Ruby finally rose, giving up on staring at the door and hoping the Boys were still outside of it. Going into the bathroom that was smaller then a closet, she'd turned the taps on full blast and escaped to the blessedly hot water. The dirt and dust of the bike ride up the hill washed away, down the stainless steel grate in the floor. The lather of the soap smoothed over her skin, along her arms and legs. Ruby noticed the dried blood from where she'd scrapped her knee. Scrubbing at it, to get a good look at the wound, she found none. No trace of injury. Ruby frowned.
Stepping from the shower, her thick mane of hair dripping on the tiled floor, Ruby looked at herself in the mirror. She felt like she was looking at herself for the first time, as though her eyes had been opened.
"God, I feel like Eve must have after eating the apple." She chuckled darkly, wrapping a towel around herself and another around her hair. She exited the bathroom, digging through the suitcase that held her clothes. She hadn't been able to buy any furniture yet, and she really felt like she didn't need any. Not much would fit into the tiny apartment to begin with. Her bed was really a fold out couch. A tiny black and white TV sat on a milk crate, and her collection of books served as a table for the tape player radio she'd found in an alley two weeks ago. It gave the whole image that she didn't stay in one place too long. Lately, that was true.
Dressing for the night, she picked out her old velvet skirt her mom had made her. Made from patches and strips of velvet, it was a gypsy-like idea, but much warmer then lace and satins. It hung nice and low on her hips too, which was a plus.
"My god, am I dressing up for these guys?" she laughed out loud to herself. "It's like I'm trying to look sexy and single. Well, the single part is covered."
A coin belt from India went on over the velvet skirt, the gold coins clinking softly in the breeze from the window. A black leather vest, a Christmas present from her Aunt in Texas, came last. It was a bit small now, but it served as a daring little top. The pointed ends of the vest reminded her of the fangs she'd seen the night before and a shudder was repressed.
Glancing in the dingy bathroom mirror, she realized she was really going for sexy gypsy girl. Chewing her lip, she brushed part of her hair and pinned it back with a black comb studded with emeralds in an ivy pattern. Her hair was red-orange, like embers in a fire. The ends she had dyed black, in an experiment with hair dye one night. Her locks hung nearly to her hips now. The ends brushed the top of the coin belt, which she had pulled on, to tilt it at an angle on her hip.
It was nearly two in the afternoon before she felt she was ready to see them again. Pushing the bed back into the couch form, she'd sat down with a book she'd bought from a thrift shop on the way down to LA and put on her Gary Numan tape. The sunlight swept slowly across the floor, marking the passage of time, but Ruby was so engrossed in her book she barely noticed.
The neon signed of the hotel across the street came on, shinning through the tiny window. Ruby leaned over and looked at her watch. 7pm.
"Come on, set already." She glowered at the last rays of the sun. It was taking forever. In exasperation, she laid on the couch, stretched along the hard cushion, bare feet hanging over the end.
Then there was a knock at the door. Ruby's eyes flew to the door, its paint peeling and chipping. Another knock. She rose, pulled to the door by invisible strings. The chain removed, the dead bolt pulled back.
"Hey girl." Paul grinned. He was in front of Marko, who leaned a bit to the side to grin at Ruby.
"Hi Ruby." He smiled. Dwayne nodded, standing somewhere near the back of the group.
"So you did come back." Ruby kidded. She felt safe again, free around them.
"Well yeah. And may I be the first to say you look incredibly hot in that vest." Paul couldn't help but lick his lips. Marko drove an elbow to his friend's side. "Hey! I meant it entirely as a compliment!" Paul cried, looking at Marko. Marko rolled his eyes.
"Are you going to invite us in?" Dwayne asked, his voice low.
"I have to? Don't you guys know you're welcome already? I mean, you sort of brought me home last night…" Ruby frowned.
"It's a rule. Or our curse." David appeared, the boys parting around him. "We had to ask your permission last night. You don't remember, of course."
"Oh. Well, you're invited." Ruby stepped back, letting the Boys enter. David parked himself on the couch, while Dwayne went to the window. Paul disappeared into the tiny kitchenette, digging around for drinks. As Ruby shut the door and turned around, she nearly walked smack into Marko. He had his customary Cheshire grin.
