Terra tossed the arrow into the nearest trash can before turning back to the group. "Beau was probably the one to tag along with Felicia. And since neither of them will be reporting back to the Company in the next few days, we will more than likely have a team show up. So… we have maybe two days before they arrive." David stood next to Terra, "That was too close for comfort. If you and Eli are ready, we should start turning you." Terra and Eli nodded their heads. David pushed away from the railing he was leaning against to mount his bike, "Let's head back and drop them off so the rest of us can feed."
Terra, Eli, Michael, Star, and Laddie are the only ones that go inside the cave. The vampires took to the sky in search of the Surf Nazis they scoped out earlier. While the vampires were out, Terra and Eli settled on one of the couches with a book each. Laddie was coloring on Star's bed, where she was sitting next to him piecing together some new earrings. Michael was pacing around the cave when he finally broke the silence, "You guys are actually ok with becoming monsters? You're willing to turn into vampires?!" His loud voice carried throughout the cave.
Terra set her book down, "Michael, you really need to get off that high horse of yours. Eli and I are not going into this blind. We know what being a vampire entails. And we are already monsters, remember? We kill people for a living, sometimes those deaths are straightforward, other times we can be quite creative." Michael has turned a dark shade of red from anger, "I can't believe this! You're giving up your life…" The sound of Terra laughing cuts him off, "We are not giving up a damn thing besides sunlight and I can do without the skin cancer. Our lives will not be changing that much in the end. Only now, we will outlive most of the populace. It's you who has a problem with it, something you need to get over. Hell, Ma is even going to turn because she finally found a great guy in Max. Plus she will still have her family. That is the most important thing to her, and the longer you stay a half, the more she stresses out because you're too fucking stubborn. Sam has even agreed to turn. If he was against it, he wouldn't be living at Max's house. So, get your head out of your ass and finish turning!"
The occupants of the cave turn towards the entrance when clapping, hollering, and laughing could be heard. David came into the room before everyone, "Couldn't have said it better myself." David approached Terra, "Are you ready?" Terra, still being angry, didn't trust herself to speak so she nodded her head. Dwayne could be heard asking Eli the same, "Yeah, I'm ready." David and Dwayne led their mates into their bedrooms. The bottle was not an option when time was against them.
Over the past few decades, the Lost Boys had rebuilt several of the collapsed bedrooms. Each of the boys had their own room, as well as a couple of spare rooms for when they brought dinner home. Those rooms will not be used for that purpose anymore, maybe they will be used as storage for their mates' belongings or their own personal space. The boys had personalized their rooms to their liking, so it is not difficult to tell which bedroom belongs to which Lost Boy.
Dwayne had led Eli to his bedroom a few doors down from the hallway entrance. Closing the door behind them and sitting on his bed. His room was decorated similarly to the others with the addition of an overfilled bookcase. Eli had removed her jean jacket and thrown it over the top of a chair near the bed. Dwayne sat in front of her on the bed, back against the headboard. Eli wrung her hands trying to calm down. She was more nervous about being alone with Dwayne than turning into a vampire.
"You ok?" Dwayne asked Eli. He noticed her fidgeting and her heart rate had gone up. She gave a small smile, "Just nervous. Not about turning. But, I have never been with anyone romantically. So, this is new to me." Eli rambled a bit. Dwayne moved Eli closer to him, clasping her hands with his to stop her fidgeting and get her full attention. "It's alright. We will have all the time in the world after tonight," Dwayne reassured her. Eli nodded her head and let out a sigh, "Okay, I'm ready."
"This may be easier if you lean against me," Dwayne said as he navigated Eli to turn around and lean against his chest. Brushing Eli's hair to one side, leaving her neck bare. "Tilt your head a little. Take a deep breath and try not to move," Dwayne tells her. Eli tilts her head, and takes a deep breath into her nose and out her mouth as Dwayne sinks his fangs into her neck. He felt and heard Eli gasp when his fangs punctured her skin. Eli was panting and trying not to squirm too much. It was painful at first, then it felt strangely euphoric. Dwayne was having a hard time controlling himself. He pulled away before he drained her completely. Dwayne looked down at Eli, seeing she had gone extremely pale, and her breathing was shallow. He didn't have much time, so he bit his wrist and held it to her parted lips, "Drink." With slow, fatigued movements, Eli drank several gulps before Dwayne pulled his wrist away. Dwayne positioned them on the bed, holding Eli in his arms, on their side with Eli's back to his chest. "Sleep. I'll be here when you wake", Dwayne and Eli fell asleep within moments.
