Disclaimer: I don't own the Lost Boys. I only desperately wish I did.

July 31, 1987

She hadn't been working at the video store long, but the woman had already been trained like Pavlov's dog. The instant the bell hit the glass of the door, she turned to greet the customer, a warm smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.

"Welcome to Max's video st-" she mentally, and almost physically, stumbled. Standing before her was her was quite the sight – a young boy, dirty and disheveled, a 100 mile long stare causing his features to go slack. It wasn't until he locked eyes with her that she even recognized him as her own son. It also seemed to snap him out of whatever daydream he found himself in, jolting him into action. The boy tripped over himself to get back to the door, fingers searching for any sort of locking mechanism until he found and twisted it into place.

"Sam?" She asked carefully. The boy's sense of urgency was concerning. He had been acting strange lately, but she had rationalized it as typical behavior for a child – an overactive imagination and acting out because she was dating again. It would be tough on any kid. But this… Sam darted across the store and she was forced into pursuit. "Sam!" He either wasn't hearing or wasn't listening to her. "Sam! What is going on?" She was becoming aware of the stares of the customers, but they could wait. She finally caught up to him as his shaking fingers fumbled with the lock at the back door. "Sam?" She lightly touched his shoulder causing him to jerk violently away, covering his face with his hands. He didn't seem to recognize her at first. The way he recoiled, it was like he expected her to hurt him. Finally recognizing that it was his mother, and not a threat, he dove back toward the lock, but she stopped him.

"Sam!" She grabbed him by both shoulders and it took all her strength to keep him from plowing straight through her. "What has gotten into you?"

"There's no time!" Sam lowered his shoulders to try and push through, but his mother held her ground. "The sun…It's almost down…"

"What?"

"It's Michael, mom! They got to him! I was too late! And now they're coming here!" She faltered in her grip on Sam and he managed to switch the latch on the door closed, which clearly brought him relief. "It took so long to get here…They could be here any second…"She wasn't sure what to do. This vampire business was ridiculous, but something had clearly frightened her youngest son half to death.

"Sam," she bent to his level, keeping her tone as even and calm as possible to avoid frightening her child anymore, but also to avoid causing a panic in the customers. "I need you to tell me exactly what happened."

"Santa Carla is crawling with vampires, mom! They're everywhere!" She could feel the scolding threating to spill out of her lips, but she held it back. It certainly couldn't be vampires, but what if something happened to Michael and this was Sam's way of rationalizing it? "We went to this cave with Edgar and Allen, and there were these bats, and the smell, and…" His lower lip began to quiver. "Edgar tried to stake them, but they were too fast, and he fell and…And then Alan got Star, and Michael…"

"Sam, honey, you aren't making any sense. What happened to Edgar? And what do you mean Alan got Star? Who's Star?"

"They're dead, mom." The tears began to fall and his voice cracked. "They're all dead, and it's all my fault…" The child lost all control over his emotions, utterly inconsolable. His mother reached out to pull him close, allowing Sam to cry on her shoulder while she stroked his hair.

"Sam, sweetie," She tried to keep the wavering out of her voice, but ghouls aside, what Sam was describing…It didn't sound like an overactive imagination or a prank. "You said something happened to Michael?" He nodded, sobs wracking his chest, preventing him from speaking clearly. "Are you telling me he's dead? Is your brother ok?"

"He-He k-killed Alan." She felt like someone had dumped a bucket of ice over her. "A-and they all j-just watched…"

"Come on." She began dragging her son out of the store. "Maria," she addressed the cashier.

"I got it." Maria gave a small smile, something more like a grimace. She hadn't heard their conversation, thankfully, but still seemed to understand immediately that something was very wrong. "You have bigger things to worry about. I can cover the rest of your shift and Max will understand."

"Thank you." She breathed a small sigh of relief as she shoved her panicking son out the front door and onto the boardwalk. The streetlights hummed into life around them. She prayed this was just some sort of elaborate prank.

This was first time we took the bike on the highway, and with the way that Paul weaved through traffic, I was terrified it would be my last. Fortunately, we made it there just fine and I was extremely confused to find myself sitting in the parking lot of a burger joint. I guessed this was meant to be dinner, but I didn't see where the appointment comment came into play. Oh well. Inside I found my boys taking up one corner of the small restaurant, terrorizing the other customers with little more than their rambunctiousness. Typical. I chuckled a little, shaking my head. It certainly wasn't the crowd I rolled with in high school, not that I didn't want to. They were just so effortlessly cool. What on Earth did I do to trick them into thinking I was worth keeping around?

