Two Birds [S.Uris]

XII. 4/7/89

"Hey, Stan. Alright, see you there." Fleur smiles to herself, hanging up the phone. It was the next morning after she was nearly caught by her brother and Stanley had just told her that he would wait for her about a block down. The losers were gonna hang at the Fourth of July parade.

After fixing her hair, Fleur makes her way down the stairs, smelling bacon and eggs coming from the kitchen. "Hey! How's my favorite sister doing?" Arthur asks, flipping the spatula. "I'm you're only sister." Fleur chuckles, grabbing a fork and taking a piece of bacon straight off of the pan.

"That's why you're my favorite. Wanna do something today to celebrate?" Fleur shakes her head with a sad expression. "Sorry, Addy and I have plans today." She says, placing the fork into the sink. "Whatever happened to her volleyball? Anyways, wouldn't she stay over here? She told me she hates her house." Arthur takes a bite of the bacon.

"I told you, it got canceled. Anyways, her parents are barely home so she doesn't mind." Fleur replies, making her way towards the large front door. "I'll see you later. I'll let you know if I'm sleeping over, alright?" She keeps the door slightly open, peaking her head through. "Alright. See ya, Fleur."

••••

"They said they found part of his hand all chewed up near the standpipe." All the losers, excluding Richie who was playing the baritone quite horribly, and Eddie Who was buying ice cream, were surrounded around Edward Corcoran's missing poster. "He asked to borrow a pencil once." Ben shrugs, sighing.

Bill walks closer to the poster, slowly lifting it up, revealing another missing poster of Betty Ripsom. "It's like she's been f-f-f-forgotten because Corcoran's missing." He lets out a disappointing breath. "Is it ever gonna end?" Stanley asks.

"What are you guys talking about?" Eddie asks, just now arriving with two ice cream cones. "What they always talk about." Richie responds, joining in as well and taking one of the ice cream cones. "I actually think it will end. For a little while, at least." Ben says, looking to the tall curly headed boy.

"What do you mean?" Beverly asks in confusion. "So I was going over all my Derry research and I charted out all the big events. The Ironworks explosion in 1908, The Bradley Gang In '35, and the Black Spot In '62. And now kids being..." Ben trails off, not really wanting to finish his sentence.

"I realized that this stuff seems to happen.." Bill joins in with the chubby boy, speaking in unison. "Every 27 years."

•••••

The eight teenagers decide to find somewhere to sit down to talk. They end up following the marching band down to nearby park, and are now sat on a park bench. Fleur, Beverly, Mike, and Eddie sat on the bench while Stan sat on top of it, just over Fleur, and the rest sat on rocks or their bikes.

Whilst he sat, Stanley was playing with the girl's hair, not even noticing. Neither did she. "So let me get this straight. It comes out from, like, wherever to eat kids for like, a year?" Eddie begins. "And  then what? It just goes into hibernation?"

"Maybe it's like.. What do you call 'em? Cicadas. You know, those bugs that come out every 17 years." Stanley theorizes. "You like insects too?" Fleur asks, looking up at him. "Anything that flies." He replies.

"My grandfather thinks this town is cursed. That all the bad things that happen in this town  are because of one thing. An evil thing that feeds off the people of Derry." Mike suggests, squinting his eyes as the sun shines directly at them. "But it cant be one thing. We all saw something different." Stanley argues.

"Maybe. Or maybe it knows what scares us most and that's what we see." Stanley nods, beginning to make small braids in the blonde's hair. "I- I saw a leper. It was like a walking infection." Eddie confesses, shivering although it was a very hot day.

"But you didn't. Because it isn't real. None of this is. Not Eddie's leper, o-o-or Bill seeing Georgie, o-o-or the woman I keep seeing." Stanley stutters, accidentally pulling Fleur's hair. "Ouch, Stan." She lightly slaps his hand, signaling him to let go. "Sorry." He sighs, releasing her hair.

"She hot?" Richie asks, smirking. "No, Richie! She's not hot. Her face is all messed up. None of this makes any sense. They're all like bad dreams." Stanley tenses up, causing the four eyed boy's smirk to fade. "I don't think so. I know the difference between a bad dream and real life, okay?" Mike argues, looking up at the boy.

"What'd you see? You saw something, too?" Eddie asks curiously. "Yes." Mike sighs, preparing himself for a memory he didn't quite want. "You guys know that burnt down house on Harris Avenue?" The others nod.

"I was inside when it burned down. Before I was rescued, my mom and dad were trapped in the next room over from me. They were pushing and pounding on the door. Trying to get to me. But it was too hot. When the firefighters found them, the skin on their hands had melted down to the bone." He swallows the lump in his throat as he watches the other's faces show sympathy.

"I'm so sorry, Mike." Fleur sighs, placing a hand on his shoulder. "We're all afraid of something." Mike says. "Got that right." Richie nods, adjusting his glasses. "Why, Rich? What are you afraid of?" Eddie asks.

"Clowns."