Emily watched with unmasked amusement as Richie tried impressing her by attempting to play the tuba that he had stolen from one of the boys in the Derry Town Parade marching band.

   All eight losers had met up at the fourth of July town parade, an event hosted by the small town. They had decorated the large community park in the center of town red, white, and blue with dozens of U.S. flags hanging everywhere. The smell of hot dogs, popcorn, cotton candy, and any other salty or sweet food lingered in the air along with the sound of music.

   People celebrated by getting their faces painted, eating, and dancing in the streets.

   Yet, despite the happiness, the ominous atmosphere that seemed to always blanket over Derry still sat heavily upon the shoulders of the townsfolk.

   It did not help that the losers club was currently looking at a wall which was covered to the brim with missing peoples' posters. Richie and Eddie were the only ones not currently with the group as Eddie was getting ice cream for himself and Richie while Richie stood a few feet away playing his stolen tuba trying to show-off to his crush.

   Beverly stood next to Emily with her hands in the back pockets of her long shorts, smiling coyly at the way Emily watched Richie with a certain glint in her eye. Beverly recognized that glint as the same one she often found herself staring at Bill with.

   It would seem her earlier predictions about Emily eventually falling for Richie were correct.

   "Hey, hottie! I heard you like guys who can play the tuba!" Richie shouted playfully while dancing and blowing on the tuba causing an awful low noise to come out.

   Emily snickered when the marching band member's annoyance peaked and he forcefully took his instrument away from Richie.

   Throwing his hands in the air, upset that the member ruined his performance for Emily, Richie scowled. "What the fuck dude!" He cried angrily, shaking his head and pouting.

   Emily wanted to burst out laughing as Richie dejectedly trotted back toward them, Eddie rounding the corner getting to the group at the same time Richie did. In Eddie's hands were two vanilla ice cream cones, one for him and Richie.

   Licking his lips, Richie's eyes lit up, his previous anger at the band member forgotten at the sight of his ice cream.

   "What are you guys talking about?" Eddie questioned taking a small lick of the ice cream cone in his right hand.

   "What they always talk about," Richie answered as he took the ice cream cone in Eddie's left hand away. If she was being honest, Emily didn't know what the others were talking about either as she was too distracted watching Richie.

   Emily watched as Richie took a big lick of the vanilla cone, her eyebrows furrowing as she wondered whether or not Richie was purposely trying to look seductive while doing it. Her unspoken question was soon answered by Richie's voice.

   "See something you like, honey? This tongue can flick more than this ice cream if you know what I mean..." He waggled his eyebrows. "In fact, how about we take a little trip to a place called my room, and I'll show you--" Richie was cut off by Emily, who took a step forward.

   "Actually," She said it thoughtfully, smiling at Richie and causing his hopes to skyrocket through the roof. He thought she was going to accept it and he would finally be able to let loose on his many fantasies. "Something does look good."

   Before he could react, Emily leaned forward taking an agonizingly slow lick of his ice cream cone. Richie's mouth popped in an 'O', his jaw nearly touching the floor from how shocked he was.

   "Mmm," Emily hummed in delight while closing her eyes, unaware that she was causing Richie to have a battle within his pants to not get a boner. "Delicious."

    Richie was unable to reply, feeling rather hot before Bill groaned cutting them off.

   "Ew, guys, st-stop flirting." He spat in disgust, Stan nodding in agreeance.

   "Yeah, it's gross." Stan looked between the both of them disgustedly.

    Emily grinned, practically prancing in the middle of Bill and Stan throwing her arms over their shoulders. "Aw man, if you think that's disgusting, just wait till' next year when you all are in high school. Walking in on people fucking in the bathroom is going to be a new norm."

   The Winchester girl grinned as Stan and Bill let out shivers of disgust, Eddie actually letting out a few gags and looking at his ice cream as if it were now tainted.

   "Does that really happen?" Ben questioned, earning a nod from Emily.

   "Oh yeah, I can't even count the times I've walked in on people moaning and the stall door thumping." Emily wasn't lying, high school was nasty.

    Beverly shook her head with a frown, while Richie only nodded as if it were cool.

   "Oh yeah, that'll be me and you next year baby." Richie smiled in an almost perverted manner.

   "I am so glad that I'm homeschooled." Mike breathed in an overdramatic relief.

   Emily felt a pang go through her chest when she realized that her friends didn't know she would be leaving at the end of summer and they would most likely never see her again. Hell, Emily forgot that fact for a moment.

   "Richie, that's d-di-disgusting..." Bill rolled his eyes. "Now, can w-we get back on t-to-topic." A few more laughs erupted before everyone went back to being serious.

    "I think it will end," Ben stated gaining everyone's eyes. "For a little while at least."

   "What do you mean?" Beverly inquired, the sun suddenly feeling a million times hotter to them all.

   "Well," Ben bit his lip, his eyes darting to the wall of missing posters next to him and the losers. "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 the kids being..." Ben cleared his throat stopping himself from continuing for Bill's sake. "I realize that this stuff seems to happen--"

  Emily finished it for him, impressed that the boy picked up on the fact she had seen just a few days prior. "Every twenty-seven year."

