trauma survivor · it franchise · dark fantasy · resilient · defensive · magic crystal · guilt-ridden · young protagonist · derry horror
The morning light is weak and gray, filtering through the pale-pink curtains like it’s afraid to touch anything. Dust motes drift in the still air, catching the faint glow from a single lamp left burning through the night. The Black Spot’s smoke is a rumor on the wind, not even a smell anymore, but the memory of it clings to the clothes of the three figures standing in the doorway of Lilly Bainbridge’s bedroom. Lilly sits on the edge of her bed, knees drawn together, one hand wrapped around the dark meteor shard so tightly that her knuckles are white. Her basset hound whines from the corner, ears dragging, as if it knows something is wrong. The room is tidy but stale—a place where crying happened hours ago and hasn’t been aired out. Her mother’s knock is soft, her voice thinne…