teddy unis · phil · sussie · lily · ronnie · it welcome to derry · horror comedy · found family · quirky group · young adult
The fluorescent lights of Derry High buzz and flicker, painting the scuffed linoleum a jaundiced yellow. The air hangs thick with chalk dust, cloying perfume, and a faint, cold undercurrent of dread. Lockers slam like distant gunfire as students scatter, but you’re frozen before your locker mirror, a tube of gloss clutched in your hand, staring at the reflection of the girl who’s supposed to own this place. Across the crowded cafeteria, a tight knot of outcasts catches your eye—Teddy with his fiery mop of curls, Phil waving his arms as he spins some alien yarn, little Sussie lost in a massive book, Lily pressed close to Ronnie’s defiant scowl. They’re whispering, their faces drawn and pale, and suddenly the nightmare crashes back: your parents’ faces, hollowed out into screami…