Night Shade | The Lost Boys

Chapter Eleven

There are many things that can be said for the call of the night. The rushing of the wind, the taste of the night air. Moonlight caressing the skin akin to a lover's caress. Freedom of the night is so wildly underrated. Bell never did understand the call to the sun, to the bright and harsh light of day. Maybe it was in her early years as a young child, frolicking with Michael in the days of childhood innocence. The world is so loud in the day, so much anger brought upon by the waking world. At night, the boardwalk alive and pulsing, Bell could feel the life. The night was a beating heart encased in the glow of the moon, granting life to all those who never woke the sun. Surrounded by so many, encircled in the crowd of meandering tourists and those who called Santa Carla home, Bell found herself at peace.

Peace was not an emotion the middle Emerson felt often. The bonds of family were always at a limit and that was especially felt in the Emerson household. Three children locked in a home with a dying marriage. The worst part being they never realized the marriage was dying until their mother discovered their father straying. But in this moment, surrounded by these four, she felt serene. The screams of the boardwalk and the grinding of machinery from all the rides overwhelmed her ears and yet she had never enjoyed a sound more. No, that was a lie. There was one sound that she enjoyed more than anything. In fact, she could hear it right now, right underneath her left ear, beating away softly.

A heartbeat. But more specifically, his heartbeat. Bell adored the moments that it would beat fast in her presence or the instants it would slow in their scenes of calm. Wrapped in his arms, cloaked in the forsaken midnight trench coat, she was the happiest she had ever felt. His words from earlier echoed in her ears.

It was over the minute you stepped foot in Santa Carla.

With the echoes of the others in her ears, she could only agree quietly to his claim. It was a turning of the page, a changing of the tide. A new chapter of not only her life but theirs. Never had the night looked so good and she was starving for more.

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"You know... when I said that I was hungry... this was so not what I meant."

Her voice was disbelieving but any who truly listened would catch the hint of glee hidden underneath the unimpressed tone. Those jade green eyes of hers could never hide their mirth. It was something Michael had always taunted her for as a child. Her mother had always loved her eyes, said they always made her happy to see her child so alive.

"Lil' Bit, I will have you know that this is a fine establishment, and you should show it some respect," Paul's voice was condescending but even a passer by would know he was just goading her.

David's arm was a warm weight upon her shoulders as they stood side by side, the bikes of the others behind them. Dwayne stood not far to her right and was taking in the scene with a solemn face minus the small quirking of his lips. Ha. Knew he thought I was funny. In front of her stood the banes of her existence. Paul and Marko. Her eternal enemies.

"Come on, Poison. You said you were hungry and so we decided to help out our favorite person in the whole wide world-"

"- And now you are making us suffer for being the best buddies we could ever be. The audacity of you."

In sync, both boys lifted their chins, symbolizing their joking haughty tone. Bell bit her lip to stop the laughter that wanted to erupt from her. David must have sensed her predicament because he squeezed her shoulder in silent support, his own face remaining cool. Her eyes once more landed on the fine dining establishment that Paul and Marko stood by.