DISCLAIMER: Everything you recognise belongs to Warner Bros., Joel Schumacher, Janice Fischer, James Jeremias and Jeffrey Boam. Everything else is mine.
Rated 'M' for strong language and vampire stuff.
Heathens
Three days. It had been three days since Remy last saw the Lost Boys. Not that she was intentionally keeping track or anything, but it was hard not to notice when Belteshazzar was consistently asking for updates on them. She had finally snapped at him last night.
Part of the reason why she was so on edge was because, despite not seeing the boys since that disaster of a night, she could still feel that she was being watched. Every night, without fail, she'd sense eyes on her the minute the sun went down. It made her extra cautious about everything. She avoided talking to people unless it was absolutely necessary and hadn't used her magic at all outside of the evening's big top act. The only places she felt safe were in her trailer and in the backstage area of the big top, places that were not open to the public. This only strengthened her belief that the stare she could feel was vampiric in nature. And she couldn't shake the feeling that this was all very familiar. She was certain that she had experienced this before, being under constant observation – studied. But she couldn't remember exactly when it was she had felt it.
In the hundred or so years since Belteshazzar had saved her life, Remy had only met a handful of other bloodsuckers. Two had been strays, accidentally turned and left to fend for themselves. The others had been part of a pack in Paris that Belteshazzar had reluctantly introduced her to only because their leader had threatened to have them both killed if he'd refused. But Remy was almost sure that none of those previous encounters felt anything like this, like perpetually being under a microscope. Each of these meetings had ended up with the both of them having to fight for their lives and taught Remy that vampires were horrendously territorial bastards that couldn't be trusted. Heck, she wasn't even sure she trusted Belteshazzar half the time and, if it weren't for their blood bond, she certainly wouldn't turn her back on him.
Theirs was a strange and twisted sort of relationship. Saviour, dependent, part-time lovers when the bloodlust had them in its grip; they were the closest thing to family the other had. They would, and had, killed for each other. Yet there were times when Remy was certain she hated him. And his pestering wasn't exactly endearing him to her at the moment.
But Belteshazzar was making himself scarce tonight. In fact, he had taken pains not to be seen in public with her outside of their big top act. He was being watched too, he'd explained, and hadn't wanted their stalker to associate them to each other any more than was necessary. Remy suspected it was actually because he personally knew the head vampire of Santa Carla and, for whatever reason, didn't want to see him face to face yet. It would explain why he'd changed his bit in the act so he wouldn't have to remove his top hat, letting it cast shadows across his face. She had asked him about it, but he'd hedged all her questions.
Tonight was not a show night. The daredevils and the Globe of Death had the big top and Remy was on her little section of the main drag, entertaining customers with her lyra act. The cirque was particularly busy, the tinny fairground music that drifted out from hidden speakers weaving their own brand of magic into luring people towards the sideshow tents and stages. A sizeable crowd had gathered around her stage, oohing and aahing as she hung from her aerial hoop – spinning; twisting; balancing on her back; pulling her leg over her head. She was hanging upside down in the splits, her lyra in a dizzying spin, when she caught sight of a familiar shock of blonde hair. Slipping into a neck hang, she pulled her legs back into a backbend before transitioning to hang by her elbows, twisting her legs together to increase her spin. She hung there until the momentum of her hoop started to slow down, at which point she gently dismounted. Her routine finished to thunderous applause and she smiled as she took a small bow. As the crowd started to disperse, she made her way off the stage and towards the Lost Boy, stopping now and then for fans who wanted to take a picture with her. He grinned cheekily at her, thumbs tucked into his belt loops.
"That was pretty cool," said Marko.
Remy was still high on the euphoria that always came with performing and found it surprisingly easy to return his smile. She didn't even mind that much when she caught his eyes trailing down her leotard and over her legs, especially since it seemed more like an unconscious action on his part rather than a deliberate one.
"Thanks." She looked around but couldn't spot the others. "Alone tonight?"
"For now. The others are just grabbing a bite to eat."
Remy quelled the urge to raise a sarcastic brow at that. As far as she knew, they didn't know that she knew what they were.
"I wanted to come by first to check on Leander. How is the kid? You guys kind of disappeared that night."
Remy tried to keep her smile easy and apologetic.
