Shoutout to Lindsay for helping me out with this chapter!
Hope you all enjoy!

The sky looked gloomy as if it was beginning to flood the whole town. It was that dark. I'm glad I brought my jacket since I could not really handle the cold anymore. Paul noticed this and asked if I wanted his jacket, too. Of course, I declined.

I don't know if it's just me or Paul's been too nice to me. I mean, he really just has the guts to compliment and has too much confidence, but this time, it's more...on the surface? Oh god, I don't even know how to explain it anymore.

Clearly, this isn't something I ever expected from him even though he sorta flirted with me now that I recalled the first time we met.

"What's going on in that pretty mind of yours?" He asked me, smirking,

I shook my head, "School stuff."

"You always stress yourself, Alissa." He said as if he knew better. All he knew anyway was how to have fun. I never saw him talk about his classes as much as he talked about how he knew how to have fun,

"You should know by then." I cleared my throat, "Have a lot of work to do for the end of the semester."

Paul chuckled softly, "Any plans in the weekend? Don't tell me you'll be working."

I do have to, but that can be done overnight. Suddenly, I remember the party. My aunt invited me to take photos for the community halloween party, which is mostly family and friends. I guess I really have to go for the extra bucks. Surely, I could consider this as taking a break like what Paul always says?

"I'm going to a party?" I said as if I wasn't sure if I'm going,

He widened his eyes and smiled brightly, "That's awesome! Is it someone's birthday? I love parties."

"I bet you do." I grimaced, "It's a halloween party."

"Sounds very fun." He started, "Does that mean you'll be wearing a costume?"

"I'm only going there to take photos for my aunt's party." I defended myself, making sure he doesn't think I completely followed his advice,

He shrugged, "Still, you should wear a costume!"

Wear a costume? That's just the moment I'd ask to be killed instead. If I go to the party wearing a costume, and if I even bring Paul, my family's going to ask me questions non stop about Paul, considering the fact that I've never even brought home a boy, nor a friend.

I squinted at the thought, "Getting humiliated for bringing a date is enough embarrassment, Paul, no thanks."

"A date?" Paul suddenly turned, interested,

Fuck. That slipped out. "Oh," I gulped, "My aunt wants me to bring a date. She thought I was dating someone-"

"I'd love to come with ya!"

I sneered, "You? You wanna come?"

"I love Halloween. Costumes are overrated, but you have to give credit to those who dedicate their time in scaring the children." I could have sworn he chuckled menacingly,

I shook my head, "You're not gonna wear a costume."

"Who shall be there?"

"My family, friends, bunch of kids?"

Paul smirked, "Perfect. I could easily blend in." He said, "I'd wear costumes like the wonderful children."

"I don't know, Paul." Should I really bring him? I didn't even ask him yet.

Paul smiled at me, "You should wear a costume, too!" He said,

Hell no, I'm not. "No,"

"Come on, Alissa. Feel alive! It's the best time of the year."

"You like parties, and you like Halloween, too?"

Paul nodded,

I couldn't help but mumble, "God, Paul, what is wrong with you?"

"I'm truly excited, Alissa!"

"We're not wearing costumes."

"What's there to lose?"

"We're not wearing costumes."

"Your costume looks wonderful!" Alissa's mother raised her hands in surprise when she saw her daughter wearing a cute, short, fitted black dress and a cat headband. Alissa remembered when she found the tiny dress in one of the unpacked boxes in her apartment. She thought that halloween costumes were either completely scary or slutty. She wasn't gifted when it comes to great, scary make-up. She didn't have time to ask Paul to make her anything, considering he's an art major and that he invited himself to the party just yesterday. Which leaves her to find a slutty costume. She would have just bought a yellow raincoat to wear but before she entered the store yesterday, she backed out and went back home thinking that it would only trigger her to start thinking about the clown again.

If she starts contemplating about it, she doesn't know if she'll even stop. She'd be distracted with her classes, and she didn't want that. She hated how when It came to her mind, she was easily distracted and her full attention is committed to it.

Alissa learned how to put on dark glam make-up on that night after putting on the tiny black dress and boots with a cat ears headband. Just in time, she heard a buzz. She went downstairs to meet Paul who did not even hesitate to stare at her the second she appeared in front of him the first time.

Pennywise was tempted to drool upon seeing Alissa's flesh exposed voluntarily. Although her tiny black dress was not as slutty as Alissa thought, Pennywise's hunger still whirled inside It. It was hunger for desire, obsession over her flesh, and the strong urge to take her flesh.

The demon clown started to become impatient. It despised the fact that it could not touch Alissa unless she allowed herself to be, which was the crucial part of finding a mate to acquire higher force.

All he did was act like how Paul would; Paul smirked at Alissa and told her that she looked attractive, to which Alissa blushed. She didn't like Paul's comment for some reason, and as a response, she rolled her eyes and told him to enter the car. And so they drove off to her Aunt's party.

There, she had to pass through a crowd while Paul stood behind her, wearing nothing but a dirty white dress shirt, black pants with suspenders, and a red nose stuck on his nose. Although Paul seemed to wear something classic, he managed to look creepy with dark circles around his eyes. It wasn't make-up at all as Alissa thought, but it was a natural reaction of Paul's body as the demon clown inside him tried to resist the smell of innocent children just across the room.

When children started laughing, Pennywise's hunger grew.

Alissa turned to Paul, "Oh, Mom, this is Paul." She touched his shoulder, making him snap back into what was happening in front of him. But Paul quickly responded with a respectable greeting and took his hand out, "Lovely to meet you, Mrs. Dunn."

He shook her hand rather loose as how a funny clown would, considering that Paul was wearing a big, red nose. It thought it would be funny.

As Alissa's mother spoke to Paul, Alissa's youngest cousin shouts for her, making her and Paul turn their heads. Alissa gaped at the sight of her cousin wearing a bright, yellow raincoat and boots. Paul gazed at the child approaching them.

"Hey!" Alissa shouted back as she waited for her cousin to jump into her arms, she hugged him. Then, she glanced at Paul, "Paul, this is my cousin, Tyler."

Paul slowly squatted down with a tight smirk on his face, staring directly into Tyler's eyes, "Well...hello." He started,

Alissa let them speak as she glanced at her mother to ask where her Aunt was,

While they spoke behind the two, Paul kept his eyes on Tyler, "Where's your boat?" He asked with a grin,

"It got blown away into the canal!" Tyler kept his character then laughed,

"You like to dress up as Georgie, huh?" Paul asked, suddenly his voice sounded more like Pennywise's, and Tyler thought this was clever. Tyler thought he was trying to play as the clown in IT, not knowing it was the clown itself,

Tyler nodded with a smile on his face, thinking that they were still roleplaying. Suddenly, Paul's blue eyes turned bright yellow. He could smell the child's scent; innocence and wonder. If there was anything it could do to smell fear, good old fear.

"Do you..." Paul cleared his throat, his eyes shining bright. Tyler's smile slowly disappeared as he stared back at Alissa, "...want to..."

Suddenly, a funny voice came shouting from the other side of the room interrupting Paul. He frowns greatly as his eyes looked up. He slowly stood up and saw a walking cheap clown suit.

"What the fuck?" Paul mumbled,

Tyler heard him and frowned,

Alissa noticed guy in a clown suit, who was supposed to look like Pennywise, and it left her wide eyed. Frozen, Alissa and Paul both stared at the clown and mumbled,

"Ah, fuck."

"-Fuck."