Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
IT WAS SEPTEMBER, AND THEsummer was soon coming to an end.Cordelia, of course, didn't want it to end because she'd miss all her friends dearly when she went back to her out-of-state boarding school. The eight of them grew very close over the summer events, and she wasn't ready to leave it behind.
The cool air swept across Lia's small body, and she shivered. After being used to the hot and humid air of the summer in Derry, Maine, the Watson girl had yet to get used to the chillier weather.
Her thick tights protected her legs from itching as she walked through the tall grass with Eddie. They were on their way to meet up with the others—Beverly had something important that she needed to share with them about what had happened in the sewers.
The two walked side-by-side, glancing at one another as they spoke with grins. Lia's hair blew back with the breeze without the restriction of her blue ribbon. The long brown locks occasionally swept in front of her face, but she smiled as she brushed it away. She felt free.
When the two met up with the others, Cordelia let out a grin when she saw Stanley. Bandages were wrapped around his face where the teeth marks and also around the top of his head to hold it in place. She giggled when she noticed his curls poking out between the two sets of wraps.
She quickly ran over to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. He gave a small smile as the two embraced. It was a short hug, but it was very meaningful between the two. After they made it out of the sewers, the two apologized to one another. Cordelia apologized for bringing him into the house, and he apologized for how he reacted to her after he was attacked by the lady in the painting.
Richie grinned at the two, proud of himself. He tried very hard the whole summer to make Stan jealous enough of him and Lia to have the Uris boy snap and confess his feelings for her. Now Richie cared a lot about Lia; his friendship with her was not just to aggravate Stanley. He thought of her as his sister and would do anything for her.
When everyone arrived, their attention drifted to Beverly who started her story. The group sat in a circle, on different wooden logs that were placed there. Stan and Lia sat next to one another with their hands entwined. Richie, who sat across from them, gave Lia a cheeky grin as he looked down at their hands. Lia's face flushed before turning back to her girl friend.
"I can only remember parts, but I thought I was dead. That's what it felt like." Cordelia glanced down at Beverly's hands that were anxiously toying together. She wanted to grab her hands to stop her from doing it, but Ben was between her and Beverly. "I saw us, all of us together back in the cistern, but we were older, like, our parents' ages."