"Yeah. Sorry about that. Lee doesn't do so well around fights."
Marko nodded understandingly.
"You seem to be able to hold your own though. Where did you learn to do that? That thing where you made her dislocate her own shoulder."
Remy laughed.
"I didn't make her do anything. I warned her but she wouldn't listen."
"Has anyone ever?" asked the Lost Boy, genuinely curious.
The smirk she shot him could only be described as impish.
"No," she admitted. "But I tell them exactly what would happen if they don't listen so it's really not my fault."
"Sure, you keep telling yourself that," chuckled Marko. "So is Leander around?"
Remy debated telling Marko where to find him. So far, none of their nightly visitors had connected the half-formed werecat that stalked the stage with their werewolf to the boy that starred in their big top show. But Remy wasn't sure she wanted to risk any of the Lost Boys connecting the dots.
Though the questions that they'd been asking her about the cirque and their acts did make her wonder if they'd ever come across any other supernatural beings aside from their own kind. They wanted to know what the 'trick' was; where were the wires the twins used to lift those elephants over their heads? Did Ignatius use a projector or hidden gas pipes in the floor to make the fire dance? Where were the trapdoors that Belteshazzar used to disappear and reappear? She wondered how they would react to learning that they weren't exactly at the top of the food chain, that there were other creatures out there who were very capable of ripping a vampire limb from limb without even breaking a sweat. She knew it was one of the reasons Belteshazzar had started the cirque; had started collecting oddities of nature and given them a home – he was basically surrounding himself with people who had extraordinary abilities and who felt indebted to him in some way. In short, he had built himself an army that was more or less loyal to him.
And it begged the question – why?
She had so many questions these days and not enough answers. Speaking of which, she needed to give one to Marko who was looking at her expectantly.
"Do you have the time?"
The Lost Boy held out his hands.
"Not really the watch wearing kind of guy. You late for something?"
"No," said Remy as she leaned back against the stage. She proceeded to take her heels off and rub down her calves. "It's just that where Leander is right now would depend on the time."
She wasn't lying either. Like herself, everyone working the main thoroughfare tonight was supposed to do three to four performances. Remy had just finished her last but she also tended to start her act whenever she wanted. Fillin had a fixed schedule for his, which meant that, if it were before ten, he and Leander would still be finishing up their last set.
"Well since neither of us have the time," said Marko, "let's just go look for him."
He trotted off without waiting for Remy's reply, forcing her to follow after him barefooted, her heels carelessly dangling from her fingers. Letting Marko lead the way allowed her to study him. Of all the Lost Boys, he was the one who annoyed her the least – well it was a toss up between him and Dwayne, but it was kind of hard to form an opinion about someone who had yet to talk to her and seemed incapable of demonstrating emotion, whether good or bad. Remy supposed part of the reason she didn't mind Marko so much was because he just seemed so young, so carefree. He reminded her a bit of Leander and Adelphos, kids who needed to be protected. Though Remy knew that the Lost Boy in front of her could fend for himself just fine.
They ran into Paul and Dwayne in front of Jasna's stage. It looked like the sword swallower had just wrapped up her act. She was sitting on the edge of her stage, wiping down her blades and chatting with the other two Lost Boys. To Remy's surprise, Dwayne was actually contributing to the conversation, asking the woman questions about her swords. Paul spotted them first, calling out Remy's name loud enough to cause Jasna to cringe and made several passing people physically jump in surprise.
"Seriously? Is he always like that?" Remy muttered.
"Yup," laughed Marko.
"Hey girl," Jasna greeted, as she put away her last sword. Pulling her natural hair out of the bun she kept it in for shows, it fanned out around her head in an enviable afro as she shot Remy a sly smirk. "Your friends here were just asking about you."
"Were they now?" muttered Remy. "Are they giving you any trouble?"
"Not at all," smiled Jasna. Remy watched in disbelief as the woman reached out and playfully punched Dwayne in the shoulder. The dark haired Lost Boy simply let her. There was even the barest hint of a smile tugging at the corner of his lips. "Dwayne here just wanted to know if I used actual swords or if it was a trick. So I showed him that it was no trick. I just have great oral skills."
