youngblood // p. hockstetter // 0.1

//one

•••

As far as back as anyone could tell, the troubles in Derry started to occur on the 1st of May, 1990.

That same day in the middle of spring had been otherwise normal for most of the residents; for girls like Susanna Berry it marked three weeks until Madonna released her newest album, for boys like Mark Tuedin it marked the first time he'd been sucked off by a girl.

It was also the day that the Fennler family moved into the house on the corner of Kansas Street and West Broadway.

People coming to Derry just for a visit was a rarity, let alone having a family take up residency in the wealthiest area of the town. Albeit the worst house on the street, it was still on the street. It was run down, chipped and decayed, much like the rest of the town. The unruly garden was spewing over and through the low iron fence, the front deck had begun to slope and mould with water damage and the windows had been smashed until a week ago.

Gretta Keene had been the first resident of Derry fortunate enough to witness the family moving into the shitty house. Following her last class on the first of May, she walked home to the sound of Belinda Carlisle on her Walkman. Her backpack hung low on her back and her bouffant of hair bounced around in its ponytail like an untamed animal. She'd been left to walk by herself by several of her friends who instead went to see a film at the theatre, leaving her to her thoughts. As she crossed Kansas Street onto the opposite path, she quickly became aware of the yelling that followed the wind from the direction of the Dump, loud enough to rupture the cocoon of her music.

On the corner of Kansas and Broadway, several loaded cars where parked around the house opposite Memorial Park where the noise was coming from. As she walked, pausing her tape and slipping her headphones to sit around her neck, she saw two men avidly fighting before the old house which they where supposedly moving into. As she moved closer, she only caught the shrapnel of their heated conversation though it was blatantly obvious whomst of the two was in control.

"-a bad idea! If you don't want to listen to me, then go a-fucking-head. I'm not stopping you!" This man (though man may be a bit of a stretch) was much taller then the teenage boy opposite him whom barely reached his shoulders. They where brothers, that much was evident if not by the tone of the argument then by the too similar features they shared between them. The teenager's head suddenly turned and Gretta found herself under the stare of several sets of eyes, those of the arguing pair and the single pair which had emerged from the doorway.

She awkwardly stood there, not knowing what to say.

"Hi!" The teenage boy turned away in annoyance, walking inside while the other approached her with a grin on his slim face. Stepping over some of the moving boxes strewn across the lawn, he stopped short of the bushes lining the base of the fence. A week prior Greta wouldn't have been able to see the lawn itself. "We're new to the neighbourhood, do you live around here?" He was polite, smiley and Gretta couldn't stop looking at his shoulders. Never in her life had she seen someone (potentially a teenager) so built before. He looked as though he'd be able to snap her neck if she pissed him off.

"Uh, yeah. I live further down with my dad"

"Oh really? That's cool. What's your dad do?"

"He's a chemist"

The conversation was weird, at least for her. He smiled for a second before suddenly rapping his knuckles against his head. "Goodness! I'm sorry, where are my manners?" He held his hand to her over the fence. "I'm Nathaniel, though Nate works fine as well" She took his hand and the smile she reserved exclusively for Travis Huller pulled itself onto her face.

"Gretta Keene"

"Lovely to meet you Gretta. That-" He turned around and Gretta stared at the muscle which became prominent in his neck. Freckles brushed his cheeks and stretched downwards, doting his sun-soaked skin. "-is my brother David"

Like Nate, David's skin was lightly tanned but his black hair ran in two straight sheets around his face which looked at her in disinterest. "Then Jude and Rosemary are inside. We're the Fennlers"

Despite her intense hatred for small talk, Greta's hormonal teenage mind had already built scenario after scenario of what she could do with Nathaniel. Forbidden romances, secret kisses when no one was looking, and she would lose her virginity to him while he whispered sweet something's into her ear under the Kissing Bridge. It was her heated internal storyteller that compelled her to stay.

"Where have you all moved from?"

"Pennsylvania. Jude's lookin to finish school 'ere though" A sudden flush of realisation slid across his face. "You go to Derry High School?"

"Yes sir" She leant on her right leg, sucking her stomach in slightly. "Just finished actually. We only have a month left until summer vacation" He chuckled, pushing away from the fence.

Quite suddenly, the door opened and Greta felt the oxygen disappear from her body.

"Nate, I've finished cleaning my room"

"Rosemary!" Nathaniel's grin widened slightly. "Perfect timing" Holding his arm out in a welcoming gesture, she gracefully leapt down the stairs and walked across the lawn to meet him. "Gretta, this is my sister Rosemary"

Gretta couldn't look away.

It wasn't a face you could forget easily, genetically the young girl struck better then all three of her older brothers combined. Jude could be the most attractive male on Earth and still wouldn't compare to Rosemary's angelic face. A small oval face dotted with freckles and large, glassy blue eyes. Unlike her brothers, her skin was fair, and rosy, her body slim and on the peak of developing. She looked almost too proper for Derry in her neat little slip on shoes and black baby doll dress. Her cross lay comfortably against her collar.

"It's a pleasure to meet you" She smiled and Gretta returned the gesture. "I hope we can be friends at school"

"Of course! How old are you?"

"I'm sixteen, but I'm starting my junior year next year" Gretta stared at her in awe. Beautiful, polite, and smart? If she wasn't smiling at her so kindly she might have felt intimidated.

"I'm starting my sophomore year next year, but that doesn't mean we can't still hang out?"

Nathaniel pulled Rosemary closer, "Well Rose and Jude will be starting school tomorrow, maybe you could walk together?"

"That sounds like a great idea! Yeah!"

"Uh.." Rosemary but her lip slightly and Gretta felt envy flush her. She was so unintentionally sultry, yet so innocent.

So many boys where going to love her at school, and so many girls where going to hate her.

"I think Jude wanted to drive? Maybe we could pick you up?"

"Your brother can get off his ass and walk" Nathaniel frowned, glancing at the house before he looked back at Gretta. "They'll be waiting for you by 7:40"

That was far earlier then Gretta would regularly leave for school, but she said nothing.

"I was hoping to walk around Derry a little before school. Is that alright with you Gretta?"

"That's fine, I can show you some of the best spots in town!"

They conclude their brief, albeit odd conversation, both companies reasonably content.

Gretta was content not only because she now had something to gossip about, but because she'd just become friends with the pretty new girl at her school.

Nathaniel was content because for the first time in a while, he had hope for his sister, that she may be able to move on from the tragedy that befell her prior to their move. Hope that their life may begin cleanly. Oh how wrong he was.

Rosemary felt nothing.

•••