Hey guys...here I go again!

BEFORE READING... Fanfic dot net doesn't allow for image embedding from what I understand, so the prologue of sorts where I give you all more depth and character info to my OCs is strictly limited to AO3! PLEASE GO CHECK IT OUT if you want pictures, details, and more info on the characters! If that is too much trouble I can always edit this chapter to add the info, though the pictures will be lacking.

I'm not one for OCs normally (though in the past I have used some in stories, now deleted lol) so I tried my best to give these girls life and realism. Hopefully they don't border too much on Mary-Sues or the like... I drew a lot of inspiration from AHS for Shay and Alexis (if you couldn't tell) as their character face-claims are in fact Taissa and Emma. Similarities are therefore somewhat intentional, sort of like a spinoff season of AHS crossed over with the Lost Boys PFFT. Liz was completely brought up from the drawing board, if anything maybe a touch inspired by Keke Palmer's character from Scream Queens.

I love the Lost Boys SO MUCH that I really wanted to try my hand at a story set in their world once more. Hopefully you all like it; some of it will be a bit predictable I'm sure, but I'm going for that cheesy 80's horror setup so it shouldn't surprise y'all too much ;)

Comments are my fuel so please leave them in abundance!

Chapter 1

Freezing breath on a window pane

Lying and waiting

A man in the dark in a picture frame

So mystic and soulful

A voice reaching out in a piercing cry

It stays with you until

The feeling has gone only you and I

It means nothing to me

- 'Vienna', Ultravox

Winter's chill, though not unexpected, was unwelcome in the city of Santa Carla as far as the Lost Boys were concerned. The masses of tourists and flocks of easy prey dwindled significantly, and hunting therefore was rather difficult. More often than not, David would have to send two or three of them on scouting missions to bring back homeless people or drunken stragglers from the big cities of Los Angeles or San Diego, which took a toll on all of them. The wait was unbearable, and having to share the prey was a test on everyone's tolerance. David couldn't wait until springtime arrived to thaw out the land and bring a wave of fresh meat spilling onto the boardwalk.

Now that there were more of them in Max's coven, his little family had to work much harder to provide for everyone. Lucy and her two sons were fully turned as of December 23rd, Sam's 18th birthday. Of course, those weren't the only major changes to the family. There must have been something in the Emerson blood, but as soon as Michael and Sam were fully turned, something awoke inside David and Marko, a calling that thrummed under their undead skin and through their cold hearts, almost as if injecting a spark of livelihood into them again that they felt was missing.

Max was able to shine some light onto the issue, proclaiming David and Michael as a soul bonded pair, the first he had seen in a good century. Shortly after, upon Sam's turning, the same occurred with Marko and Max was delighted to have another soul bonded coupling within his coven.

"It's an honor to be your sire," he had said to both Michael and Sam, who side eyed each other uncomfortably. Despite this, Michael still fought the pull, stubbornly insisting that he was in love with Star. Upon discovering his soulmate, for all intents and purposes, David cast Star out of his bed and began pursuing Michael with fervor. Star meekly stayed out of their tussles, as she still remained only a half-vampire to this day. Max insisted on waiting for a 'replacement' kill for her that would equal Michael, whatever that meant.

"We'll find out once she turns if you really belong with her," David told him often, grinning as he saw the panic flash in Michael's eyes. Michael and Star would continue on in their lie of a romance until then, and David could wait. He was a patient vampire, but he did admit seeing another draped all over his soulmate ruffled him. He may be patient, but it was beginning to wear thin.

Marko and Sam were so easy together, which stung further. Seeing the two cuddling on the couch after the weekly family dinners and video night at Max's house, softly whispering to each other and snickering, sometimes stealing kisses when they thought no one was looking... it was too easy for David to picture himself and Michael and it filled him with pain and rage. He suspected Michael felt it too, as their emotions as soul bonded mates were said to begin to attune to one another the longer they were together.

It was for this reason that he chose Dwayne to come out with him to the boardwalk that night, as he did not need the distraction during the hunt. The winter chill had no effect on them, but they kept up appearances and bundled up in heavier jackets with layers of clothing underneath. The post-Christmas crowds would be out and about, which was good fortune for them. Hopefully they could snag something tastier than the last pair of vagrants they had fed on last week.

o.o.o.o.o

The townhome was located in a block of similar looking buildings mere feet from the Santa Carla boardwalk. It was far from stellar, but it had been built in the last few years at least. Three storied, with a small fenced in backyard connecting to the back alleyway. The front entrance looked out onto the boardwalk and the beach was not too far beyond that. Shay could already tell she was going to need some soundproofing wards set up throughout the house to keep out all the noise once it got more crowded.

"Shay, come on in! I've got the heater turned on." Shay snapped out of her musing to see that the door had been flung open and the grinning face of Liz (short for Lizette) Ross met her own. Despite only wearing a worn-out old Kiss t-shirt and some sweats with her dark hair piled into a curly bun atop her hair, Liz looked great as usual. She had natural beauty through and through, as her father's African-American genes mixed with her mother's Scottish ancestry shone through into the beautiful person that she was. Liz was down to earth and casual about it, though, which was a bonus. Shay smiled back at her friend and began dragging her suitcase towards the front stoop. Liz hopped down the stairs and scooped up her pet carrying crate, ignoring the cat's yowling protests in favor of wrapping her other arm around Shay's shoulders quickly for a hug.

