- October, 1988 -
It was a rainy November afternoon when Lyds Greystone found herself wandering around the streets of Derry.
Everything seemed so peaceful, there wasn't a person in sight, that was exactly how she wanted it to be. No people, no worries. Nothing.
Only her and the sound of rain.
"I hate you..." she mumbled
With anger seething through her, she kicked a rock across the street. It bounced across the ground before hitting against the curb and it landed back at her feet.
"I just want Dad back..."
When Lydia's father had died a year earlier she'd been forced to move in with her Aunt Kim. The pair had never gotten along well, especially since Kim always beat on her niece.
"Get off of me!"
"Not until you learn to behave yourself!" Kim yelled before rearing her fist back and hitting the young girl across the face.
Lyds shuffled across the ground, desperate to get away from her aunt before she hit her again.
"What are you trying to get away from?"
"You! I'm trying to get away from you!"
Faster than a bolt of lightning, Lyds threw open the porch door and ran for the street, praying to god that her Aunt didn't follow her.
And that was how she found herself stood outside of Billie's house.
The two of them, alongside Eddie, Richie and Stanley, had been best friends since they were kids. So she knew she was safe hiding at his place.
"Hi Mrs Denbrough, is Billie home?"
"Yes, but I'm afraid he's sick."
"Oh..." she sighed, the fake smile she held on her face quickly faded, "I-I guess I'll be going then."
"I suppose it would be okay if you stayed for an hour, but no longer. I don't want you to get sick too."
"Thank you so much."
With a smile on her face, one much brighter, and much more real than before, Lyds threw off her wet raincoat and ran upstairs to Billie's room.
The younger boy lay huddled beneath the bed sheets, the tip of his nose was red from sneezing so much, and his hair was a disheveled mess. He looked younger than he really was, much more like a sick toddler than a sick thirteen year old.
"L-Lyds, hey."
"Hi Billie, your mom told me you were sick. Are you alright?"
"I'm fine. I probably just caught it from a k-kid at school."
"Well at least we know you didn't catch it from Eddie." She chuckled
The two beamed at one another as Billie rested further into the bed, his tired body seemed to beg for the escape of sleep.
"Billie!" Georgie's small voice cried as he ran into the room, "Come play in the rain with me."
"I can't, I'm s-sick."
"Please Billie, please!"
"I'm sorry Georgie I can't."
Before any tears could even meet Georgie's eyes, Billie had pulled out a small paper boat from beneath his bed. It was adorable really, the way he was with the young boy, it made Lydia's heart melt.
"For me? Really?"
"Who else would it b-be for?"
By the time Bill had covered the small boat in parrafin wax, and Georgie had set off into the rain, the two friends only had ten minutes left together.
And so with a sad smile, Lyds lay beside Billie on his bed and let out a pained sigh. Without even having to say a word, Billie knew exactly what was wrong, that was the great thing about him, he knew and he just understood. There was never any pushing, or prying, there was just Billie.
"I'll get you sick." He stared at her
"I don't care." She shrugged, a soft smile met her lips, "It won't make a difference."
"Is it y-your Aunt again?"
"Who else would it be Bill?"
"Do the others know yet?"
"No. Only you."
"I'm s-sorry."
"Why are you sorry?" Lyds asked, as she leaned on her hand, "You've got nothing to be sorry for."
"I'm sorry that you have to p-p-put up with that."
"Thank you." The brunette mumbled, knowing that if she told him to stop apologising he'd only carry on.
"Anyway, I should get going. I promised Richie I'd drop off his math book and-"
"You can stay for longer," he caught ahold of her arm, "i-if you needed to."
"I can handle her Billie." Lyds whispered glumly, "Get some rest. I'll come by tomorrow."
"Be careful." The Denbrough boy murmured as he watched his best friend walk out of the door.
She didn't hear him, by that point all she could hear was the rain pattering against the windows and the blood flowing in her ears. It was far too late for any warnings.
"Bye Mr and Mrs Denbrough, thank you for having me!" She called out before pulling on her coat and walking out into the rain.
The weather had became much harsher since she was first out there, the wind whipped her hair back against her ghostly skin, and the rain felt like a thousand ice cold bullets pelting her body. I guess that's what you could say made it all the more difficult to see him. Georgie, of course.
The bright yellow tone of his raincoat was what gave it all away as she walked by the young boy. It was like a flashlight shining in the middle of the storm, almost too difficult to miss. That's how she knew it was him, that's how she saw him. The yellow coat. Perhaps if she'd have seen that god damn coat a minute later, she could have helped.
"Georgie?"
"Georgie!" Lydia called out into the storm
The small boy quickly turned to look at her, and a toothy grin met his face. Strangely enough, he had been crouched over a storm drain. She wouldn't have been able to say what he was doing if somebody was to have asked, only Georgie really knew what was happening that day.
"Hey, what are you doing kid?"
"I'm talking to Pennywise."
"Who?"
"The clown."
Lyds looked around and to her knowledge, there wasn't a clown in sight. Not in the streets, not in a window, nowhere. Except for the sewers of course.
But she wouldn't know that until much later.
"Oh, okay! The clown, right." She nodded along
"Do me a favour Georgie? Make sure you get home soon, your mom will be worried."
Georgie only nodded before crouching back down in front of the drain, babbling away to himself as he did so.
"Sweet kid..." the young girl smiled to herself as she walked away.
If only she had been a minute later, maybe things would've been different. Maybe she wouldn't have been the last one to see him alive. Maybe she could've saved him.