TAG, YOU'RE IT
-
"BUT, WHAT EXACTLY did you see?" Ben asked Beverly, who slowly looked away from him.
They all sat on logs in a circle in a field by an abandoned train track, talking.
"I could only remember parts," Beverly started, explaining what she saw while she was floating a week ago down in the sewers, "I thought I was dead; at least that's what it felt like. I saw us together, back in cistern. We were older; our parents' ages."
"W - W - What were we doing there?" Bill asked, curiousity lacing his innocent eyes.
"I just remember how we felt; how scared we were. I don't think I could ever forget that." Beverly finished, looking down at her hands.
They were all quiet, confused, trying to figure out what that exactly meant.
"And what about you?" Stanley spoke all of a sudden, looking straight at Sydney. "What happened?"
"What do you mean?" Sydney quietly asked, nervous about what he was going to say.
"When you literally dropped the clown down the well with no hands." Richie piped up.
Sydney looked down at her lap, fiddling with her fingers.
They all looked at her, waiting for her to speak.
"I," she started, "I don't know. It all seemed to happen so fast. When he looked at me, I immediately got a flash. For once, I didn't see the clown murdering somebody else." She said, still looking at her fingers on her lap.
"Who did you see?" Eddie slowly asked.
Sydney looked up at him. "Me. I was standing alone in a field, and I kept hearing that stupid giggle of his ringing in my ears, it was so loud. And I remember starting to scream, scared out of my mind. Next thing I knew, I suddenly woke up, but this... raging feeling came over me. It was like I was so angry for no reason - well, I guess I had a reason, since I was so tired with the clown trying to attack my friends."
"And then what happened?" Mike asked.
"What happened next felt like this sudden instinct," Sydney said, still fiddling. "I wanted the clown to freeze in it's place so I could do what I was going to do next, so it happened. I knew how to. I... started choking him, I knew how to do that, too. I knew I had to get him down the well, so that's what I did. But there was just so much anger coursing through me that it all happened so quickly and at those moments, it didn't occur to me what I was really doing. Then, when he finally fell down the well, I couldn't believe what I had just done. I'm confused like all of you, but only part of it makes sense to me." She finished, putting her sweaty hands on her knees.
The teenagers were quiet, taking in everything the girl said.
"So... you're telling me that you have some awesome fucking powers?" Richie bluntly asked.
Sydney only looked at him. "I guess so?"
To break the long silence, Sydney spoke up again. "Ari?"
Arianna slightly jumped, squeezing Richie's hand in the process. "Yes?"
"Back at Neibolt," she started, "after Sonia took Eddie to the hospital, when Mike asked what you saw in the room you were trapped in, you said it was best to not be spoken of. Do you think maybe you could tell us now? You don't have to if you don't want to."
Ari's blue eyes went wide, and flickered over to the hand she was holding. What she saw back in the dark room was truly terrifying. "I will."
"Are you sure?" Ben asked.
Arianna gulped, looking up at him and nodding. "After we saved Rich from the room he was trapped in, I heard this whisper. Stupidly, I followed after it. My mind was telling me to stay with you guys, but my feet kept moving. Once I walked in, the door behind me shut. It just wouldn't open. Then, as I was trying to open it, I heard my dad's voice behind me. I looked, and he grabbed me by my neck and started to choke me and held me against the door."
"Shit." Richie whispered and tightened his fingers around Arianna's hand, for the thought of her father hurting her hurt Richie.
"Then, he told me that it was all my fault, and that he warned me to stay away from you all. Then behind him, I saw... all of you. Dead. He told me I was next." Arianna then stopped, feeling a knot inside of her throat.
Nobody said anything, just nodded and listened to her.
Bill then stood up with a broken beer bottle shard in his hand. "Swear. Swear, if It isn't dead, if It ever comes back, we'll come back too."
Nobody stood up, knowing what he meant by swearing. Though Beverly stood up, knowing it was the right thing to do. Arianna did as well, followed by the others.
One by one, he went around the circle, cutting the shard into everybody's left palms. Arianna only winced in pain as the glass stabbed through her skin, but nothing was absolutely worse than what her father did to her physically and mentally.
Once Bill finished, everybody grabbed hands. This was their blood oath. They certainly weren't kids anymore, but now growing, young adults. They were starting the tenth grade in a few weeks.
They all let go after a few seconds.
"Well," Stanley started, "I have to go." He then looked up at Bill. "I hate you."
Sadness and guilt built up in Bill's eyes, and he nodded. Only for Stan, Arianna, Richie, Mike, Beverly, Ben, Sydney and Eddie to start cracking up, making Bill smile again.
"See you." Stan grinned at everybody, then started to walk away. One by one, all of the kids walked home, leaving Ari, Richie, Bill and Sydney.
"Meet us at Bill's front porch, alright?" Sydney told Ari and Richie as they both stood up from their logs, both of them nodding.
"Do you both want anything from the corner store?" Ari asked, grabbing Richie's hand and lacing it with hers.
Bill and Sydney shook their heads. "Get out of here, you lovebirds." Sydney smirked at the two.
"Says you!" Arianna smiled at her older sister and Bill, wriggling her eyebrows.
"Heh, yeah, Billiam." Richie chuckled. "Don't be silly, wrap your willy!"
"Sh - Shut up." Bill smiled, a tint of red growing on his pale cheeks, making Arianna and Richie laugh.
"Bye!" Arianna waved back at the two, then her and Richie both spun around and started to walk away together.
"Do you think they've sucked face yet?" Richie asked, starting to slightly swing their hands back and forth between them.
"Ugh, gross. No, I don't think so." Arianna said, fighting a smile that was etching itself onto her lips.
Richie chuckled, then stopped walking, both of her hands in his. "Look, Ari, I don't think I've asked this the right way, and, uh, I want to do it properly."
"What?"
Richie then led her to sit on a log, and she sat down as he stood in front of her. He then got down on one knee, her right hand in both of his, making Ari giggle out of both excitedness and nervousness.
"Arianna Jayden Taylor, will you make me the happiest man in the world and be my girlfriend?" He asked, chuckling.
Arianna laughed, then nodded with a bright smile. "Yes, yes I will, you fricken dork."
Richie smiled, then gently grabbed her face and leaned in, placing his lips on hers.
Arianna smiled through the kiss, butterflies going wild in her stomach. She put one hand on his shoulder and one hand behind his neck, pulling him more closer to her as they both slowly started to move their lips in sync.
Richie then pulled back, quickly getting up to sit next to his girlfriend, both of them smiling once more as they connected their lips again, pulling each other close as their lips moved a bit faster, both of them breathing through their noses to not let go.
After a few seconds they did, grabbing hands, Arianna leaning her head on his shoulder with a bright smile, and Richie leaned his head on her head.
"I love you, trashmouth." Arianna looked up at him, the smile not leaving her lips.
"Love ya too, gorgeous." He smirked, lifting her chin and placing his lips on hers once more.
●●●