black roses | The Lost Boys (1987)

i.

(Lmao. If you couldn't guess, she's bisexual.)

The dark town of Santa Carla had always been my home, and though I originally described it as dark, it was possibly the brightest city I had ever been to. Santa Carla was a place filled to the brim with tourist attractions, bright lights strung everywhere, and colorful characters from every part of the world.

Yet, the town seemed to hold some of the darkest people. Santa Carla was a place where you should be home or in public eye before dark or something would snatch you up, and even the bright lights of the boardwalk couldn't help you at points.

It was easy to take people in a place like Santa Carla where runaways seemed to always find their place. Nobody would know where they went, nobody would care, and nobody would question the new stains on the building down the street or the old flooring of the boardwalk. You simply made your way past and left as soon as you could.

Santa Carla wasn't supposed to be a home. It was a place filled with people constantly traveling and moving through, but it was the only place I had ever truly known. I knew the quickest ways home, the best places to hide, and places that held their doors open after hours for people who couldn't get home in time. Years of living in the city made me an expert on the place, and I used it to my advantage.

Every night, I closed down my small flower shop one hour before the boardwalk closed, I walked to my motorcycle chained to the pole outside, and I followed an exact route that lasted two minutes to my house. Then, I walked into the old building, locked all the doors, kept the windows tight shut, and went about my business, making sure to never leave the house unless absolutely necessary. In Santa Carla, you can never be sure.

My life had been pretty normal up until I met them. I had just graduated from high school. I was running my flower shop on my own as my mother had retired quickly after I had taken over. The murder rates hadn't increased suddenly or decreased and put people in false hope. The only exciting thing that had happened was my newly dyed hair and my lilac finally blooming fully.

I was sorting through random bunches of flowers, trying to pick the correct ones for a bouquet labeled 'Santa Carla Sunset' that had been ordered over the phone earlier that night, when I heard a familiar voice call my name. "Evangeline," she dragged out teasingly.

I gasped loudly and turned to see my best friend standing beside the counter, a grin spread across her face. "Marigold," I squealed, placing the flowers on the counter before reaching over and pulling her into my arms happily. "I feel like I haven't seen you in forever!"

The blonde giggled happily and pulled away, still holding my hands. My heart jumped a bit at the gesture. Marigold and I had dated once upon a time, though it wasn't for very long, but we weren't right for each other. She was always gone and traveling, and I preferred my life here. We were still best of friends, though, really, it was more than friends. There were just no labels to hold onto. We could love each other as we pleased, but we weren't committed, and though I wasn't the biggest fan of it, I still got her, so I lived with it. "I was only gone for a week, Eva, and look what you do while I'm gone!" She gestured towards my newly dyed hair.

I had recently gotten my hip-length naturally curly red hair peroxide bleached at the bottom so it faded from auburn to white beautifully. I was in love with it. "What? Do you not like it?"

Marigold giggled again and grabbed my face, pulling me in for a soft kiss. "I love it."

I grinned and thanked her before pulling away, picking my flowers back up again. My high-waisted skirt flowed around me as I walked swiftly, grabbing a nice vase for the flowers I held in my hand and placing them in gingerly. "So," I spoke as I filled the vase with water and plant food, "where'd you go this time?"