ḾṎᕍ⁅ᖇṈ ℄Ṏv⁅ | The Lost Boys

ᏨᏲᾀᑬt⁅ᖇ ᖴḭᖴt⁅⁅Ṉ

⚠️Warnings: talking about the events of chapter thirteen⚠️

It's pitch black when I wake up.

At first, I think I might be at Grandpa's, but something's off. It takes me a moment to realize it's the smell. Grandpa's place smells like wood and dust, but this place smells damp, like being on the beach after a storm. Underneath that scent is something else, aromas I can't quite place but are pleasing nonetheless.

They pull me from the dregs of sleep, and I sit up slowly, allowing my eyes to adjust. The blanket slid down my naked torso, pooling at my waist. Strangely, I'm not surprised by my nakedness. It's a gentle reminder of what happened, giving my mind the spark it needs to connect the dots.

Memories of last night flashed before my eyes—all four of them. I'd been with all four of them. I reach down to the apex of my thighs and feel as if searching for physical proof. All I find is my naked sex. There's no soreness or foreign bodily fluids coating my thighs, so I know I didn't go all the way. Most of the memories were hazy. I could recall tongues and fingers.

I buried my face in my hands, groaning. Oh, what a mess. I'm not sure I have the strength to face them. I was mental last night. The moon, I decided, was responsible for my out-of-character actions.

Not wanting to stick around, I scoured the room for my clothes and threw them on. I found my glasses tucked away on the nightstand and slipped them on, finding comfort in their weight on my nose. I tip-toed out of the room, hugging the wall for support. Even if they hadn't fucked me, I was still quite wobbly, likely from nerves.

Light flickered across the floor, letting me know I was getting close. Great. Now, all you needed to do was find the exit and trek who-knows-how-many miles to Grandpas. Mentally, I swear. This is why I need to learn how to drive. I noticed those pleasant scents were getting stronger the closer I got to the main cave in the back of my mind. I hadn't noticed last night, so it seemed oddly out of place in the damp cave, yet it also smelled like home.

Unfortunately, my plans for quietly sneaking out were cut short. I breached the main cave and discovered the boys were already awake. All conversation stopped the moment I walked in, eyes snapping towards my figure. I froze like a deer in headlights.

For the longest time, no one said anything. Or, it could've been mere seconds. I swallow thickly, and i swear my heart stopped beating entirely.

Shit, shit, shit—

"Evening," said Marko, breaking the quiet atmosphere.

Shit. I ducked my head, holding the wall with one hand and my shoes with the other, easing my way down the rocky steps.

"What time is it?"

"Nine thirty-ish, give or take," answers Paul. "Just in time for the sunset."

I stop short, thankfully on flat ground, or else I would've fallen on my face. "Nine thirty?! In the evening?" They nod. "I slept all day?!"

Paul popped his head up from where he lay on the floor. "To be fair, you were pretty busy last night."

Bile crawls up my throat. The world swirls around me as I stagger for the exit. I'd been gone all night and all day. My mom was probably worried sick! Oh, God, how was I going to explain this?

"I've gotta go," I blurt out, "I'm sorry, I've got to get home—"

David appeared seemingly from thin air, steadying me. "There's no rush." He rested his hands on my shoulders and steered me towards the couch. "You've already been gone this long. You don't want to walk back home at night; it's dangerous."

"There are a lot of unsavory characters out there," added Marko.

"But—"

"Calm down, baby." Paul shoots me a wink, reminding me that he now knew just how much I liked his little nickname.

David throws his arm over my shoulder and holds me close. "You can always show up tomorrow. Besides,  aren't you the responsible one in your family?"

"Yes, and that's why I have to go."

"But it also means you never cut loose. You deserve a life, too, kitten." He stroked my bottom lip with his gloved them. "C'mon—when was the last time you actually did something for yourself?"

He raised his eyebrows, driving home his point, and I can't say anything to the contrary. He's right. The last time I'd really let loose was back in Phoenix, and that was years ago. Back before, things had gone to hell with Dad,  And the boys ... they wanted me to stay.

For the life of me, I couldn't figure out why. Maybe it was the romantic in me, or perhaps I was still on whatever they'd given me last night, but I wanted to believe that they actually liked me. It's not like they took advantage of me last night. They could've gone all the way and passed me around like a fuck doll, but they didn't. Hell, they didn't even use me for their own pleasure. Instead, they actually made me feel good first. (And, fuck, I remember how good it felt.)

They weren't like the assholes my friends had gone with, who kicked them out the moment they got what they wanted. (A small part of me reminded me that they hadn't gotten exactly what they wanted, and there was still a chance they could hurt me, but I ignored that.)

Strangely, you trusted these mysterious men. It was an innate feeling, akin to warm fuzzies in my gut like I'd trust them no matter what. These guys that had been tormenting me for weeks now, that had been turning Michael into a fucking jerk—they were, well, not nice, but not giant assholes like you'd initially think.

Slowly, I spoke, "Maybe a little while longer? Like you said, I've already been gone this long...."

Mywords were met with cheers. Paul slapped Marko on the arm, but Marko pulled him into a headlock.

David kissed my temple. "Atta, girl."