Terra rarely was nervous, and even if she was she didn't show it. David had brought her into his room, closed the door, and removed his coat and gloves. Something he doesn't do often. He watched as Terra shrugged off her leather jacket and sat on the edge of his bed. He could sense her nervousness. "You're not going to chicken out now, are you?" David teased Terra. She sighed, "No. I'm not. Just never been with anyone. Never really had the opportunity, always on the job or looking after my sisters." David raised one eyebrow, "Sisters?" Terra gave a tight-lipped smile, "Yep. Different moms, same dad. Found that out a while ago and just told the twins recently. Funnily enough, the four of us already treated each other as siblings." She quietly chuckled.
David came to sit next to her, "I have to be honest with you. I did not like the idea of myself and the boys having mates. After my disastrous relationship with Star. I brought her here to live with me, hoping to turn her. I gave her the wine bottle with Max's blood, the same bottle I gave Michael. Once she found out what we were, she hated us, hated me. And I didn't want another Star. I'm glad you four are not like her." He turned to look at her, only to see she was already watching him.
Terra gave him a small smile and looked down at her lap, "I don't think I have ever been like Star. My first kill was an accident, but deserving. My stepfather was a violent drunk. He would beat my mother nightly. The last time when I was six, he had come home reeking of cheap booze and perfume. I was in the living room watching tv when he stumbled in. He used the back of the couch where I was sitting as leverage. I didn't really pay attention to him, even though I probably should have. Instead, I was giggling at Hawkeye and Radar. (M*A*S*H*) He thought I was laughing at him, so he picked me up by my ponytail and threw me across the room. My body slammed into the tv. Mom heard the crash and came into the room to stop him from hurting me even more. He turned his attention to her and started beating her to the point he was straddling her on the floor."
Terra wiped away her falling tears but they kept on coming. David wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "He wasn't stopping. I don't think he wanted to, I think he wanted to kill her. It took me a few moments to stand up, it felt like an eternity. My whole body hurt. When I realized he wasn't going to stop beating my mother, I panicked but I also became angry. So very angry. This man was supposed to protect his family, love his family, not degrade them or beat them. And yet, there he was, beating my mother to death. Something happened at that moment. I lost myself, I let the rage take over. And the next thing I know, the neighbor was cradling me, while her husband was phoning the police. Apparently, I had launched him through the wall into their side of the townhouse. The force it took had shattered most of his body, including his skull. He died on impact. When everything calmed down, after being released from the hospital, we moved and never spoke about what happened. That same year, I teleported from my bedroom to the kitchen by accident. And the rest is too long to explain in one night." They both laughed a little.
David moved his arm from around Terra's shoulders to grasp the back of her neck. Quickly leaning over, catching Terra off guard, he bit her at the junction of her neck and collarbone. The action caused Terra to slightly gasp. David turned his body, hovering over the top of her, pushing Terra to lay on the bed. She had his shirt tightly held in her fist, any tighter she could have torn it off of him. When he felt her grip loosen and her body slump further onto the bed, he pulled away. Licking the wound closed before using one of his sharpened nails to make a small cut into his neck, "Drink." Terra felt lightheaded and dizzy but she was still capable of wrapping her lips around the small opening, taking what she needed. Once she had enough, on instinct, she licked the wound close. They both were exhausted, so they slowly climbed onto the center of the bed, and sleep overtook them.
The Next Night
The next night found all the occupants of the cave at the boardwalk. Once again, Star and Michael split off from the group, taking Laddie with them. The little boy wanted to ride some of the rides, and have some junk food. Star agreed, and so Michael found himself going on several rides with Laddie. In the end, though, he did enjoy hanging out with the kid. It wasn't so bad, especially after Kayla gave him and Star enough money to explore the entire boardwalk. The three of them were walking to the Ferris wheel when they all felt hunger pains for something other than food. "Michael, I think I'm going to join Terra and Eli when they're ready. It's getting too painful, and harder to resist." Star leaned her head on Michael's shoulder. She felt Michael stiffen. She lifted her head to look at him. Star could see he was clenching his jaw and his face was turning red. Michael was irritated. He wanted to make his own choices, whether they were mistakes or not, but that was taken from him. Michael didn't respond, just kept walking. Star looked ahead and wrapped her arms around herself while keeping her eyes on Laddie.
Jade was scanning the crowd when she spotted something, "Ugh... When will those kids ever give up?" Terra was standing closest to her with David on her other side. She followed Jade's line of sight and saw two boys staring at all of them. "Those the wannabe slayers?" Terra asked David. He was glaring at Edgar, "Yep. Real pain in the ass. They may be kids but they know too much," David grabbed the cigarette from behind his ear and lit it, and exhaled a cloud of smoke, "They run the comic shop while the parents are blitzed out of their minds." Terra observed the kids take off when they realized they had been caught. Jade could see Terra was deep in thought, "You're plotting?" Terra turned to her sister with a wicked grin, "I have an idea." She steps away from the railing, walking towards the comic shop. "Damn, this can't be good. Come on you two. Let's make sure she doesn't kill anyone," Jade and her sisters follow Terra.
