WATCH OUT, RICHIE TOZIER.

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DEAD BOY (book one).
°• CHAPTER FOUR •°

" RICHIE TOZIER, YOU'RE
FUCKING DEAD! "

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SO, THE FIRST STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION OF REALIZING WHAT AN ASSHOLE HE WAS BEING WAS FOR DAXTON TO ADMIT THAT CHARLIE'S FRIENDS WEREN'T SO BAD. Sure, Daxton wanted to cover his face with a couch pillow and scream when Eddie went on a ten-minute long lecture about washing your hands after using the bathroom the first time he met him. Daxton wanted to tear his hair out when Richie wouldn't stop with the fucking puns he couldn't resist saying. Stan and Bill weren't often on Daxton's nerves - but they were like Charlie too. They could be too nice, and he got that feeling from Ben too. But there was nothing wrong with being kind, was there? Daxton couldn't criticize that. After all, the world could use more of it and less of his own bitterness.

The door feels even heavier when Daxton pushes on it. Maybe it's the weight resting over his shoulders, making his muscles stiff. A part of him hopes that Charlie is fast asleep despite the early time to procrastinate giving him an apology. However, the weight is more crushing when he sees that luck isn't on his side. Charlie is wide-awake, flipping through what Daxton guessed was a sports magazine by the basketball on the cover. He thumbs at the pages without looking up at the sound of the door opening.

After it's shut, he fiddles with his fingers and shuffled awkwardly before mumbling out, "I'm sorry."

That had Charlie's attention. His dark eyes finally flicker over the magazine, landing on Daxton. He dropped it to cup one hand over his ear as if he didn't hear. "Oh, sorry, what was that?" He asked sarcastically.

He sounds so much like Daxton, matching his sarcasm for a moment, that he manages to crack a faint smile. Charlie's joking. That's a good sign... He thinks. Maybe he doesn't completely hate his guts. "I'm a dickhead, okay?" Daxton admitted. He crossed the room they shared until he was standing across from his bed. "I try not to be. Sometimes I say things I don't mean. But..." He cut himself off when he remembered his earlier conversation with Lia. He wasn't the only kid under this roof struggling. "... Just because I didn't have it easy doesn't excuse me being an asshole. So, I'm sorry," Daxton repeated, more clear this time.

Charlie is quiet as he processes this. He rested his chin over the palm of his hand, elbow dug deep into the mattress spring. Then he shrugged. "Okay." And shuffled back, tapping his bed.

Daxton is confused by the action at first but it eventually settles in. It's forgiveness that he doesn't deserve but is being given anyway. He doesn't know how to say no, mostly because he maybe owes him. He shuffled awkwardly once more, sliding to be propped up in a position next to Charlie, the bed shifting under his weight, using his elbow keeping him upright whereas Charlie had slid his hands in between his cheek and pillow. There's a beat of silence before Daxton mumbled out. "... I wouldn't mind going to the Quarry tomorrow," he admitted. "If the, uh, invite is still there."

A smile warmer than the sun spread across Charlie's lips. He was beaming brightly like a switch flipped his mood at the same time Daxton's did. "It is," Charlie answered. Daxton saw his gaze glide over his face before he outstretched one arm and pressed his pointer finger below his eye. "If you tell me where this came from."

The tip of his finger was tracing against a permanent, ugly white scar that stuck out against Daxton's already pale skin. It started at his temple and drew down below his eye, circling the edge of it instead of crossing through it. He's never told anyone how it came to be. Hell, he truthfully bit the last asshole that tried to touch it and the foster parents had to pull them apart. Daxton wants to shove Charlie's hand away and throw himself into his own bed but all that comes out is, "My mom." He bites his tongue and refuses to finish. There's no reason opening up that door.

"Oh." Charlie seems to notice he hit a sore spot and drew his hand back. Then, to Daxton's surprise, he doesn't push. He shrugged. "We've all been there."

HIs surprise doesn't fade and Daxton can't hide it, raising his eyebrows. "Yeah?"

