Morganville (Justin Bieber)

Chapter 95

Justin didn't answer. He didn't lift his head. He just . . . sat. I had no idea what to do, how to act, so I followed his example. Eve's hands suddenly closed on ours, hard.

"He threw me out," she said. "He told me that if I didn't let Brandon fang me, I couldn't be his daughter. Well, so he's dying, boohoo. I don't care."

Yes, you do, I wanted to say, but I couldn't. Eve was trying to convince herself, that was all, and in about thirty seconds she shook her head, and the tears broke free to run in dirty streaks down her pale face.

"I'll take you," Justin said quietly. "That way, you don't have to stay unless you want to."

Eve nodded. She couldn't seem to get her breath. "I wish - Michael - "

I remembered, with a shock, that we were still waiting for Sam's call. "I'll stay," I said. "I'll call you when I hear from Sam. I'll get Michael to come there, okay?"

"Okay," Eve said weakly. "I - need my purse, I guess."

She swiped at her eyes and walked into the other room. Justin looked at me, and I wondered what all this was bringing up for him - memories of his father, of his dead mother and sister, of a family he didn't really even have anymore.

You're a deep, dark mystery, I'd said to him, and now, more than ever, that was true.

"Take care of her," I said. "Call me if you need anything."

He kissed me on the lips, and in a few minutes I heard the front door bang shut. Locks clicked. I sat by the phone and waited.

I'd rarely felt so alone.

The phone rang after ten minutes. "He's coming home," Sam said, and hung up. No explanation.

I gritted my teeth and settled in to wait.

It took another twenty minutes for Michael's car to pull into the driveway. He crossed the short distance from garage to back door in a few fast strides, covering his head with a black umbrella he left by the steps. Even then, when he entered the kitchen, I smelled a faint burned reek coming from him, and he was shivering.

His eyes looked hollow and exhausted.

"Michael? You okay?"

"Fine," he said. "I need to rest, that's all."

"I - where were you? What happened?"

"I was with Amelie." He scrubbed his hands over his face. "Look, there's a lot going on. I should have left a note for you guys. I'm sorry. I'll try to keep you in the loop next time - "

"Eve's at the hospital," I blurted. "Her dad's dying."

Michael slowly straightened. "What?"

"Something about his liver, I guess because of his drinking. Anyway, they say he's dying. She and Justin went to see him." I studied him for a few seconds. "I told her I'd call when you got home. If you don't want to go - "

"No. No, I'll go. She needs - " He shrugged. "She needs people who love her. It's going to be hard, facing her parents."

"Yeah," I agreed. "She seemed upset." Of course she was upset. What a stupid thing to say. "I think she'd like it if you were there for her."

"I will be." Michael raised his eyebrows. "What about you? You okay to stay here?"

I glanced at the clock on the wall. "Could you drop me off somewhere?"

"Where?"

"I need to see Myrnin. Sorry, but I promised."

Not that visiting my crazy vampire mentor was going to be any more pleasant than going to the hospital.