"I'm sorry." She mumbled. Her cheeks were hot with a blush. He was still grinning, and staring.
"It's ok."
David pulled a pack of smokes from his trench coat, lighting one and handing the rest to Dwayne, who had taken up a perch on the couch's arm. "Marko's become quite the shadow, hasn't he, Dwayne?" he smirked. Marko instantly pouted, glaring at his friends. Dwayne smirked, but didn't reply.
"So, when are you going to tell me?" Ruby asked David.
"Patience." Was his only reply.
"She's got nothing to drink!" Paul complained loudly, coming back empty handed. "Where's the beer? Or at least some Coke or something!"
Ruby hadn't thought of that. She sighed, because she would have gotten something for her guests, if she'd had some money. Bad enough rent was due in another week and she didn't know how she was going to pay that.
"We'll get 'drinks' later, Paul." David silenced his lieutenant with a look, turning to Ruby. "You'd better sit down."
Ruby complied, sitting on the floor against the wall. As she reached to pull a wrinkle from her skirt, she found Marko sitting a few feet from her. She blinked, startled.
"Jeez, Marko. Could you be any more obvious?" Paul laughed, having found a half-empty box of Fruit Loops in the cupboard. He was pawing through it, eating what he could dig up.
"Shut up, Paul." Marko grumbled, moving a few feet back from Ruby. Ruby looked between Paul and Marko, then up at David. David was ignoring the whole thing.
"So, our story. Well, you already know we're vampires. I came from Minnesota, Paul from New Jersey, Dwayne from Arizona, and Marko from..."
"California." Marko finished with a grin. Ruby's head turned hard, staring at him.
"California. So, some how or other we all ended up in Santa Cruz. I was already a vampire, as was Dwayne. Different gangs, you see."
"Gangs?" Ruby asked. "Don't you mean clans or something?"
"Vampiric myth." Dwayne answered her. He shook his head with a short laugh, leaning back against the wall.
"Gangs are what we typically call a pack or a group of vampires." David continued. "We're called The Lost Boys."
"Peter Pan reference." Dwayne added again. David shot him a look, then turned back to Ruby.
"The boys who never grew up." Ruby whispered softly. She looked around at the Boys. None of them were over 23. Dwayne looked to be the oldest, and Marko the youngest.
"Marko and Paul had come to Santa Cruz for a vacation. They were friends before they met us." David went on. "We met, ironically, at the Boardwalk. Dwayne and I recognized each other as vampires, and these other losers were being the typical troublemakers that they are and had gotten thrown off the Boardwalk. Dwayne and I followed, and I took them back to our home. We liked them from the beginning."
"So then we became vampires, and the party's never stopped." Paul laughed. David grinned, Dwayne chuckled, and Marko... was still staring at Ruby.
"How..." Ruby could only ask. David sighed, thinking. The others were quiet.
"In time, you'll find out. Knowing now will only bring problems you don't want." David finally explained. Ruby thought back to her Eve and the apple comment. How true was that right now…
"So what do you want from me?" Ruby shattered the silence.
"We revenged your brother's death. Austin and his gang are totally wiped off the face of the earth. Never saw it coming." David replied, leaning forward. "I know you didn't have any idea about what we'd done, never expected to see vampires again. But I believe you'd feel obligated to do something in return..."
"No. I don't." Ruby said bluntly. "You waltz into my life, and ask… no, you tell me I'm going to repay you. Why should I? I never asked you to revenge Jeremy."
David leaned back, his face blank. The other three Boys shared glances - this wasn't going the way they'd planned.
"Um, maybe she's right." Marko said softly. He got a glare from David and bowed his head.
"I am right." Ruby stood up. "I don't owe any of you anything. I should honestly want nothing to do with you." Her statement brought a soft gasp from Marko and looks from Paul and Dwayne.
"I forget. Humans don't understand our rules." David said flatly.
"Yeah that's right. I'm human." Ruby countered. She had her hands on her hips.
"David…" Paul said softly, looking between the girl and his leader. Talk about butting heads here. Paul waited for David to go into fang and just take her out. But it didn't happen.
