Hidden || Beverly Marsh

~19

Riley's P.O.V
________

/2 months after the incident/

Sitting in class tapping my pencil on my desk I felt someone grab my shoulder, looking up I saw Stanley, I smiled.

"Hey, you wanna meet up after school and work on the project for History together?" I nodded.

It had been two months after Charlie had been sent to a mental hospital for 'cleansing'. two months later and no sign of the clown, and two months after Beverly had ever been the same.

Everything about Derry had been different, and it literally took an outsider like me to figure it out. I hadn't been in Derry long but I had noticed so many things that changed after that day.

My parents were swimming in happiness and trying to convince Charlie's parents to pay them for "getting the job done" but Charlie's parents act like she never existed.

After having sent her off in the van they scheduled to have a proper funeral for their youngest daughter, they don't leave their house much, and her older brother has been rumored to be the next sibling to go, their parents were now being suspected as people who were getting rid of their kids one by one so then that led to rumors of them being the killers of all the lost children during the early and mid summer.

/after school/

I walked to Stanley's house with him, we had been hand in hand.

I couldn't help but allow my mind to wander to Beverly, she had been impacted a lot after Charlie had been taken away, she had been distant, quiet, and you barely even knew she was there when the losers got together to hang out.

She was impacted so much... I feel so guilty.

Stanley looked over at me. "You okay? You've been zoning a lot lately." I nodded, I knew I had been zoning a lot lately, I just couldn't help but think about everything that happened. Everyone here was acting like it was a normal everyday thing, it's actually completely traumatizing. I barely knew the group at the time I had moved here and my families intentions weren't just about 'getting a fresh start!!' Like every other normal functioning family, but I had still been impacted more that Charlie's own family was.

Another rumor around here is that they dead bolted Charlie's room and get a priest to come over every weekend and 'cleanse' the area. I'm not sure if this was just a stupid rumor or if her parents are that sick and attention starved.

"Riley?!" Stanley slightly tugged my arm. "Uh-Uhm.. I'm so sorry" I put my hands to my face feeling embarrassed and stupid. It was two months ago, I needed to get over it and move on, if her own parents didn't care why should I. Well at least that's what I tell myself to make myself feel better.

"Hey, is this because of... well, you know who..." he said looking down. They barely even use her name anymore. "Charlotte Rose Denver? Yes. It is." I said looking at the ground and continuing on to Stanley's house.

"Riley I didn't mean to... you know, not say her name. It's just hard you know? For everyone"

"Well they sure have a funny way of showing it." I replied. "Yea well you haven't been here long enough to understand how things work here. Everyone either ignores it or doesn't talk about it until the problem is over and done with. Sealed away in the Derry secrets never to be talked about again so that future generations don't get to understand what the hell happened and why this town is so fucked up." Stanley spat back.

"You do understand she didn't deserve to be remembered as the Derry psychopath correct?" I asked him. "Yea well I'm not calling her that now am I, and listen I get it, you're traumatized and upset. But it's done. It's in the past." He looked at me and continued walking to his house. I sighed looking back at the woods and then began following Stanley.

Yes! I am in fact alive. No I have not abandoned my one and only striving book! But again, thank you guys for the support. It means the world to me for sure 💗