"Good to finally be here. Did you settle in okay?" Shay asked.

"Yeah, Alexis got here yesterday with the movers and I got here this morning. We put most of your stuff in the room you picked out, but we'll leave it to you to set up!" she replied, setting the crate down to help Shay drag the suitcase up and into the house before shutting the door.

"Is that my Shay-bay?" a loud excited voice squealed from inside, and before she could blink a blur engulfed her into a crushing hug. "Glad you made it here in one piece! We're in the murder capital of the world you know." Shay laughed, and Alexis let her go to run over to the cat crate. "And how did Mr. Jareth like the trip?" she cooed, opening the little gate to let the large black cat out. He mrrow-ed grumpily and made a beeline for the couch.

"He sat on my lap the whole time, actually. I just now had to put him in the crate again to bring him inside and he loved that," Shay responded with a shake of her head. Liz and Alexis laughed heartily, and then began to help Shay carry her stuff to her room.

"You know Alexis has the master suite on the third floor, of course," Liz said as they headed up the stairs. "Since her parents bought us this place and all."

"No complaints there," Shay quipped, smiling at her two friends. "You and I share the middle floor then, right?"

"Yeah, your room is the door on the right," Alexis called from behind them, struggling to wrangle the cat crate up the stairs without making too much of a mess.

Shay grinned and pushed open the door on the right of the landing. Her bed, desk, and dresser were clearly visible amongst the many, many boxes that lay in piles around the room. Her bookshelves were placed along the walls, with enough space in case she decided to move them to a different spot. Navigating her way through towards the bed, she tossed her backpack onto the mattress and turned her attention to the bay window that dominated the front wall of the room. It was why she chose this room out of all of them; it would be perfect for a reading nook, of course, but the direct light of the moon shone silvery and beautiful down from the sky onto the ledge: just as she had hoped. She would need it for spellcasting.

Shay, in fact, was a witch. She had been a descendent of Salem through her mother's line, and had been taught the arts by both her mother and grandmother. She had grown up there, in Salem, with her family all very close by. She was quite a gifted witch; most focus on one or two areas of specialty, but Shay had decided to master a bit of everything as it all seemed to come naturally to her. Herbalism, crystals, candle magick, hex bags; all of it was easy for her. Shay of course kept it all very secret from her two friends and now roommates, but she worried that now they were living together something would come out. Her friends knew she was into the whole 'Wiccan' thing, which was a decent enough cover, but she still felt decently worried they would figure it all out and shun her for it. They had been friends for years, as their parents had all met in college and kept in touch. Becoming roommates was a natural choice for them upon deciding to leave their family homes; they needed to figure out their lives, but why not together?

"Well, I know you, Shay, you'll be up all night organizing everything in here until you pass out... have you eaten at least? When do you start work?" Liz asked, bringing Shay out of her head and back to the present.

"Yeah, I ate on the road before I got here, and I start work next week so I'm good. I'll have my space set up how I like it before then," she said, knowing how absolutely right Liz was about her tendencies. She was a quintessential Virgo after all.

"Okay, I'll leave you to it then. I think Alexis already put food out for Jareth so no worries there, I'm sure he'll be up here eventually!" Liz said, before leaving the room with a little wave. Shay smiled to herself. Jareth was her familiar, a black cat (too cliche? Maybe, but Shay could care less) who weighed a little too much but loved her unconditionally. He was named for the Goblin King from the movie Labyrinth, a film that had come out a few years prior that Shay absolutely adored.

She began to work on autopilot, unboxing books and hanging clothes and the like. She pulled sheets and bedding onto her mattress, noticing halfway through the unboxing of another box that Jareth had snuck into the room and made himself at home on the bed. She set up her record player and put some music on to help the process go by a bit faster. Once all her clothes were hung in the closet or folded into her dresser, she began to tackle the books. Alexis poked her head in once to offer her a drink, and Shay drained the water and went straight back to work.

Finally, she felt confident enough in her progress to begin setting up her supplies. Her altar went first, in the northern corner of the room, to the right of the bay window. She put her spellbooks and jars of herbs on the bookshelf beside it, and began to set everything in its proper place. She let out a sigh, feeling marginally better. She would be able to cast a simple protection spell on the house tonight, and that would help her sleep easy. Standing up and stretching, she twisted around to crack her back, letting out a groan.

"Oof, sounded brutal. You think you'd be up to run to the convenience store with me real quick before it closes? We need snacks!" Alexis had poked her head in again, and Shay let out a hum of assent. She grabbed her boots and jacket, slipping her purse out from the hook on the closet door before running down the stairs after Alexis.

