Disclaimer: I do not own The Lost Boys. Sheryl and Wanda belong to me.
A/N: I really am sorry for the slow updates. But hey, at least it hasn't been two months!
---Chapter Seven: Looking for Answers
"What. The. Fuck."
Wanda stared at the mirror in shock. The disappearance of her black eye was odd enough…
But why exactly was her reflection transparent?
---
Wanda debated long and hard about to do. She wasn't going to tell Sheryl; she didn't want to freak her out. She certainly wasn't going to stay home all day and do nothing. No, she had to get to the bottom of this. Her strange fit of blood lust in the bathroom the other night…the sudden sensitivity to the sun…and now this.
What was happening to her?
"Okay, think," she muttered as she searched for her sneakers. Her feet hurt too much to wear the boots. "What have I done lately that could cause all of this? Damn it, think!"
Though she was doing a good job of staying calm, she was absolutely terrified. Was if she was starting to go insane or something? Oh, God, what if she was dying? Or what if…
"Ack!" Wanda tripped over one of her shoes and fell in front of her book case. Her shoulder smacked into it, sending several comics and books toppling to the floor with her. She groaned and started to pick them back up, but froze when her eyes caught the title of one of her comics. She stared at it for several minutes before slowly putting it away.
Vampires Everywhere.
"No way…"
---
"I need you to tell me everything you know," a female voice whispered.
Alan looked up and saw Wanda hovering over him, her eyes hidden behind a pair of sunglasses. There were small sections of sunscreen that hadn't been rubbed in all the way on her upper arms.
"About?"
"You know…"
"Why do you suddenly believe us?" he asked warily.
"It just makes sense!" she sighed, peeling the glasses off and leaning against the counter. "I mean…all of the missing posters?"
He nodded slowly. "You made the right choice in coming here. A lot of people have ended up dead because they didn't listen to us. Did you read that comic I gave you?"
"Yeah, but I still have a lot of questions." She rubbed the back of her neck. "So, um, are there any ways that someone can become a vampire without getting bitten first?"
"You'll start to change if you drink a vampire's blood," Edgar said, appearing from the back of the store. "The change is pretty much instant if you're bitten, but you have to make your first kill otherwise."
"How do I protect myself?"
"Garlic, holy water…and it never hurts to have a sharp steak ready." Edgar glanced towards the open doors to see if anyone was coming in. After making sure they were still alone, he continued. "Vampire hunting is serious business. If you think a member of the undead is after you, you'd better have us take care of it for you."
"So throwing mustard seeds down doesn't work?"
"What?"
"Never mind." Wanda felt her face flush a little. "Okay, let's say I do get bitten or drink vampire blood. Is there anyway to save myself? Like…eating dirt from a vampire's grave?"
"That definitely doesn't work." Alan walked away from the counter to distract a costumer.
"Killing the head vampire is the only thing that'll turn you into a human again," Edgar answered.
"Would that wipe out all of his fledglings?"
"No one knows for sure. Most people never manage to kill a head vampire."
"They really exist, huh?" Her shoulders slumped. "They're really real…"
She put her sunglasses on and walked out without another word.
---
Sheryl couldn't help but notice that Wanda had been acting…different. True, her daughter had always been strange, but she had been noticeably changing over the past few days. She rarely came home when she was supposed to. She slept all day. Hopefully this was only because the girl had managed to find some friends, but how was she supposed to know? Wanda hadn't even been talking to her that much. The two of them used to be so close, but they were starting to drift further apart…
"She's a teenager," Max said, shrugging. "Her behavior isn't uncommon."
"I know," the woman sighed. "She's probably just hanging out with new friends or something."
"Oh, has she made some?"
"I don't know. We rarely see each other." She finished off her drink and set the glass aside.
"It's never really easy for a parent to accept the fact that their child is growing up."
"Have you ever had kids?" Sheryl couldn't believe she hadn't already asked that. Max always seemed to have the right words waiting when she mentioned her daughter. Did he know from experience?
"Not exactly," he said, his smile fading ever so slightly.
The waiter appeared and served them their dinner. After refilling their glasses, bringing extra napkins, and doing anything else that would ensure a good tip, he hurried over to another table.
Sheryl nervously twirled her spaghetti. Had she crossed a line with that question? Was Max upset with her now?
"Does the food look alright?" He certainly didn't sound angry.
"Oh, no, it looks wonderful!" she assured. "Garlic?"
Max smiled again. "I would love some."
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A/N: Short chapter! I'll try to make the next one longer, and I'll fix any typos in this one. Next up: Wanda tries to decide if she really believes in vampires or not. Think that scene with the Frog brothers and Max, but replace them with Wanda and the boys. Or...something like that.