Eli caught up to her, "What's the plan?" Terra was still smiling, "Pay off or kick-off." The other three couldn't help but laugh. Entering the comic shop, they immediately spot the parents sitting next to a tv behind the counter. Terra leans to whisper to Eli, "Pop over to the house in Fairbanks and grab some Narcan.** Let's wake them up." Eli stepped out of the store and into the alleyway so she was out of sight when she jumped. She was back not even thirty seconds later with two small nasal inhalants of Narcan.
Jade and Kayla walked the aisles, keeping an eye out for the brothers. Terra had approached the parents behind the counter, the smell of marijuana was strong as well as a hint of cleaning solvent, like someone was trying to mask the smell. Eli came up and handed her one of the inhalants, she held the other, "I'll get the mom, you get dad." They readied the Narcan and inserted the inhalant into one nostril and sprayed the Narcan. Instantly sobering and waking the adults. In the meantime, Alan and Edgar had returned to the shop. Jade and Kayla stepped in their way. Edgar puffed up, "What are you doing here? Bloodsuckers aren't allowed in here." Alan stood next to his brother and crossed his arms. They didn't notice their parents were awake until they heard their mom talk.
"Who are you? What have you done to us?" She shook her head to try and clear it. The dad spoke next, "Yeah, who are you?" Terra leaned back onto the counter, her face blank of any emotion, "I'm here to make you an offer." She folded her arms across her chest and crossed her legs at the ankles, "You see, your boys have been causing some trouble with me and mine. After being told multiple times to stop harassing us, and not listening, we've had enough." The parents turned and glared at their sons before turning back to Terra, "What's your offer?" Terra smirked, "Simple really...Your shop and your home sold to me for two million dollars or." She paused, dropping the smirk. Her serious expression really gave the notion if looks could kill. The mom swallowed the lump in her throat, "Or?" Knowing Terra has their undivided attention, "Or... I still take your shop and home with the addition of four freshly dug graves in the backyard. Your choice. If you choose the money, I will give you ten percent now and the rest once my sister and I follow you across the county line, same time tomorrow night. If you refuse, you can keep the ten percent and I will bury it with you." She straightened up, towering over the normally stoned but now scared parents waiting for their response.
The parents looked at each other and had a silent conversation. The dad stood on shaky legs, "We'll take the offer." "Excellent," Terra stuck her hand out so they could shake on it. The dad shook her hand, then he told his sons, who were loudly protesting, "Will you be quiet." Edgar and Alan clamped their mouths shut, shaking with anger they pushed past the twins and went to the storeroom to sulk. Terra motioned for Eli to step forward with the money-stuffed duffle bag that she retrieved while Terra was making the offer. Terra had kept a small portion of her money in cash hidden away at her Fairbanks home. "Two hundred thousand upfront. The other nine duffle bags will be handed over once we all cross the county line. I suggest you pack light." The sisters walked out of the comic shop, leaving the Frog family scrambling to close and head home for their last night.
The guys watched as their mates approached them. They noticed Jade and Kayla were trying their best not to laugh but failing miserably. Eli was smiling big as she stood next to Dwayne. Terra stopped in front of David and smiled before walking over to the railing. David turned to face her, raising one eyebrow, "What did you do?" Terra laughed a little, "I bought the comic shop and a house." Kayla and Jade laughed loudly to the point of tears. Terra relayed what happened. David and the boys were stunned silent for a moment, then David threw his head back and laughed. He shocked Terra when he grabbed her by the waist and kissed her hard and breathlessly. Terra tried to follow David when he pulled away. He took a drag of his cigarette before suggesting they celebrate with some drinks.
Later On
The eight of them squeezed into a booth at one of the seedy bars lining the boardwalk. The guys had gone through two bottles of Jack and one bottle of Rum. The girls stuck to soft drinks, they explained that they never liked alcohol after the guys tried to get them to drink with them. They were still having a great time though. Every once and while David would glance over at a group of rowdy Surf Nazis crowding a dartboard. They would challenge anyone to a game, place bets, and then cheat their opponents out of their money. Terra saw this and decided she wanted to play. Terra messed her hair a bit, dabbed two fingers into David's shot glass, and splashed Jack onto herself giving the impression that she was a little tipsy, "Excuse me." She climbed over David to exit the booth. David went to follow her but Jade stopped him, "Just watch."