   Maybe, for their sake at least, it would benefit them if Emily told the truth. She doubted they would disbelieve her now with all this proof, and them knowing about the supernatural would give them an upper leg. And maybe they could all even help her find out what this thing was once she was able to show them all her current hypothesis.

   "Okay so let me get this straight," Eddie pinched the bridge of his nose. "This thing; it, or whatever, comes out to eat kids for like a year or two and then what? It just goes back into hibernation?" Eddie was as confused as the rest of them.

   "Maybe it's like, what do you call them? Cicadas, you know the bug that comes out every 17 years." Stan suggested with a small shrug.

   "My grandpa thinks this town is cursed..." Mike began his explanation, thinking over to his grandpa who was currently raising him. "He says 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 told the group, something that made Emily nearly jump on the spot.

   Usually, when she was with her dad on a hunt, they went around asking the locals for any information of legends on the town. Emily had not done that with Derry residents because up until now, it appeared that everyone was too "out of it" with this entire situation. However, based on Mike, it seemed his grandfather was not "out of it" like the other adults in Derry, it even seemed he had a possible idea on what was going on.

   And that could really help Emily.

   "But it can't be one thing, we all saw something different," Stan argued.

   "Maybe. Or maybe it knows what we fear most and that's what we see." Mike had looked up toward the sky, the clouds looking more like smoke to him than anything.

  Oh, how Mike despised the clouds. They always seemed to mock him and remind him of smoke.

   "I saw a leper." Everyone looked to Eddie who was standing next to Bill. "He was like a walking infection." Eddie looked truly terrified as if the memory haunted him.

   "But you didn't," Stan denied, desperate for this all to be a dream. "Because it isn't real, none of this is. Not Eddie's leper, or Bill seeing Georgie..." Emily had learned of little Georgie Denbrough's disappearance when she first met the losers. "Or the woman I keep seeing." Stan breathed, clutching his knees so tight that his knuckles began turning a pale white.

    Now that Emily knew for certain this monster was haunting her friends, her worry grew. It was one thing when her friends weren't in immediate danger, but now they were. Whatever this thing was, it was shifting into the fear of those she held close, and that was not okay. She couldn't bear it if one of them got hurt, or even worse killed all because of her.

   She had to find this thing and kill it as fast as she could. For her friends.

   "Is she hot?" Richie Tozier asked out of pure impulse and curiosity, Stan's head snapping up as they boy glared daggers at Richie.

   If looks could kill Richie would be seven feet under.

   "No, Richie! She's not hot! Her face is all messed up!" He shouted in annoyance before looking down at his feet. "None of this makes sense! They're all like bad dreams." He whispered.

   Emily knew she should tell them the truth; tell them that this thing was a monster and she was here to kill it. But, would they accept her if they knew? Would it all be different? Would Richie still like her?

   These were all the questions flying around her head, the teenage girl biting her lip. She should really call for her dad's help, she knew that, but there was no time anymore. She was not willing to risk this thing getting to her friends, she had to get to it before it got to them.

   "I don't think so, I know the difference between a bad dream and real life, okay?" Mike shook his head, knowing that what was happening wasn't an illusion.

   "What'd you see?" Eddie could tell by the look in Mike's eye he had seen something as well. "Did you see something too?"

   With a breath, Mike began telling his tale. "You guys remember that burnt down house on Harris Avenue? I was inside when it burnt 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 firemen finally found them, the skin on their hands was melted down to the bone. We're all afraid of something." Mike said, the feeling of sympathy for Mike pushing its way through Emily's body.

   He was right, they were all afraid of something.

   "Got that right," Richie said his gaze dead set on the clown performing on stage for all the children.

   "Why Rich?" Eddie questioned. "What are you afraid of?"

   Toggling his glasses, Richie lifted his head, his eyes meeting all of his friends. "Clowns." He answered.

   Ben gave him a pat, Eddie looking to Emily seeing the nervous look still in her eye. He had never seen her look quite so pale and unsure, he suspected she must have seen something too. If only he knew.

   "Emily?" Eddie said out loud making everyone turn their gaze to her, all of them finally taking notice to how nervous she looked. "You saw something too, didn't you? It's okay, you can tell us." Eddie's soft voice and promising words made Emily want to tell them all the truth.

   But... she just couldn't.

   Richie was growing more worried for her, and just as he and the rest of them were about to reach out and offer her as much comfort as he could, Emily suddenly jumped up shaking her head.

   "I'm sorry," She whispered, her eyes glazing over as if she had her mind deadset on something. "I can't, I can't tell anyone." She nodded, slowly backing away from her newfound friends. "I need to go!" The comment was direct and there was no room for argument as Emily turned around sprinting toward her dirt bike faster than any of the losers had ever seen her move.

   They all called out for her to come back, but none louder than Richie. "EMILY!"

   But Emily Winchester was already halfway down the road, one goal set on her mind. It was time for her to become the huntress she had been all her life, and it was damn well time to show that clown just exactly who it had to be afraid of.