Eliana sat behind the counter of her music store as people milled about, flipping through her cds and the variety of merchandise she stocked while they were on their lunch breaks. It was around noon and her feet were propped up on and edge and she was leaning back to front two legs of her chair in the air and the back of her chair resting on the wall behind her. She was running her pencil along a pad of paper she had lain across her knees, making quick light strokes. The head phones resting on her head pulsed as music flooded into her ears and drowned out the sound of the Michael Jackson playing over the speakers. She didn't dislike the pop sensation's music, but at the moment Pink Floyd's another brick in the wall fit with the person she was drawing. David.

The other night had been the first time she had seen him and his three friends. It had been the first night she had had a chance to actually go out onto to the boardwalk at night, she had only moved in a week ago and the while time had been spent setting up the store for its opening and cataloguing inventory. She watched the scene between the four boys and the 'Surf Nazi', as people so fondly referred to them as, with interest. The people had been with had told her they were locals who visited the boardwalk nearly every night.

There were some things, some people that just stuck in her head. They'd pop up at random times, distracting Eliana from whatever she was doing. It had become quite a nuisance. Eliana had found over the years that the only way to really get them out of her head was to draw them. Needless to say those four boys had captured her mind's attention. Most people moved so quickly, it was always the next event, the next goal, the next step in their lives. These boys, however, they moved infinitely slower, they took their time and enjoyed life.

Although at the moment they were really beginning to annoy her. She didn't know his name but shorter blond with the curls, Eliana had to admit his jacket was fantastic but freaking ridiculous to try and draw. She muttered angrily under her breath as she attempted for a third time to remember the exact details of his jacket. She rubbed the back of her head and decided to move on to the other three. The image of the four of them leaning on the railing across from her store wasn't hard to picture. They had stood there for a majority of the night even after Eliana had gone back inside. She still wasn't exactly sure why they had been there. Maybe it had been just a coincidence. Eliana glanced up a few moments later to see a peppy blonde standing in front of the counter a tall brunette boy in a baseball cap beside her. Eliana pulled her headphones off.

"Hey Lucy, Hey Cory" she said, slightly unnerved by the girl's wide smile. Lucy was a short girl with blonde hair she curled every night with rollers. She was sweet and kind but in Eliana's opinion slightly, well, annoying. She had been the first to introduce herself to Eliana when she had moved to Santa Carla and although Eliana appreciated it, the girl had become slightly clingy. Lucy seemed to have decided that Eliana was her new best friend. She had been dating Cory for six months now, Normally Eliana wouldn't have really cared enough to ask but Lucy hadn't bothered to wait for an invitation, she had informed Eliana of the ins and outs of her and Cory's relationship within ten minutes of meeting her.

"Hey Eliana" Cory said with a nod and small smile. Eliana much preferred Cory to Lucy. He was tall with shaggy brown hair and soft brown eyes. Quiet and reserved, he was the complete opposite of his girlfriend. She could only spend a few hours with Lucy before she truly began to grate her, Cory she could spend maybe double that time with. The truth was, there were few people she could really spend long periods of time with without becoming irritated, Eliana considered it a major character flaw she had. Maybe it was just because she wasn't used to them.

"Guess who came in asking about you last night." Lucy said with enthusiasm her smile widening to an abnormal extent. Eliana gave her a bewildered look.

"Um, I don't know."

"Marko!" she said her voice rising a few octaves. Eliana's expression became even more bemused.

"Who?"

"You know the guy we saw the other night, curly blonde hair with dreads in the back. He hangs out with David."

"Oh! You mean the one with the colorful jacket?" Eliana asked, "I thought you said you didn't know his name?"

"I didn't, but he came in last night while I was working my shift, Ray had given me an extra because apparently Monique had gotten sick with the flu. I heard from Jenny though that she had mono and she got it from Drew not John. I guess you don't know them but John and she have been off and on again for a while and the idea that she'd betray him for Drew is-"

"He came in asking about your drawings and Lucy told him you worked here," Cory interrupted. Lucy huffed and puffed over the interruption of her story but Cory ignored it.

"I guess that explains why they were outside the store last night," Eliana said setting her drawing pad down and swinging her chair forward so it rested on all four legs.

"They were here last night?" Both Lucy and Cory asked in unison but with entirely different tones. Lucy seemed excited. Eliana wasn't surprised from what she had learned from the others the night she first saw David and his friends they were like demi-gods of the boardwalk. No one knew exactly who they were but everyone knew their faces. People argued over the things they had done but no one could tell Eliana why people seemed so interested. It was like some kind of invisible gravitational force around them that both pulled and pushed people away. So when Lucy heard they had shown an interest in her new friend, it was like they shown an interest in her.

Cory seemed to have the exact opposite opinion and he had expressed his thoughts on the matter very clearly. He held with the people who not only didn't care what the four boys did and were content to never cross paths with them but felt slightly uneasy whenever they were around.

"Do you know the other two's names?" Eliana asked, ignoring the question.

"Um, no. I think its Darren and Paul or maybe it's Patrick. I'm not sure," Lucy replied with a shrug.

"Those guys are bad news Eli," Cory warned a frown marring his face.