"Fine, Ruby. You want it this way, you can have it." David rose, a good half a foot taller then the red-haired girl. "I'll erase all memories of us, of the vampires that killed your brother."
"I don't want that."
"It has to be." David advanced.
"David, wait." Marko stood up, stepping slightly between Ruby and his leader. David's eyes grew dark. "Maybe... if you told her the story, first? Before demanding she help?"
"I agree." Dwayne voiced his opinion. Paul nodded.
"You're all soft." David growled, then sighed. He looked at Ruby. "Will it help if we tell you story?"
"I'd like to hear it." Ruby admitted. David nodded and returned to his seat. Ruby sat back on the floor, smiling at Marko. He grinned back at her.
"How I love hearing about myself." Paul laughed, settling down on the couch, arms behind his head. Dwayne took up perch on the windowsill.
"We live in a cave in Santa Cruz. It was a hotel in 1906. They weren't as knowledgeable about fault lines and all that back then, and mistakenly built it on the San Andreas. And then the great earthquake hit and the hotel basically slid down the cliff face into the crack that opened up." David leaned back in his seat, his eyes seeming to gaze off somewhere Ruby couldn't see.
"So it's a big hotel cave?"
"Complete with elevator, fountain, and furniture!" Paul grinned.
"Neither the elevator or the fountain work." Dwayne chuckled.
"So we've built a comfortable haven for ourselves in the condemned tunnels and caves. It's not far from the Boardwalk, where we go to hunt and basically hang out." David continued.
"Hunt. You mean kill. Kill people." Ruby said bitterly.
"Look at it this way, Ruby. You eat food to live?" Marko answered before David could. "Well, hunting is how we live. You see chickens and cows and know they're going to be on your plate one day. That's how we see most people. Life source."
"How can you condemn when you've never walked in our boots?" David smiled. Ruby's brow furrowed, thinking about what Marko had said. "Perhaps one day you will understand. But this subject is for another time."
"Yeah! Get to us already!" Paul laughed, kicking his boots impatiently on the couch. David rolled his eyes and looked back at Ruby.
"So, we live in harmony with the city, taking prey from among every class. We're not picky. The city is charmed, woven with magic to protect the citizens from prying too much into our lives. No one comes out on the bluff anymore, as the lighthouse was de-commissioned years before we arrived, so our haven is protected. We've lived freely, safely. There's been no trouble, no unrest for years."
"In other words, bor-ring!" Paul cackled. Dwayne and Marko laughed.
"As Paul eloquently put it, it's not that exciting. Which is suitable for me, but these guys want to liven it up." David smiled. "So we started to make a legend, spreading it through the teenagers that inhabit Santa Cruz. Of vampires, and various myths about them."
"So, it's not really a true legend then." Ruby concluded. David nodded.
"It's a controlled legend. We put in what we want and squash anything that might bring people looking for us or might alert religious fanatics. We haven't had any close calls yet, but it's only been two years."
"So you want to write a script and get a film made? Wouldn't that bring things up you didn't want?" Ruby tilted her head to the side. She felt a tug on her hair, and turned, finding that Marko had taken a plait and begun to braid it. He grinned sheepishly, pausing.
"God, Marko." Paul smirked. Marko frowned and started to undo his work.
"You can continue, Marko." Ruby smiled softly. Marko's childish grin returned and he repaired what had been undone, continuing. She turned back to David and the others, found them staring. "What?"
"Nothing." David laughed a short wicked laugh. Dwayne chuckled, and Paul cackled. "But yes, we were hoping to get a movie made. Teenagers will flock to it. They like horror nonsense. And it would be nice to have money from royalties."
"So what is the full 'legend'? What did you come up with?" Ruby couldn't help it. She wanted to know. And besides, it would give Marko more time to play with her hair, which she was secretly enjoying.
"Basically, it's the story of a guy and his family who move to Santa Cruz and he falls in love with the girl who's joined up with us. And he wants the girl and he's forced to join us to be with her. But there's a side story about how the 'head vampire' wants the guy's mom for his bride. And so, basically it follows the war between us and the humans and we end up dying." David summarized.
"Dying?"
"Yeah. Can't have vampires walking around now winning, can you?" Dwayne smirked, grinning at Ruby.
"Dying. So, the guy gets the girl and lives happily ever after?"
