I was an outcast at school and I found it hard to make friends. The other students would whisper as I walked past. "That's the orphan girl that came to town the other day."

"I heard that she's afraid of clowns. I mean really, who's afraid of clowns?" Another student laughed.

"Well don't let this get around but I heard she's an orphan because her mother killed herself."

"I don't blame her mom for killing herself, if she was my daughter, I'd kill myself too. I mean, who wants to have a kid as ugly as her?" Another student whispered.

"If there was an ugly contest she'd win first prize." Another laughed.

I sighed and sat down to eat my lunch as far away from the other kids as possible. My caseworker would often tell me that moving was a fresh start and that I'd be sure to make lots of friends at my new school. Unfortunately, it was always the same I'd be the odd kid of the class. I was the one no one wanted to be partners with.

I was the one no one wanted on their team in gym class, and when it came time for Valentine's Day I was the one with no valentines in their box. If I did manage to have any it's because they had been forced to give me one.

If I gave anyone a valentine they would rip it up in my face or throw it in the trash in front of me. "Why would I want a card from you freak?" They'd laugh as they tossed it into the garbage can. "Ewe make sure you use Catherine cootie spray. You don't want to get any of her cooties on you or her freakiness might rub off on you."

When people had birthday parties I'd only get invited if they had been forced to give everyone an invitation. "I hope she doesn't come." The birthday boy or girl would whisper to their friends.

"Why did you invite her anyway?"

The reply was always the same "My parents made me."

"Well if she does come it doesn't mean that we have be nice to her." The other kids would reply.

The birthday boy or girl would nod and reply, "yeah, maybe she will realize that she's not wanted. I mean look at her. Her clothes are all tattered and torn, her shoes are scuffed up and all worn, and she doesn't have any cool toys." They'd whisper to each other. I knew what they were saying. "She is so poor."

My classmates would always stop and stare, then pass me as though I am not there. Alone. I'm always all alone, I have no real friends to call my own. So I sat there at lunch eating my sandwich and flipping through a picture book about the circus and all the fun things you get to see at them. Why hadn't I taken Pennywise up on his offer to join his circus the first day I had arrived? I asked myself for the millionth time. Because he is evil." My conscience replied.

When I arrived home from school my foster mom was sitting on the couch waiting for me. "Catherine, can I ask you a question?"

"I guess." I replied shrugging my shoulders.

"You mentioned an evil clown on your first day here. What did he look like this evil clown that you saw?"

I shrugged my shoulders "I don't know." I replied fiddling with my fingers.

"It's ok. You can tell me. You see, your caseworker was wrong. There is such things as evil clowns. I know because, well, because my friends and I encountered one when we were Preteens. His name was Pennywise the dancing clown.

He loved to lure children into coming with him to his carnival but then once they followed him a certain ways he would go from being this friendly clown to a monster."

Is this the clown you saw?" My foster mom asked showing me a picture of Pennywise. My eyes went wide and I nodded. My foster mom sighed "that's what I was afraid of. Billy."

"Yes dear?" My foster dad asked poking his head around the corner.

"It's as I feared. He's back. It's back."

"That's impossible. We defeated IT. IT can't possibly be back." My foster dad replied trembling.

"What are we going to do? I can't face IT again. Those deadlights, those terrible teeth. I cant. We just barely survived the last time we fought IT. IT will kill us all." My foster mom replied her eyes filled with fear.

"I'm sure IT doesn't remember who we are or he/she or whatever IT is would have started torturing us by now." My foster dad replied. "How do you know IT is back? Have you seen IT?"

"No but Catherine has. She saw IT the first day she arrived." My foster mom replied.

"Really? You saw IT?" My foster dad asked in surprise.

"I saw a clown who said his name was Pennywise the dancing clown. He wanted me to run away with him to his circus but something didn't feel right. He seemed a little too eager to get me to go with him. I was almost tempted to take his offer."

"But then I saw a little boy in a yellow raincoat chasing after a paper boat. It fell into the drain. I saw Pennywise and the small boy talking to each other. A few seconds later, I saw a flash of teeth and the boy being dragged into the storm drain and disappearing."

"Georgie." My foster father whispered. Then they exchanged nervous glances at each other and I could tell by the worried look on their faces that they knew that Pennywise was not a figment of my imagination as my caseworker had claimed.

"What are we going to do? I knew that IT would never let us go."

Suddenly a red balloon came floating by from out if nowhere. "Where did that???" Before I could finish my question I heard his chilling voice. "Hi yah, Junior, Hi yah, Bonnie did you miss me?."

I watched as my foster parents hung onto each other and cowered in the corner much to Pennywise's delight. "Awe, what's the matter? Aren't you happy to see your old pal
Pennywise? No? Well why not? Well, I guess I can skip the pleasantries and get straight to the point. I'm going to kill you. I'm going to kill you all and your little girl too!!!"

"Please don't take me new family fwom (from) me." I said stepping in between IT and my foster parents. IT smiled at me amusement shining in his eyes.

"Unfortunately Kiddo, I have an old score to settle with the two of them." IT replies glaring at my foster parents.

"Why can't you leave us alone?" Bonnie pleaded and Pennywise smiled.

"I'll leave you alone provided you give me something in exchange."

"Don't listen to him Bonnie. IT has no intention of letting us go. You can't trust him." My foster dad Billy replied and Pennywise frowned.

"Now don't be that way. I always keep my word. You have until mid day tomorrow to bring me something worthy of settling your debt and I'll let you all live happily ever after." With that Pennywise disappeared his evil laughter and well known phrase echoing in the halls. "Soon you'll all float too!"

