Chapter Twelve:
"I'm Not Fucking Crazy!"
.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。

Felicity shifted her weight from her left foot to her right as she swung Stan's hand back and forth.

"They say they found part of his hand all chewed up by the storm pipe.." Stan sighed sadly. Felicity frowned as she looked at his missing poster, she remembered him. She used to have a crush on him before she saw Stan.

"Edward Corcoran.." Felicity shook her head, pulling Stan's hand into her own. "He was nice to me, always complimented my art.. and gave me candy a lot."

"He asked to borrow a pencil once.." Ben shoved his hands in his pockets as he spoke.

Bill lifted up the poster to show Betty's. "I-it's like she's been f-f-fo-forgotten because C-Co-Corcoran's missing.."

"Everyone forgets about the previous kids.. It's sickening." Felicity shook her head, blushing as Stan tightened his grip on her hand. "I don't wanna be forgotten.."

"I'd never forget you, Fel. Ever."

"What're you guys talkin' about?" Richie asked, taking the ice cream Eddie held for him.

"What they always talk about." The shortest boy responded, nonchalantly, licking his ice cream.

"Is it ever gonna end?" Stan asked, fear hidden in his tone. But Felicity could sense it immediately, she knew him like the back of her hand.

"I actually think it will. For a little while, at least." Ben explained shortly.

"What does that even mean?" Felicity tilted her head, her hair brushing against Stan's neck.

"Yeah, I wanna know too." Beverly piped up, sliding her hands into her back pockets.

"Well, I was going over my Derry town research.. and I noticed something when I was charting out all of the big events." Ben started quietly, "There's the ironworks explosion in 1908, then the Bradley gang in thirty-five, and the black spot in sixty-two, and now... well, all the kids going missing.."

"Wait, hold on.." Felicity looked at Stan, "There's a pattern here somewhere. I know it. Ugh, I wish I was good at riddles."

"This stuff seems to happen every-" Ben went to explain.

"Every twenty-seven years.." Bill interrupted, letting The Corcoran's boy's picture go and hitting against the wall.

A feeling of dread washed over the group as they looked around nervously at each other.

~~

"Okay, okay, so let me get this straight.. It comes out from wherever for.. what, a year to eat kids. And then what? It just goes into hibernation?" Eddie ranted, shaking his head.

"That's weird as fuck." Felicty shook her head, leaning on Stan's knee. "Maybe it's like.. what do you call it?"

"Cicadas?" Felicity rose an eyebrow.

"Cicadas! Thanks, Fel. Those things that come out once every seventeen years.." He explained, squinting to block the sun out, gently playing with the roots of Felicity's hair.

"And stop me from sleeping." Felicity closed her eyes, letting the wind blow through her hair as she smiled at her contact with Stan. "Every single night."

"My grandfather thinks this town is cursed." Mike sighed, ignoring the Cicadas comment. "He says that all the bad things that happen in this town are because of one thing, an evil thing, that preys on the people of Derry."

"I should've stayed in Texas." Felicity scoffed, opening her eyes. "This is all bullshit.."

"It can't just be one thing, though!" Stan threw his arms up, accidentally yanking Felicity's hair. She yelped, sending a jolt of panic through Stan.

"Ow! Shit, Stan!" Felicity winced, pulling her hair from his hand. "That hurt!"

"Shit, I'm really sorry, Fel." Stan apologized, earning a nod from her. "But we all saw something different."

"Maybe we did. But maybe It just knows what scares us most-" Mike began to explain, pausing to think of better wording.

"And uses it against us?"

"Exactly!" Mike pointed at her.

"I-I saw a leper! It-It was like a walking infection!"  Eddie gagged at the memory.

"But you didn't!" Stan rose his right hand and pointed at him. "Because it's not real! None of this is. Not Eddie's leper, or-or Bill seeing Georgie.. or-or-or the woman I-I keep seeing.."

"I'm not crazy, Stan." Felicity pulled away from leaning on him to look up. "I saw It! It was real. I know I'm not fucking crazy."

"Well, is she hot?" Richie asked, straightening her posture.

"Wh-"

"No, Richie! She's not hot! Her face is all messed up! None of this is! It's like.. like a bad dream."

Felicity reached up and squeezed Stan's hand in reassurance.

"I don't think so! I know the difference between a dream and reality." Mike snapped.

"Me too, I'm not crazy."

Eddie looked over, "Well, did you see something?"

"Yes.. Do you guys know that burnt down house on Harris Avenue? I was inside when it burnt down." Mike looked down at his hands when he talked. Felicity felt bad for him, and related to him, too. She knew how it felt.

She was inside when her parent's makeshift "lab" blew up.

"Before I was rescued.. my mom and dad were trapped in the room next to mine. They were pushing and pounding on the door.. trying to get to me, but the door was too hot.. When fhe firemen finally found them, the skin on their hande melted down to their bones.. We're all afraid of something."

"Hell yeah we are." Felicity shook her head, shivering at the memories of the previous night.

"Wh-what do you m-m-me-mean? Did you s-s-see something?" Bill asked, leaning on his bike.

"Uh, yeah, yeah.. Kinda.."

"Kinda?"

"Kinda.. I-I, uh, I saw police.." Felicity didn't really want to talk about it. Talking about what she saw reminded her of reality, what actually happened. "When they, um, when they t-took me away. I don't know, I don't.. really wanna talk about it."

Stan leaned down, kissing her on then top of the head and taking her hand into his. "It's okay, Fel. It wasn't real, just a fear."

"You got that right." Richie pushed his glasses up.

"Why, Rich? What are you afraid of?"

Richie turned around, staring at the clown on the stage. "Cl-Clowns.."

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

{ Word Count: 1056 }

{ A/n: MERRY CHRISTMAS!! also! I'll post what happened to her soon. }

{ Edited: Very Briefly.. }