Moonhaven

Chapter 22: The Reason Why

"Which one should I choose," Ridley asked her son. "The 'Melancholy of the Moon', or The 'Titan Sun'?"

She had requested for Ziro to help her transport some of her pieces to the museum in the city, where she was in the midst of getting another one of her artworks displayed. She had created two watercolor paintings: one of Moonhaven's moon, and the other of the ordinary sun.

"Go with the moon," Ziro said blandly to his mother. "What has the sun ever done for us?"

Ridley chuckled. "Other than keeping us warm, providing a source of vitamin c, and sustaining the life of mother nature, as well as human life."

Ziro shrugged. "The moon gave us a home. Our moon did at least. You can be a sellout next time. Go with the moon now. 빨리 하세요 (ppalli ha-seyo), I have to meet the group soon."

Ridley nodded. "알겠어 알겠다 (al-gesso algett-da). I guess I'm getting disowned next time." She chuckled again, a little louder, causing Ziro to look away as if he didn't know her. Ridley picked up her painting of the moon ready to head over to the curator, when her phone rang. She lowered the painting to the polished floor and dug her phone out from her back jeans pocket. "Hello?"

"Ridley! It's me!" shouted an aggrieved Grayson through the phone.

"Grayson, is that you? What's wrong?" Ziro glanced at his mother. "Slow down, Gray...oh my god. Alright, hold on. Ziro," she handed him the phone.

"Mr. Prior?" Ziro said to the other end.

"Ziro! It's Alex...something's happened. He's been arrested, but they're holding him in the hospital downtown. They won't tell me exactly what happened. I'm headed there now, but I'm sure Lex could use a friend there too. I know it might be too much to ask but-"

"I'm on my way," Ziro cut in. "The museum's close by to the hospital so I'll get there sooner."

"Great! Thank you! When you see him, let him know I'm coming."

"I will." Ziro returned the phone to his mother, then he removed Necrodian from around his shoulder and handed it to her too. "They won't allow it at the hospital. Seems like there'll be cops there too. Take it home for me?"

"Of course. And let me know how Alex is."

Ziro nodded, and darted for the exit.

Lev was furious.

Grayson had called him twenty minutes ago about Alex, and he didn't even need to ask him anything — Lev was storming his way downtown to the hospital before the call was even over. But when he arrived, neither the police nor the doctors would permit him to see Alex, or even tell him what was going on. So he settled for angrily sitting on bench three doors away from the room where Alex was being held.

Lev's foot tapped rapidly against the floor, when he noticed someone as angry-looking as him, turn the corner and march in his direction. Ziro stopped not too far from where Lev was seated, and the two locked into a ferocious stare-down.

Ziro spoke first. "They won't let you in either?"

"Nope," Lev said with sharp, cruel emphasis.

"So Grayson called you too," Ziro said. It wasn't a question.

"Yup."

"He knows your number?"

"Nope. Jeremi's dad gave him my mom's number, so he called her to ask for me."

"And you actually came." Ziro's eyes narrowed. "Why?"

"Why don't you just ask Carsyn or Nyne or literally anyone else to spy on me some more?" The venom seeped through Lev's words, loud and clear. "That way you can know everything without even talking to me."