Disclaimer: I do not own The Lost Boys or any of the characters. I only own my OC.

A/N: Hey guys! So if you have been following me, you would know that in the past I have previously written a fanfic story for The Lost Boys. I had deleted it though because I had been in a major writers block stage and at the time I just didn't feel right to continue writing the story. I had no motivation and honestly my writing was terrible and I didn't want to give you guys crap to read. You deserved better than that. I'm out of school now though for summer, so I have more time to focus on my writing and I now have the full motivation to continue writing this story. It's not exactly the same as before, since I have taken time to really edit and change the story plot. The story takes places a little bit before the main events of the film though. I will be hopefully adding my OC to the main story line when the time comes. I hope you guys enjoy this new revamped story!

Summary: Cheryl Rivers life hasn't exactly been going so well lately. Due to some family drama she's sent to live with her estranged great aunt in Santa Carla. She was expecting the worst moving there, but sees a silver lining when meeting a certain group. Slowly but surely friendships are formed. Except she can't help but feel more towards the boy with the Cheshire grin. Marko/OC

"I may have not gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be." ― Douglas Adams

Chapter 1: The arrival

God my life sucks.

Cheryl Rivers gloomy thought to herself. The sixteen year old was currently riding inside a taxi. The inside of it though appeared to be more damaged and worn out than the outside. And the smell wasn't that great either. She suspected that was all the taxi drivers doing, but didn't say anything out loud because she didn't want to be rude. Or anger him. The way he had thrown her bags when he had picked her up in the trunk had clued her in on how he probably had a short temper. So since getting inside the taxi she had been trying her best to keep quiet and stomach the smell. The teen was really surprised though that the taxi was still running. Since picking her up from the airport the taxi had been letting out strange noises. She had to keep reminding herself though that everything was fine and that the ride would soon come to an end. She was nearing her great aunt Josephine's house.

"Be there in a few." The taxi driver spoke up. His voice was gruff and did not sound friendly at all.

Cheryl merely nodded her head letting him know she had heard him.

Although she had mentally told herself this, it made Cheryl feel even more relief to hear out loud that she was reaching her great aunt's house. Except she also felt a sense of nervousness as well. Her stomach was in twists. The reason being was because she hadn't seen her great aunt Josephine for quite some time now. Try about five years. Sure she had talked to her over the phone and received birthday cards from her, but the last time Cheryl remembered seeing her great aunt was when she was eleven years old, and that had only been a short visit. At the time Cheryl didn't really think much about it, but now she was curious as to why her great aunt even visted. It's not that she didn't want her there, she was just thoroughly bemused as to why she graced them with her presence. Nowadays, her great aunt never visited. She just called and sent cards on holidays and birthdays.

When asking her parents about that, Cheryl's mom Julia would say it was because her great aunt Josephine was extremely shy when it came to social outings, but her dad Calvin would say it was because she was basket case and had no social skills whatsoever. But as Cheryl knows now, thanks to her mom, her dad said those things about her great aunt because he didn't like her. Why? Because apparently she was the one of the first people to see past him and his excuses. Or as she should better say... his lies. Those same lies that had her in this very taxi.

Well that wasn't one hundred percent her dad's fault or even her mom's.

She had some fault as to why she was in the situation she was in.

It had all started last year, or actually even before that. See, her parents had never been the super lovely dovey type. They rarely showed affection towards each other. And it was obvious they had their issues. Last year though had hit a new limit with their arguments. It seemed like everyday they would start yelling at each other for the smallest things. Forgetting to throw out the trash, not buying more milk, even for letting the TV remote sink inside the couch. Just silly stupid things. But as she later found out, there was a bigger reasons for why her parents acted this way. A reason she didn't like dwelling on because it just made her hate her dad more than she already did.

There arguments were frequent. It came to the point were Cheryl was practically praying for them to get a divorce. At first it sadden her that she was thinking that way. What teen prays for their parents to split? But honestly the relationship between her mom and dad was not a happy one. Not for them or for her or younger brother Alex.

Cheryl's heart ached as she thought of her younger brother.

Poor Alex.

Her innocent ten year old brother did not deserve to live in a household were the parents hated each other. Neither of them did. They barely paid any attention to him or her. All her parents did was yell at each other.

Which is explained why she did what she did.

Cheryl acted out. More so than she already did before. Which to be honest, actually wasn't a lot. She was a well behaved girl. So for her to start misbehaving was a shocking thing for her to do. But that's why she did it. To get her parents attention onto her rather than on themselves.

She did a lot of things to attract their attention. It started off small. A few detentions here and there, coming home late into the night, and ignoring chores. And as she had hoped, her parents started yelling less at each other and more at her. But it still wasn't enough. She wanted to do something serious. Something that would finally get them to stop arguing with each other for good.

So she did something incredibly stupid and dangerous. And for what she did she couldn't blame her mom and dad for sending her away to live with her great aunt. It sucked, but honestly, her punishment was completely justifiable. Although that didn't mean she liked it.

