T⃨u⃨r⃨n⃨ O⃨n⃨ T⃨h⃨e⃨ N⃨i⃨g⃨h⃨t⃨ | The Lost Boys

C⃨H⃨A⃨P⃨T⃨E⃨R⃨ T⃨W⃨O⃨

⚠️warnings: cigarettes, mind control⚠️

It was about eleven o'clock when we retired to our make shift home. I pulled the flower patterned blanket over Laddie and kissed his forehead. "Where you going?" Laddie asked sleepily as I crawled out the van.

"I'll be right outside. Go to sleep," I smiled as I shut the sliding door, not fully so I could peak inside at any moment to check on him. I reached for the the pack of cigarettes and pulled one out and to my lips. I patted my pockets to find my lighter but couldn't seem to find one.

"Need a light?" a dark voice asked from beside me. I turned to see a man with spiky blonde, almost white, hair holding a box of matches is his hand.

"Oh thanks," I smiled as I he offered a now lit match out. "Matches?" I giggled as I put the smoke to my mouth.

"What can I say? I'm old-fashioned," he hummed as he stood over me, watching my every movement as if he was studying me.

"Hmmm. yes I can tell with your leather gloves and punk hair," I smiled.

He didn't answer. He just stared down at me with a slight smirk across his face and moved closer to me. I felt the cold leather of his coat press against my arms. I would move away but for some reason I just couldn't move, I was almost frozen. 

It took what felt like year, but probably was only several seconds, for him to finally speak again. "I hope you enjoy your stay here."

"Thanks," I nod.

"Good bye, Madeline." He spoke. I dropped the cig on the floor and squashed it with my foot to put it out and looked back up to say good-bye to the mysterious stranger but he was already gone. I was too tired to question how he knew my name.

I crawled back into the vehicle and closed the door behind me, this time fully. I led down next to my son and pulled his Batman blanket over me.  My eyes shut and sleep came easy enough.

~*~

I didn't want to allow myself to hope, but I thought that maybe things were finally looking up. After a whole afternoon spent successfully job hunting, my little family was just now sitting down for dinner. With a few pages of paperwork spread out on the picnic table in front of me, I  hummed as I plucked a piece of pepperoni off my pizza and tossed it to the seagulls. Laddie sat across from me, one hand holding his piece of pizza in his mouth and the other moving around a little thunder cats figure.

"Can we go to the arcade tonight?" Laddie questioned when he caught my eye.

"Again? Thought we could maybe go to the comic book shop instead," I giggled.

"Yeah but it was so fun last night!" he smiled.

There was a bit of sauce sticking to the corner of his mouth, but I merely reached across the table to wipe it off with my thumb, "Once I finish this up, sure. We can go again tomorrow after the interview too."

"For that café?" his little nose scrunched in disgust, "It smelled bad."

I snorted. It wasn't a far-off assessment, "Yeah, well beggars can't be choosers. Besides, they said you can sit there while I work and that'll save us a ton without a babysitter."

"I don't need a babysitter," Laddie groaned, shoving the rest of his pizza in his mouth and grumbling, "I'm seven now."

"Yeah, well the police say you need a babysitter, buddy," I rolled my eyes before signing off on the last document. "The last thing we need is a warrant for our arrest," I gave him a pitiful look, "Do I look like the kind of woman who can survive prison?"