.

Henry deflated as he dropped down beside her and wrapped an arm around her shoulder pulling her close to his chest

"Welcome to the my dad's an absolute dick club." The young boy teased causing Lia to gawk with laughter and Henry to beam.

That was the first time she had laughed in nearly a month.


The school year came and went and with it more and more children from all over Derry and just out side of it were reported missing. By the last month of school a 7pm curfew had been strictly enforced by Derry Sheriffs Department and everyone in town was on edge to say the least.

Lia was leaning against the row of lockers on the last day of her Sophomore year watching all the other kids grade 6-9 scatter about as they excitedly chatted with friends about their plans for their summers and all the fun they would get to have. None of them even once mentioning the curfew, the red head knew that at least half of them would be sneaking through the town like escape convicts for the whole break. Lia scuffed at the idiocy.

Lia's long deep burgundy red hair was down with the whole top layer pulled back and braided away from her scalp down her back to hang. Her eyes were in their traditional smoky look and her outfit consisted of high waisted form fitting dark denim shorts and a long sleeve black with white pin stripe crop top with a thick black belt and her trusty boots. She had one silver dangle earring and two studs in her right ear lobe and three studs in her left with a single hoop in the top cartilage.

Kicking off the row of lockers she started down the hall smiling at the ones she knew actually were good kids and the others who didn't know their ass from their elbows knew better then to look at her.

She had her own reputation in town after all.

As she came around the corner she saw Bill Denborugh and some of his boys get kinda skittish as they quickly made their way past Henry and his pack of goonies who were perched on the corner by the end of the lockers on the left side glaring and smiling cruelly at anyone who looked over. She walked passed and looked directly at Henry rolling her eyes fondly causing him to turn his head to hide a small soft smile only for it to fade into anger as he noticed Patrick Hocksetter crudely checking Lia out as she passed by Henry didn't hesitate to punch the hell out of the back of his head causing the taller boy to cower and flick his eyes firmly to the ground feeling the heat of Henry's glare of death.

Lia just chuckled softly to her self as she strutted by and out into the bright light of the early afternoon sunshine.


"You got a free ride because your little brother this year, school year is over for you and your faggot friends." Henry softly threatened as he stepped into Bill's personal space

"Henry!"

All of the boys looked over as Ophelia Quinn stood on the sidewalk giving him a bitchy expression. The younger of the boys all noticed how swiftly Henry backed up from Bill as if he had been physically yanked backwards but the group of boys all noticed that the head bully didn't once take his eyes off the red headed female.

"Didn't you and your goons plan on going for a drive?" Lia snarked stepping forward making the other boys in Henry's group to quickly back away and for Henry to look shy and go between glancing at his feet and at the annoyed expression of his best friend.

They had this conversation all ready. The Losers Club was off limits and his bullying had to settle down or she would make repercussions for him. Mainly his worst fear which is Lia having nothing to ever do with him again. Henry wouldn't say it out loud but he feared that thought more then his father, Lia knew that though.

"Yeah.. we were just leaving. Come on boys." Henry smacked Belch on the arm and the others all headed out to the car but Henry stopped beside Lia.

"See you tomorrow?" He shyly questioned

Richie Tozier almost made a joke unknowingly about Lia having Bowers' balls on a necklace but thankfully caught himself. He didn't feel like dying today.

"Yup. Same place. Better bring me skittles." Lia raised a demanding brow causing Henry to genuinely smile and nod before heading out to meet his goons at the car before the rest of the group watched them all take off.

"Holy shit." Richie softly cursed

"You boys should be more careful. He's getting a little better but don't push him." Lia cautioned causing the group of younger boys to nod rapidly

"T-t-tha-thanks for that L-L-ia" Bill bashfully stuttered out scratching the back of his neck.

Lia smiled fondly at the younger boy "Don't sweat it kiddo. You guys stay out of trouble ok? And stay safe!" She warned as she turned and waved over her shoulder.

They all yelled various see you laters before she stopped and called for Stanley who stared at her wide eyed and pointed at himself in question

"Yeah you dummy. Congratulations on your Bar Mitzvah!" Lia cheered for him causing the younger boy to grow wide eyed and beam

Lia didn't stick around to hear anything else or pay attention to their words even though she knew he was gushing about the fact she paid that much attention about his life.

He may have been touched by the gesture but to Lia it wasn't a big deal, she knew everything in Derry. And everyone.


Later that night Lia was laying on her bed with her Wes Craven novel in her hand with her head phones blaring Guns N Roses in her ears as she read along. Her bedroom window was open letting in the cool night breeze, the only light in the room came from her bedside lamp and the small flicker of light coming from under the door and through the opening crack of her bedroom door.

BANG!

Lia jumped a mile in the air painfully snatching her headphones from off her head and dropping her book off the bed as her leg kicked out at her side table which made the furniture sway dangerously causing the large lamp to sway before sliding right of the edge and hitting the ground with a loud CRASH! as the glass shattered and the light encasing the room was snuffed out.

Lia felt her heartbeat in the roof of her mouth and echoing through her skull as her ribs and chest squeezed painfully from the sudden noises catching her off guard. She focused on her breathing and settled her self before sighing aggravated at all the ruckus and now mess that had been made on her other wise quite night. The red head shifted to stand up when she stopped short, she squinted harshly unable to see the ground in front of her and as a result unable to see where the pieces of glass was. Rolling her eyes she rolled across her bed to the other side putting both feet on the ground to stand up only to yell out in sudden pain and collapsing her knees and palms of her hands hitting glass on the way down as well.

Lia whimpered as she felt her skin suddenly split open on the soles of her feet, palms of her hands and her knee caps. She could feel the rushing hot sticky blood but found her self becoming angry instead of afraid.

She stood up on the opposite side of the bed far from where the lamp had fallen, there was no way possible there could be glass all the way over here. Slowly Lia pushed her self up to her feet with several painful grunts before limping to the door and opening it with a rough swing.

Looking back into her room she was astonished but not surprised, her lamp was perfectly intact and not broken the slightest still on her table and there wasn't a single piece of glass on the floor in sight nor was there any blood from her wounds.

Gazing at her hands she noticed she didn't have any wounds to begin with. Lifting a foot, nothing. Looking at her knees, not even a scratch.

Lia blew a sharp breath through her nose causing her nostrils to flare out as she hurriedly made her way down the hall and into the living room where her mother slept soundly in front of a static filled TV.

The house was quite. Too quite. Lia made her way through the entire house but found nothing out of the normal until she made her way back through the kitchen.

Sitting on the counter in her mother's fruit bowl was countless packs of skittles and a large plain red ballon floating in the air just overhead of it.

Lia could have sworn she heard the jingle of bells in the air surrounding her.