"Yeah," Charlie echoed. His hand falls to the hem of his shirt and he lifted it, revealing his very own ugly white scar as if it was a trophy. It was the shape of a snake, swirling from his torso to his bellybutton. It was different than Daxton's own, though, as it's deeper and wider. He must have been cut with something that wasn't glass. "My mom's boyfriend, actually," Charlie explained shortly before covering it again. Daxton didn't mean to stare and gape, he was just surprised. They both had similar experiences with their shitty parents and acted out differently. "She fell down a pretty dark hole after my dad died." He paused to shake his head as if erasing the memory made it better to handle.

A bad feeling dug its way into Daxton's chest. His mouth suddenly felt fuzzy as his tastebuds went sour at the thought of the father he never had. Well, he didn't have either of his parents but that very last memory he had was burned in his brain - how he was getting ready for school that morning, and for the first time ever, Wells Shields decided to help his son. He tied his shoes, poured him a bowl of cereal, and walked him to the bus stop before waving good-bye. Daxton remembered practically bouncing around school that day. For the first time, he felt loved. He didn't feel like a burden to his parents.

It ended when the school day was done. Little did Daxton know, that was exactly what the final wave to him was. A good-bye. As when he came home that day, the house was empty, only a note from his mother that she wouldn't be home until late. He fell asleep on the couch watching cartoons to be woken up by her loud stumbling, the strong stench of alcohol making his eyes water and tears spill when she slurred out that the man of the house was gone and she was stuck with him in disgust. Daxton spent nearly a week crying himself to sleep, grieving the loss of someone still alive, before it numbed down and was soon easier to walk around with until the memories strike him hard.

There's a lump that formed in his throat and Daxton has to swallow it down. "Mine died too," he lied like they were the easiest words he ever said. Actually, it wasn't entirely a lie. Wells Shields was a prick and he was dead to him anyway.

If Charlie suspected he was lying, he didn't try and pull the truth out of Daxton. "Dads. Moms. Parents. Who needs them?" He respected the distance and instead sat up, swiping up the magazine he was reading and flipping it open. "Come look, this season is freakin' sick," he urged.

The air between them was no longer dampened, seemingly lifted and gone, just like that. Daxton feels a smile twitch before he shifted over, finally feeling comfortable enough to rest his head over Charlie's plush pillow so he can get a better look at the pages. It's not as if Daxton was getting used to this or anything, but... This isn't so terrible, he thought to himself as Charlie reads aloud the articles, occasionally laughing with him. Not as terrible as he thought it'd be.

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It takes almost ten full minutes of Charlie attempting to drag Daxton out of bed, who groaned in reply, covering his face with a blanket. When he decided to jump on the lump under the blanket with all of his weight, it turned into a war until both boys are racing down the stairs with Daxton's threats calling after him. His hair is sticking up in different directions and there's clear bags under his eyes, but after some orange juice and toast, they both feel ready enough to ride their bikes to the Quarry.

Today was special considering it was Daxton's first time at the Quarry. Charlie had tried inviting him a few times once it was warm enough to visit but was always denied. He doesn't know what he's expecting to be waiting for him, other than a cliff with a lake beneath it, but he's still awestruck when they reach the sight. It's just about unlike anything he's ever seen before in his thirteen years of life, in every town he's landed in.

Four of the boys are already waiting, Richie being late, as always according to Stan. Daxton pays them no mind at first, too enchanted by the glory of the Quarry that greets his scanning gaze. The cliff is higher than he thought it'd be but he doesn't feel sick when he looks over. It didn't look so dangerous to fall - or jump - off of. There was a beautiful body of water that sparkled with what looked like crystals. It was a deep blue, mixed with green, with soft waves lapping over, the surface just waiting to be rippled when the bodies hit it.

So color Daxton surprised when he can shake off the feeling of awe and looked away from the water to see the others started stripping quickly and eagerly. He can feel a blush that's hot creeping up his neck, God why does it always do that, but he covers it with a scratch at the skin turning warm. Charlie's eyes catch the movement when he's down to digging his thumbs in his shorts. "Hey, we do this all the time," he reassured him in a cool tone.

The next thing Daxton knows, a very ugly, dark turquoise button-up was flown towards him in a bundle and smacks him in the face. He immediately ripped it off and throws it to the already made pile, eyes darkening as they successfully search for his attacker. Richie is only grinning with a stupidly big smile back at him. He raises his arms and yells loudly. "Score!"

