Disclaimer: I don't own the Lost Boys, I just desperately wish that I did.

Nothing But Thieves - Trip Switch

Paul and I drove until we were nearly out of gas, then just kept right on driving after a quick refuel and drink stop. We didn't even really talk. We both just enjoyed exploring and listening to the radio. I realized that maybe for the first time in my life, I didn't need a plan – I was happy with just wandering all night if that's what we were doing. I didn't need to schedule anything and, instead of the typical feelings of nervousness this would bring, I had never felt freer. I didn't even know where we were! That might have bothered me last night, but I was beginning to trust these boys. Maybe that was stupid considering I'd only started getting to know them less than twenty-four hours before this, and I could already hear my roommates lecturing me about being more careful, but that almost gave me more motivation to hang out with my newfound friends. Realizing I was starting to sound like a rebellious middle school student, I tried to push those thoughts out of my head. Now was not the time for negativity and second thoughts. My gut was telling me that this was alright.

At some point several hours into the journey I realized we were no longer just riding around randomly and that Paul seemed to be sticking to a particular direction, so I figured some plans may have actually been in place which I was not previously made aware of. Maybe he had been stalling for some reason? I wasn't exactly familiar with where we were headed, but I was pretty sure the park was this way. I couldn't help but giggle as my stomach leaped into my throat on one particularly large hill showcasing an impressive view of Young Haven. I decided to be a little brave, extending my arms out fully on either side of myself as though I were flying.

"I'm king of the world!" I yelled into the wind. I couldn't see Paul's expression, but I could feel his laughter rumbling through the back of his chest.

"You're getting awfully comfortable back there," he turned his head a little to holler at me. "I think it's time to start teaching you soon!" I bit my lip as he pulled into a gravel lot in Tun Creek Park. Seriously? Would they trust me with that?

He cut the lights to the bike and had me climb off. I could already see David leaning against the rock face protruding from the large hill behind him. He tossed the butt of his cigarette away while Paul walked the bike into some bushes, concealing it from any cars passing by. I kind of figured we weren't supposed to be here. The park officially closed at sundown and we were well past that.

"Welcome," David purred. As I suspected, the outfit he wore to the party yesterday could have been the very same one he donned today, although now he sported a thick wool coat overtop his leather one. Dark wash jeans, black biker boots, a medal attached to his coat, and an earring dangling from his left ear completed the look. I hadn't noticed until now just how white his spiked hair was, or how he kept some scruff on his face. Usually, I was distracted by his eyes…The eyes I currently found myself locked onto. It felt like I was being challenged to a staring contest any time he glanced my way and I was getting real tired of it. This time I decided I wasn't going to be the one to look away first. His expression softened and his trademark smirk returned as he chuckled. His gloved hand stretched out toward me as an offering and I decided to take it, fighting back a blush. It confused me how his stare could seem so dark one minute but bright and vibrant the next. It felt more like I was staring down a wild animal than dealing with a person at times.

"This is the Hag's Cave." David finally looked away and I felt a surge of satisfaction flow through me as I won our unannounced game. "It used to be the hangout spot for a rough crowd back in the twenties." He led me down the steps toward an opening in the large rock surface in front of me. It was much more impressive up close. I realized that the opening was dark as pitch and full of tripping hazards, but I could see a glow somewhere further off. I would not have guessed that the cave was this large and was glad David knew the footing because there was no way I could have made it through in the low light conditions on my own and without a flashlight. "But, after one too many accidents, they walled the whole thing off. It's a pity, really. People left so much behind…" Stepping into the main chamber, I realized first that the light I first noticed was produced by two barrel fires. The smoke rose through several shafts in the ceiling that doubled as additional lighting with the moonlight hazily filtering through. It was certainly dramatic, but what was most impressive was the collection of items scattered about. Every surface available was covered in empty bottles and eccentricities, some relatively new while others could have been ancient artifacts. I was surprised that a literal hole in the wall could be made to feel like a home the way this cave was.

Speaking of the walls, they looked like they had grown an inch thicker with the many layers of different graffiti left there. It was beautiful chaos – varying colors of spray-painted names and tags overlapping until one couldn't be made out from another. One piece, in particular, stood out simply due to its size. It had once been a large mural, but time and other paintings had long since obscured it, erasing the faces of the six dapper figures from history. Most of the characters had clearly been initially painted onto the wall decades ago, but two of the individuals were newer and one couldn't have been more than a couple of years old.

