Cry Little Sister

Disclaimer: I do not own The Lost Boys. Sheryl and Wanda belong to me.

A/N: Thank you so much for the reviews. I really appreciate it. For future reference, this takes place about a year before the movie. Star is already a member of the gang, but Laddie isn't.

---Chapter One: Welcome to Santa Carla

Sheryl was already at work by the time Wanda managed to pull herself out of bed. She had left twenty dollars on the kitchen counter, which Wanda was very grateful for. Cooking was not her forte. She even had trouble making microwave dinners. Now that Sheryl had a job, she was on her own when it came to breakfast.

"Well, this is a relief," Wanda tiredly mumbled as she stuffed the money into her pocket.

After making sure that the door was locked and that the spare key was tucked safely under the doormat, she started toward the boardwalk. It wasn't far from their house; probably a fifteen minute walk at most. Most people would write it off as good exercise, but not Wanda. She was scrawny and sensitive to sunlight. She didn't really need exercise, and fifteen minutes would pass by like an hour to her. The sooner she got into an air-conditioned diner, the better.

She had been walking for about nine minutes before boredom set in. To keep herself occupied, she started humming People Are Strange by The Doors. That song might as well have been Santa Carla's theme song, and Wanda noted this with amusement. By the time she arrived at the boardwalk, she had hummed through the song twice.

It wasn't long before Wanda found a nice diner to eat breakfast in. Thankfully, it had air-conditioning. She ordered a cup of coffee and the cheapest thing she could find on the menu so she would have money left over. The night before, she had spotted a comic book shop and she wanted to check it out. She was getting tired of reading her old comics over and over again.

Surly her mother wouldn't mind if she had another look around. After all, what could happen at a comic store?

---

Alan Frog looked up from what he was doing when he heard someone step into the store. It was a girl, probably his age. Her dirty-blonde hair was swept up in a smooth ponytail and her hazel eyes had a thin ring of red around the pupils. She was dressed in a tight pair of dark blue jeans, a baggy black hoodie, and combat boots. Her black nail polish was chipped and her mascara had clumped her eyelashes together. She was obviously new; he hadn't seen her before, and he felt it was his duty to know as many people in Santa Carla as possible. How else was he supposed to warn the newcomers of the danger lurking after sundown?

The girl noticed he was staring at her and quickly made her way over to a rack of horror comics. Perfect. This was going to be easier than it usually tended to be. She might even believe him. No one else did. They all thought he was crazy. It didn't bother him. If their faces ended up on a missing ad it would be their own fault.

"You're new in town," he said. It wasn't a question.

"Uh, yes, I am." The girl glanced at him over her shoulder. "Um, do you work here or something?"

"Yeah. My brother and I help our parents run the place."

She followed his gaze and spotted his parents behind the counter. They looked stoned.

"That's cool."

"Do you like horror comics?" he asked, gesturing to the rack she was standing in front of.

"They're okay."

"Here…" Alan reached around her and a grabbed a comic titled Vampires Everywhere. "You might like this one."

"Vampires, huh?" She looked down at the comic. "I've never really read comics about them…just books."

Her hand slipped into her pocket, probably to retrieve money, but Alan held up a hand to stop her. She cocked her head to one side and frowned a little in confusion. He handed her the comic and made sure she was gripping it before letting go. He paid no attention to the tiny blush that was spreading across her cheeks.

"It's yours."

"I, uh…thanks!" She smiled. "I have to go. It was, uh, nice meeting you."

He nodded to show her that the feeling was mutual. The girl turned to leave and as she walked out of the comic book store, Alan said, "Be careful. This is the murder capital of the world, you know."

---

Sheryl was just about to leave when Max stopped her. He smiled, trying to look charming, and asked her how she was adjusting to life in Santa Carla. To be polite, she conversed with him for a little while. She was desperate to keep this job. Even if she had to…well, she doubted it would come to that, but Wanda would be worth it. She needed this job and she knew that Wanda needed her. If she was unemployed, taking care of her was definitely going to be difficult.

What if she had to…

"Sheryl, you must forgive for what I'm about to say. I'm usually not this straightforward."

'Damn it…he's going to fire you!' Sheryl thought, staring weakly at her boss.

"You aren't married, are you?"

"What?" she asked, startled by his question. She felt relief overcome her fear, but it was quickly replaced by confusion. Why would Max care if she was married or not?

"You're not wearing a wedding ring."

"Oh, right. No, I'm not married. Why do you ask?"

"I was wondering if you'd like to join me for dinner tomorrow night."

Her eyes widened in surprise. He was asking her on a date? She couldn't even remember the last time someone asked her to go out with them! This was unbelievable! She swallowed hard and tried not to start gushing like a college girl. Act mature, she told herself, you don't want your boss to get the wrong idea or anything…the last thing you want is for him to know it's been at least seventeen years since your last date…

"I'd love to."

They smiled, laughed nervously, and said their goodbyes. Sheryl started to walk out of the store, but Max gently grabbed her hand. She arched a brow and frowned a little.

He grinned.

"I'm sorry for not saying this earlier… Welcome to Santa Carla."

---

A/N: Okay, there's chapter one. David and the boys will be in the next chapter. Like I said before, feel free to give me some constructive criticism.