And what was this stupid and dangerous thing she did? Well she set one of the girls school bathrooms on fire. Yeah...that had been a stupid thing to do. To give her safety credit, she made sure no one was inside the bathroom when the act was committed. She in no way wanted anyone to get hurt. She just wanted to send a message to her parents. And besides, the fire wasn't even that big. But it was big enough to evacuate the whole school. In hind sight, Cheryl shouldn't have done that, but at the time she didn't care of the consequence. All she wanted was her parents to stop fighting and to start paying attention to her. Even if it meant they had to yell at her. At least then they weren't yelling at each other. To add positivity this, her misbehavior finally made her parents notice her little brother. Saying she was setting a bad example for him and that she wasn't a good older sister.

They made her out to be the bad guy. But she didn't mind having that role. If it meant her parents stopped arguing twenty four seven with each other and finally start noticing her and Alex, she would gladly take the role of the bad guy.

But now here she was a month later. Moving to a whole new place, with a great aunt she hadn't seen for five years. Apparently this new move was suppose to shape up her behavior. Funny enough, it had been her dad who suggested she move in with her great aunt Josephine. She believed the words she had overheard him to her mom were, "Let her move in with the looney! Maybe then she'll realize how good she has it!" Hearing him say this just made her hate him even more. Her mom on the other hand had been more reluctant to send her way, but in the end she agreed to. Before she left though, her parents had told her that they were still trying to figure out things with their "relationship." But Cheryl knew what that meant. Divorce was in the horizon. And why wouldn't it be? Especially because of her dad.

What bothered her the most with her departure was that she was leaving behind her younger brother. Poor Alex now had to stay with their parents by himself as they finalized the end of their marriage. She had hopes that perhaps their arguing wouldn't get out of hand and that they wouldn't forget he was there. She had more faith in her mom with Alex's care than she did with her dad. Still, she would call frequently to make sure he was doing okay. It was the least she could do for him. After all if she hadn't acted the way she did, maybe she wouldn't be in this taxi. But she had to remind herself that she did the things she did for a reason.

But overall her life right now sucked.

At least it was summer.

Cheryl had no reason to worry over school. Not yet anyways. She didn't have to inwardly panic on how she was going to fit in with the school crowd in Santa Carla. She had reason to believe it was going to be quite the challenge to open up. She wasn't much of a socializer. It wasn't like she antisocial, but she wasn't an extreme extrovert either. Therefore she wasn't looking forward for when word got out that she had gotten expelled from her last school. She was dreading that. But it wasn't like she could hide it. Well from the students maybe, but not from the school principle and other staff members. One look at her file and she'd be seen as the trouble maker girl who almost burned down her old schools bathroom.

The welcome sign to the new place she was now going to reside in caught her attention. Cheryl eyed it with mild interest.

WELCOME TO SANTA CARLA!

It was a simple sign, but it was what she saw behind the welcome sign that made her green eyes widen.

MURDER CAPITAL OF THE WORLD.

That was definitely different and alarming. Murder capital of the world? Was that true? If so, why did her parents think it was wise to send her to this place? And more importantly why in the world did her great aunt live here?!

So many other questions were running through her head, that she was startled when the taxi took a sudden sharp turn. The urge to make a comment to the driver about how careless he was being rose, but she quickly threw it down. Calming her emotions down, she took a deep breath before she looked outside her window. The teen was greatly surprised to see how different Santa Carla looked, along with the residents she saw.

I am so not in Chicago anymore...

Growing up in the city made Cheryl aware and used to people being different. But hell, the people here in Santa Carla were unique. Almost strange looking. Well at least they looked unique. A lot of the people she saw appeared to be homeless. Yet another thing she was used to seeing in Chicago. What she wasn't used to and what made her stomach drop was the bulletin board she briefly saw near the boardwalk they passed. She had no doubt in mind that the boardwalk must have been the most popular hang out here in Santa Carla. It had a bunch of rides and other attractions. But it was also where she saw the bulletin board that had all the missing people posters on it. And even with the brief look she got, she saw a lot of posters. That just made her more wary to go near that place.

Cheryl managed to forget about her wariness for just a bit as she passed by other small shops. Most of them were clothing and jewelry and tattoo shops. She was more interested with the clothing shop. Although she wasn't a fashion fanatic, and preferred to dress comfortably, she did like to dress in style every once in a while. But her regular everyday outfit consisted of jeans, a t-shirt, sneakers, and her green army jacket. Or as she liked to call it, her lucky jacket.

By the looks of it the people here in Santa Carla were very into fashion. Well in their own way.

The taxi took another turn and Cheryl was grateful it wasn't as careless as the other one had been. She noticed they had turn into a sandy like looking road. The road only lead on way and the down it's destination Cheryl saw the old green looking house. She'd guessed it was technically a beach house since it was close to the beach itself. Plus even from the taxi she could already tell the house had a great view of the beach itself.

Once reaching it's destination, the taxi came to a stop. The taxi driver immediately exited the taxi and Cheryl did the same. Except she more hesitant in doing so. She was glad she no longer had to be in that smelly taxi, but she was nervous about meeting her great aunt. The teen didn't want to endure a lecture and what not. At least not yet, but she had a feeling she would. Sighing, Cheryl made her way towards the trunk where the taxi driver was taking out her stuff.

