"Where do you want to go first?" David asked Lily. They were parked on the
side of the road next to the Welcome to Santa Carla sign.
"Home." Lily sighed, watching the moonlight on the ocean. "Then we can go to the cave."
"Okay. We're going to the house Boys." He called back to the others. "We'll follow you princess."
She pulled back out onto the familiar road, heading toward her house. The scar on her chest twinged as she turned up the winding ocean road and into the driveway.
The house was just as she'd left it. She had arranged for someone to come and take care of the grounds and it looked as though she had never left. Slowly, Lily got out of the car and stared at the closed up house.
David pulled up along side her, the other boys behind him. "Hasn't changed."
She glanced at him. "No." Watching the boys get off their bikes reminded her of something. "Oh, Marko, your bike. It's in here." She gestured at the garage. "I borrowed it."
The smaller vampire looked relieved. "We thought some kid stole it." He caught the key she tossed him and opened the garage door.
Lily let them into the house. A thick layer of dust had settled over everything while she was gone. She flipped a nearby light switch but nothing happened.
"Gotta get the electricity turned on." She mumbled as she made her way inside. David pulled open the curtains in the living room, letting in the moonlight. She climbed the stairs to the second floor, opening doors as she went and continued up to her bedroom on the third floor.
Lily dropped her bag on the floor and walked over to the windows. She threw open the window wide, letting in the warm night air to chase out the staleness in the room.
"Good to be home?"
Lily whirled around, a hand to her chest. David was leaning against the doorframe. "David, you scared me."
He stepped into the room. "The princess comes back to her kingdom." He smirked and lounged back on her bed, sending a cloud of dust into the air. "Need to clean this place."
She leaned back against the windowsill. "If I'm the princess, what does that make you David?"
His eyes burned as he watched her. "Royal consort? Chief protector?"
"I like the sound of royal consort." She sat down on the bed next to him, leaning back against him.
A warm breeze floated into the room and they both sighed. David laughed. "Man, it's so nice to be some place warm again. How'd you stand winter like that for two years?"
"Lots of heavy sweaters." Lily laughed and turned her head to look at him. "Can we go to the cave now?"
"Sure." He stood up, graceful like a cat and held his arm out for Lily. She slipped her arm in his and they headed downstairs.
The other Boys were opening up the house, opening shutters and windows. Marko had pulled his bike out and put Lily's car in the garage. They looked up when Lily and David came down the stairs.
"We're going to the cave." David told them. They headed out to their bikes. Lily climbed on the back of David's bike and he started up, speeding off down the driveway.
***
The Boys hadn't cleaned the cave since they came back and everything was coated in a layer of dust. Still, Lily was happy to be truly home at last.
"Man, you guys need to clean." Lily wiped her hand over the stones of the fountain. "This is bad."
"Hey! Wendy never made her Lost Boys clean." Paul protested.
Lily laughed. "Oh yes she did. And that's beside the point. I'm not Wendy."
David scooped Lily into his arms and spun them around. "I'm glad you're not Wendy. I might feel guilty about doing this." He set her back on her feet and kissed her thoroughly.
"Well, I'm jealous." She heard Paul remark but ignored him. David lifted her up and carried her to her bedroom.
Marko looked at Paul and Dwayne. "Think they even remember we're here?"
Dwayne gave a half smile. "You know how David is where the Princess is concerned."
"Come on, let's go clear the dust out of our room. I don't sleep good when it's dusty." Paul said, heading for their room. "Reminds me of being dead."
***
Lily stretched and rolled over. David was sleeping flat on his back, looking younger than she remembered. She crawled over and straddled his waist, resting her forearms on his chest.
She ran her finger down his nose and traced his lips but he didn't stir. With a yawn, she wondered what time it was. "Only one way to find out." She muttered to herself, sliding off his body. She grabbed her silk robe and put it on before heading out into the main cave.
A narrow line of sunlight was visible in the entrance way and she climbed the rough steps to the outside. Her rock was bathed in sunlight and she sat down for a few minutes on the warm rock. Judging by the height of the sun in the sky, Lily guessed it was early afternoon. The sparkles coming off the ocean made her squint and before long, Lily developed a headache and went back
inside.
