June 13th, 1989
6:45 A.M.

STEPHANIE PALMER STEPPED out of the door of the grey, two-story house on Kansas Street and sniffed the air. It was warm and fresh with a bit of coolness adding a bit of spice to it. To the pre-teen girl, it felt like it had a special significance: it marked, in her own mind, the official start of summer. If it hadn't been for the fact that the school year wasn't over just yet, she would have honestly thought that the summer season was really here. But, unfortunately for her, it wouldn't end for another seven hours and forty-five minutes. At least the last day of school was today, even if it seemed so far away at the same time.

Nevertheless, Steph thought about how she was imagining her summer break might go. She felt that same mixture of eagerness, excitement, and slight dread that most teenagers living in Derry, Maine felt about the season.

She was a very pretty girl of twelve years (although she would be turning thirteen the next month), slim and angular, with messy, blonde hair falling without fanfare right to her shoulders. There were a lot of crazy hairstyles in the 80s, but Steph just thought it was a trend; she had tried it herself but it was a freaking pain in the butt for her to keep up with. She wasn't like those colorful girls at Derry Middle School, and she wasn't the most beautiful young lady - at least, in her mind - so she honestly never understood the mess. In her opinion, there were more interesting things to do in life, like reading, than spending all that time washing, blow-drying, teasing, or just doing whatever to your hair that would just ruin it.

Steph's life as a pre-teen was more simple and boring than all that stuff and that was just fine with her.

She was dressed in simple school attire, although she was wearing clothing that was slightly warm for the hot weather on the horizon: a print skirt, leggings underneath that, tennis shoes, and a boy's shirt under a jean jacket. Loaded down with a heavy backpack, she appeared to be round-shouldered and flat-chested, but that didn't worry her at all. Today was a school day and there was no way you could look glamorous when you went. So you do the best you can and if your friends tease you about how you dress, you grin and deal with it.

She was slightly surprised to see several children around her age already rushing out their doors and riding their bikes to school. Even though she was a very proud loser, she sometimes couldn't help but feel as if she didn't belong in this crappy town, but she always ignored that feeling. She was quite happy with her friends.

And she always would be.

Her unusually dark blue eyes crossed over two young girls with their mother as the woman put them in the car. They had bright smiles on their faces, and Steph knew that they were happy that summer would be arriving by the end of the day. She herself knew that neither of the girls was Amber O'Connor, one of the children she often babysat from time to time; that young girl lived down the street, not right across from her.

Ah, babysitting: the number one boring job in Derry. To every single teenager, with the exception of herself, babysitting was a freaking chore to get through! But the pre-teen really didn't mind watching over her two hosts that she would be in charge of every now and then, from once a week to every two weeks: Justin and Amber O'Connor. And that was exactly what she was going to be doing tonight, just like she always did. But she at least never got bored of it, unlike the other teenagers that had the same job as her.

Teenagers always used babysitting as an excuse to get money, and sure, Steph needed some money for whenever she needed to get groceries for her and her mother, but she never begged for it like others did. She genuinely cared about Justin and Amber; in fact, she could even call the children her friends. And, because of this, she would happily be spending another evening supervising Justin's strange addiction to horror movies (although she was the same way), reading Amber Sleeping Beauty for the millionth time before putting her to sleep, and satisfying their craving (and hers) for popcorn and soda.

"Stephanie, Stephanie," she said under her breath, shaking her head as she chuckled, "at this rate, you'll end up being like Laurie Strode. Oh, how far you've fallen!"

"What're you daydreaming about, sweetie?" came a voice from behind her and Steph whipped her head around. She grinned when she saw who it was.

Jamie Palmer, a woman of forty-four and who was Steph's mother, was standing on the front porch with the door opened a little. She was a beautiful middle-aged woman who had wavy and messy brown hair that complemented her sea green eyes perfectly. While Steph's eyes were often compared to an Arctic glacier, Jamie's were like a clear lake in a dark forest; if you looked closer at that lake, you could see a round shallow crevice filled with completely transparent water. They were the prettiest part of her kind face that looked a lot like her daughter's.

"Oh, you know," Steph replied merrily, "the usual: going to parties and acting stupid with my friends." She knew that her mother wouldn't take her seriously.

And she didn't.

"Oh, thank goodness!" Jamie exclaimed, sighing with fake relief. "I thought you were thinking about getting a good education and actually studying in school. Phew!" She pretended to wipe perspiration off of her forehead and the two both laughed.

"Oh, don't worry about me," retorted Steph playfully. "My mother raised me to be a good girl. Just like the awesome person she is!"

The two stood on the porch for a moment, just appreciating how dazzling the still rising sun was. Its rays filled the sky with shades of pink, amber, and orange; the sunrise signaled a brand new day, another opportunity to live (possibly the billionth chance). The light shone upon their faces so impeccably that they didn't even notice that it was glittering in the orbs of their eyes.

"Well, I don't want you to be late for school," said Jamie, patting her only child on the back. "Don't forget, you have to be home a little earlier today so you can be at the O'Connor's by 4:00."

"I know," replied Steph, tugging her backpack straps closer to her.

"Okay, you have a good day at school, sweetie."

Steph nodded with a smile, leaning forward to give her mother a goodbye kiss on the cheek and a warm hug. It was so simple and she did this every day, but it was always the best part about leaving her home when she showed her mother affection; it was more important to the young girl than Jamie thought, especially considering what the woman was currently going through.

Steph set out down Kansas Street after grabbing her light blue bicycle, pulling it along with her since she couldn't ride it. On her back, her bag was slung over it, weighing down her body like it was the planet Earth itself. She suddenly found herself thinking about the fact that this was her last day of middle school. After today, she would never have to go step foot into that horrid place ever again. She hated it there, so she was glad that it was ending for her and she would go on to high school. Rumors had it that Derry High was a much more pleasant place, and she couldn't wait to be a freshman.