David nodded. "In some form, yes. I only gave you the short version. We don't have all the details filled out."
"Oh. It's a interesting tale." Ruby smiled. "It would be a cool movie."
"Thank you." David smiled back. "So now, where do you stand? I don't want to force things, but we don't have a lot of time left here in LA."
Ruby looked around at each of the Boys. Dwayne was silent, blank-faced. His eyes were dark, and Ruby thought they held a hint of hope. Paul was silent too, his expression expectant. Ruby turned her gaze to David, whose blue eyes were soft, waiting. She turned to look at Marko. He looked back, his eyes hope filled. He'd put half a dozen braids in her hair, a few decorated with string. She met his gaze, and realized this was a ticket to what she wanted, needed.
"So how do you guys need my help?" Ruby smiled, still looking at Marko. David grinned, and Paul howled happily, sharing high fives with Dwayne. Marko grabbed Ruby up in a tight hug, then eeped and let her go, blushing a little.
"You understand movie process, scripts?" David asked. Ruby nodded, turning to look at him. She was startled by Marko's hug. "And you write, yeah?"
"Never more then fiction." Ruby replied.
"This is fiction, so it will work perfectly." David grinned, then grew serious. "You have to make a choice now, Ruby. You have to come with us to Santa Cruz. To live with us. This is where we either stay with you or we part ways."
Ruby looked around her shabby dingy apartment. There was nothing here for her, nothing in LA that she really wanted. She couldn't go home; it had never been the same after Jeremy died. She had no money and few possessions.
"We'll take care of you Ruby. Provide whatever you need." David assured softly. Ruby knew he and the Boys meant it.
"Then yes. I'll come to Santa Cruz." Ruby smiled softly at the leader of the Lost Boys. He returned the smile.
"We'll be back at sundown to collect you." David said, rising with fluid grace. "For the night, though, I think Dwayne should stay with you."
"But..." Marko's protest died in his throat.
"Dwayne?" Paul made a face and stuck out his tongue. Dwayne punched his shoulder.
Ruby nodded, rising from the floor and going to the door. "Okay." She pulled off the chain and undid the deadbolt.
"It's only a safety precaution. You know a lot now, more then any human. And our presence is known in town. It's only wise to leave you with a protector." David smiled at her, reassuringly. He smoothed her cheek with a gloved thumb, a chaste kiss pressed to her cheek. "Thank you. You will not regret this."
"Thank you." Ruby whispered. She knew David could tell by her tone that she was grateful; grateful for the revenge the Lost Boys had gotten in her brother's name. Grateful to be helping them, grateful to just know them. David nodded and was out the door. Paul followed, sly grin on his face.
"Night girly. Don't do anything I wouldn't. And keep an eye on Dwayne's hands at all times."
"Goodnight, Paul." Ruby smirked. Paul strutted out the door. Marko came up, his expression blank, his eyes pained.
"I'll see you tomorrow night, Ruby." He sighed softly. "Dwayne will take good care of you."
"I'm sure he will." Ruby smiled at Marko, turning and smiling at Dwayne.
"Yeah." Marko pulled at his glove. He moved to the door, then stopped. A quick kiss placed gently on Ruby's lips and out into the night before she could speak. Ruby slowly shut the door behind the three. Turning, she saw Dwayne smiling.
"He's got it bad."
"Got what bad?"
Dwayne smirked. "You can't tell?" Ruby blushed. "Yeah you do. No fooling me, girl."
"No one's ever felt...that way about me." Ruby mumbled, gaze dropping to her bare feet.
"Marko does. Our little Marko." Dwayne laughed, hopping down from the windowsill. Ruby stared up at him. "I'm not going to bother teasing you all day about it. That's Paul's job anyway. But I want something to drink."
"I have nothing in the house..." Ruby was grateful for a subject change. Then she paused. "Unless you mean blood."
"No, I fed before we came. David had informed me then I was going to spend the day over here." He stretched, and Ruby caught herself staring at his bare chest. She blinked and looked away, hoping that was a decent recovery.
"Oh. Well there's a 7-11 down on the corner."
"Sounds good. Let's go." Dwayne headed out the door, grabbing Ruby's hand and towing her along.