Disclaimer: Do not own The Lost Boys

And Then She Is the Darkness

Chapter 2: Haven't We Been Here Before.

"What have I told you about this!"

Rhiannon hopped up from her bed and shut her door as yet another argument began downstairs. Her father was home and apparently angry at someone. The muffled sounds of voices bickering back and forth still echoed through the door. She rolled her eyes as she made her way to her stereo, turning it on she cranked it as loud as possible.

Minutes later a loud pounding came through her door. "Turn that shit down now." Rhiannon jumped up from the bed when she heard her fathers voice booming from the other side of the door. She grabbed a pair of headphones and shoved them into the stereo jack causing the sound to muffle quickly.

Rhiannon didn't want to stick around. She grabbed her bag, slung it over her shoulder and headed to her window. She sat waiting at the sill till she heard the all to familiar sound of the front door slam and a car pull away. Her father was off to the bar. She slipped out the second story window grabbing onto the limb of the old elm tree that was outside her window. Once at the bottom she hopped down landing on her feet.

Half hour later she made it to the boardwalk. She walked along past all the rides,shops and food stands till she reached the local video store, Video Max. Maria had been behind the counter the minute she spotted Rhiannon she pulled out a small walk-man and hit play. The first few notes of Fleetwood Mac's Rhiannon began to play.

"Ha ha, that just get's funnier every time you play it."

"Come on girl, you know you like it."she looked at Rhiannon and noticed her expression. "They're at it again huh?"

"Yeah, he's probably down at the bar now, and if I have to guess in about 20 minutes the other one will have some disgusting guy in the house."

"Ever think of leaving?"

"I would if I could just one problem. No funds."

As Rhiannon finished her sentence a couple came up to the counter. "I'll be over there." she said walking over to the comedy section. She began flipping through the movies on the shelf picking up random ones and looking at the backs.

"Can I help you with anything?"

Rhiannon looked up from the copy of Clue that she had in her hand. She looked up and noticed a man wearing a striped shirt, a colorful tie, dress pants, and glasses. He looked a bit geeky to her.

"No thanks. I'm just looking."

"Anything in particular your looking for?"

"No, just something funny. I really need a good laugh."

"Well let's see what we can find you. My names Max by the way."

"Rhiannon." Max walked off to see what he could find for Rhiannon.

"Hey girl come here, look." Maria called pointing up at a group of t.v.s playing against the back wall of the store. "He is totally hot!"

Rhiannon leaned her elbows on the counter and put her head in her hands as she watched Billy Idol dance and shimmy across the screen. She shook her head at Maria who was practically drooling as she watched the video.

"He's okay if your into bottle blond Brits. Give me Bon Jovi any day and I'll be a happy girl." Rhiannon felt a sudden nudge on her leg. She looked down and noticed a pure white dog staring up at her.

"Hey there fella." She stuck her hand out slowly letting the dog sniff if. After a minute the dog nudged her hand with his cold wet nose sat back on his hind legs and began panting. Rhiannon bent down and began petting him.

"I see Thorn made a new friend." Max said having returned with a few videos in hand. "Here, these seem like the kind of movies you need."

He handed over the videos and Rhiannon looked them over. Gremlins and Caddyshack. Thorn suddenly began to bark. Rhiannon, Max and Maria looked up and saw a huge group walking by the store. Rhiannon and Maria recognized Xander and his friends. Maria made a face and turned away, Rhiannon bent down to Thorn and petted his head.

"I feel the same way about them too boy."

"You know them?" Max asked.

"Unfortunately, ones my brother and the others are his new and improved friends. Anyhow how much for the movies?"

"Don't worry, it's on me."

"Thanks."

"No problem."

Rhiannon made her way to the door. "See ya around Maria."

"See ya girl."

"Don't drool over Billy Idol so much. I don't think Max will want to mop up all the puddles."

"Yeah, yeah, go on get outta here." Maria said laughing as Rhiannon walked out the door.

Outside Xander and his friends walked along the Boardwalk Rhiannon soon fell into step behind the group. As the group hit the pier where there were all these little outdoor shops a man walked past the group. He had been walking the beach for hours. He was the towns local nutcase. He was an old man, tall and lanky with long wild gray hair and a beard. He looked like a wild man. His clothes were old, stained and tattered. They were bigger on him than they should have been and he kept them up with a cord tied around his waist.

He stood on the pier and began shouting as people passed him by. " Repent! Your time is near!"

the people passing by either ignored him or snickered at him. Rhiannon and the others had walked by. As she passed the man he grabbed her wrist.

"Have you cleansed your soul child? There is a terrible evil that is upon us. You must repent and you will be spared." Rhiannon shook her wrist from the old mans grasp and heard Xander and his friends laughing.

"Hey Rhiannon, who's your new boyfriend?"

"Go to hell Jaxx." She spat in reply.

