"Whoa, whoa, whoa... wow!" Richie's eyes were wide underneath his large bifocals.

As everyone entered Ben Hanscom's room, they were greeted with the sight of many news clippings ranging over the span of many years and photographs depicting crime scenes and special events.

Emily eagerly drank in the information, pausing to read over any article that caught her eye. The rest of them did the same; however, only Emily and Bill seemed to take the most interest in it.

From where he stood by the door of his closet, Ben smiled. "Cool, huh?"

Richie walking through the room, his eyes barely grazing over the articles, shook his head.
"No, no, nothing cool. There's nothing cool..." Richie's voice slowly faded to the background for Emily, her gaze lingering on a small clipping about a little girl who went missing just over twenty-seven years ago. "Well, this is cool... wait, no. It's not."

   While most may have found all the clippings odd, this was normal for Emily. Hell, her motel room currently looked like this as well.

"What's that?" Emily vaguely heard Stan ask, her mind to focused on absorbing the information presented to her.

The date was titled September 4, 1961.

   Elizabeth Fox, a nine-year-old girl has been pronounced missing by the Derry authorities. The little girl was last spotted wearing a yellow sundress playing by a small sewage grate on Spinner Street. Elizabeth is the tenth child within the past year to go missing, this is not including the four adults who have also gone missing. (See page 4.) The parents, Daniel and Sandra Fox are begging anyone with information on their missing child to please step forward.

Emily felt chills go down her spine at the article, her eyes racing over many other similar articles. The thing that Emily noticed after reading the sixth article was that the incidents where people went missing seemed to happen about every twenty-seven years.

"Ninety-one people signed the charter that made Derry, but later that winter they all disappeared without a trace..." Emily's attention was brought away from her thoughts and to the voice of Ben.

Everyone was looking at the boy as he spoke about the long history of Derry. From Emily's perspective, it sounded like Derry was a weird place from the beginning.

"The entire camp?" Eddie questioned in disbelief, Ben giving a small nod.

"Yeah, there were rumors of Indians, but there was no sign or proof of an attack. Everyone thought it was a plague or something... but it's like one day everybody just woke up and left. The only clue was a trail of bloody clothes leading to the well-house." Ben finished, Emily, walking up next to him, standing between him and Richie.

"It's like Roanoke," Emily noted breathlessly, initially talking to herself, and yet it caught the attention of everyone in the room.

Furrowing his brows, not liking the way Emily appeared nervous as she gazed at the charter, Richie cleared his throat. "What's Roanoke, Emily?" The bifocaled boy questioned with a tone that for the first time since he had ever spoken to her, was serious.

Beverly, Ben, Bill, Eddie, and Stan all were looking at the older girl expectantly.

The legend of Roanoke was a story that her father used to tell her and her brothers as a means to scare them when they were younger. The terrifying part of the story was that, unlike most parents who told their children scary tall tales, the story of Roanoke was entirely true.

Biting her lip, Emily decided to tell the loser's about Roanoke as now that she had said it, it no doubt piqued their curiosity.

"The legend of Roanoke Island happened in 1590 when a group of 120 English settlers mysteriously vanished.

In the late 1500s, the English made their first attempts to settle in North America on Roanoke Island, which is off the coast of North Carolina. These first settlers ended up returning to England because of a shortage of food and Indian attacks.

In 1587, a second colony was founded on Roanoke. John White, the leader of the colony, went back to England to get more supplies. When he returned in 1590, the settlement was deserted. All the settlers had vanished without a trace. The only clue he found was the word "Croatoan" carved in a tree. To this day no one knows what happened to them."

Even in the hunting world, people were unsure of what exactly happened. It was an unsettling mystery, one that used to keep Emily up for the night.

"Wow," Stan breathed, Richie's eyes glued to Emily.

Richie had not known Emily for that long (just a little over a month), but in that time there was never a day that he had seen her this pale. Nor had he ever seen the fear in her gaze as he did now. It was obvious that this legend of Roanoke truly scared Emily, and Richie would be damned if he let whom he proclaimed was the love of his life suffer as she was now.

"Hey," Emily flinched slightly when Richie touched her arm, Richie's gaze turning into one of worry at her flinch. "Don't worry, I'll protect you." Richie meant for the words to be comforting and make him sound brave, but in Emily's ears, they were simply the most honorable and adorable thing she had heard.