Posters and tapestries also obscured some of the sections of the paint. The boys seemed to favor classic rock artists and horror movies, but some references to newer things could be found. I couldn't help but grin at an Avenged Sevenfold tour poster I had personally been hunting for some time now. I wondered who each of the pictures belonged to and, given all the stuff jam-packed in here, I questioned to myself if the boys might actually live in the cave. It was an admittedly cool space if you didn't mind some bats for roommates: no rent, no neighbors, and even though Sowwick Valley experienced all the seasons in full force, the inner parts of the cave seemed to keep themselves warm on their own. If they did live here, I wondered what they did for showers…

My thoughts were interrupted as someone hopped up out of their seat in one of the well-worn cloth couches at the center of the room and over to me.

"Diggin the threads!"

"Hey, Marko!" We high fived and he grasped my hand to pull me into a half hug.

"It looks better on you," he whispered, but not very quietly. He was already flinching away from the punch Paul sent his way, snickering. Meanwhile, I had forgotten I was even wearing Paul's coat. I made a motion to slide it off, but Paul himself stopped me by catching its collar before I had a chance to get out of it.

"It's a little cold. Leave it on." I smiled appreciatively and was already being dragged away by Marko toward the sitting area.

He looked the exact same as when I first met him: eyes like the deep sea and baby cheeks, a blond curly mop on top of his head and…A single earring. I was starting to notice a pattern. I felt like it couldn't be a coincidence at this point, and I played with one of my own earrings thoughtfully. Did they all have one? I was escorted to a seat on a couch closest to one of the fires, which I appreciated. The cave wasn't as cold as the outside, but the extra warmth was pleasant and appreciated.

I noticed Dwayne was already settled into a chair, book open, one leg curled to his side and the other dangling over a chair arm. He didn't seem to be paying me or anyone else any mind. had scarcely more clothing on now than when he was in the Tarzan costume, but still seemed to have an aversion to shirts. His skin, a deep tan color, was still visible beneath a dark wash jean jacket and equally black jeans. He modeled the same dark mane I had seen the previous night and, surprisingly, one of the animal tooth necklaces as well. And, how could I forget: one earring dangled from his left ear. My eyebrows knitted.

"Comfortable?" David asked as I rubbed my hands over the fire.

"It's actually pretty cozy in here," I had to admit, although my stomach decided to remind me at that moment that I had yet to eat today. He must have noticed.

"Marko," he called. "Food." I watched the boy in the patchy jacket disappear with a small salute and not another word. "Can I interest you in an appetizer while you wait?" David offered, taking a freshly lit joint off of Paul. I smiled, shaking my head no. "Or perhaps a drink?" He lightly kicked at a case of beer at his feet.

"No, thank you." I was forced to say it out loud. That silly childish feeling was returning and I was hoping he would just drop it. Explaining my reasoning just made it sound even dumber.

"What, you don't drink?" Damn it.

"I'm just trying to hold off drinking anywhere other than at home until my twenty-first birthday. I want to be a teacher when I graduate and an underage would destroy me."

"Aw." His tone sounded slightly condescending, but not enough to be positive if that was his intention. "How about a coke, then?" He tossed a can to me and I set it on the abused coffee table at the center of us. I began to tap on the lid, trying to get the liquid to settle, ignoring the fact that it felt like I had just been slighted. Anything to distract me from the look I was positive I was on the receiving end of. "How old are you, anyway?" David removed the cap from his beer bottle, dropping it to the ground with a clatter.

"Twenty," I held the can up to my ear, listening for the fizz. I caught David tilting his head at me, hands steepled in front of him, from the corner of my eye. "What? Don't believe me?" I scoffed, placing the Coke down in front of me. It didn't sound like it would settle anytime soon. "Eh. No one else seems to either. I apparently don't look it because I still get carded to get into R-rated movies. How old did you think I was?"

"You're right. I put you at eighteen."

"It's not the worst thing in the world, I guess." I shrugged. "When everyone else is old and wrinkly, I'll be forever beautiful." I was obviously being sarcastic, emphasized by an overdramatic hair flip, and glanced around to realize I was receiving toothy grins from the four boys that remained in the room with me. Apparently, there was some joke I wasn't in on. I didn't think my comment was that funny.