"Ugh, he's so grody. He's a perfect match for her." Dawn said as she hung onto Xander. Dawn's little entourage of cookie cutter wannabes laughed along with her. Rhiannon always hated Dawn she was the resident school slut.

"Let's see if he has any money." Dylan said as he gave the man a push. Jaxx laughed manically and pushed him back toward Dylan. Xander laughed and so did Dawn. As the group pushed, tormented and verbally assaulted the old man a crowd had begun to gather around. No one bothered to try and stop them, some were even laughing. Rhiannon walked up to her brother.

"Enough." Xander turned and shoved her knocking her to the ground. She went to get up when she felt a hand on her arm helping her up. Looking up she saw a girl around her age maybe a bit older with bushy brown hair and lots of bangles. A small boy with shaggy hair stood behind her. Just as she was back on her feet She noticed one of the security guards that roamed the beach had shown up. He grabbed Jaxx by the back of the collar and pulled him away from the old man who was now on the ground being kicked.

"Off the boardwalk."

"Hey man, we're only having fun." Dylan said.

"I said off the boardwalk." The guard said again sternly.

"Come on boys," Xander said "we have better things to do than deal with this loser." The group began walking away. "Rhiannon." As soon as her brother shouted her name she ran to catch up with the group.

They settled at a little spot down on the beach. A place they liked to call "their spot" but the way they intimidated and bullied everyone every spot was technically "their spot." Jaxx had pulled out his ghetto blaster put it down in the sand and turned it up. Dylan was throwing some wood into the pit in the sand and Xander was lighting a fire barrel near by.

Dawn had walked over to the cooler one of the other guys had brought and began digging through it. She finally dug out a wine cooler and passed a few to her followers. Of course the wouldn't refuse if they wanted to keep their social standing in the group they did what queenie did without thought or hesitation. There were many times Rhiannon wished Dawn would jump off the Bluffs and all her little lemmings would follow.

Rhiannon plopped herself down on a piece of driftwood as far from the group as possible. Jaxx wast near the cooler tossing her brother a beer as some of the girls were dancing to the Motley Crue song coming through the Ghetto blaster. Off in the corner Dylan was wrestling with one of the other boys as the group hooted and hollered.

Hours had passed and the good times were still rolling for Xander and his friends all except for Rhiannon. Her only wish was to be anywhere but here. She looked out over the ocean watching the waves lap at the shore. She picked up a broken piece of shell and flung it. Suddenly Dawn and her little group made there way over.

"Aw look, our little friend isn't having any fun. Maybe we should help her. What do you girls say, maybe we can give her a makeover." Just as she said that one of the girls in the group threw something cold and wet on her from behind. Rhiannon jumped up in shock.

"Wait we aren't done Rhiannon." Dawn continued. "We're just beginning." She kicked up sand onto her as one of the other girls pulled on her hair and another dumped more sand on her. She pushed passed the girls as Jaxx made his way over.

"What's going on."

"We like tried to give Rhiannon a makeover and she like totally didn't appreciate it." Dawn said as the girls broke into a fit of laughter. Rhiannon was now near the fire pit with some of the others. She knew she wouldn't get any help from them since when she walked over they all began laughing at her.

"Dip shits." She mumbled.

"What was that loser?" Dylan said. "Why don't you say that to our face so we can hear you."

She looked down at the ground and he grabbed her by the arm. "What you don't have nothing to say now?"

"Let go." she said trying to get away.

"Ask nicely bitch." he said yanking her arm and pulling her back.

"Leave me alone." he pushed her causing her to fall over the cooler. She just barely missed the fire by mere inches just to be hauled back up by one of the other boys and pushed back at Dylan. Jaxx had come up behind them and knelt down behind Rhiannon. Dylan shoved her again, she fell over Jaxx cutting her hand on some broken glass that was in sand as everyone looked on and laughed. Rhiannon got up and took off down the beach. Jaxx and Dylan went t take off after her.

"Let her go. We don't need her anyway."

"Man you are so predictable. What was she the second one tonight?"Marko asked Paul as he sat on the steps leading onto the beach.

"Dude she was asking for it, who am I to refuse." Paul replied. "Besides she was pretty tasty." He said wiggling his eyebrows.

"Yeah well it's easy when you can charm their pants off with messing with their minds. I bet you can't get one woman without it.

"Are you serious, look at me I'm irresistible. I ooze sexiness man." He said as his smirk began to grow wide.

"Do I really want to know?" Dwayne asked as he stretched out on the other side of the stairs.

"I said he couldn't get a girls attention without messing with their head."

"Can too!"

"I bet you a hundred dollars you can't get the next girl that walks by without turning on your "charm".

"Oh you are so on dude."

"Hold on, let's make it interesting. I'll put a hundred that says he can. You want in David?"

David walked up puffing away on a cigarette. "I'm with Marko."