A burst of laughter comes from most of the boys, even Stan who smiles and tries to hide it. "Careful, Richie," Charlie warned him through his fit of giggles. "We're at the edge of a cliff. Dax might push you off."

They were messing with one another, taking off their clothes without any shyness, and including Daxton in the chaos. It felt like acceptance, something he hasn't had in a long time. It gave him the sudden boost of confidence he needed, deciding to shut the laughter coming from Richie the only way he knew how - by stunning him into silence. Daxton is pretty sure it was effective on the rest as he grabbed the hem of his red shirt and lifted it upward, tugging it over his head and letting it drop.

The sudden burst Daxton has worked better than he thought. After all, he's only a thirteen year old boy who is still growing, so his limbs are awkward and long at an angle. He's more insecure than they'd think but he still wiggled out of his pants and kicks off his shoes until he's bare like the rest of them and only in his underwear. Daxton doesn't sense any judgment and it slowly makes him less afraid to be standing there.

Richie is eager to jump at the chance to hack balls of saliva and snot over the cliff as a competition to see who goes first. Charlie follows, which was pretty impressive, Daxton thinks, then Stan, and Bill, although theirs are more direct. Eddie is the last to do so, leaving Ben and Daxton, but his was so poorly done that the wad merely lands near his toes and Richie can't help but taunt him. "Oh my God, that was terrible! I win!" He cheered with pride.

"You won?!" Eddie parroted incredulously.

"Yeah! Did you see my loogie? It went the farthest!"

"You see my loogie? It's not about distance, it's about mass!"

"What the - what is mass?"

"It doesn't matter how far it goes, it matters how cool it looks! If it's green, or it's white, juicy, fat - "

"Alright," Bill finally stopped them with a short chuckle and his hands held up. "Who goes first?"

The group exchange a look that read dozens of words before they send another look to the water that waited below them. They were just tipping over the gravel slope. Who knows how long the fall was? Even Daxton felt a twinge of fear. He's never done anything like this, having never even stood on the edge of a cliff, he's just lucky enough to have swam a few times. Otherwise, Daxton would be definitely plummeting to his death.

A sudden cheery voice from behind has them all caught off guard. "I'll go!" All eyes leave the lake and turn to see none other than Beverly Marsh again. She had rode her bike through the trees to join them and lowered the wheels to the ground so she can peel off her flowered dress despite being under the spotlight of seven young teenage boys. She's confidently half-naked, left in only her bra and underwear, her skin showing to be even paler under the sun as she sprinted towards them. "Sissies," Beverly joked, nudging past Stan and Richie to fly off the edge, her arms spreading out like wings.

The red-haired girl's limbs flail in the air as Richie screams, "what the fuck?!" after her before she disappears under the surface with a loud splash. Daxton's jaw drops in concern and stays open even when Beverly's head popped out, her crimson curls prominently bobbing out of the murky green below. Richie gasped, blinking a few times in amazement. "Ah, holy shit! We just got shown up by a girl!"

"Do we have to do that now?" Stan questioned with panic. Beverly urged them to hurry in a shout, causing Ben to awkwardly wave down at her as Eddie nodded.

"I mean, we don't have to - " Charlie started calmly to reassure them, only to be cut off by his friend's ego too large to handle the fact a girl one-ups them. Bill darted to be the second to jump, falling with an excited cheer before it's silenced at the landing. Surprisingly, despite his clear anxiety, Stan is next to go. He was followed by Eddie, leaving Daxton with Charlie, Richie, and Ben.

"I don't know about this," Daxton confessed in a mutter. He's never thought about a fear of heights until now where he's facing it. The cliff seems even higher and the lake looks even farther. The boys who already dove, and Beverly, were small, although maybe they were having fun. Daxton only hates to admit he's frightened. He shook his head and wrung his hands together. "No, shit, fuck this - "

He expected Charlie to comfort him or Richie to make some shitty joke but it's Ben who speaks up. "It's okay to be afraid, Daxton." It's probably the first time he's spoken to Daxton directly and his voice is soft, genuine, even calming.

Daxton says nothing in reply, mostly because he doesn't want to say out loud that he's afraid, but Charlie nodded in agreement. "You don't have to do this alone. Wanna go together?" He offered and holds his hand out. It's timid like he's afraid that Daxton will decline, so he can't hide his astonishment when his hand is grasped by the others tightly.

