ḾṎᕍ⁅ᖇṈ ℄Ṏv⁅ | The Lost Boys

ᏨᏲᾀᑬt⁅ᖇ tᏲḭᖇtẙ-ṎṈ⁅

Paul tugged on the ends of his hair. "It's not working."

"It's not going to work," snapped Marko. "She needs human blood. That's the only way."

David removed his arm from my mouth, a trickle of blood falling from my lips.

My eyes would flutter open every now and again. Their blood gave me energy, but they were, at best, prolonging the inevitable. I were only half-vampire, and while Edgar hadn't hit my heart, he'd sliced enough vital organs to make it deadly.

The only reason I hadn't died yet was because the boys had force-fed me enough of their blood to keep my body from shutting down entirely.

My sweater clung to my back, my own blood making the fabric stick to my skin. A pool of it had accumulated under me, mingling with the dirt and grime and God-knows-what else.

"We're lucky it wasn't the heart," Dwayne murmurs.

"We would be lucky," David hissed, "if it hadn't happened at all."

"Don' fight ... " i slur. "Not worth it." I break out into another coughing fit. More blood splatters onto my chin.

"Don't talk, baby. Save your strength. We'll fix this, I promise."

The boys took their places around the cave. They were exhausted. Even though the sun couldn't reach them, they could still feel its pull, much like they could feel the moon's pull. David took the wall furthest from me, near the cavern entrance.

Marko perched himself on a tall ledge, watching over from above.

Dwayne hadn't once moved, keeping me situated on his legs, my head in his lap. He rested his head against the wall, fingers idly carding through my hair.

Paul sat the closest, knees drawn up to his chest. He kept staring at the offending stake, lips trembling.

All had been quiet for a while. I was starting to fall asleep when Paul spoke up, his voice small. "It was us, you know?"

I hum lightly.

"The stuff ... I dunno. At first, it started as a joke, I guess. I found a dumb little shell and thought, hey, wonder if she'll notice this, you know?" He drums his fingers against his lap. "And when I went back to check, it was gone ... We all took turns finding dumb shit and leaving it. I ... I dunno."

"Are  are you talking about the stuff on my window?"

"Yeah."

The corner of my lips quirks upwards. I hadn't thought about that in a while. I supposed it made sense. The moment they started coming over to pick up Michael, the little gifts had appeared. I'd stupidly never put two and two together.

"... Thanks."

Dwayne lightly tugged on my hair. "Don't strain yourself. You'll have time to talk when you're better."

I try to shift, but the pain prevents me. I'd bled a lot. It was a wonder any of them were able to contain themselves, especially after what I witnessed on the beach.

Tilting my head, I study Dwayne's face. The curve of his lip. The strong like of his nose. "That first night on the boardwalk, were you guys gonna eat me?"

He smiles softly. "Thought about it."

"But then we decided you were too cute," said Paul. "And that keeping you would be more fun than killing you."

Laughing breathlessly, I ask, "That true?"

"Partially," said David, voice gruff. He offered no other explanation, voice leaving no room for questions.

"So if I hadn't been so cute, you would've eaten me."

"Maybe," says Paul.

But David interjects again. "No."

I smiled. My lower half was feeling quite numb now. And cold. I shivered lightly. The cave was cold; I should've remembered that and dressed warmer. Instead, I wore my 'dowdy' clothes, as they had so eloquently called it.

"I've got a question," said David. "Why did you come back?"

That was such a complex question, but at the same time, it wasn't. I didn't have the energy to explain it all to my boys—hell, I'm not sure I could explain it. How could I tell them that the thought of any one of them dead nearly sent me spiraling over the edge? How could I tell them that a feeling brought me back? Like an itch I couldn't quite scratch.

They went about it all wrong. They didn't tell me in the first place—but would I have believed them? No. And if they'd vamped out to prove their point, I would've run.

But ever since the first moment I saw them, there was a feeling growing inside of me. A tether. It only grew stronger as the days passed. When I was with them, I didn't feel out of place. As soon as I had left their side, I was agitated and jumpy. But being back at their side was home.

Dwayne's words echoed in my mind. Hypothetically, if you could stay with us forever, would you? I smile. I knew my answer now.

"Because ... forever."

The last thing I saw was Dwayne's crestfallen face before exhaustion overtook me.