Once he was gone my foster mom slumped down onto the couch. "We aren't strong enough to fight IT on our own. IT almost killed the entire looser's gang the last time we fought IT."

"Don't worry dear, we will think of something. Maybe I should contact the others and let them know it's happening again. After all, we did vow that if he ever came back we'd all return to finish the job we started all those years ago."

"No, we can't drag them into this. Their hearts couldn't handle a shock of this kind again. If the shock that he's back doesn't kill them then he will find a way too. We can't let that happen."

"We can't let him murder hundreds of children either." My foster dad replied.

"This is all my fault. My coming to this town is what woke IT up." replied.

"Catherine don't even think such a think. You are not to blame. We should have known that IT would return someday. There has got to be a way to stop IT without bloodshed." My foster mom replied.

"Can I go to the library? Maybe I can find out some information about Pennywise that could be useful." I asked but my foster parents shook their heads no.

"I don't want you out and about by yourself."

"But..."

"Catherine you heard your mother the answer is no!" My foster dad replied sternly.

"She's not my mother." I muttered under my breath frowning.

"What did you just say young lady?" My foster dad demanded his arms folded across his chest angrily.

"Honey let it go she's just upset." My foster mother said grabbing my foster dad by the arm.

"That is no excuse for such blatant disrespect. We may not be her biological parents but as long as she lives under our roof she will obey our rules. Sometimes I wonder why we even agreed to be her foster parents. Maybe this was a mistake. Maybe we should call her caseworker in the morning about finding her a new home." My foster dad said not knowing that I was still within hearing range.

"I knew it! I knew it was just a matter of time before you'd send me away just like everyone else. I didn't want to be a part of your family anyway." I replied tearfully before rushing up the stairs and slamming my bedroom door.

My foster dad ran his fingers through his hair and my foster mom frowned at him. "Nice going brainiac!" My foster mom said hitting my foster dad upside the head.

"Ouch! What was that for?" My foster dad asked rubbing the back of his head.

"You know, for someone who is supposed to have such a high IQ you really can be dumb sometimes! Do you even realize what Catherine's been through?"

"The foster care system isn't that bad. I'm sure they could find her a more appropriate home. She'd at least be safe from IT that way."

"You don't know what the system is like. Moving from home to home never feeling like you belong anywhere. Always hoping that the next move would be your last. Wanting to be part of a family but afraid to give them your heart because you don't want it to get broken again when your forced to leave.  Did you know that she had been adopted before?"

"Well, I..." My foster dad replied rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment.

"She was adopted soon after being placed in the system but her first adopted home tossed her back into the system because they decided they didn't need or love her anymore. You wonder why she doesn't want to treat us as her parents? It's because she's afraid of getting hurt again."

"I don't blame her. People claiming to have her best interest at heart but tossing her aside when things get tough. We aren't going to be like those people Billy. We aren't going to toss her back into the system just because she's testing our boundaries. It's wrong."

"But honey, we could always adopt a..."

"So help me Billy if you finish that statement you will find yourself sleeping on the couch for the rest of the week!" My foster mom growled.

My foster dad sighed in defeat. "I'm sorry honey, I didn't mean to upset you. I know you had a rough childhood and Catherine reminds you of yourself at that age. It's just that I'm not sure I can handle raising a child like her."

"She's been through so much and she's so mentally and physically scarred. I think we really should consider our opinions. It might be best to send her away. To try and adopt a baby or a child who hasn't been through so much trauma."

At this, my foster mom slapped him across the face. "Catherine has been through enough pain and suffering. It's harder for children like
Catherine to be adopted. Everyone wants to adopt a baby or a child who doesn't have too many issues. Eventually her caseworkers will give up on finding her a home."

"Then they will place Catherine in a facility for what they call un adoptable children. Children who are too old or too broken to be wanted. I can't let that happen Billy, I just can't. Those facilities are worse then living in an orphanage. It's like living in a prison." My foster mom replied tearfully.

"Oh Bonnie I am so sorry, I completely forgot that you had been a part of the foster care system after your parents passed away." My foster dad said pulling Bonnie into a hug.

Meanwhile, I climbed out the two story window and onto the nearby tree limb. I rushed towards the lake where I had first spotted Pennywise. Perhaps I could reason with him like I had with Freddy. I had offered myself in exchange for the lives of my friends.

Freddy had chosen to spare my life. Perhaps it was time to make that sacrifice again. "Mr. Pennywise?" I called to him but I received no response. I was just about to leave when he popped up on the other side of the lake. Within seconds he was next to me.

"Why Catherine, what brings you to my humble home?" He asked with a smile.

"It was my arrival here in Derry that woke you from your slumber wasn't it?"

"Perhaps. Not that it matters. I was about to waken from my slumber soon enough anyways. Now I can feed till my hearts content. Starting with those losers club brats who robbed me of precious feeding time." Pennywise turns to go but I called to him.

"Wait." Pennywise paused and looked at me and I swallowed before continuing "take me instead."

"If you do this, it will be forever. I never let anyone go. You'll float just like Georgie and all the rest." Pennywise warned. "Do you still want to take their place?"

"Yes." I whispered.

"Your a brave little one I'll give you that. No one has ever joined my crew of their own free will. I have a feeling that you won't taste too good. You see, children always taste sweeter when they are afraid. You don't seem to be afraid of me. Why is that?"

"I'm not afraid to die." I replied looking down as the ground.

Pennywise looked at me as if evaluating me and then replied "leave."

"But..."

"I said get out!" Pennywise growled shoving me out of the drain pipe. "I need time to consider your offer."