Disclaimer: I do not own The Lost Boys. Sheryl and Wanda belong to me.
A/N: Thank you very much for the reviews. I'm really sorry for the slow updates. I'm going to watch the movie sometime this weekend, so hopefully I'll have more inspiration!
---Chapter Eight: Burnt Toast
The pencil flew across the paper as Wanda's eyes darted back and forth from the comic to her notebook. She had been taking notes for about ten minutes now, and she didn't even realize that her mother was home and trying to get her attention. The woman sat down beside her and curiously observed what her daughter was writing.
"Wanda?" No response. "Wanda?"
Finally the young girl's eyes stilled and she peered up at Sheryl.
"What?"
"Have you eaten yet?"
"No." She set the pencil down. "I want toast. Can I have toast?"
"I suppose. Anything else?"
"No…just make sure the toast is burnt." Sheryl raised an eyebrow. "And no, I don't have a hangover."
Her hands went up defensively. "I wasn't going to say anything," she insisted, rising and walking over to the breadbox. "I wish you'd told me that you're into vampires again. I could've grabbed some movies for you at work."
"Hmm…" Wanda frowned thoughtfully. Would watching vampire movies help with her little dilemma? Most of the information she'd gotten from books had proved to be useless (according to Alan and Edgar), but what about films? Were there some tips in Dracula that could point her in the right direction? She sighed heavily. "No, it's okay."
"You sure?"
"Yeah." She nodded even though her mother couldn't see it. "Hey…do you mind if I go to the boardwalk tonight?"
---
David flicked the joint into the sand and stepped on it. He was really getting frustrated with this situation. He did not want a fourteen-year-old girl in his pack. None of the others did, either. Marko didn't even like her that much, and he was the one who actually tolerated her. They didn't really hate her, but they definitely didn't want her hanging around forever. She just didn't fit in with them. They were fun loving, wild, and rowdy. Wanda was just a shy, awkward little girl.
"We gonna try to find her?" Paul asked.
"Not like we have much of a choice, boys," David replied. He started off towards the boardwalk and the others followed. This was not the way he wanted spend his evenings.
"How much longer do you think it's gonna take Max?"
"Ah, hell, who knows?" Marko rolled his eyes. "Like I said, what's-her-name may not even like him that much."
"Wanda's gonna be pretty pissed if he kills her mom, don't you think?"
"Who cares? Max might kill her, too. I wouldn't put it passed him."
"Will you two shut up?" Dwayne snapped.
The group stopped when they spotted Wanda approaching. There was a piece of notebook paper sticking out of her left pocket, and she had a pen tucked behind one of her ears.
"Hey, guys!" she said, grinning a little. "Er…what's up?"
"What's with the change of heart?" Paul returned the grin, but his wasn't as friendly. "I thought you wanted us to piss off."
"You were nice enough to talk to me and stuff, so I decided to stop being such a bitch." She shrugged. "So, I, uh…"
'She's starting to figure it out,' David quickly realized. 'That's the only reason why she's here. She wants proof.'
"No problem, kiddo." He smirked down at her. "Hungry?"
"A little."
"Great. How does Chinese sounds?" 'Might as well give her what she wants…'
---
Despite having been here before, Wanda felt very uneasy in the cave. It didn't help that she was surrounded by suspected vampires. As ridiculous as the idea sounded, it was slowly starting to make sense. Vampires hate the sunlight; they were never at the boardwalk during the daytime. That weird "wine" they gave her to drink tasted like blood. Drink a vampire's blood turns you into a half-vampire; all of her problems started after drinking that stuff. The tiny gash and the black eye had vanished overnight.
What other explanations were there?
"Crab Rangoon?"
"Uh, yeah, thanks!" She gratefully took the carton from Paul and settled back into the couch. She'd slowly been getting her appetite back, and Chinese did sound pretty good…
They exchanged only a bit of small talk at first. Wanda was still trying to work up the courage at ask them the questions she had carefully been preparing in her mind all day. The thought of them being vampires was starting to seem less and less realistic. They certainly didn't act like vampires; but then again, how would she know how a real vampire was supposed to act? If Edgar and Alan weren't really just full of shit, she'd definitely been wrong about how to kill them. She could be wrong now, too.
"Why don't I ever see you before night?" It had spilled out of her mouth before she could stop herself.
"We're asleep," David said coolly.
"Yeah, we're up all night partying!" Paul laughed.
"Oh."
That was perfectly believable.
"So, uh, what's with the cave?"
"Think about it." David gestured to everything around him. "It's all ours. No one's here to order us around. We're free to do as we please."
Star looked a little worried. She gave a Wanda a pleading stare, as though she were asking her to stop asking questions.
'Screw her,' Wanda thought, taking a bit of her Rangoon. 'I'll ask them whatever the hell I want to.'
"Like crabs, Wanda?"
"Yeah…"
"They're not bad. I don't think I'd be able to eat a live one, though."
"What?"
"Didn't you notice?" David leaned forward and smirked a little. "You've been eating them…"
Confused, Wanda looked into the carton.
She promptly let out a startled scream and threw it to the ground.
"What's the matter, Wanda? I thought you liked crab."
"Why would you do that?" she demanded, trying not to look too hurt. "That isn't funny!"
They started to laugh at her. The sound burned her ears and heated her cheeks with a dark blush. What the hell was the matter with them? How could they find this so amusing?
"Chill, girl!" Paul picked up the carton and placed it on the coffee table between them. "It was just a joke. Didn't think you'd fall for it."
Wanda caught a brief look at the inside of the carton. There was only crab Rangoon.
"But…I could've sworn…"
"Don't worry about it," said Marko. "It's pretty dark in here. Your eyes were just playing tricks on you."
"Right," Wanda mumbled slowly.
'They might've drugged the food…no, that can't be it. You were they when they bought it. They couldn't have done it without you noticing. Marko's probably right. Or…or maybe…'
She had read that vampires could create illusions. That much, apparently, was true.
"A lot of weird stuff's been happening to me lately," she said, choosing her words carefully. "My black eye's gone. It didn't even take a full day to heal. And my reflection…it's transparent."
The laughter stopped. The smirks faded.
"You're fucked up," was the only reply.
"Maybe…or maybe you assholes drugged me the other night." She arched a brow. "What was in that bottle?"
"Would we really be at fault, Wanda?" David leaned back. "You were the one who drank all of it."
"Why can't you tell me what it was?" she demanded. "I was really freaked out! I though…I thought I was losing it…"
"Find the answers on your own. That's what you've been trying to do, isn't it?"
She felt her heart stop.
They knew…they knew that she knew…
"It's…it's impossible."
She stood up and edged toward the mouth of the cave.
"Fuck it," she said. "I give up. Just stay away from me, alright?"
She started to run, but stopped at the cave entrance when David called, "If you really want to know, Wanda, come to the boardwalk tomorrow night. Don't worry about finding us. We'll find you."
---
A/N: That was probably rushed and full of typos. This only has a few chapters left, but what happens next really depends on whether or not Wanda does end up becoming a vampire.
PLEASE give me your opinion. Do you think Wanda should join the pack or not?