"So, when's the big day?" Dwayne had been pulled into the conversation. His voice was to some extent deeper than I expected it to be.

"Well, let's see…" I wasn't actually certain what the date was and had to pull my phone out to check. I was somewhat surprised by what I found: November 1st. I had completely forgotten about Jordan's birthday today! I had to be the worst friend ever! And then the realization began to settle in and a sort of numbness took hold. That was why the apartment was so quiet tonight - my roommates were out celebrating without me. They would have had to walk right past me on their way out the door and they didn't even bother to invite me along.

"Oh, uh…Two days, I guess…" I tried to cover the change in emotions that just transpired. They didn't need to get sucked into my moping.

"Don't sound too excited," Jay teased. Damn. I had to work on my acting.

"Sorry, holidays just keep sneaking up on me." I tried to dismiss his concern with a half-hearted smile.

"Don't worry," Dwayne leaned back in his chair, hands behind his head. "They do that the longer you stick around."

"So…They call this the Hag's Cave?" I made an attempt at changing the subject before anyone had a chance to question me more. I had a feeling it didn't go unnoticed, but no one seemed bothered enough to address it.

"Haven't you heard?" David's eyebrow raised.

"This town is full of spooks" I felt Jay' hands on my shoulders, shaking me gently, and I rolled my eyes. "There are dozens of legends about this town and its dangerous, supernatural inhabitants." Jay sauntered over to the case of beer to pluck one out himself while David wiggled his fingers at me making a low ghostly noise to enhance the story.

"Tch. If you believe the Darts…" My words dripped with acid and I could feel myself begin to sneer a bit. I realized I had forgotten to check in with Jay and my features immediately softened as I looked back to him. "How's your face, by the way?"

"Fine." The smile dropped from his face. Shit. Maybe he was embarrassed? Regardless, it appeared that Jay was telling the truth. Had I not been aware that he had been in a fight, I would have had no idea. Like all of the boys, save for Dwayne, Jay had a fairly pale complexion which would show marks easily if his skin was anything like mine. Or, maybe he was hiding some bruising behind his long, wavy, chocolate brown hair. It didn't seem like it, though. Most of the strands were kept at bay with the aid of a red bandana. I couldn't help but take in the rest of him now that he wasn't wearing a mask. His eyes, now desperately trying to avoid mine, were surprisingly light brown and, overall, his features could be best described as European, especially when pulled into this frown. His outfit, similar to the other boys, was simple: black jeans, white t-shirt, a black leather jacket, matching biker boots, and, as I imagined there would be, one dangling earring. I again felt bugged by this. Should I ask?

"Yes, we heard last night got kind of interesting for you two." David seemed to be avoiding the subject as best as he could for Jay's sake.

"My neighbors are insane." I stepped in, hoping to make up for dredging up the topic in the first place. "They even tried to run me through with a stake the night I moved in. They think the town is overrun with vampires or some shit like that and that they're Young Haven's only hope." I fluttered my eyelids. "Bullshit."

"So, what'd you do?" Paul leaned forward.

"Well, they woke me up by nearly crashing through my wall like the god damn Koolaid man, so I grabbed a baseball bat and told the Darts to fuck off." Was it my imagination, or was that a glimmer of approval in David's expression? I was happy I left out the bits about the mace and calling the police. I wasn't lying as things stood, but it just made the story sound slightly more epic to leave those bits out.

"Jay seemed like he was alright," I continued. "But I insisted he wasn't allowed to drive his bike until he got some shut-eye and some swelling went down." Again, it wasn't a complete lie, but in making it seem like I forced him to stay, it was my way of apologizing for even bringing it up. "And thank goodness he was there because I think I would have slept into tomorrow if he hadn't woken me up."

"You don't have to lie for him, you know." I couldn't tell if Dwayne was being serious or not. It didn't sound like he was angry or suspicious. In fact, it sounded like something closer to respect. Not knowing how to answer, I stayed quiet. However, no one else was talking either, so I scrambled to come up with a topic. I discovered that I felt quite a bit of pressure to impress the boys and that meant remaining interesting. However, everyone else seemed distracted by one thing or another, so I didn't feel too guilty about just pulling out my phone and scrolling through really quick until I or someone else came up with something to chat about.