The hand-holding makes Richie croon. "Aw, look at this!" He nudged past Ben to throw his arms over the pair. Ben is stifling laughter behind his hand. "I can feel the love shared. Now, hold your breath!"

All Daxton can do is let out a muffled screech as he feels Richie push both him and Charlie over the border.

Falling at such a height almost feels like flying. Daxton is soaring through the air with an erupting weightless feeling, his legs kicking and his hand refusing to let go of Charlie's until they plunge into the depths together. The water is freezing as it surrounded him. All of his breath had been sucked out of his lungs. Daxton is spluttering when he resurfaced to the fresh air, his arms thrashing around him as he let out a series of coughs until he could suck in a deep breath, enough to shout, "Richie Tozier, you're fucking dead!"

The threat Daxton makes is followed by waves when Richie and Ben are the last to take the flying leap and he's splashed in the face. It doesn't stop him from working through the water in jerking movements to give Richie a shove. He lands with another splash but he's still laughing, trying to catch his breath, slicking back his dark, soaked hair off his forehead. "I mean it!" Daxton is still furiously yelling even though he's not at all angry. "I'm going to drown you!"

"Watch it, Richie!" Beverly struggled to warn through laughter. "He seems serious! We might be witnesses to a murder!"

"More like an accidental drowning," Eddie corrected with a grin.

Although there's nothing more Daxton would love than to dunk Richie's head underwater, he's not exactly ready to be put away for murder. It turns into more fun than Daxton could ever remember having. They're laughing as loud as possible, swiping their arms to hit each other with waves, or just talking about everything at once. Daxton's mouth starts to hurt with how much he's smiling and he can feel his dimples deeply crating his cheeks. He's swimming in nothing but his underwear, surrounded by both new people and boys he's only known for a few months, and yet he doesn't feel like he has to force himself to fit.

Charlie is draped over Daxton's shoulders, piggyback style when they hear it. After Richie managed to wrestle Beverly while they're sat upon Bill and Ben's shoulders, he's keeping himself afloat by treading the water, before he makes a loud whine and jerks out of his position. "Ah, fuck!" He cursed. "What was that?!" Richie blindly searched through the clear water, squinting and struggling to see without his glasses.

Daxton rolled his eyes and lowered his arms so Charlie can slide off of his back. "Idiot, you can't see shit without your glasses," he reminded him.

"I know! But something bit my foot right here!" Richie exclaimed.

They crowd together to try and find the poor creature that bit Richie's foot while being careful so they don't step on it. "Where are we looking?" Eddie asked him.

"Right here, right here!"

"I'll look," Daxton offered. He inhaled deeply, holding his breath, and ducked underwater with his eyes open. It's much clearer when he's submerged completely. The burning in his eyes isn't so bad. He circled his arms to lower himself and get a better look at the lake's sandy ground. Daxton sees a small, green spot, little arms creeping to carry its shell against the current. It's such a cute little animal that it makes his heart soften at the sight.

When Daxton swung his legs down to swim upwards again for air, he nearly ran into Bill who he hadn't realized had sunk underneath too and took them both down. He untangled his arm from his and rose, head and shoulders breaking free from the water. He blinked rapidly a few times to clear his vision and breathed out, inhaling the strong, fresh water smell with the air that filled his lungs. "It's a turtle," Daxton heard Bill announce through the pop sound in his eardrums. Ben and Charlie make excited gasps in sync and immersed themselves under to get a closer look at it.

"Maybe we shouldn't touch it," Eddie recommended, suddenly anxious. "I mean, who knows if it carries any diseases, swimming in this dirty water is gross enough. You know, we can catch - "

"We're fine," Daxton insisted. He sent another look to the water where he saw the turtle. "Shouldn't touch the little guy, though. We could scare it away."

"But it bit me," Richie whined dramatically like being bitten by a turtle had scarred him for life. "I have a wound."

"Yeah, and that shit can get infected and you could die of some disease," Eddie stated but before he can start listing off the many issues that could go wrong, Daxton makes a scene.

Water droplets flung as Daxton faked a loud gasp, his hands flying up to cup his cheeks. "Oh, no! Eddie's right! You look even worse than usual!" His arms fall with a loud plop as Richie pouted in offense.