"There she is!" I heard Marko yell. They all looked happy to see me, save for Jay. The brunet looked…Concerned? It was hard to tell with his black hoodie pulled over his face the way it was. I couldn't figure out what was going on with him lately. He seemed so…Off. I couldn't come up with a good descriptor. He was kind of being a killjoy at the party the previous night. Well…The bits of it I could actually remember. Although… Maybe that was just in my weird waterfall dream…It was so realistic that I was finding it difficult to pick the dream out of last night's celebrations. They blended together seamlessly.

Marko rushed over, already taking his wallet out. "Dinner's on me, so get the greasiest, most fattening thing you can."

"Sir, yes sir!" I mock saluted, scouring the menu and making my selection.

It wasn't long before I slid into my seat, food in hand, but noticed that the boys all were shooting me side glances. I was beginning to feel self-conscious, hesitantly sinking my teeth into the burger, trying to pretend I didn't notice. Maybe Paul had said something to them about me crying? Or maybe my eyes were still red and puffy? I decided to excuse myself to the restroom to find out but, to my disappointment, I discovered that the women's restroom was, annoyingly, designed to be completely devoid of mirrors. It was something I started to see more and more of in the area to decrease the amount of time spent in the bathroom primping. Admitting defeat, I returned to the table, pulling out my cell phone to check my face in the camera.

"So," Paul addressed me, pushing my phone back onto the table. "Feeling any different now that you're twenty-one?" I decided to give up for the time being and abandoned any hope of seeing my face. Hopefully, it wasn't too terrible.

"Nah," I began my response, still chewing my bacon burger. "I'm kind of bummed, actually. Twenty-one is supposed to be the last birthday you really look forward to. It's all downhill after this, right?" I dipped some of my fries into my chocolate milk shake before proceeding to devour them as well. "Except maybe renting a car at twenty-five…Yeah, if I could just stop aging right now, that would be a dream come true."

"Keep drinking like you did last night and you aren't going to make it much further than twenty-one." Dwayne chuckled. A few of the others smiled quietly to themselves in a knowing way.

"Yeah!" Paul exclaimed, now standing behind me, gripping my shoulders and shaking me vigorously. "I didn't know you had it in you!" I tried to shrug it off, but I couldn't hold back my smile.

"I'm trying out something new." I admitted. "Boring, play it safe Brenna wasn't working out too great, so…It's time to reinvent myself." I pushed the rest of my food toward the center of the table. I wasn't at all surprised I didn't finish – the portions were enormous here. French fries were served in full-sized takeaway bags.

"You know…" David tilted his head a twinge, a small smirk playing across his lips. "It's like you read my mind."

I requested a refill on my water before stepping outside, stretching and enjoying the cool night air. I only wished my body would sort itself out. It was the strangest feeling: I was so full I thought I might burst, yet I still felt, not exactly hungry, but…Empty? No, that wasn't it either. And this sore throat I was developing…I rubbed at my neck in thought, sipping away on my drink while everyone else smoked their cigarettes. It felt like I hadn't had a drop of water in days.

"Everything ok?" David asked much too innocently. Like he didn't already know.

"Yeah, yeah, make fun of the girl with the hangover." I rolled my eyes. "Actually, I just think I'm getting a cold. I've felt off all day after effects of last night's libations not included." He smirked.

"I'm sure you'll be good as new sooner than you think, but hurry up and finish. We've got places to be." I looked between him and Paul.

"What now?

"You'll see…" David's smirk only grew. Jay continued to give me the same weird stare from earlier, like the one from my dream, and it was starting to make me uncomfortable. To put an end to it, I quickly tossed my drink, they shorted their cigarettes, and we were riding off again, although not for long this time. We pulled into a storefront just down the road. The sign read Black Phoenix Tattoo. My eyes conspicuously widened.

"Ready to say goodbye to 'Boring Brenna'?" David quoted me from earlier.

