Chapter Two: First Impressions

Dazed and confused I awoke the next morning, correction evening. Jet lag is a bitch. It took me a few seconds to realise where I was and the fact that I was still wearing my clothes from last night. Gazing down at the GnR T-shirt and black skinny jeans that were now creased and crinkled it seemed necessary for me to make myself presentable before surfacing from my room. After stripping off, including the leather biker boots that I somehow managed to fall asleep still wearing, I sauntered over to the en suite and ran a hot steamy bubble bath. Deciding after a long soak it was time to face up to my best friend and put her out of her misery. Changing into another pair of black tight jeans with several rips up both legs and a Kiss shirt, quickly running a comb through my shoulder length feather cut black hair I followed the sweet smell of pancakes coming from the kitchen.

"Well it's about time you woke up sleeping beauty! I'm making you your favourite pancakes for breakfast even though it's gone six, you've slept for hours, you sleep like the dead Lil!"

Sitting down at the small already set table located at the opposite end of the stove where Tina was busy preparing the yummy treats, looking straight into her eyes and keeping my face free of emotion I whispered jokingly "That's because I am dead". Tina's eye roll in response made me chuckle and provide a more normal answer as she piles a mountain of pancakes on a plate and hands them over to me "Sorry but I can't help the fact that your bed is so comfy and as for the pancakes cheers I'm starved."

"No problemo just being a great friend! Anyway I was thinking we could head out to the boardwalk later on, see if there are any hotties around and just hang out y'know."

My eyes widen to the size of saucers for a moment thinking about her trying to set me up with a date and then return to normal "Yeah sure sounds fun but need I remind you that you have a boyfriend T." I reply to her statement using my very lazy and unoriginal shortened version of her already extremely short name. "If Ryan finds out you said that he won't be pleased."

"Well he won't find out will he! Either way just looking won't hurt and I was thinking more so for you seeing as you've been single now for ages maybe Mr Right will be waiting, either way it'll be fun."

I nodded in response deeming it rude to speak out loud due to the fact my mouth was now rammed full with the food.

"Now we've decided on that I think it's about time you tell me everything that's happened in your life recently Miss McLeod".Tina stares at me expectantly eagerly awaiting my stories, she sits down opposite me never breaking eye contact the whole time, after a few seconds of me not saying anything her expression changes to that if a begging dog, eyes forlorn and longing. Despite the fact that we are best friends and pen pals, sisters even, contact with my loveable yank had been less frequently than I liked recently. This was due to the fact that we have both had busy schedules and a number of problems this past year so prolonged periods of no contact were usual. In the end the lack of correspondence had ultimately resulted in my current visit. After ruminating a little longer I cave in. With a sigh I began to explain every gory detail of every previous event that has happened since our last letters about eight months previous.

"Fine hold your horses Jesus women your persistent! Well as you know I have finally graduated but a lot of shit has happened..."

Over 2 hours later and about 6 cups of coffee each we had finally caught up and shared all our gossip like old fish wives. It was now approaching nine o'clock and we were just gathering up our things for a night out on the boardwalk. Normally we would go out around seven and return for about eleven as everywhere begins to close later on, however not today all thanks to me sleeping in. After the short journey in T's 'baby' we had pulled up in the car park, or should I say parking lot, when in Rome do as the Romans do or in my case when in America say what the Americans say. We started walking slowly taking in every inch of our surroundings, also most as if we we're photographing and cataloging each site for a later date.

The boardwalk was exactly how I remembered it from my last visit. The cacophony of noises and the array of flashing lights was overwhelming. My senses where flooded with sounds, smells and sights all of which had a carnival feel. A sea of people, majority of them teenagers flooded the area. Soaking in the atmosphere a smile crept onto my face, meeting Tina's eyes I could see she was thinking the exact same thing as me. Something about this place made me happy and I couldn't figure out why. Excitement washed over me like a child on Christmas morning, eager to open their presents. We both continued looking at each other for a few seconds then almost at the same time started sprinting towards our goal and source of excitement. Swearing as I got their due to the fact that Tina had beat me we both mounted a horse on the carousel, the ride starts as me and Tina giggle like school girls over the fact that we were fully grown women but still act like we are little children. We were fully enjoying ourselves both of us were in a jovial mode until we spotted them. That's when my sights where set on them and my mind began to wander as it always does.

They could always put a anyone's mood according to Tina, they were a group of distinctive, cool, always the talk of the town. They were a mysterious bunch, compelling, not much was known about them yet everyone knew of them. I had always had a strange fascination with the four of them even though I'd never seen them in the flesh. The way Tina described them peaked my curiosity greatly, this had alarmed my best friend for a few reasons, mainly due to the fact that everyone thought but never said that they had an air of danger about them, which I liked and another reason she wasn't too fond of them was because she was convinced they had something to do with all the missing people of the area. She always used to say that she had a funny feeling about them, 'if anyone is likely to kidnap and murder it would be them' she told me once in a letter. I would scold her for saying such statements about people we don't know personally or the least bit about them. You can't just make assumptions and observations from tiny pieces of information and gossip you've heard. From some stories I had heard about them they and sounded like reasonable guys, chivalrous even but gain you can't judge people without knowing all the facts.

Weirdly a part of me was filled with excitement seeing those who have been described to me on many occasion actually in front of my eyes. Tina didn't have to tell me or point out that it was them, I'd heard her talk about them enough to know, also there was such as strong air of dominance and confidence pulsating from them you would have to be an idiot not to realise who they were. T didn't know which one was which, she knew their names, well she had overheard someone talking about them and assumed that they were their names. The only one she knew their face for sure was the one considered to be the leader of the gang of misfits. Apparently he was called David, nobody knew his or any of the others last names, they just had first names.

A short sharp jab to my side brought me out of my deep thought, Tina was bashing me with her elbow attempting to get my attention and bring me out of the daydream. Turing away from the quartet I was seemingly having a staring contest with I looked into my best friends slightly panicked eyes.

"You were staring at them the whole time and they were staring at you, the rides over lets go, they're giving me the creeps!" She whispered harshly.

Feeling a tad mortified that I had been looking at them awkwardly for so long I slid off the horse and was about to walk towards the roller coaster, with Tina following suite when I collided into the fabric of a black shirt. Slowly bringing my eyes up to view the persons face, even though I had a bad feeling I knew too well who it was, I locked onto a pair of distinctive blue eyes. For some reason rather out of character for me this situation had left me flustered enormously. Deciding on a plan I deemed it best to apologise quickly and run off before I made even more of a fool of myself, however this plan did not work. Whenever I attempted to speak I opened and closed my mouth a few times unable to make a sound, I must've looked like a goldfish. I just about mustered the strength when he decided to talk instead, a small smile on his face and a voice that sent chills down my spine...