I blazed past a few status updates regarding Jordan's birthday party and a couple of political rants, mundane things, but had to backtrack to find a photo that set itself out from the rest. It was difficult to recognize the individual beneath the gore, Miriam's username was at the top of the update and it looked like it was probably the right hair color under the gobs of blood. My first thought was that this was an excellent makeup job and I brought the phone closer to appreciate it better. It looked like her eyeballs were ripped out of their sockets, the rest of her face a bruised and bloody mess, her mouth frozen in the early moments of a scream. One of her hands hovered over her face as though preparing to examine the damage. It wasn't terrible acting and I couldn't find any latex seams or patchy spots, so this had to have been a professional or at least someone who had taken a few classes. But, actually, this almost looked too good to just be makeup. Maybe it was retouched? I didn't understand with the way her head was turned a few degrees to the side, how they could fake her actual eye socket being empty without photo manipulation. I struggled with this, but moreso with the subject of the picture. Miriam hated Halloween and gross stuff like this. It didn't seem like something she would agree to. Could this be a real photo of her somehow? There weren't any comments yet…

"Everything OK over there?" David asked a little too innocently. I tore my eyes away from the viscera in front of me and attempted to smooth my facial expression over.

"Yeah," My attempts at sounding casual were unsuccessful. "Why?"

"You look kinda freaked." Paul chimed in.

"Well," I glanced back down at my phone but found that the Facebook page must have refreshed because the picture was gone. "Damn it." I hated it when this happened, but I at least knew where I could find it again. I typed in Miriam's username, but the image wasn't anywhere on her page. "I thought I saw something but…It's gone." I turned off the phone screen and decided to put the phone away for a bit. Clearly, I was too stressed or something and I just imagined that was Miriam's name. David shrugged at me, but leaned forward in his seat, his gaze more piercing and smirk more annoying than usual. I was about to ask what his problem was, but then my phone decided to blare an emergency alert at full volume causing me to jump. I opened the screen to find no notifications. That couldn't have been in my head, but the boys all appeared puzzled at my antics.

"What the fuck is up with this thing?" I mumbled to myself more than anyone else and decided to just power the device down and give it a hard reset later.

"Probably just a glitch or something." David reclined in his chair. "And look who it is!"

"Food's here, boys!" Marko strolled in, arms filled with boxes upon boxes of Chinese takeout. "AND lady," he added. I received a container all my own along with some chopsticks.

"You're the best, Marko!" I could hardly stop myself from tearing into the container but forced myself to behave like a normal, civilized human being even if lo mein was my favorite...

"Hungry?" David asked. So much for being normal and civilized. Noodles were dangling over my lips as I looked up and I tried to cover my mouth while I slurping them up.

"Starving," I confirmed once I was able to gulp the food down.

"Yeah, you're looking a little pale Brenna," Marko noted through a mouth full of General Tso's.

"Boo!" Paul popped up from behind the couch, laughing. The fright was supposed to be friendly, I believed, but between the lingering paranoia caused by my curious phone occurrences and the fact that I hadn't noticed him move from his spot on the couch, he legitimately startled me. I jumped, nearly knocking over the fire barrel in front of me. "Is Brenna afraid of ghosts?" I turned to glare at him but didn't understand what I was seeing. His face looked contorted and strange, like something out of a house of mirrors. It was disconcerting the way his jaw seemed to be melting off his face. My stomach twisted, but I forced a smile and took a deep breath through my nose, closing my eyelids for just a moment. I was clearly just very hungry and the dim, flickering light from the fire was playing tricks on me. It wasn't real. When I opened my eyes again, Paul's face was back to its cocky, grinning self. Two chopsticks dangled out of the front of his mouth like fangs or tusks which he wiggled at me with his fingers.

"Nah," I took another bite of noodles and directed all of my attention toward stirring my food around, hoping a full stomach would put a stop to all this strangeness. "Nothing like that." I paused and turned back to Paul again. "And did you just seriously get me with 'Boo'?"

"I sure did." He was so pompous, but I had to give it to him.

"Damn." I raised my hand for a high-five, which he took. "That was really good."

Turning back into the circle, I realized David's eyes had changed again. They were alight with curiosity and mischief, and I felt Paul leap over the couch to take a seat beside me, trying to steal some of my noodles.

"You're sure I can't offer you a real drink?" David prodded. "It's only two days away…"

"At this point, I'd rather just wait." I'm sure he could tell I was fighting with myself based on my flat tone. "And, it's not that I don't drink, I just avoid it in less than private places for right now." I always felt the need to justify my actions around David, and I was back at it again. "And, we're kind of in the middle of a public park after hours, so I'm breaking enough laws for tonight. I have two more days and then I never have to worry about an underage ever again. I'd rather just stick it out."

