― 𝒅𝒆𝒂𝒅 𝒃𝒐𝒚.
❝ and he knows
that a boy who
likes boys is
a dead boy.
unless he keeps
his mouth shut. ❞
or, in which daxton shields's heart is an abandoned house that new friends want to rebuild & mov...
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DEAD BOY (book one). °• CHAPTER NINE •°
" WE ALL HAVE OUR PAST. "
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THE GRIFFITH HOUSE SEEMED TO TAKE HOLIDAYS VERY SERIOUSLY.Daxton could smell Jo's cooking since he woke up, a wonderful scent that drifted through the house. He had to inhale a few times as he tugged on summer clothes instead of pajamas before he remembered what was in store for the day - The Fourth of July. He wasn't really a big fan of holidays, especially considering how hot today was, but he chose a red shirt that matched Charlie's blue one. It seemed festive enough. But if Daxton thought the red, white, and blue decorations Lia let Lucas help her string up in the backyard were too much, he was in for the surprise of a lifetime when he saw how Derry handled it. Stores had sales on fireworks and sparklers, stands scattered that sold various fair treats, colorful balloons bobbing in the air, American flags waving in the wind, and a very long yet loud parade with some guy in the midst of it wearing the ugliest beaver costume.
The parade had already started when Daxton and Charlie meet the others in the downtown spot of Derry. They make sure to lock their bikes tight as they search through the crowd of happy people celebrating their Independence day for the Losers. Daxton felt himself scowling at all the joyful noises, but Charlie offered to buy him his choice of any treat they sold if he bore it, so he didn't return home in search of a quieter environment. He reluctantly stayed put where he was until they noticed the others gathering in an alleyway. The noises were so loud they almost bounced off the brick walls, but Daxton considered that a good thing when he discovered what Bill wanted to talk about.
The Denbrough boy's fingertips were lightly pressing against what looked like a missing kids poster sloppily taped on the wall as if whoever plastered it there was in a hurry. A black and white picture of a smiling child labeled as Edward Corcoran. Daxton's lips pulled down into a tight frown when he read the kid was only twelve. Everyone standing there, minus Richie and Eddie who must have departed to join the celebration for something, knew what the piece of paper meant. Edward Corcoran wasn't missing. He was gone.
"They said they found part of his hand all chewed up near the standpipe," Stan remembered in a quiet voice.
Daxton didn't think of the effect his words would have on Bill when he mumbled, "As if something ate him." But he didn't know whether to say someone or something. It wasn't like Derry was known for wild animal attacks. So with Ben's research and their shared experiences, it all had something to do with a clown. A clown was the center of their problems.