Remy barely held back her snort at that. Paul and Marko didn't even bother hiding their snickers whilst Jasna grinned unapologetically.
"So how'd you prove it wasn't a trick?" asked Marko.
Jasna picked up an apple half that Remy hadn't noticed sitting beside the chest she stored her blades in and tossed it to him. Remy snatched it out of the air just as Marko reached for it. She wasn't sure why she did it, but when Marko shot her an incredulous look, she beamed innocently back at him and took a bite out of it. Paul whistled.
"Those are some pretty fast reflexes," he said.
Remy paused mid-chew, wondering if she'd messed up somehow before giving him a careless shrug.
"I have skills," she boasted.
Paul crossed his arms, brows arched sceptically. But the grin he gave her helped to ease her worries. Him crossing his arms did bring her attention to his chest though and what she saw there surprised her. Hidden under his old school, black morning coat and fishnet singlet Remy could just barely make out the presence of healing scars. In fact, she could see faint scratches down Dwayne's neck as well, partially hidden under his hair. Her eyes flickered towards Marko, but the blonde didn't seem to be hiding any healing wounds. Had they gotten into another fight? It must have been serious for it to leave scars that were still healing. Was that why she hadn't seen them around lately?
"Hello? Earth to Remy?"
Jasna was waving a hand in front of her face. Remy shook her head, clearing her thoughts, and gave the other woman a lopsided smile.
"There you are, space cadet," Jasna teased. "What were you thinking about?"
"Nothing."
"Uh huh," said the sword swallower, hardly convinced. "So as I was saying, Paul and Dwayne here have kindly invited me to join them for a quiet, or not so quiet, drink on the beach. They said their friend's gone to invite Genny too. Want to come with?"
This time there was no masking her very obvious hesitation or the suspicious frown that creased her brows. Jasna rolled her eyes and sighed as she reached up to rub her frown away.
"Really now, girl. I know you don't like hanging out with strangers, but Genny and I will be there. And it's not like you don't know these boys. Didn't you hang out with them like two different times several nights ago?"
"Well last time didn't quite work out," Paul admitted. "But yeah, come with us, Remy. I promise we won't bite."
Yeah right.
"Come on, Remy," begged Jasna. "We haven't hung out in ages. Please?"
Remy took another bite out of her apple half as she considered her options. She could let Jasna and Generys drink with the Lost Boys on their own and risk having them become the boys' next meal, though she was fairly certain both women would put up one hell of a fight. She would then have to face the wrath of Belteshazzar who would not only be mad at losing two of his acts but also at the fact that she didn't jump at this golden opportunity to weasel her way closer to the boys and their mysterious leader. Plus Leander would be upset since he considered everyone in the cirque family. Well, apparently she had no options.
"Fine," she replied with a long-suffering sigh.
Jasna squealed in happiness and started to drag her away.
"See you boys out front in ten minutes!" she called over her shoulder.
"Woah, wait! Where are we going?" asked Remy around her half-chewed apple.
"To get changed. Do you really want to get sand in your leotard?"
"I don't want to get sand anywhere," Remy grumbled.
"Cheer up, sad cat," Jasna laughed.
Ten minutes later found Remy in a flowing turquoise dress that Jasna had forced her into. The woman had a penchant for jewel-toned clothing as it complimented her darker skin very well, as evidenced by the bright citrine summer dress she was wearing. Generys and the boys were waiting for them at the entrance to the cirque. And it looked like they had managed to talk someone else into joining them. Suzu, or Suzie as everyone called her, was a petite Japanese girl and their resident contortionist. At just barely seventeen, she was one of the cirque's younger members and her inclusion in the night's activities set Remy's teeth on edge. Not because the girl was shy and impressionable, but because she was the exact opposite. Suzie was as wild and vivacious as Generys and was exactly the kind of girl who'd jump head first into trouble with a vampire. She was laughing at something Paul had said when Remy and Jasna walked up to them.
"Remy!" Suzie greeted loudly, throwing her arms around the other girl's neck. Remy tried not to sneeze as her crimped hair tickled her nose. Suzie smelt of jasmine and exuded vitality and life, just the kind of things that would make her an attractive meal to a bloodsucker. Her overly affectionate and trusting nature would make her easy prey and Remy found herself resolving to keep a watchful eye on the younger girl. "Oh, you look so pretty! You look like Benzaiten! I can't believe Jas managed to talk you into wearing something that actually fits you properly for once."