"That's fair, I suppose…" He still seemed disappointed and it stabbed me like a knife. I was beginning to feel such an absolute need, from the depths of my soul, to be accepted by this group. Going against them felt like it might actually be killing me.

Regardless of my feelings on drinking, David and the other boys were more than happy to get right to it when we were done eating. Marko poured the first round of shots at the coffee table and I eyed him and Paul wearily. They were typically my ride, but I also didn't want to be a buzzkill and ask them to stay sober or end the night early.

"Don't worry – I'll take you home." Dwayne's gaze hardly lifted from his book, but he could somehow tell exactly what was worrying me at that moment. I relaxed back into my seat. Everyone was entertained and I didn't really have someone to talk to, so I decided to finally crack open my Coke and pick up my phone to restart it and check Facebook. Hopefully, it would be functioning properly this time. I tried searching for the image of Miriam one more time but had no luck in doing so. Just more pictures Jordan's birthday party littering my news feed. Everyone invited seemed like a person from her program, but I couldn't be sure because I didn't recognize anyone. I rolled my eyes. I shouldn't be dwelling on this.

"Everything ok?" Dwayne had set his book down, I realized.

"Oh, just…Stupid girl things." I waved my hand at the issue. I didn't want to drag him into this – we hardly knew each other and, really, what was bothering me was incredibly petty. However, he just kept staring at me until I finally cracked, spilling the story in the briefest way I could. "Tonight is my one roommate's birthday. I forgot, and I felt really terrible about it…Until I realized that she had a whole party going on tonight and I wasn't invited." I lowered my voice. "Actually, it was like they went out of their way to avoid inviting me. But…Truth be told, I probably would have been miserable anyway. I hate not being able to drink when everyone else is trashed around me." I glanced behind myself, but the boys didn't seem like they were getting out of hand. Yet. This was okay, but I couldn't pretend I wasn't salty I couldn't partake.

"Regardless," I brought my volume back to a normal level. "It still sucks to not be included and it got me thinking about what I would be doing for my birthday and, well…" I shook it off. "It's stupid. It'll be fine. I'll invite some people out and have a good time." I wasn't sure who I was trying to convince, myself or Dwayne, but I wasn't winning over either party over with my little speech. I could tell Dwayne read straight through me and, although he opened his mouth, he closed it again immediately deciding against responding to my small rant.

"Enough about me, what are you reading?" I changed the subject.

"Slaughterhouse – Five." Dwayne flashed me the cover.

"People keep telling me I need to pick that up. You like it?"

"It's decent. You're welcome to borrow it when I'm through."

"I would love to borrow it, but I can't kid myself into thinking I'll actually find time to sit down and read it." I sighed bitterly. "I used to read all the time, but anymore, there just aren't enough hours in the day. I just kind of stick to shitty fanfiction." Dwayne didn't seem to understand what that was but nodded without any amount of judgment in his eyes. For that, I was grateful. He was incredibly easy to talk to, but I realized his silence had a way of bringing out all your thoughts and secrets.

"What was the last book you read?" was his next question. I had to really think about it.

"A Million Little Pieces, I think. I got it in a gift exchange. It took me two years before I finally sat down with it."

"And? What was it about? Did you like it?"

"It was pretty good. It basically followed a guy dealing with all the messed up stuff that goes along with drug addiction and treatment. It got a lot of hoopla when it first came out, then the guy was exposed as a fraud…Which kind of ruined the story considering half the punch was that it was supposed to be true..." We fell into another silence, but not an uncomfortable one. I thought he had gone back to reading his book, so I lifted my phone again and began scrolling through more posts.

"You know, usually I'm the quiet one."

"Oh really?" I placed a hand on my chin, crossing my legs and doing what I'm positive was a poor impression of one of my old therapists. "And tell me: how does this make you feel?"

"It's just refreshing. People talk too much about stupid shit."

"I'll drink to that." I raised my Coke to Dwayne and attempted to take a swig of it, but the can was almost immediately knocked to the floor by Paul when he yanked me up out of my seat. Fortunately, none of the cola landed on me.