Eddie grinned in amusement and Daxton believes this is the first time he didn't find the small boy utterly annoying. He wasn't so bad, he could actually be pretty funny. Too bad he can't say the same for Richie. "Actually, I need to put on sunscreen before one of us does end up looking worse," Eddie remembered.

None of them were even tinted pink. Daxton's skin didn't even feel warm thanks to the water they were swimming in. "Doesn't being in the water protect your skin or some shit like that?" He questioned curiously as Eddie started to swim back to shore.

"I don't think that's true," Charlie cut in with a shrug even though Eddie was gone, too far to hear him.

Beverly sighed wistfully and moved to where the water was more shallow so she can stand steadily on her feet, waves lapping by her exposed hips. "Sunbathing sounds so nice right now," she decided.

They unanimously choose to join Beverly and Eddie since no one should feel left out while the others kept swimming and messing around with one another. Besides, Daxton was tired and his limbs were starting to feel like they were made of jelly with how much movement under the water they made. It didn't take long to dry off when he reached the bundles of rocks even with a thin towel, as the hot sun made him less chilly and damp in a few minutes. The boombox Bill dragged along was fiddled with by him and with a few turns of the knobs, a loud song with an upbeat tune began to blast from the speakers.

Beverly had slipped on a pair of sunglasses with a golden frame before she rested comfortably on her back over the towel she had laid below her with one hand draped over her freckled stomach. Daxton wasn't sure when all the boys fell into silence and their eyes were all suddenly glued to Beverly's form. He didn't even know why he was one of them staring. He thought back to when he said Beverly was nice and Charlie thought he meant it differently. Daxton's nose twitched with how much focus he was using to divide his attention on her because she certainly was a pretty girl who was funny, kind, and bold, but that's all he saw in Beverly. A girl who could potentially be a friend. He didn't see her in the same light that he thought the others did and he couldn't make sense of it.

She's also very much awake unlike he thought. Daxton doesn't blush this time but he does turn his head away when Beverly took a breath and lolled her head over to face them. The rest scatter and pretend they were staring into nothing in the distance. Richie made a show of clearing his throat loudly before distracting himself by grabbing poor Ben's bag that was zipped open which in his mind was a clear invitation to invade it. He gaped at the contents inside and made a fake microphone out of his hand with his announcer voice. "News flash, Ben. School's out for the summa'!"

"Oh, that? That's not school stuff," Ben dismissed quietly.

Papers were shuffled around the opening before Richie withdrew what looked like a postcard. It had a picture of a lighthouse on it and words etched on the paper with a red pen. Richie snorted and turned it over in his hands. "Who sent you this?" He asked teasingly.

Before Richie could read it, Ben lunged and quickly snatched it out of his hands with his cheeks flushing red. "No one!" He stuffed it into the bottom of the bag and away from Richie's nosiness.

It doesn't stop him from prying. Richie doesn't spare him and continued to yank out various school supplies until he found an army green folder, flipping it open. "What's with the history project?" Daxton gave in to his own curiosity even though he didn't think Richie was being so tolerable and took a look for himself by hovering past Charlie. Dozens of papers, mostly newspaper copies, were securely clipped together.

"Oh, well, when I first moved here, I didn't really have anyone to hang out with, so I just started spending time in the library," Ben explained as Richie passed the files to Bill so he can take a look at them for himself.

"You went to the library?" Richie echoed in disbelief. He seemed genuinely confused, his eyebrows furrowed over his thick glasses. "On purpose?"

"Yes, Richie. Some people go to the library instead of the arcade," Charlie teased with a light nudge to his shoulder.

Richie huffed and adjusted his glasses that were beginning to slip down his nose. "Yeah, fucking nerds! Besides, some people go to the arcade instead of the basketball court, Quint," he countered.

Although Daxton expected Ben to be at least a little offended at the fucking nerds comment, he only offers a breathy laugh as if he's relieved his new group of friends isn't really picking on him for choosing the library and books. Meanwhile, Beverly had pushed herself up and eagerly bounced to join them. "Oh, I wanna see!" She took a seat on the rock Bill was sitting on, barely hanging over the edge, and took her sunglasses off to see clearer.