Suzie's bright disposition was overwhelming; Remy was returning her wide smile without even realising it.
"Benzaiten? What's that?" she asked.
"A water goddess," Suzie replied. "But also a goddess of wisdom, music, arts and love."
Generys threw her head back laughing at that.
"I think you've confused our Remy with someone else, Suzie. Isn't there a Japanese ice princess or something?"
Remy rolled her eyes, though Jasna did protest on her behalf.
"There's Yuki-onna. But Remy is definitely more water goddess than snow woman tonight. And Jasna! You are Amaterasu!"
"What's that?" asked Marko.
"The goddess of the sun!"
"And how about us?" asked David. He was watching them with a lazy smirk on his face that immediately raised Remy's hackles. Suzie shot him a playful grin.
"Oh, you guys are yosei, for sure."
Suzie linked her arm into Remy's, pulling her away and ignoring Paul and Marko's demands for an explanation as to what she had just called them. A quick glance over her shoulder told Remy that the others were following after them. At some point she noted David speaking quietly to Dwayne who then separated from the group, disappearing into the crowd on the boardwalk and taking Marko with him. He caught her watching and quirked a questioning brow, eyes flashing in amusement when she simply frowned back at him.
Their walk towards the beach was leisurely, almost painfully, slow. Suzie and Generys seemed to be distracted by every makeshift stall along the boardwalk that sold trinkets and knick-knacks. Random tourists would stop them every now and then, most of them recognising the tattooed redhead and statuesque sword swallower. Suzie would not so subtly wiggle her eyebrows lasciviously at Remy every time they were stopped, especially since it was mostly men who wanted their picture taken with Generys. They even made a stop at the bandstand. The band playing that night wasn't half bad and Suzie even got Remy to sway along to the music with her.
"Finally," an all too familiar voice muttered behind her.
Remy scowled back at David.
"What's that supposed to mean?" she hissed back in an undertone. Neither Suzie, Generys nor Jasna were paying attention to them, too caught up in the music as they were, and Remy would prefer to keep it that way.
"I mean, are you always this uptight? Relax, Remy."
Generys chose that moment to pull Suzie closer to the stage and Jasna was dancing with Paul so Remy felt it was safe enough to turn and confront the condescending Lost Boy. David met her annoyed gaze with a challenging one, hands tucked into the pockets of his coat. The thing looked thick and heavy, not at all suited to Santa Carla's warm weather, especially since it was the middle of summer. And was he wearing a leather jacket under his coat? It certainly looked like it.
"Speak for yourself. You're the one standing there with your stupid amount of layers and looking far too cool to join us."
Far from being offended, David actually looked like he was holding back a laugh.
"That the best you got? Attacking my fashion sense, which is impeccable by the way."
"Oh that's a big word for you."
"Are you one of those girls who hate all men or is it just us?"
"Men? No. Boys like you? Yes."
Suzie ran back towards them then, eyes glistening and face flushed.
"There you guys are! Come on! I'm not going to let you two stand here like a couple of sticks in the mud."
Suzie grabbed David's arm and he actually let himself get pulled into the mass of gyrating bodies, casting Remy one last smirk over his shoulder as she was left to either follow them or wait for everyone like an idiot. Resisting the urge to scream, she stomped after them, wishing she were wearing boots instead of her flimsy flip flops; if she had to walk into the midst of a crowd she might as well crush a couple of toes while she was at it. It was around the fourth time a sweaty body deliberately rubbed up against her that Remy had enough and decided to risk a little bit of magic. She cast an invisible barrier around herself, just as few inches thick, enough to maintain some sort of personal space but not enough to be noticeable.
Remy found them right by the front of the stage. Paul was dancing with Generys now and Jasna had snagged herself a random dance partner, who definitely wasn't complaining about the attention she was giving him. Suzie had David's hands in hers and was playfully coaxing him to dance with her. Remy narrowed her eyes at the pair but pretended she was having fun when Suzie shot her a dazzling grin. The girl was certainly enjoying herself.