Slowly, her fear-filled face turned into a small grin, her eyes twinkling as she looked to Richie who was showing true worry for her while holding onto her arm. Richie Tozier never ceased to make the situation better in Emily's mind, he was never not able to put a grin on her face.

Emily was not sure why her stomach suddenly felt like it was doing cartwheels or why her face felt a bit warmer than usual, but she liked this feeling. It was unfamiliar and possibly one of the best feelings she had ever encountered, and it was all because of Richie Tozier.

Allowing the nice feelings to engulf her, Emily grasped Richie's hand off her shoulder, gently holding it within her own. Richie's eyes had never been wider and his face had never been brighter. He felt like he was on top of the moon; the girl of his dreams was holding his hand!

As much as Richie wanted to scream in delight and excitement, he refrained, knowing it would ruin the moment.

"Thank you, Richie." Emily beamed, bringing his hand up and meeting her lips with it.

Emily tenderly left a benevolent kiss to the palm of his hand before releasing it. Richie looked about ready to pass out, his face hotter than the sun as he stared into Emily's kaleidoscopic eyes.

Emily herself watched with amusement as Richie looked ready to blow up, a grin bigger than she had ever seen present on his face. And it was all thanks to her.

☐☐☐☐

Once everyone began packing up to go home, Richie all but demanded a ride home on Emily's dirt bike. Once he successfully roped Eddie into taking his bicycle with him, Emily and Richie were off.

The ride consisted of Richie getting rather handsy with Emily, even going so far as to place his hands under her shirt and on her stomach at some point. The ride was short, taking only five minutes before Emily was coming to a screeching halt just outside of the Tozier residence.

Richie lived in a suburban home, his parents relatively loving and their income nothing more than middle-class.

"Well, here you are Richie." Emily smiled as Richie slowly got off Emily's bike, already missing the way they were sandwiched together with the wind blowing through their hair.

Placing her right foot down, Emily leaned over her handlebars with a grin directed at Richie. Richie flushed as Emily's hair tumbled down her back, her head carelessly resting on top of her hands against the handlebars of her bike.

An idea peaked at the corner of Richie's mind, Richie's palms suddenly feeling a lot more sweaty and his heart rate skyrocketing.

"If you aren't busy tonight..." Richie trailed off, his hand scratching behind his head. "Do you maybe want to join me and parents for dinner?"

Emily was surprised. Yes, she knew he contained something akin to a crush toward her, but she did not expect him to actually invite her to dinner with his parents. Suddenly, Emily was feeling self-conscious.

Emily Winchester had not guessed to be invited to have dinner with Richie and his parents. If she had, she definitely would have worn something nicer than her usual converse and flannel shirt. However, the thought of eating something other than takeout and snacks was tempting.

Biting her lip, Emily bashfully pulled at the threads of her shirt. Richie rose a brow, interested in the unfamiliar show of emotions Emily was giving off. Never had Richie seen Emily look self-conscious.

"Richie, I would, but... wouldn't your parents... disapprove? I mean, I'm not exactly dressed for the occasion." Emily mumbled with slight embarrassment.

Richie simply waving it off. "Nah, my parents aren't like that. They have me as a son, after all, baby." The boy adjusted his glasses with a smile, all of Emily's previous self-consciousness flooding away.

Turning off her engine, Emily pocketed the key to her dirt bike before getting off of it. Putting the kickstand on, the girl playfully held out her arm for Richie to take.

"Well, shall we sir?"

Richie smiled brightly, eagerly taking Emily's arm within his own and leading her toward the front of his home. "We shall." He purred, the two of them walking through the lawn and up the steps leading into Richie's home.

The front porch creaked with the weight of the two children, both of them stopping just in front of the screen door. With reluctance, Richie let go of Emily's arm in order to pull open the screen and push open the white wooden door that came after.

Emily smiled at Richie as he held the door open for her, walking past him and into the house, ignoring the flirtatious sound that left Richie's mouth as she passed. As her converse came in contact with the carpeted ground, Emily was met with the sight of a nice home.

Blue splashed walls lined the home covered with family photos along with knickknacks and other trinkets. The small entryway led to a slightly yellow stained carpet staircase (most likely from rain leakages through the roof) and a small archway leading to what Emily predicted was a living room.