"Let's dance, girl," he demanded. Just as I began to get over the shock of having my drink violently ripped away from me, I was dragged away from the couch to be twirled around the cave by both Marko and Paul. I played along half-heartedly to placate them but shot several looks at Dwayne over my shoulder screaming for help. The only sign that he noticed me at all over his book was the small smirk I that appeared on his face. Seeing that he would not be my knight in shining armor, I made the best of it, basically following whatever Paul or Marko did. David and Jay stood off to the side, deep in some conversation.

I planned on making my exit when the song came to an end, but then the radio station put on a song I actually recognized.

"Ooh!" My rear barely touched the seat before I shot back up. I clapped along to the beat, humming with the intro, but the stares around me were vacant. "Does no one else know this?" Crickets. "Whatever. Paul! Marko! Let's go!" I cranked the volume.

Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats - SOB

"I'm gonna need someone to help me." I sang along.
"I'm gonna need somebody's hand.
I'm gonna need someone to hold me down.
I'm gonna need someone to care."

Paul and Marko finally joined in clapping and stomping. They were very much off beat, but their enthusiasm was appreciated.

"I'm gonna writhe and shake my body.
I'll start pulling out my hair.
I'm going to cover myself with the ashes of you,
And nobody's gonna give a damn."

There was a beat and I froze in place with the music, arms out and tensed, ready for the music to kick back in.

"Son of a bitch!"

The three of us exploded with movement: jumping, shimmying, kicking, and swinging hair.

"Give me a drink!
One more night,
This can't be me!
Son of a bitch!
If I can't get clean,
I'm gonna drink my life away!"

By the end of the song, the two weren't exactly fans of Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats, but I had at least succeeded in wearing them out some. The next song was, thankfully, slow, allowing me to lean against the back of one of the couches and catch my breath. Dwayne had set his book down and repositioned himself, but I hadn't even noticed until now.

"I didn't know you sang."

"Well, you never really asked. Aaaaand I wouldn't exactly call that singing. It was more or less yelling in tune." He hit me with his signature stare. "I just did some chorus stuff throughout school. Nothing major. I dropped it when I graduated high school. THAT was not singing, but…Maybe I'll show you sometime."

"I'll hold you to that," he warned.

"I had a feeling you would."

The boys were officially toeing line between tipsy and trashy just after 3:00, the same time I decided to head home, but not before taking advantage of their sorry state.

"Hey, Paul…" I looked down at an oddly shaped cushion on the couch. "What's that pillow for?"

"It's…decorative?" He stared at me, confused as to why I was grinning like a madwoman. Without any further indication of what was to come, I picked up the pillow, smacking him in the face with it as hard as I could. He cradled the red mark left behind while I howled with laughter.

"What the hell was that for?"

"I don't know!" It was my turn to get hit. Dwayne let us go for a while before he finally took the pillows off of each of us informing everyone that it was time for me to go home.

"I'm gonna miss you, you know?" Marko was beginning to slur a meager amount. "You're just, like…" He took my face in his hands. "You're so small…" He began squeezing my cheeks together forcing my mouth into a fish-like pucker. "You're like my little sister!"

"Oookay," I pried his hands away. "I love you too, Marko." He fought me the entire way as I placed him in a chair.

"N-no. You don't understand." He kept trying to stand up and now Jay stood over him, trying to weigh him down and save me. "You're our…Our…You're our Brenna! You're just great!" I shook my head with a laugh, not really sure where this was going.

"Good luck Jay, David." I nodded to them both in turn. "Good night, everyone!" The noise that returned might have been a goodbye, but it was really hard to tell at their level of inebriation.

Riding with Dwayne was a different experience from the rest of the boys entirely. Paul and Marko rode dirty, which was both fun and terrifying in equal measure, but this…The way Dwayne drove made me felt like we were gliding. The moon was high in the sky, reflecting off Ice Floe Lake, and the world was an image of tranquility. Dwayne must have noticed me while I was in a state of awe because he was suddenly pulling the bike over at the lakeside.

"Did you really want to go home, or just get away from those idiots?"

"Not quite ready for home yet," I confirmed. "I slept all day, now I'll be up all night…Come Monday, my sleep schedule is going to be completely screwed." We walked down to the water, on some of the rocks that the water had spit out, and found ourselves content just throwing stones. Dwayne was able to make rocks skip on forever. Meanwhile, I was happy if I could get mine to hop more than three times before sinking. I sighed, not in an unsatisfied way. I had no urge to return to my apartment where I would sit alone with reruns of old TV shows, partially reheated leftovers, and the dull glow of my cell phone screen to keep me company. Two months ago, these things made me the happiest person in the world. I was so grateful just to walk into that building. Now…Now I wasn't so sure.