The next picture revealed was a black and white picture of a very old building that barely seemed to be standing on its own. In cursive writing in the corner, it was labeled, the black spot 1962. "What's the Black Spot?" Stan read aloud.

"The Black Spot was a nightclub that was burned down years ago by that racist cult," Eddie answered. Daxton couldn't recall learning about it in any classes at their school. But then again, Derry had a shitty past with terrible people in it. The town was full of people that would loudly proclaim their disgusting discrimination. It made sense that they would keep it from all of the teenagers because they were so ashamed.

Daxton hadn't noticed that Bill's eyes had drifted away from the project and landed on Beverly, holding an admiration in his gaze. He blinked a few times as if he was in a trance before he voiced what was running in his head with a whisper. "Y-Y-Your hair..." Daxton tuned out of the history lesson to glance at Beverly who stared back at Bill, lost, finally seeing she was missing the long red locks he had seen on her long before. Her hair was cut choppily around her ears, leaving small ringlets of curls. It suited her.

"Your hair looks beautiful, Beverly," Ben complimented her kindly.

Beverly looked shy for the first time since Daxton met her and tucked a stray piece behind her ear. "Oh, right. Thanks," she replied, beaming.

"Here, pass it," Richie suddenly ordered with his hand extended. Bill complied and passed the folder back into his awaiting hand so he could skip around the papers. He grimaced at the images his eyes glossed over. "Why is it all murders and missing kids?" Richie inquired.

"Why the dampened mood, Ben? How'd that catch your interest?" Daxton added on. He propped his elbow over his knee and rested his chin inside the palm of his hand while remembering how hard it was being the new kid in Derry before Ben. He never exactly thought to do a whole research project - towns were never permanent for Daxton. Their history seemed meaningless to look into.

Ben tilted his head in his direction. "I mean, no offense Daxton, but you're pretty grumpy all the time yourself." Daxton isn't insulted, even if he should be. His lips only curled into a sly grin, pleased he was labeled as grumpy as Ben went to answer Richie's question next. "Anyway, Derry's not like any town I've ever been in before."

Daxton decided to embrace the grumpy title Ben gave him and interrupt, given how many towns he's been dropped in. "Yeah, it's worse." A part of him couldn't wait to get out of this dump.

"No, really," Ben said seriously. Daxton frowned at the graveness in his tone. "They did a study once, and it turns out people die or disappear six times the national average." The confirmation made goosebumps prickle Daxton's skin. Maybe they were both right. Derry was a shithole but it held many secrets behind it.

"You read that?" Beverly asked. The air between them had shifted and filled with the emotion she hid in her wavery tone - fear.

He nodded back. "And that's just grown-ups. Kids are worse." Ben gave them another grave stare. "Way, way worse." Daxton spent a few seconds wondering what would happen if he'd be one of those many kids to go missing. Maybe the stupid adults working on his case would be ecstatic. He'd be one less burden of a kid to watch over and take care of. Ben suddenly perked up as if he brightened with a new idea. "I've got more stuff if you wanna see it," he suggested hopefully.

It made Eddie frantically shake his head with a whisper of protest. But it goes unheard as Charlie scraped to stand and grab his shirt. "You kidding? Of course, we want to see it!"

Daxton was still exhausted. Swimming took a lot of energy out of him, as did try to keep his focus on riding his bike without falling so he sighed. He's aware their foster parents would interrogate him if he showed up without his foster brother and although he doesn't care too much, he wouldn't admit pieces of him were drawn to follow Ben. But fortunately, they aren't alone, as Beverly rises after him. "Yeah, I agree. It's got to be interesting."

A few of them chorus in a mutual agreement with them. Daxton didn't stop wondering why the fuck they were doing this, even himself, as they dressed and gathered their belongings. They mounted their bikes to ride them straight to Ben's house and learn more about stupid, rotten Derry.

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author's note:

honestly this is like currently the only fic i've been motivated to update. i had a really bad night and needed some nice ol' daxton shields.

anyway, please be sure to remember daxton and charlie are like literal brothers and only have a brotherly love shared so please don't ship them! just a warning cause i know there may be someone out there wanting to. daxton shields's heart belongs to richie tozier and richie tozier only.

- koda

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