She padded across the main room and back into her bedroom. David was still asleep and she shed her robe and crawled back into bed. Her arm went around his waist and she was quickly asleep.
***
The next evening, the clan sprawled around the main room of the cave. Lily and David were trying to puzzle out how the Boys could have come back.
"I just don't understand. It makes me nervous, not knowing what happened." Lily explained.
David nodded. "Yeah, I know. We need to find out who brought us back. And why."
"I did."
The voice made them all turn. A slight young woman stood at the top of the rock stairs to the cave. She was wearing dark pants and a dark shirt. Pale blond hair cascaded down her back and she stared straight ahead.
"Would one of you help me down? I'm afraid if I try I'll fall." Her voice was quiet but carried easily through the cave. Paul jumped up and ran up the steps.
"It's a little tricky. Hold onto my arm." He said as he helped her down to the cave floor. Her pale blue eyes kept looking straight ahead, never wavering.
"You're blind." David said as they approached.
"All my life." She turned toward his voice. "My name is Madigan. I'm the one who brought you back."
"Why? I mean, how?" Lily asked.
Madigan turned toward her. "You're the halfling. They brought you back here." It wasn't a question. Somehow this strange girl knew about Lily. "I thought they might. I was hoping they wouldn't. This will complicate things."
"How do you know this stuff?" Marko asked.
David held up his hand. "Why don't you sit down and you can explain everything." He suggested.
Paul helped Madigan to the couch and sat beside her. She inclined her head for a moment. "There are five of you, aren't there?"
"Yeah." Dwayne answered from his spot near Lily.
"That's what I thought. I'm not sure where to start." Madigan said. "You know I can't see, but I'm not blind. I have the Sight. Sometimes it's almost like being able to see for real. And sometimes it shows me things."
"What kind of things?" David asked.
"The spell that would bring back the Lost Boys. Where your ashes were."
Lily chewed on her lip. "Why?"
"There's an evil that lives Santa Carla. It came the year after you were killed. I was shown the way to bring you back so you can stop it." Madigan explained in her quiet voice.
David laughed and the others laughed with him. "She wants us to save Santa Carla."
Paul looked at the girl next to him. "You do realize we were responsible for most of the disappearances in this town?"
Madigan nodded. "This evil, it doesn't kill its victims. It turns them into zombies. Slaves. Destroys their minds so they can only think of being with their master. You didn't do that."
They sat silently, thinking on what the strange girl had said. Finally, Lily spoke up.
"This is our town. Santa Carla is Lost Boys' territory."
David nodded. "Then we'll take it back. What is this evil?" He asked Madigan.
"It's a vampire pack. They call themselves Malvagità ." Her watch beeped and Madigan got to her feet. "I have to go."
David grabbed her arm. "You can't go."
As if she could see him, her eyes met David's. "Why?"
"We don't know who you are. You could be a spy for this pack."
Paul jumped up. "David, come on. Does she look like a spy to you?"
"That's exactly why they'd send her."
"You can't keep me here." Madigan said in soft voice that was full of challenge.
David bristled. "Try and stop me."
Lily jumped up and inserted herself between David and Madigan. "David, will you cut out this macho bullshit? This is what started everything with Michael. Or did you forget?"
David turned furious eyes on Lily. "Want to fight me for leadership little girl?"
Lily took a step back. "What is wrong with you? Did you suddenly go insane?"
"David, lay off her. Lily is just trying to keep you from making a mistake." Dwayne stepped forward to Lily's defense.
"Yeah, David. Calm down." Paul pulled Madigan back from the confrontation.
"I shouldn't have come. I'm messing everything up." Madigan said softly, backing away.
They all stopped and looked at her. Marko spoke up. "What do you mean?"
"The vision warned me not to come to you. But I couldn't just leave you without any warning of what's to come." Madigan felt someone take her hand. After a moment she realized it was Paul. "I've set events in motion. There's nothing that can be done now. Either you'll stop them or you won't." She inclined her head toward David. "I'll stay. But only because I can't possibly
do anymore damage than I already have." She turned around and made her way over to the stone steps. "If you need me, I'll be outside."
The vampires watched as she methodically climbed the rocks, never making a wrong step. Paul slowly followed her outside. Lily turned to David after she disappeared from sight.