That was the pattern for the rest of the night. David stuck close to Suzie, Remy glared at him, and everyone else chose to be tactfully oblivious to the obvious tension between them. When they finally made it to a quiet section of the beach they found Dwayne and Marko waiting for them, a cooler stocked full of alcohol sitting in the sand between them and a blazing bonfire just feet away. Jasna dragged Remy towards the cooler and shoved a beer into her hands.
"Drink," she ordered. The woman waited for Remy to actually do as she was told, nodding in satisfaction when she took a tiny, stubborn sip. "Good. Now, I don't know what your drama is with David but can we try to have a bit of fun tonight?"
"I don't have a problem with David."
"Could've fooled me," Jasna snorted. "Look, if there's something going on between the two of you, you should've just said so. Suzie will back off if you ask her to. But you really can't blame her you know. David is a bit of a babe and we all thought you had that weird thing going on with Mr. Belteshazzar."
Remy tried not to cringe at that. She could see Dwayne standing just a few feet away and she would just bet that his vampire hearing was picking up on every word Jasna was saying.
"Nothing's going on between me and Belteshazzar," she protested.
"Do you know you're the only one who doesn't call him Mr. Belteshazzar?"
"So I've been told." Remy took another swig from her bottle. Dwayne was definitely eavesdropping, though he was doing well pretending like he was actually listening to whatever Generys was saying to him. Remy sighed and pulled Jasna a little further away from the others. "Look, I don't care if Suzie's into David. I'm worried, that's all. She loves everyone and she's just a kid. I've only known these guys for a couple of days – "
" – and they might be serial killers for all you know," Jasna cut in. "Girl, I know you tend to be overprotective and get all mama bear sometimes, but you're just a kid too, you know? Worrying about everyone all the time cannot be good for your health." She placed her hands on Remy's shoulders and gently shook her. "Okay. You need to cut loose tonight. We're going to dance, get wasted; maybe bum a bud or two off one of the boys. They look like they'd have all sorts of goodies hidden in their pockets."
As if he'd heard her – which he probably had – Paul pulled a burning branch from the bonfire to light up a joint. Jasna's eyes twinkled in amusement.
"It's like you read my mind." Jasna crossed over to where he was sitting by the bonfire, turning to shot Remy an exasperated look when she realised she hadn't followed. "Come on, Remy! One night of unbridled fun never hurt anyone."
Oh, you'd be surprised.
Jasna took a drag from the bud she snatched out of Paul's fingers, her shoulder relaxing immediately as she inhaled. She offered the joint to Remy, who rolled her eyes.
"I don't smoke."
As far as Remy knew, neither narcotics nor alcohol really had an effect on her unless they were laced with Belteshazzar's blood. She didn't think the Lost Boys would be stupid enough to pass around bottles or joints spiked with vampire blood in the presence of humans so it was highly unlikely that the bud that Jasna was holding out to her would have any effect. And she really couldn't be bothered pretending to be high throughout the night just to keep up her act. She was prepared for the others to try to pressure her into taking the joint and was surprised when Paul just shrugged and grabbed a bottle out of the cooler.
"But you do drink, right? Here, finish up that beer and help me break in a bottle of the good stuff."
Jasna had wandered over to join Dwayne and they seemed to have started up a conversation about knives. In fact, he'd pulled out a switchblade from somewhere and was showing it to her. Generys and Marko were dancing to the faint music that drifted towards them from the bandstand. And Suzie and David were sitting on the other side of the bonfire. He had a cigarette hanging from his lips and was watching her idly as she recounted a story of some sort, hands waving about animatedly and almost spilling her beer onto him more than once.
Paul was sitting in the sand now, still looking at her, expectantly. He grinned when she heaved a heavy sigh and tossed back the rest of her beer. Cracking open the bottle of whiskey, he took the first sip – more of a gulp really – downing a significant portion of the amber liquid. He held the bottle out to her and waggled his eyebrows. Remy levelled a bland look at the tall blonde, sat down opposite him, accepted the bottle and threw back a similarly impressive amount. There was a slight burning sensation as the whiskey slid down her throat, but that was it. When she handed the bottle back, Paul was looking at her with newfound respect.
"You look like you can hold your liquor." A lopsided smile crept across his face. "Or were you just trying to impress me?"
