𝐅𝐄𝐀𝐑━︎━︎ B. Denbrough ✓︎

𝐓𝐞𝐧

CHAPTER TEN:
WHAT ARE YOU AFRAID OF?

ATHENA STOOD THERE, GLANCING TOWARDS Richie as he continued to mess with one of the band members instruments, playing it very roughly. She turned her attention back towards the missing poster that they were currently looking at, the one that read the name "Edward Corcoran".

"They said they found part of his hand all chewed up near the standpipe." Stanley spoke, making Athena scrunch her nose up in disgust.

"He asked to borrow a pencil once." Ben said with a small frown.

Bill walked forward, holding the poster up from the wall to reveal Betty Ripsom's poster right behind. Athena crossed her arms over her chest, frowning at this. "It's like she's been f-f-forgotten because Corcoran's missing."

"Is it ever going to end?" Stanley questioned. Athena couldn't help but wonder the same thing before her attention turned back towards Richie, rolling her eyes slightly as the boy continued to fight the band member who was trying to take his instrument back from the kid. When the man finally did rip his instrument from the teenager's grasp, Richie took it upon himself to quickly say, "What the fuck dude?" to the man as he walked by him.

Eddie soon joined the group, two ice cream cones in his hand as he asked, "What are you guys talking about?"

"What they always talk about." Richie answered, taking his ice cream from Eddie.

"I actually think it will end, for a little while at least." Ben spoke up, making Athena glance towards the boy in curiosity. She felt as if this crisis wasn't going to end anytime soon, and she didn't like that feeling whatsoever.

"What do you mean?" Athena questioned, crossing her arms over her chest as she and the others looked at the boy.

"So I was going over all of my data research and I charted out all of the big events. The Ironwork's explosion in 1908. The Bradley Gang in '35 and The Black Spot in '62. And now the kids being. . ." The boy trailed off, a moment of silence falling over them before Ben continued. "I realized that this stuff seems to happen every-"

"Every 27 years." Bill finished, Athena's attention shifting towards the boy who stood beside her. Athena placed a hand on his shoulder, making the boy to glance at her as she gave him a small smile. Soon enough they had all moved to a set of benches that were placed inside of the park, the parade continuing all around them. Stanley sat on top of one of the benches, Mike sitting on one side of him and Ben sitting on the other side of Mike. Beverly sat on the same bench on the other end, her legs draped over Athena's lap who sat there with her hands holding up her head. Eddie and Bill sat on another bench, Richie on another.

"Okay, so, let me get this straight. It comes out from wherever to eat kids for like, a year, and then what? It just goes into hibernation?" Eddie questioned.

"Maybe it's like, what do you call it. . . Cicadas. You know, the bugs that come out every seventeen years." Stanley tried.

"My grandfather thinks this town is cursed." Mike spoke, making the group all turn their attention to the dark skinned boy. "He says that all the bad things that happen in this town are because of one thing. . . an evil thing that feeds off the people of Derry."

"But it can't be one thing." Stanley denied. "We all saw something different."

"Maybe. Or maybe It knows what scares us most, and that's what we see." Mike explained to the boy as well as the rest of the group.

"I-I saw a Leper. He was like a walking infection." Eddie told them.

Stanley shook his head in denial once more. "But you didn't. Because it isn't real. Not Eddie's Leper, or-or Bill seeing Georgie, or the woman I keep seeing."

"Is she hot?" Richie questioned, earning a blank look from Stanley and a glare from Athena.

"No, Richie. She's not hot!" Stanley snapped at the boy. "Her face is all messed up. None of this makes any sense! They're all like bad dreams."

"I don't think so. I know the difference between a bad dream and real life, okay?" Mike shook his head, glancing up towards the curly headed boy that was already looking towards him.

"What'd you see? You saw something, too?" Eddie questioned. Mike nodded his head.

"Yes. You guys know that burned down house on Harris Avenue? I was inside when it burned down. Before I was rescued, my mom and dad were trapped in the next room over from me. They were pushing and pounding on the door, trying to get to me. But it was too hot. When the firemen finally found them, the skin on their hands had melted down to the bone." Mike swallowed, as if trying to hold back tears. "We're all afraid of something."

"Got that right." Richie spoke.

"Why, Rich? What are you afraid of?" Eddie asked the boy.

Richie seemed to pause, taking a second to push his glasses up his nose before answering. "Clowns." Richie's attention seemed to turn towards Athena who was wiping a tear that had escaped after Mike told his story. "What about you Athena? You haven't spoken a word. What are you afraid of?"

Athena looked up, glancing around to notice that the group was all staring at her. She bit her lip, messing with her hands before softly answering. "Myself." She glanced back up towards the group before looking away again at the confused looks on their faces before she decided on elaborating. "I'm afraid that when I get older, I'll become like my dad. That's what I'm scared of." Stanley placed a hand on the girls shoulder, making her glance up at her and offering him a small smile before glancing towards Beverly who was silently looking at her with understanding and reassurance. Her eyes then met those of Bill's, and the boy just looked at her for a moment before giving her a small nod, as if silently reassuring her that that wouldn't happen. That she was better than her father ever was or would be. And she couldn't help but nod back in response, praying that that was true.