He put the last bag on the ground and without saying a word stuck his hand out. Cheryl, already understanding, paid him. He gave her a short nod before returning to the taxi and then driving off.

So long Mr. Taxi driver.

Cheryl's green eyes then focused on the house in front of her. The house itself was two stories and although old looking, it was in no way run down. In it's own way, it still looked nice...

The teen closed her eyes as she took a deep breath. Finding some courage, she decided to proceed with the next step. Bags in hand, Cheryl walked towards the front door and then knocked on the door before she chickened out. She didn't have to wait long for the door to open.

Five years of not seeing her great aunt didn't affect Cheryl in memory, because right away did she recognize her. Her great aunt looked the same as before. Well not exactly the same. She looked a bit older, but in a gracious way one could say. She was about the same height as her, 5'6. She had medium length hair, which of course was of light brown with a few grey hairs. She was wearing a purple dress with a white apron over it. The apron had paint splattered and dirt stains. It was an odd combination that had Cheryl questioning just had her great aunt had been doing prior to answering the door. Yes her overall outfit was kind of weird, but despite this she oozed a kind attitude. The smile and soft eyes she had was proof of that. This lowered the nervousness she had been having towards her.

"Hey, aunt Josephine." Cheryl greeted awkwardly as she waved at her.

Right away did Josephine react. "Oh! Cheryl! Look at you!" She proclaimed with a smile. "How you've grown. Aww, you look just like your mother. Such a beautiful young lady you are now."

That was true. Well the part about her looking like her mom anyways.

Cheryl had inherited her mom's red hair, green eyes, and freckles. A lot people in the past had complimented her on her features, and although the teen had thanked them she never could quite see herself as beautiful. Her mom yes, but her? Not really. Unlike her mom's hair, Cheryl's was too wild. It was a frizz mess. And she never did like that she had freckles. As for her eyes...well that was the only thing she liked about her features.

Cheryl managed a smile. "Thanks, aunt Josephine."

"Do forgive me for how I'm presented." Josephine quickly apologized. She threw her arms out and then did a half spin. Once she did that she faced her again. "I knew you were coming in today, but I guess I lost track of time. The flowers will do that to you." She said and then let out a laugh.

Say what? Cheryl furrowed her eyebrows, bemused. "The flowers?" She asked in uncertainty.

Josephine face lit up. "Yes! I was taking care of my garden. I get too into that, that I lose track of time. Silly me, I never learn."

Cheryl needed a few seconds to comprehend what she said.

So she likes flowers? Big deal...that not weird...

"Right..." Cheryl replied trying her hardest to sound unfazed.

Josephine's eyes then widen in realization. "Heavens, I'm sorry. You're still outside. Please, come in."

Cheryl, although bemused by her great aunt, entered the house. Once inside her eyes widen. "Wow..." The teen commented as she took everything in. She had set her bags to side as she walked further into the house. Her great aunt Josephine was sure into art and flowers. There was all sorts of painting hanged on the walls and there were flowers vases everywhere as well. Not that it wasn't nice, it was just a lot to take in.

Josephine took her shock as a good thing though. She smiled brightly. "I know right. Doesn't it just make the whole place a lot more warmer? Inviting? As I always say a home isn't a home without a few art pieces and flowers ornaments."

A few?

Cheryl blinked a few times before she was able to speak.

"Uh, yeah, totally."

She didn't sound one hundred percent convincing, but lucky for her great aunt either didn't know or care.

"Why don't you go upstairs and settle in." Josephine suggested with a light tone of voice. "Your room is the last one down the hall on the right side."

Cheryl was surprised that she was actually letting her unpack first. She thought for sure she was going to give her a huge lecture about how things were supposed to be around her and how she was supposed to behave and such. But she'd guessed that was to come later. Cheryl nodded her head. She grabbed her bags once more and then started walking towards the stairs.

"Oh, sweetie!" Josephine suddenly called out. Cheryl turned to look at her with a confused expression. The older woman smiled at this. "Do take off your shoes when going up and down the stairs. Don't want to have an accident on your first day now, do you?"

"Uh, no?" Cheryl answered her.

Josephine nodded her head. "Good, then take off your shoes. Stairs can be quite the enemy."

Stairs can be quite the enemy? Is she for real?

Apparently she was for real because her great aunt was actually waiting for her to take off her shoes. With a sigh, Cheryl took off her shoes and held them in one of her hands.

Happy, Josephine smiled. "Great! Now go ahead and unpack. Meanwhile I'll be in the background. Some of the flowers still need some love and care." With that she made her way towards the backyard.

A lot of things were going though Cheryl's mind, the main one being about how odd her great aunt was. From what she remembered her great aunt had always been an oddball before, but this "I haven't seen you in five years" introduction takes the cake. Perhaps her dad was right...maybe she was a basket case. Cheryl immediately put a stop to this stop. The last thing she wanted was to agree with something with her dad. Shaking her head she put this thought to the side.

As Cheryl walked up the stairs though she couldn't help but think of what other odd things she would encounter now that she was in a new and unfamiliar place.