"So it's set. Next girl that walks by. You have to get all on you own."

Rhiannon had slowed up now that she had put enough distance between her brothers crew and herself. Walking along the beach she shook a hand through her hair trying to get the sand out. Dawn and all Xander's friends were butt heads in her mind. She was still shaking the sand from her when she ran into something and fell back landing in the sand with a thud. The Boys all looked down at the ground. David reached out a hand to help her up.

"No, thanks I'm fine." She hopped up and tried dusting herself off. She looked at David and realized he must have been what she ran into. "Sorry." She added quickly. Dwayne looked at her for a minute there was something about her.

"No harm done." David said with a smile. "You new here?"

No she's not. David look at the necklace. Do you remember?

Rhiannon had answered but he didn't pay attention to the response. He reached out and took the charm on her necklace in his hand looking at the necklace like Dwayne had said. Rhiannon heard a large group approaching. Turning she noticed it was her brother and quickly made her way up the stairs passed the Boys and into the crowd. Paul jumped up from his spot on the stairs and began to follow. Marko followed soon after to protect his bet.

"It's been awhile." David said looking at Dwayne.

1978

Murphy had dropped his kids off for a day of fun so he and his wife could get a bit of a break. Xander was twelve, old enough now to take care of himself and Rhiannon for a while. Plus they knew the kids from the comic shop. So they wouldn't be completely alone. He pulled into one of the spots and turned to his two children in the back seat.

"Here's twenty dollars. Try not to spend it all." He handed the cash to Xander. "Keep an eye on your little sister. It get's crowded and she can get lost easily. I'll be back later to pick you both up."

"Yes dad." Xander said as he and Rhiannon hopped out of the car and watched their father pull away.

Xander took Rhiannon's hand and led her through the crowd. For the most part of the day they spent with Edgar and Alan at the comic store. After, they spent the rest of the afternoon riding the rides, eating at the stands, and playing games. It was late when they were walking along past the shops. Xander was looking at something and had let go of Rhiannon's hand. Rhiannon saw something across the way and walked into the crowd. Within minutes she was swept up in the motion of the crowd. When she finally stopped she couldn't see Xander and didn't know where she was.

She walked along the boardwalk trying to retrace her steps when a big guy walked right into her.

"Walk much squirt?" He said laughing.

"Maybe she don't know the rules of the boardwalk Spike. I think we should teach her." he said grabbing her by the back collar of her shirt and lifting her off the ground. Rhiannon thrashed,kicked and flailed about in a futile attempt to get the man to let go.

"PUT ME DOWN, PUT ME DOWN!"

She kicked again and hit the man in the shin. He yelped in pain before dropping her, she skinned her knee when she hit the wood planks. Like a shot she took off running with the men not to far behind. She ran through the crowd bumping into anyone in her way. She didn't even bother to apologize. She ran until she was out of breath she spotted some bikes up ahead and ducked between a few hoping the men would run past and not notice her. No such luck. One of them reached over the bike grabbed her and hauled her up. From behind them she hear someone speak.

"Is there any particular reason your near my bike?"

The two men turned. Rhiannon was wiggling in the one mans grasp. She stopped temporarily and looked up. The men that had her looked a little pale as they stared at the blond and brunette in front of them. It was David and Dwayne.

"We were just getting my little sister."

"No your not! You don't know me!" Rhiannon finally wiggled from the mans grasp and ran behind the other two men she clung to the blonds long black coat before popping her head out from between the men. "You were chasing me."

"Is this true?" David asked raising an eyebrow. Rhiannon stood there nodding her head wildly.

"Look we..we don't want any trouble man." One of the men said as he began backing up.

"I suggest you leave my bike and the girl alone." That was all the incentive the men needed before they turned and walked off.

Rhiannon sniffled and wiped her eyes. "I'm sorry I hid by your bike. I just wanted them to leave me alone. I got separated from my brother..."

"Rhiannon! RHIANNON!" David, Dwayne And Rhiannon turned as Xander ran up to them.

"Where have you been? I've been looking all over for you. You were supposed to stay with me."

All Rhiannon could do was stammer as she stepped out from behind David and Dwayne "I . . . I .. "

Xander grabbed her and hugged her tight. "C'mon we have to get back, dad is coming to get us soon we have to get back."

Rhiannon began to walk away with her brother when she squeezed his hand. She turned and ran back over to Dwayne and David who were about to get on their bikes. She wrapped her arms around Dwayne and hugged him she then walked over to David and hugged him to. She went to pull away when her hand caught something hanging out of his pocket. David looked down noticing the necklace he had taken from his victim earlier that night in Rhiannon's hands, she turned the charm over looking at it.

"Keep it." He said giving her that trademark sideways smile and put it around her neck.

"Thanks." She said before bounding off to where Xander was waiting for her. Soon they were out of site and Dwayne and David hopped on their bikes and sped off into the night.