But she also thought of the nice teachers that she would be leaving behind - for example, Mrs. Douglass - and it kind of made her sulk a little. Those people helped her get by when times were tough at school with the Bowers Gang running around and all. Despite this, her tiny sliver of sadness couldn't overpower her excitement to sprint out of the school as fast as possible when the bell rang, to catch up with her friends (the Losers Club) in the hallways and talk to them about summer plans.

And that was when a slight feeling of misery crept into her emotions, and she inwardly winced.

It had been eight months since Georgie Denbrough had vanished into thin air, and she was still deeply saddened by the news, but not as much as she had been when she had learned it on that fateful October day. She had sat in her room for days on end, not saying a word, just thinking about the fun times she and the little boy had since she was best friends with his older brother, Bill Denbrough.

She began to think about Bill, and a wave of sympathy washed through her soul at the thought of the boy. She had been trying her best to help him through the tragedy, trying to make him smile and laugh like he used to; it mostly worked, but she understood how he felt when it didn't. She couldn't even imagine losing a friend or a family member like that, even if Georgie was 'missing.'

Yeah, Steph honestly thought that the boy had long since died after his disappearance. She didn't dare say this to Bill's face, not wanting to break the boy's heart even more, knowing that it would break hers as well. She thought about the look on his face if she ever told him and that was horrifying to her, which made her shake her head, breaking herself away from the thought. It was unspeakable, unthinkable!

Jesus, Steph... get a grip on yourself, she thought in her mind.

"Hey, Steph!"

Rarely had she been so relieved to be pulled out of a fantasy. She sighed with genuine relief, unlike her mother earlier, and she turned to her right, a happier grin forming on her face as she saw a small boy jogging towards her. A part of her was confused as to why he hadn't waited for her to get him so she could walk him to school.

Oh well, she thought. It was just last-day-of-school shenanigans.

The boy that ran up to her was Justin O'Connor, the boy that she often babysat along with his little sister, Amber. He was a bright-looking, nine-year-old with tousled brown hair and bright blue eyes, and he had two or three books in his left arm, which made Steph giggle a little bit. This boy was just like her sometimes; it usually amused her, but she would be curious at other given times. She was feeling the former today as he reached her.

"Hi, Justin," she replied brightly, ruffling his hair; this was something she always did, and it used to annoy the boy greatly. He was used to it now, although he faked irritation.

As they walked side by side for several paces, he looked up at her. "You're coming over tonight, right?" he inquired. Steph nodded instantly.

"Like I always do," she answered modestly, slowing down her pace a little so he could keep up with her. Justin O'Connor was not a very fast walker, she learned very quickly, since he had a lazy step to him. This never bothered the both of them, especially Steph (she was normally a very patient person unless you made her mad).

Justin smiled even more, satisfied with this answer. "Are we gonna do the things we always do?" he asked. Steph sighed inwardly, this was the exact same question he asked every time she came over to watch him and Amber for a few hours. Nevertheless, she nodded, the grin never leaving her face. She then, once again, reached out her right hand to mess up his hair, and he chuckled.

Amber O'Connor was being taken to school by her father, since her parents didn't trust her enough to let her start walking the few miles to school yet. Steph had definitely understood this when Justin had mentioned it to her a year before, but she couldn't wait until the little girl could start walking with them to school as well.

Steph and Justin continued walking, joking around and laughing like they did every day. The pre-teen, if she were honest, loved the young boy and considered him a friend, not just a boy that she looked after on a weekly basis. She hoped that he never lost his innocence, although she knew that it would eventually happen, which made her sulk slightly on the inside. If he didn't lose his innocence, he would forever be a good person that was kind and would help others. But if he did, he could use that to a good advantage and still be a nice person, but he wouldn't be an angel like he was right now.

She ignored that thought, scolding herself for even thinking such a thing. She wanted to smack herself in the face, but she restrained herself from doing so, not wanting to do something stupid. Steph decided to be wise and keep the happy look planted on her face, and Justin wasn't able to see through it, much to her relief.

After twenty minutes, the two kids finally arrived at Derry Middle School, which was Justin's stop for today. Steph was a little bummed that she wouldn't be able to talk to him more, but she knew he had to deal with the last day of the school year. And she had to do the same.

"Well, this is where you stop," she announced jokingly. "Try not to let those idiots put you down." As she said this, she softly punched his shoulder, making him laugh.

"You don't have to worry about that," Justin responded with a proud smirk. "I can take care of myself."

Steph nodded. "You're a smart boy, Justin. Because of that, I believe you. Now, go on and enjoy your last day." She gave him a friendly hug, like she did every time they arrived here.

"Okay. You too. I'll see you tonight," Justin said, breaking away and running towards the school's open doors.

"See you."

After she had continued walking, Steph paused on the corner, feeling odd, as if someone's eyes were boring into the back of her skull. She turned and gazed back at the school and her eyebrows knit in confusion. Was she crazy or was there a shape standing behind a tree, staring at her?

She rubbed her eyes and looked again; there was nobody there. Good. Her imagination was just working overtime again. So, ignoring her increasingly worrying thoughts, she turned back around and continued her stride to school, pulling her bike alongside her like she did every single day.

God, she was looking forward to a good day.

( NOTE )
i know, a VERY LONG CHAPTER, but i hope you enjoyed it nonetheless! be prepared for a slow-burn story in both the horror and romance departments (ESPECIALLY in romance)! be looking forward to the next chapter!