Terra closed in on the group of six guys and three barely dressed women. They had just scammed a guy out of fifty bucks and pushed him away. Faking a hiccup while bumping into a table, "I got next game." Two of the guys step into her personal space, "Well, well, well, let's see what you got sweet cheeks. Fifty bucks on the table." The guys nudged each other, thinking Terra was an easy target. She fished out a wad of cash from her pocket totaling five hundred dollars. She counted out fifty and stacked it onto their own bet. The two still standing in front of her eyed the cash with glee thinking of robbing her blind after the game. Terra could feel the heat from David's glare. He could hear their thoughts and wanted nothing more than to rip them apart.
Terra was handed three yellow darts that have seen better days and waited her turn. The guy tossed his darts, scoring Sixty points total. The group cheered and hyped their guy up. Terra stepped up and threw each dart as if she was an amateur. The first dart stuck in the wall below the board, the second landed on three points, and the last dart hit twenty points. The Surf Nazis were falling over with laughter, while her mate and his boys were seething. The girls had to stop them from going over to Terra and beating their asses. Eli had her hand on Dwayne's chest, "Wait. Keep watching." Kayla called over a waitress and ordered a watered-down soft drink for Terra. The waitress gave a perplexed expression. "It's so the drink looked mixed," Eli explained. The waitress and the rest of the table understood the ruse.
Terra broke through the laughter, "Can I try again? Double or nothing." While still laughing, the guy she was playing says, "Your loss." He placed another fifty on the table with the money she added. He picked up his darts and tossed them at the board. He scored a total of Seventy-Nine points. Gave Terra a cocky smirk, "Beat that honey."
All nine of the Surf Nazis were trying not to laugh as Terra's drink arrived, "Ooh, thank you." Terra had her darts sitting on the small tabletop within reach. She started chugging her drink not facing the dartboard as she picked up and tossed each dart, one by one, onto the dartboard. All three darts were clustered on the center bullseye for a total of One hundred and fifty points. She finished her drink, set down her glass, burped, and gathered up the money while the whole bar watched in stunned silence. "That was fun. Catch you on the flip," Giving a mock salute Terra turned to walk away when a meaty hand gripped her upper arm, "You cheated, you bitch." She shook his hand off her arm, "No, I hustled. Big difference."
At the moment David and the rest of the gang joined Terra knowing the Surf Nazis are sore losers. David threw his arm around Terra's shoulders, "Do we have a problem?" "Yeah, this bitch cheated," Stated the guy who lost. David looks at Terra, "Did you cheat?" Clutching her chest in mocked offense, Terra gasped, "I would never." David looked back at the Surf Nazis, "Well, there you have it. Enjoy the rest of your evening." The Lost Boys didn't give anyone a chance to retort as they left the bar.
"It seems Terra has picked our dinner for us," David announced. They walked back to their bikes. Michael, Star, and Laddie were already waiting for them. The tension was rolling between Michael and Star. Jade asked Star what was wrong. Star told Jade that she was going to feed when Terra and Eli did, and Michael got mad at her. Jade looked at Michael, and he was glaring at them with narrowed eyes. Turning back to Star, Jade nods her head, "Ride with Paul. I'm going to keep Michael back and talk to him."
Of course, all the vampires heard their conversation. Paul is the one who had a problem with leaving Jade with Michael, he came up to her, "Are you going to be alright?" She kept her eyes on Michael, "Oh yeah, just going to talk to him. I'll jump to the cave afterwards." She turns to Paul, cups his cheek in her hand, and kisses him, "I'll be fine." Paul glares at Michael over Jade's head, mounts, and starts his bike before taking off with the rest of the pack leaving Michael and Jade on the boardwalk.
Jade crosses her arms and watches as Michael runs his hand through his hair and huffs. "What's really the matter, Michael?" Jade asked her brother. Michael runs his hand through his hair again, "When we moved here, I thought I was going to be able to make my own choices in life. But, once again, they were taken from me. I wanted to decide for myself what I want out of life. Now, it's either choose this lifestyle or else." Michael paced back and forth before stopping next to his bike. Jade sighed, "Have you looked at this from all angles? Mike, you get to live forever with your family and a girl who loves you. You will have the rest of eternity to do the things you want. Just think about it, yeah?" Michael nodded his head, "We should be getting back before Paul wrings my neck." Jade smiles, "I'm going to jump there. See you later, bro." Jade looked around before jumping back to the cave. Fifteen minutes later Michael comes back to the cave and joins Star for the night.
**Narcan: Nasal Spray, the first nasal formulation of naloxone to be FDA approved for the treatment of known or suspected opioid overdose.