"Do you feel like we've got a hell of a lot more questions now than when we started?" She chewed on her lower lip nervously.
"Home." Lily sighed, watching the moonlight on the ocean. "Then we can go to the cave."
"Okay. We're going to the house Boys." He called back to the others. "We'll follow you princess."
She pulled back out onto the familiar road, heading toward her house. The scar on her chest twinged as she turned up the winding ocean road and into the driveway.
The house was just as she'd left it. She had arranged for someone to come and take care of the grounds and it looked as though she had never left. Slowly, Lily got out of the car and stared at the closed up house.
David pulled up along side her, the other boys behind him. "Hasn't changed."
She glanced at him. "No." Watching the boys get off their bikes reminded her of something. "Oh, Marko, your bike. It's in here." She gestured at the garage. "I borrowed it."
The smaller vampire looked relieved. "We thought some kid stole it." He caught the key she tossed him and opened the garage door.
Lily let them into the house. A thick layer of dust had settled over everything while she was gone. She flipped a nearby light switch but nothing happened.
"Gotta get the electricity turned on." She mumbled as she made her way inside. David pulled open the curtains in the living room, letting in the moonlight. She climbed the stairs to the second floor, opening doors as she went and continued up to her bedroom on the third floor.
Lily dropped her bag on the floor and walked over to the windows. She threw open the window wide, letting in the warm night air to chase out the staleness in the room.
"Good to be home?"
Lily whirled around, a hand to her chest. David was leaning against the doorframe. "David, you scared me."
He stepped into the room. "The princess comes back to her kingdom." He smirked and lounged back on her bed, sending a cloud of dust into the air. "Need to clean this place."
She leaned back against the windowsill. "If I'm the princess, what does that make you David?"
His eyes burned as he watched her. "Royal consort? Chief protector?"
"I like the sound of royal consort." She sat down on the bed next to him, leaning back against him.
A warm breeze floated into the room and they both sighed. David laughed. "Man, it's so nice to be some place warm again. How'd you stand winter like that for two years?"
"Lots of heavy sweaters." Lily laughed and turned her head to look at him. "Can we go to the cave now?"
"Sure." He stood up, graceful like a cat and held his arm out for Lily. She slipped her arm in his and they headed downstairs.
The other Boys were opening up the house, opening shutters and windows. Marko had pulled his bike out and put Lily's car in the garage. They looked up when Lily and David came down the stairs.
"We're going to the cave." David told them. They headed out to their bikes. Lily climbed on the back of David's bike and he started up, speeding off down the driveway.
***
The Boys hadn't cleaned the cave since they came back and everything was coated in a layer of dust. Still, Lily was happy to be truly home at last.
"Man, you guys need to clean." Lily wiped her hand over the stones of the fountain. "This is bad."
"Hey! Wendy never made her Lost Boys clean." Paul protested.
Lily laughed. "Oh yes she did. And that's beside the point. I'm not Wendy."
David scooped Lily into his arms and spun them around. "I'm glad you're not Wendy. I might feel guilty about doing this." He set her back on her feet and kissed her thoroughly.
"Well, I'm jealous." She heard Paul remark but ignored him. David lifted her up and carried her to her bedroom.
Marko looked at Paul and Dwayne. "Think they even remember we're here?"
Dwayne gave a half smile. "You know how David is where the Princess is concerned."
"Come on, let's go clear the dust out of our room. I don't sleep good when it's dusty." Paul said, heading for their room. "Reminds me of being dead."
***
Lily stretched and rolled over. David was sleeping flat on his back, looking younger than she remembered. She crawled over and straddled his waist, resting her forearms on his chest.
She ran her finger down his nose and traced his lips but he didn't stir. With a yawn, she wondered what time it was. "Only one way to find out." She muttered to herself, sliding off his body. She grabbed her silk robe and put it on before heading out into the main cave.
A narrow line of sunlight was visible in the entrance way and she climbed the rough steps to the outside. Her rock was bathed in sunlight and she sat down for a few minutes on the warm rock. Judging by the height of the sun in the sky, Lily guessed it was early afternoon. The sparkles coming off the ocean made her squint and before long, Lily developed a headache and went back
inside.
She padded across the main room and back into her bedroom. David was still asleep and she shed her robe and crawled back into bed. Her arm went around his waist and she was quickly asleep.
