The Lost Boys: Dark Paradise

Chapter 4: Spiders and Frogs

  I woke up feeling confused, and weak in the hotel bed. My blistering sunburn was starting to calm down, but I still felt pain. A very sharp pain in my neck. Like it had been cut open. I involuntarily touched my neck to feel something flakey rough, and.....wet? I looked at my hand in horror. It was blood. My own blood. 'What happened last night?', I thought, as I went to the bathroom to wash my bloody neck. I saw that I still had on the clothes from last night, which was all I could remember. As I cleaned my neck, I saw two deep puncture wounds in my neck. Two small holes, where apparently the blood spilled out of. The other night I didn't have a problem with any bugs or spiders in the room, but had to be a huge spider! I've never been bitten by a spider before, let alone a spider this huge. I wasn't one to complain, at least not out loud as a paying customer, but I felt I had to tell someone about the problem. 

  I took a fast shower and put on new clothes. I put on my pink off the shoulder sweater, acid wash jean shorts, my pink headband, pearl earrings, pearl necklace, and my mint green low top converse shoes that I had painted pink roses on. I wore my long hair straight, and wore natural yet subtle makeup with a 50's winged liner. I went to my mother's door and knocked. For a minute there was no answer, but then I heard her yawn and stretch. "Mom?", she opened the door, "I think something bit me last night." "Oh my gosh!!!! Tori!!!", she yelled as she hugged me tightly, "Where have you been baby girl? Momma was so worried!! Don't you ever, EVER do that to me again!!! You understand me?!" "Mom, calm down. I'm fine, or at least I think I am. What happened last night?", I asked her. She looked at me like I was insane, her eyes were bloodshot and she looked like she had been crying. "Tori, Nick and I looked everywhere for you. We had to file a police report because you were missing all night long!!", she sounded like she was about to cry. "Well, I'm here now. What time is it?", I asked her. "3:30pm.", she said as she took a shakey breath, then she saw my small puncture wounds, "Tori, what happened!?" She touched my neck and I flinched. 

  "I don't know. I think a spider bit me last night.", I said with a shakey voice. "Well, serves you right for not waking me up last night to tell me that you were ok.", she said all condicending. "I don't really remember coming back to the hotel.", I honestly told her. "I knew that bleach blonde biker boy was trouble!", my mom said. "Bleach blonde biker boy?", I honestly had no idea what she was talking about. "You seriously don't remember?", she asked. There was a long pause, "Well, no. Not really." "Did you get high with him?", she questioned. "Ewwww, no mom I would never smoke or drink or take anything.", I said shocked at her suspicion. "I'm considering leaving because of your behavior young lady. We'll cut this vacation short and go back home to Kansas.", she threatened. "You're the one who left to go hang out with that Nick guy! Maybe I had to get your attention so you would know that this was OUR vacation together!", I raged. "Tori, I would never ditch you for some guy. Ok? You're my baby girl, my daughter, you come first. However, I want love too. Nick isn't replacing your dad, ok, he's just a nice guy that I met a bar. He even helped me look for you and came to the police station with me.", she said. 

  "Ok, well, I'm sure 'bleach blonde biker boy', was a nice guy too. I'm alive aren't I? He didn't murder me. He must've taken me to back here last night.", I started to get a huge headache from trying to remember. "Well, if he was a nice guy, he would've woke me up and told me that you were back.", she whispered. I could see the worry in her face. I hugged her, "Mom, I'm sorry for being jealous of sharing you with Nick." "It's ok baby girl. We need to get that checked out.", she pointed at my neck. I nodded and we left to go to the local doctor's office. We had told Brenda about the apparent 'spider' problem, and she told us that Bernie would call the exterminator to rid the hotel of the 'spiders'. The doctor said he had never seen a bite quite like mine before. He had tested my blood for any venom, any diseases, and found none. Just a regular ordanairy huge spider bit me last night, I guess. And I was fine. Weird.