'I am'

"I, auh…" My mouth felt even drier than before and I choked on my response, unsure. "I don't even know what I would get." I tried to laugh dismissively, but instead, it plainly displayed my nerves.

"Just take a look around," He pushed. "See if anything sticks out. Jay has to get some touch-up work done, so you have time." I planted myself outside the store front, an inner battle keeping me there.

"I double dog dare you to just go check it out." Paul chimed in giving me a little nudge forward.

'It couldn't hurt'

"I guess that couldn't' hurt…" I caved, following everyone inside. I mean, what was I going to do? Stage a protest and sit outside until they were done?

"Besides," Paul wrapped an arm around me. "You already have your ears pierced. How much worse could this be?"

"I had my ears pierced when I was two," I muttered to myself, beginning to flip through different albums of work done on previous customers. "And I developed a fear of staplers for a good year afterward, thank you very much…"

The art was decent, but nothing I decided I wanted. I hated the flash art that everyone else had one of already – I wanted something original. Something meaningful. Biting my lip, I looked at my phone. There were a couple of designs I had pinned on a Pinterest board a long time ago…But were they too stupid? Was it cliché or tacky to get a tattoo idea off of Pinterest?

The artist arrived, shaking hands with Jay and leading him to the back.

'Go check it out'

"You can go back" David nodded toward the curtained off section of the shop. "You're allowed. Maybe watch what it's like?" That trademark smirk had returned and I tried to return a smile, although I'm sure it came off strained, and hurried to join Jay.

The design the artist was retouching came across as modern hipster. It was a forest, the trees all barren of leaves, wrapping around his ankle and stretching to mid-calf. One tree stood a degree taller than the rest, and it seemed like something was off with its branches, but I didn't put much stock into it.

"I didn't even know you had a tattoo," I mentioned while watching the artist work at deepening some of the shading.

"We all have them." Jay' voice was muffled by the table. Because the artist was currently working on the bits on the back of his leg he was forced to lay face down, but I could tell he was being short with me on purpose and not because of the awkward position.

'It's nothing'

"It's tradition." Jay eventually added when I proceeded to ignore the cold shoulder I imagined he was employing to try to make me leave. He fiddled with an iPod connected to the store sound system and turned on music, maybe hoping to drown me out.

Sunday Bloody Sunday - U2

"What kind of tradition?" I just spoke louder.

"We all got a piercing and some ink when we started riding together." Despite Jay's coolness, I couldn't help but feel some warm and fuzzy feelings. I hadn't realized how much this would mean to the boys. At least, I hoped that was the intention. Maybe I was misreading? A few more butterflies fluttered around and I decided to pull up a chair.

I passed the time in the shop mostly alternating between watching progress on the tattoo and flipping through pages on the internet. He didn't seem phased by the process at all and that put me at ease more than Googling areas to get tattoos ever would. Additionally, the tattoo machine was much quieter than I expected which made the whole idea of getting inked less intimidating somehow. Rather than a swarm of angry hornets, the mechanism only emitted a small hum. I had always wanted a tattoo, but never thought I would have the balls to go and do it. My pain tolerance was absolutely pitiful, however, the biggest thing that held me back in the past was that my mother constantly threatened to cut me off if she ever found out that I got a tattoo, but…I guessed that wasn't really an issue anymore. She had cut me out of her life anyway.

I noticed Jay twitch a little on the table. I hesitated, unsure of myself, but decided to place a hand on his leg anyway in a hopefully comforting way, patting his calf a little.

"You pick something out yet?" I practically fell out of my seat, jerking my hand back. I hadn't noticed Dwayne walk up behind me at all with the music. He didn't laugh at me, though, and I appreciated that.

"I have ideas floating around, but…Nothing solid." I pulled the pictures back up and explained some of my thoughts. Between the artist and him, we came up with something that sounded interesting which I was willing to try out. Jay was done on the table pretty quickly after that, so the artist switched focus to sketching and printing an idea for me. I found that I had a stencil of the design on my ankle entirely too quickly.

"It's just so…permanent…" I tried to explain to those gathered around me, still working on talking myself out of the situation I found myself in. "I mean, shouldn't I be putting more thought into this?"

"Brenna, when was the last time you did something crazy?" Paul had challenged me while I was standing in front of the mirror. Other than changing schools I realized…Nothing, really.

