through the dark; vic criss

Seven.

Seven.

Isabelle grimaced at the mouthful of bitter coffee she had to swallow. She'd be lying if she said that Haley or Charlotte were any good at doing anything in a kitchen aside from gossiping. Ignorance is bliss, however, and it made them happy, so she'd never tell them that.

The mark on Haley's cheek had faded a lot. It was now only bruise, rather than a bright welt. There were yellow markings around the edges and a pink and purple colouring on the inside that Haley wouldn't cover with makeup no matter how much their mother nagged her because 'mum it still hurts to press on it!'

"You remember Sean, right? Kind of dorky-looking but such a sweetheart when you actually talk to him?" Charlotte nodded, and Haley continued, "right, so he was at this party with Diane Reece and Kelsey said they played seven minutes in heaven and they came out with Diane's lipstick all over Sean's mouth and her shirt untucked." Haley wiggled her eyebrows.

"Really? Diane Reece? Huh, I would have thought he'd end up with Maggie or Grace. They are pretty close with him,"

"But apparently Maggie and Grace aren't talking because they both like Henry Bowers, for whatever reason, and neither of them is backing down," Haley chattered. Setting her mug down, Isabelle debated leaving to watch tv or staying just to see Charlotte's response.

Charlotte turned up her nose. "Imagine refusing to talk to your best friend because of a guy - a guy like Henry Bowers,"

Haley rolled her eyes, "I know. Oh! And rumour has it Megan and Patrick meet in the woods every week," judging by the suggestive tone in Haley's voice, she was talking about more than just meeting up.

"Gross," Isabelle muttered, mostly just because she'd had enough of the hook-up talk. She pushed herself out of her seat, pouring the remaining coffee into the sink before she turned to her sisters. "I'm going for a walk,"

Haley raised her eyebrows, but didn't try to stop her.

"Be safe, okay? Don't take anything from strangers," and even though Charlotte didn't say it, Isabelle knew what was implied. Keep clear of Henry Bowers and his gang.

Inside, they had ceiling fans and a roof to keep the sun away from their skin. Outside, though, Isabelle felt like she could actually breathe. She didn't know why the kitchen had felt particularly stuffy and uncomfortable with Charlotte and Haley there. Maybe she just wasn't in the mood to listen to their gossip.

Isabelle absently kicked at a stone on the sidewalk. She probably needed new sneakers. If push came to shove, she'd borrow a pair from her sister.

They shared almost everything. Isabelle could count on one hand the items in her closet that hadn't been handed down from either of her sisters. On the bright side, it made most of her clothes super soft and comfortable.

Isabelle's head snapped upwards at the sound of a young voice. It sounded kind of... desperate. Whoever it was, was yelling and sounded like they were in trouble.

Curiosity killed the cat.

Isabelle followed the sound. It led her past a small jewellery store and a pharmacy. Nestled between the pharmacy and what looked like a butcher's shop was an alley, where Isabelle was convinced the voice was coming from. Jesus, how many alleys does this town have?

"What did I tell you, huh? I told you to stay the fuck out of my town!" Henry Bowers shouted. There was something in his voice; Isabelle had no idea what it was but she suppressed a shiver. It was terrifying.

Up against the dirty brick wall of the alley was a kid. Isabelle had heard him being referred to as 'that home-schooled kid'. He was cowering. Henry flicked a cigarette at him, and the kid flinched, only just avoiding it. Henry delivered a kick to him, and from the angle she was watching from, Isabelle wasn't sure where it had hit but the kid yelped and slid down to the ground and she felt a surge of something akin to courage.

"It's not your fucking town, Henry," she said, coming closer and earning five pairs of eyes on her. The kid sat up straighter, staring at her with wide eyes. Henry glowered. Victor looked anxious. Belch glanced between her and Henry. Patrick just looked... like Patrick, honestly.

"What would you know? Go home, Isabelle," it was like he was mocking her for her name, and Isabelle had no idea how he even knew it.

"I know that your dad is a regular at my sister's work. Go home, Henry," she knew he wouldn't go home. It didn't take a genius to figure out what went on at the Bowers household, and Isabelle felt really, really guilty for bringing up Henry's dad like that. She just didn't know what else to do and she hated the idea of leaving some kid to get beat up by some bully with a mullet.

Henry clenched his jaw and his fist, but he glared at Isabelle and the kid once more before he stalked away.

Isabelle made a mental note to apologise to him later.

Patrick looked disappointed with the turnout of the day, making sure he stepped on the kid's hand as he followed Henry. Belch and Victor stayed a few seconds longer. Victor locked eyes with Isabelle and she realised how Henry knew her name.

Once they were gone, Isabelle reached out a hand to the kid, helping him off the ground. He hesitated.

"I don't bite," she said gently. He took her hand and stood up. "I'm Isabelle,"

"Mike,"

"You okay, Mike?"

Mike nodded. "I'm used to it, I'll be fine,"

Isabelle frowned slightly. Being used to it didn't make it okay. But he looked kind of uncomfortable with Isabelle being there, so she didn't say much else.

"I'll see you around, Mike, stay safe," he nodded and Isabelle started walking away from him, away from the alley. It gave her the creeps.

"Thank you!" Mike called out, and Isabelle shot him a grin over her shoulder. She really hoped he had some friends, because maybe Henry wouldn't pick on him if he was in a group. Unlikely, because Henry didn't seem to let much stop him, but Isabelle could hope.

Satisfaction brought it back.

1058 words.

i really have no idea how to write the next few chapters so i might take a lil bit to update again fjbsdkj