Some time later, after continuing to talk calmly in the living room, Liam softly cleared his throat and straightened his back, as if preparing to bring up an important topic. Then he mentioned that they were going to invest forty-five thousand dollars in mining rights on a piece of land in Nevada to extract gold.
As he spoke, he moved one hand calmly, explaining each point with confidence. Upon hearing this, Edward slightly narrowed his eyes and rested an elbow on the back of the couch. He said he would help them if they needed support with anything, but after learning where the investment would take place, his expression changed completely. He frowned, clearly worried, because he knew that no gold had ever been found in that area before.
However, Liam did not lower his gaze. He leaned forward slightly and continued insisting, saying that he felt that if they used better technology to dig deeper, they would find a large amount of gold. He spoke with firm conviction, almost instinctive. Edward slowly sighed, ran a hand through his neatly trimmed beard, and after a few seconds of silence, stopped insisting. Still concerned, he said he would help them obtain the latest high-tech machines as quickly as possible.
At that moment, Margaret, who had remained silent with her hands clasped over her lap, took a deep breath. Her expression tensed for a moment, as if she were fighting an internal battle, and finally she spoke:
"Honey, let me take care of everything related to the investment for the gold extraction."
Her words came out carefully, almost trembling.
Liam raised an eyebrow slightly, surprised, and glanced at her from the corner of his eye. Before, she never asked to do anything for him; she only did things when he asked her directly. That change did not go unnoticed.
Margaret, noticing his surprise, lowered her gaze for a second and then raised it again, this time with determination. She continued:
"I want to do this as a way to show you how truly sorry I am for how I treated you in the past. I want you to see me as your mother again."
Her voice softened at the end, filled with guilt and hope.
Edward, who had been watching the scene closely, shifted in his seat, visibly confused. He turned toward Margaret and asked:
"Margaret, what happened? I didn't know you had problems with your son."
Margaret pressed her lips together and gently shook her head.
"I'm sorry, Edward. I didn't tell you everything that happened in my life. I was a horrible mother during the first years of my son's life."
She spoke sincerely, remorse clearly reflected in her eyes.
Edward remained silent for a few seconds, surprised. Then he let out a small smile, more thoughtful than cheerful. His cousin had not been the kindest girl in high school—she sometimes bullied other girls—but he never expected she would go as far as mistreating her own son when he was little.
"Well, what matters is that you're trying to redeem yourself. I'm happy to see this change in you."
Then he turned toward Liam, adopting a gentler tone.
"Little Liam, you should give your mother a chance. I've known her since we were kids. She's not lying—she truly wants your forgiveness."
With those words, Edward tried to help Margaret convince Liam to accept her help with the investment.
Liam lowered his gaze for a moment, thoughtful. His fingers lightly tapped against the armrest of the chair. He hesitated for a few seconds before speaking.
"Then I'll leave the entire investment operation in your hands."
Upon hearing this, Margaret couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief. Her shoulders relaxed, and a small, happy smile appeared on her face.
"Thank you for trusting me with this, son."
Liam nodded and continued, now calmer:
"Alright, then I'll explain the entire plan."
He then looked at Edward and asked naturally:
"Do you have a map of Nevada that I could borrow for a moment?"
Edward followed his gaze and turned toward his butler. With a subtle nod, he gave the order. The butler nodded professionally and left the room in silence.
"Sebas will be back shortly with the map," Edward said.
"Thank you," Liam replied, then turned to his mother. "Come, sit here. I'll explain what we need to do."
Margaret immediately complied and sat closer to him. Liam began explaining everything she needed to know—what to do, what not to do, and other important details—gesturing with his hands and speaking calmly. A few minutes later, the butler returned with the map. Liam spread it out on the table and showed her where the operation would take place, along with other key points.
Carrie, sitting on the other side of Liam, watched everything in silence. Seeing the scene, she couldn't help but form a wide, happy smile. After so many years, Liam seemed willing to give his mother a chance to redeem herself—and at the same time, to give himself the chance to forgive… and perhaps, in the future, to love his mother the way a son should.
She had tried this for many years. Every time the topic surfaced, Liam would avert his gaze, harden his expression, or simply remain silent, completely ignoring it. He didn't respond, didn't argue, didn't defend himself; he simply raised an invisible wall that kept her out. That caused her deep sadness, both for Liam and for Margaret.
Carrie had tried everything. She spoke carefully, patiently, even with restrained tears, trying to get her mother to improve, trying to make her change, but over the years she achieved no real change. In the end, it was Margaret who became what a mother truly should have been. Not the woman who gave her life, but the one who cared for her, listened to her, and protected her.