'Just like Jordan…"

These boys truly were a terrible influence on me.

"Alright." The artist patted the table, calling me to it. "You ready?"

"Hey, Jay?" The boys were exiting to the lobby to give me some privacy, probably to play video games, but Jay happened to be in the back of the pack. "Could you, uh…This is awkward, but could I maybe hold your hand?" The words sounded much worse outside of my mouth. "I mean, just for the start. Until I get used to it. I just don't want to jump and ruin the tattoo and-"

"Sure, Bren." He cut my babbling off. I narrowed my eyes at the nickname. Few people ever called me that, and I typically would have protested, but in this case, I decided it was comforting and just let it go. His expression was actually much softer from earlier. Dare I say it, he might have actually looked pleasant as he sat in the stool I once occupied, taking my hand. I was now lying face down as well and I couldn't be sure if not being able to see would make the experience better or worse. I resisted urges to tense, waiting for the needle to meet my skin.

As it turned out, I would be happy to report that my fears of getting inked were unfounded. Just as the machine was quieter than I expected, it was also nowhere near as painful as I was anticipating. I instantly felt stupid.

"This isn't bad at all!" I remarked. "I got myself all worked up over nothing."

"You're capable of more than you give yourself credit for." He smiled, turning away quickly to notice the boys heading out of the shop. Paul and Marko gave me matching thumbs ups and Jay patted my shoulder as he let go of my hand. "We'll be back." He promised. "You'll do fine."

"Oh!" I eyed the bunch curiously. "Uh…Ok! I'll just be right here I guess?" It seemed strange that they would leave me here alone, but the shop was comfortable enough. And it wasn't like I could leave if I wanted to anyway. But what would they all be up to at the same time that couldn't wait? Jay walked away before I could ask.

The entire process didn't take more than an hour and I mostly played on my phone, chatted with the artist, or watched YouTube videos to pass the time. When the guys returned, they started trading off, trying to distract me from the soreness of sitting still too long. That was probably the worst part, honestly. It didn't become painful until the very end when I started to bleed a little, and even that was tolerable, just kind of unpleasant.

When it was finally finished, I received my own wrappings and care card and was rushing out to the lounge to show off. The main design I had decided on was a moth.

"It's only after we've lost everything," the words wrapped around it, "that we're free to do anything." I figured I could keep it covered with pants or the right shoe choice if it became a work issue, but this also gave me the opportunity to show it off if I wanted.

"Thank you, David," I mumbled begrudgingly, realizing he had picked out a perfect gift. It was like they knew me better than I knew myself.

"Glad you liked it." His eyes betrayed that his statement held more meaning than he was letting on, but he continued before I could question it. "And I believe we have one more surprise in store for you if you're up to it…"

The night had been so action packed that I hadn't even thought to check the clock. It was nearing what was supposed to be my bed time rapidly.

'Stay out a little longer…'

I thought about doing the responsible thing and going home to get my sleep schedule back on track, but I knew I would just end up lying in bed, staring at the ceiling, thinking about all the fun everyone was probably having and regretting going home.

"Alright," I consented. "But I have work and class tomorrow morning. I need to be back at a decent hour."

"Ok, we'll get you back in time for work," Marko suggested. The group snickered.

"No, I need to be home in time to get sleep too. Or at least for a nap."

"Awe, you ruin all the fun!" He complained, leading me to the door.

I ended up on David's bike on the way to the cave. It seemed like I was always on his bike by default when he was around, and I wondered why that was. Not that I minded…I hated to admit it, but he was the most fun, even if he also took the most risks. Walking into the cave itself, Marko offered me his arm this time around. It was a trust exercise on steroids considering that Paul also insisted on covering my eyes.

"You're all trying to give me a damn heart attack!" I complained, but I truly did trust them. They stood a much better chance getting me all the way to our destination without cracking my skull open than I did with my eyes open. Eventually, Paul pulled away his hands and I felt myself tear up undeniably. A large birthday banner was hung in the back of the chamber and in front of me stood Dwayne holding a birthday cake with a few lit candles in it. It was everything I had wanted and more.

"Thank you!" I moved closer to take a better look. "Happy Birthday Brenna" the icing read.

"Yeah, yeah," I could tell he was proud. "You just better not expect us to sing."