Alexis Weiss was one of the most beautiful people currently working the film and modeling industry, which made it a hard time for them to go out usually as she was swarmed with attention (some that she wanted, some she loathed). Shay was used to it, but it still got on her nerves when they were needing to run simple errands like picking up snacks at the store. With her long dirty blonde hair, sharp gray eyes, and perfect complexion, Alexis had a face that drew people in; she sort of made you want to look at her. Her lithe frame, always graceful and elegantly dressed, was also a point in her favor. Currently, Alexis was doing her best to ignore a group of scruffy looking guys that reeked of pot as they attempted to ask her out.

"Do you like Oreos?" she asked Shay, who nodded and laughed a bit as the guys tried to talk to her about their favorite cookies in response (even though she was not talking to them). Shay grabbed some chips and a loaf of bread, with a jar of peanut butter for good measure. After throwing a few more snacks into their basket and heading over to the register to pay, the guys seemed to give up and left the store. Alexis did not seem to relax, however, and Shay noticed her glance over at the doors with a furrowed brow more than once.

"You okay?" she asked, and Alexis shuddered a bit before turning back to their bags, smiling.

"Yeah, just kinda like... deja-vu or something, you know?" she said softly as they walked out of the doors into the chilly night air.

The boardwalk was populated here and there with a few groups of people, but sparsely so. Shay and Alexis walked closely together with hurried steps to escape the cold, weaving through the streets as quickly as they could laden with several grocery bags. They turned down one road and came face to face with, well nothing. It was a dead end, with a few dumpsters and garbage scattered on the street.

"Hm, I guess we turned too early... still not used to this place," Alexis muttered, and they turned to head back to the main street, only to run smack into the guys from the convenience store. The leader, a creep with a scraggly beard, grabbed onto Alexis's arms and grinned.

"Nice to see you again, babe," he purred, grip tightening around her arms to a point where she cried out in pain.

"Get off me, you asshole! Let go!" she began struggling fiercely, but another friend of his had come up behind her and boxed her in between the two of them. Shay's heart fell into her stomach; she couldn't cast a spell in public like this, but if she didn't act soon... Rough hands were suddenly around her waist, and she yelped as another guy whirled her around to face his gloating face.

"This one's kinda cute too, heh..." he began to lean into her, but she turned away and struggled to free herself. Her shopping bags had fallen to the ground in the scuffle, and she opened her mouth to scream but the creep reached up and muffled her cries with his hand.

"Get off her, let us go!" Alexis managed to screech before she too was silenced, and the guys began to drag them back towards the alley. Shay was panicking, trying her best to remember non-verbal spells that she could use to paralyze the guy touching her, but her mind was blanking; tears began to swim in her eyes, as she heard the sound of Alexis's shirt rip.

"What have we here boys?" a silky smooth voice cut across the winter chill like a steel knife. Shay froze, and the guy groping her also stopped moving; at the mouth of the alleyway stood two leather-clad figures, one a blonde mulleted guy in a trench coat and another, taller one with dark feathery hair and piercing eyes. Shay's eyes widened as the two newcomers seemed to move quicker than they should have been able to, and the blonde was in front of her captor with a small smile.

"Let go," he whispered, and Shay felt her attacker's grip slack and fall away from her. She stumbled back, eyes darting over to Alexis. The dark haired one had both the other guys' arms in his hands, his smile more a grimace as he looked at them. Alexis had tear streaks down her face, but her expression was fierce and full of rage. She was holding her ripped shirt together, her jacket gone. Shay darted over to her, gripping her arm and helping her shield her body from the cold and prying eyes.

"You. Don't get to touch," the dark-haired one growled at the two assailants, twisting their arms at unnatural angles to accentuate his point. They began to squeal in pain, until the blonde interfered.

"Dwayne!" he barked, and Shay noticed a curious look in his eyes as he observed his companion. "Not here." Dwayne dropped the two guys he was holding, and they scrambled away. Their friend ducked around the blonde and followed, leaving the girls with these two intimidating men. Shay's breath was shallow and her heartbeat frantic; she knew they needed to get out of here, and quickly. Her magic was tingling in her fingertips, singing at her to flee.

"You're new here, yes?" the blonde questioned, eyes seeming to smile at them despite the impassable look on his face. Shay nodded, and gripped Alexis's hand tight.

"Go home. Get inside." The one named Dwayne said suddenly, stepping aside to pick up their discarded bags. He walked towards them and held them out to the girls, who paused a beat before reaching out to gingerly grab them. Shay felt a shift in the air as she noticed Alexis and Dwayne's eyes connect, and she gripped her friend tightly before ducking out of the alley as quickly as she could, pulling Alexis behind her.

"Thank you!" she heard Alexis blurt out suddenly to the two figures as they rushed away. Shay hissed under her breath; her friend was not a good judge of character. As they bolted down the street, they heard melodious laughter followed by the echoes of screams that sounded vaguely like those of their captors. Alexis's hand tightened around hers and they hurried away with a quicker pace now, breathing heavy and cheeks flushed. Shay had felt a distinctly dangerous aura about those two, and she hoped she wouldn't have the misfortune of running into them ever again.