"You wish," Remy scoffed.
Paul laughed good-naturedly, leaning back on his arms as he squinted at her. His morning coat fell open as he did so; reminding Remy of the scars she had seen earlier.
"Nah, you're totally into me," teased the Lost Boy.
"And you're totally delusional," Remy retorted, though the slight quirk of her lips softened the blow. She lazily ran her fingers through the sand, watching him through her lashes as she posed her next question. "So, did you guys get into another fight or something?"
Paul's confused look told her he had no idea what she was talking about. She jerked her chin towards his chest.
"Those scars look new."
He looked down at his chest, surprised. But her observations hadn't fazed him. He shrugged carelessly.
"Yeah, we had a bit of a disagreement with someone," he chuckled. "You've got a sharp eye."
Remy reached for the bottle of whiskey and took another pull.
"Just another one of my many skills."
Paul shot her a flirtatious look.
"I'd be very interested to find out what those other skills are."
Remy snorted, handing back the bottle.
"Keep dreaming, blondie."
"While I love their music, you're going to have to come up with another nickname. I'm not the only blonde here. Things might get confusing."
The other two blondes were watching Suzie and Generys. Suzie's retelling of her story seemed to have evolved into a full-blown re-enactment and Generys seemed to find the entire thing entertaining enough to lend a hand. Jasna and Dwayne were finishing up the bud she had swiped from Paul and were taking turns messing around with his switchblade.
"I suppose you have a point there," Remy admitted. "But I don't really care enough to think of one at the moment."
Paul clutched at his heart and dramatically fell backwards.
"Ouch! That's harsh!"
Remy flicked sand at him.
"You'll survive. So, who was this someone you guys disagreed with? That same gang we met the other night?"
Paul pushed himself up and narrowed his eyes at her.
"You're just full of questions tonight, aren't you?"
Remy crossed her arms. She had decided that if she had to make nice, she might as well try to find out more about the Lost Boys since it might eventually lead her back to their leader. But it wasn't going to work if Paul was going to get defensive.
"About time the tables were turned, don't you think? Didn't you and Marko say I hadn't been giving you guys a chance? Well, here it is. How am I supposed to get to know you if I don't ask questions?"
"Well I don't really want to play twenty questions."
Paul took another large draft from the bottle and plopped it down between them, eyes gleaming in a challenge.
"Ever played Never Have I Ever?"
A/N: All right, this seems a good place as any to stop. Drinking games next chapter!
Ugh! Caught the flu again for the FOURTH frigging time since moving back. I swear; I'm allergic to this island. This is just ridiculous.
Thank you AngelaAngieAng, scythe195, and arienna89 for your lovely reviews, and to everyone else who placed this story on their favourites and alerts list. And to all my silent readers (and there are quite a few of you), hi!
If anyone's interested in watching a few lyra routines, here are a couple I love (remember to take out the spaces for the link to work, you'll also have to add the dot com to youtube, dot net to ancient-origins and dot org to wiki because FF won't publish those for some reason):
Tanya Burka's Hoop Improvisation ( www . youtube watch?v=SiEM5uzT_yQ). It was one of the first, if not THE first lyra routine I ever saw. And it's still a favourite after all these years.
Pretty much anything by Rebekah Burke. But here's the routine that won her the title of 2015 Women's Lyra U.S. Aerial Champion ( www . youtube watch?v=1JhX0jwg6B0).
I want to be just like them when I grow up.
After staring at various pictures of Paul, I came to the conclusion that he isn't wearing a tux jacket or a tailcoat but an old fashioned morning coat. If anyone knows otherwise, please do correct me. And if anyone's curious about the difference between a tailcoat and a morning coat: en . wikipedia wiki/Tailcoat
Info on Yuki-onna: www . ancient-origins myths-legends/heart-cold-ice-japanese-legend-yuki-onna-beautiful-yet-dangerous-snow-woman-007186
Yosei: en . wikipedia wiki/Y%C5%8Dsei
As usual, I love hearing from all of you. Did you like the chapter? Hate it? What needs improvement? Do you need more of our boys? Who am I kidding, of course you do! It took me six chapters but finally! Some proper interaction between Remy and the boys! Let me know what you think.
Love always,
Scribbles