The life her biological mother tried to force on her was not healthy; at the time she didn't understand it, but she learned after five years of living a truly happy life. Five years without constant fear, without reproaches, without manipulation disguised as love.
In those last years, Carrie learned what it truly meant to have a real mother—and it was completely different from what she had lived with her biological one. That's why, every time she looked at Liam and his broken relationship with Margaret, she felt a knot in her chest. She only wanted Liam to be able to feel that love too, so he wouldn't regret it when it was no longer possible—when it was too late to fix what had been left unsaid.
Meanwhile, the minutes continued to pass in a comfortable, peaceful atmosphere in the living room. Soft light filtered through the windows, giving the space a warm feeling. Liam spoke calmly, carefully explaining every part of the gold extraction plan and occasionally mentioning what would come next. His hands moved precisely over the map, pointing out key locations while Margaret listened attentively, nodding from time to time.
And so the day passed. Little by little, they became familiar with their new home and their new family, who welcomed them with sincere affection and no reservations. Liam observed every gesture, every smile, and couldn't help but feel happy about how they had been received. Silently, he promised himself that one day he would repay this favor many times over, for helping them when they still had practically nothing.
…
A week had passed. During those days, everything related to the investment was settled; the mining rights had already been purchased, and now all that remained was hiring the necessary workers and acquiring the latest high-tech machines. The latter would be obtained thanks to the contacts of Edward and Alice, who recommended trustworthy workers and top-quality machinery.
That same week, Liam and Carrie, in addition to handling those matters, trained in the gym inside the mansion. For now, they focused solely on physical conditioning, setting aside anything supernatural. Liam believed it was not yet the right moment for Edward and Alice to learn about their powers. Even though they seemed trustworthy, it was always better to be cautious.
Deep down, Liam thought that if, in some way, they were not what they appeared to be and had connections to the government, he didn't know whether the government would treat them as normal humans or as experiments. That possibility, however small, could not be ignored.
Even so, Liam didn't believe Edward and Alice were that kind of people. But he decided he would get to know them better before trusting them completely. He would probably make a final decision once he met Leon.
At that moment, Liam and Carrie were ready to go out in search of more targets. They had said their goodbyes and informed everyone that they would probably return the same day—or, in the worst case, in a week—depending on the situation they encountered. Neither of them knew what they might find, but they understood that depending on how quickly they resolved the problem, they could return that same day or be delayed for several days if things became complicated.
Liam's mother watched them leave with a slightly furrowed brow and a clear expression of concern. She had experienced firsthand the kinds of monsters that could be found out there. With her heart heavy, all she could do was wish them good luck before they left, hoping with all her strength that they would return safe and sound.
Currently in Derry.
The Losers were gathered at the old vacant lot near the abandoned house. The air felt heavy, almost electric, as if something were watching them from all directions. No one spoke for several seconds; all of them looked tense, still shaken by the visions they had suffered.
Richie was the first to break the silence. "It wasn't just my imagination, right? That thing… it knew exactly what to say to scare me."
Eddie clutched his inhaler tightly, even though he didn't really need it. "It showed me that I was dying. I could feel it. It wasn't a dream."
Beverly swallowed hard, staring at the ground. "It talked to me. It told me things no one else knows. Like it was inside my head."
Stan was pale, clearly disturbed. "The paintings… they were moving. They were watching me. That can't be normal."
Everyone slowly turned their gaze toward Bill, who had remained silent, his fists clenched and his jaw tight. Finally, he lifted his head. "I think it's the same thing."
The others fell silent.
"The same thing that ripped Georgie's arm off." Bill's voice trembled slightly, but he continued. "It wasn't just a clown. It never was."
Mike frowned. "Are you saying that thing… wants to eat us?"
Bill nodded slowly. "Yes. And I think now it's playing with us."
A chill ran through the group.
Richie forced a nervous laugh. "Great. So Derry has a shape-shifting, child-killing monster. Just what I needed to complete my week."
Beverly looked at him seriously. "It's not choosing at random. It chose us."
Eddie swallowed. "And why?"
Bill clenched his fists tighter. "Because we're not as afraid as it thinks we should be. And that makes it angry."
Silence fell over them again, heavier than before. They all knew that, even if they didn't say it out loud, something had changed. They could no longer pretend it was just their imagination.
They didn't know it, but one more child should have been there—someone who should have been their friend. But that child no longer existed. And IT was responsible for that, killing one of Ben's ancestors, preventing his birth, and thus his death, breaking what should have been his destiny—something that should never have changed.