Night Shade | The Lost Boys

Chapter One

Bell Emerson had never seen anything quite like the Santa Carla boardwalk at night. During the day, tourists ran rampant and the sights were slightly drab. With the sun setting over the ocean line, the lights began to come on across the long stretch of boardwalk, signaling the beginning of a night anew for the people of Santa Carla. Music was echoing from all corners of the boardwalk, enticing her to follow the laughter. The smell of popcorn and cotton candy flooded her nostrils, she could practically taste the sweet saltiness. She could smell the salt on the air that came with each crashing ocean wave against the shore.

Her family had went their separate ways as soon as they reached the boardwalk, leaving Bell to her own devices. She had just passed by a pair of jugglers when her ears picked up the sound of a little boy crying. Tilting her head to the side, she could pick up the small voice just to her left. Following the sound, she quickly found a young boy standing alone amongst the walking crowd of the boardwalk. Bell approached him quickly and bent down to his height to talk to him.

Putting on a friendly smile, she said, "Hey there buddy! Are you a little lost?"

The boy nodded his head timidly at her while wiping the tears from his eyes. In a quiet little voice, he rasped, "I just want my mommy."

Bell nodded and quickly got to her feet, holding out a hand for the little guy to take. He latched on to her side and she began to lead them into the first establishment that she saw. Max's Video. It seemed like a decent enough option to take the boy to wait on his mother to find him. Stepping into the well lit store, Bell made her way to the very tall man at the front desk.

"Hi there. Do you happen to have a telephone? This little boy is lost an-"

The rest of her sentence was cut off as an older woman ran into the store exclaiming the boy's name. Jumping out of her arms, he launched himself into those of the other one. Guess we found the mom. Bell flashed a smile at the other woman and leaned down to ruffle the kid's hair.

"Take care of yourself kid and try not to walk away from your mom."

The mother repeated thank you several times on the way out the door with a grateful smile on her face as she clutched her son to her. With a small smile still on her face, Bell turned back to face the man at the front desk of the video store. The man was watching her with a curious glint in his eyes that was easily noticeable even through his glass frames that were nearly bigger than his head. I bet Mom would get a kick out of those coke bottle shades. Reaching a hand across the counter, Bell stated in a crisp voice, "Sorry to be a bother sir. Just wanted to help that little boy find his mom. My name is Bell."

He seemed shocked that she was offering her hand to him. Bell found it sad that he would be sad that someone of her age would be showing manners to an elder. Her mother had raised her right after all. After a split second decision, he clasped her hand in his own, the icy chill of his skin against hers causing her hackles to rise. His voice was polite when he responded with, "I could not be mad at you for trying to commit a good deed my dear. I'm Max, the owner of this fine establishment."

A bark off to the side of the counter caused Bell to drop his hand and look down. A beautiful white hound sat at her feet practically begging for her attention. A wide smile broke out upon her face and she dropped to her haunches to give the animal all of her attention. A large, fur covered head placed itself on her shoulder and the large creature gave a content sigh when she rubbed behind his ears. Bell could hear a confused noise come from Max from his perch above her behind his counter. She could only guess that this was his dog and he was not usually this kind to strangers especially those that were close to his master. Behind her she could hear a scuffle of feet and then she heard the sweet voice of her mother, "Belladonna, honey, did you make a new friend?"

Turning around to answer her mother, Bell found her eyes trapped within an icy blue gaze, the texture of those unlike any she had ever seen before. The blue shade resembling something of a winter sea, the gaze itself holding a slight chill. Her breath left her in a slight gasp, and she could feel herself starting to tremble. Barely three steps from her was a young man cloaked in head to toe black, the starkness of it an immediate contrast to his pale skin. Platinum blonde hair styled in a gelled back mullet and a carved jawline met her wondering eyes. A leader clad hand came into her line of vision and she realized that he was offering to help her off the ground. Releasing the dog that she had heard Max call Thorn, she carefully placed her hand within the stranger's grasp. The very instant that her palm encountered the cool leather, Bell knew her life was altered. The path that she had been on before did not exist now. She had always been a big believer in following her gut and this situation was no different. Bell knew that somehow someway; she was meant to be on this path. Pulling her up from the ground, the stranger pulled her closer to his chest, nearly underneath his black duster. She could feel the fine material of his sweater underneath her palms. Looking up at him through her lashes, Bell could see herself reflected in his icy blues.

"Belladonna, huh? Are you deadly?"

His voice. God, his voice. She could write a sonnet on the weakening of her knees at the husky rasp that came from his mouth. Her fingers unconsciously clenched in the soft material of his sweater and she could feel his hand tightening from its place on her hip. She bit her lip softly before murmuring in response, "Depends on the situation."

His hand tightened on her figure once more. She could scarcely breathe. The sounds of her mother and Max behind her had faded the minute she locked eyes with him. He was drawing her in, and she could barely understand what was happening. All she knew was in that moment, she was willing to follow him. Her hand ran up his chest and rested on the side of his neck, his bare skin chilled to the touch.

"You got a name?"

A smirk played on the edges of his lips, drawing her attention to his mouth. A small chuckle rumbled from his chest at her action and he answered her question with a simple, "David."

She opened her to respond to him when she heard a loud voice cut through the bubble they had immersed themselves in.

"I thought I told you boys you weren't allowed in here."

Boys. Leaning over on one side, she was able to see three other young men staring at her with differing expressions of mischief. She smiled at them and was tempted to get closer, but the grip David had on her only tightened. Bell pulled back to look up at him with a frown on her face before she realized that he was looking at someone over her head. Turning around, she found Max glaring at David and the boys behind her. Her mother had one eyebrow raised and her hand on her hip but was otherwise unbothered by the sight before her.

"Let her go and get out of my store. Now!"

The voice was not the kind voice that Bell was first introduced to. It was angrier than she expected from someone that looked like Max. Bell straightened her back and placed herself in front of David and the others. The action did not seem to be missed by Max who's eyes widened at her movement. She could feel David shift behind her and then she felt his lips brush her ear, causing a shiver to run down her spine.

"We'll be seeing you, flower."

And the comfort of his presence was gone in a flash and she turned around to see the boys all looking over the shoulders at her as they exited the shop. She gave them a quick curtsy causing them to laugh at her and whirled around to see her mother and Max staring at her in confusion.

"What can I say? People love me."

Disclaimer: I do not own the Lost Boys or any of the characters except for Belladonna