Marko Powell sat on the beach, in his good suit, staring out at the setting sun. The waves lolling in and out, lapping at the sand. Ever moving, ever changing, ever carrying on.

A guy wasn't suppose to bury his best bud at 17.

I could read your thoughts
Tell you what you saw
And never say a word
Now all that is gone
Over with and done - never to return

Oh sure, he knew it had to have happened before. But it wasn't suppose to happen to him and Jackson. Especially not during their favorite pastime: Surfing. Oh it had been a glorious day, the breakers were strong and steady... if they had just not gone out so far. Marko cursed himself; he'd always been the one who played it safe and stayed well within the limits of the beach, knowing what lay farther out was pretty uncharted. Rocks just below the surface, rip tides, driftwood coming in from sea after storms.

And of all days he had picked to play on the edge. Jackson was gone.

I can't tell you why
People die alone

No one blamed Marko. Jackson had willingly gone with him. It was just an accident. One that probably could have been prevented, but hindsight is always twenty-twenty.

I can tell you I'm
A shadow of the sun

And so Marko sat, getting sand in his good dress pants, staring out at the water that had taken his best friend in the world. He dug his bare toes in the sand, seeking out the last of the warmth, a slight breeze building up. A storm was coming in, still far off the coast. The sun sank lower, drowning beneath the Pacific.

Staring at the loss
Looking for a cause

It was dark when he heard the sound of steps on the sand. It was a soft noise, but considering there was no one else near him for a good distance, it carried enough to be heard. Plus there was the matter of his personal space being invaded.

"Hello." The voice was low, gravelly from too many cigarettes.

"Look, I'm sorta in the mood to be alone. No offense or anything..." Marko felt snappish. He turned his head; his long blonde curls sliding back over his shoulder. The tall bleached blonde guy looked like the Grim Reaper in that oversized trench coat. "Oh wait, am I dead? Is this where you tell me I drowned and Jackson didn't?"

The other guy raised a brow slowly, clearly not sure what Marko was speaking of. "Oh, the trench coat. Sorry, not the Reaper. Close, but no cigar."

"What do you mean?" Marko was the confused one now.

"Mind if I smoke?"

"No."

David lit a cigarette. "I'm sorry about this Jackson guy. Can't say I knew him."

"He was my best bud." Marko turned back to the ocean.

And never really sure
Nothing but a hole

"Ah." David nodded. "Sorry, dude."

Marko brushed at his face with a sleeve. Stupid tears, it was a bad time to show up now! Why not at the funeral? That would have been a more appropriate time, instead of this weirdo Goth guy.

To live without a soul
And nothing to be learned

David sat on the sand, far enough away not to freak out Marko, but close enough to be heard over the wind. That is, after a long bit of silence.

"How old was he?"

"17. Same as me."

"Sad."

"Yeah."

More silence. David had gone through two more smokes before Marko piped up. "You know, why are you here? I told you, I was in the mood to be alone."

"Oh. Well I came to ask you a question, really." David folded his gloved hands in his lap. Marko just stared at him. "Have you ever read Peter Pan?"

"Oh gees, you're that weirdo who's been hanging around the Boardwalk, asking people if they know about the Lost Boys from Peter Pan, aren't you!" Marko threw his hands in the air and rolled his eyes.

"I'm that well known already?"

"Well it is really creepy, dude... a guy your age into a kid's story book..."

I can tell you why
People go insane
I can show you how
You could do the same

"Creepy?"

"Yeah, creepy." Marko rolled his eyes again. Clearly this guy had a loose screw.

David was silent a moment, lips pursed. "Tell me why."

"Why what? Why it's creepy?" David nodded. "Well... I dunno. I mean, from what I've heard you talk about staying young forever and never playing by the rules, making your own rules and stuff."

"What's creepy about that?"

"Well... uh..." Marko trailed off. He really didn't have an answer. "I guess it's cuz we're all gonna grow up eventually, be adults, be productive in society."

"Sure. Most of you are. I'm not."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

David shifted a bit. "It would be really easier to show you. I mean words really can't do it justice anymore. I'm kind of a visual guy."

Marko smirked. "What guy isn't?"

"Shut up."

"Hey, you came to me, not the other way around."

"Fine, sorry. Really. Do you want to see what I'm talking about or not?"

I can tell you why
The end will never come

Marko sighed. There wasn't really anything left to do here. He couldn't say goodbye, nor did he have it in his heart to sit and mourn the rest of his life. Jackson would want him to live life.

"Okay. Show me."

"Not here."

"Where then?"

"It's just a little ways out, not far."

"My bike's up at the Boardwalk. Will I need it?"

"Yeah. Mine's up there too."

Marko rose, dusting off the sand from his pants. Shouldering his suit jacket, he studied David. "What was your name again?"

"David."

"Marko."

"A pleasure Marko. You won't regret this."

I can tell you I'm
A shadow on the sun

"We'll see about that. Hey dude, what'd you have done to your teeth? They look wicked!"