Behind the Clouds ✔️

018

"You did this!" Sonia Kaspbrak fumed at the seven children, standing on her lawn. She held Eddie close to her, feeling desperate for his well-being. "You know how delicate he is." The Losers stood there, silently, not wanting to reveal where they were to the one person who could keep Eddie away from them all.

Violet sat on the Kaspbrak steps, her eyes shut and her body trembling at what she had witnessed in the house. She wasn't able to steady herself on her own two feet without help from Richie and Stanley. She tried to tune out Sonia Kaspbrak, but it was no good. She'd prefer to listen to the rantings of a crazy lady than what It had said and done.

"We were attacked, M-mrs. K," Bil tried to get out, but It had a way with getting Bill's stutter out of control.

"No. Don't," Mrs. Kaspbrak exclaimed, "Don't try and blame anyone else." Eddie's car door was slammed shut behind him. Violet looked up to catch his gaze and the tears falling down. She nodded in their agreement. Mrs. Kaspbrak was too angered at the moment, that she lost control of her keys. Beverly reached down to grab them.

"Let me help," she mentioned, softly.

"Get back!" Mrs Kaspbrak yelled at her, pushing her away. She grabbed the keys herself, before reaching Beverly's gaze. "Oh, I've heard of you, Miss Marsh. And I don't want a dirty girl like you touching my son."

Beverly didn't react. In fact, she stared right back at Mrs. Kaspbrak, hoping she would notice that the rumors about her didn't have an effect on her anymore. Between Violet's help and the friends she had now, Beverly felt stronger than some stupid lies.

"Mrs. K, I s-sw..." Bill tried again. Violet could see how bad It's influence on Bill truly was. They all could.

"No! You are all monsters. All of you," Mrs. Kaspbrak took a small glance toward the girl sitting on her porch steps, and then back to the rest of them. "And Eddie is done with you. Do you hear? Done!"

She rounded to the driver's seat of her car and got in. She soon sped off, with Eddie in tow, not even caring that she hit the curb. Once the car was out of sight, the Losers ran into the street and stared after it. One of them was gone. Stanley reached for Violet's hands, and got her to her feet, taking her out with them. She was, after all, one of them now. Bill turned to face them all, anger in his eyes.

"I saw the well. W-we know where it is a-and next time we'll be better prepared," Bill prepped.

"No!" They all turned to see Stanley holding up Violet and crying. "No next time, Bill. You're insane." Violet was beginning to agree. She was in the exact same boat as Bill, wanting her brother to be home, safe and sound, but this was getting to be too much. Going after the one being that had ruined her family from the start, was not good for her.

"Why?" Beverly asked aloud, "We all know no one else is going to do anything."

"Eddie was nearly killed!" Richie called out, stating all the bad stuff, "I don't even want to know what happened to Violet to make her this unstable! And look at this motherfucker. He's a leaking Hamburger Helper!" Richie acknowledged Ben's state. Violet, who's mind was already out of it, started giggling at what Richie called Ben. Violet's laughter at a time like this, scared everyone else.

"We can't pretend it's gonna go away. Ben, you said it yourself, It comes back every 27 years," Beverly announced, looking pretty frustrated with her friends.

"Fine! I'll be 40 and far away from here," Ben stated, afraid for his life, "I thought you said you wanted to get out of this town, too."

"Because I wanna run towards something. Not away," Beverly answered. Violet grumbled, from Stanley's side.

"Bev, this isn't a poetry slam! Wake up! We all could DIE!" Violet screamed, tears falling down her face. She felt embarrassed crying so much in front of her friends, but this time, it was serious enough for tears.

"I'm sorry, who invited Molly Ringwald into the group?" Richie asked, after some silence. Beverly gave him the finger, clearly caring about what he called her.

"Richie..." Stanley muttered, worried about where this was going.

"I'm just saying, let's face facts. Real world," Violet held her breath, not wanting to hear what was to come out of his mouth next, "Georgie and Ashton are dead. Stop trying to get us killed, too." Richie started back for his bike, but Bill stopped him. Richie hit him hard, dead in the chest.

"Georgie and Ashton are not dead!" Bill yelled, going to his own defense.

"You couldn't save them, but you can still save yourself." Richie didn't get very far again, due to Bill stopping him.

"N-no, t-take it back. You're scared and we all are," Bill began, looking at Violet. Only this time, there was not even a glimmer of hope in her brown eyes. "Just take it back!" He pushed Richie back, hard. The evident fear and anger spread through the both of them. Richie threw a push right back at Bill.

Violet jumped in Stanley's arms, as she watched Bill punch Richie in the face. Her lip quivered in fear. This was not how friendship worked. This was It, trying to separate them again. Violet's heart pounded, not wanting to be alone again.

"Bill!" Beverly ran to him and held him back from Richie.

"You're just a bunch of losers! Fuck off!" Richie yelled, as Mike and Stanley held him back. Ben and Beverly did the same to Bill, who almost looked ready to kill him. Violet's legs trembled, as she watched the scene in front of her. "You're just a bunch of losers and you'll get yourselves killed trying to catch a fucking stupid clown." Violet looked down at her feet, before she ran off. Her soft feet didn't bring any attention to herself as she left to go home.

"Stop!" Beverly screamed, no one taking notice to Violet being missing, yet again, "This is what It wants. It wants to divide us. We were all together when we hurt It. That's why were still alive."

"Yeah? Well, I plan to keep it that way," Richie announced, ramming his shoulder into Bill's before going for his bike and taking off. Stanley was soon to follow. Ben took one last look at Beverly, before grabbing his bike and departing from the group.

"Mike..." Beverly called, as he walked past her and Bill.

"Guys," he started, "I can't do this. My grandad was right. I'm an outsider. Gotta stay that way." Before Bill or Beverly could say otherwise, he was off, leaving them on their own. Bill and Beverly shared a look, before finally departing from each other. They planned to still search for Georgie and Ashton, every morning at ten.

That, was the first time the Losers even forgot about Violet. Some of them were certain they would see her during their break from each other, and others just plain forgot. Something Violet never wanted to happen, happened again. She was all alone.