"Life is weird, Dwayne." I wasn't even sure why I said something. That would make him want to ask questions, and I didn't actually want to talk. I just wanted to get my feelings out of my head where they had a bad tendency to fester until they became something nasty. However, he remained quiet, as though he intuitively knew what I needed.

"How about that song?" He eventually asked. I sat still for a beat.

"IIIIIIIIt's a small world aaaaaaaafter all!" I started abrasively. He didn't laugh, but at least I cracked myself up. "No?" I sighed. For a man of so few words, it was amazing how convincing he could be. His presence alone seemed to coax me into giving him what he wanted.

"Please." He looked over at me and I huffed, kicking at the pebbles below. If I thought I was under pressure before, I could now sympathize with Giles Corey.

Training or no training, I was still incredibly self-conscious when singing one-on-one like this, especially with no background music to mask any mistakes I made or ensure I was in tune. Hopefully, I still had a decent ear.

"Jesus, I don't even know what to sing." I fidgeted slightly, trying to get myself comfortable without standing. "Alright, it's random, but, uh…"I cleared my throat and took a breath.

Delta Rae - Bottom of the River

"Hold my hand,
Ooh baby it's a long way down to the bottom of the river.
Hold my hand,
Ooh baby it's a long way down, a long way down."

The first lines came out scratchy. My voice wasn't ready and it wasn't like I was going to sit there and do warm ups. This was awkward enough.

"If you get sleep, or if you get none,
The cock's gonna call in the morning, baby.
Check the cupboard for your daddy's gun,
Red sun rises like an early warning."

My voice finally came through and my volume steadily increased with my confidence.

"The Lord's gonna come for your first born son,
His hair's on fire and his heart is burning.
So go to the river where the water runs,
Wash him deep where the tides are turning.
And if you fall…
And if you fall…
Hold my hand,
Ooh baby it's a long way down to the bottom of the river.
Hold my hand,
Ooh baby it's a long way down, a long way down."

I hadn't even noticed myself stand, but I discovered I was also stomping a little to the beat.

"The wolves will chase you by the pale moonlight,
Drunk and driven by a devil's hunger.
Drive your son like a railroad spike,
Into the river, let it pull him under.
Don't you lift him, let him drown alive!
The good Lord speaks like a rolling thunder.
Let that river make the water rise, oh,
And I said hold my hand!
Ooh baby, it's a long way down to the bottom of the river.
Hold my hand,
Ooh baby, it's a long way down, a long way down.
Hold my hand,
Ooh baby, it's a long way down to the bottom of the river.
Hold my hand,
Ooh baby it's a long way down, a long way down."

It was silent for a few seconds and I realized I could hear an echo of the last line from across the water. Apparently, I was a louder than I initially thought, but it was easy to go overboard with this song. It was immediately followed by cheering, specifically male. If I had to guess, there were about four voices.

"Oh, fuck it all!" I buried my face in my hands. "They all heard."

"They all liked it," Dwayne corrected. I flipped them all off nonetheless, as though they could see me from this distance.

We sat in silence for a few seconds longer before he began to stand. I was soon whisked away on his bike and found myself at my apartment, again, too soon. Couldn't I just stay out forever? Like the others had before, Dwayne watched until he was sure I made it inside before I could hear his bike rumbling off. It was only then that I looked down at myself.

"Shiiiit." I had forgotten to give Paul his coat back AND to retrieve my car. However, that would need to wait until tomorrow. I didn't think toothpicks would have held my eyelids open at this point and I still needed to swap sheets from Jay's stay. As I pulled the door to my apartment open, the alarm sounded.

"God damn it." I smashed the code in with enough ferocity that I wasn't positive I didn't break it. "Thanks for the text," I grumbled before heading to my room. I hoped I woke them up.

Author's Note: Hopefully Part 2 was a little more satisifying than the first bit. My questions for you this time around: What was up with Brenna's phone? And the weird hallucinations? Certainly sounds familiar... What did Marko mean by "our" Brenna? Leave a review with your guesses and I'll see you all on Wednesday!