"I would never!" We stared each other for a few seconds longer before he relented, allowing me to give him a side hug. I only had to think for a few seconds exactly what it was I wanted to wish for, then blew out the candles. It was so obvious.

After helping to cut the dessert, I plopped into what was becoming my spot on the couch, happily devouring my first slice of cake. Black forest was my favorite: rich dark chocolate with cherries. I could easily eat this whole thing. I was still so hungry. Maybe it was the adrenaline from the tattoo taking its toll on me? That was probably why Marko insisted on me eating a ton of food beforehand.

"Think fast, Brenna!" I heard just in time as Marko chucked a beer at my head. I managed to catch it, by some miracle, and cracked it open. "One more!" he called, tossing something else over distinctly gentler. The mystery object was covered in newspaper and very clearly not another beer. I eyed the boy suspiciously, beginning to tear at the wrappings. When I pulled the present all the way open, I discovered that it was a street sign. Specifically, it was the Elm Street sign from outside of the apartment. I wanted to be mad at him, because I knew without a doubt it was stolen, but I couldn't stop the smile taking over my face. He had been listening that night. More than that! He remembered!

"Thank you, Marko." I raised my beer to him.

One beer turned into three, then five, then a few shots. Race you to the Bottom by New Medicine blasted out of the rock box Paul had finally let me plug my phone into and we were having a grand old time, but that's when I looked down at my phone and realized just how late it had gotten.

"Shit, shit, SHIT!" I started to stand up.

"Awe, Brenna…" Marko whined.

"Guys, I've really gotta get home. I'm having a great time, but…I have work…"

'Call off…'

"And class…"

'Skip…'

"Come on, Brenna!" David hit me with that piercing gaze of his again. "Stay. You deserve a break?"

"I'll get you home before the sun is even up" Paul promised.

"I'll take you home now if you want to go." Jay stood on the other side of me, contradicting the others in the cave with tightly crossed arms. "We're not going to hold you here if you need to go home." A chorus of disappointment rang out around me.

"Sorry, boys." I pouted. "It was a very tempting offer!" Jay took my hand and began escorting me out through the darkness, but apparently, my eyes had finally adjusted. Or maybe the moon was just exceptionally bright? Either way, I didn't need any help to get through this time. "And thank you all again for everything!" I called back to them.

"We'll see you real soon, Brenna." David watched me all the way out. It was a promise, one that made me shiver, although I couldn't be sure why. The music became distant as we walked to the bike, and I regretted leaving, but I thanked Jay profusely for the ride when we got to the apartment.

"I just can't say no to them!" I laughed, dismounting.

"They…We can be pretty persuasive when we want to be." He laughed as well, but his heart clearly wasn't in it. He didn't meet my eyes and his expression was difficult to read in the strangely dark parking lot. It seemed like someone had cut the power. I wanted to ask him if everything was ok, but it just didn't feel like my place.

"Good night, Jay." I decided turning and leaving would be the simplest solution to this awkwardness, but he caught my arm, forcing me to turn around. His eyes searched my face for something, mouth and opening and closing as though he wanted to speak, but ultimately…

"Never mind." He shook his head, also unsure of how to proceed. "I'll catch you later." I nodded, hugging my jacket closer, focusing on getting inside my warm apartment. Jay remained, I noticed, watching until he saw that I had made it inside, just like the other boys had. For living in a cave and riding bikes, they were better mannered than I would have given them credit for.

As pulled open the door to the apartment, hunger slammed into the forefront of my mind once more. No, not hunger, just...Something. Emptiness. Need. I needed something. But what? I didn't understand it and I didn't have other words to describe it. While I felt disgustingly full and bloated, especially after my third slice of cake and however many beers I ended up drinking. Collectively, I had probably put on an extra ten pounds today, but I needed…Something. I dug through the cupboard, searching for saltines or anything else that might help settle my stomach, but as I stretched to pull some Pringles from out of the cupboard over the stove, I crumpled, toppling off of the step stool. It felt like I had been run through my midsection with a serrated blade as my body disconnected from my brain. I hit the floor but hardly felt it. Nothing could distract me from the sharp, stabbing pains in my stomach and chest. I thought about calling out to Jordan or Colette, but remembered that neither of my roommates were here to help. I weakly attempted to pick myself up off the floor, arms shaking with effort as I used the cabinets to climb into a standing position, groaning with effort.