The house smelled of freshly baked dinner and was rather warm compared to outside. The pure smell of homemade food was enough to have Emily's stomach growling, the girl excited to finally be able to eat something other than takeout and snacks.

"MOM, DAD!" Emily jumped as Richie came up next to her, his loudmouth not failing as his echoing yell seemed to make the photos shake. "I'M HOME AND I BROUGHT A FRIEND FOR DINNER--"

A middle-aged brunette woman suddenly flew from the archway swinging a wooden spoon in her right hand while the other one rested on her full hips. The lady was wearing a nice dress under a sun-colored apron, her feet clad with short white heels. Her dark hair was pulled back into a tight bun, her makeup perfectly done giving her a slightly younger appearance.

"Richard Bryson Tozier!" She said it in a scolding tone, waving around her spoon. "How many times have I told you to not yell in this house, and what do you mean you've brought a friend home for dinner--?" The woman's words came to halt as her eyes landed on the figure of Emily.

Emily stood with an awkward smile, wringing her hands just in front of her body. This woman who Richie had the privilege of calling his mother was named Maggie Tozier, and Maggie's jaw nearly hit the floor when she saw the "friend" her son brought home.

"Hi, I'm Emily..." Emily waved to Maggie who was now holding the banister with the hand that wasn't holding the spoon for support. "I'm a friend of Richie's."

There was a silence that swept over the room, Richie's cheeks quickly warming in embarrassment at the sly grin that was spreading over his mother's cheeks. He recognized that look, it was the look his mother got when she was inevitably about to embarrass him.

Placing a hand over her heart, Maggie looked to her son with a wide smile, giggling lightly. "Goodness gracious, you are gorgeous." Emily blushed at the compliment, awkwardly rubbing the back of her head. "WENTWORTH, GET IN HERE!" Maggie screamed, doing exactly as she had previously scolded her son for doing.

Richie only rubbed his hand across his mouth in embarrassment, his cheeks painted a bright red color. "Jesus Christ mom," Richie mumbled, only for the spoon to be pointed at his face, splashes of whatever sauce his mother had been cooking drizzling on him.

"Don't use the Lord's name in vain, Richard." She warned just as a male wearing a white collared shirt, black slacks, and loafers waltzed in.

Wentworth Tozier was the average businessman of the '80s. Greying black hair (a replica of his son; Richie's) was slicked back, his form on the taller side, and his eyes a glaring onyx color. Wentworth was only two years older than his wife, his age being somewhere in the mid-forties.

While Richie mainly took after Wentworth in looks (something Wentworth was rather proud of), a few features he had got from mother shone through. These few features being subtle things like his nose or the way the boy smiled.

"Yes, darling--" Wentworth stopped himself at the pretty girl standing next to his son, a single eyebrow raising with confusion.

"This is Emily, she's a friend of Richie's and she'll be joining us for dinner." Maggie all but squealed, Richie already regretting his choice to have Emily over for dinner.

They should have just went to the local diner, his parents were probably ruining any chance he had with her.

Ripping his gaze away from the girl, Wentworth gave his son a proud smile, nodding his head in a fatherly manner. "Wow, buddy. Nice work, didn't know you had it in you." Wentworth smiled, and at that moment Richie only wished the ground would eat him whole.

Emily; however, quite liked the little family already. These parents seemed charming in their own spunky manner, something Emily greatly admired.

"Oh, honey, you must be starving. Come on, dinner's just about ready, you both can sit at the table." Maggie laughed, pushing Wentworth with her to the kitchen.

With a flustered grin, Richie turned around to face her. "Sorry about them, I've never actually brought a girl home, so this all foreign water for us." He explained, his words rushed and nervous.

Emily only waved him off, relinking their arms, something that shocked Richie. "No, I like it, it's better than anything I expected." But then again, Emily had never been around a real family such as this one.

Of course, her father and brothers were all family and they loved each other dearly, but at the end of the day, there was no mom. Not to mention the fact that they did not have a real home and lived to hunt monsters of the supernatural world. Rarely, Emily found herself wondering what it would be like to have a real family such as Richie's.

"Well, in that case, pussycat, let's go to dinner." Richie grinned, his usual bout of confidence back, the redness of his cheeks slowly fading.

Emily pouted enjoying the way Richie was flustered for once. Pulling Emily closer than he probably should have, Richie found himself wrapping an arm around her waist, his hand slipping dangerously low to her ass.