***
The next evening, the clan sprawled around the main room of the cave. Lily and David were trying to puzzle out how the Boys could have come back.
"I just don't understand. It makes me nervous, not knowing what happened." Lily explained.
David nodded. "Yeah, I know. We need to find out who brought us back. And why."
"I did."
The voice made them all turn. A slight young woman stood at the top of the rock stairs to the cave. She was wearing dark pants and a dark shirt. Pale blond hair cascaded down her back and she stared straight ahead.
"Would one of you help me down? I'm afraid if I try I'll fall." Her voice was quiet but carried easily through the cave. Paul jumped up and ran up the steps.
"It's a little tricky. Hold onto my arm." He said as he helped her down to the cave floor. Her pale blue eyes kept looking straight ahead, never wavering.
"You're blind." David said as they approached.
"All my life." She turned toward his voice. "My name is Madigan. I'm the one who brought you back."
"Why? I mean, how?" Lily asked.
Madigan turned toward her. "You're the halfling. They brought you back here." It wasn't a question. Somehow this strange girl knew about Lily. "I thought they might. I was hoping they wouldn't. This will complicate things."
"How do you know this stuff?" Marko asked.
David held up his hand. "Why don't you sit down and you can explain everything." He suggested.
Paul helped Madigan to the couch and sat beside her. She inclined her head for a moment. "There are five of you, aren't there?"
"Yeah." Dwayne answered from his spot near Lily.
"That's what I thought. I'm not sure where to start." Madigan said. "You know I can't see, but I'm not blind. I have the Sight. Sometimes it's almost like being able to see for real. And sometimes it shows me things."
"What kind of things?" David asked.
"The spell that would bring back the Lost Boys. Where your ashes were."
Lily chewed on her lip. "Why?"
"There's an evil that lives Santa Carla. It came the year after you were killed. I was shown the way to bring you back so you can stop it." Madigan explained in her quiet voice.
David laughed and the others laughed with him. "She wants us to save Santa Carla."
Paul looked at the girl next to him. "You do realize we were responsible for most of the disappearances in this town?"
Madigan nodded. "This evil, it doesn't kill its victims. It turns them into zombies. Slaves. Destroys their minds so they can only think of being with their master. You didn't do that."
They sat silently, thinking on what the strange girl had said. Finally, Lily spoke up.
"This is our town. Santa Carla is Lost Boys' territory."
David nodded. "Then we'll take it back. What is this evil?" He asked Madigan.
"It's a vampire pack. They call themselves Malvagità ." Her watch beeped and Madigan got to her feet. "I have to go."
David grabbed her arm. "You can't go."
As if she could see him, her eyes met David's. "Why?"
"We don't know who you are. You could be a spy for this pack."
Paul jumped up. "David, come on. Does she look like a spy to you?"
"That's exactly why they'd send her."
"You can't keep me here." Madigan said in soft voice that was full of challenge.
David bristled. "Try and stop me."
Lily jumped up and inserted herself between David and Madigan. "David, will you cut out this macho bullshit? This is what started everything with Michael. Or did you forget?"
David turned furious eyes on Lily. "Want to fight me for leadership little girl?"
Lily took a step back. "What is wrong with you? Did you suddenly go insane?"
"David, lay off her. Lily is just trying to keep you from making a mistake." Dwayne stepped forward to Lily's defense.
"Yeah, David. Calm down." Paul pulled Madigan back from the confrontation.
"I shouldn't have come. I'm messing everything up." Madigan said softly, backing away.
They all stopped and looked at her. Marko spoke up. "What do you mean?"
"The vision warned me not to come to you. But I couldn't just leave you without any warning of what's to come." Madigan felt someone take her hand. After a moment she realized it was Paul. "I've set events in motion. There's nothing that can be done now. Either you'll stop them or you won't." She inclined her head toward David. "I'll stay. But only because I can't possibly
do anymore damage than I already have." She turned around and made her way over to the stone steps. "If you need me, I'll be outside."
The vampires watched as she methodically climbed the rocks, never making a wrong step. Paul slowly followed her outside. Lily turned to David after she disappeared from sight.
"Do you feel like we've got a hell of a lot more questions now than when we started?" She chewed on her lower lip nervously.