GAH sorry this was uploaded three times! There were some mistakes I had to fix.
So, this was written for my great friend The Clown That Smiles!
Jo, I hope this isn't a disappointment to you! I tried to make it great, but, eh, you never know do you?
Not a lot of people write about Dwayne and certainly not a lot of authors do pieces of Dwayne and Star, so I hope this meets up to the expectations!
Well, anyways, read on!
*Sunny*
Disclaimer: I don't own The Lost Boys
000
Have you ever been lonely?
That's what Star wanted to ask every pair of eyes that gazed upon her at the boardwalk. She wondered if some people felt as isolated and alone as she did. It still amazed her that after all these years of living with David, she hadn't managed to ever even attempt to escape. It was almost similar to Stockholm's Syndrome, but at the same time it wasn't even close. Star loathed David; she would never become attached to him, yet she couldn't bring herself to leave.
Perhaps it was because of Laddie. She couldn't leave him alone with the ruthless vampires, but she couldn't take him either. If Laddie stayed with Star, she would only be a painful reminder of the place where he had spent nearly all of his childhood. His memory of a previous life had been wiped clean and for what? Star wasn't exactly sure. David's decision to bring Laddie into the family had always been a mystery to her.
But perhaps it had been because him. The one that watched her quietly and carefully, barely talked and made her feel somewhat appreciated with his silence. The other lot, they were loud and obnoxious around her, always teasing or jabbing at her insecurities, but not him. Sure, maybe every once in awhile, but that was understandable when you had three other brothers who treated harassment like it was a sport.
But still, Dwayne was different is Star's eyes. He was quiet, always thinking, never acting compulsively unless the time called for it. He respected her in a strange way. He never touched her, not like Paul or Marko; never insulted her like David. He just starred and observed and Star enjoyed the silent attention.
It was the kind she preferred.
Star liked to keep things simple, that way she could keep her hopes to a minimum and she would get hurt less often. She was smart in that sense; always thinking of methods to secretly get her way. Even if the boys didn't pick it up on their sensitive radar, she knew that with every little simple victory, she was coming closer to being herself again. Sure there were times when she thought she had lost herself to the darkness, but she would think back to those achievements. She would remember the tallies she kept for herself and knew that somehow, she could get away from all the pain and sorrow that plagued her mind. Somehow, she could be normal again and forget everything about living a life under the moon.
That was why she spent so much of her time at the boardwalk. Being around people, regular, plain people made her feel human again. She enjoyed being in the silent company of strangers that knew nothing about her, nothing of her dark secret. The secret she kept from everyone that would shun her if they knew she thirsted for their sweet life source.
Star always tried to keep the monster under control and she managed to sedate the beast quite well, but there were times when she found it unbelievably difficult.
That was when Dwayne would speak up.
Not literally, of course. Dwayne always saw Star's struggles and unlike the rest, he admired her for it. David thought she was weak and childish for resisting the bloody craze of the hideous phenomenon, but Dwayne saw what the struggle really was.
Star was beyond strong and he knew it.
Perhaps this was why he never bothered Star, never made her feel any lower than she already did.
Maybe this was way, on one particular night, he lifted her spirits in ways she never thought he could.
Like I said, Star liked to keep things simple…
000
"Be back at midnight."
Star could only nod before she set off and away from her captors. David was colder than usual that night and the unending need to be amongst people again was gripping at her nerves.
It was one of those nights Star thought she should just give up and feed just to make David a little easier to live with. His cold, hostile attitude towards Star day by day weakened her defense. She was afraid that soon she would no longer be able to fight back against his never-ending persistence.
When she finally was relieved of their presence, Star began to actually enjoy the boardwalk. The strings of LSD lights gave off an eerie, otherworldly glow, the shrill sound of carnival music drifted around her from the distance, the low rumble of chatter filled her ears. The smell of sickly sweet cotton candy and caramel apples flooded her senses and made her stomach rumble; the hot, sticky touch of tourists and locals against her skin; all of these things brought calm into Star's being.
Her strides matched the tune of some far off song and a small smile graced her perfect, red lips. Her thin hand grasped Laddie's as they moved through the crowd at an even pace, flowing with the steady beat of the lively boardwalk.
That was when Star spotted them. Their perfect yellow petals sprouted from the thick, brown center; a long, green stem shooting out behind them. The glow of artificial light bounced off them like starlight.
They were Star's favorite; the sunflower.
She stood there for a minute, in the midst of the boardwalk, staring at the batch displayed out in a homemade, wooden stall. Laddie tugged on her hand, but she put her forefinger to her mouth and shushed him.
"Come on, Star! You said you would take me to the roller coaster!" the boy questioned her.
"I know," she said quietly, stunned by the surreal beauty of the flowers.
"Well, come on!"
She let go of his hand. "Just…go to the carousel. I'm sure the boys will be there."
Laddie's eyes brightened at the mention of his brothers and he set off at a run, forgetting his older sister. Star wasn't worried about Laddie. He knew his way around the boardwalk and besides; no one would even think about touching him. He belonged to the vampires of Santa Carla.
The beautiful brunette slowly waltzed her way to the flowers, carefully skimming her fingers across the delicate petals. She sighed and picked one up, breathing in deep the crisp smell of the sunflower.
She smiled and gazed wondrously at all the flowers. Her spirits seemed to lighten almost immediately; her sadness replaced by a light curiosity.
"You lookin' to buy?"
Star looked up, startled. A sweet looking woman in her mid forties stood behind the stall, her gray, wispy hair pulled back in a loose braid.