I tried making it to one of the barstool chairs to get closer to my phone which I had dropped on the counter on my way in the door, but the pain flared back up again, twice as excruciating this time if it were even possible, and I found myself face down on the floor once more. The carpet felt like it was vibrating and the walls of the room breathed of their own accord. My toes curled and my legs cramped and my vision swirled as it felt like a thousand white hot needles stabbed away at my skin. I managed to flip over to my back, arching it, nails digging into the carpeting. I'm sure I would have been screaming if anything would come out, but the burning strangled me. Was this an allergic reaction? Was I dying? I needed help…But then the pain seared through any thoughts I was capable of.

Siren Song - The Secret World

And then it subsided again, differently this time. Everything was numb and disconnected, almost like a dream. I began to rise to my knees when I was sure it was over and movement wouldn't trigger a relapse, but it was like it never happened. I began to rise to my feet, although I wasn't certain I was pulling the strings in this situation. It was a strange sensation. Almost like my body wasn't quite my own, but I couldn't concern myself with that right now. There were more important things. The noise, for example, that I was beginning to notice. A peculiar rhythmic thumping coming from somewhere nearby and I was being dragged toward the door by invisible forces. I needed it…I opened the door, or maybe it opened itself, and as though sleepwalking, I found myself drifting down the hallway. If I could just make it to the end…to what I required to make myself feel good again…To feel complete again. There was an ache in the pit of my soul and it was tied to the hunger and the thirst. I didn't know when it started, all I knew is that it was there and it needed to stop. Everything moved in slow motion. My hand was nearly on the handle, and then I was being yanked backwards.

Hands wrapped themselves around my arms, dragging me quickly back into another apartment and I whipped around, furious that someone would dare stop me. I needed. Something. Anything. Everything. I was met with the stony faces of Jay and Mike. The mixture was odd, but it was the last thing on my mind then. They were calm, serious, and faster than my mind could handle at that moment. Most importantly, they had me on a couch in fractions of a second, preventing me from getting…

'Ca͠l̀m ͠d͡o̶wn…'

Michael clamped a hand over my mouth, silencing my shrieks and whispering things my ears had gone deaf to. Meanwhile, Jay pinned me, one hand on either shoulder. I was like a toddler throwing a tantrum in the grocery store who wouldn't listen to reasons or excuses. Every second I was kept from what I wanted allowed the inferno inside me to grow hotter and it already threatened to cook me live. I wanted to rip them off of me, and I would kill them if that was what it took to stop the conflagration before it happened.

'Br̨e̶a͡the…'

Mike was talking to Jay over me in rushed sentences, but the distraction was causing Jay to lose his grip on my shoulders. I was almost free. I felt my nails claw into his shoulders and he had to readjust to prevent me from doing any more damage. I snapped my teeth if he got too close and Michael's hands slipped. And then, as though he suddenly had enough, Jay bellowed an order at me.

"STOP." The command rang straight through to my bones. All the fight left me laying on the couch, frozen, too terrified to attempt moving. I had never seen him this way before. "Brenna, you need to calm down." My breathing began to slow.

'Relax…Don't think…'

The past few minutes began to replay through my head and they no longer seemed normal. What had just happened? Why would I act like that? What was wrong with me? What was it I needed? The events began to fade like a dream in front of my mind's eye. The harder I tried to grasp at the memories, the faster they slipped away.

I was left very confused as to why I was being held on this couch. I had collapsed, then something had happened and now I was being pinned down by Jay and Michael in what I could only assume was Michael's apartment based on the violet light. They slowly started to back off. My eyes felt heavy with the weight of a night without sleep.

"Jay…" My speech slurred and several copies of my vision began to dance around each other. "What's happening to me?" He leaned forward and I was confused that he didn't seem to be worried or concerned with my sudden malaise, just angry. Was it something I did? Or was it something else?

"Go to sleep, Bren." My eyes slid shut. "You aren't going to remember any of this…

Author's Note: Hey everyone! I'm back! I had a big event to run at a local university that took up most of my time. That and a very exciting trip to JAPAN I'm going on in the next month! I finally caught a break and wanted to try get back into the swing of things before I left. So, are things starting to make sense for you?