Morganville (Justin Bieber)

Chapter 22

No sign of Justin on Monday morning, but I got up way early - just after Micheal would of evaporated into mist, in fact. I showered, and grabbed a pop-tart from the cabinet for breakfast, washed the dishes that had been dumped in the sink after last nights disaster.

I pulled the vampire book from my bag and wedged it in between an old volume of the World Encyclopaedia and some novel I had never even heard of. Then stepped out, locked the door, and began walking toward school.

The Chem Lab was busy when I arrived between classes, and I had no trouble slipping into the supply room to put the canister back in place.

It was noon when I walked down to Common Grounds. Eve was just arriving, yawning and bleary eyed; she looked surprised to see me as she handed over the cup of tea.

"I thought you weren't supposed to leave the house" she said. "Micheal and Justin said-"

"I need to talk to Oliver" I said.

"He's in the back" Eve pointed. "In the office. Ana? Is there anything wrong?"

"No" I said. "I think something's about to be right for change"

The door marked office was closed. I knocked, heard Oliver's warm voice telling me to enter, and came in. He was sitting behind a small desk in a small room, windowless, with a computer in front of him. He smiled at me and stood up to shake my hand.

"Ana" he said. "Good to see you're safe. I heard there had been some unpleasantness"

Oliver was wearing a tie-dyed Grateful Dead t-shirt and some blue jeans with faded patches on the knees. He looked tired and concerned, and thought suddenly there was something about him that looked a lot like Micheal.

"Brandon is very unhappy" he said. "I'm afraid there's going to be retaliation. Brandon likes striking from an angle. Not straight on, so you'd better watch out for your friends, as well. That would include Eve, of course. I've asked her to be extra careful"

I nodded, heart in my throat. "Um..what if I had something to trade?"

Oliver sat down and leant back in his chair. "Trade for what? And to whom?"

"I- something important. I don't want to be more specific than that" I say.

"I'm afraid you're going to have to be, if you want me to act as any kind of go between for you. I can't trade if I don't know what I'm offering" he says, shaking his head.

I realised I was still holding my tea cup, and put it down on the desk. "Um, I'd rather do it myself. But I don't know who to go to. Whoever can order Brandon around, I guess. Or even higher than that"

"There is a social order to the vampire community" Oliver agreed. "Brandon's hardly at the top. There are two factions, you know. Brandon is part of one - the darker side, I suppose you could say. It depends on your view point. Certainly, from a human standpoint, neither faction is exactly lily-white" he shrugs. "I can help you, if you'll let me. Believe me, you don't want to try to contact these people on your own. I'm not they'd allow you to do so"

I bit my lip, thinking about what Micheal had said about deals in Morganville. I wasn't good at it; I knew that. And I didn't know the rules.

Oliver did, or he'd have been dead a long time ago. Besides, he was Eve's boss, and she liked him. Plus, he'd be able to keep Brandon from biting me at least twice.

"Okay" I said. "I have the book"

Oliver's eyebrows came down into a straight line. "The book?" He asks.

"You know, the book" I say.

"Ana" he said slowly, "I hope you know what you're saying. Because you can't be wrong about this, and you absolutely can't lie. Bluffing will get you, and all your friends, killed. No mercy. Others have tried, passing off fakes or pretending to have if, then running. They all died. All of them. You understand?"