Star shook her head. "Oh, no I…I'm just looking," she replied sadly.
If she brought the flower home, she knew that by the next day the boys would have crushed it to tiny pieces. That was just how they were.
"Well, tell me if you change your mind."
Star nodded and placed the flower back down. They were so beautiful; Star couldn't help but smile again.
At least she could enjoy them here, where the heal of a vampire's boot couldn't strangle the life from them.
She was so consumed by their grace that she didn't pick up another presence standing beside her. Dwayne watched her silently, interested by her curiosity in the flowers. He hadn't seen a glow on Star's face since the first time he had seen her. A light flush stained her cheeks, a simple smile was spread across her lips and her eyes were shining with an emotion that was strange to Dwayne.
Star had never looked happier.
He carefully picked up one of the flowers, observing it absentmindedly.
Star jumped at the sudden movement, her eyes widened for a quick second. When she realized who it was, the fear dimmed only a little and she gave a half smirk.
"You scared me," she said quietly.
Dwayne didn't respond, but continued starring at the flower. To the naïve outsider, Dwayne might have looked shy as he gazed at the flower, but Star knew much differently. Dwayne was waiting, like he always did. Somehow, he always managed to get Star to talk, even if he never said anything.
"Where're the others?" she asked timidly, looking back down at the sunflowers.
Dwayne had always been a very intimidating figure to Star even if she favored him over the rest. She knew what he could do, she had seen it, and that alone scared her. She covered up her beast, but Dwayne, he let it thrive, live, go wild with hunger.
"They went hunting."
Star nodded, picking up another flower and twirling it in her hand nonchalantly. Sometimes she became very uneasy with Dwayne, sometimes she didn't.
But this was one of those cases. He didn't speak up and that made her a little uncomfortable this time around.
"Why aren't you with them?"
"You looked sad," he interrupted, looking up and into her wide doe eyes.
"What?"
"You looked sad and I wasn't that hungry."
Star's dying heart fluttered in her chest and she looked away from his intense gaze. Above anything else, Dwayne's stare was what scared people the most. He was thoughtful, intelligent and dangerous. All of that Star could see from one glance.
"I'm not sad, just…"
Did she dare tell him how she felt this time?
"Just?" he questioned.
"Just…lonely," her voice cracked at the last word and she looked up sadly.
The two vampires locked eyes. All that seemed to matter to Star now was connecting with Dwayne. She wanted to throw all her troubles, emotions, hardships on him and run free.
He wanted her to do it.
Their stares remained until the woman at the stall interrupted them.
"You there! You're scaring away my regulars!" she said angrily, pointing at Dwayne.
He glared at her before motioning to Star with his head. His necklaces clinked together and his lone earring swung back and forth, standing out with bright contrast against his dark hair. With slow strides, she came to stand by his side and nodded her thanks to the woman. The older lady smiled at the young girl and turned her hard stare to Dwayne.
"If you come back, there'll be trouble for sure."
Star looked down, embarrassed.
"You, honey, you can come back any time," the woman smiled, looking back at Star.
Star's cheeks flushed graciously and she bit her lip in response.
"Let's go," he said quietly in her ear.
His arm slipped around her waist and he guided her away from the flowers.
They were the one last thing Star thought to be beautiful in this horrific, dark eternal night. She felt sad that she must part with the flowers.
She murmured a soft goodbye and continued on, leaving behind a small slice of happiness that had lightened her soul.
000
Star awoke earlier than the boys that night. The sun was barely behind the horizon line, the sky still pink with its sensational rays. Star wished every night that she could wake early enough to gaze out at the sun. As a half, it wouldn't burn her, but her sleeping schedules prevented her from seeing its beauty.
The crickets had begun to chirp as Star stretched, yawned and stood up from the bed. She looked down softly at Laddie who had slept beside her last night as a result of a childish nightmare. She gently brushed the hair away from his closed eyes and sighed, longing to be innocent again.
She pulled the worn out sheets up around Laddie's shoulders, noticing the scratchy sound they made across his clothing, when suddenly, something fell from the bed. It landed softly on the ground and Star paused, looking down curiously.
Her eyes widened as she bent down to the dusty cave floor.
A single, beautiful sunflower lay unscathed on the rock, its grace glowing like a tiny sun in the midst of the cavern. Star slowly picked it up, her poisoned heart beating unsteadily.
It smelled just as it had at the boardwalk; crisp and fresh and full of life, much unlike Star. She hugged the flower to her chest tightly and closed her eyes, never wanting to let it go. Now she had a piece of the fragile beauty and she was determined to keep it safe forever.
When she opened her eyes, a small slip of folded paper caught her attention. It had fallen off the bed with the flower.
She picked the parchment up and carefully unfolded it. In elegant calligraphy a short poem was inked onto the paper.
Ah Sunflower, weary of time,
Who countest the steps of the sun;
Seeking after that sweet golden clime
Where the traveller's journey is done;
Where the Youth pined away with desire,
And the pale virgin shrouded in snow,
Arise from their graves, and aspire
Where my Sunflower wishes to go!
-William Blake
Star recognized Dwayne's handwriting and smile quickly spread across her face. She had read this in one of his poetry books before. As the sunflower was one of her favorites, so was this poem.
Now, she clutched both objects to her chest and closed her eyes again. She could hear the gentle sound of the waves crashing against the sand, the low hooting of night owl, the high pitched chirp of a cricket. She breathed in deeply, feeling a sense of acceptance bubble up in her soul.
And here, after all this time, she had thought she was alone.
How wrong she really was.
000
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Sunny