"Oh you be quiet," Lucy snapped, "Eli I want you to tell me all about it. Now." Her tone left no room for argument. Cory sighed in response and moved further into the store toward the cds, obviously deciding this conversation was threatening to run into female territory, something he wasn't comfortable with. "Tell me," Lucy demanded again, her eyes dark with unvoiced threats should Eliana withhold information. Eliana blinked for a moment, she hadn't really talked one on one with a girl in a while, and in fact Eliana couldn't remember ever having sat around and gossiped. It was an odd feeling of power, the idea that she could manipulate a person's perception of another was an exhilarating feeling. She could imagine easily how this feeling of power could twist people. Eliana shook her head, ridding herself of the strange thoughts; she repeated her mantra to herself quickly.

I will not compare this life to my old one.

"Ok," Eliana said and leaned over the counter, "I mean there's not much to tell. I saw them standing outside the store, leaning against the railing of the pier."

"Did they come in?" she asked excitedly.

"Nope"

"They just stood out there?"

"Yep"

"Well that's boring," Lucy said in disappointment. Eliana shrugged and passed Lucy the picture she had drawn.

"Wait, this is what they looked liked?" she asked.

"Yeah"

"That's a pretty intense stare," Lucy said her voice gaining back its enthusiasm; "I bet David has a thing for you!"

"We haven't even said two words to each other Lucy" Eliana replied, as she took her drawing back from Lucy clutches. Lucy excitement made her kind of nervous. First, she doubted David had any feelings for her which meant Lucy was likely to make a fool of both Eliana and herself. Second, Even if David did have any feelings for her, Eliana wasn't quite sure she wanted him to have feelings for her. Lucy merely shrugged and skipped behind the counter to watch Eliana continue the drawing. Eliana moved over in her chair to give some distance between herself and the girl, she hated people watching her draw. She worked quickly on the tallest of them all, the last blonde. She wondered vaguely what his name was. She knew Marko and David now but not the other two.

Looking at the four boys they seemed like cookie cutter bikers, but there was something different about these four. The one with black hair for example, he was physically the most attractive and is lack of shirt didn't hinder that, but his necklace, Eliana couldn't be sure but they looked like real animal teeth. Sure, store sold necklaces like that but those teeth looked like puma teeth. If Eliana remembered like there were types of puma that were endangered so either he dealt with poachers or he had an odd hobby.

The taller blonde, whatever his name was, was wearing what looked to be like some kind black jacket with pieces of leather and a weird silver chain on the side. Then there were Marko and David. Marko looked way to innocent to be a biker and David, well David seemed to smart. Not to say bikers weren't smart, she wasn't talking about intelligence. Eliana was talking about natural aptitude, the kind that allows people to understand people, the world; The kind that the most cut-throat individuals of society employed. Eliana tapped her chin, deep in thought. She glanced out the window, she had the urge to seek David and his friends out again but she didn't have anyone scheduled to work tonight.

There were plenty of people who wanted a job, that was for sure, the problem was they all were, well to put it simply druggies or airheads. Eliana had some extremely expensive merchandise in here, true it was more for show than for sale but she needed someone who she could trust to watch the store when she wasn't there. She had interviewed fifteen people and had managed to find one person she considered competent enough to employ, a guy by the name of Ian. But he only wanted to work four days out of the week that left the other three to her. Eliana needed to find someone else to fill up the other shifts.

"Hey Lucy," Eliana said, glancing at the girl, "Wanna do me a favor?"

"Yeah sure," She said, looking up from the drawing.

"I have to work tonight, but you could be the best person ever and take this with you," Eliana said, reaching down under the counter and pulling out a drawing portfolio. She opened it flipping through the pages until she found the one she was looking for. She pulled it out, careful smoothing it and flipping it over. She scribbled a name in one corner and held it out to Lucy.

"What do you want me to do with that?" She asked

"I want you to take it with you and if you happen to see him, I want you to give it to him," Eliana stated offering the drawing to Lucy again.

Lucy took it from her, flipping it over in her hand to look at the face one. A look of confusion then realization then nervousness washed over her face. It seemed the confident Lucy was struck shy by the idea of potentially approaching David and his friends.

"Eli, I don't think-"

"Please! Lucy, I have to work all night. I'll give you any CD you want."

"Any CD?"

"Yeah, any CD."

"Well," Lucy began, tapping her chin in mock thought, "This is a big favor considering I have never talked to them before in my life. But. Because you are my friend I'll do this for you."

"In exchange for what?'

"Have you got the new Madonna CD."

"That doesn't come out for two weeks."

"Do you have it?"

"Ugh, fine. Here." Eliana pulled a ribbon from around her neck. It held a set of keys, pulling one out she unlocked a lockbox bolted to the floor of her store. She reached in and took out a CD. She held it up and Lucy grabbed at it.

"Hey, calm down. One rule, no one knows you have this. You did not get it from me. And if anyone does find out, you'll be shelling out for half the law suit."

"Alright, Alright, just give it to me!" Eliana released the CD. Lucy snatched it up quickly and clutched it to her in happiness. She was about to go when Eliana let out a cough and pointed at the drawing. Lucy's face fell; she obviously had thought Eliana would forget. She seemed to weigh her options for a moment but must had sided with the Madonna CD because she snatched up the drawing.

"Cory, let's go, we're leaving," she shouted to her boyfriend in the back, who followed. Eliana sighed and returned to her sketchpad, pulling her headphones back on.

Reviews appreciated