An ass which was perfect in his mind.

Shockingly enough, Emily did not move Richie's hand, simply allowing the shorter boy to lead her through the archway where his parents had disappeared to and into the kitchen of the home. They walked through a simple living room filled with two comfortable looking couches and a box of a television in the center before making it to the kitchen.

The second Emily and Richie were in the kitchen, the scent of dinner became even stronger; strong enough that Richie was able to recognize the smell as his mother's homemade spaghetti with meatballs and red sauce. Emily, on the other hand, wasn't quite sure what the delectable fragrance was, but she knew she wanted some.

Wentworth was already sitting at the table, drumming his hands across the wood as Maggie quickly placed a steaming hot plate of spaghetti and meatballs in front of him. Emily's eyes were wide as she looked to the plate in front of Wentworth, Richie swearing he actually heard Emily's stomach growl.

With Emily's arm still firmly linked within his own, the grinning Richie Tozier led her over to the right side of the table where the both of them sat next to each other. Maggie was quick with getting both Richie and Emily plates, setting the spaghetti down in front of them before making herself a plate and sitting next to her husband across from the two teens.

Emily wasted no time with digging into her dinner, Richie following in suit, but watching her with what one could only describe as a lovestruck look. Both Maggie and Wentworth noticed this, the two sharing looks with each other at the puppy love that their son obviously held for the slightly older girl.

"So Emily," Wentworth started, his voice deep but kind. "I can't say I've ever seen you around, are you new to town?" It was true.

Derry was small enough that people either knew everyone or knew of everyone, it was rare that there was ever a person someone was unfamiliar with.

Quickly swallowing her food, Emily cleared her throat. "Yes, Mr. Tozier--"

"Please, call me Wentworth."

Emily smiled at the man's kindness. "Yes, Wentworth, I just moved here a little over a month ago." She said as took another bite of the spaghetti.

"Oh, really?" Maggie said with a twinkle in her eye. "Where from?"

Now, this interested Richie. Sure, he proclaimed he loved Emily Winchester, but he truly did not know that much about her. No one in town did. It was these little things that he wanted to soon get to know about Emily.

Emily's mind jumped into action, her brain thinking up the backstory her father had so thoughtfully put together for her. She hadn't actually had to use it as no one had asked until now, but she still remembered every little detail of it.

"Salt Lake City, Utah, ma'am..."

Richie nearly choked on his food in shock not expecting that answer to fly from Emily's lips. He may have not known where she came from, but he wasn't expecting it to be anywhere so... far.

"Call me Maggie, but wow, that's quite the move. If you don't mind me asking, is there any particular reason?"

The answer flew from Emily's lips as if she was reading straight from the card, the girl having practiced this lie one too many times. "Yeah, my dad works for the government, so my brothers and I move around quite a lot."

Everyone at the table noticed how Emily solely said "my brothers and I," making them all curious about her mother. Richie with his ADHD had nearly no control over his mouth and actions fifty-percent of time, he usually acted on impulse. And so, when something popped up in his head, he had a difficulty stopping it from leaving his lips.

It was because of this that he found himself speaking while gazing at Emily. "What about your mom?"

A despondent silence suddenly loomed over the table, Maggie glaring at her son. "Richie." She hissed but was cut off by Emily.

The thought of Mary Winchester saddened Emily greatly; however, it was not enough to make Emily burst into tears. Emily's mother died long ago and at the time, Emily was small enough that she barely even remembered her. All Emily remembered of her mother was her lovely blond hair and her dazzling kindness. Any other thing she had only heard from her older brother and father.

"No, it's okay, my mom died when I was young. I mean I can barely even remember her so..." Emily shrugged, Richie now feeling bad about bringing the subject up.

"Oh, I'm sorry." The bespectacled boy said, while Emily only shook her head in reply.

Clearing his throat, Wentworth was quick to change to subject. "So Emily, how old are you?"

"Fifteen, I'll be sixteen on December twenty-fourth." She grinned, already excited for what she believed was her biggest birthday yet.

That was the age that she would finally be able to get her license, not that it much mattered as the girl already drove her father's car when both John and Dean were otherwise incapable of driving.

The previous tense atmosphere changed into a more friendly one, the rest of the night being spent with the Tozier family getting to know Emily, and surprisingly enough, a bonding experience between Emily and Richie.