  My mom took me shopping and then we rode some more rides at the boardwalk. I spotted Sammy and Edgar and Allen. "Hey you guys!!", I waved and smiled. Sammy waved and said hi. "Hey, did you guys hear what happened last night?", Sammy asked. When we all shook our heads 'no', he went on, "Well apparently 4 teenagers were found down by the beach. Dead." "Were there any markings on their bodies?", Edgar asked. "They said there were two puncture wounds on all of their necks.", Sammy shrugged. I lifted my hand to my neck. "You alright there, Tori?", Allen asked. "Oh I'm fine.", I tried to direct the attention off of myself. "Then what's that?", he asked as he pointed to my neck. "Guess we have a huge spider problem here in Santa Carla. One bit me last night.", and I left it at that. "Oh, I see. Can we see the bite?", Edgar asked. "Do you really want to? It hurts to take this off.", I pointed at the bandage on my neck. "Please.", Allen asked. "Fine.", I ripped off the bandage to show my two puncture wounds. "Oh my gosh!! That was some huge big-ass spider.", Sammy said as he inspected my neck, "Is it infected?" 

  "No the doctor said it was fine. No venom, no diseases.", I shrugged. Edgar and Allen both shared a look, and then stared at me. "Did you partake in any crazy suspicious looking activities last night?", Edgar asked. "What? No. I was with my mother.", I said. "What did you do last night?", Edgar looked more intently at me as if trying to decide something. "I.....I..I don't remember. Look, can we just change the subject. My head is pounding.", I said as I tried to remember last night. The more I tried to remember, the more my head hurt. Allen and Edgar shared another look and then they looked at me intensely. "We believe that you may have fallin in with some pretty dangerous people. People who are not people at all. They only come out at night. They feed on the living. They are called, vampires. Believe us or not, you have fallen victim to their tourchorous mind games. And it looks like they got a little taste of you.", Edgar said and Sammy made a disgusted face when he mentioned 'taste', "What happens when you try to remember the events of last night?" 

  "I.... I... I.", I tried so hard to remember last night and the worst migraine I've ever had pounded into my skull. I held my head I my hands and screamed. Nearby people stopped and stared. "Can we please just change the subject?!", I squealed. "We can protect you, Victoria but you need to come to terms with what we are saying, and that it's true. Can you try to do that?", Edgar said. "I guess I can try, but this is insane.", I threw my hands up in the air. "We don't live in a sane world.", Allen said, "When you go back home, don't invite anyone into your house." "But I told you guys, I don't live here. I'm staying for summer vacation.", I said sadly. The truth was, I didn't have many friends at home maybe one or two, but we never hung out. I was starting to like it here with Sammy and the Frog brothers. "We'll think of something.", Allen said. Just then, the hansome older brother of Sammy came out of the ice cream parlor with a frown and some shades on. "Sam, I thought it was just us.", he said. "You don't have to be so rude, Michael! These are my friends!", Sammy yelled at his older brother. 

  "Michael, this is Victoria. Well, she goes by Tori, and you already know the frog brothers.", Sammy introduced us. "Nice to meet you.", I shook his hand. "Likewise.", he said. "Sammy's told me so much about you.", I said with a smile. "I hope not too much.", he laughed. "Only the really juicy embarrassing stories.", I teased. Sammy laughed and started to share some really funny stories about Michael. And we all laughed. "Alright, come here punk.", Michael said as he wrestled with his younger brother. I laughed at them and smiled. They seemed to have it all together. While Michael was in a shop with Sammy, the Frog brothers tried to convince me that Michael was turning into a vampire. Which, of course I tried not to laugh. Michael looked like a normal guy, and he was in the sun for goodness sake! I went to my mom and we hung out a little more, then I saw Michael and Sam and introduced them to her. She gave me a look that said, 'You otta ask Michael out on a date.' I just rolled my eyes.

  Sammy and I goofed off in the stores, trying to make Michael laugh while my mom took pictures of the ocean. The Frog brothers went back to their comic store to work. As soon as the sun went down, Michael tried to convince my mom to let me go with him to hang out, while Sammy sadly headed home with his mom, Lucy. My mom and Lucy started talking and got along well. My mom went with Lucy and Sam back home to hang out and talk about cook books and receipes. Michael said that he wanted me to meet someone, and I nodded yes.